Saturday was a Good Day...

Saturday was a good day because of the 6th National Wushu Display in the evening... Not just because there were some really cool performances at the display, but also because I got to hang out with my wushu batch mates again. Like I pointed out to them, it feels different hanging out with them and with uni friends... Somehow, only they seem to understand and appreciate corny humour... and I can freely say and do crazy stuff with them without worrying that they will freak out... =)

anyway, for more information on the 6th National Wushu Display and what went on, check out http://hcwushu.blogspot.com/... This blog was started up by me and a couple of my batch mates to keep everyone updated on the latest happenings in wushu (and HC wushu)

For those more into visuals, photos are available at My Photo Album... Videos might be coming soon as well... =)

Nostalgia...

Dunno why but everytime I hear this songs, it sounds so nice... and feels so nostalgic.. of what I have no idea... (karaoke perhaps?)


Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough
Patti Smyth | Don Henley
______

Now, I don't want to lose you
but I don't want to use you
just to have somebody by my side.
I don't want to take you,
I don't wanna take you
but I don't want to be the one to cry.

That don't really matter to anyone, anymore.
But like a fool I keep losing my place
and I keep seeing you walk through that door.

But there's a danger in loving somebody too much,
and it's sad when you know it's your heart they can't trust.
There's a reason why people don't stay who they are.
Baby, sometimes, love just aint enough.

Now, I could never change you,
I don't want to blame you.
Baby, you just have to take the fall.
Yes, I may have hurt you,
but I did not desert you.
Maybe I just want to have it all.

It makes a sound like thunder,
it makes me feel like rain.
And like a fool who will never see the truth,
I keep thinking something's gonna change.

But there's a danger in loving somebody too much,
and it's sad when you know it's your heart you can't trust.
There's a reason why people don't stay who they are.
Baby, sometimes, love just aint enough.

And there's no way home,
when it's late at night and you're all alone.
Are there things that you wanted to say?
And do you feel me beside you in your bed,
there beside you, where I used to be?

But there's a danger in loving somebody too much,
and it's sad when you know it's your heart you can't trust.
There's a reason why people don't stay who they are.
Baby, sometimes, love just aint enough.

Baby, sometimes, love... it just ain't enough.

Friends...

My JC classmate William is leaving for USA in August for university and today, I went out for dinner with him... I guess it sounds like a very early "farewell" dinner kind-of (1 month in advance) but I don't wanna deceive myself with the thought that I will definitely be able to catch him again before he really flies... with school starting soon and recruitment and AROC just round the corner, I do foresee a very hectic August...

But that's not the point... I just feel like saying some stuff...

It definitely isn't true that you find good buddies only in Secondary School. Even though JC is for 2 short years only, it's amazing how much fun we had together back then... And what really gets to me is that even though in the time of these 2 years since graduation, we haven't been in touch as often as both of us had hoped for, it's still that easy to relate to each other, and relive those wacky moments in JC...

Perhaps this is really friendship? Perhaps friendship isn't just about always keeping in touch, always chatting on the phone, always meeting up... Perhaps friendship is about still being able to connect even after a time of absence... that even after not seeing each other for months, upon meeting, no one feels uncomfortable or feels like we're all such strangers...

I won't say I'm the kind of person who is good at keeping in contact with people... and perhaps it would seem that I would rather move on and not keep up with the past... but to all those out there who matter to me (you know who you guys are), know this that you will always remain a friend in my heart and that I won't forget those wonderful moments we shared together...

Letter from the Dean..

Dear Sharon

I congratulate you on your excellent results. You have done brilliantly well.

We hope that you will continue to find intellectual simulation in your studies. At the same time, the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering will do its best to provide the necessary support for you to develop your talents to the fullest.

I wish you great success in your studies and your future career.

With warmest regard

Acting Dean of School


I was very surprised to receive such a letter. Why?

• Because some weirdo of a lab technician gave me a C for my lab module and I didn't think a C would warrent results as excellent
• Because I got a C also for my business module called Risk and Insurance (yes I have to admit I totally screwed up that paper) and even though its not a core module, it still doesn't look pretty on the results slip
• Because I don't remember ever getting any "necessary support" from the school. As a matter of fact, the school has been the main cause of many of my complaints
• Because it sounds like they only want to support me now because I have thus far achieved grades excellent enough to warrent their praise. (Notice they don't say "continue to provide" So if I screw up my grades next year they won't provide anymore? How practical and pragmatic!)
• Because they didn't tell me how they want to support me. (If the letter had come with an offer of $3,000 stipend to my school fees, this posting would have taken a whole new direction)

And because they did not provide suggestions of concrete actions on their side to support me, I now deem this letter and the envelope a waste of money, a way of unnecessarily depleting our Earth's precious resources and a misappropriate usage of the school's privilage of sending mails without paying for postage. Oh and also for wasting the efforts of dear Mr Postman who works so hard so that we can receive our mails.

