Being in a foreign country and interacting with people from various nationalities most certainly required a higher standard of spoken English but more importantly, the willingness to open yourself up to new cultures. The exposure to these experiences help bring about a greater understanding about others’ perspectives but also urge me to try things I otherwise wouldn’t have tried. For a change, it’s refreshing but draining because I haven’t quite settled into a routine yet, and especially so when new challenges await every day.

And all that talk about exchange being a relaxing break from frenzied life of SMU, that’s not quite true – or at least with the modules I’m currently taking. Instead of group projects, there are more case analyses and readings to complete here. So on one hand, I’m spending less time meeting up for group work and instead focusing more on individual assignments.  Honestly, I don’t even recall a time when I had that many readings to do back home. And although I only technically need a pass to transfer the credit, sometimes I doubt my ability to achieve this feat.

Final words: 2 weeks in, I haven’t really miss Singapore that much, yet. The weather’s good here when it doesn’t rain though it’s still a tad too cold for comfort at present. Food-wise, it isn’t that bad here (lacks variety though). However, there’s a lot of walking to do if I want to eat out ‘cos there’s no eateries nearby. But for 4 months, I think I can go without laksa or chai tow kway. Public transit isn’t fantastic either but passable if I’m not in a hurry to get anywhere. In all, I’m surprised by the relative serenity of the city although I’d still avoid staying out alone late into the night. I guess I’ve adapted pretty quickly to the culture here, so I don’t think surviving the next 4 months is going to be an issue.

• Better organization of notes and stuff meant no more searching for the critical info scribbled in the corner of the paper. Filing and archiving have also become a breeze since the notes are already in the right place.
• I also managed to clear my internship requirement in summer at a most unexpected place, with almost no relation to my course area, but challenging and fulfilling.

The not so successful ones which I did achieve to a certain extent:

• As much as I love music, I don’t seem to be musically-inclined. While I didn’t pick up guitar playing this year, I self-learnt VBA programming due to coursework requirement.
• Travelling to the great outdoors – I completed the travelling part. The great outdoors portion – not so much. After a year and a half, I was back in Taiwan for more fun and exploring – more travelling and less shopping this time round.

And as for the rest, well let’s just say that they have been on the backburner. Probably need to work on them starting tomorrow, for the new year of course.

Major Decision
I chose Finance not due to a strong interest or burning passion in the subject, but because it’s probably the best decision I could make in the circumstances. Even if I don’t end up working in the Finance sector, the knowledge could come in handy for say, investment decisions, to perhaps supplement an otherwise meagre income. And a natural flair with numbers made the decision all the more clearer. But of course without the undying desire to proactively learn more, it didn’t turn out that well.

Value of Happiness
Over the course of the year, I also got a taste of working life. While I’d like to work for an MNC one day, I learnt quite a bit from the 2 SMEs I worked for – one part-time and the other full-time. I finally understood the meaning of hard-earned money when I received my first paycheck. It certainly wasn’t a lot, but the experience made up for it. Many dream of making it big, earning big bucks – well, I do too. But honestly, I think I’d be happier making less if it leaves me time to spend with my family or pursue other interests in life.

A New Life
But nothing excites more than the prospects of “starting life afresh abroad” in US – with no friends, no family, and nary a worry on my mind (yet). It’s the first time I’ll be away from home for so long but I reckon it’s going to be fun and an adventure in itself! In about 3 weeks, I’ll be in the land of dreams though I’m sure I’m going to miss home and everyone here. But in exchange for an unprecedented experience, I believe it’s gonna be worth it.

In a year of mostly ups and some downs, I think I’ve accomplished quite a bit and got through just fine. One day, I’ll look back at 2011 and see it as a turning point in life. As the year winds down, it’s farewell 2011 and here’s to a brand new start in 2012!

Although it’s almost inevitable that grades would take a hit, I have to admit that this is one semester that I have learnt the most from my modules thus far. I guess there’s no point looking back now ‘cos it’s all over and instead treat this as a learning opportunity. For now, it’s a well-deserved 8-month timeout after non-stop studies and work since January. So long SMU and see you for the final term next August!

Is this the sad reality of our current state of education? I’ve been back in school almost every weekend and public holiday this term, but so have 90% of the student population. A few days ago, the scene observed in school look like any other weekday, with students taking up every conceivable studying space – except it was 9 in the morning on Deepavali. Perhaps the competition is getting to us – the obsession with one-upmanship where we try to outdo one another and constantly raise the bar.

It’s good to have competition, but too much of it is unhealthy – like pulling an all-nighter in school the day before the deadline. But I can’t really say that I’ve been really busy ‘cos I found time to attend events like the F1 Grand Prix and the iPhone 4S launch. Even though it’s still early to say how the next month will pan out, hopefully with my fingers crossed, I’ll live to see my rainbow at the end of this storm.

The official notice was made as part of course registration mailer some time during the summer break, when most students would not have been actively scouring their inboxes, much less reading in-depth the attached brochure. So discreet was the release that the registrar found it necessary to highlight the information in a separate email.

