Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Exams within the week, and uncertainty is starting to set in. According to my lectures, this is not a good thing. Everybody hates uncertainty. Exams were no different back home, with uncertainty in the air, but it was of a different kind. It was more like who knew more than the other. Because there was so much to study, so much to cover, people started spotting topics, and gave up learning for doing TYS (ten-year series). Those who were considered the most prepared were those who had completed the entire TYS. Proud to say I managed to do so for A math, and that gave me an A1. After all, practice makes perfect. It has proven to be the most effective form of study thus far, and if you didn't complete the TYS back home, you sure had more uncertainty to bear on your shoulders.
Here the tables have turned. Practice papers have become such a scarce resource, that supply is practically inelastic. Pardon my economics jargon, but studying accounting and economics for 2 weeks, really gets you in the mood. Uncertainty fills the air here, but not because you haven't completed the TYS, which really is just a hand full of past semester papers, a far cry from ten years worth of exam papers in Singapore. Everybody know everything, and now those who excel are not those who complete the most questions, but those whose minds conjure the most questions, relevant of course.
Which reminds me of my dreadful experience at a pit stop tutorial the other day. Having done 3 semesters of accounting papers, I was bound to have questions. So I woke up at 8 on a cold autumn morning to drag myself down to the seminar room to see the tutor. A little background info, pit stops are from 9-5, and there are tutors there to answer any questions. They are optional. So there I was sitting in the room and just ahead of me was a girl, asking questions from the past semester paper. The questions she asked!!!! It was like she had been sleeping the entire semester. So that girl, who should have studied more, wasted a good one and half hours of my time waiting. I could have left and come back again you say, and yes I could have, had not a long line of students developed behind me into my first hour waiting. BUT WAIT, that's not all!! When I had finally asked my questions, which seemed so ridiculous and stupid after an hour and a half of waiting, guess who is next in line behind me, but the girl who was the first. No need to say I would have ranted on about her lack of knowledge on her nationality, and maybe gender, but apparently those have become sensitive issues in today's world. So much for freedom of speech.
Dan
9:44 pm
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Genuine love is pretty hard to show. I'm sure most of us will agree on that, and though we endeavor to express this form of love to all, especially as Christians, being judgemental and condescending is part and parcel of our human nature. Both of which Christians are warned to be careful of. Sad to say genuine love is something I lack, and struggle with, which I'm sure many of us do as well. Even if it just involves passing a casual remark, or a fleeting thought that crosses our minds.
Gossip, slander, truth, the world has shaded it all.
Parents fear the teenage years of a child because of the influences that are out in the world, and the curiosity that harbours in the hearts of youths. But I feel that the greatest fear parents should have is when their child enters university, or tertiary education for that matter. A place where ideas flow like the falls of Niagara, and young adults feel the taste of power from unions. Was it a man who started a revolution or an idea? Was it the beggar on the street who decided one day to play God, or the PhD graduate from genetics?
Melbourne University has a banner hanging over one of its many arches which says " The Evolution begins here."And has a motto of "Dream Large." How true an evolution begins, and it all starts with a dream.
Socrates: A great philosopher? or really just a great dreamer.
Edison: In a lab at the pinnacle of his brilliance or under a tree?
Dan
5:48 pm
Monday, May 28, 2007
My team was in the soccer semifinals today, which was surprising because it seemed like we lost a lot of our matches. Anyhow I didn't play because I had the flu, but we lost 6-1. I realised that much of a person can be said from sports. The winning team were passing taunting comments during the match, as we continued down our path to demise, while on our side, tempers flared, and tantrums thrown. Speaks a lot about our maturity as university students, and even more as guys.