Damn... I'm such a cynic when it comes to education... *grinz*

How many of us can be like so?

Some People

Some people come into our lives and quickly go.

Some people move our souls to dance.
They awaken us to new understanding with the passing whispers of their wisdom.

Some people make the sky more beautiful to gaze upon.

They stay in our lives for awhile,

Leave footprints in our hearts,

And we are never ever the same.

The conspiracy continues...

How right I was... Talent VS popularity... and "bought" popularity at that... *shakes head*

________________________________________________________________

From: Sub Dean-Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering (Alumni)
Sent: Fri 1/07/2005 4:28 PM
Subject: Our very own MAE student on Channel U "Project Superstars" - VOTE VOTE VOTE!

Dear MAE Students, Alumni and Colleagues,
You have received a previous email to support our MAE student, XXX , who is participating in the Channel U "Project Superstars". Well, he has made it to the next round (thanks to you!!) and this will be televised on the 6th July at 8.30pm on Channel U.
Once again, it will be greatly appreciated if you can support this MAE STAR in the making - voting commences from 8.30pm to 11pm on the same evening.
For an insight into life as a contestant - please see XXX's email below.

Thanks and Kind Regards
Sub Dean (Alumni)

______________________________________
-----Original Message-----
From:
Sent: Friday, July 01, 2005 5:20 AM
To: Sub Dean-Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering (Alumni)
Subject: RE: Our very own MAE student on Channel U "Project Superstars"
Importance: High

Good morning!

Just had a meeting over at Mediacorp. We've all been re-paired up. I'm no more with YYY, my buddy for the previous quarter-finals. In the next round, I've been paired up with ZZZ, the tough competitor with good vocals.

My recording will be on the 4th July (this coming Monday; gosh! left only 3 days to practice!!) and it'll be televised on the 6th July, 8.30pm over Channel U. Same as the previous rounds, voting commences from 8.30pm to 11pm.

The results show today proved something: Power of the voting system. Anyone with the lowest judges' score, can still secure a place in the next round so long as he has a huge support base. The contestant with the highest score was still booted out from the competition. The lowest score stayed up.

Sir, would be gratified to you if you broadcast the message to everyone again to support me on the 6th July. I'm sorry to trouble you whenever it comes to this. I'd do my best, deliver my best.

Take care and best regards.
=)
XXX

Lessons learnt...

Yesterday was my House Warming plus Family Gathering plus my very early birthday celebration (almost 2 weeks in advance!) Actually my mom was using my birthday as a reason/excuse to invite all my family people down la... hehe

well it was truly a happening evening... 3 generations in the house: My grandma and my granduncles, my uncles and aunties and my cousins... all from my mother's side... it lasted into the night... 3am plus i think... haha... and i think i've learnt quite a lot of stuff...

1) Kids nowadays are very familiar with computers
My bro was hogging the computer outside in the living room with his warcraft games and stuff... so naturally the guys were hanging outside as well.. in the meantime, the youngest cousins (a pair of twins who are 9 this year) were in my room and they knew pretty well how to handle my laptop (should have turned it off man.. haha) they were looking for games on my desktop, browsing the internet for their game sites (whose URLs they keep in their wallets)... amazing... maybe i should hang out a bit more with the younger kids... so different from us back then =)

2) Moms are always watching the backs for their kids
My mom was sitting around the dining table talking to my uncles and aunties over beer... there was still food left from the buffet catering and no one really wanted to eat anymore... i went into the kitchen to find my grandma rummaging through our cupboards looking for pots and containers to keep the leftover food... so that when the caterer comes to collect the stuff, they won't take all the food back as well she says... and all the while my grandma's kids (my uncles and aunties) were chatting over beer... =) yeah man.. Mom's watch our backs for us...

3) Frankness is good... but too rare in our generation...
My mom grew up in a family of 8 siblings.. last night, my 2nd uncle, his wife, my 3rd aunt, my youngest aunt and my parents sat around and talked about all sorts of things over beer... they talked about their marriage, about their childrens, about the past, about each other's personalities... it was frank... but everyone was comfortable.. i was impressed... there should be this kind of frankness among siblings... not some unspoken rift and political correctness we see more often nowadays...

