It was a good trip. Got to view first hand of the KL shopping scene. Totally different from what I expected, went to chinatown and tour the pasar malam stalls, ice skate. I think I enjoyed the most touring the pasar malam and eating the local foods! However, the trip could have been better if there is no assignments waiting for us back in Singapore.
I will be very busy from this week all the way till end of next week so I guessed I am not updating my blog soon.
Take care people. It's time for the battle after the recess week to gain your independence for the 3 month vacation!
my group members were discussing and discussing until at 1 point of time the topic shifted to movie stars and I was given the role of George Clooney. Wow..I was obviously honoured because he was such a great and humbled actor and strangely while surfing time.com today George Clooney appeared again hahaha you can view the article over here
He is really a nice guy. Charming and full of charisma. A good role model. If I have 50% of his attribute, I think I could perhaps be leaving a legacy behind already..
read this post long time ago..save the link but I thought it'll be pretty interesting for many of my frens who are in the same boat as me..to chase that elusively 'A'!
This is a guest post from Jon Morrow, who is 25 years old. His blog is On Moneymaking.
By Jon Morrow - I nearly killed myself in college to get straight A’s. Well, almost straight A’s. I graduated with 37 A’s and 3 B’s for a GPA of 3.921. At the time, I thought I was hot stuff. Now I wonder if it wasn’t a waste of time. Let me explain:
1. No one has ever asked about my GPA. I was told that having a high GPA would open all kinds of doors for me. But you know what? I interviewed with lots of companies, received a total of 14 job offersafter graduation, and none of the companies asked about it. They were much more impressed with stuff like serving as Chief of Staff for the student government and starting a radio station run by 200 volunteers.
I suppose a college recruiter from a Fortune 500 company might ask, but honestly, I can’t see any employer hiring a straight-A student over someone with five years of relevant work experience. It might tip the scale in a competitive situation, but in most cases, I haven’t seen that grades are really that important to employers.
2. I didn’t sleep. Unless you’re a super genius, getting 37 A’s is hard work. For me, it was an obsession. Anything less than an A+ on any assignment was unacceptable. I’d study for 60-80 hours a week, and if I didn’t get the highest grade in class, I’d put in 100 hours the next week.
Translation: I didn’t sleep much. From my freshman to junior year, I averaged about six hours a night. By my senior year though, I was only getting 3-5 per night, even on weekends. I was drinking a 2 liter bottle of Mountain Dew and 2-3 energy drinks per day just to stay awake. Not only is that unhealthy, but it’s not particularly fun either.
3. I’ve forgotten 95% of it. I majored in English Literature and minored in Communication Theory. The main reason I chose those subjects was I thought they would teach me how to write and speak, two skills that would serve me well for the rest of my life.
Boy, was I stupid. Instead, I spent all my time reading classic literature and memorizing vague, pseudoscientific communication theories. Neither are useful at all, and I’ve forgotten at least 95% of it.
I’d guess the same is true for most college graduates. Tell me, what’s the point of spending 60-80 hours a week learning things that you immediately forget?
4. I didn’t have time for people. Being in the student government and running a radio station, I had lots of opportunities to build a huge network. But I didn’t have time. Between studying and doing my job, I had to prioritize the people I wanted to develop relationships with and narrow it down to the handful who could help me the most.
That’s no way to go through school. College isn’t so much a training ground for entering the work place as a sandbox for figuring out who you are and how you relate to other people. You develop your social skills and forge relationships with people that might be colleagues for the rest of your life.
If I could do it all over again, I would spend less time in the library and more time at parties. I would have 50 friends, not 3. I would be known for “the guy that knows everyone,” not “the smartest guy in class.” Not only because it would’ve been more fun, but because I would still be friends with most of those people now and would have access to the networks they’ve developed over the last four years.
5. Work experience is more valuable. In retrospect, I could’ve probably spent 20-30 hours a week on my studies and gotten B’s. That would’ve freed up 30-70 hours a week, depending on the course load. When I think of all of the things that I could’ve done with those hours, I just shake my head.