Library was packed today, and getting a table was like looking for a parking lot in orchard road on a Saturday night. Most of the students who were there weren't 1st years, which got me wondering where all the first years had gone? Did they think SWAT VAC (study week), was a holiday? Or is there some secret lecture, or secret studying hideout I'm not aware of. Where have all the first years gone? I think I'm developing a terrible illness. If it's not pressure that people around are studying too hard, it's worry that people around are not studying hard enough. Why do I care? Maybe it's after I saw the cohorts results and realised that there was a student who got a perfect score for econs.
Speaking of which, the cohort scores came out a few days ago, and as I skimmed through, my eyes could not help but just notice all the scores higher than me, and it felt like a lot. Stupid Singapore mentality to always have to be on top.
Dan
3:33 pm
Saturday, May 26, 2007
I've been spending the last few days in the library, and probably be spending the coming days at the library as well. It's become like my second home, and contrary to popular believe, first years are very hardworking, and I'm not speaking about myself, but about those around me. I see econs students, accounting students...all first years, all cramming for exams which are coming soon. So whoever it was who told me to slack off for first year...tsk tsk.
Walking around the library today I noticed everyone studying, and maybe it's not new to you, but it is to me, each one had a different studying habit. Some had the laptop in front of them (not using it to type or to read anything, just in front of them), some had their ipods and books, some had notes upon notes, and some were sleeping. And then I realised that university isn't about studying with the smartest there is. It's about studying with those who know how.
I guess it wasn't so intimidating in secondary school, where you see jokers who fail consistently, with no studying habit what so ever to salvage them from their impending doom. Here you still see jokers, but their jokes are at a whole new level, and they actually know what they are talking about, and they joke with you now, but just wait and see who'll have the last laugh come end of semester.
Whoever said that Australians were bloody slackers clearly never went to an Australian university.
Dan
5:05 pm
Friday, May 25, 2007
During one of my recent QM lectures, my lecturer was giving out a prize for the best group project. So he got a representative, who was a student, to read out what the prize was. Here's how it went:
Lecturer: Ok, here's how we will choose the winner. Pick one of these envelopes and that group will be the winner.
*student picks an envelop, and opens it*
Student: And the winner is...time...series...programme....what??
Lecturer: Ok, that's fine, why don't you read the prize out to them?
Student: Ok, lets see what's in the bag...umm...a phone directory?
Lecturer: A free textbook
Student: Orange..water..snakes..
Lecturer: Ok..thanks...
Ok, it's funnier if you were there...but who cares.
Dan
11:52 pm
Thursday, May 24, 2007
It is in man's human nature to never be satisfied. Leaves you to wonder what the grade "satisfactory" really means. It's down the last week before exams, and I've finally learnt how to write up a journal account that actually balances, draw up the ledgers, and produce a trial balance. Sounds impressive, you would want to applaud me for my achievement, considering how terrible my lecturer was at the start, I had to figure pretty much all of that out on my own. So what does that statement implicitly mean? My friends who have had better lecturers and a better start, are on to financial statement analysis, corporate governance, NPV, CVP...and I realised I can't write a proper financial statement without error (Lene, good luck with accting). So in a desperate attempt to be on par, I've been practising all day, and the days to come. And once I reach that stage, I bet I'll realise there's more!!! Suffice to say that the same probably goes for the rest of my subjects.
It is in man's human nature to never be satisfied. I pray for good marks, I pray for strength to endure the long nights. I have the good marks, I have the strength to endure the long nights. Am I satisfied? I try not to think about it. I try not to think about what I do not have. My friend tells me honours are based on percentile rather than good marks, which now makes sense, because if you get a distinction, but everyone else gets a high distinction...And then there's the other extreme.
Satisfaction. So simple yet to complex. So before you start to rave about how satisfied you are, think again. Are you really?
Dan
10:03 pm
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
I learnt three things in the library today.
- How to do budgeting.
- That a subsidy can raise the price suppliers receive without lowering the price consumers pay.
- I am human.
At 9pm, I realised that any study done afer that would not have gone into my head. After almost 20hours of study in two days, it's time to take a break.