4) As much as they trust us, they still worry
After my cousins and i got bored with mahjong, we were "invited" to join their table and conversation.. and the topics that came up were about boyfriends and girl friends, getting a driving license to drive parents home (especially after drinking sessions.. heh), about lesbians and gays and how open they are today comparatively, about us not being feminine or masculine enough (haha)... yeah.. they trust us a lot.. but parents will be parents.. they worry too =)

all in all, i think my family rocks... they brought us up to be independent, to be close among the couins in our generation, to have that kind of frankness and honesty with our parents that not every youth in Singapore has nowadays...

They rock.. =)

Self defence mechanism??

Today is 25th June 2005, Saturday...

I have a few deadlines to meet by 1st July 2005, a few more meetings to attend till 1st July, and what seems to be quite a lot of things to settle by Mid July as well...

Strangely, things seem to be going quite ok... maybe is a self defence mechanism.. some people freak out when they have lots to do... some get so stressed and pissable at almost any little thing... some get aggressive, some get depressed...

What about me? hmmm... I don't really know... but it seems that when things start to pile... I get a bit more relaxed (if that is even possible.. ) I imagine this invisible shield around me that's protecting me from the many pissable things around us in life... and all over the shield all these words "when there's already that much to do, anything else adding on to the list won't make much difference anymore"

i dunno... so weird....

For the sake of it

here i am still up and settling stuff at 3.38am in the morning... hooray...

The real deal on being 'real'

Nov 14, 2004
The real deal on being 'real'
By Janadas Devan

THE 'real' as an adjective is puzzling. Whatever do people mean when they say 'real world', 'real life', 'real thing', 'the real McCoy' and so on? Why are we so anxious about the 'real'? Surely, the real, if it is real, ought to strike one as obviously real. Does our anxiety about it suggest a certain uncertainty about the realness of the real?

Let's begin with 'the real McCoy' because there really was a real McCoy - a Joseph McCoy, to be precise, a rancher in the American Wild West in the mid-19th century.

Ranchers in those days butchered their cattle primarily for local consumption. McCoy decided to do something nobody else had thought of doing: He drove his cattle across hundreds of miles to railway stations, from where they would be transported to cities in the east, to be butchered and consumed there. McCoy, not surprisingly, became a very rich man.

And not surprisingly too, he soon had competitors. Rustling cattle on horseback is not rocket science. If one cowboy can do it, so can others. In desperation, McCoy began calling himself 'the real McCoy' so as to distinguish himself from his imitators.

Coca-Cola adopted a similar strategy in the cola wars of the 1960s, when it took to calling itself 'the real thing'. 'The real thing' was merely imitating 'the real McCoy' - who of course was not unique either, for he turned out to be eminently imitable.

This provides one clue as to why we are anxious about the 'real': Market economies are wondrous mechanisms for churning out a multitude of the same. If a new product proves economically successful, it is bound to elicit imitators; if a new fashion in clothing catches on, it is bound to create knock-offs. Our anxiety about the 'real thing' is a reaction to the sameness that characterises life in industrialised societies.

The other examples of 'real' - 'real world', 'real life' - cannot be so easily explained. Teachers often tell their students of the 'real world' they will face when they leave school. Businessmen are often scornful of academics because they allegedly know nothing of 'real life' and have never been 'in the trenches'. And soldiers in war - literally, not metaphorically, 'in the trenches' - often refer to civilian life as the 'real world'.

(And not only in war, I might add. I remember hearing this phrase, 'real world', during national service in Singapore. There we would be, camped in some soggy and dank field, slapping mosquitoes, trying to keep the rain from seeping through our ponchos. It's not possible to get closer to reality than that, one would think. And yet, at precisely those moments, someone would pipe up about his plans in the 'real world' after leaving NS.)

What makes working life more real than school life, economic life more real than intellectual life, and civilian life more real than military life? Why is the 'real world' 'always being defined as where we are not', as Harvard University don Barbara Johnson once asked.

Her answer was that 'these differing perceptions of the real are nothing other than perceptions of the boundaries of institutions. Whether one is in the university or in the army, the real world seems to be the world outside the institution'.

Institutions, she theorised, created boundaries between the unreal and the real so as 'to assure docility, paradoxically, through the assumption of unreality' within institutions.

Students, listen up, the real world is a frightful place, so you had better concentrate on your lessons, otherwise you are going to founder in the real world. Soldier, listen up, the real world's rules don't apply here, this is a different world, you must abandon all your civilian delusions.

There is considerable truth in Professor Johnson's reading, but I'm not sure it is sufficient. Consider that strange phenomenon, the television 'reality show' American Idol (and its spin-offs).

