Long awaited SRJC Visit

It's been a while since I visited SR.. a couple of years to say the least? It's always a mixed feeling.. Going Back. On one hand, it reminds me of how badly i did during my 'O' Levels to end up at SR, and those 5-day training weeks for Soccer.. yet on the other hand, I'm grateful to have had great teachers who have helped me grow during the 2 years at the college, in particular, Mr Chacko, Mdm Ainon and Papa Teng. It's a pity that Mdm Ainon has transferred to NYJC though. While this certainly wouldn't be my last time visiting the school, the imminent departure of my CT would reduce the significance of such visits considerably.

The College itself has undergone several infrastructural changes since the last time I saw it and boy, it's about time. Under the stewardship of this new Principal, there have apparently been sweeping changes to the school and the administration in a bid to drag SR up the rankings. Well, having studied there myself, it's going to be an uphill task. Nonetheless, amidst all the construction and renovation, it's comforting to see that the "legacy" of the Class of 2003 remains...

Typical scene in my lectures.. Enjoying myself in dreamland..The only thing lacking is a soccer ball.. . ...

Sayonara Singapore

In a blink of an eye, my one month in Singapore is now drawing to a close.. In 4 hours' time, SQ227 will be departing from the gates of the Terminal 3. It's been a.... Interesting? holidays I must say. In many ways it felt rather different from my previous vacations. Quite a lot of things went through my mind, especially with the change in mindset over some issues over the course of the previous few months away. Much as I don't agree with certain values/beliefs/trends that are prevalent in the society today, that's just the way it is. Get on with it. I shall not elaborate on it due to the potentially sensitive issues that I might raise, but a couple of you may understand what I'm hitting at.

It's inevitable that I find myself asking myself, with the benefit of hindsight and given the choice, would I still choose overseas studies or local Big-3? Even till now, I can't really say. Both have its merits and drawbacks. The obvious downside being missing out on everything that's happening back home. It's easy to overlook what we could miss out on as most of these things are really things which you would take for granted. Simple little things like being able to walk to Parkway Parade in Tshirt, Berms and Slippers.. spending time with Family... taking a walk at ECP in the wee hours and soaking in the breeze and sounds of the tides...Obviously, one shouldn't keep thinking of the "what ifs" and "what nots" and I am making the effort to make the most out of my overseas experience. But perhaps more significantly is that, realising what I'm missing out on makes me treasure and cherish these moments even more. And this is something which can be overlooked very easily if I'm too caught up in the rat race in Singapore. 所谓，当局者迷，旁观者清。

On a side note, saw a prominent article in the Sports section in 联合早报 a couple of days ago that this year-end marks the graduation of the final batch of Sports Class students in AHS, drawing to a close the 14-year programme which I believe was initiated by our dear Mr Moo. On one hand, I was a little saddened by the news as this programme had served as a major differentiating factor from the other competing schools and that it had effectively formed part of a tradition of AHS. And I'm sure the Sports Class students will feel even more so as I do believe this programme had enabled the Sports players to forge a close bond with one another.

But the local sporting scene had changed much since 1994 and the days when we were still in 圣中. Back in those days, while we only had 3 main sports, Badminton, Table-tennis and Basketball, we were regular medal-winners in the East Zone. Getting 4th place would be considered a poor result. I remember there was at least one occasion when we swept 12 golds for all 3 sports and we had a Half-Day off. People could instantly relate AHS to having very strong Badminton, TT and BBall teams. Those were the days. The establishment of the Singapore Sports School, helmed by who else, Mr Moo, always meant that the Sports Class programme in AHS would be compromised and adversely affected to a certain degree and hence it is not a big surprise that they are ending it. Further, as Mr Hoo (Remember him? 何生) noted in the interview, the cessation of the Sports Class initiative will enhance and strengthen the interaction and friendship between Sports and non-Sports students. Of course, everything was put in a diplomatic manner but having spent 4 years in AHS, I would certainly feel that the SC programme implicitly drew a line that separated 'us' from 'them'. They are the Sports players with their own special identity.. the "H" classes.. own T-shirts..and rightfully, they would naturally be proud of their identity and togetherness. On the flipside however, is that lack of interaction with the rest of the cohort and it does bring about another problem which 何生 also mentioned. The level of support for the school at competitions. Because the Sports students are all grouped together already, it makes it difficult to a degree for non-sports students to show interest and support for the school in competitions. Somehow, they will not relate to the sports as much as if there were sports players amongst them to stir up the interest and garner support. Nonetheless, it marks the end of an era for AHS..

