Hello Twenty Ten

I realized I haven’t really ushered in the new year 2010 and to me that’s like a customary tradition on my blog.

Yeah, right. Like you have any tradition, Sylv.

Anyway, this year shall be a scary year for me. A lot of transformation will take place this year. I’ll be 21, legal for everything, considered adult for everything (like, finally???). I’ll finish school life and begin a corporate life (that is, if I find a job, of course). I will lose weight for good, and I mean it! I’ll look like what I used to look like and probably better

I have mixed feelings about those big, possibly life-changing upcoming events. It can be drastic, mind-boggling, but I’m excited about them anyway.

I hope this year will be an exciting one for you too.

A Term of Writing

I have taken a lot of crazy terms in SMU, what with 5.5 courses and all computer-related modules mixed in with difficult business modules stuff. But perhaps my very last term in SMU is the craziest. Perhaps. You decide.

So I’m only taking three modules this term. I know, I know. Freaking three modules?? How can you say it’s crazy, Sylv??? The reason it’s crazy is because you’re only taking three modules!!!

Ahem. Anyway.

My three modules are : PR Writing, Creative Writing, and Current Issues in Business, Culture, and Society. If you see a recurring theme… You’re probably right. They’re all writing. Yes, even that third course which has a name so long I don’t want to bother typing it. Although I might have typed a longer sentence just by typing that. Anyway. These three courses require writing, writing, and writing, and all with different styles. PR Writing is, of course, PR Writing. Concise while keeping the important details, and making it interesting enough so that those journalists will pick it up. Creative writing is, I suppose, more liberating. Although excelling in Indonesian creative writing, I suppose it was time for me to pick up the English one. Had a great fun experimenting. And that third course, we need a business type of writing – really simple, to the point, no flowery words or hard vocabularies.

Hey don’t get me wrong. I like the third course. It’s the only course in SMU where you can get free food. I’m not kidding. (Click that)

So I figured it would be quite a paradox if I take a term full of writing and I stop writing in my blog. After all, this blog was the one that elevated my writing skillzors. If you have the time to sift through my archives from 2006 ’til now, (I hope) you can see the level-up.

So here I am, back in full force of writing!

….I think.

Down with (not swine/H1N1) flu

I am currently down with flu. I started coughing on Thursday afternoon. I thought it’s just a normal coughing, but due to the recent paranoia over H1N1 coming to Singapore shores, I decided to check at the school doctor. I didn’t go travel anywhere over the few weeks so he dismissed the possibility of H1N1. (I was about to tell him that I did go to the airport to see my boyfriend before he flew off to Jakarta, but then I went to the airport after I got my first coughs)

On my way to the doctor, on my way to the airport, on the way back from the airport, I was always afraid to cough. Because I was afraid people will think bad things about me (like OH NOES THE GIRL IS COUGHING I MIGHT GET SWINE FLU HOW HOW HOW???)

Seriously, I think this paranoia thing is a bit too much. I found out that the H1N1 flu’s fatality rate is low (just slightly higher than usual seasonal flu). Even the patient zero in Singapore is recovering well. Oh by the way, just because I’m an SMU student doesn’t mean I have increased risk of H1N1. The SMU girl went to the doctor in Bedok area, I didn’t go on the BSM NY trip, so no. Seriously.

Perhaps in Singapore they were already scared about what happened with SARS several years ago?

And by the way, I’m seriously irked by how a newspaper revealed the patient zero’s name (who has requested not to reveal her name – at least in her statement to SMU). Cut it off, will ya. It’s not like she intentionally wanted to contract the virus.

Anyway, I’m quite contained in home right now. I only went out to eat (at the famous Whampoa makan place no less!), then went back to home to gulp down my medicine. It’s a partial home quarantine, I guess.

Hope I get well soon. I’ll need to shop for some stuff for my impending trip to Russia!

Oh and by the way, contact me or e-mail the choir at chamberchoir@smu.edu.sg to get your tickets for the choir’s fundraising concert! $15 each! (details at picture below)

Exam finished Year 3 Term 2 (08/09)

Haha. Yes. This is the mandatory “exams are over” blog post. Plus reviews and reflections if any.

