As I sit on the sofa with the laptop resting comfortably on my lap, I crack my brains about what to write about in my next entry. I try to brainstorm about all the concepts we learnt in the past week, and search desperately online for a form of media that isn’t already a year old. As frustration starts to get the better of me, my mind starts to wander. Mind you, when my mind wanders, my thoughts go extreme. (Especially when I’m frustrated). I start to blame society and technological advancement. It’s their fault blogging has become a phenomenon. WHY!!!! (Then I calm down for 2mins)
Then I imagine what COM101 would be like if blogging wasn’t part of our grade. Or what if COM101 just wasn’t a module?
Oh! Even better! “WHAT IF COMMUNICATION JUST DIDN’T EXIST?” Hmm...Interesting. I stop to think. I’m sure it is possible to live without communicating, right?
When do we communicate verbally? (1) When we need to express ideas, thoughts or opinions
Ok, when we need to tell someone something, we have to speak in order for them to know what we want from them. But then again, people don’t bother listening to each other all the time, so why bother communicating? Think about a typical lunch at a crowded, noisy hawker centre. How many times have you ordered a bowl of noodle soup and requested for bee hoon instead of yellow mee but received yellow mee any ways? Or how many times have your mothers told you to buy two packets of tofu and one bag of potatoes but instead, you purchase one packet of tofu and two bags of potatoes? Many times!!
(2) When we want to express our feelings and emotions
If we are happy with someone or we are enjoying the company of close friends, we chit chat and laugh at each other’s comments as a form of acknowledgement. Alternatively, when someone makes a passing remark about you that you do not like at all, you get angry, and in 9 out of 10 cases, you will want to give him a piece of your mind. Or how about expressing your love for someone. I’m sure girls find it really upsetting if their boyfriends don’t say “I love you baby, “before hanging up.
Ok, so maybe verbal communication in this context is necessary.

Or how about non-verbal communication? When and how do we communicate non-verbally?

(1) Through facial expressions and body language
Take a look at this picture.


Emotion: Angry. How can we tell? Typical signs of anger:
· Neck and/or face appears red or flushed.
· Baring of teeth and snarling.
· Clenched fists. (probably)
It would be quite funny if people only communicated through cial expressions or body languages, wouldn’t it? Imagine having an argument with someone through expressions. “Face to Face” Ha-ha!
(2) Through art
I know of many people who express their feelings through art. In fact, I remember going to the Institute of Mental Health for a service activity where we interacted with the patients( children and teenagers) and I noticed the rooms were decorated with drawings by them. I remember very clearly, a drawing by a 11-year old boy who couldn’t speak, who drew a room with a glass window and a boy (which i assume was himself) trying to climb out of it. When I saw the drawing I was pretty impressed at his artistic talents. However, after looking at it for a while, I realised he was trying to say something through the art piece. To me, it felt like he was trying to express how trapped he felt being in the wards most of the time. Pretty sad. But anyways, this is one example of how art is a form of communication.

I guess there are many other ways of communicating non-verbally. Through objects, maybe even through dance or visual art. In a nutshell, I think communicating verbally or non-verbally alone, would be very challenging. For a person who loves to talk, I cannot imagine not being able to communicate through speech. Non-verbal communication more or less acts as a complement to speech. I think the two go hand in hand, making it possible for people to understand each other.
So I guess being frustrated helps once in a while. I’m glad COM101 exists and I am happy with the blogging phenomenon. =)