Last week left in SG

Ok, it's only a week left before I fly off for my summer programme. Mad rush to get my US visa done on time. Paid a hell lot of premiums to get my documents snail mailed to me quickly. Really a hell lot to do for a month of summer programme. Thank god France is so much more convenient or else I would be slamming my head against the wall in frustration now. Haha. Also shopped quite a bit of stuff that I would be needing overseas. First time travelling overseas on my own and yea, really excited about it.

Had badminton day with TMS family on Vesak Day. Omg damn xiong. Just had a 10km run the day before and that 2 hrs of badminton almost killed me. Haha. Really whole body super 酸 the next day. Haha. But really damn fun. Haha. Haven't played badminton in eons too. And yea, I've neglected my friends quite a bit this semester. Coz it was simply too hectic. Haven't had the time to just chill out and have fun with my friends. So this holiday would really be payback. gotta meet up as often as I can with them. Awesome people in my life. Actually I don't mind more badminton. Good whole body workout! =D

Anyway last weekend was really a eventful one. Saturday went for K at Teo Heng Katong with army peeps. Holidays is the only time where I can find time to meet up with the peeps. Really nice to be able to meet up constantly even after NS. Haha. But then again, we would probably see each other every year during re-service. Haha. Anyway had an awesome time. After which we settled for Katong Laksa for tea. Damn sinful. But I've gotta say that the standard of the Laksa is dropping. Something seems to be lacking these days. It's good, not not awesome. Hahaha. Or maybe my taste buds are either becoming more sensitive or they are spoilt. LOL. Yea, after which went to play pool with the guys. Also haven't play pool in eons. Haha. But had a really aweome day out with the guys. Oh and thanks sebas for organising. So sorry that we keep kp-ing you. Haha. But we really appreciate it. Good organiser! =D

Anyway Sunday had my 2nd round of K at Teo Heng, this time with the peeps from 01!

Damn awesome as per normal. Sang till my throat almost gave way. Haha. But it's all well worth it. It's really sing till your throats drop. Haha. Yea after that was dinner! Walked over to Parkway and settled down at New York New York for dinner. Also met up with Dahlia and Natha there.

N realise Dahlia is not in the picture. She's late as per normal! Hahaha. Some things just don't change you see. Hahaha. Love the peeps from 01! =D

Me and yewei got this super duper big meat platter!

Ok this is partially eaten already (but still looks like a full plate! =X). The plate is so big it covered almost the entire table! LOL. Super satisfying, but almost died eating it (or rather almost died from the guilt of eating it!) LOL. Really don't know how long I would have to run to lose all the calories gained! Haha. Anyway after that settled down at macs for dessert! 1-for-1 McFlurry.

But I didn't get that. Bought a Mocha frap from Starbucks. Need my daily dose of caffeine. Damn I'm really seriously addicted to coffee. Haha. =X

Before matriculating, I used to wonder why universities have such looooong holidays. After surviving 2 semesters, now I know why. Coz you really need it - to get a life. To do things that you really want other than studying. The first month long break, I went to do OCIP in Indonesia under Operation Orion. It's really something I really wanted to do since eons ago. And I really felt like I learnt a lot from that month long trip. To see first hand how lucky I am to be blessed with everything possible and not have to worry about anything except getting my academics right. And to be satisfied with what I have. There's no point in complaining about what we don't have. Just treasure what we have and life's gonna be so much nicer.

 This holiday's much longer - 3 months. Now this holiday is dedicated for me to see the world and learn things that Singapore do not offer. My dad always stressed to me that Singapore is not the world. There's so much more to learn outside of this tiny red dot on the map. And it's time I become more independent. In the past, I used to depend a lot on friends to do things - I try to avoid doing things alone. But after entering the university, I've learnt that I need to be independent. To learn to not be afraid to step out of the comfort zone of my friends and family and do things that I truly enjoy and what to do. It's really about seizing all the opportunities that's put forth to me and embrace them. Companionship - it's something I used to be very bothered about in the past. But now, I enjoy just going with the flow - we can always make new friends along the way doing things you like and there's no need to be tied down just because of it. As long as one's open to meeting new people, doing new things and working in new environments, everything will turn out fine. And very often, things would turn out much better than you have ever imagined. So yeps, my France and US summer programmes would be a really good experience for me and meeting new people along the way. Awesome.

