End of Year 2 term 1 @ SMU

So this is the end of my sophomore year's first term. I m in school's one and only canteen now, gazing at people wondering to and fro, long queues of people waiting for their food, busy food stalls cooking the not-so-delicious food and cashier staff collecting cash from customers.

Unlike in western countries, singapore has this advantage of having freshly cooked food at foodstalls, not burgers and fast food. But strangely i don't feel like eating rice. Just a quick sandwich and some milk can ease my hunger.

I am done with my last presentation of the semester and thanks to my smart group members, quite satisfied with it. Next week is study week for exams and there are 5 closed-book final papers to conquer. Exams over on 28th nov wheee!

I am so gonna cramming next week. i can imagine myself rooting and rotting at library the whole week. Since last night, i saw some students bringing along their pillows mugging at library already. This is smu culture. People are dragged down by consecutive not-so-student-friendly group projects and presentations throughout the semester and at the end of it, cram non-stop for the finals. This is smu life, cant deny.. Phew!

Anw i m visualizing myself chilling at chaung-thar beach or trips at the end of december. I'll be hanging out with my gang in downtown hahaha! Cant wait to go back home! :D

Kyel kywai chain

Elevator Pitch

I just had an individual speech on Management Communication course 20 minutes ago. They call it "elevator pitch", since your speech is supposed to bring a so-called "climax" and at the end of the speech, everybody in the audience will have to be convinced by your speech, whatever topic you bring. You have got only 3-minutes' time!

I was super nervous for this speech although I did prepare for it like hell. I went through so many self-recorded practices, yet on the day itself, I felt so nervous on the stage that I felt choked and not a single word slipping out from my lips! Oh no.. Stage fright! I had to excuse myself to professor and had some gulps of water. Mustering my courage, I started the speech and everything went smoothly, followed by a face-to-face discussion session with the audience. Thanks, God, I did it! YAY!

Although we are trained hard by SMU with so many presentations every semester since year 1, I have never felt this much butterflies in my stomach before! After the speech, I was like "pheww" followed by a long *sighhhhhh* (Imagine my face with a big smile :D LOL!) Although I could see my classmates' stressful looks waiting for their turn to give their best shots for the elevator pitch, I couldn't help but smiling alone :DDDDDDDDD. Of course, I was also cheering up the one sitting next to me!

Cheers to all my buddies~
ALL THE BEST for your projects, presentations, quizzes, assignments, final exams, etc. (for whatever you gonna have haha)!!!!!

I know this is one crazy week (week 12) flooded with goddamn deadlines, but..
Have you *smiled* today? :)

Kyel Kywai Chain

Mugging is coming!

So, this is week10 in SMU, exactly when people start to chiong (singlish for: rush and work really really hard!) for their group projects and submissions. But a few people have already started mugging for finals!!!

Arrgh what the hell... Everyday and night at library, people are mugging. And guess what, most of them are the same people whom i see at the library everyday! People bring along sleeping bags and sleep at the desks. Some people don't really go back home, because when i see them the following day at the library, they are still in the same outfit as the previous day! Redbull becomes their daily survival drinks. I still remember one vending machine at the library run out of redbulls! >_<"

Singaporeans care about GPA too extremely, including all universities here: SMU, NUS and NTU. This is so badly irritating. Plus, SMU people not only mug, but also kay-po (singlish for: a lun shar shay pyee ho satsat d satsat win par tat thorr thu myarr, for eg, CCAs).

Not to be surprised, i am also becoming one of them gradually. At the beginning of my 1st year, i found what SMUSA (SMU Student Association) president said "work hard, and play harder" very vibrant and exciting. Yah, this is just a cliche' now. If you were on the campus, try stop a student and ask what he thinks of it, he will exactly give the same answer.

If your grades are not so grand nor average, people find you inferior in class. Professors sting on you! Let me make a point here... Being quiet in class (not shooting questions to the professor pretending that you dont understand) doesn't mean you are incapable of the subject field. I mean.. what's so special about an individual who hits gpa 3.99, other than his intellectual wellbeing (IQ or whatever)?

Sometimes, i feel so sick of this pretend-to-be-vibrant-dailylife. I would say students here are both physically and mentally pathetic!

Will life be a huge difference if i go for overseas exchange programme in senior year, say.. Europe? :D

Kyel kywai chain