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.

The End is Near

As cliche as it may sound, it’s true.

My years in SMU (and possibly Singapore) is ending. In approximately 7 months, I will receive a fancy-looking scroll, take photos in my big baggy regalia, and throw my square hats to the air.

When I first came to SMU, I was 17. I thought I was ready for everything – I just didn’t know what I was supposed to do yet. I thought within 4 years, something, somehow, would come to me and I would steer my way to that.

But nuh-uh. Not quite. Sadly.

When I first tried my hands on programming/coding, I couldn’t figure it out for the life of me. Then more stuff came about networking, information security, enterprise integration, architectural analysis, more network infrastructure, etc etc etc. I thought maybe I should just find my feet. Maybe it would get better.

It didn’t.

Year after year, I spent my years in SMU (still) trying to find out what I should do in life. I kept doing everything I want. I blogged actively and became active in a blogging scene. I joined a choir and sang with them in a myriad of performances. I even tried out to become a songwriter – my song was showcased in a musical play in 2008. I managed a gamelan (Indonesian music ensemble) club. I did two internships. I did a web design/development one, and then I did an online marketing (as account executive) one.

I kept waiting for that one moment when, at the drop of a hat, I feel some butterflies – when I feel that this is what I want to do. This is what I’m supposed to be doing. This is what I’m glad to be doing now – and many years to come.

It didn’t come.

So right now, as the end is looming, I’ve given some thoughts that there are two things that I can do right now.

1. Keep trying different things. Even if I don’t like it, at least I’ll know what I’m not supposed to do.

2. Choose. Separate the sheep from the goats. And make peace, be at ease with whatever my choice is.

Right now, I know my time is running out to try even more different things. Honestly? After 20 years, I’m tired. My parents were great to give me a lot of opportunities to try and do different things. But I’m tired now. I’m 20, I’m about to graduate from university, I suck at school, and I have no direction where to go.

So the next best thing is to choose. Yet I don’t know what to choose, what to do for many many years to come. How can I plan for those years to come if I can’t even decide what to do immediately after I finished all my classes in SMU? Should I go to China to study Mandarin? Should I go back to Jakarta and enjoy relaxed life before working life? Should I stay in Singapore and try to find a job immediately?

Hell, I can’t even plan on what to eat tomorrow.

PS: If you see a lot of idioms scattered around this post, this is because my professor suggested me that I should practice on using more idioms. I’m glad that she actually likes my writing, but she said my grammar and use of idioms let me down. So this is the best avenue to practice!

It’s been 2 years

This entry is belated (and delayed for God knows how long), but never mind.

It’s been 2 years since I moved to Singapore. It’s been 2 years since I started my tertiary education in SMU.

2 years since I started my new life all over again. Without the prejudices from my high school friends. Without boundaries and rules from parents. 2 years that I’ve felt anew, alive, and happy.

It might also be almost 2 years worth of complaining and badmouthing, of depression and frustration, of regrets and coulda-woulda-shoulda’s.

But here it is. After 2 years of sleepless nights and never ending projects and (sometimes) sucky groupmates,

I have made peace with SMU.

Maybe it’s because I’m already in my third year, and everybody says that beginning from year 3 you’ll be “heck care”. Maybe because I subconsciously realize that there’s nothing that can be done with the GPA (no I’m not gonna tell you the number ). I don’t know. Maybe maybe maybe.

But here it is. The thing that SMU has given me that made me think “Ah, maybe it’s not that bad after all..”.

Experience.

Maybe I wouldn’t have had joined, and organized such a big scale performances like GAYA (an annual production by SMUKI – SMU Komunitas Indonesia).
Maybe I wouldn’t have had joined the SMU Chamber Choir. And I wouldn’t have had gone to a choir festival in Poland and met people from the whole world and continued my journey to see bits and pieces of Europe. (yes I know I haven’t blogged… sigh)
Maybe I wouldn’t have had internship in a company so nice (and so easily).

There are many other experiences I savoured and enjoyed, and maybe some others that I despised. Nonetheless they all pushed me to become who I am now : older (well only 2 years..), a bit wiser. Pinched here, shaped there, and here I am now.

And another thing I’m grateful for is (it should be are..) my friends. I was so tired of prejudices in high school. I was so tired of snobby people who think they’re better than me. I was also tired of people who are jealous of me and decided to take revenge on me. Don’t get me wrong, I like my high school, but not entirely. I’m glad that I left it, sometimes things just got very ugly there.

But I found true friends here (and boyfriend, of course ). They who stayed with you through thick and thin, to have fun together, to cry together. I can’t elaborate much about my friends, but I’m sure you guys know what I mean.

It was a tough time when I first touched SMU. I was barely 17. I couldn’t understand the type of English they’re speaking. I couldn’t adapt with the teaching style and how the materials are presented. I couldn’t get the e-learning stuff.