Anyway I sort of have my next break plans ready already. Assuming my re-service does not fall then, I would be doing OCIP under Operation Orion again. But now as a committee member! Haha. Really exciting. Thanks so much Jiamei and Gim Hoe for giving me the role. Haha. Now it seems like Operation Orion is becoming like a Chemical Engineering OCIP (although it's not, it's still under NUS Civil Engineering Club), but the 3 of us are all Chem Engineers. Hahaha. Awesomeness. Can't wait to start the planning work for the OCIP. And even if re-service clashes, I would still be able to do most of the planning stuff and everything. So exciting.

Anyway it's the holidays so it doesn't hurt to splurge a little. Haha. My phone plan was up so I upgraded my plan and got myself a new phone! Yay. Haha. I think I inherited my grandpa's love for mobile phones. Coz I really can't live without them. LOL.  Anyway I got myself a Nokia E7!

The Singtel shop staff at Parkway was really blur. He almost gave me this phone free! Haha. Damn. LOL. But yea, I decided to be a nice person lest that amount gets deducted from his pay or he probably would get fired because of me. Oh well, did the right thing and reminded the staff. LOL. Decided to stick with Nokia. I'm a loyal Nokia fan! =D Anyway I'm super satisfied with my purchase, except for the camera. The fixed focus lens are pretty bad for a 8 mega-pixel camera, but other than that, everything's great! Love the qwerty keypad. Now I can type messages and emails super quickly. And it's soooo much better in terms of lag and touch sensitivity as compared to my nokia X6. Yeps. I'm a happy kid. Now I have a new gadget to play with. Damn I'm becoming a tech geek. Hahaha.

*Rambling Start*
Ok I'm back to rambling about how irritating the admin process to U Texas is. The visa is super expensive. Yes super expensive. I could have rewarded myself with so much more instead of spending it there. Yes  it's really really expensive. Thank god NUS help subsidize the tuition fee, airfare and some of the miscellaneous fees, else I would be broke. 不服气 maximum.
*Rambling End*

Anyway I've watching quite a few korean drama whilst bumming at home. Damn awesome. Korean Drama definitely beat Taiwanese drama flat. Taiwanese drama are getting really boring and repetitive. Seems like they've run out of fresh ideas. Yawnzzz. Ok back to completing my last drama serial for the holidays. Somehow my bumming period seems to short this time. Seems like it's ending on 2nd June. Haha. But this should be all for now. A pretty long post for a pretty long break! =D

What's next for Singapore?

MM Lee Kuan Yew and SM Goh Chok Tong stepping down from Cabinet! =O

The Holidays

Sent my parents off for a short holiday. I'm really envious of my parents. They can just travel as and when they feel like. And never every forgetting to leave me at home. LOL. Oh well, they deserve it anyway. They have been working super hard for their entire life and it's really about time they enjoy life. Anyway I have been bugging them to retire already. Anyway my bro's heading out to the workforce this year already, while I have another 2 to 3 years to go (depending if I land a good job =P), so they can retire comfortably already. But I guess there's something about the older generation. They are mostly workaholics and refuse to retire. They have this perception that they will become senile from not working. Haha. But yea, really hope my parents can spend more time enjoying themselves already.

Anyway, it's the holidays for me already, but somehow, it just doesn't quite feel like the holiday. Ok, other than the fact that I'm not studying, everything seems the same. But then again, not studying's a big thing already. Haha. Anyway have been typing so much these couple of days filling in all the paperwork for summer programmes. Now that it's only 3 week before I head off, it's getting quite nerve-wrecking. But at the same time, it's really exciting. I know that everything will be foreign to me once I leave my comfort zone, but somehow, there's a part in me that knows that this will definitely be an awesome experience for me. So I shall be really optimistic and yea, look forward to meeting new people, embracing a new environment and just grow to be more independent. I'm someone who doesn't like to be tied down. I treasure freedom. Doing things as and when I like. But in rigid Singapore, that's pretty hard to come by. As such, as much as I can, I like to free myself from the shackles of life and just embrace anything that comes my way. That's the advantage of being young I guess. Haha.