Dan
9:43 pm
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
I've been spending most of my time in the library lately, trying catch up with the semesters work, but one thing has been really bugging me. No it's not the irritating voices that destroy the quiet, studious atmosphere in the library, though it's still irritating. It's the fact that I cannot get a good table. So last night I was brainstorming...How do I ensure myself a good table to study so that I minimise the noise that affects me, and maximise my productivity. So here's my list.
Place my books on the table.
Place my jacket on the chair. (But people like to steal the chairs.)
Get a friend to reserve the table for me.
OK, these are very practical solutions, and everybody does them at some point in time. But the problem with all these solutions is that either my friend or I have to wake up at a torturous 9am. And yes, I know you in Singapore who have school at 6 or 7, are going !!! but remember other factors such as the Melbourne winter...and the Melbourne winter. I could write a regression equation for you, and test the sensitivity of the model, but I'm too lazy. So I was wrecking my brain and thinking, how can I guarantee a table, without having to wake up at 9? And then like an apple falling on Thomas Edison's head, I got my answer.
Place "OUT OF ORDER" on the table. Of course coupled with the infamous "SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE CAUSED."
I'm a genius.
Dan
8:41 pm
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Life is full of contrast that is far beyond our control. That was one of the lessons from Ecclesiastes yesterday at OCF. I reckon on some level we all already knew that fact, but we never really took our time to process it. That as an individual, our life will have its up and downs, and as a community, people will be at different points in their lives, a disparity between opinions is bound to occur, and surprisingly it would be most evident in the highly educated. I guess the more you know the more you have to say. Or is it?
I was watching a programme on television, A Current Affair, I guess many of you know what it is about, basically the show is like a documentary about issues that happen around Australia. It's not as formal as news, yet not as casual as David Letterman shows. One of the issues that was being discussed was where the line should be drawn for children when it came to fun. One opinion was that children should not be exposed to violence (i.e. toy guns), or dangerous activities(i.e. shaving cream off a balloon with a shaver blade) because they are children, even though it may be fun. No surprise that that came from the professionals who graduated with degrees in the relevant areas. And I need not elaborate on the other extreme, and who that came from since it's quite obvious.
So what do these pros' think children should play with? Read books, building blocks, toy trucks and cars. And when these children grow up do you not think they'll be shocked at the violence around them? Won't they wonder why this man is killing another? What will you say then? It is bad? Then comes the infamous children question "why?" How will you explain the concept of terrorism? How will you explain the concept of peace? When you grew up, did anybody teach you how to pour water into a cup? No, as you observed when you were young, you learned, and one day you did, and your parents hailed you a genius for pouring water. Psychologists have a theory for that, don't ask me, but it happens. You shield children now, but when you grew up, no doubt you had some of these "bad influences" exposed to you too, and you turned out as you are. How do you think you would be if you weren't exposed to these influences?
So back to the "safe" children. What if one day they threw the book like a frisbee at a fellow child? Or they hurled a building block through a window like a grenade? Or they ran toy trucks into the toy people like car bombs? You admit you cannot protect fully, nor can you protect them forever, but don't you think it'd be more important to protect how they perceive such issues, than to protect them from how you think they will perceive such issues? So when all's said and done, are you really protecting them or are you just protecting yourself from a future terrorist?
Dan
10:47 am
Thursday, May 17, 2007
The stupid things I do in Uni
Whenever I have to shade OMS sheets for lecturer/tutor evaluation, I always get the strongly agree and strongly disagree boxes mixed up.
Whenever I go to the Thai noodle shop to order noodles, and I'm asked whether I want rice or egg noodle, I don't know what its name is, but I know I want tot yellow one.
I always forget to collect my newspapers, and when I do, I don't read them.
I always cannot understand my management tutor's accent.
Today I thought Bendigo was a colour. I was thinking of Indigo.
Whenever I take notes during lectures I like to support my table from the bottom, always forgetting that there will be gum.