But it’s been 2 years and this place is where I belong now. Through the glass walls and wooden doors, you’ll find me. This place is me.

So that was it.

For the experience and friends, I don’t mind sacrificing myself.

I know, I can’t believe I said that either.

I’ve made peace with SMU. And I tell you, I’m going to have jolly good time for 3 more terms (that’s almost 2 years from now).

Wait up for my “It’s been 4 years”

Peculiarity

Ever since the start of this new academic year, SMU students have been screaming out loud that they don’t have a place to study. Please lah. We have hundreds of Group Study Rooms along with hundreds of Seminar Rooms and Classrooms and we can’t book any??? The best we can do is to book one week ahead.

Some say it’s because of the dragon baby boom… (meaning, there are many 1988-born people, who are dragons in chinese zodiac, in school now)

So they turn into some other places to study or hold a meeting. The most frequently used is maybe the Student Lounge, which is often wrongly dubbed as “IS Lounge” since it’s placed in SIS (School of Information Systems).

Some are stuck in open area with some tables and some chairs… Well practically anywhere that has table/chair.

However, few days ago I found something really peculiar..

I found a group meeting in… A storeroom! The Arts and Cultural Centre’s Storeroom. Like, seriously? Storeroom?

At first I thought it was a meeting regarding the ACC.. TUrned out it was not..

Well I’m not that evil to post the photos.. Even though my friend did get the photos of them.

Maybe next time I shall hold my meeting in a toilet. Maybe a disabled toilet since it has bigger space?

Sigh.

My Class’ Forum

Course name : Technology and World Change

Assesment method for class participation : 7% for class discussion, 8% for online forum, 5% bonus if you contribute to the forum in an orderly manner.

The forum.

A : Hey I found this super cool technology! Check it out! I think it’s good because (copy paste the benefits you found here)
B : Wah, yes it’s cool! I think it’s going to be beneficial for (insert any community group here)
C : Thank you for sharing this information. I think it’s very good because (restate the forum thread’s starter comments here)

A: Hey, I found that (any of the current affairs) is related to (insert any name of technology here). Because (insert blabbering here). What do you guys think?
B: I think it is related because (restate the forum thread’s starter comment here). I think it’s good though, because (insert more blabbering here)
C: I think it’s not related. (more blabbering ahead)

A: I think the new technology would have impacts for us, like (insert anything you like here)
B: Yeah, I agree.
C: I don’t agree. I think (blabber blabber blabber)

A: Hey this is the fresh news about (insert any name of technology here)!
B: THank you for sharing with us this information. I think it’s a good news.
Me : …………..

Like, WTF. This forum is super stupid. It’s supposed to be a discussion. To exchange ideas.

But what happened? Since it’s counted into the participation point, everybody is just posting. Posting. Posting. Posting. And more posting. Posting. Posting. Without even caring whether it’s important or useful.

Ever heard the saying that quality speaks more than quantity? Bleah. This forum is the total opposite.

Plus info. How many times do I have to click to contribute to the forum?

1. Click the IE tab button to activate my IE tab. (the portal doesn’t work fine in Firefox)
2. Click the login button after I enter my credentials
3. Click to select the course
4. ……..Loading…….. Then click to select “Discussions”
5. ……….. Loading…… and Loading…… Click on a thread to open it.
6. Thread opens in a new window/tab. Click “Display complete thread” to see the whole discussions.
7. Click reply if it’s worthy to reply.
8. Click post after finishing your blabbering.
9. Click the close button to close the window opened in #6.

I’m going to kill the developer.

A ‘what’ in the toilet bowl?

Precaution : This post might be disturbing for some people.

I’ve told you.

My friend has been living in the hostel for quite some time now. Living in a tiny not really big room with a bunch of new housemates you have never known about sounds quite interesting, no?

Apparently yesterday it had become more interesting. Than ever.

Check out what he found in the toilet bowl.
Read more

Guess!

STAT101 G2 Class, Singapore Management University, March 2007

Guess who is my Statistics lecturer?

The first person to answer right will get a special present.. :p

Can’t believe term 2 is coming to an end already….

Hooray!

Yeay! GAYA is over! I didn’t have time to introduce what GAYA is, but to do so, lemme do it quick. GAYA is the SMUKI (SMU Komunitas Indonesia-SMU Indonesian Community)’s first musical production, where we showcased drama, music, and dance.

And it was a tremendous success!

Finally. After months and months of practice, a gallon (not a litre) of tears, sweats and all that.

I really can’t describe my feeling. There’s this euphoric feeling combined with sadness. I’ll miss GAYA practice which, clearly, consumed a lot of time. I’ll miss being with the fellow GAYA performers since after this we’ll be back to our usual hectic SMU life.

Thank’s for the people who supported us.. To be our backbone and our roots…

And of course for the people who came! Those of you who watched it and now reading my blog please tell me how it was, okay!

GAYA ROX!

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