The Graduate

Today marks an important day in my life.

You see, 2 years ago, I made a decision to take up part time bachelors degree. During the course of my studies, it was tiring to juggle between work and school, and I frequently looked forward to the last day of my school life.

That day came when I took my last exam last November.

Ha! I remember how relieved I was and how happy I felt when I exited the exam hall. It was as though a huge rock has been lifted off my shoulders and almost instantaneously, I could breathe and smile.

But as the months go by, a silent fear started creeping into my mind.

"What if I fail one of the subjects?"
"Worse still, what if I fail my Final Year Project!"

At the end of 2 months, the anxiety was killing me, and I ended up checking my mailbox everyday, until my student coordinator emailed us to inform that our results will be on a certain date.

That day (today) finally came, and I opened my mail with fear, hope, paranoia, and trepidation. Tearing open the perforated sides, I took a deep breath before facing the music.

Glancing down the scores, I heaved a sigh of relief because I PASSED EVERYTHING!

Needless to say, I was grinning from ear to ear, beaming with joy and delight!

Ah.. finally after 2 years, it's time to close this chapter, and probably throw away my books.


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The Day of Freedom

Today marks a milestone in my life.

Having juggled 2 years of Full-Time work and Part-Time studies, I can finally heave a big sigh of relief.

You see, today I sat for my last examination paper. YES. LAST EXAMINATION PAPER. That means, no more burning of midnight oils, assignments, and exam preparations!

Maybe it isn't such a big deal for some. But to me, knowing that today marks the end of my academic life really makes me smile, jump around, and throw my fist in the air, exclaiming "Woohoo!"

And to celebrate my freedom and all the hard work, the boyfriend was sweet enough to take half day leave just to accompany me for the day. Exclaims (again) "Woohoo!"

So we went to Tampines1 in search for some food, and unconsciously, we ended up at NYDC.

Since it was quiet and cosy, we thought it would be a nice place for lunch. Furthermore, they had some set lunch deal, which was kinda tempting.

The set meal came with a free drink, which tasted sour and weird, and pumpkin soup, which wasn't that bad.

As for my main dish, I had fish which I really didn't enjoy. It was bland, and the roasted potatoes were chunky and a tad hard.

All in all, I was disappointed with the quality of food that was served. To be honest, I'd rather go downstairs for Subway or Carl's Junior than to have this again.

But then again, with me being light-headed with glee and liberty, I quickly brushed off the disappointment. After all, my studies are over, and nothing is going to stop me from being happy. Ha!


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The Pink Slip

November has been a long and arduous month, consisting of countless late nights and dead brain cells because of 2 final year exam papers, 1 final year project, and 1 final year presentation.

But since the dateline for my Final Year Project was earlier than my examinations and presentation, I'm glad to announce that today, my Final Year Project has been submitted!

Now that's 1 hurdle down. There are 3 more hurdles to go in the next 2 weeks. Wish me luck!


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Four In A Row (I Don't Mean The Game)

Amongst all the terms in my Undergraduate Degree Programme at Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS), last term was the worst.

With 4 gruelling theory-based modules, my mental capacity was sounding the alarm bells during my exam preparation. What made it worse was that my exams were just a day or two apart, which means that I had to cccraaaammppp terabytes of data and information in a short span of days.

It was tough indeed.

A month and a half later, 4 result slips were each sent a day apart. Opening each result slip with trepidation, I was relieved to have cleared each module; some modules even gave me a grade that caught me by surprise.

So yes, I am relieved. Happy. Contented. Thankful. And appreciative. And you know what, this calls for some delectable desserts and a Hoegarden. Ha!


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The Good Samaritan

If there's anything to give thanks for this week, it would be how He has provided me a textbook for one of my modules this term.. FREE!

For that, another 80 over bucks saved. WOOHOO!

Thank God for a wonderful samaritan - a fellow senior extended her generosity by giving her textbook for free!

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Passing Expectations

Everyone knows that it's tough balancing both full time work and part time studies.

Either way, one will be slightly affected more so than the other.

And I know this because now that I'm in my last year of studies, the strain and the pressure is piling up as both work and school demands increases. It's hard work, and requires a lot of discipline, sacrifice, and sleep.

But along comes the release of my results, which assures me that I am on the right track, that I still have my edge, and further motivates me to press on till the end of this year where my course would have ended.