Whenever I take the lift at the commerce building, I forget the "close" button doesn't work, so I press it all the time.
When I took the commerce building lift for the first time, I didn't know some of the buttons won't light up when pressed, like level 3 (the library), so I pressed and held my finger there so the light will stay on.
Those are just to name a few. Maybe its first year, maybe its university, maybe its me. But there is always logic behind it all...except for a few.
Dan
2:28 pm
Education. Who are its customers? What are its products? That was a topic that was thrashed out during one of my tutorials, and the answers were quite interesting. First thought would be that we (students) are the customers, and the product is the degree we get. But do we (students) pay for our education to qualify as customers? So it has to be our parents then. They pay for our fees. But do they enjoy the benefits of the degree?
It was suggested that probably the businesses with a stake in the university were its customers because they would enjoy the benefits the graduates had to offer after they graduate, by way of generating revenue for the business, hopefully. It sounds like a logical argument, and a new perspective. Probably also explains why parents like to leave their child's education to the school.
Today I received an e-mail from my econs lecturer apologising, that's right, apologising because my assignment was not marked and returned to me on time. I don't know if you have had lots of experience in this, but it was new to me. I mean, I've had teachers apologise for being late for class, for making errors in the question paper, for recording marks wrongly. But to apologise not being able to mark in time? I'm sure that it is something most teachers, if not all, struggle with after the exam period, and more often than not you would hear things like, " There are thousand of you and only one of me." or "I only have three days to mark the cohorts papers", or my favorite, "The marking is taking awhile because I want to make sure the marking is fair."
If you're late, you're late. And here, the lecturers and tutors recognise that. They don't give an excuse why they're late, because they know that we (students) don't care. Is it my concern that there are a thousand papers to mark? You should have thought about that when you signed up for the job. So whats so special about this apology? It was so professionally written up, yet so simple, that it felt like something you would get from a customer service centre like a Singtel service centre. The level of professionalism is something that the Singapore teaching sphere can only have on their ethos, and never achieve.
Dan
12:15 am
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Exams are coming, and I hear people are stressing out. Writing up reports, catching up on lectures they lagged behind, or some are rushing to complete their assignments. Of course the economist within me will start to highlight the externalities of these horrid products. Sleepless nights, lack of concentration, stress. Funny thing though, is that I don't seem to feel it. In fact, I seem to have lost it. I sit here in front of my computer knowing that its not productive, but yet I seem to know that somehow things will work out. I seem to have chance upon a balance that is oddly unsettling. You say, why not throw yourself into the abyss of stress that you knew so well for the last 10years of Singapore education. I wish I could use an illustration from FRIENDS, but it's too difficult. I blame the Singapore education system for my worry now. A system where stress is what drives success. Where mistakes form failure. Where creativity is murdered.
"But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one." (2 Thess 3:3).
I feel blessed.
Dan
10:31 pm
Monday, May 14, 2007
Happy Mothers' Day. What did I do for mothers' day? I went to church, I had lunch, I played soccer, I wrote up my report, and I watched tv. Pretty much the same as what I do every Sunday. Now I know that is not what you want to hear, so I shall not do much talking this time, but give you a 101 on Mothers' Day I bet none of you knew about. BUT if you do know, then just keep quite and don't make me look stupid.
Christians celebrated this festival on the fourth Sunday in Lent in honor of Mary, mother of Christ. In England this holiday was expanded to include all mothers and was called Mothering Sunday. In 1905 when Anna Jarvis died, her daughter, also named Anna, began a campaign to memorialize the life work of her mother. Legend has it that young Anna remembered a Sunday school lesson that her mother gave in which she said, "I hope and pray that someone, sometime, will found a memorial mother's day. There are many days for men, but none for mothers." I have to pause here and say that is not true. Other than Fathers' Day, what other days are there for men??!! In 1914 Anna's hard work paid off when Woodrow Wilson signed a bill recognizing Mother's Day as a national holiday. Now here is where it gets interesting. At first, people observed Mother's Day by attending church, writing letters to their mothers, and eventually, by sending cards, presents, and flowers. With the increasing gift-giving activity associated with Mother's Day, Anna Jarvis became enraged. She believed that the day's sentiment was being sacrificed at the expense of greed and profit. In 1923 she filed a lawsuit to stop a Mother's Day festival, and was even arrested for disturbing the peace at a convention selling carnations for a war mother's group. Before her death in 1948, Jarvis is said to have confessed that she regretted ever starting the mother's day tradition.