The show's formula is simple: Ordinary people are given a shot at stardom. Judges assess each singer, and viewers vote two performers off the show each week until only two remain for the final competition. It can be a very cruel process - and for precisely that reason, exhilarating to watch - as faults are enlarged and blemishes exaggerated. It is also thrilling, for some remarkable talents have emerged - the 'real things'.

But a strange thing happened during last year's show. One William Hung - a Chinese-American nerd, a totally untalented singer, the most awkward, stiff and robotic personality ever seen on TV - emerged as the star. He became so popular, he now travels the world to show off his lack of talent. His website describes him as the 'Real American Idol'.

The Los Angeles Times thought Hung's sincerity was the quality that elevated him above the rest. The lesson to be learnt from his unlikely popularity, the paper said, was 'that talent is far less critical to winning Americans' hearts than honest effort'.

That surely is an exaggeration. How many Hungs will America take to its heart? Would America abandon its current stars for the galaxies of bad singers and bad actors out there? Surely not.
And yet, for a brief moment perhaps, Hung became the marker of the real. Not because the 'real' is always something else, as Prof Johnson put it, but because he failed so clearly to be that something else.

Perhaps we are so anxious about the real because modern society makes such incessant demands on us to be so many somethings.

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

Once there was a giving tree who loved a little boy.
And everyday the boy would come to play
Swinging from the branches, sleeping in the shade
Laughing all the summer’s hours away.
And so they love,
Oh, the tree was happy.
Oh, the tree was glad.

But soon the boy grew older and one day he came and said,
"Can you give me some money, tree, to buy something I’ve found?"
"I have no money," said the tree, "Just apples, twigs and leaves."
"But you can take my apples, boy, and sell them in the town."
And so he did and
Oh, the tree was happy.
Oh, the tree was glad.

But soon again the boy came back and he said to the tree,
"I’m now a man and I must have a house that’s all my home."
"I can’t give you a house" he said, "The forest is my house."
"But you may cut my branches off and build yourself a home"
And so he did.
Oh, the tree was happy.
Oh, the tree was glad.

And time went by and the boy came back with sadness in his eyes.
"My life has turned so cold," he says, "and I need sunny days."
"I’ve nothing but my trunk," he says, "But you can cut it down
And build yourself a boat and sail away."
And so he did and
Oh, the tree was happy.
Oh, the tree was glad.

And after years the boy came back, both of them were old.
"I really cannot help you if you ask for another gift."
"I’m nothing but an old stump now. I’m sorry but I’ve nothing more to give"
"I do not need very much now, just a quiet place to rest,"
The boy, he whispered, with a weary smile.
"Well", said the tree, "An old stump is still good for that."
"Come, boy", he said, "Sit down, sit down and rest a while."
And so he did and
Oh, the trees was happy.
Oh, the tree was glad.

Makes you wonder...

Opened my school email just now to find this in the inbox... Must say it's a very very interesting request...

makes u wonder doesn't it? Do our "winners" win because they have the talent, or do they win simply because they have more people behind them? People who don't even know them, but judge based simply on an impression through email, TV, newspapers, SMS even...

I wonder if a certain polytechnic did something like this during our Singapore Idol finals...

p.s. I deleted the name of the 'star' from the email, just so I don't do any publicity for this person by accident...
_______________________________________________________


Dear MAE Students, Alumni and Colleagues,

I reckon you may have heard and watched the trailers on the Channel U “Project Superstars”. It is a chinese singing competition, akin to Singapore Idol, with its sms and call-in voting format broadcasted over Channel U. One of our students, XXX, chinese name: XXX has emerged as one of the top 12 guys (there're top 12 gals as well), after 3 rounds of auditions from over 4000 contestants.

His first performance will be broadcasted on 22 June (precorded on 15 June) and the voting line (or SMS) will be open then.

The contestants will have many people rooting for them. As part of the MAE family, I am writing to encourage you to support our very own “star” XXX. Turn on the TV Channel U on 22 June and register your support!

Thanking you in advance!

Sub Dean (Alumni)

Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now...

My very first NY Student Coucil Invesititure Song... never fails to inspire.. and bring back great memories...

Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now
By Jefferson Starship

Looking in your eyes I see a paradise
This world that I've found is too good to be true
Standing here beside you
Want so much to give you
This love in my heart that I'm feeling for you

Let them say we're crazy
I don't care about that
Put your hand in my hand baby
Don't ever look back

Let the world around us
Just fall apart
Baby we can make it if we're heart to heart

Chorus
And we can build this thing together
Stand this storm forever
Nothing's gonna stop us now
And if this world runs out of lovers
We'll still have each other
Nothing's gonna stop us, Nothing's gonna stop us now

I'm so glad I found you
I'm not gonna lose you
Whatever it takes I will stay here with you
Take it to the good times
See it through the bad times
Whatever it takes here's what I'm gonna do

Let them say we're crazy
What do they know
Put your arsm around me Baby
Don't ever let go

Let the world around us
Just fall apart
Baby we can make it if we're heart to heart

And we can build this thing together
Stand this storm forever
Nothing's gonna stop us now
And if this world runs out of lovers
We'll still have each other
Nothing's gonna stop us, Nothing's gonna stop us... ooooh...

All that I need is you
You're all that I ever need
And all that I want to do
Is hold you forever, and ever and ever

And we can build this thing together
Stand this storm forever
Nothing's gonna stop us now
And if this world runs out of lovers
We'll still have each other
Nothing's gonna stop us, Nothing's gonna stop us now

Am I psychotic? =)

Some songs my classmates and I made up in primary school... is it disturbing? hmmm... hahahha

My Bonnie (Original)
My Bonnie lies over the ocean
My Bonnie lies over the sea
My Bonnie lies over the ocean
Oh bring back my Bonnie to me

My Bonnie (Sharon's version)
My Bonnie looked into the gas tank
It was dark and she couldn't see
She lit a match to help her
Oh bring back my Bonnie to me

Bring back, oh bring back, oh bring back my Bonnie to me, to ME!!
Bring back, oh bring back, oh bring back my Bonnie to me!

Clementine (Original)
Oh my darling
Oh my darling
Oh my darling Clementine
You are lost and gone forever
Oh my darling Clementine

Clementine (Sharon's version)
Build a bonfire
Build a bonfire
Put the teachers on the top
Put the principal in the middle
Then let's light it from the top


Barney's Song (original)
I love you
You love me
We are one big family
With a great big hug and a kiss from me to you
Won't you say you love me too

Barney's Song (Sharon's version)
I love you
You love me
Homosexuality
People think we're ordinary friends
Actually we're lesbians

Another dead end...

This guy is the Sub Dean of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering by the way... not much of an explanation huh?

now i need to plan my next move... hmmmm


From: Yeo Song Huat (Assoc Prof)
Sent: Mon 30/05/2005 4:34
PMTo: #TAN XIN NI SHARON#
Cc: Goh Wee Hoon, Madaline
Subject: RE: Question About GER - PE

Dear Sharon,

It is very good that you have completed the requirement of Minor in Business in such a short time.

Students have a chioce on whether to take on a Minor, knowing very well that this means addtional AUs (& additional effort). In general, if a student is not able to cope or not prepared to take additonal AUs to earn the Minor, then he/she should not commit to a Minor. The AUs obtained is to earn the Minor should not be used to fufil other requirement at the same time.

In your case, you should choose another subject under the BM PE list to fufil your 3AUs. I am sure you will learn something from the new subject.

Best wihses,
Yeo SH

-----Original Message-----
From: #TAN XIN NI SHARON#
Sent: Sunday, May 29, 2005 8:48
PMTo: Yeo Song Huat (Assoc Prof)
Subject: Question About GER - PE

Dear Sir,

I am currently a year 2 MAE student and as required by the new GE requirements, I have to take 1 module from the BM (Business and Management) category of PE. At the same time, I have already completed 4 of the required 5 modules to be awarded a minor in Business.

I found out that although the minor modules also appear in the list of BM PEs, I am unable to substitute them to fulfil my BM PE requirements. I would really appreciate if you could explain to me the reasoning behind this arrangement.

This is because from the way I see it, the BM PEs are to broaden our scope of modules taken so that engineering students may have some grounding in Business and Management. The fact that the minor modules appear within that list shows that they all serve the same function of teaching us more about business management. Furthermore, taking a business minor is already overloading on the original number of required GE AUs. Since the modules serve the same purpose, why is it that students like myself cannot use the minor modules to fulfil the BM PE requirements? I know quite a number of engineering students are attempting a business minor, and it would be a lot more helpful if we could spend our AUs on other modules which will further complement our learning interests and process.

I am looking forward to your response on this matter.

Thank you very much!

Sharon

Exasperated with the Education System!!!

Basically it all started when NTU changed the General Education Requirement (GER)… As an engineering student, I must fulfil the following:

15 AUs of Prescribed Electives (GER-PE) comprising
- Art, Humanities & Social Sciences (AHSS) 9 AU
- Science, Technology & Society (STS) 3 AU
- Business & Management (BM) 3 AU

9 AUs of Unrestricted Electives (GER-UE)

Definitions:

GER-PE = Prescribed electives in GER curriculum, which are categorised into 3 sub-areas of studies comprising Art, Humanities & Social Sciences (AHSS); Science, Technology & Society (STS); and Business & Management (BM).

