Self-Introduction

To: Brad Blackstone
From: Mohamed Shafique Bin Mohamed Sa'at
Subject: Self-Introduction


Dear Brad, 

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to you. My name is Mohamed Shafique and I am currently in my second year as a hospitality business undergraduate with Singapore Institute of Technology. I graduated from Republic Polytechnic with a diploma in hotel and hospitality management back in 2014. In between life as a tertiary student, I served my National Service as an instructor at the infamous Basic Military Training Centre in Pulau Tekong.

My time as an instructor was anything but easy. In light of the misfortunes that the Singapore Armed Forces have encountered in recent years, the welfare and safety of the recruits became the priority. As such, all commanders were under heavy scrutiny when it came to disciplining the recruits and giving punishments. We were given very strict and specific guidelines on the punishments that went hand in hand with the type of offences that were being committed. A simple example was that commanders are not allowed to make the recruits do more than twenty repetitions of either push ups or crunches within the span of thirty minutes. It was always tempting to go beyond that but the consequences of the classic "parent's complaint" was simply not worth the trouble. Those guidelines did bring out the creativity in me as a commander to dish out unique and unorthodox punishments. My all-time favourite punishment which I was known for was making them write a reflection on their wrongdoings, usually a minimum of 1000 words. I personally felt that the reflection would do the recruits more good than the physical punishments.

My keen interest in the hotel operations and tourism business developed from all the travelling experience I have had growing up. It amazes me how a complete stranger can make you feel at home and welcomed in a foreign land. Since then, I have always dreamt of recreating that sentiment to our tourists. While pursuing this degree allows me to hone my skills and expand my knowledge, I believe that a heartfelt experience would not be possible without the genuine passion to serve and sincerity. 

As a child, nothing was more fun than going on a holiday to places with theme parks. Everything else seemed so big and exciting when you are literally small. It was only when I was much older and wiser then I understood why my parents placed so much emphasis on bringing me to other parts of the world. It really does expose you to the world and all the different cultures that exist. It reminds me that there is so much that I still do not know about the world and the people that live in it. The thought of being able to connect with a total stranger and share my culture with them gives me great pleasure. The best part is that I get to do that as my profession! 

My industry experience began with my internship during my polytechnic days when I was a trainee with the Four Seasons Hotel for six months. The first three months were spent at the local Regent Hotel in the Housekeeping department before an overseas stint at their Maldives property as a Rooms Division intern. The internship was fruitful as it gave me a fair perspective on both the hotel and resort operations. 

The exposure to international guests has also improved my communication skills. This industry reminds us that that English is not the first language for some people. As such, one of my strengths in communication now is active listening. This has allowed me to better understand my guests as wells as colleagues. However, my tendency to be easily distracted by my environment may give the wrong impression to the people that I am interacting with in that moment. While I am still intently listening, the other party may feel that they do not have my undivided attention.

I hope to overcome this problem and work on my overall communication skills too. 

I look forward to the rest of the semester learning in this module. 

Thank you for your time.

Yours sincerely, 

Mohamed Shafique

REVISED ON 30 JANUARY 2018, 2144H

Blogs I commented on:

1. Yu Shan
2. Yun Yue
3. Gerald