Lau Chun Wo KEW080011

My name is lau chun wo, 21 years old, born in 23th April 1988, stay in Segamat, Johor. I finished my primary education at S.J.K.(C) LIAN HWA, 2000. After that I took my five years secondary education at SEK. MEN. KEB. SAGIL TANGKAK. After I took my General Certificate of Education, about three months I joined the PLKN program. In between this few months I tried a lot of things I never tried before such as Flying fox. After three months I continued my education career with Diploma education at SEK. MEN. KEB LEDANG about one and a half years. After that I came to University Malaya continue my Degree education, at this place I started my University life. I am one of the members for computer engineering in University Malaya, why I choose for this course? Actually I choose this course for no reason, or maybe because I love computer game so much therefore lead me for this course.
What do I do during my leisure time? I think most of the time I use to playing computer game because this is one of my favorite activities besides studying. Some of the people will think that playing game is waster of time, but for me that is not bad. Try think form other angle of view, you will even denial that playing any games is not good because once in a while playing any games besides mitigating our pressure, sometimes it can also improve our knowledge, because we can take this chance to investigate the graphic and game, think of strategies of win. Additionally it can also become one of the chatting topics between player and this will help strengthen our friendship and increase our communication skills especially for me because I know my foible, which is not good in communication skill and also week in English language, but I know that I can improve all this from time to time.
Now talking about my vocation, actually when I was in my childhood, a lot of vocations came across my mind, such as being a teacher, scientist, artist, and so on. While growing up, this kind of notion slowly fade from my mind, maybe because childhood simplicity had been lost on the road that we growing up. After I grew up I knew it the world is not simple as I think sometime something happened not as we wish, therefore my vocation also keep changing with the time. Therefore if someone asks me my vocation, I can’t answer it. For somebody, without aspiration maybe is not good, but for me it is not bad because I will not be tied by my own mind, and I can try different things in the future.
Writing this essay, I start thinking myself deeply. What the value of me in this world? For now, I playing the role of student, what I should do is focus on my education, gain a lot of knowledge as much as I can from now, so that my knowledge can be improve from day to day. Besides, I also play the role of son in house, where I need respect and take care of my parent and also my brother and sisters. At this moment, my value to this world can be considered as zero; because now I still can not give any contribute to the society.
After I finish my undergraduate and start the society live, I know that my value will keep increasing because the senior of this world where I can give my service to surrounding people and also the world. At the moment, I call it as harvest time, where I will start get the crops from my previous strive.
At the end, I hope that my university life will become more interesting. I will cherish my forth years university life, I hope that it will become my sweet memory in my lifetime.



Different types of thinking

1. Convergent thinking
This type of thinking is cognitive processing of information around a common point, an attempt to bring thoughts from different directions into a union or common conclusion.Bringing material from a variety of sources to bear on a problem, in such a way to produce the correct answer. Because of the need for consistency and reliability, this is really the only form of thinking which standardized intelligence tests.

2. Divergent thinking
This type of thinking starts from a common point and moves outward into a variety of perspectives. When fostering divergent thinking, the content use as a vehicle to prompt diverse or unique thinking among students rather than a common view. Creative elaboration of ideas prompted by a stimulus, and is more suited to artistic pursuits and study in the humanities.

3. Critical thinking
This is convergent thinking. It assesses the worth and validity of something existent. It involves precise, persistent, objective analysis.

Rationality
We are thinking critically when we
• rely on reason rather than emotion,
• require evidence, ignore no known evidence, and follow evidence where it leads, and
• Concerned more with finding the best explanation than being right analyzing apparent confusion and asking questions.

Self-awareness
We are thinking critically when we
• weigh the influences of motives and bias, and
• recognize our own assumptions, prejudices, biases, or point of view.

Honesty
We are thinking critically when we recognize emotional impulses, selfish motives, nefarious purposes, or other modes of self-deception.

