Alvin! Aaron! Chern Wei! Wai Lumn! Liang En! Yong Zi! Adrian! Katrina! Niklas! Jane! Irvin! Chia Ming! Kai Herng! Jaime! Sean! Benjamin! Shir Li! Andrew! Jin Rong! Miao Jing! Soon Huat!


Friday, 28 November 2008

A HUGE thank you to you all who posted, it was just so lovely catching up and feeling like, in some way, I was really sharing part of your lives. Coming back to this class blog after the longest time, expecting dust and cobwebs, and somehow seeing this place so lively is..honestly..the best post-exams present ever (:

It's strange that old feelings of sentimentality can remain so dormant, and be stirred up again by mere words on a computer screen. But then again, words penned by you all are just..different. A lot of it has to do with..thinking back to the first few moments and first impressions. And then reliving everything we suffered together (some lessons filled with tyranny and fear (or maybe just for some of us who didnt do work and/or fell asleep in class)) and riffling through snapshots of the class (honestly it appears in my mind like black and white photos (but i can also choose to play it in video form lah) - am i just abnormal?) - our addiction to captains' ball. going DAMN EARLY to bio lecture to read notes (yes we are true blue nerds). our hotdog tuesdays. somehow knowing our class would destroy the way the results bar chart looks (but then again, it became normal once our 3 titans left for intl competition HAHAHA). early mornings at the class bench. the warm and homely feeling being with you all. our ever-enthuness for school events.

You know...reading the class blog in the past was like...entertainment (but then again I found a lot of things entertaining right ha ha ha). Reading it now though is just...an altogether different experience, like snatching a peek into the way our lives have all diverged. And it's so amazing right, how many of us would have thought this far ahead or, even if we did, the intensity and the reality of this change? It's like we all get swept up in the speed with which new things, new people come at us...

For me, SMU law has been...intense. Wish i could say im loving every moment of it but the MUGGING REALLY SUCKS SOMETIMES (right,jane?and all the other uni ppl?and army guys hang in there it'll be over soon(: ) still i DO love it mostly and im so so glad that i chose the right school and the right course and i know this is what i really want to do...(: (though sometimes still a bit sad about not being able to go overseas lah. But. The grass is always greener over there)

Made many many new friends..that's the gift of moving on right? Somehow, though, 06s7d is really special to me (honestly..e.g..i would never say the same thing for my NY classes) for reasons I don't know, or don't feel able to articulate right now..but I'm sure..most if not all of us share this something that belongs so exclusively to us. It doesn't have to be verbalised. It just..exists (and I'm glad it does)

Miss you all so much (contrary to what I stupidly mentioned at the class chalet bbq last time and which i NOW FORMALLY RETRACT) and do take bestest care k meet up soon! (:

P.S. ANYWAY in case anyone was wondering, yes my laughter is still as uncontrollable and famous in uni! (omg i think it got worse actually!!) the law kids have 100000 names for it (kind of reminds me of you all! haha) and most of it involves insanity provisions in the penal code, etc. hhahaha.so sad.

P.P.S Btw I'm somehow damn slow at math and science now looks like STP didnt get to reap its fruits of labour after all haha :X

Love,
Chia Ming

Sunday, 23 November 2008

november 23rd!

okay that title was no big deal because I couldn't think of a nice title. But anw it's 4am and there's no better time to sleep because my exam starts on monday post on the class blog!

well well well, to all other singaporean guys not in med, here's a glimpse of uni life from the perspective of a 19-year-old singaporean guy who's not expected to be in uni just yet.

So... I don't usually hide my age, but i think there's still a handful of people around me who think i'm 21, which is kinda fun. Not that i like to act old but well it's just fun (you see why i'm in fos not fass cos if i write essays with arguments like that i'm not gonna do well). but anw, a typical conversation with someone (let's say a year 1 guy) i've just met goes like this:
him: "hi"
me: "hi"
...some random what's-ur-names and how-is-lifes and which-fac-you-froms and OH let's talk about the which-fac-you-froms...
him: "which fac you from?"
me: "sci"
him: "oh. which major?"
me: "life sci"
him: "oh. do you know -insert name 1-"
me: 'no' (typing single-inverted commas is easier)
him: '-insert name 2-?'
me: 'no'
him: '-insert names 3,4,5 and 6-????'
me: 'erm no. no. no. don't think so.'
-silent pause- (maybe he's thinking 'ok this guy's a loner') then
me: 'life sci is huge. like A LOT OF PPLE. yeah.'
-moving on-
him: 'so which sch u from?'
me: 'hc'
him: 'OH so you must know -insert name of famous councillor/joker/randomnotoriousperson from hc two years our senior-'
me: 'no'
him: 'NO?!'
me: 'errr actually i'm 89 batch'
him: 'oh. med?'
me: 'no.'
him: 'm'sian?'
me: 'no.'
him: 'foreigner from some other country?'
me: 'no.'

haha.

sch's pretty okay so far. fun at times, sian at times, busy at times. normal stuff. fun cos i just smashed a piece of cake right in the middle of someone's face for the first time in my life, sian cos my lessons start at 8 all the time, busy cos there's alws some usp writing stuff to do (jaime can testify to that).

