Update

Sorry I haven't been updating much... been very busy with various aspects of my life especially FYP...

It's finally my final sem in NUS and the feelings are bittersweet. I've spent the past 3 1/2 years of my life in NUS, and in a Hall of Residence to boot, and it has been an experience out of this world. Ahead of me is the working world, with its own challenges ahead.

Thinking of integrating my blogging with Facebook notes instead due to hassle free photo uploading...

2008 in retrospect

Time flies and 2008 has come to an end. This year is especially significant as it's my last full year as an undergraduate.

If I were to sum up this year with acronyms, they would be these: VIP, FYP, NYAA, F1, NDP.

VIP

This gave me a good picture of how an engineering job is like and what to expect. This gave me a very good grasp of what I should look for in engineering job (e.g. more towards the project management aspect)

FYP

Finally the pinnacle of any undergrad's experience... :)

NYAA

Finally, this year, it's done and I received my Gold award from the President. This was pretty challenging to me considering that there was no one to guide me apart from the NYAA office itself. NUS was not willing to support me. Anyway, I bit the bullet and got it done and now, may there be others to follow in my footsteps.

F1 & NDP (St John committments)

This year I was involved in NDP and F1 as one of the first aiders, of which was a wonderful experience.

Next year holds even greater things in store for me. I'll have served 12 years in St John (and receive a long service medal to boot). And most importantly, that will be the year I step into the workforce.

It will have a whole new set of challenges but that is what life is about isn't it?

Call of Duty and the 7 SAF Core Values

My brother got me to play Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare yesterday. Although I played only the opening mission, I came to understand something which I had failed to fully grasp during my 2 years 4 months term of service.

Care For Soldiers

After achieving the first objective, the ship was bombed and EVACUATE is the priority. Initially all the soldiers were knocked to the ground and the protagonist had to be helped up by his commander. Later on, while evacuating to the helicopter, the protagonist would have fallen into the sea if not for the commander who helped him.

Seeing things from the first person perspective (associated, rather than dissociated - third person - perspective) is really very dramatic. In the storyline, the player's leader (Captain Price) is killed at some point in the mission and there are quite a few 'memorial' fan-made videos on YouTube...

Exams are over.... a working holiday begins

So let me muse about my 4 exam papers in this post...

ME3112

Besides the fact I was surrounded by Rafflesians (the guy in front, behind and to my right were all from RH)

Besides PS1101E (which I couldn't really care less about, since I intend to S/U it), this was my best paper yet. The questions were basically do-able

ME4223

Shall not comment further.

PS1101E / GEK1003

As I planned to S/U this module, I did not really prepare much for this paper. Anyway, as I didn't really expect much, it was quite okay for me (I alluded quite a lot to the recently concluded US elections)... who knows, I may score well enough not to S/U it...

GE3880A

The paper turned out to be basically, the mock exam paper. I was both surprised and disappointed that I had not spent enough time preparing for it. But anyway it was quite okay though I could have done better.

Therefore... this semester will basically seal my fate as to which class of honours I am going to graduate with. It's too early to say - things can go either way - but I am not *overly* concerned about it. At least I graduate with honours.

The day after exams ended, I got an email from my FYP prof, and the whole process starts again...

My offer got retracted due to issues over my PES status in the army. Despite the fact that I have recovered (and have a doctor's letter to prove it), the company doctor still did not want to certify me fit for site work. But that simply means that there is a better opportunity out there. And based on what I discussed with my lecturer subsequently, there are lots of better opportunities, even without the cash sponsorship which I had to forgo.

Well, as they say, when one door closes, another opens, and we have to look out for the door opened for us, instead of moping about all day about the closed door...

sighz

1 day gone. 1 good studying day gone just like that.

They say that when we stay up way past our sleeping time, we are
actually shortening our lifespan.

exams

Exam preparations are in their full swing now... let's see...

ME3112 - 25/11

ME4223 - 26/11

GEK1003 (aka PS1101E) - 27/11

GE3880A - 2/12

After that it's back to FYP preparation. Bah. I hope I can still help out for HOBTC.

and incidentally, no more all nighters for me. super counterproductive.

you get disappointed when you expect too much. i guess i am expecting too much.

Lost my thumbdrive cover

I lost my thumbdrive cover today.

It was when analysing my SD card reader that I realised that this
could have been averted if the thumbdrive cover is somehow connected
to the thumbdrive. Which is actually possible SanDisk thumbdrive - I
could have connected it with a piece of thread to the thumbdrive
'jacket'. Oh well...

Found this article which indicates it is not really that critical to have one... But still it feels right to have it... Any unwanted SanDisk thumbdrive covers, anyone? it's that bad feeling I get when I lose stuff, like my Timex watch after the 2005 Sem 1 exams...

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EDIT: I found my thumbdrive cap! and made some slight modifications to ensure it will not go missing again...

That time of the year again

It's that time of the year again.

The... E .. X .. A.. M.. S..

and project deadlines to boot...

On the bright side of things, it's the 2nd last time I've got to go through this process (and to think about it, the last time I will go through such an intense period of exams, since it's going to be 2 modules next sem.)

On the not so bright side, I won't have much time to enjoy after the exams (apart from my upcoming HK trip) as i'll probably be busy with FYP then.

angkat bola SIAPA?

Something interesting

The Loyal Wife

There was a man who had worked all of his life, had saved all of his money,
and was a real miser when it came to his money.

Just before he died, he said to his wife, 'When I die, I want you to take
all my money and put it in the casket with me. I want to take my money to
the +after-life+ with me.'

And so he got his wife to promise him with all of her heart that when he
died, she would put all of the money in the casket with him.

Well, he died . . .
He was stretched out in the casket, his wife was sitting there in black, and
her friend was sitting next to her. When they finished the ceremony, just
before the undertakers got ready to close the casket, the wife said, 'Wait,
just a minute!'

She had a box with her, she came over with the box and put it in the casket.

Then the undertakers locked the casket down, and they rolled it away.

Her friend said, 'I know you weren't fool enough to put all that money in
there in the casket with your husband.'

The loyal wife replied 'Listen, I can't go back on my word. I promised him
that I was going to put that money in that casket with him.'

'You mean to tell me you put that money in the casket with him !!! ?'

'I sure did' said the wife. 'I got it all together, put it into my account
and wrote him a cheque. If he can cash it, he can spend it.'

Moral of the story: *Women are cleverer than Men* ......

Send this to a clever women you know, or a man with a good sense of humor
. . . . .

I just did.

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Something interesting.

Wedding Congratulations

Congratulations to the newlyweds (HS and YX) on their wedding... wish them eternal happiness and, incidentally, 早生贵子:D

Rasa Sentosa resort is a lovely place to hold a wedding... maybe I should hold mine there...

But then again like someone put it... the main player is not there yet... LOL...

I know a number of friends, of my age, who are already married (and no it's not shotgun). I guess there are pros and cons to marrying young... The ladies would be marrying at around this age whereas for the men, it would be somewhat later although 3 of my men friends are already married for a few years (not shotgun)...

But marriage in itself has its own challenges... it's not an end in itself but a journey :)