Just so Busy

Busy Busy Busy. As much as how last week was really busy, the start of this week has proven to be even more hectic, and the week is only just halfway through. Had my IT1003 presentation yesterday, and I would say it went quite well. Good that I have got it over and done with, and for the rest of the tutorials I can just sit there, relax and listen to the remaining groups present. This has by far been the earliest presentation I have ever done in a semester. It is also quite amazing that I only got to meet my team mates just last week, and just one week later we 3 strangers turned to friends have managed to come up this presentation.

Stayed in school for the last 2 nights already. I remember I said before that I will never stay in school for more than one night, unless it is during the exams period. But there I go again, doing something I said I will never do. Guess that is just how busy I am. Assignments, reaction papers, projects, project meetings, so many things coming up for all my modules. Yet Bike Quest and Arts Camp meeting is upcoming too. I need more time! I am not even asking for a break, but just more time to finish everything I need to do. Help!

The Lions Roar Again

Just came back not too long ago, switched on the TV, and found out that the match between Singapore and Malaysia was still going on, as both teams were tied at one a piece in the second half of extra time. And then it went on to penalties, as my heart was thumping fast. And as Singapore converted all 5 penalties, Malaysia's next penalty taker took his spot, ran up, kicked and missed! Lionel Lewis saved it! Despite the cheers of the crowd being rather muffled on TV, I knew that the crowd had gone wild at the National Stadium. How I wish I was there.

Well since the start of this week, I have heard of many friends who wanted to go for the match. Even today when I saw Tianhao at Bedok, he asked me too. But I had not met my girlfriend for the entire week as we were both busy, so there was no way I was going to give up my day for something else. While sending her home just now, as we were walking amongst a few housing blocks, we heard echoes of cheers from the front, sides and back. They were coming from many different blocks at one same time. At first we thought what had happened, but then I remembered of the match, and assumed that Singapore had scored. And I was right. In fact it was Singapore's equaliser. At that moment my girlfriend was saying how surprised she was that there are so many patriotic Singaporeans out there.

Well I personally feel that Singaporeans are actually quite patriotic, just that we don't really show it. I myself can be rather patriotic. But just somehow or rather, don't know is it because of the influence of our culture or for some other reason, patriotism is seen as something 'embarrasing'. Not sure if that is the best word I can come up with, but too often I hear the phrase 'wow, you so patriotic meh'.

But today, I am proud of Singapore, proud of the Lions, and proud of Singaporeans. After having only 5000 seats filled in the 11-0 trashing against Laos, and all the big hoo haa in the news and papers about the lack of support, I expected the stadium to have at least 30,000 fans today. But guess what, it was full. A total of 55,000! Thats why I said I wished I was there, as I am sure the atmosphere must have been great! This is perhaps one of the only times apart from National Day where the stadium is filled with cheers, and a sense of patrotism and pride.

I think the national team's standard has definitely improved, and now with the confirmation of the nation behind them, I am confident of the chances of The Lions winning in the finals. All the way Lions!

Busy yet Not So Busy

This week's timetable was definitely much tighter and busier with the commencement of tutorials. All of my tutorials this semester are weekly one hour tutorials, and as much as I feel that one hour tutorials are not very fruitful and effective, I do not really have much of a choice over it. However, despite tutorials being short, they have so far been rather interesting and interactive, and I credit this again to the fact that most of them are NM tutorials. Back again to the point that many people feel I am crazy to actually take 4 NM modules this semester, but I would beg to differ. I actually much prefer it this way, as compared to how different and diversified my focus of study was for last semester. Of course, whether or not taking 4 modules of rather similar focus would take a toll or better my results, that I still am yet to find out.

Oh ya and out of the five different tutorials I have attended, some are with friends I already know, but the good thing is that I also managed to make many other new friends. Furthermore, most of them would be majoring in NM and I am sure I would definitely see alot of them around in classes in the semesters to come.

I also managed to take a short self declared break this week, and was not as busy with club stuff as I was last week. Eventhough I managed to squeeze in some discussions and arrangements here and there, I felt that it was a much needed break as there were some tutorial assignments and reaction papers due this week. I am also glad that I managed to take some of this time off to catch up on some readings and really found my communications management book really interesting. Then again, to those who are reading this, don't worry. This does not mean that I am leaving all my cca commitments behind. Bike Quest is just around the corner, and hopefully more teams would come forth to sign up. And Josh, great work on Jam Aloud. I know there were some dark moments in the process, but your hard work and believe has finally paid off. Things have definitely taken a turn for the better, and this time, it is a huge turn. With what we have now, make it a good one man. I'm sure you can.

Short Weak-End

It is almost the end of the weekend, but once again, the weekend seemed so short. Tutorials are going to start next week, and I am gonna have to start submitting my reaction papers and tutorial assignments very soon. But how am I going to do so if I still have not read my textbooks and readings. Oh man, I am seriously falling very far behind, and to think that on Friday, I told myself to use this weekend to catch up on all my readings. Someone save me.