Anyway, I have been totally lifeless during the semester and it's time I reward myself with things that I want. And so I have been looking up the net for things that I want. I realise that my phone plan's up already! Haha. So fast. Ok now to look for a nice new phone. I have few choices in mind. But somehow, I never really thought about getting an iphone. Somehow, its doesn't really appeal to me. Ok actually I have only 2 choices in mind.

1) Nokia E7

2) Nokia E6

Somehow I'm stuck with Nokia all these years. I think it's my inner-stubborn-ness in action. Now suddenly, I feel like I resemble my Dad quite a bit. Like him, I'm one who will stick with something as long as it haven't given me any problems. As such, I have only used Nokia since Sec 1. (aka since I started using a mobile phone) And all my Nokia phones have been super reliable. I never needed to use the warranty, so that for me, is good. And also, rather than functionality, I'm would rather go for the basics - battery life, ease of messaging and calling and most importantly, shock resistance. Haha. People who know me probably know than I'm pretty careless and rough with my phones. Haha. In fact, I throw them around. So gotta be shock resistant. And Nokia phones are awesome for that. Haha. When it splits apart, just assemble the parts an it works perfectly fine. Haha. Exactly what I need. Anyway Nokia has yet to launch E6, but the specs are really promising, especially since it has super long battery life and a qwerty keypad. Haha. But E7 is definitely more superior in many other aspects. Oh well, I shall read more reviews before I head down to the store to get either of them. Haha.

Oh and I bought a new battery pack for my S90 as well. Much cheaper than I had expected. But yea, the old one's giving me problem already. And it's perfect for the holidays! =D And more stuff. Haha. My parents bought me a shelves mounted on my wall! 

Haha. My parents know me best. I really need the extra storage space in my room. Somehow, when I just moved in, I chose to take the smallest room. But I'm not regretting it one bit. I love my room, coz it's so nice and cosy. My safe haven. But as time passed, I realised that it got really packed, with endless stuff filling all my shelves and cupboards. Yeps, so the new shelves are a good relief for my stuff. Haha. And with the new shelf, my parents and my maid will bug me to tidy up my room for sure. Hahaha. I'm prepared for that though. But I like my organised mess. Haha. 

Yeps, also found the time to do some catch-up on TV and sleep. Haha. Damn awesome. Ok time to find more things to do during my last 3 weeks left in SG. =D

What Starts Here Changes the World.

Looks like this holidays will be getting even more packed than I had initially planned for, now that my summer programme to the University of Texas at Austin's Nuclear Institute has been approved!

It's really a dream come true. I had planned to attend this Nuclear Engineering Summer Programme from the start of my university life. But coz the application was solely faculty chosen, I had to wait. And wait. And wait. And finally, I went for an interview yesterday for the programme. Actually, it isn't really an interview. For me it felt more like a get to know you and your interests session. Had a really good conversation with Prof Christopher Yap and Prof Ashraff. It sounded really daunting at first coz Prof Yap is the Assistant Dean of Engineering while Prof Ashraff is the Vice-Dean of Engineering. But they were really really nice people. And actually, Prof Yap interviewed me for GEP. Yeps, so it was really unexpectedly interesting session. And just yesterday night I received confirmation from NUS and U of T that I would be heading over there in July. Suddenly, the floodgates open and I was flooded with a ton worth of administrative stuff. From registration, CV's, visas, to plane ticket, etc. It's madness. So much so that I forgot to wake up on time today for GEP lunch meeting. LOL. Just giving myself an excuse. But Oh man! So paiseh!. =X

But yea, this holiday will really a hell of an experience for me. Will be flying to France on the 4th of June to attend the 4 weeks Nanotechnology course. Then heading back to SG on the 2nd of July. Then I will be flying off to US on the 5th of July for a full month for the Nuclear Engineering course and will only be back in SG on the 6th of August. And tadah! The school semester starts again on 8th August. Better give myself a good 1 month break before I start flying all over the place. And hope to be able to meet up with most of my friends before the school semester starts again. =P

Like my mum puts it, I'm studying at NUS, but I spend more time overseas than in SG. But my mum, being a mum, would always nag and nag, but at the end of the day, I know that she approves of and encourages me to attend all these overseas programmes. My dad's super supportive. So yeps, hope I'm making the right choice.

