And it's a busy Christmas indeed...

Ahh... yes. December. Looking back, I'm going to miss 2010. Yes. It's been a wonderful year. Haven't had this kind of year for quite awhile now. I'm satisfied with it.

December, on the other hand, is quite disappointing. Instead of my usual holidays before the Christmas and New Year period, I find myself starting a new term, and realising that my submission dates for my projects and assignments fall just after New Year's Day! Imagine having to celebrate in the festive cheer with the dreadful thought of completing assignments in the back of your head.

What a nice way to end 2010. Well, I guess I shouldn't be complaining too much as the year's been pretty good to me. I should be contented, huh?

In the meantime, while everyone's out there sucking in the Christmas mood, I'll be right here feverishly churning out essays of more than a thousand words.

Merry Christmas to me...

Memory overload...

And yet again I say... the exams are coming. How nice of November to begin with my study week. It's been a gruelling 3 days so far, and now and then I am left wondering, "How in the world am I going to remember a whole load of information?"

It's like trying to stuff a huge turkey into a small oven, you know? Remember that famous fact about us humans only using what, 10% of our brains? Well, I feel like I've no more space left in mine to take in anything more.

It makes things worse when I reminisce watching that man on television who won the Guinness Book of World Records for memorizing like a hundred things and recalling them one by one. What is wrong with these people, I remember thinking...

Alright. You're probably thinking, "What is wrong with you?" Well, I guess I'm no Guinness World champion; I'd love to have that kind of memory, though. Imagine recalling effortlessly all the stuff you've revised for the exam. Word for word. Now that's an 'A' student...

Well, I guess I'll just leave you to it. Time to hit the books again...

No Christmas holidays?

10th month of 2010. Just 2 more months and it's the end of the year. We're now in the last quarter of diminishing 2010...

I overheard a woman saying, "Yay, Christmas is coming!" when I was out just now. I smiled slightly to myself. I have a feeling Christmas this year's going to be slightly different from previous years. Usually I'll have holidays at the end of the year, but this time I don't think there are any holidays whatsoever.

School just goes on, I guess. It's incredible in a sense. But since mine doesn't follow typical school schedules, I believe it's lessons as usual. I'll be crossing my fingers, though...

Well, my current term's going to end in a few week's time and then it'll be the exams. But let's not talk about it for now. I'm just glad I've finished most of my assignments and I wonder what the new month will bring.

I hope we'll all enjoy the remaining 3 months of 2010. Ciao!

High tide!

Okay! September! This is going real fast. I just began my new term of study a little more than a week ago. The class has some additions this time - we've become even more international. The subjects are deeper, and the workload heavier...

We've got many nationalities this term: China, Indonesia, Vietnam - even from as far as South Korea and Kazakstan! It's cool having a cosmopolitan environment to work in. I get to learn loads of stuff about the different countries.

The modules this term delve deeper into their depths. I'm even taking a social psychology subject which, simply put, breaks things down even further. Our lecturer for that subject makes lessons interesting, for one thing. But there really is a lot of reading to do - for all the modules, in fact.

Assignments are really more substantial this time around. I don't even have to mention having to include references and appendixes for our written reports. And then there's no escaping the presentations. I even found out that the exam format has changed! No more multiple-choice questions (MCQs); this time they're all essay questions!

Well, the tides have changed, indeed. And what do we do when that happens? We go with the flow, of course.

I'll see where the currents take me. See you on the other side!

An August break...

August. Real quick. My exams are done. The holidays have already begun. Just one month of R & R before school begins again...

I actually found a temporary job to keep myself occupied - and to earn some cash, of course. Not the kind of job I would want to have as a career, that's for sure. I'm already considering resigning from it.

Well, with what's left of the holidays, I guess it's only fair that I use the remaining time for leisure. I mean, that's the main purpose of holidays, right?

So it's goodbye from here; enjoy yourself!

Studying my life away...

July has begun. We're now into the second half of the year. And I'll be facing my exams once again...

It's the end of Term 2 and boy, did everything happen so quickly. I've been into my course for about 2 months plus now, and though I love what I'm doing, the fact remains that exams are not something I love doing very much. But what the heck, I've still got to go through them...

So it's the study week for me. I can still remember the last study week so vividly. It was just 7 weeks ago. Kind of dreadful, I must say, but I guess it's how you plan your time.

I usually study in small chunks - because I hate dragging it for long periods. The average mind also absorbs better in short time spans. So I only revise one chapter at a time. I like to look forward to something after every revision - a chocolate bar, surfing the web, that kind of thing...

Well, I've got to hit the books soon. Till next time!

Waiting in progress...

Okay, so I'm way into my second term and I just got back my examination results for last term. They were good, I'm glad to say. Shows that I'm making progress...

I have an upcoming test this week so the weekend has been peppered with textbook-flipping and note-taking. To make things worse, it's an Economics test. Not the kind of subject I usually like to study, sad to say.

I feel I'm currently in a growth cycle. The energies are somewhat in a growth stage - like a plant in its germination stage. The results of the fruition will come later. So in the meantime I just have to wait...