If there’s one thing graduates lack, it’s relevant work experience. If you want to be a freelance writer, you’re much better off writing articles for magazines and interning with a publishing company than working your tail off to get straight A’s. The experience makes you more valuable to future employers and usually results in a paycheck with a few more digits on it.
What about Graduate School? If you’re getting your masters, going to law school, or becoming a doctor, then you’ll need all 37 of those A’s to get into the best school possible, and you can safely disregard this entire post. Just be sure that you follow through. I thought I would go to law school, and then I found out what a miserable career it isand how little it actually pays. All of those good grades are now going to waste.
It also comes down to the question, “What’s the most effective use of your time?” If you can’t imagine living without an advanced degree from an Ivy League school, then reading until your eyes fall out and sleeping on a table in the library is a perfectly defensible lifestyle.
On the other hand, if you want to get a job and make as much money as possible, then good grades aren’t going to help you as your teachers and parents might have you believe. You’re better making powerful friends, building a killer résumé, and generally having the time of your life on your parent’s dime.
1.5 months of preparation is OVER. No more flowers, no more roses, no more thorns. It has been a real busy week starting from
mon- the preparations for the 3 days events.Stayed in school till 12+am.
tues morning- went down to far east to collect the flowers and feelers. A total of 1600 flowers collected in total. Stay in school till 12+am.The temperature in the room was set to 10 degree Celsius for the roses to last longer.
wed-wrapping of roses. I didn't wrapped because my wrapping skill is atrocious but I make myself useful doing other stuff. was stricken with fear that the flower orders could not be completed. roses start to deteriorate and some start dying. Stay in school till 12am.
thur- our team managed to complete the flowers order. Went out to do delivery..esp those which request a lot of attention.eg presenting the roses to the ger in the middle of the lectures/tutorials. Stay on to clear up the room till 10pm. It's no doubt my worst v'day ever but on the other perspective, I think I achieved some good karma for my love life as well.
The flowers we wrapped. the uncollected flowers at the end of the day.
24 stalks of red roses. The standard is there rite? It's not wrapped by me btw. The prettier roses were all collected. This is also the leftover.
And thus, this post conclude the end of v'day and explained why I have been missing from this blog for the past 1 week.
While I was playing basketball just now, there was this group of people from Yew Tee CC basketball team who came to the basketball court where I usually played as the court at Yew Tee CC was undergoing renovation. But that's beside the point. After they finished their basic footwork and started to play 5 vs 5, we cleared the court as we are not really playing anymore. The players gathered at the basketball court and suddenly it seemed I was transformed back to my secondary school days as some of the older players near 30-40+ years old were the same ones whom I saw them when I was around 14 years old. Their skills were still evident but because due to age, they were a little bit rusty and shots were not falling in. The coach enquire whether if we want to field a team as well because I think they were pai seh that they are taking over the basketball court but we politely declined because we don't want to throw our faces and get a big fat zero for our score line. The standard of basketball they played were still much better than ours and I just sat at the side of the basketball court enjoying the same nostalgia again. They were legends in their own right 5-6 years ago and I can only admired their dedication and passion towards basketball but to each of his own. Each of us have different goals to chase after and for me basketball have fall into the leisure activity which I will play if I actually got the time to do so! It was an entertaining night to watch legends playing on our home turf.
This is the photos of my pretty cousin and niece Jing Yi and Ying Xuan. They came to my house last Sunday for CNY.
Ying Xuan is gonna grow up to become a heart breaker because at this young age she have already master the skill of rejecting the people's offers at first attempt yet giving away the killer secretive smile that make people want to give her more instead.
First of all to everyone whom I know and to those who visited this blog but I don't really know...
A Happy+ Prosperous+ Good Health New Year!
Time flies and it's hard to imagine I'm 24 this year already. 21 seem only yesterday but now it's hard but not to admit I'm literally a middle age man. NOT a boy anymore but a man whose income is still @ $0 per annum.
And as I looked around my frens from NBS who are still relatively young, I don't feel that old actually. Perhaps it's the synergy of idea which age doesn't really play a part that make me feel a part of them. I enjoyed this period of my life in NTU tremendously, even if it's quite hectic which often lead me to believe time really FLIES.
