This is the time of the year where all the frantic mugging starts. My project life ended yesterday (Friday), and the last project report will be handed in on Monday. With all these projects and presentations, during reading week, I actually feel glad to be able to start mugging at last, and catch up with some of my webcasts. Sigh - I'm actually glad to start mugging! I feel terribly left behind.
The project and lab presentations were OK. We had some mistake in our report for the Separations project, but the professor was quite nice about it. I heard that some groups had some rather 'violent' reactions, and though I wish our answers were correct, at least it didn't go too badly, and I'd rather not think about it again now.
Lab presentation was the best. The professor who listened to us was very encouraging and positive, and was not intimidating at all. He even invited us to sit down during our presentations, only my group members were more at ease with standing up and pointing to the screen. In fact, he was so nice, that we took a little extra time in presenting. In the end, he seemed to be hardly listening to what I was saying (I had the last section of the presentation), and kept on agreeing and nodding instead. I suppose he wanted to speed up the presentation so that the next lab group could come in on time. I wish all professors were like him. LOL.
Hmm. I suddenly ran out of content on what to blog about. My life is so confined to my studies, there's not much breathing space already.
Yesterday during Bible Study we had a short discussion, on whether when it shows when a person is living a life for the glory of God. I still think it shows, despite people being unpredictable and all that. There's some people who are burning with this warmth and it is all very transparent in their character. Of course not all people. I'm not very sure about most of my brethren, but those I'm sure about, I know :) You just feel it. And I wish I had that very same warmth and light emitting through me. It's not easy to have that. There's a lot of sacrifices, and a lot of time to be put in. I wish that I would have enough faith and love to put in all those time and effort, and enough faith not to be discouraged as I always am.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Hours before presentations
My sleep time-table has gone haywire again.
I'll be having two presentations tomorrow. One for project and another for lab. This is the worst time for presentations ever. All of us want to start studying for finals but can't really do so because we have to prepare for our presentations. There's the slides, the speech and the ever challenging effort of sticking to the time allocated when you have this vast amount of slides to finish. Then after today's presentations there will be a mid=terms test for HYSYS on Friday.
I managed to squeeze both my presentations nicely within the time limit, but I do hope I am clear enough and coherent enough to be understood. Actually, after talking to some of my friends who have done their presentations, I realized that time isn't an all-important factor after all, but just a rough estimate by lecturers. They do chip in and ask questions half-way through.
The lab presentation's the worst. It's held like some 12 hours later and some of my lab partners are still editing slides. Mine are done but I don't fully understand what I'm presenting. Isn't that horrible or what. The professor in charge said the aim of this presentation is more to let us get a hang of what presentations are like. (Like we don't know that yet!) But still, the good point is we don't need to submit our lab reports. Hmm. I can't really decide which is worse.
Just got all my welfare packs for exams and the quality has deteriorated much since last year. I thought last year we should have goodie bags that are smaller because of the economic downturns, but looks like we're just coming the feel the effects this year! Still, I should be grateful for being able to have goodie bags during exam period at least. Having sourced for sponsorships myself I do know it's not easy to get them, although being able to advertise having product exposure to the whole of NUS helps.
Hmm that's all for today I guess. I've been drinking coffee daily lately :( Can't help it.
I'll be having two presentations tomorrow. One for project and another for lab. This is the worst time for presentations ever. All of us want to start studying for finals but can't really do so because we have to prepare for our presentations. There's the slides, the speech and the ever challenging effort of sticking to the time allocated when you have this vast amount of slides to finish. Then after today's presentations there will be a mid=terms test for HYSYS on Friday.
I managed to squeeze both my presentations nicely within the time limit, but I do hope I am clear enough and coherent enough to be understood. Actually, after talking to some of my friends who have done their presentations, I realized that time isn't an all-important factor after all, but just a rough estimate by lecturers. They do chip in and ask questions half-way through.
The lab presentation's the worst. It's held like some 12 hours later and some of my lab partners are still editing slides. Mine are done but I don't fully understand what I'm presenting. Isn't that horrible or what. The professor in charge said the aim of this presentation is more to let us get a hang of what presentations are like. (Like we don't know that yet!) But still, the good point is we don't need to submit our lab reports. Hmm. I can't really decide which is worse.
Just got all my welfare packs for exams and the quality has deteriorated much since last year. I thought last year we should have goodie bags that are smaller because of the economic downturns, but looks like we're just coming the feel the effects this year! Still, I should be grateful for being able to have goodie bags during exam period at least. Having sourced for sponsorships myself I do know it's not easy to get them, although being able to advertise having product exposure to the whole of NUS helps.