And as for the title of this post, it's actually something like the motto or vision of the University of Texas at Austin. I found it in the emails and on the website and found it really meaningful. To me, that's really the sign and confidence of a world class institution. What starts here changes the world. Really makes sense indeed. =D

Mid Exams Break and My First Time Voting

Ok now I finally get some breathing space from the exams during this mid-exam break. Done with 4 papers already and I'm down to the last one. Ok, Particle tech has been a careless nightmare. Hope it doesn't screw me that badly. Math, MLE has been quite good. Hope I've done well enough. Reaction engineering. What can I say? It maintains its notorious reputation of being exceptionally mind-boggling. Think I did decently for such a hell of a paper. It's really like what a fellow chem engineers put it, "a knife pointing at your intelligence", and "pure humiliation of your intelligence". Sometimes, it really makes me wonder if I even learnt anything during the semester. Oh well. But since everyone felt pretty much disgusted by the paper, I think it should be decent. Ok felt really shiok ending the paper yesterday night. No I'm not a sadist. I don't get the sense of exhilaration from such crappy paper, and no, my exams are not over yet. But this great sense of relief from the intense study period the few weeks before. Now at least I have some extra time to read up some issues that I am really concerned with, settle some (more) summer programme stuff as well as just giving myself some time to relax.

Reading the Straits Times Forum have been really sad. It only serves to reinforce my belief that the ST is utterly biased. No, it's not only that. It's disgustingly biased. In the past, even with the notion and belief that the ST is biased, I still manage to convince myself that there's some truth the the reported news and forum entries. But reading today's edition, it is simply disappointing. The comments were as good as not even articulating anything. And just look at the coverage of the PAP against the opposition. The disparity in the comments, the length of the articles were openly biased. Ok I should not generalise, but an average citizen like me is not concerned with what the PAP promise. After all, I've seen enough empty promises from the ruling party. MP's that know people concern? How is that possible if I never even seen and talked to my MP in the last 15 years? And the supposedly meet-the-people's session that apparently ended up becoming a meet-the-secretary session. I really can't take it that tax payers money (and a lot of it) is going to these people. But I shall not completely discredit my MP of 15 years. Indeed, he has done a decent  job in cleaning up the estate (socially, not literally) and making it nicer, though infrastructure-wise, almost nothing has been done. It doesn't mean that a private estate don't need these upgrading plans and that we are free of concerns. It's is just that we have different issues of concern, of which, I'm sure that my MP doesn't know a thing about. This is reflected very well in the greatly reduced support of the current MP over the years. From >80% when he took his first term, to barely 60% the last election. The great slip in votes.. a sign of incapability and lost of trust? Perhaps.

And then came this election. Now, the new PAP candidate is a political veteran. Veteran? How can you consider yourself  veteran when you've always been hiding behind the light of an anchoring minister in a GRC? And worst of all, you live in the other end of Singapore for almost your entire life. What do you know about this constituency. The election is just in a week's time and I don't even know who you are or what you look like. To be honest, I've seen the WP's candidate more times and held longer conversations with them in the last week than I have with the PAP in the last 22 years of my life. I really cannot accept an MP that doesn't even live in this SMC.

Ok, then let me bring up an issue that the PAP has been slamming the opposition since independence. Qualifications. Today, when I look at the WP's candidates qualifications, I was surprisingly impressed. All are high qualified professionals, mostly from the private sector. And take a look a the PAP candidate. An average public servant. What a let down. Now the PAP puts it that qualifications are not the only key to Singapore's political success. Can you sense the irony? In the past, the PAP put down the opposition because of their qualifications. But today, when they realise that their candidates' qualifications are not as good as their counterparts, they twist their argument. Such dictatorship on criteria and arguments. This just doesn't make sense.