"Nobody knows of the work it makes
To keep the home together.
Nobody knows of the steps it takes,
Nobody knows-but Mother."
Hence, in this short history lesson, Mothers' Day was a day set out to make women more prominent, to let them have a voice in this world, and as good as the intentions were behind the creation of Mothers' Day, it was admitted by the creator of Mothers' Day that it was mistake. Makes me wonder what the lady who started this making a voice for women in the workforce would say years from now.
Dan
11:12 am
Thursday, May 10, 2007
I just spent two hours in the computer lab recording transactions. It's a very dry process, and at the end, I realised that I had missed one small detail and as a result, I had to start from the beginning all over again. Sounds horrible? Now imagine that scenario three times, and you'll be feeling about what I'm feeling now. I want to blame the department, I want to blame the useless sales person who gave us the talk on how to use Quickbooks (the accounting programme), I want to blame the little things that they did not tell us, and left us to figure out ourselves. As though we did not have enough trouble as it was trying to record the transactions.
But having said that, I cannot thank the accounting department more, for now they have enraged me into a mood so much so that when I realised that I had to restart for the third time, I got up and said so loud in the computer lab I had enough, and just packed my bags and left. As I walked home, the raged developed into a hunger to want to get this assignment over and done with, and destroy Quickbooks. Because of this stupid accounting programme I had to put my exam revision on hold. And that does not bode well with me.
Hence, in a fit of rage at being hinder in my exam revision, I was driven to the point where all I want to do now is to get ALL existing work out of the way, management, QM, accounting, and be faced with my much awaited exam revision. As it stands now its QM down, 2 more to go.
So, how've you been?
Dan
5:45 pm
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
A strange feeling came over me today after class. I can't say that it's been the first time, but it was a wonderful feeling. Let me paint you a picture.
It's four in the afternoon, and you just got off work. You look into the sky and see the sun hiding meekly behind the clouds, only revealing rays through the random holes in the sky. The breeze is gentle and calm. The crowd is disperse. The music playing in your ears are light-hearted. You take a stroll, and I mean stroll. Not walk. You decide to stroll through a small part, and you see a student sitting on a bench sketching. A couple laying in the grass staring into each others eyes. You watch as students rush home to get assignments done, and trams roll along the street. You take a deep breathe and smell the sweet autumn air. The leaves are orange, and cling onto the branches. You enter your apartment, and drop your bag on the floor, with the slow, mood music still playing you pour yourself a glass, and sit down on the couch and stare into your blank apartment. You reflect on the past and smile and laugh at the silly times.
A life that Singaporeans can only dream of having. Where is the stress? Where is the pressure? Where has the life that I once knew gone to?
Dan
5:03 pm
Monday, May 07, 2007
Is there a difference between growing in faith, and maturing in faith? Often, a person's growth in faith is described in human terms, such as babes (Heb 5:12-14, 1 Peter 2:1-3), and we are said to require the word as milk (same references), and need to be taught the truths of God's word (Heb reference). I'm then pulled back into reality, from which these terms are drawn from and start to think of all the children who are maturing before their age, and all the adults who lack maturity. Can it be so with faith? That a young christian will become mature earlier and faster than a old christian? In fact, it is often so much more true, the inverse link between age and maturity, with faith than it is with life.