And AU = Academic Units (the no. of hours of class that module comprises of)

UE = unrestricted electives which means you can take any module outside your own faculty and it would count towards this.

Now the issue comes in with the BM modules… See I am taking a Business Minor, which means I take 5 modules of 3 Aus each, amounting to 15 Aus in total. This 15 AU will also cover my 9 AUs of GER-UE, which by right should leave me with 6 Aus of extra business module units. Till this date, I have finished 12 AUs of my Business Minor modules… Follow so far?

Ok then I look at the GER-PE requirements and find that I must do 3 AUs of a BM category module.. ok no problem… so I look at the list of BM modules offered and notice that the following 5 are cross-listed with Business Minor… of these 5, I have already done the first 3 (and scored pretty well at that as well)

- MB101 Accounting : Cross-listed with Biz Minor
- MB102 Business Finance : Cross-listed with Biz Minor
- MB103 Principles of Marketing : Cross-listed with Biz Minor
- MB361 Operations & Quality Management in Manufacturing and Services Industries : Cross-listed with Biz Minor
- MB363 Management Decision Tools : Cross-listed with Biz Minor

So I thought to myself, "In this case, my business minor modules should count towards my BM requirements.. after all it won't make sense that I take more modules than others to do a minor in business and still need to do another module in business.. especially when my minor modules are mentioned in that list"

But I figured I better make sure so I sent the following email:

-----Original Message-----
From: #TAN XIN NI SHARON#
Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2005 11:56 AM
To: Khong Meng Chee, Elaine
Subject: Question about GE-PE requirements

Dear Mdm,

I was looking at the list of subjects under the Business Management Pescribed Electives and noticed that some of the courses listed inside are cross-linked with the Business Minor. Does this mean that if I have taken those modules to clear my business minor, I do not need to take any more PE from that category?

Sharon

And this is the reply I got today:

From: Khong Meng Chee, Elaine
Sent: Thu 26/05/2005 3:36 PM
To: #TAN XIN NI SHARON#
Subject: RE: Question about GE-PE requirements

Hi Sharon

The subjects that you read for the Business Minor or any Minor are used to off set against General Elective requirements (the new term for this General Education Requirement – Unrestricted Electives ).

However, you would still need to read Prescribed Electives from the Business Management category as they are under the General Education Requirement – Prescribed Electives.

Should you need further clarification, fill free to contact me.

Regards,
Elaine Khong

Can someone explain to me the logic behind this??????? Just because of some crummy requirement in the book, everything has to happen that way? Come on, my Business Minor should be more than enough to teach me about Business and Management... Doesn't make sense that I should spend another 3 hours of my time on business stuff when I can use it to take another more interesting or useful General Elective!!!

And if they wanna argue in terms of AUs, hey mine seems feasible. I have done so far
- 12 AUs of Business Minor
- minus 9 AUs of GER – UE
- Equals 6 AUs of modules which are in BM category also
- Minus 3 AUs of GER – PE (BM) as required
- Equals an extra of another 3 AUs
- Plus the 2 AUs I did for GER – UE in Year 1
- Equals 5 AUs extra than what is required!!!
- And this is excluding the remaining 3 AUs of Business Minor I have left!!!

After I have calmed down, I shall draft and send an email to the Dean or Vice-Dean or someone high up... and if that doesn't work, I shall consider putting together a petition... I'm sure many engineering students do business minor also...

Man… Talk about manifestation of the No U-Turn Syndrome (NUTS)

My learning got disrupted by my education...

yes here I am, back to bitch about the education system in Singapore... for those who know me quite well, u've probably heard this before... anyway, just to clarify, the title of this entry was a line quoted by Mark Twain... ok maybe not exactly but u get the message huh...

I don't understand why the schools here overload students with so many subjects... it almost seems like a competition where the faculties see who can give more modules to their students... now we have general electives and prescribed electives and core modules and what not... yeah yeah it's all for the sake of a broad-based education... but do they see that education NOT EQUALS learning??

education is a process... a process involving textbooks, notes, guidebooks, tests, exams, projects, lecturers, tutors and mentors... and here it's become such a process that students only go for it just for the sake of going... education no longer has the connotation of making someone "highly learned"; rather, it is now so associated with spoon-feeding, with the mentality that one studies enought to pass just so to move on to the next year...

