My remote meeting experience

Last Thursday, our team did an online meeting using Google Hangouts. Due to scheduling conflicts, it was difficult for us to physically meet. Moreover Alexis flew to Texas that day. Therefore, an online meeting is the perfect solution for us.

Most of us have been using Google Hangouts before so we're all familiar with the logistics of Google Hangouts. The reasons why we choose Google Hangouts because it's free and easy to use. In addition, Google Hangouts can accommodate a big groups of people without making people to pay for the services.

We all started out the meeting smoothly without any technical issues. However, we all feel a little bit of awkwardness because it was the first time that we conducted an online meeting. After having some small talks, we got into the main points of the meeting. While discussing solutions for our final project, we were able to see what we are talking about and where we're at by take advantage of the screen sharing feature. The meeting went really. Both the audio and the video worked smoothly. And most importantly, we accomplished the goals we set and planned ahead what we need to do for the final project.

Overall, the meeting just feels like a face-to-face meetings to me. I did not have any difficulty expressing my opinions as well as interacting with my team members. The online meeting made me realize that I need to take advantage of the online meeting services more often.

Never underestimate yourself and others

I went to see the Imitation Game the other night with no expectation at all. I did not know what the movie is about and I thought it's going to be some kinds of boring biographies. And the movie turns out to be a very compelling and meaningful story.

"Sometimes it is the people no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine." This quote first reminds me to never underestimate others. Sometimes we unconsciously judge someone. However, you never know what's going to happen. Some people will end up change the world. Some people will do things that matter. Second, I learned that I should never underestimate my own worths. Sometimes I give up when I did not even try. I assume things are too hard for me and I probably can't do it. However, each of us is born with a purpose. And it's very important to understand our strengths and abilities so we can maximize our potentials.

So what does that quote mean to me? Recently when I am applying for jobs, I thought that I won't qualify for the job and shy away from the opportunity. Now I learn that I need more confidence and take every chance I can get.

Presenting with a flip chart

This week I had an opportunity to apply the presentation skills I have learned in my Mcom class into practice. Overall the individual presentation allowed me to learn from others and improved my presentation skills. And personally I learned to be flexible and creative when dealing with unexpected situations.


At first I felt worried when prof. Middleton announced that all students have to present with a flip chart. I had never presented with a flip chart before and the flip chart looked like a strange and scary creature to me. Fortunately, each of us was given four times to present and receive feed backs before receiving the grades. I was extremely nervous on the day of my presentation. And I made a terrible choice by picking a station with a bended flip chart. As a result, my flip chart kept falling off. While rehearsing my presentation in my mind, I was nervously thinking of a way to fix my flip chart. And then I realized there was a giant pin hole on top of the flip chart. Immediately I tried to tuck the flip chart to the top of the easel. After that small incident, I felt so much better and regained my confidence.

From my experience, I learned that things happen no matter how well-prepared I am. The key to overcome the surprises and unexpected events is to have a positive attitude. Being calm, accepting the fact that incidents are parts of life, and searching for alternative solutions will help me turn the negative into positive.

What I learn from Susan Boyle

On Wednesday prof. Middleton showed the audition video of Susan Boyle to demonstrate that we must have confidence in ourselves. Every time I watch the video, somehow I get very emotional. Perhaps the life story of Susan Boyle inspires us to live our dreams. Perhaps Susan Boyle makes everyone feel ashamed because they make judgements based on her appearance. And perhaps her voice brings out the very best in everyone.

From watching Susan Boyle, I have more confidence to chase my dreams. She dares to make a statement about herself. She dares to prove that she can sing. You might wonder where her self-confidence comes from. As prof. Middleton said,  the key is she knows her values. Susan Boyle knows that she can sing. She knows her voice is valuable. And she showed a phenomenal performance that wows the whole world. Another thing that I like about Susan Boyle is she inspires the minorities to prove their worth. Some people may behave in a way that makes us feel uncomfortable and some people might communicate differently from what we usually do. However, what really defines a person is his/her values. Alexis from our class wrote a great post on judgment. From Alexis's post, I learn that we need to respect each individual and help them maximize their potentials.

Each of us at one point might experience the feeling of being an underdog. We all have struggle in our lives and Susan Boyle is the light of hope. If I have a purpose in life and know my values, I can make impossible things possible. And I will make efforts to live each day purposely.

Takoyaki- Japanese snack

Last weekend, one of my friends who lives in Foreign Language Student Residence invited me over to make a Japanese snack called takoyaki. So sweet! I accepted the invitation right away because takoyaki is my favorite food. My friend is staying will other BYU students who are learning to speak Japanese and apparently they are all interested in Japanese cuisine.

So you are probably wondering what takoyaki is. Takoyaki is a popular Japanese snack made from dough balls with octopus, pickled ginger and green onion inside. Takoyaki is usually crispy outside and gooey inside when served hot. Here is a picture to give you a better idea of how takoyaki look like.

I've never made takoyaki before so I was very excited. However, my excitement went away when I realized it was so hard to make those little balls. After pouring the batter into the hot pan, I was instructed to wait for the dough balls to form their shapes. Then when the balls were still soft, I had to use a stick to turn all the balls around so takoyaki can have the perfect rounded shape. And that was the hardest part. I have to be fast yet skillful at the same time. And as you can see, some of the takoyaki in the picture have weird shapes><

After making takoyaki with my friends, I realized I need to actually do things rather than observing. I always though that making takoyaki was not very hard. But in reality, it takes practice to make those octopus balls, I plan to cook more often and try to make a variety of different food from now on.