I started a new chapter in my life when I moved from Singapore to Germany for my PhD. It came with a lot of challenges but enabled me to grow significantly, mentally and emotionally. My current PhD project requires significant collaboration with another professor and his lab. This has taught me essential/ a variety of communication skills to speed up work efficiency and learn how to manage a project better when there are other important stakeholders in the picture. I also deal with quite a huge amount of data daily from various sources which presents some challenges but I have learned to constantly "upgrade" my methods of dealing with them for better efficiency through periodic reflections and self-checks or consulting with others who are more experienced. Naturally, in a PhD, presentations, reports, and manuscript writings are part of everyday life and the feedback and constructive criticism gained from all these instances have further improved my speaking and writing skills. At NUS Singapore, I have had the opportunity to participate in many and lead some research projects. I conducted two one-year-long independent research projects using a type of black scavenger fly Sepsis punctum, as the model. Here I was exposed to a variety of statistical analysis methods, e.g. in R which is a lifelong learning process!I also embarked on fieldwork journeys to Sri Lanka and Canada and around Singapore to gain practical skills e.g. insect trapping and handling, camera trapping, population surveys, and bird handling. Communication is essential in many aspects of life and a part of it lies in public speaking. In primary/elementary school, I used to participate actively and won several group and individual story-telling competitions (Regional and National). From pre-school till secondary/middle school, I was a member of the Young People's Performing Arts Ensemble and was involved in several cross-talks and plays put up for the public in Victoria Theater and Drama Center Theater. While being a member, one of my more notable achievements includes leading a musical which is an adaptation of the classic Wizard of Oz story as Dorothy.