it's kind of sad that Singapore is recognised for its high standards of education... but if u look on campus, the ironic case is that Singapore students are the ones "manipulating" and "spoiling" the name of education... most of the time they are the ones skipping classes, not doing well for exams and tests, while the foreign students are the one really there to learn and achieve... I don't have anything against them, and it's because for some of these students, they feel that they learn and achieve more being involved in ECA or hall activities...

actually, do u think there's that much to learn from classes? i go from class to class and year to year... and what I hear is that what we learn in university won't be that useful at work also... is that true? maybe to a certain extent... if so, why the heavy focus on core modules? why not lower the core load, and encourage broad-based learning that is truly broad based in the sense that you choose whichever ones you are really interested in? and not because u have to fulfil 6 units in that particular category? why are enrichment activities only restricted to the top how many % of the cohort? these are the projects that really inculcate some hands-on practical stuff or learning stuff... isn't university our last chance to study and take courses full time, whether or not they are within our faculty? shouldn't such opportunities be open to all who are interested?

yeah i sound so idealistic... but to me.. uni IS the last chance where there are opportunities to learn in depth things beyond my faculty... and it's really sad that the education process here is so good and recognised internationally that our own students no longer see its value-addedness in terms of learing...

Random thoughts

Randomness Number 1

Some guys have problem with girls being "better"... doing this 5 weeks project called Engineering Innovation and Design (EID) for NTU... compulsory for all year 2 engineering students and in my faculty, we (a group of 12) come up with an innovation or product and develop a business plan to market it la... in my group, I am the only Singaporean (the rest are Malaysians)... also, I am one of the 3 girls in the whole group... doesn't help that the other 2 girls are usually quite quiet... anyway, I'm the kind of person who just voices all the concerns or possible loopholes for each idea or product la... u can say I'm pessimistic, but I always believe that for such things, need to think really objectively and any possible flaw must be voiced out and addressed... so yeah... think some guys don't like me for that.. doesn't help even more that mostly what I say somehow comes true in the end.. ie the concern I raised is crucial, or a point I made about why something won't work really happens... is this a "Guy Ego" thing? or am I really that irritating?

Randomness Number 2

It just sort of hit me that my term in MC (Member Committee) of AIESEC in Singapore is just around the corner... it may sound weird but all along, meeting a trainee or SN or anyone who was in MC always seemed such a "whoah" thing... like far away and so impressive... and then today after the 1st day of MC Team-to-Team Transition, I realised that I am really gonna be in the MC... and that it isn't such a far-off thing anymore... I don't mean this in the sense that I don't understand the significance of my role... it's just so gradual in a sense, cos I guess some of us have been working closely with the current MCs anyway... anyway it's also the "wow... how time flies!" concept... in not too long, I'm gonna have 2 batches of juniors... and I'll be in a team I, as a junior, used to think was daunting... hmmmm... reversal of perspective in some sense?

Randomness Number 3

I've been doing wushu since 2001, which means this is going into the 5th year... never was conscious of that until Yamini asked me today... this was after she saw the screen saver on my laptop.. yeah you guessed it... photos of wushu weapons, pro people doing the routines, photos of Jet Li, Bruce Lee, Vincent Ng, Donny Yen... hehe... sometimes I wonder why I have these photos and all the collections of wushu related stuff... sometimes I think I do it because it's a way of reminding myself of my passion for the ART, the "glorious" past, the fun days... but I sometimes also wonder if it's due to guilt on my part... honestly I haven't really had the time to train as much as I want to, or to go back to HCJC and get involved in the wushu community more, or to even meet up with my wushu buddies... and there is this gnawing feeling of guilt at the back of my head which tells me it's just WRONG to let go of the connection with Wushu, and what it has given me... and because I don't have the time to take physical action in training, I seek solace in collecting these things, perhaps only in a bid to prove to myself that I still hold that connection with Wushu, to remind myself of my passion for it and that it is burning on... so is this really all there is???

Randomness Number 4

Why am I blogging till 1.30am when I have a meeting tmr morning at 11am, followed by transition with Triin, followed by dinner gathering with wushu buddies??


Sometimes I wish I understood myself... and sometimes I wish I don't...

Afterthoughts on Taipei Trip 5th to 9th May 2005

What can I say? I really really enjoyed myself sooo much ths trip... Many thanks to Aibek and Jane to host me...