Surprisingly, I don’t feel that ecstatic. Perhaps because I’m down with flu. I ALWAYS get down with flu around exam time. Sigh. According to the Psychology textbook, it’s called something like somatoform disorder. Your body becomes sick because of your psychological distress. (and if I’m wrong in referencing this, you guys can guess my exam grade then)

Not a lot has happened this term. This term just zoomed by. Architectural Analysis was deep and fluffy at the same time, Advanced Data Management was hard and complicated, Science Exploration and Society was…… unexplainable. Lab sessions were interesting and we (my group project) did a skit for our final presentation. Haha. I took Introduction to Psychology this term and I think it was fascinating. Heavy reading with plenty to remember (90 MCQ Exam!!) but really interesting. It changed the way I think and look at humans and urged me to be skeptical and critical about many things (no, it’s not a bad thing). Negotiation Skills for Business was useful. I can say that with pleasure, because so far, honestly, I haven’t found a course that I find useful. Perhaps enriching, or rather dreading, but never useful. Negotiation Skills for Business taught me, well, negotiations. But I think the most important thing is how to do it well. And that I should prepare before negotiation, and negotiate well.

For SMU students’ reference, here are the course codes.

Architectural Analysis – IS303
Advanced Data Management – IS410
Science, Exploration, and Society – STEC207
Introduction to Psychology – PSYC001
Negotiation Skills for Business – OBHR.218 

Oh I also got accepted (I think, I can’t fully confirm yet actually) for internship this summer. And of course, after that, Russia trip beckons! WOOHOO!

I’m gonna make wrinkles

…in the air.

I’m pretty sure some of my loyal readers (thank you for keep visiting my site even though I don’t update it hahaha ) will hate me now. After missing for so long (busy lah, sorry), now I’m back just to shamelessly PLUG PLUG PLUG my oncoming choir concert!!!

But actually it can’t be categorized as plugging since this blog is my own blog

Ok so here it is~

Yes darlings, I’m going to perform in a concert by SMU Chamber Choir.

Details:

Date/Time : Tuesday, 10 February 2009. 7.30 PM.
Venue : Esplanade Recital Studio
Ticket : free seating, each at $16

Yes the tickets are only at $16 and revenue from the tickets will be used to aid our fund to go to Russia! Wheeee! After Poland, now Russia!

If you want tickets, you can either contact me or email them at chamberchoir@smu.edu.sg.

What are the songs?

Ah yes, this is the question most people asked. So here’s the info. We’re going to sing songs from all over the world in so many languages. Basically, in the concert there will be small sections/themes and songs will fit that theme. We have songs from Latin America (Argentinian tango, Brazilian folk song), we also have gospel songs (in English), and we also have English and French folk songs. I shall say no more, that will be too much spoiler

So if you want to see me singing, if you want to see some cute girls/guys singing, or simply want to enjoy our musical journey, I look forward seeing you there! (please reserve a ticket first though ) 

I thank those blogger friends who are going

• Daphne Maia
• Hendri Budi
• Robert (Brokenshardz)
• Krisandro
• Nathalia (singingcoconut)
• Xiao Ling (secretss)

The things to do at 2009

Ok I have 27 minutes to finish this blog post (I started writing at 23:33 PM Singapore time).

I’ve always hated the idea of making resolutions. Why should we? Why wait until new year to do/get new things?

But then I’m changing a lot this year so I guess.. I’m gonna make a resolution for the next year. But since I still quite hate the word resolution because it’s used too often, let’s just call it in layman term : “the things to do at 2009″.

So what to do? I have this idea from a person I know (identity hidden to protect privacy ), when he asked me about 3 things : What you want to start doing, what you want to stop doing, and what you want to do less. So let’s just group “the things to do at 2009″ to these 3 categories, shall we?