i shall let pictures do the talking too:




NUS condo and my room: the place i've been staying in most of the time (except during the weekends) for the past erm 4 months or so. what pgp really lacks is a swimming pool, then it'll really be like a condo. ha.


typical life sci lecture. well. actually i've only got 1 life sci module this sem.


somehow i spent quite a lot of time behind booths. selling stuff/giving out stuff/asking pple to fill in survey. but the selling of food is really quite fun. it's for my yep (ocip). going to vietnam this december for 3 weeks! there goes my holiday... but oh well i'm not regretting.


this photo was taken during the last chem lab session. chem prac really isn't what it used to be. no rudylee to tell u what to/demonstrate stuff =( it's go online, download the prac, watch videos online on how to do all the new stuff u've never done before, scribble those steps on the inadequately-described practical handout, go to the lab, start doing ur stuff, and when u're done hand in ur work (usually a sealed packet of whatever sample you've purified) and then leave. at least that's how my org chem prac went. but i've got great bench mates so it's not that stressful.


sunset!



well i saw this hanging in a car. if you manage to read what it says, it's this guy declaring his love for his manliness in the I <3 NY style. hint: it says "I <3 MY P...."



HA! bet the last time you went for an excursion to the zoo with ur cher and ur classmates was like long long ago. I went last week for the biodiversity module. it was raining too. and it was one day after the white tiger incident.




and finally.....







I photocopied my fone. -.-
hey! but it looks so artistic can? i shldn't have folded the paper. but it nonetheless remains nice enough for me to want to pin it up on my noticeboard.


soooo....
wishing everyone a great 23rd of november and to all those taking exams/CAs soon, best of luck too!
nehnannypoopoo my exams end on 26thnov nehnannypoopoo



2/1/0,
alvin
(hm u know like. less than 3? like <3)

omg it's 5am OKBYE!

Tuesday, 18 November 2008

from me

It's great to see this place so alive. I think we're getting more and more used to the fact that our lives have moved on, and this blog has become a place through which we can only hope to stay in touch.

I don't really like talking about army life. But anyway, for the sake of updating you guys, no, I'm not a third sergeant in BMT like Yongzi's list suggested. Somehow I'm in the most chiong-sua wing of the army, the Infantry, and I'm a section commander here. Now's lull period while we wait for the enlistees to come in December and take them through the life cycle of a rifleman; next year will be a hell of a year which will culminate in Brunei and the much-awaited, much-anticipated ORD. Don't really want to say which unit I'm in; you can ask me personally if you want, I just don't want random people from my unit searching and somehow stumbling onto this blog and consequently, my blog. I really prefer keeping my army and civilian (okay, I don't like the word civilian too, because it's just such an army word. ie. when you're a civilian walking the streets, you don't think you're a civilian at all. You just are one.) worlds apart.

About why I don't like talking about army life. I think I've gone through the entire cycle of emotions you can experience when it comes to the military. I've been excited about the army, sian about it, hated it to the core, been really disappointed in it, angry with it and scared of it. I've experienced incredible joy and fun here; I've also gone through despair and desolateness, all in the army. Somehow ever since I got my third sergeant rank three months ago I've just felt strangely detached from everything. Feelings and emotions become easier to suppress, hide. I don't really get excited or happy about anything in army anymore; neither do I get terribly sad or sian - I just feel a void within me where those emotions should have been. Sometimes it feels like I'm already above it all, in a kind of tranquility, unaffected by all the things going on in the army. But of course occasionally I do get worked up too. Yeah, so if you ask me 'how's life in army?' or questions as such, it's a bit hard for me to reply. It's not shiong, it's not fun, it's not sian, it's not terrible. I just don't really feel anything anymore.

It's a very stark contrast to my life on the Outside. When I come out of camp, I begin reclaiming back those emotions that used to be a very important part of me. I think I'm learning more and discovering more about myself each day I'm outside of camp. The thing about booking-out is that it's so short, it makes you ponder what you really enjoy most in life, and consequently what you should do during this time. Some time ago I realised that, and stopped packing my weekends full with all sorts of gatherings, movie sessions and dinner outings. I still enjoy them, but I realise after a weekend packed full of such stuff, I don't feel wholesome, I don't feel super recharged, I don't feel a huge sense of fulfillment. Sure, it's fun, but after that? I'm getting in touch with my introverted side as well, and finding pleasure doing other kinds of stuff.

Dreaming up lots of plans for post-ORD. I kind of want to be a lazy bum, and not go to work at all. I'm seriously considering backpacking for an extended period of time, say six months. With friends for part of the way and alone for part of the way. Maybe through seeing more of the world, I can see more into myself at the same time. I don't see any other time period in the forseeable future when I'd be able to take so much time off and just do what I want with my life, the way I want it. So post-ORD's definitely going to be a big thing for me. Get in touch with me if you have similarly idealistic thoughts. Haha.