Isn't it interesting that persecution only comes to you when you are a Christian. It's not like you go out with a sign round your neck saying "persecute me". "Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." (2 Tim 3:12). Then we think that this is too hard, too painful, we see our fellow Christians fall to temptation like soldiers falling out of their lines in battle, and we think we're helpless to it all, talking seems to have lost all its meaning. "...to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith, that no one should be shaken by these afflictions..."(1 Thess 3:2-3).
Again, it's interesting that as Christians we are told to resist temptation, endure persecution, and stand firm in Jesus Christ. All of which are defensive actions. We're not asked to rebel against temptation, or to revenge persecution, or avenge for Jesus. I got an e-mail some time back about 3 Christians who were killed in Turkey for their faith. The torture was so gruesome I cringed in my seat as I read it. The cost of evangelism. A reality flash. God save our souls.
Dan
10:41 am
Sunday, May 06, 2007
I was at the park having breakfast yesterday...of course not alone, I'm not so sad. But we were observing the families that were there. The wholesome, peaceful picture of fathers and sons, mothers and daughters in the playground, dogs so large, and hairy, I can only call them bears, and pigeons who shifts their necks like the Egyptian dance with every step they took, yes they do, if you have not yet noticed. And at the corner of the park there was a basketball court with lost teenagers playing basketball. Strange how we transform from beings so dependent on our parents to teens who scream for independence, and then to adults trying to recover from the dark ages of teen hood. Where did we go wrong?
The peaceful picture, with the very apt climate, and orange leaves (cause it's autumn), got me wondering if it was better to raise a child in Australia or in Singapore. But I shall not digress into that topic, because it'll just take all day.
This morning, I was doing my quiet time before church, a short passage in Thessalonians, and I came across this verse in chapter 2 "Therefore we wanted to come to you--even I, Paul, time and again-- but Satan hindered us." (verse 18). And I realised that Satan does not like us Christians gathering (no surprise), but this verse suggests that Satan will try means and ways to distract us, get us to make detours, and eventually lose sight of what was so precious to us. Assignments, tests, group work, exams. Have they become the centre of our lives?
So at church, I saw this carnival like thing being set up just outside the church. I asked what it was for, and my friend told me it was a fund raising stint for the kids, which ironically or not, had beer. Anyhow, during the service, there was this irritating bagpipe playing outside, I suppose for atmosphere music (how strange, a bagpipe), and I found it so hard to focus on the sermon. How apt it is the verse in the morning, and hindrance later. Are we being hindered?
Dan
2:15 pm
Thursday, May 03, 2007
A BIG thank you to those who celebrated my birthday with me. Possibly the best I've had in many many years. To Jean for organizing the surprise at my apartment (tsk tsk, told you already, no surprises), and for the dinner. It was an awesome day from beginning to end. I wish I could blog it all out for those of you who were not here, but I think pictures say a thousand words, and videos just say it all. So you'd think I'd have pictures right? haha, well I don't. I do however, have small short video clips, that do not seem to be able to load, so once I've got those up I'll link it here.
Twenty already...more like twenty finally. I've left the dark ages of teenhood, where it was literally the blind leading the blind in so many ways. But now its young adulthood!! Oh the videos are able to load after all. Ok, so the links below are my surprise party. OH! but first, here are the lyrics to the very beautiful song. THANKS JEAN!!
He knew you before you came into this world
With love and care He raised you up
Time passes by but you'll be sure
He's always there
From a little child to eternity
Lord Jesus we pray, You make him stronger everyday
In life, in love, in faith, in purity
As you celebrate this life
Giving thanks that God has brought you through
The joy the love the tears the sorrow
Open up your heart to Him bring each day before Him
Cause grace amazing brings hope tomorrow
And now we're here to celebrate this special day
Giving thanks that God sent you here
With open hears we share our lives in Jesus Christ
To build, to learn, in faith to overcome.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTIfQK3aYxshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0LeZS46NUU
Dan
1:04 am