Show this picture to any foreign media and I'm sure the first thing they would relate it to is to that of the mass uprising of the people in Egypt as well as many other countries in the Arab world. Lets just make a visual comparison with a picture I posted not long ago about the Egypt mass protests.

Notice the great similarity? Looking at pictures of the WP rally in Hougang. And the NSP's rally in Marine Parade. One word sums it up. Impressive. On the other hand, reading about and watching PAP's rallies, it's hard to believe that this is the standard of a ruling party of 52 years. This is in stark contrast to not only the opposition, but also with Minister Mentor's Lee Kuan Yew's rally speeches. Even at this year's GE, LKY's walkover speech was short, but undoubtedly impactful. That is the characteristics of a real political veteran. No matter how some Singaporeans and the International Community criticize LKY for being ruthless and domineering. I respect the gentleman. He gave Singaporeans doses of bitter medicine that's essential for development. He had great vision. He introduced policies that are unpopular but now, I'm sure many of us are enjoying the fruits of his labour. But being so domineering and ruthless is not something that anyone can do. Especially many of the ministers of the PAP today. One would require true capability to deliver. Singaporeans are understanding people. We can forgive our leaders and organisations for mistakes they make, but that's only if they've done enough to make up for it. Take the example of Temasek Holdings. Indeed, they lost quite a bit of taxpayers money. But ever wondered why Singaporeans are not that anal and harp on this issue to eternity? It's because we know of how much wealth they've helped generated over the years. But let us take a contrasting issue. The Mas Selamat case. First thing's first, a radical terrorist escaping from a Singaporean Prison? Unforgivable. Did the Home Affairs Minister take responsible for it? According to ST and Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng himself, yes. And now the question is, how? How did he account for it? Some possibility that I can think of based on examples in other developed countries are: sincerely apologise to the people and take a huge pay cut, or sincerely apologise to the people and resign. Let me explain my rationale. For a sincere apology, it's a must. After all, the people trusted your capabilities and empowered you to manage the home affair issues. Has he done that? In my opinion, no. I don't feel the sincerity at all. Next, the pay cut. The people paid for your salaries, and since you have not done your job properly, shouldn't you draw a lower income? The government emphasized that they try to work as efficiently or more efficiently than the private sector. So let us draw some comparisons. In the private sector, if one does not perform, their performance bonus as well as year end bonus would be removed. So shouldn't that apply to ministers as well? Also, even within the public sector, teachers have their bonuses revoked too, if they fail to perform up to standard. So what is with the exception of ministers? In fact, Mr Wong Kan Seng got a promotion to Deputy Prime Minister and a pay rise instead! Justifiable? Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous.

Next the issue on public housing. The current cost of public housing is really worrying me. about $300000 for a 3 room HDB? According to our National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan, this is considered affordable. He explained that a couple can afford this even with zero savings and that this would only take up 25% of their monthly income. Let me do an analysis. First, zero savings and yet you can afford a HDB flat. Sound really enticing and too god to be true right? True enough. Theoretically one can do that. But ever wondered what the repercussions are. Like the local radio station aptly puts it, Singaporeans only "hear the good things". Did anyone warn Singaporeans that the housing loan would be extended from 20 years to 20 years?! Oh my. 30 years. Let's say if I get married at 30, I would have to pay till I'm 60! And probably, I would never be able to afford a car and anything else luxury. As for the WP's policy to peg new home prices to the incomes of new homeowners, I don't see why it's "like raiding the reserves" as Mr Mah puts it. Anyway, with him saying that, it makes me wonder where all the reserves come from. And how a country can have a budget surplus almost every year. Giving the surpluses back to the people is a sin? Ouch. I really feel for the tax-payers. Also, Mr Mah also say that the WP's policy would deflate home prices and that "the government" (I don't get the constant interchangeable use of PAP and the government. Synonymous? I hope not) is trying to propose housing as not only a shelter over our heads, but also an asset. But how can that be an asset if the HDB flats that people desperately try to pay for, would return to the government after 99 years? So the effective value of the flat as an asset to Singaporeans = 99 - 30 (loan repayment) = 69 years? That's not even longer that an average lifespan of a Singaporean! Also, 25% of income is true. But ever wondered how many % of income an average citizen needs to put aside to support the family's daily expenses? Simply ask your parents and the answer is clear. 25% is quite a huge percentage for an average family. Probably the ministers don't know as well, coz most of them are very well to do (duh. Just look at their incomes), and national statistics figures don't really give a clear representation of population economic trends and spread, mainly due to the large inequality gap between the rich and the poor here. For example, the GDP per capita here is about $3000/month. Sounds good? But statistics fail to show that actually, if we take a sample of the population, the poor may only be earning $1000/month, while the rich are earning $5000 or more.

