1. The first thing you’ll notice is the “friendliness” of people everywhere. Everyone seems to greet you with a “How’s your day?” or “How are you doing?”, a stark contrast to the stoic stare you get elsewhere in the world. Friendly? Or so it seems until you figure out that it’s a nicer way of saying “Hi”. After a while, it just strikes you how many times these phrases are delivered in a deadpan fashion. Still, a great conversation starter nonetheless.

2. The second is the tipping culture. Good service gets rewarded and that really incentivise the service staff here. I guess that’s why they are really friendly too. Nothing too groundbreaking although other places around the world can really learn a thing or two from the service standards here. Of course, money shouldn’t be the main motivation but what’s a little harm in that if service levels can actually improve!

3. Strikingly, people here are really civic-minded and gracious. These are qualities that are unfortunately lacking in many other parts of the world. Holding the door open, giving up seats for the needy, clearing tables after meals – these are sights you see here everyday on a regular basis. But what really make my days are drivers who give pedestrians the right of way, even when the light is red. Simply top-notch.

4. Bad news: For chilli lovers out there, chilli sauce is regrettably not provided at eateries here. Good news: They are still available at supermarkets. So if you’re the type who needs chilli to go with your food, please bring your own bottle around (I’m serious; there are people who do that.). Also note that when the menu states spicy or hot, it really means sweet and mildly flavored. Think barbeque sauce hot; not Tabasco sauce hot – although that’s not even hot to begin with, but you get the idea.

5. On my commutes here, one thing I’ve come to notice is that people here seem to be always alert and well-rested. In my observations, nobody here ever looks tired. Rarely did I come across anyone catching some shut-eye on my commutes, which, I must state, are sometimes over an hour long. I understand if these people are reading or talking to someone but often, they are just in a world of their own. Sometimes, you can’t help but wonder about their thoughts.

Probably a conversation starter like “How’s your day?” would help, but then again, don’t count on it!

The trip took me over to the West Coast where I toured mainly in San Francisco and LA. It wasn’t easy travelling solo in a country that I’m relatively new to but I got by. In San Francisco, beautiful sights on the Golden Gate, compelling tour of Alcatraz, great views from Twin Peaks, and a relaxing stroll through UC Berkeley (thanks to LZ). In LA, fantastic tours of Hollywood, fantastic day-out at Universal Studios, and the rare opportunity to participate in the Tonight Show taping as well as being part of the boisterous crowd at a Lakers game.

Overall, I love each city for its character – the quaintness of San Francisco bay area provided a stark contrast to the grit of the downtown LA neighbourhood. Each has its share of crazies too – crackheads on the streets of San Francisco and lunatics in the subway of LA were not uncommon. I can attest to that. But through this travelling experience, it really opened up my eyes up to the world beyond safe, old Singapore. And in another 5 weeks, the sunshine of Florida and glamour of New York await.

A friend of mine once said that to succeed, begin with an end in mind. To a certain extent, this has become part of my life mantra too. Personally, I don’t like uncertainty. I like to see an end-goal; the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. To some people, this is some form of measurable success. To me, it’s the literal end.

Honestly, it’s hard to keep myself driven if I don’t see an end to what I’m doing. Some say it’s easy to lose sight what’s in front of you when you only look forward to what’s at the end of the road. I offer a different viewpoint: when there’s no end in plain sight, you simply lose interest in what’s ahead.

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!