So yes, I am very contented with last term's results - B, B, C.

Ah, knowing that I've passed my expectations of just a pass (Grade D) for all my modules is indeed satisfying. *Pats myself on my shoulder *

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B-etter Than A?

Instead of having 3 modules last term, I had 4 modules; which means more stress and more exams.

Fortunately, one of the modules was assignment (both Group and Individual) based and thus, I only had to sit for the written examinations for 3 modules - which was the usual with previous terms anyway.



Since we submitted both our written and group assignments almost a month before the written examinations of the 3 other modules, it also meant that we would get our grade for the assignment based module first.

So look what I found in my mailbox today? My results for my assignment based module, which is a "B"!

Though I'm one who is a perfectionist who strives for excellence in whatever I do (who doesn't?), I am really contented with a grade "B".

With that, I recognize that I can only achieve this by His strength and grace. To God be the glory!

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Master Crab

After what seems like a long week of exam preparations and burning the midnight oil, I AM SO GLAD THAT MY EXAMS ARE FINALLY OVER!

That means - Resumed TV time, longer sleep hours, focus at work, and a happier grace!

As such, how could my classmates and I not celebrate? Hence, we decided to head down to Master Crab Seafood Restaurant for our post exam celebration feast!

Master Crab Seafood Restaurant

19 Ghim Moh Road
#01-229 Singapore 270019

Tel: +65 63141868

Though I'm not exactly a fan of seafood and crabs especially, I really enjoyed my meal and the fellowship. In fact, I was so engrossed in feasting that it totally slipped my mind to take photos of the food to do a short food review.

But what the heck! All that matters is the presence of good food, good company, and the completion of my exams! And you know what, I've never been happier.

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Secondhand Books Anyone?

Being a cheapskate for some time, I've always enjoyed rummaging through heaps of clothes or bags in flea markets, buying things only when they are on sale, shopping online on eBay for the cheapest deals etc.

So recently, I felt the pressing need to purchase the textbook for one of my modules and the thought of paying 50 over bucks for a book which I will never lay a finger on after my exams simply turned me off.

Then the cheapskate nature in me arose, and I thought, hey, maybe there are some folks out there that might be selling their used textbook online. Immediately, I began to search online and viola! I found this perfect site - Singapore's Secondhand Books, which has the textbook I was looking for!

Without hesitation, I dropped the seller an SMS and have arranged to pick up the item tomorrow night. How fast is that!

Then an idea struck me when I gazed upon the old textbooks that are creating dust on my shelves. I smiled to myself as I began to register myself on the website. Though I started small, with just 2 items on my online bookstore, I've got an SMS from a keen buyer for one of the books that was selling. AMAZING!

Gee, I think I am going to make a small fortune from all the used books and textbooks on my shelves! Not only can I earn money, I can do some spring cleaning as well! *Rubs my hands with glee*

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Happy Mailbox Tidings

It has been almost 2 months since my last term's exams, and I have not received any results.

Regardless, I am usually not the sort who will eagerly await for the release of results as most of the times, I am not confident as to what grades I might receive after walking out of the exam hall. But now that 2 months have almost zoomed by, I'm a little anxious and curious to know what my grades are like. So day after day, I check the letterbox – still nothing.

Today, (thanks to Facebook) I received information that the results are posted out. Immediately, I dropped my mom a message to open the letterbox and confirm if my result slip is in. She said YES!

However, since I had classes on the same night, I couldn't see my results until after lesson, which would be about 10plus. With no choice, I went through the motion of work and school before leaving for home.

When I finally arrived home, I carefully pulled out the perforated sides out the slip and opened the paper with some fear and trembling.

Turns out to be, I scored 71, 61 and 58, which translate to A, B, and C!

Contented and satisfied, a heaved a sigh of relief.

To be honest, I was actually expecting A, B and B. But still, to God be the glory!

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Sleep At Last

To be honest, I haven't had much sleep this week as I had to rush to meet my assignment submission dateline today. But now that I have submitted all my assignments, I can finally look forward to a good night rest.

"Aaaahhhhhhhh.."

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My Man In India

Lately, I've been pretty stressed up and uptight over my Individual and Group Assignment for one of my modules. The dateline for submission is 18th September - this saturday, and the anxiety and stress is piling up. It's worse than exams, I think, because I have to work on my assignments daily till it becomes perfect, and it doesn't help when I have absolutely no interest in the subject; not even the slightest bit.