But on a brighter note, there were some good progress and achievements this weekend. I managed to meet up with my dearest DPDs for Arts Camp and I would say there were some good points and discussions brought up during the meeting. The month of January is coming to an end soon, so it really is time to start kicking off the preparations.

Moving on to something else, Bike Quest! Haha, went for recce yesterday and cycled through the whole of Saturday night till Sunday morning, which resulted in me sleeping through basically the whole of today. That is why the weekend seemed so short. I must say it was really tiring, and was a real pain to my butt. They need to invent better bicycle seats. Also really cannot believe that we cycled so far. From East, South, to West, to the Central and then back to the East. But I must say it was good exercise though, and managed to interact more with people like Jing Heng and Nana. There were some parts of the recce which was real funny, therefore I would say it wasn't all tiring work and no fun. And I must really take my hat off to those who were not really comfortable with cycling on roads, and yet still came for the recce.

Oh, and I found out something also. I finally found another Blackburn Rovers fan, Tianhao! Yes, for those who still do not know, I am a loyal Blackburn Rovers fan since the start of the 94/95 season, the very same season they won the Premiership title! It is just so hard to find a rovers fan. Looking back at poly and secondary, I think I only know of about 2-3 rovers fans. It is just so hard to find someone to chat with, who really knows about the club and team. Oh and it was real good news for me and Tianhao after the tiring cycle, knowing that Blackburn has made another impressive win, this time 3-0 over Man City. We are finally moving up the table again.

Ok time to rest my weak and sore body. Knee is also a little pain. Hope it is not a re-occurence of the knee inury I sustained in army.

10 Days a Week

Yup, that is how many days a week I really need now. Wait, maybe it still isn't enough. As always, my blog is full of ironies. Actually, it is not that my blog is full of ironies, but that my blog just highlights and brings to light how ironic life can really be. Just last week, I was saying it was relaxing. And this week, I am really feeling it. I am getting really busy, with meetings, meetings, plannings, arrangements, meetings and more meetings. But notice something missing? Yes, reading and studying, thats missing. Been really busy with the projects I have on hand, as much as I really want to study, I just could not squeeze the time out.

Argh I must really work something out, if not my results will just drop even further. No way I can let that happen. Oh and studies is one thing I am neglecting, but what worries me is something else which is also very important. Yup, when asked when I can actually meet her, out of a week, at least 4 is filled with the reason, meeting. It is really bad. I am really thankful that she is real understanding, but on my part, this cannot go on.

I need to stop time, I need a time machine.

Time for a Change

I think its time to change the layout for my blog, but am still unable to find one that I really like. I always believe that for websites and online content, it is always important to ensure that it is constantly updated and that it doesn't become stale. Well I feel that my blog is turning a little stale now, so yup, it is probably time to change the layout.

Well first week of school has been pretty relaxing, and as I mentioned before, I am feeling better about my modules this time round. I guess it is all because majority of my modules this sem are of my interest. Hopefully, I would get the tutorial slots I bid for.

Ok, on to something a little more exciting, yeah, Arts Camp. In the past few days, I have managed to garner some support and confirmations for my committee. I am still looking for more people to join the team, but I must say the people whom I have managed to confirm in the last few days is really assuring for me. Earlier on, when many people told me how Arts Camp better be a good one this year, I felt a little pressured. But now it is different. With the confirmation of these people, I am now confident that they will assist me in making every aspect of Arts Camp and Project Six a successful one. I firmly believe that getting a good and strong committee is essential to a project being successful, so this is definitely a great start.

Oh and as I was telling mich, no doubt I said I studied hard for exams last sem, but there was something which I did not do. That was to be consistent with my readings and books throughout the sem. Although I still think that last minute revision was fine for me, but definitely being consistent throughout the sem would be more ideal and effective.

Semester 2

Well school has started again, and I must say the first day of the new semester has been rather good. The mood of everybody has been rather bubbly and happy, perhaps because we have not seen each other for a while and had quite alot to talk about. But I think another reason would probably be because the pace of school for the first 2 weeks is rather slow and relaxing, as our timetables all look pretty much empty and free without the horrible tutorials, which will only start 2 weeks from now.

As for me, I finally got my selection of modules completed, despite CORS being super unstable and unreliable. I am actually feeling rather good about my modules this semester, despite not getting 2 of the modules I wanted. I guess the reason is because majority of my modules are NM modules, and that is where my interest lies. Comparing it to last semester, I had to struggle with so many different kinds of modules, and sometimes I just found it quite hard to adjust from one to another. Lets just hope this semester will be better than the last.

No doubt I said I am feeling better about this semester, but back in my mind I still know how busy and hectic this semester would be. With all the club stuff starting to pile up, I know it would be quite a journey ahead. Having the flu after coming back from Hong Kong. Haha but no worries, its not bird flu, I think. And my medication is making me real drowsy, or is it just me still in the lazy and sleepy mood.