Sometimes, the things the ministers say really make me wonder if Singaporeans are choosing the right leaders. Many policies require much more scrutiny from not only the MP's, but also the people. But then again, MP's are supposed to represent the people of their constituency. Then why is it that there are still so many disgruntled Singaporeans? Bitter medicine as the PAP puts it? Not by a long shot. Trying to use the same reason that Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew used just after independence, but minus the capability?

But at the end of the day, I respect what the PAP has done for Singapore since independence. It's amazing that they (I will use PAP and government here synonymously here because, indeed, they have been the government) developed Singapore to the vibrant and cosmopolitan city-state that she is today. To be honest, I am immensely proud to be a Singaporean. Whenever I go abroad, I never fail to feel ever so proud to tell others that I'm a Singaporean and introduce others to Singapore. In general, the Singaporean leaders are doing a good job. But is "good" good enough? If we never try to take a leap of faith and test the opposition, we would never know what we could potentially be missing out on. Like when PAP was still the opposition party to the Barisan Nasional just after Singapore's independence. People chose to gave PAP a chance, and it turned out to be a pretty wise choice. So if people back then didn't take a leap of faith and give a new and inexperienced political party a chance, what would we be missing out on today?

Exams Season

Tmr's the start of the exams season. I'm all prep-ed up and ready to go! 13 days to the end of my exams! Can't wait! =D Jiayou everyone!

University Rankings

I haven't been too concerned with university rankings coz it doesn't really concern me. I just want a good job when I graduate. But whenever they put out such rankings, it doesn't hurt to take a peek. QS released their technical university rankings today and to my surprise, NUS came up among the best in the world in Engineering fields! And of course, one list that is of particular interest to me is the one for Chemical Engineering...

10th for chemical engineering! Amazing indeed. Haha. Now for once, it feels good to be in NUS Engineering. =D

Anyway taking a break from work. Exams are around the corner and I'm just starting to revise my work. All my cores this semester are killing me. Overkill of content/projects/tutorials. Gotta mug really hard.

Recently, I've been thinking of what else I can do to make my university life more fruitful. Or rather, what else do I want to do during my university days. And a few things came up on my list.
1) Overseas CIP + Volunteering Work - Operation Orion! (but I would love to do more! =D )
2) Student Exchange - TU Delft!
3) Summer Programme - Grenoble INP! (given a chance, I would do more too! Maybe to Asia/US? =D )
4) Learn another language - Bahasa Indonesia (and more to come! =D )
5) Industrial Attachment/Vacation Internship
6) Undergraduate Research

All the cancelled stuff are things that I've done or going to do soon. 2 more left standing on my list. Somehow it seems like 3 years is a really really short time. So many things I want to do in such a short time. But I'm really glad that just 1 semester into my university life and I've done/settled quite a number of things that I aim for. Yeps, just feeling really fortunate to be able to do so many things in my university life. But yeps, give and take. When you gain some, you will definitely lose some. My grades took a beating least semester. And I don't have much of a social life (meaning a sports CCA or something for fun). But that's life isn't it. No one can have everything. But it's part of growing up I guess. I believe that all the things you lose will become things that you will really treasure in the days ahead. So hope my belief is right! =D

So that's about it for now. Back to the books. =(