Summary Article "Why The Climate Fight Needs Engineers"

In the article of “Why Climate Change Needs Engineers”, Shah (2015) posits that Engineers are now highly sought after and relied on to counter sustainability issues. He asserts that urbanization has indirectly caused climate change which rapidly increases and threatens the country’s sustainability. The author highlights that the increase in carbon emissions has allowed for undesirable atmospheric conditions in many cities. He also mentions that only engineers have the skill sets and are well equipped to tackle climate change, be it in clean environment, water resources, sustainable development and infrastructure. Singapore's goal to be a green economy and smart nation highly depends on the expertise and continual innovation of engineers to integrate technologies so as to achieve a holistically “sustainable power system.”

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Social Media Reality

Over the years, technologies are getting more advanced and that is why social media has become part of our everyday life. Everything we do and talk about can now be read online on the computers or cell phones. Today, social media has become widely used in the young generation especially. However, this has caused them to be more vulnerable to peer pressure and has been linked to a surprising number of undesirable mental health consequences; Self depression, low self-esteem, bitterness and jealousy amongst their peers.

As a teenager myself, I believe that not only does social media and depressive symptoms go hand in hand, but the mediating factor seems to be what we called “Social Comparison.” As the saying goes, “Comparison is the thief of joy” and yet many of us are inclined to make comparisons between our dullest moments and our friend’s momentous ones which they posted online.

As much as how illogical these social comparisons may be, our emotional responses to such image can be so strong that they completely overpower our sense of logic and affect our mood. We all know the gut wrenching feeling that arises when we see something lacking in ourselves which provokes the thoughts of second guessing our looks, personality or capabilities.

So how can we stop ourselves from feeling this way? Simple. I have come to learn that we should always keep reminding ourselves what reality is as people are constantly only showcasing the best aspects of their life onto social media. This also means that reality is what is really missing and hidden on social media. Many emphasize the best version of themselves instead of the real versions.

Life can be tough, ugly, sad, depressing at times. There is no such thing as perfect life. But in the social media world, these are unlikely to be reflected and in the photos people post onto their social media accounts.

In conclusion, instead of allowing ourselves to make us feel poorly about ourselves, why not switch perspective and try to view it as an opportunity for a little self-evaluating and a chance for us to further improve ourselves in every aspect of our lives.

#justsomereflections

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The Importance of English for Me

English language may not be the most commonly spoken language on a global scale but it is unquestionably the official language in a large number of countries. There is much to be learnt such as applying the proper grammar rules and vocabulary to pronouncing of words accurately so as to communicate effectively.

Many people in Singapore are lablled as "singlish" speaking despite English being our mother language. I personally feel that being well equipped to speak eloquently would definitely leave a good impression and boost one's confidence when conversing with others. Furthermore, books, online materials, top films and even sought after newspapers are published and produced in English. Thus, for me to be able to tap on these wealth of knowledge and entertainment, the development of my English language proficiencies both in speaking and in writing are of irrefutable importance.

As a university student, English assumes an important role in coming to my aid in daily transactions at school where it has been a medium of instructions. I have grown to heavily rely on it to convey my ideas across and as masterfully as possible use it to establish my viewpoints in classroom discussions without using filler words or broken English that may embarrass myself. A language that seemed to be nothing more than just mere papers of practice over and over during my secondary school days has become one of my principal asset in life. For that I am thankful for its roots. 

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First Week in SIT almost.....

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