Read these four blogposts. There will be questions on the next page.
The Sad State of Today's Movies Does it ever seem to you like the latest movies are getting worse and worse? Well, it does to me. I can’t recall the last time I went to the cinema and watched a movie with a decent storyline. It’s all special effects and no plot! And not only that, but the acting is getting worse too. Today’s celebrity superstars are big on looks, but sorely lacking in talent. I’ve pretty much just given up on films altogether; I’d rather just read a novel.
Diversity Broadens Your Horizons I come from a small village way out in the countryside. Growing up, I never had the chance to meet people of different races or backgrounds. Well, all that changed when I went to university. I made friends from Thailand, Peru, Russia and many other places. It was really interesting to hear other points of view. After university, I joined a multinational corporation as a petroleum engineer and I travelled to the Middle East. I noticed that not everybody could adapt well to living in a foreign land, but I loved it. I really believe that exposure to foreign places and foreign ideas is great for a person’s self-development.
Office Politics When I started my current job, I was really looking forward to working in a dynamic environment. It didn’t take long for my illusions to be shattered! There is one group of people who ‘support’ the current manager and another group who are openly plotting to get rid of him as soon as possible. It’s a classic case of office politics. If I become too friendly with either group, I’ll be seen as having ‘joined the team’. So, I just keep my head down and do my work the best I can. But the environment in the office is incredibly tense. It’s so frustrating. Why can’t people leave the politics to the government?
Learning to Speak Up I've just finished the last session of ‘Speak Up’ - a series of workshops that helps you to become a more confident public speaker. I have to say that I think this workshop should be compulsory for everyone in our company. We were given training on how to project our voices, how to use positive body language and how to use rhetorical devices to deliver a confident and persuasive speech. I used to be terrified at the thought of speaking in public, but no longer. In fact, I can’t wait for a chance to give a presentation and try out my new skills.