today was the first day of NTU Semester 1 of 2005/2006... it's back to the life of a student...
oversleeping before lectures... rushing for lectures... dozing off during lectures... stuck in the crowd in the crowded Canteen A (which looks nicer after the renovation but unfortunately the food quality didn't change much)... stuck in the crowd on bus 179 in and out of NTU... stuck in the crowd in the crowded Printing shop in LWN library (40 odd documents printing per printer and some guy before me printed 12.5MB worth of Word Documents!!! Can you believe it??? Man did he cause a jam... just like the rest of the people hanging around the other printers)... stuck without a computer in LWN libray just like the other 15 odd people lurking around waiting to pounce on any computer the moment it gets freed of use... stuck clueless in the lecture because the lecture notes are either not printed yet, or not uploaded onto our portal... oh and I'm also clueless as to whether that cockroach living in LT 1 has either died or moved out because of the cold (or lack of food during the holidays)... it better not make an appearance at our NTU AIESEC Welcome Tea...
Something interesting though... today, I actually saw a few guys from my batch in JC! yes they are out (finally) of National Service and are here to start a fresh life as a 1st year uni student...
congrats guys... you have officially entered the wonderful world of university... While there aren't any commando-sized mosquitoes on campus, do watch out for the lecturers that drone on like the equivalent of a Incredible-Hulk type mosquito...
While there aren't any vast forests (not in the vicinity of our lecture theatres and tutorials rooms anyway) through which you have to trudge for days and nights on end without bathing or sleeping, do take note that the same may occur near the month of November and that the "trees" you will be trudging through will come in the form of pressed, white sheets covered with words and numbers... at times, the road ahead may seem even more ardous than that night you spent digging trenches...
While you no longer need to stand in the rain in your flimsy poncho trying to bear with the cold without any extra layers of clothing, note that here in the harsh environment of the university, even with extra layers of clothing, the cold may be even harder to bear.. the only comfort you may get out of the cold in university is that at least you do not need to wear the ugly flimsy poncho, and that you're not wet... Also be warned that temperatures you will be subjected to are highly extreme, with conditions similar to the desert in Australia or Africa (or whichever desert you went to if you did for some Army Operation thing)... once you step out of the cold of the lecture theatres and tutorial rooms, you may very well experience a blast of air so warm and humid you would think you were standing behind an F16 when it starts to take off...
And if you thought you could kiss those mountain hikes goodbye, think again... NTU is built on a hill and the treacherous slopes are everywhere... be prepared to have classes in MLT (South Spine) followed by classes in LT 1A (North Spine)... when that happens, all you can do is tighten the straps of your backpack, take a deep breath, and make your way up the slope or the stairs...
And you thought university life was a good break... =)