So in my current state of panic and stress (and occasional hyperventilation), my classmate empathized and introduced something which I thought was a joke - YourManInIndia. And you know what, it is actually a company in India which you can outsource most of your needs to. YES I AM NOT KIDDING! For example, if you're busy and would like someone to do some research for you, you can outsource your work and query to YourManInIndia, and depending on the package you select i.e. USD 6.90 for an hour for doing research, they'll reply you with what you require.

My friend like myself who is skeptical, decided to give it a try (not school-related of course) and YourManInIndia furbished him with substantial results after an hour.

Hmm. Speaking of it, probably I should ask YourManInIndia to do my assignment.

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Post Exam Glee

After 3 brain damaging papers, my classmates and I were so elated that our exams were finally over! Of course, this called for a mini celebration (or some sort) and so we headed down to Golden Mile Complex to have some Steamboat.

Unfortunately, the 'famous' stall in Golden Mile Complex ran out of Steamboat ingredients, and we were force to try out other stalls. So we settled for some stall tucked away in a corner. I couldn't get hold of the name of the stall because it was all in Thai letters.

After studying the menu (it was really difficult to order because the menu was really confusing), we finally got down to ordering our food. Fortunately, it didn't take long before our food were served.

The first dish was Pineapple Rice. Ok, I hate pineapple and I don't know why. So each time when I have Pineapple rice, I'll remove the pineapple, then the raisins, then the peas and corns etc.

Despite removing all these "ingredients", I thought it was actually quite delicious! It was sweet, and the pork floss complimented with its rough and crunchy texture.

Next up was the above - Spicy Kai Lan. Though this dish looks harmless with small chopped red chillies and part of the garnish, it is actually very spicy to me! Gee, I had to take many sips of my cold drink to simmer the heat on my taste buds!

Thank goodness my classmates ordered an Omelette (actually I sorta requested for it hehe!) and it was such a familiar dish! Needless to say, I had quite my fill of eggs since I avoided most of the spicy dishes.

Last but not least, we ordered Tom Yam Soup. After all, we were in a Thai eating place. How could we resist a small pot of Tom Yam Soup? But likewise, do not be fooled. This is probably the spiciest Tom Yam Soup I've ever had. If you look carefully, you'll notice lots of red chillies floating at the top of the soup!

You bet I squirmed and scrunched my face after trying a few sips, and never tried it again!

Despite my spicy encounter with a few of the dishes, being in the midst of my classmates was quite enjoyable. It's my first outing with them and I must say, we should have more of such gatherings!

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Confessions of a Student

For this week and the next, I'm having the thing that every student dreads the most: examinations.

I guess it's much more dreaded by students taking Part Time studies because juggling work and school requires lots of discipline and trust me, most of the time they'd rather be a couch potato and surf the channels on the television than practice a bunch of statistical questions or memorize concepts and theories.

It's hard. It's difficult. And even for me, I won't deny that that are a few moments where I just flip open my notes and start dozing off.

But I know I am required to put in effort, to fulfill my obligations and self actualization as a student to pass all my modules and graduate smoothly.

So each time I get bored of studying (or when my eyelids get heavy), I walk around in circles reciting my notes. I talk to my rabbit. I do a few static exercises. I eat chocolates. I make myself a cup of tea. And what else, I refresh the Facebook home page a couple of times to see what's new. Oh, and I blog. Just like what I am doing now.

You may laugh at me for my queer and peculiar methods. But sad to say, they've worked for me for my past examinations.

Well, enough blogging. Time to bury myself in my notes. Wish me all the best. *Crosses fingers*

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Dear's Graduation

After 3 years of tertiary education in SIM, University of Wollongong, dear finally graduated! So together with his family, I attended his Graduation Ceremony today.

It was his big day, and you can his folks were definitely beaming with pride. I definitely was too! For dear, I guess it's a big burden off his shoulders; no longer does he have to be chase after deadlines, or burn the midnight night oil for his exams, or do any tutorials and project work anymore!

Despite today being his big day, it was also a day of unfortunate events as well. Everything that could go wrong, went wrong for both of us and those who are connected to me via social sites would know that it was probably the worse day ever. Sigh!

Regardless of the several hiccups and a bad decisions resulting in unfortunate circumstances. Dear and I ended the day on a good note. Thank God!