But when I mixed around with my poly mates, we discussed about more serious stuffs. Our career path, our relationship, our family and it hit us all that we are 24 this year, our dearest fren Gy is already intending to propose to his gf on vday yet we have yet to have any gf that is particularly worrying hahaha..Perhaps it's not the case yet for me. I'm alrite with being single now but perhaps my view will change as I get older.
Yesterday I had my reunion dinner with my father side at a restaurant. Things didn't start off quite well because my grandpa was exhausted after walking from the car park with the assistance of my father and my uncle to the restaurant. His face was pale and he seem very weak. He was unable to lift his head and all of us got a shock. The staff were very helpful and gave us warm water etc. We immediately lied him down on the chair and my mother and aunties rubbed medicated oil on his forehead. It was only until a while when he recovered then he joined us for the meal. His face resumed its pink glow and his appetite was surprisingly good for his age. He ate everything my father and uncle put on his plate. As we were afraid that he might be breathless if we walked him back to the car, I piggy back him with the assistance of my dad and uncle to the car.
I think this post is really about time and tide wait for no man. When I was small, when all my grandparent were around, you see them busy running around, doing stuffs and this image stuck with you that they will always be around, being active but the sad fact of life is that people aged and they get weaker, sometimes their brain deteriorate and you can't place the grandparent whom you know since you were young to the grandparent that you are witnessing now. The grandpa I know since young, who is always so active and running around is now mentally and physically weak and gave us a fright yesterday when he was breathless.
It's the cycle of life. No one can escape from it.
Last week NBS received her first good new for 2008.
The First Time a Singapore Business School’s MBA Programme Makes it to the World’s Top 50
Nanyang Business School’s MBA has made it to the top 50 in the Financial Times’ (FT) World Top 100 MBA 2008. The Nanyang MBA achieved a significant jump in ranking to 46th position up from 67th a year ago. This is the highest a Singapore Business School has ever been ranked ahead of several world-renowned universities. The latest ranking by FT re-affirms the Nanyang MBA as the best programme in Singapore.
And even though my frens and I are only currently under the bachelor program, we felt proud for our school and our lecturers. After all, they are the same lecturer who is teaching us as well as the master programme student~
I have signed up for the NTU open house as the ambassador as well. It make you feel good to give something back to the school, even though the ambassador role is paying $7/hr. It's a good deal I would say. To be able to promote your school and earn some allowances as well.
I 'heart' NBS!
I have just realize that I will be spending my time on 12, 13 and 14th of Feb co-ordinating and wrapping roses for all lovers and partners that ordered flowers from us but I got no programme or anybody to eat dinner with that night.
Haiz, the trial and tribulations of the status 'SINGLE' Hahaha
Our Poster in school for Vday. Sales are not bad but I considered it slow.
New Watch given by dad. It's a Tissot which is the most expensive watch I ever own. The 1st time I laid my eyes on the box, I immediately thought of MARKETing...the way they design the box, consumer education etc. It's a pretty elegant watch.
My korean tutee Soung Won is going back to Korea on Monday. He said he's not coming back to Singapore again but I doubt so.Somehow I'm confident that he will be back in future. This picture was taken last year. This picture was taken today. Look how much he have grown. Since today is our last tuition session, I had wanted to buy him a banana pizza from pasta mania. His favorite actually, But due to projects and time constraint, I only managed to get him stuffs from old chang kee and jollybean. During the tuition, I kept pestering him to sing me the lyrics of Da Chang Jin 'Onara' but he refused. Finally I coaxed him by humming the 1st tune and he followed on until we finished at least 3/4 of the song. I think it's the bond that we share. Me as his teacher. He as my student. I was a bit touch at the end of the song. After all, coming together and separation is part and parcel of life.It has been an eventful 6 months tutoring him. But I got his email address and hopefully we will keep in contact.
This is the song that we hummed.
This 1 week have been very busy. I have been rushing projects, tuition-ing, revising and handling cac vday sales of flowers. I guessed it's better to settle everything before the CNY rather than after that. But I don't have the time to buy my new year clothes.