Open-mindedness
We are thinking critically when we
• evaluate all reasonable inferences
• consider a variety of possible viewpoints or perspectives,
• remain open to alternative interpretations
• accept a new explanation, model, or paradigm because it explains the evidence better, is simpler, or has fewer inconsistencies or covers more data
• accept new priorities in response to a reevaluation of the evidence or reassessment of our real interests, and
• do not reject unpopular views out of hand.

Discipline
We are thinking critically when we
• are precise, meticulous, comprehensive, and exhaustive
• resist manipulation and irrational appeals, and
• avoid snap judgments.


Judgment
We are thinking critically when we
• recognize the relevance and/or merit of alternative assumptions and perspectives
• recognize the extent and weight of evidence
Critical thinking enables us to recognize a wide range of subjective analyses of otherwise objective data, and to evaluate how well each analysis might meet our needs. Facts may be facts, but how we interpret them may vary.
By contrast, passive, non-critical thinkers take a simplistic view of the world.
• They see things in black and white, as either-or, rather than recognizing a variety of possible understanding.
• They see questions as yes or no with no subtleties.
• They fail to see linkages and complexities.
• They fail to recognize related elements.
Non-critical thinkers take an egotistical view of the world
• They taketheirfacts as the only relevant ones.
• They taketheir ownperspective as the only sensible one.
• They taketheir goalas the only valid one.


4. Creative thinking
This is divergent thinking. It generates something new or different. It involves having a different idea that works as well or better than previous ideas.
Several methods have been identified for producing creative results.
(a) Evolution
This is the method of incremental improvement. New ideas stem from other ideas, new solutions from previous ones, the new ones slightly improved over the old ones. Many of the very sophisticated things we enjoy today developed through a long period of constant incrementation. Making something a little better here, a little better there gradually makes it something a lot better--even entirely different from the original.

(b) Synthesis
With this method, two or more existing ideas are combined into a third, new idea. Combining the ideas of a magazine and an audio tape gives the idea of a magazine you can listen to, one useful for blind people or freeway commuters.

(c) Revolution
Sometimes the best new idea is a completely different one, an marked change from the previous ones.

(d) Reapplication
Look at something old in a new way. Go beyond labels. Unfixate, remove prejudices, expectations and assumptions and discover how something can be reapplied. One creative person might go to the junkyard and see art in an old model T transmission. He paints it up and puts it in his living room. Another creative person might see in the same transmission the necessary gears for a multi-speed hot walker for his horse. He hooks it to some poles and a motor and puts it in his corral. The key is to see beyond the previous or stated applications for some idea, solution, or thing and to see what other application is possible.

(e) Changing Direction
Many creative breakthroughs occur when attention is shifted from one angle of a problem to another. This is sometimes called creative insight.

Characteristics of the Creative Person
• curious
• seeks problems
• enjoys challenge
• optimistic
• able to suspend judgment
• comfortable with imagination
• sees problems as opportunities
• sees problems as interesting
• problems are emotionally acceptable
• challenges assumptions
• doesn't give up easily: perseveres, works hard


5. Inductive thinking
This is the process of reasoning from parts to the whole, from examples to generalizations.

6. Deductive thinking
This type of reasoning moves from the whole to its parts, from generalizations to underlying concepts to examples.

7．Positive and negative thinking
Positive thinking is the process of creating thoughts, which create and focus energy into reality. To bring into creation a positive outcome, which can see as a benefit to ourselves or others. Negative thinking appears to be more prevalent than positive thinking. It seems that with most people positive thinking requires some effort, whereas negative thinking comes easily and uninvited. This has much to do with education and the environment one has been living in.

8. Historical thinking
Historical thinking is defined by many education resources as a set of reasoning skills that students of history should learn as a result of studying history. Sometimes called historical reasoning skills, historical thinking skills are frequently described in contrast to history content such as names, dates, and places.

9. Systematic thinking
Systematic thinking is a way of life for those who excel in their lives and professions.
Steps In Systematic Thinking
1. Identify and analyze the problem before jumping into action
2. Formulate multiple options
3. Define and establish a selection criterion
4. Be bold and make a final decision
5 Steps to Systematic Thinking
Thinking systematically is a never-ending process and it can begin at any age. But starting early is all the more better for obvious reasons.

