16th October 2005

What is the point of contributing extra to your group when at the end when you try to bring out a point that you don't like about them and they brand you as an elitist? Am I wrong to comment about timely delivery of work that has been desimminated? Am I wrong to stress the importance of turning up and being on time for project meetings? Am I wrong to ask them to add anything that they want into the presentation so long as they can justify them? Do you know how irritating it is when people start looking at you and ask you something that they are supposed to find out themselves when you already have loads to do? Do you know how irritating it is when you turn up with your work done and the rest of the members start seraching for mistakes within their work when they arrive? Aren't they supposed to be done at home before the meeting? Do you know how irritating it is when your group agrees to meet and you made the effort to turn up on time and a quarter of your group is late and the other half is not even coming? And at the end of all, when you bring these to their attention, you become the bad bad guy and your work is not reduced but increased?

Actually I don't really expect much from my group members. I don't need them to be brilliant in studies or presentations. I only need responsible team members who keep to the time and agreements meted out during group projects. Things like when to finish the work desimminated to you and coming to meetings on time should be strictly kept. Is that a lot to demand for? Everyone has their own commitments but we should at least make some effort such that no one should ever be inconvenienced for your convenience. Don't you think so? If you belong to one of my group members who think I am one stuck up guy who couldn't stand working with people that are not so brilliant, try asking around the teams I have worked in before. If people keep to the time and show some effort, I don't really mind going the extra mile for them. I really don't mind. If after asking around you still feel that I am one stuck up guy, carry on thinking that way. I couldn't be bothered what you think of me so long as my conscience is clear. Who cares if the whole world hates me? If perceptions of me is so easily changed, there was never a really strong bond to begin with. So what is the point of crying over not so strong bonds? Self consolation?Maybe.

Well, I would just like to commend my AA205 group over here. I really do enjoy working with this group of people. I enjoy not because work gets done exceptionally fast or exceptionally well in this group but because everyone is willing to work together. It is like climbing out of quicksand in a group. You feel that you are not alone. You get the motivation to climb with the rest as everyone is working and the whole group is there together, in heaven or in deep ocean. Just look the meeting I had yesterday in school. Everyone turned up, with not a single complaint and it is a breeze arranging meetings with them as they are all ever ready to sacrifice their personal commitments so that the whole group could find a common time to meet up. What is more admirable is that everyone stayed till the end of the meeting even though some of them had prior arranged commitments. No one mentioned about leaving early and everyone stayed till the very very end. I guess it is this cohesiveness that really built up our friendship to the extent that we are forever indulging ourselves in jokes and laughter. There really is joy in the process of working with them. I really don't mind going the extra mile even out of the project for this group of people. Special thanks today goes to Adrian who sacrificed his seven o clock show yesterday as a result of the rehearsal. Special thanks and apologies also goes to Ruiqi who was late for her friend's birthday chalet as a result of staying till the end for the presentation rehearsal. Whatever the results of our project, I will rate this team one of the best teams I have had in NTU. Well done guys and girls if you all are reading this.