A New Year, A New Experience

I am back! And what an experience it was at Shanghai and Hong Kong! I really enjoyed myself, and it was just too eventful and long for me to actually type everything down. I will just sum my thoughts up in these few points.

Shanghai: -

• It was my first time experiencing a winter of about 4-10 degrees overseas, and I really loved it. Although I am still waiting for my first encounter with snow.
• A beautiful city, especially with its buildings all lit up at night. And it is a real horny city. But do not get me wrong, I mean it literally. The vehicles just seem to never stop horning at vehicles and pedestrians alike, whether or not there is a reason to do so.
• The people there are really loudspoken and somewhat rude, but I guess it is just part of their interesting culture.
• Technology may have progressed much down the years, but reliability of technology is a whole different issue. Quite disappointed that I lost my Shanghai photos due to a memory card error. I guess I will just have to go back one day to take new photos :)
• Meeting up with undergrads at Fudan and our very own NOC students at Shanghai was an eye opener, and has made me realise how fun and interesting it would be to study overseas. I am very much looking at SEP now.
• Then again, before I consider that, I would seriously need to brush up on my chinese. To think that I cannot even speak fluent chinese or read chinese papers and magazines, despite having studied it for at least 10 years and it being my mother tongue.
• The Shanghai street markets are so fun to walk and shop at, and the xiao long bao and lamb kebab is a must try, especially with the cold weather.
• Food is cheap, Taxi is cheap, and almost everything other thing is cheap. What more can a tourist to the country ask for.
• Shanghai and Fudan University made me realise how small NUS and Singapore is.

Hong Kong: -

• The weather is not as cold as Shanghai, but still cooler and much nicer than Singapore of course. Then again, the air is just too dry, making my skin dry, throat dry and lips dry. Definitely not desirable to stay too long in such conditions.
• Another beautiful city, and the view from The Peak of Hong Kong was just extraordinary! I wouldn't mind spending hours up there admiring the beautiful view.
• It was also good to experience being in the streets which I see so often in TVB serials.
• The mini bus was also a great experience, but overall, the transport in Hong Kong is freaking expensive. I spent almost S$40 on transport in just 3 days there.
• Then again, the food is also relatively more on the steep side. And being a typical Arts and Social Sciences student, the first thought that came to my mind was about social inequality. With its average income being lower than that of Singapore, how in the world do the lower class people actually survive with such expensive transportation and food cost.
• The amount of walking and shopping in the last 3 days was probably equivalent to the amount of walking and shopping I did in the last 3 years.
• The night market aunties can be really pestering, and its really amazing how they can cut down prizes by almost 80%. Sometimes I just wonder how much they acquired their products for. Bargaining can be both fun, and annoying.
• The cable car ride to Lantau Island was great, and the huge Buddha up there was even greater.
• Suddenly have an urge to learn cantonese and other languages, as it can be very useful when going overseas. Felt so lost and helpless at Hong Kong this time. Fortunately, the city has very much globalised with chinese and english still rather 'usable'.
• HKUST is extremely big and extremely beautiful. The entire campus is built next to the coast right smack on a mountain valley, has a scenic sea view, has a huge vacinity, has numerous amenities and facilities, and even has a premiership standard football field.
• And again, Hong Kong and HKUST made me realise how small NUS and Singapore is.

No doubt I enjoyed alot, seen alot and experienced alot, but the most valuable thing I gained from this trip was definitely friendship. To think that just 1 week back, the only people I knew from this trip was Brandon and Thomas from my SLC group, as the others were practically strangers to me and vice versa. I still remember feeling a little lonely as bit and reuben were not going to join me, and I was still a very new face in council. But now after the trip, the situation has definitely taken a huge turn for the better. Really enjoyed their company, as what was suppose to be an overseas exchanged trip turned out have an extra agenda of council bonding and also sharing of experience and ideas between the clubs.

I really enjoyed myself very much in this trip, and having experienced so much, I very much would like to have more opportunities to travel in the future. Don't know why, but I never felt this way before from my other oveaseas trips. I am now even hoping that my future job would give me frequent opportunities to go abroad for businesses or assignments. The world is just so big, and having been confined to Singapore for the last 22 years, I now very much want to see the rest of the world. Then again, I am still very much a Singaporean and the last statement should be of no basis to question the level of my patriotism :)

There is something which Fumin mentioned to me, and has since stayed in my mind. He said "You are really fortunate to be given this opportunity for such an experience and exposure in year 1 sem 1." And to think of it, I really am. Must really thank the union, council and osa for this wonderful opportunity. Of course, my very own 27th. If not for you guys, I would not have been in council, and this opportunity would not have come my way. So sorry I missed the chalet too, heard you guys had fun and definitely wished I was there.

On a side note, apparently not only has the economy and stock market been on a rise, but also everyones CORS bidding points. Just cannot believe how I actually got out-bidded for my modules. Time for some last minute scramble for my modules.