Many thanks to Aibek, Triin and Jing Wen too... I remember we were sitting at the Coffee Bean at Lot 1 in Choa Chu Kang after visiting the Singapore zoo... I was complaining about how I wanted to go outside and travel around, see and explore new places but that I couldn't find the time to do it... Then Aibek and Triin were telling me that if I wanted to go that much, I should make my own time out, and not use work as an excuse cos there will always be work still undone... and it was there that we decided we shall go to Taiwan and visit Aibek after the NTU exams... =)

This was actually the 1st trip outside Singapore which I made on my own.. in the past, I either went with family, or with friends on expedition kinds of trips.. so it was really a cool experience for me.. it felt different la.. feels more independent, and you can really do things which YOU yourself like (unlike in a huge group there may be conflicts on where to go.. hehe) only slight problem is that you may not have someone to explain the places to you, you may have to resort to posing for your own photos to show you were there, and when you see something funny you can't just laugh out loud without people around you giving you weird stares.. but that aside, before this, travelling always seemed so difficult, cos must wait for others, must plan stuff etc. But hey I just realised how easy it is!! Just book a ticket, get some maps, take a plane and you're there!!

I think after this trip, I want to do more of such travelling... I dunno why but I've always been fascinated by all the amazing stuff outside tiny Singapore... and now, I've realised that it's not that difficult to go out there and see more.. Just need a bit more gung-ho attitude, a bit less kiasu and kiasee mentality, a bit more time to save money and off I go again...

maybe to China next... I wanna see Shaolin Temple and Great Wall... =)

P.S. for those who wanna see photos, here is a repeat announcement that they are on http://sharontan.mtphotoalbum.com

Day 5 in Taipei

My last day in Taiwan!! Flight is at 6pm so I had the morning and a bit of the afternoon to walk around somemore before going home.. Aibek and Jane went off to work so I was on my own again.. I went to Xi Men to meet Jing Wen, Sherina, Shin and Yi Cui for breakfast!! Yup, another AIESEC Singapore gang were in Taipei and they were with Sharol from Soo Chow LC.. we visited their campus and AIESEC office before heading off to the canteen for breakfast.. I had what I ate on the 1st day (it's called Dan4 Bing3 in chinese but I dunno its english name) again and the gang tried it too, it being their 1st morning in Taiwan.. Sherina was trying to take photos of everything and Sharol was quite embarrassed sometimes.. hahah.. quite entertaining..

Anyway, they were heading off to Taichung for a day and since I was on a more rushed schedule, I went off 1st and walked around Xi Men.. most shops were still closed so nothing much to see.. then I dropped off at Zhong Xiao Dun Hua which Jane said was something like Orchard Road.. well of course the buildings weren't as high (cos of earthquake danger) and not as fanciful as those here.. it wasn't really what I expected until I found the underground mall.. it's like our City Link Shopping Mall, just a lot longer.. =) it even links to another MRT station.. I got bored walking there after a while since I'm not much of a shopper and went aboveground.. found a street and alley with lots of eating places and tried the pork chop rice.. this dish is really common and everywhere I go I see stalls selling it.. so figured I might as well try it before I go.. quite tasty la.. hahah.. I think generally Taiwanese eat quite a lot of meat, since most of the roadside stalls I had seen sell meat dishes..



After that, I headed home to pack and get my luggage.. Jane had kindly passed me her keys so I wouldn't have to go around in the morning with all my luggage.. then it was off to Taipei Main Station, taking the express train back to CKS International Airport.. and it was as cold as the day I arrived.. -_-" I was early so I had to hang around.. then I noticed that the queue in front of the closed check-in counter was getting longer.. I wonder if it's a Singaporean thing or a Chinese thing.. so Kiasu.. hahahaha.. even when at the boarding gate people were so eager to board the plane.. The seats are already assigned so I was wondering why until I overhead this guy saying they should board quickly so that there will be enough space in the baggage compartment for their stuff.. kiasu-ism at work.. but looking at the amount of stuff people bought, I won't be surprised if they don't have space.. I think I was the only person carrying 1 backpack… everyone else has a few more bags of stuff bought in Taiwan.. shopping la.. so Singaporean =)



Anyway, this time back I was lucky enough to get a window seat and since it was evening the sun was still bright enough for photos.. the view was great, with clouds below and above us.. further below us, I could see the lights of Taiwan and the sprawling mountains and greenery.. then the most unlucky thing happened.. my digicam battery suddenly died!!! So ironic I thought.. just when I get a window seat and a perfect view the camera dies.. so I got thick-skinned and asked if the people beside me had any batteries to lend.. they must have thought I was weird but I don't care they had batteries so I could take my photos happily.. the plane had passed by the more perfect view but beggars for batteries can't be picky so I took whatever I could see.. My last view of Taiwan was thus my view from the plane.. See in the following shot, you can see part of the mountains sticking out among the layer of clouds.. cool huh?



And that.. is the story of my 5 days in Taipei.. =)