10. Lateral thinking
Lateral thinking is about reasoning that is not immediately obvious and about ideas that may not be obtainable by using only traditional step-by-step logic.

11. Vertical thinking
Vertical thinking is a type of approach to problems that usually involves one being selective, analytical, and sequential. It could be said that it is the opposite of lateral thinking.

12. Parallel thinking
Parallel Thinking is defined as a thinking process where focus is split in specific directions.



At this moment, the suitable thinking i should have are positive thinking, critical thinking and creative thinking. Have a positive thinking I can envisage any challenge of my university live and minimize the stress of live, so that I will have enough energy to gain more knowledge. Critical thinking can make me think and make any decision through my viewpoint that more in reason. Creative thinking, can training myself from a main idea and diverge into several creative idea. For my future, besides all this thinking, I need I more thinking that is systematic thinking where I need have thinking like a professional and behave as a professional engineer.




References
1. http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/converge.htm
2. http://www.virtualsalt.com/crebook1.htm
3. http://www.criticalreading.com/critical_thinking.htm
4. http://www.lindaland.com/positivebook/page7.htm
5. http://www.successconsciousness.com/index_00002d.htm
6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_thinking
7. http://ezinearticles.com/?5-Steps-to-Systematic-Thinking&id=229452
8. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertical_thinking
9. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateral_thinking
10. http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Parallel_Thinking

* sorry if i got a lot of grammar mistake

I'm sure that when the time comes for you to contribute to society, you'll leave your mark in history!

...I tried a lot of things I never tried before such as Flying fox...

woah~

...Some of the people will think that playing game is waster of time, but for me that is not bad. Try think form other angle of view, you will even denial that playing any games is not good because once in a while playing any games besides mitigating our pressure, sometimes it can also improve our knowledge, because we can take this chance to investigate the graphic and game, think of strategies of win. Additionally it can also become one of the chatting topics between player and this will help strengthen our friendship...

agree~

i never think that playing game is bad fo us, but it has benefit for us ... such as keep our brain actives because we need thinking as well when we are playing games =D

i am just beside you and seeing you playing games everyday.XD

Playing games is not a bad thing! I strongly against it! hahahahaha! It has negative as well as positive sides, just don't get addicted

p/s: however sometimes i just can't help myself but feeling lazy and keep on playing XD

p/s: however sometimes i just can't help myself but feeling lazy and keep on playing XD[/quote]

i have same feeling too...

The top students i know back in penang are all gamers. So I totally disagree on "gaming is a waste of time".

As for your english, I can see you feel your english is really bad but think of this:
"God has helped you by putting 2 bananas as your roommate for 1 year, forcing you to speak in english with them."
I'm sure your english has improved a lot compared to since you've entered UM. Honestly, I feel you have improved a lot in this essay compared to the one you wrote for Dr Rafiq that time. It works both ways. I totally don't understand mandarin the 1st day i entered UM. Now i can roughly understand already so make sure you people who are reading this think twice before criticising me in mandarin!

Gaming can make your mind sharper!

Ooi Tiang Chien KEW080018 wrote:The top students i know back in penang are all gamers. So I totally disagree on "gaming is a waste of time".

As for your english, I can see you feel your english is really bad but think of this:
"God has helped you by putting 2 bananas as your roommate for 1 year, forcing you to speak in english with them."
I'm sure your english has improved a lot compared to since you've entered UM. Honestly, I feel you have improved a lot in this essay compared to the one you wrote for Dr Rafiq that time. It works both ways. I totally don't understand mandarin the 1st day i entered UM. Now i can roughly understand already so make sure you people who are reading this think twice before criticising me in mandarin!

chun wo, i m sure too tat ur english have improve much~ keep it up! GO GO GO! I SUPPORT YOU!! GAMBAminumTEH!

Playing games can also improve your english. But, of course it depends on the game you're playing.