Hmm that's all for today I guess. I've been drinking coffee daily lately :( Can't help it.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
All-Girls Dinner
We just had an all-girls dinner! Oh well, with the exception of papa Phea, who was actually the main reason why we all went out. He felt weird being the only guy.
Zhi Jun had uploaded this picture on Facebook, and there was a long train of comments underneath by us who were inside. We decided that those of us in school should go out and eat. Haha. I just realized this photo in Phoenix was just taken by my camera.
Miss our year one times when we all always got together for dinners, celebrated birthdays, and frequently met up. Now all of us are so busy that we seldom eat together. So it was quite nice that Phea, Zhi Jun, Wen Qiao, Tirza, Lin Yan and I had dinner together tonight at Clementi. It was fried rice, and bee hoon with clams and it only cost us $3.50 each.
After dinner, we girls shopped like forever in Fair Price while Phea waited outside. He walked home, but we took the bus. Hope we can have get-togethers like this more often, with the rest around. Now I hardly see Alex and Li Wei, and both Swee Yee and Piang Piang are enjoying SEP overseas.
GLCC Campus celebrated Nick and Lydia's birthdays last Friday too. Photos in my Facebook album. I wish I had more time for campus too. Sometimes we really need to fork time out for people and relationships, but school work really drains me out now, and instead of that I have to fork time to sleep! I really need to reorganize myself. :(
Zhi Jun had uploaded this picture on Facebook, and there was a long train of comments underneath by us who were inside. We decided that those of us in school should go out and eat. Haha. I just realized this photo in Phoenix was just taken by my camera.
Miss our year one times when we all always got together for dinners, celebrated birthdays, and frequently met up. Now all of us are so busy that we seldom eat together. So it was quite nice that Phea, Zhi Jun, Wen Qiao, Tirza, Lin Yan and I had dinner together tonight at Clementi. It was fried rice, and bee hoon with clams and it only cost us $3.50 each.
After dinner, we girls shopped like forever in Fair Price while Phea waited outside. He walked home, but we took the bus. Hope we can have get-togethers like this more often, with the rest around. Now I hardly see Alex and Li Wei, and both Swee Yee and Piang Piang are enjoying SEP overseas.
GLCC Campus celebrated Nick and Lydia's birthdays last Friday too. Photos in my Facebook album. I wish I had more time for campus too. Sometimes we really need to fork time out for people and relationships, but school work really drains me out now, and instead of that I have to fork time to sleep! I really need to reorganize myself. :(
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Reaping and Sowing
Just corresponded with my teacher in Facebook, and somehow when studies where mentioned, I remarked that students should cherish the day when they reap what they sow, i.e. get good results if they study hard enough.
Suddenly I had this thought: If later in the working world, what you put in is not equal to what you get out, they why should we be trained, or even start to learn to think this way? Why should we work hard to get good results, when in the end, there will always be people better than you in the end?
I read someone else's comment on Facebook. It's not fair, he said, that he should put in more and still get nothing much out of it. Another friend who read the comment said simply, 'Life is fair'.
Yes, it's easy for someone to say life is fair when they are on the bell curve, when they are smarter, faster, and maybe have the ability to work harder. What is fair? Is the bell curve fair? Singaporean students are pushed to work and excel in every area. They are kiasu and hardy, they learn how to be competitive and strive for the things they want. But in the end, not all will end up at the top. Someone will always have to lose out. Does the perspective of 'fair' change according to what end of the bell curve you are at?
Why do we learn to be good and diligent and work hard, when in real life, reaping and sowing are two different things? Why is a student taught to chase after his dreams at whatever cost, only to be disheartened and forced to give it up?
I find myself trying to answer these questions as I type.
I guess it's like a farmer would always have to sow and reap no matter how his crop turns out. It's his livelihood. He can't control the rain or sun, or how the crop turns out. It's just something he has to do no matter what. From young the child is taught to plough and plant so that when he grows up he can survive. And as the complexity of life and circumstances increase as he grows, he realizes that the crop turnouts may not be fine. He can't change that, but he can change himself. He can't change the nature of the field and his crops, but he can be innovative and find creative ways to solve problems. He can also always be joyous and depend on God to provide.
It's just like us in Engineering learning how to use simple models to solve real life problems. In reality, the things we are calculating are much more complex, and the models we use are a mere estimate, just like the concept 'you reap what you sow', and may not be applicable in all circumstnaces. But the little basic model, far-fetched and useless it may seem in the long run, would prove to be valuable for the learning and derivation of more complex solutions to a problem.