When the news broke, I found myself sympathising with the incoming batch of freshmen. They may not know it but they may have just lost a valuable part of their learning experience. Since its establishment, the school has always prided itself on its uniqueness, even till today where the admission exercise tagline called for prospective undergraduates to “Discover a Different U”.

In fact one of the reasons why I ended up here (besides the city campus being a stone’s throw away from home) is the emphasis on the concurrent development of technical knowledge and career skills. But through the years I get this feeling that we’re slowly becoming just another run-of-the mill U, with the focus shifting to academic excellence these days. No longer is the school a game-changer like it used to be, producing articulate, brilliant and capable individuals.

There hasn’t been any official reason given as to why the Career Skills course area was abolished and that has led the speculation of whether it was related to the recent accreditation of the school’s degree programmes. But in my opinion, it’s a huge loss for students in the tradeoff if this had been the case. No doubt there are alternatives (e.g. workshops) that interested students can sign up for but not all will take advantage of these opportunities.

Some may say that such a decision’s for the greater good – to enhance the school’s reputation but I am of the view that student development should be just as important, if not more. The university’s culture has been evolving with times and I fear the school might lose its identity and direction one day. In keeping up with competition, there has been an inevitable paradigm shift on the education landscape, towards one which places an increasing emphasis on the beautification of the trophy cabinet.

Lest it be forgotten, student development should remain the topmost priority of any respectable educational institution. This begs the question: Would Career Skills be reinstated as another course area in the future? I can’t say for sure but in times like this, students will have to take charge and be responsible for their own learning if they wish to make the best of their education.

Having declared my major after the end of last semester, I’m finally clearing modules that will be directly related to my future career. However, it’s certainly not going to be a walk in the park. Traversing the depths of technical knowledge and emanating wealth of brilliance from fellow coursemates will require more than hard work this time.

The path to graduation has been arduous and it’ll only get tougher from here on. But when the going gets tough, the tough have to get going. So towards a quicker and brighter end to academic life, I’ll have to put in more effort for the remaining semesters. And the only breather in this final run-up? International exchange!

When I first started my internship this summer, colleagues and friends have questioned why I, as a Finance major, had chosen to work in the creative line. My answer was that I wanted to experience the industry as well as explore future career options. In the past 3 months, I’ve indeed learnt a great deal – both technical and soft skills that are transferable. While the job may be mundane at times, and perhaps a little low-paying, I found joy in enabling my co-workers to do their jobs better. This made the whole experience worthwhile.

In all honesty, we know only a handful will land their dream jobs; the rest of us will be stuck in jobs we love to hate. But it’s important we continuously learn from whatever opportunities that arise, better ourselves, and seek self-fulfillment through enriching the lives of others. I’ve always believe that it isn’t about having the best things in life but rather, life is about living by your set of ideals and enjoying what you do. This summer, I’ve achieved that.

No one wishes to remain at a standstill, yet nobody wants change either. But thanks to Darwinism, we’re constantly coerced to adapt to changes in our environment. People today are rarely satisfied with the status quo; we’ve always believed in our dreams of better lives – so we move on, leaving behind a certain part of our lives, in search of greener pastures.

Matter of fact is we’ll all say goodbye to the present state one day as we look for a better future. But as we climb higher, let’s not forget the people we have fought together with. While we may have moved on to bigger dreams, I’ve always thought it’s important to be nice to people on your way up because you’ll probably meet them again on your way down.

I can’t exactly say I miss being in class, but what I’m truly missing from school is the abundance of social interaction. My colleagues are not hard to get along with, in fact they’re very fun people to work with. It’s probably the new environment that I’m not accustomed to yet and it usually takes me a while to warm up to people. While it’s nice to listening to people’s conversations, it’d always be better if you could be part of them.

The office is where I spend most of my waking hours these days. Home is now just a place where I return to to have a hot shower and quick snooze. Sometimes I don’t even get to see my family around on weekdays because they are either still sleeping when I leave for work or not home yet when I turn in for the night. And this is how a typical day is like for a working class Singaporean.

It’s sad that this is a path that many have and will travel. But this is the reality. Truly 9-to-5 jobs are few and far between (unless the job doesn’t pay very well or you’re pretty high up the corporate ladder). Although I officially work from 9 to 6, I’ve seen for myself how my colleagues put in overtime almost everyday. While I usually leave the office at 7, they would, more likely than not, be eating takeaways at their desks preparing for the long night.

I don’t know how it’s like at other places, but I have a feeling that this is generally true everywhere. Humans are social creatures and we need to talk and interact with others frequently – not only with our colleagues at work but our friends and more importantly, family. I remember once reading a quote that goes something along these lines:

We work hard all our lives to pay for a home that we don’t stay much in, a car mortgage we spend a major share of our paycheck on, and live a life that we don’t get to enjoy much.

Life is about choices. We don’t have to work overtime everyday. If work can wait, then leave it to another day. Go home and spend a little time with your family too.