I'll sign off here, then. Enjoy this Summer of 2010!

Hey there, June baby!

It's a new month yet again! We've touched the middle of the year already. June is all about Summer and it's fun in the sun for everyone!

I've just completed my first term of studies. The exams were held last week and we began Term 2 just yesterday. Things have been going smoothly, I'm glad to say, and I look forward to even more good things to come.

The school holidays have also started, and the kids must be having fun. This is the time families plan to go on vacation. So flights must be fully booked and tour agencies should be in chaos, not to mention making lots of money as well.

Speaking of making money, I had to take Marketing in my first term of studies. And I must say it has opened a whole new viewpoint for me. Now I know how businesses make their money come rollin' in, and why they do what they do.

This term I'm taking Economics as one of my subjects, and the first impression I got from it was that it was a thrifty subject - and I was right! Dictionary.com defined an "economist" as a thifty and frugal person. And where do you think the word "economical" comes from?

Well, I wonder what else I'll find out about this and other subjects I'm taking. June looks set to be an interesting month ahead. I'll wish you an exciting Summer!

Welcome back to student life, Oliver...

It's been great so far... One moment life's like this, the next moment life's like that. It's funny how we wear so many hats sometimes...

Life as a student has been a welcome change for me. The thought of going back to school on Mondays beats going back to camp. I've met really nice friends, too. And the lecturers are very kind people.

Even though there are times when stress starts to put pressure on me - and inevitably so, of course - I constantly remind myself it is nothing compared to the kind of stress in the army, and how fortunate I am to be back in school...

So as with every other endeavour in life, I guess you make the best of it. I'll be looking over the horizon in the meantime, anticipating the events that are to come...

The close of an old chapter, the birth of a new one...

There. After all's been said and done, it is confirmed. An old chapter has ended, and a new one already begun...

I am officially a free man now. I have just completed my 2 years of National Service (NS), and have now adapted to civilian life - or more accurately, student life. Yes, I am already studying, and it's great to be back in school...

The memories of my service in the army will no doubt be remembered. I cherish the times I shared with great friends and colleagues. It was in those defining moments that really brought the strongest and most endearing feelings of my National Service...

I've experienced the ups and downs, the highs and lows, the satisfaction and pain which frequently peppered my duration in camp. I must admit, the whole experience was bittersweet, but more bitter than sweet, actually. Rare are the times you get to feel true happiness when you're in the army...

But even after all the sadness and longing for freedom, you do get to feel a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment after serving for 2 years straight. We really do deserve our freedom. And I think that's the best reward above all...

Keep marching on this March...

It's March already! Fantastic! February has flashed past and draggy March has come. But I'm not complaining; next month's April - the end of my National Service!

March seems to have a lot of things going on. In nation-wide terms, that is. This weekend there is the annual career and education fair, and next weekend the famous - and much anticipated - IT fair. So lots of people will be flocking to town, I guess.

On the personal front, life has been going smoothly, thank God for that. I've always believed we live through cycles. So sometimes things might be sweet, and then suddenly problems start appearing for awhile, and then life becomes smooth again. The ups and downs, ebb and flow... all part of life.

So whether or not we're riding one of life's huge waves or being engulfed by it, things are always changing. Life is always in a state of flux. So don't be discouraged, and definitely don't be complacent...

Tiger, tiger, burning bright!

Happy New Year again! This time it's the lunar new year - the year of the Tiger. So bye bye Ox, and hellooo Tiger!

It's interesting to see how the year pans out. Tiger years have been known to be aggressive and turbulent. If I'm not mistaken, the last Tiger year - 1998 - was when the Asian economic crisis struck. But for me personally, I remember that year to be a good one. So I don't know what to expect, honestly...

Tiger years are usually frowned upon in Chinese tradition. It's been said that females born in the year of the Tiger are generally hot-headed and dominating. Males are advised not to marry a Tiger-born female as it'll be the wife who will be wearing the pants, so to speak.

Well, as with any other year, I guess we'll just have to go through it and see how it goes. I wish you a prosperous year ahead (the Chinese just love that word), with tons of good luck!

Happy Belated New Year!

Amazing. It's been more than a month since I last wrote. Two factors. One: I didn't have the time. And two: my computer was down. Again.

We're well into the new year already. I can't believe I didn't even write an entry for Christmas or the new year. It's like, suddenly someone pressed the pause button, and now he pressed "play" again.

2010. It was scary how 2009 ended. I remember saying I wanted 2009 to end fast. But just two weeks to the new year I found myself thinking, "Whoa, I think we're going a little too fast. Slow down, man!"

And there you have it. 2010. Just like that. I started off the year going back to camp for a 1-week stay-in. I wasn't supposed to, of course. There was an untimely cock-up with the duty roster. I was caught between feeling furious and wondering, "How could I be so unlucky? Of all people - me! Going back for duty on New Year's Day!"

Thank God it's over. It's great to be in 2010, actually. Because it means that I'll finish my National Service in slightly more than 3 months. Looking forward to that, of course.

Well, I guess I'll just have to keep moving. I pray that 2010 would be a good year for you and me.

Happy Belated New Year...