Who's that behind huh. . . .

-N.a.i.l.e.d-i.t-

"Results Out le..." A simple SMS from my friend suddenly got me all worried and anxious about my results, having not thought about my grades until that point of time. To top things, it was released a day earlier than scheduled, hence the "Unexpectedness". . .

As I scroll down the screen carefully to reveal my grades unit by unit, My euphoria could hardly be contained, and what a memorable way to celebrate my results.. 3 HDs and 1 D. No Prizes for guessing which unit is it for the Distinction, looks like it didn't feel all that bad to be Gang-Raped after all. =X And crucially, I can resume saying I've achieved High Distinction average for all my units in my 2 years of studies. I know I shouldn't be greedy, but somehow I didn't feel I truly deserved such grades and I know there's potential for me to hit the 90s for Business Finance and Equities if I had really piled in the hours during the Exam Period. (Man, I was still watching shows and you-tubing right smack in the middle of my exams...). But nonetheless, I shall be thankful for the stellar results this semester.

-Now I'm Really Flying-

Belated Post-Exam AAR

Was just looking through some of the previous posts and it's only then that I realised just how long I haven't actually had a proper Blog Entry. I'd be the first to admit it's due to either being too Lazy or Busy engaging in Procrastination. Looking Back, I would sure love to relive the moment when my exams just ended and that sense of excitement of boarding SQ218 back home. The results will be released on Friday, technically less than 5 days away and I don't foresee a pretty sight. I expect my number of HDs to continue the downward trend to just 1 this semester and I would be thanking my lucky stars if I could get a Credit for my Taxation Law. The other 2 units, I can only hope that Shit doesn't happen and I get my Distinctions.

The crucial question is, Can I be happy or satisfied with these grades? Do I think I have put in my best effort for the semester? To begin with, recovering and starting the new school term after more than 3 months of break proved to be more difficult than I thought. I never quite got into gear until well into the semester and even then, I was merely ensuring I was on schedule with regards to the weekly tutorials and readings. I never felt for once that I was on top of my game. It's something that has bugged me for a while, especially towards the end of the semester, where I started to take stock of what might have been, or rather, what are the underlying reasons for such mediocrity. Right from the beginning, I've warned myself against complacency, especially after a very difficult semester prior to the holidays and seemingly less challenging subjects this term except for Taxation Law. Have I heeded my own advice? Yes and No. Yes to the extent that I ensured that I wasn't lagging behind; No as in I was never as driven as I was in the previous semesters. As it turned out, while the units were hardly less challenging, I felt I still had adequate and appropriate preparations for classes.

This cant be said of my Equities unit. I'm not one to find excuses or engage in finger-pointing if I don't do well but I seriously think it's a poorly taught unit. There's almost a total lack of coherence in the lecture materials, textbook, and the tutorial questions. And even for me, who wouldn't accept answers or concepts blindly, it proved to be very difficult to obtain satisfactory answers from the teaching staff. Lecturer 1 gives sarcastic replies. Lecturer 2 thinks a lot of the material in the textbook are bull**** and explains concepts in ways probably only post-graduates can understand. My tutor. -_- "I'll get back to you on this" --> Yup, you guessed it. Never once did I ever get my answer. No reply to my emails. It certainly doesn't help my learning despite having scoured through numerous textbooks for relevant explanations. Nonetheless, deep down, I know I've let slip a HD for this unit 'cos my exam preparations for this unit wasn't as thorough as it could have been.

Tax Law. Well. Still reeling from the Gang-rape....

Of course, not to forget that this semester also saw me increasing my involvement in the SG Assoc of Monash as well as getting my hands dirty with the larger Umbrella Organisation, the SG Assoc for Victorian State. Much as I can deny its impact, I know I can do a better job in managing these 'distractions' mentally. I can't be thankful enough for the experience thus far and I look forward to unearthing more of the harsh realities of life in the months to come.

My Personal life, rather empty, just the usual boring -z.w-. Pretty tough sometimes. But well. I shall not engage in self-pity. Dig in and just keep plugging away. . . .That's pretty much my semester in a nutshell. At the end of the day, I just need to get back on track, once I get my bearings right, that drive will be back. I shall refuse say I'll work doubly-hard and push myself as much as possible next semester. It's too easy to say this but I'm sure all of us know, this may not be the case when the term starts. So, we'll just wait and see.

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