Life cannot always be fair. This world is struck and marred so much that it is imperfect. Disasters strike, circumstances turn one topsy turvy. The guy whom you are envious of because of what he has and what he can achieve may lose what is most precious to him the next day. People who slog hard to earn a position and their possessions lose it all in a blink of an eye, just like the day when the World Trade Center crashed down.
There are many unfair things in this world, so much that we're numbed to those that do not concern ourselves. So much that we see the only unfair things are us working for that academic cert which might not last until goodness knows when. But one thing I know that is unfair: Christ cruficified for my sake, and all I do is focus on small little things like this when I should be concerned over bigger things for Him.
Suddenly I had this thought: If later in the working world, what you put in is not equal to what you get out, they why should we be trained, or even start to learn to think this way? Why should we work hard to get good results, when in the end, there will always be people better than you in the end?
I read someone else's comment on Facebook. It's not fair, he said, that he should put in more and still get nothing much out of it. Another friend who read the comment said simply, 'Life is fair'.
Yes, it's easy for someone to say life is fair when they are on the bell curve, when they are smarter, faster, and maybe have the ability to work harder. What is fair? Is the bell curve fair? Singaporean students are pushed to work and excel in every area. They are kiasu and hardy, they learn how to be competitive and strive for the things they want. But in the end, not all will end up at the top. Someone will always have to lose out. Does the perspective of 'fair' change according to what end of the bell curve you are at?
Why do we learn to be good and diligent and work hard, when in real life, reaping and sowing are two different things? Why is a student taught to chase after his dreams at whatever cost, only to be disheartened and forced to give it up?
I find myself trying to answer these questions as I type.
I guess it's like a farmer would always have to sow and reap no matter how his crop turns out. It's his livelihood. He can't control the rain or sun, or how the crop turns out. It's just something he has to do no matter what. From young the child is taught to plough and plant so that when he grows up he can survive. And as the complexity of life and circumstances increase as he grows, he realizes that the crop turnouts may not be fine. He can't change that, but he can change himself. He can't change the nature of the field and his crops, but he can be innovative and find creative ways to solve problems. He can also always be joyous and depend on God to provide.
It's just like us in Engineering learning how to use simple models to solve real life problems. In reality, the things we are calculating are much more complex, and the models we use are a mere estimate, just like the concept 'you reap what you sow', and may not be applicable in all circumstnaces. But the little basic model, far-fetched and useless it may seem in the long run, would prove to be valuable for the learning and derivation of more complex solutions to a problem.
Life cannot always be fair. This world is struck and marred so much that it is imperfect. Disasters strike, circumstances turn one topsy turvy. The guy whom you are envious of because of what he has and what he can achieve may lose what is most precious to him the next day. People who slog hard to earn a position and their possessions lose it all in a blink of an eye, just like the day when the World Trade Center crashed down.
There are many unfair things in this world, so much that we're numbed to those that do not concern ourselves. So much that we see the only unfair things are us working for that academic cert which might not last until goodness knows when. But one thing I know that is unfair: Christ cruficified for my sake, and all I do is focus on small little things like this when I should be concerned over bigger things for Him.
Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea
The great High Priest who's name is love
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands
my name is written on His heart
I know that while in heav'n He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart
No tongue can bid me thence depart
When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end to all my sin
Because of the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free
For God the Just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me
Behold he lives the risen Lamb
My perfect spotless righteousness
The great unchangeable I Am
The King of glory and of grace
One with Himself I cannot die
My soul is purchased by His blood
My life is hid with Christ on high
With Christ my Savior and My God
With Christ my Savior and My God
I have a strong and perfect plea
The great High Priest who's name is love
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands
my name is written on His heart
I know that while in heav'n He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart
No tongue can bid me thence depart
When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end to all my sin
Because of the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free
For God the Just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me
Behold he lives the risen Lamb
My perfect spotless righteousness
The great unchangeable I Am
The King of glory and of grace
One with Himself I cannot die
My soul is purchased by His blood
My life is hid with Christ on high
With Christ my Savior and My God
With Christ my Savior and My God
Yes we hate all things unfair. But yet, I shudder to think in this case, what if things had been fair. No unfairness I go through in life, would be worthy of mention before this uneven exchange, my soul for His life.
p/s: I love this song! :) Thanks JonC for intro-ing it in Sunday worship!
p/s: I love this song! :) Thanks JonC for intro-ing it in Sunday worship!
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