Sigh! What a day of ups and downs! Nonetheless, I'm really glad that he graduated!

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The Timetable

So I went attended my degree class just now and while conversing with my classmate, I realized that I've missed a class yesterday because I didn't receive any UPDATED timetable.

I was naturally pissed off at the my school's admin team, but didn't bother to lodge a complain and make a mountain out of a molehill because, apparently more than half the class didn't turn up yesterday as they did not receive any UPDATED timetable as well.

Then class ended. I went home, checked my emails, and saw this email from my school: (Quoted word for word)

Dear BBME20945A Students

I got feedback from some students of the blackboard not updated. Very Sorry for all the inconviences. I have hereby attached the latest time table for your reference. Everyone can rest assure that your attendance for 14 Dec 2009, Monday, will not will not affect your exams. You will be consider as present.

I will feedback to course planning about the blackboard not updated. Once again i apologised for this inconviences. I have spoken to the lecturer about the 14 Dec 2009 Lesson. The lecturer will go through what he had done on 14 Dec 2009 lesson and the questions he gone through today is a similar one to what he had gone through yesterday.

First of all, the poor use of grammar and vocabulary turned me off. Secondly, receiving an UPDATED timetable after a lesson has been missed due to one's negligence is unacceptable. Grr!

Then again, why am I not surprised about such mistakes and hiccups? It isn't the first time, and even after all the complaints and "feedback", nothing has been done to deter such occurrences again.

Like the local singaporean lingo, I guess I would just have to "suck thumb". :(


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Financial Humor

So yesterday I attended my first degree lesson - Finance Accounting. Contrary to what majority might say about accounting being difficult, dry, or boring, I actually find it quite interesting.

Well that's because I've had a couple of Accounting classes before and the basics are more or less in my head already.

But what makes my Finance Accounting lectures MUCH more interesting is the teacher! Gosh he is humorous, engaging, and interactive. And here are some of his jokes which I scribbled on my textbook:

Accountants
Accountants are usually shy people - like an introvert. So when talking to an introvert accountant, he will look at his own shoes. When talking to an extrovert accountant, he will look at your shoes.

Pre-payments
The simplest example of a pre-payment is your EZ-Link Card. Try taking out your EZ-Link Card, put it close to your ears and shake it slowly. If your ears are sharp enough, you might hear the sound of money jiggling inside.

Assets
Almost every company is using this slogan "Our employees are our greatest asset". Then why when you open the Balance Sheet, you don't find the names of your employees in it.

Haha! :D  I "heart" my Finance Accounting teacher!


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My ABB

After 3 weeks or so, my exam results for the last term of my Advanced Diploma are finally out! It was just so nerve-wrecking for me when my friends had gotten their exam results and I couldn't get mine because I didn't have the key to my house letter box. Grrr.

When my parents finally came home and pass me my results slip, I immediately went to my room and tear open the perforated sides with excitement and fear. A, B, B - I am so relieved and satisfied! :)

Looking back, I am so thankful and grateful for His blessings in my academic studies. So far I've been getting my A's and B's (except a C I had last module pffftt!) and I really hope that I can maintain this momentum for my degree which starts on December 15th.

Ha! But for now till December 15th, I guess I'll enjoy my holidays and take a good break before schools starts. Ahhhh.


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The Secret

I have a secret.

I don't study like most humans do - sitting down and fiddling with their pens, or ripping their hair out while giving the look of despair, or even pacing around and chanting their notes audibly.

Well, fine. I do fiddle with my pen occasionally and pace up and down when I get really stressed up, especially when I'm doing my last minute revisions on the day of my exams itself.

What is my secret then?

Lately, I have come to realize that the most effective way of memorizing my notes is to recite the pointers out loud - to my stuff toys.

Yes it may sound really ridiculous, but they are really good listeners.

On top of that, the smile on their faces simply cheer me up, as if they are quietly telling me "Yes, go on. That's right. You can do it. Don't worry."

Yes, they make wonderful audiences. And even if I recite my notes to them in the form of a question, I know that indeed, silent means consent.

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C Is For..

From the above, I gather that A is for Achievement, C is for Complacent.

Although I did try my best and put in my 101% (as claimed by every other student), I suspect the cause of this surprising grade is because of my assignments, which weighs about 20% of the grade.

Perhaps I should get use to this common sight? No way. Somehow I am very much compelled to be a tad more studious and .. humble.


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