Kai Herng

Wednesday, 12 November 2008

BECAUSE WE LOVE OUR LAND AND WE WANT IT TO BE FREE, TO BE FREE

To do justice to the MEN protecting this country :D
2 Officers to be, 3 Medical Officers, 4 specialists, 1 signaller

jinrong - nus med
andrew - 3sg
sean - armour
irvin - 3sg field engineer
niklas - OCT
soonhuat - heard he dropped out of the last course due to injury, now OCT again
bensing - nus med
kaiherng - BMT 3sg
adrian - nus med
yongzi - 3sg
liangen - nus med
alvin - nus fos
aaron - signaller
miaojing - ntu biz
shirli - camb econs
jaime - nus fos
chiaming - smu law-biz
jane - nus law
katrina - uoi
wailumn - upenn biz
chernwei - lse econs

Monday, 10 November 2008

heya~!

contrary to 'popular' belief, i'm not very free. but ok, shall save the blog left stranded and abandoned on this lonely monday night.

hmm. school's pretty much routinised and we all complain about being like living machines. you know, go there at this fixed, programmed time on particular days, do what you're supposed to do, process it, apply it, go home, repeat process. but it's pretty much about that huh? (of course, there's always the random stuff sprinkled here and there..) whether it's at the workplace, at school, in the army, 'people' (and we practically don't know who these legendary 'people' are) always have plans for us. so we just carry them out. a very surreal experience. it's as if you're there, and then again, you aren't really. you're just living out something else.

i think everyone in class is doing pretty well all around the world, a little less than half in army, a little more than half studying our asses off.. or maybe not =)

let's make a list of who's where as of now.. let me try to remember the class list..

ok i can't remember. i shall use the photo up there.

jinrong - nus med
andrew
sean
irvin
niklas
soonhuat
bensing - nus med
kaiherng
adrian - nus med
yongzi
liangen - nus med
alvin - nus fos
aaron
miaojing
shirli - camb econs
jaime - nus fos
chiaming - smu law-biz
jane - nus law
katrina - uoi
wailumn - upenn biz
chernwei - lse econs

is it? if anything's wrong, feel free to change it or add stuff (like modules or courses or scholarships or double degree or majors or minors or miscellaneous programmes or ccas or exchange or what not) =) and apologies if i got it wrong! the army people can put in whatever posting, rank, etc. haha.

since i don't really have much to say about myself, shall just let the pictures do the talking..






















my campus at night.. taken by a rather shaky tired hand. it's a pretty campus.. isolate from the rest of nus at krc (kent ridge campus) and quiet. nice to walk around when it's raining. then the blinds will come down automatically. it's quite funny cuz people sit at those ledges (the semicircles) and when the blinds come down when it's raining, they have to get down fast or be trapped outside with the 'cats and dogs' (read: 'raining cats and dogs'). which i find amusing. especially when they lay out so many papers and such. and i saunter pass.. apathetically. oops. haha. anyone who wants to come over just let me know =) wow. sounds like such an advertisement.






















well, a lot of swearing? from coursemates and lecturers, etc. like during seminar, we were 'introduced' to this term, lppl. and apparently, the army guys are supposed to know, but we all looked so lost. google it if you have any interest. and stuff like SFW and BFD.. *to try not be influenced* i can understand if people want to swear for some valid reason, but it gets annoying when some people think they're still in army and attach profanities to every single sentence. so what if you were a commander or you were from army? every one else has toned it down or at least realised that, well, you're not in the army anymore. so get over it. wake up. show some respect.






















graffiti at vivo. vw roadshow. saw my ex-colleagues from the last roadshow and they could recognise me =)) that aside, it didn't occur to me that vw and graffiti could go together. but it's really quite a cool concept. wonder how much the setup cost this time..






















i always thought that the font was deliberately made small so that the books can be in a reasonable size and of a reasonable weight. the picture shows that 7 lines of the criminal law textbook can fit into the first 'joint' (*gets hammered by med people*) of my little finger. my boss used to tell me that her degrees shot up during her pupilage. never doubted that. will never doubt that. but will try to take good care of my eyesight as of now.





























another page of the textbook. i won't be so naive as to think that anyone would seriously want to read it. but in any case, the point was to show that law is not that detached from science, math and equations.

ok. gotta do my tutorial now. all the best to the uni people in the mid-years (and finals for some modules)! looking forward to seeing the overseas people returning and to the short holidays too =)) as for the rest, enjoy ns! =D lol.

Sunday, 2 November 2008

Hai :]

I have the honour of adding spam to the board, which is in a state sorrier by the day. But still quite ok I guess, considering I'm actually posting and I believe some people still check it :]

Unit life as a man is beautiful (uh what is responsibility, chiongsua and extra?) The environment is nice but sometimes prickly, as someone demonstrated how to make 100 enemies in 1 night.
I used to feel guilty doing nothing when people were doing things. But after a while I realised they were doing things only to cover up for having nothing to do. Anyway next week will have plenty of things to do. 2nd outfield since bmt. Bad things always happen during outfield. The last time we went out, the stock market crashed. Maybe thats why the regulars all so emo during recovery. Whats next? Palin for president?


note to jane: you also seem very free eh...

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