What to stop doing

“What to stop doing” and “what to do less” is a bit tricky. It’s very close to each other. Some things you have to really stop, quit, until it’s zilch, nada because it’s better that way. Some things you just have to do a wee bit less, because not doing it (at all) will be detrimental. Don’t think too much for that sentence coz I dunno what I’m talking about either. Anyway. What to stop doing. I want to stop doing emotional eating. AKA I’m so stressed so I’ll just eat. This includes pressing down the cravings too. I know my weight is really bordering dangerous, and seeing my grandpa’s down with diabetes, and knowing that my mom already has diabetes, I can’t help being scared can I? So I have to really really cut down on that emotional eating stuff. No, I have to stop. For the first step, I’ll probably eat some fruits whenever that emotional eating wind hits me.

What to start doing

I want to start doing a big project. A big project that I can be proud of. Perhaps writing a novel. Or setting up an online shop. Honestly, I don’t know yet. But I want to have a project, a baby that I care for, besides my mundane life that circles around school and school. Another thing to start doing, I want to start to let/force my logic take over my emotions. This is in line with the point above : to stop emotional eating. Whenever that emotional eating wind hits me and whenever craving comes, my logic knows exactly that I shouldn’t do the eating. Coz eating again and again will just make me even fatter and getting fatter will make me stressed and I’m gonna eat again and.. You know the whole cycle. So yeah. I hope I can lose weight to my healthy weight range the next year! (now this sounds like a typical resolution)

What to do less

Now it was quite tricky to think about things to put here. I wanted to put them in “what to stop doing” immediately but after I think again.. Nah, maybe not. Anyway… So what I think I should do less. I think I should do less worrying. I’m such a worrywart and sometimes it’s bordering panicky or as Singaporeans say it, kan chiong. The thing is, I worry so much that it stresses me out and giving me even more problems (most notably my irregular sleep cycle and my insomnia). However, I believe that I should not stop worrying, like really thinking about nothing in the future and everything. I believe I should worry just a bit. I believe I should keep looking forward to the future. What will my action get me to? What will my decision bring me to? What are the things I should keep in check? And of course also worrying (but not too much) whether I’ve been really doing what I’ve promised myself to do in 2009 (aka the things to do at 2009). So yeah. 

And I guess another thing to do less is spending too much time online. You know, facebook and plurk and everything else. Talking with people online and stalking them and you know… The stuff you do online. I think I’m too used to do these that it borders addiction. (Or maybe i’m already addicted). I guess I should spend more time outside online life, like doing gyms to lose weight or working on big project. However, I believe I should not really really stop and disconnect, coz I believe in the power of online connections. And, urgh, no matter how I hate to say that term, social media is THE place, THE thing to go for 2009, and probably a few more years. I believe immersing in this stuff (I just hate saying that term for no reason, sorry) will benefit me greatly in the long run.

So yeah. Phew. I finished it before it’s new year. (it’s 23:53 when I’m writing these letters right now)

Here’s a greeting of Happy New Year to all my readers and wishing you all the good things! (coz I’m too lazy to specify the things)

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009!!!!!

The end of classes

Classes have ended. Projects have ended. I just handed in the beautiful 30-page report today, and that would be my last submission of the term.

As always, as the cliche saying goes, time flies.

And as always, I always review a term.

This term has not been my most tiring term ever. I guess the time has passed. I sure did lack of sleep sometimes, but not much. Overall this term has been quite enjoyable.

Exams are coming soon, and I wish my friends good luck. Some of them have 5 exams, which is like, super killer. Jia you!!

Here’s a song to cheer people up! Have a nice day everyone!

Haha yea I love Mamma Mia!

Halfway

I know, I missed 3 NaBloPoMo. I failed, but at least I tried.

It’s halfway through November and this month has been a steep roller coaster for me. 

On a lighter note, I just finished my last presentation of the term. Now I’m only left with 2 project parts to write, and that should not be a big issue.

This month will also be a month to mark one year through my relationship with my boyfriend. Time flies, eh? How many of you feel that it’s just like yesterday I announced my relationship change?

I hope this month will end in happy news for me