Proud to be a New Media Student

If there's one big takeaway from this three weeks of internship, it's the amount of knowledge I have gained, especially with regards to new media. Within this short span of time, I have learnt so much more than I would have expected to, and it's only going to get better. In fact, it's ironic how I feel more like a new media student now than when at school.

Of course with ups, there's downs. So the one disappointment which leaves me a little perturbed is my encounter with some people out there who still seem to undermine the power of new media. Being a new media student, I enjoy what I study, and take pride in what I personally think is the next big thing. In fact its THE big thing now already. And who better to prove my point than President Obama. From his elections campaign, to inauguration day, to a new website, and to the best and coolest of them all, the appointment of a new director of new media! Now how is that not making new media the next big thing?

Just watched Red Cliff 2, and it's definitely the next best thing to Lord of the Rings. I am a huge fan of LOTR, and was kinda sad after the 3 part trilogy ended. But Red Cliff kinda allowed me to re-live some of those moments, as I drew parallels between the two. Both were based on good scripts written from elements of history and myths, both were well casted, both had amazing scenery and effects, and both had really good fighting scenes. When I saw how some of them sacrificed themselves jumping into oil barrels to blow up Chao Chao's navy ships, I couldn't help but be reminded of the scene in LOTR The Twin Towers, when the huge Uruk Hai jumped into the walls of Helms Deep to blow it up. Similarly, Zhou Yu's jump from the ship held great resemblance to Aragon and Legolas jumping off the ghost ship in the Return of the Kings.

Having recently taken film classes, I was also better able to appreciate the technicalities of the film. Sure, much of the story was based on history, albeit some a little inaccurate, but you got to admire how the script was continuously pieced together, as each scene seemed to blend in seamlessly with the next. Definitely an intriguing film brimmed with intelligence and bravery, which makes a history-idiot like me want to read up more.

That Kind of Life

The conversations at last night's dinner with Josh and Fabius mostly revolved around the issue of 'aging'. Ok maybe that is too extreme a word, but we were starting to realise how the elements of 'youth' are drifting further away from us. It didn't help that Fabius and I were dressed all formerly in office wear because of internship, discussing about work, news and current affairs. See the 'aging' trend surfacing already?

It's been two weeks of internship, and I would say I've gotten used to the lifestyle already. Waking up early in the morning, squeezing in the train, going to work, going for lunch, back to work, back to squeezing in train, go back home and then sleeping early and the cycle starts again. On some days there are of course the inserts of going out after work, sleep on the bus or train on my way home, and dragging my body from bus stop or train station back home. Sounds rather mundane huh, and Fabius reminded me that this may actually be my kind of life for the next 40 years. Scary. Then again, it's not all that bad, as I'm kinda enjoying what I get out of work.

I'm like a few months slow, but I just realised that Diablo 3 will be released soon! I am a real fan of Diablo 2, and have waited for almost 6-7 years for the team to work on Diablo 3. I thought it went dead, and kinda gave up waiting as I saw how Blizzard seemed to favour WoW and Starcraft. Thank goodness that Blizzard proved me wrong. Seen some shots and reviews about it, and it looks really cool. I'm now a little worried that if it comes out somewhere at the end of the year, I may get hooked to it, and would be in deep trouble for my honours. Then again, my last encounters with Gunbound and DOTA kinda brought me my two best semesters. How ironic.

Oh, and I probably also need a new computer to play this cool game. I'm not someone who likes to splurge on the latest gadgets and technology, but I realised a recent desire to get new gadgets and computers for myself. It doesn't help that I'm kinda broke at this moment.

Work, Friends and My Forgotten Results

It has been 3 days of internship already, and I'm slowly starting to get used to things. Work has started to pile up a little too, but I'm relishing every learning opportunity I get. The only problem is waking up early everyday.

Just came back from Arts Club chalet, and it was really nice to meet up with many friends who I have not seen in a while. We spent the entire night talking, and such talks with this group of friends was something that I really missed when in HK.

Exam results from CUHK are out, and I totally forgot about my exams and the results if not for my friend alerting me through facebook. Results have allowed me to better understand why the standards and stress levels in NUS and Singapore are so high, and now I wish that there was some option to credit my SEP grades.

My entries are getting lesser and shorter, as I'm getting more and more lazy to blog. Probably still adjusting to the new 'lifestyle'.

A Good Year and A New Year

A quick recap the year 2008. It was generally a good year for me, and can actually be seen as a few different life chapters. Firstly, another good semester which got me re-listed. It wasn't as challenging as the previous two, although I probably struggled towards the end for a too laid-back approach at the start. Nonetheless, the semester ended well, and gave me a much needed comfort zone for my SEP. Secondly, an internship stint in the civil service. Working experience was something I really lacked, and had really wanted to have. And at the end of the two months, I gained more than just working experience. Friendships, invaluable advices, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, and most importantly, a better gauge of what I want for my future. Lastly, the final four months of the year at Hong Kong. Well, I've said what I wanted to say about my amazing SEP journey, and I will leave it at that. There are also many good encounters and happenings here and there which perked up the year, but I shan't go on about everything little single thing.

Of course, with the ups, there's the downs. The world situation in general was bad, from attacks and unrest, and to melamine and downturns. On a more personal note though, it has to be Blackburn Rovers. Well rovers are kind of used to less-than-satisfactory starts to the season, but this time it's real bad. We all knew it was going to be a tough season when Sparky left, although I had hope in Paul Ince. But when we had to scrap for a 3-2 victory from a totaly depleted Everton side on the first day, I knew something was wrong. And so things did turn for the worse. Some rovers fans may disagree with me, but I think it was necessary for Ince to go as his style was just not working. Furthermore, the stress, pressure and self-deceit was clearly evident towards the end of his tenure. Fast forward to today, it was painful to see Robinho's last minute equaliser, but then again, I can only hope for the best now. As I told my friend before, one of the things I can proudly boast as a rovers fan over any Big Four fan, is that we are mentally stronger, as we have 'been there, and done that'. You name it, won the title, change of managers, europe, fight for europe, boring mid table, struggle for survival, relegated and promoted, we've experienced everything. So whatever happens, we'll take it and stay positive.

To be very honest, I didn't feel anything special about yesterday's transition from 2008 to 2009 today. Then again, this does not mean that I do not have plans for a new year ahead. For one, my second internship is nearing, and with this one being half a year, it will definitely go down as another memorable chapter in my life. Definitely looking forward to it. After that, it would be full steam ahead in my honors year, and to be honest, I'm feeling a little nervy about it, as I'm setting some pressurizing goals for myself. I'm also going to pick up some new skills, and re-buff up some old ones I learnt back in poly, and hopefully put them to good use through a new planned personal web space. Obviously my current blog template has to be changed, and eventhough I kept my old one, I should probably have a new concept for a new and exciting year ahead.

Here's to a happy and smooth-sailing new year for everyone! Happy 2009!