not missed

yes this is an update of my life.

considering that i might not be able to post tomorrow i shall post right now with regards to my year of 2017. well.. recent bad events cannot mask the good things that happen throughout the last 12 months. moreover, among the bad things that happened, some good can be extracted as well.

in 2017, i am thankful for a precious internship opportunity. yes, indeed, as much as i complained about the workload and expectations of the internship, it was a good period of time for me to grow and explore what is really out there. i managed to learn stuff that isn't taught in classrooms. i managed to understand how science communications come in when i am working with tons of people from various backgrounds and knowledge.

in 2017, i am thankful to have a compassionate FYP supervisor. yes, while initially he did not want to "adopt" me as a FYP student, i managed to work under him for my FYP. i am fortunate to be working in a specific field that i am interested in. i am fortunate to have a supervisor who is ever ready to answer my queries or meet me in between his busy schedule.

in 2017, i am thankful to be healthy most of the time. yes, near the end of last semester and last couple of days i am plagued by sickness that i had minimal control over. nonetheless, as i am getting better already, i am thankful i am still able to be healthy overall.

in 2017, i am thankful to be alive. yes, the accident i mentioned couple posts back sure shine some light and new perspective. in a blink of an eye, i could have disappeared from the world. i am so glad to be able to walk and function as per normal. i am so glad to be able to wake up the next day. i am so glad to be alive today.

as the new year dawns, i hope my close ones and i remain healthy and happy. until next time then, cheers.

the greatest show

this is me

bad note

yes this is an update of my life.

back from a short getaway.. something i think it was more of disaster than a holiday. all i can say that i am really thankful and glad my family is all alright. long story short, we were involved in an accident that could result to something way worse than it was. i will not be talking about it here because i hope i would forget about this episode. while this might signal a bad note to end 2017, i hope in days to come, in fact years as well, we will not have to experience such a thing again.

treasure your love ones. treasure the people around you. treasure those who stands by you. you never know when it will be the last time. this episode sure placed us in a very clear perspective to certain stuff. until next time then, cheers.

running from running

yes this an update of my life.

peaceful night to write out a little update of my life right now. less weights in my heart and my mind since i have completed the parts of my FYP report that i aimed to complete by this week. not much but good enough to set the pace of my writing. moreover, to carry on writing, i need more extensive planning and consulting with my mentors before proceeding with confidence and conviction.

of course not all weights have been unloaded.. still unsure if my ear infection is completely heal or not. haha at this point in time i question if legit there is a problem or am i just being paranoid. you see, i don't want to spend too much money to head to the next review which will be with a specialist in a hospital.. but at the same time i want to eradicate the problem and be sure of it. like the Chinese saying goes where you remove weeds by uprooting them completely and not to just trim the top.

moving on, i realise i have sort of broken my holiday tradition of keeping fit through night runs this winter break. i find myself running from running routine. why? i keep finding reasons to not run.. at times legit reasons but other times.. plain excuses. legit reasons being heavy downpour or being sick. plain excuses being too tired after a day out or doing too much FYP thus draining to much brain energy. yeah, i know, running no need use too much brain juice.. that is why i say plain excuses. ohh wells, what a way to end 2017 in the aspect of maintaining good exercise habit haha. until next time then, cheers.

bad english

yes this is an update of my life.

wondering if my ear problem is due to the previous infection or what not. my ears have been giving me problems for almost a month now. so annoying and costly so far. got referred to ENT specialist in January. i am sure the trip down will not be cheap and i am still pondering if i should go. who knows if i am paranoid or not. who knows if this issue is a permanent "damage" or not. sigh.. last thing i need now is to have such health issue bothering me and adding to my stress.

yeah.. winter break also got stress.. first time in 4 years of university life.. thanks to FYP of course. i have finally dragged my ass to start writing my FYP report with my bad english. so unsure of how i should go about writing and what not. nonetheless i am powering through and doing as much as i can. have aimed to finish one more small part before i head to my short getaway this long weekend.. so that i can arrange to meet with my supervisor in early January or what not. until next time then, cheers.

rewrite the stars

from now on

showman

yes this is an update of my life.

i mentioned listening to new tunes these few days in my previous post. in this post i am going to comment on another album that i have been looping for few days now. it is the original soundtrack album from the upcoming movie "The Greatest Showman".

well, it is a musical movie so one would expect the album to be decent. yeah while musical movies like this ought to have a spectacular list of tracks, this isn't the case for some of them. however, with that said, this one lives up to that stereotype and expectation. the songs are really really inspirational and great. i love almost every single track of the album. in case you have yet to watch the trailers for this movie, do so right now.

having heard the album, i am more intrigued into catching it in the cinemas. hmm.. i wonder if i can bring myself to do so lol or if any of my friends would want to as well haha. until next time then, cheers.

reputation

yes this is an update of my life.

it feels as though today is my first day of winter break. no plans. not touching FYP. a day where i sleep in and be awake just to eat and watch my shows. not doing anything productive can be good but i guess i will get bored of it after a few days of such a lifestyle. then again, my schedule for the next couple of days prevent me from doing so anyway.

yeah, maybe tomorrow still can have such a lifestyle but come this weekend, my tuition classes are back again. then Monday would yet be another day trip to campus.

moving on, i have been listening to quite a few new songs as well. today i would like to talk about few of them. they are from an album in fact. yeah, you might have guessed from the title of this blog. it is "Reputation" by Taylor Swift.

well, you cannot expect a fan of Taylor Swift to give an album a miss even if his friends commented that it isn't really good. after all, i have to listen for myself. so i did.. in fact at least twice. verdict? not as nice as previous albums but not as bad as some people think.

i would say this is a really fresh new take by her and it is probably the main reason why those people didn't really like this album. nonetheless, the lyrics remain great and impactful.. like those in her previous albums as well. of course, i don't love every song in the album but there are few that are really nice.. and i would share them here someday for sure. until next time then, cheers.

half a mess

yes this an update of my life.

somewhat relieved and happy with my FYP progress after this afternoon. now i can take a couple days off the project and appreciate my winter break before continuing. yeah "relieved" and "happy".. i can highlight exactly why these two.

i am relieved because i thought i would take way longer to clear this part of coding and analysis considering the silly fatal error i made earlier this week. so what happened then was i did not realise a careless error in my code that resulted to half of the results churned out on earlier this week to be rather off. so yeah imagine the feeling i got when i realised i practically wasted more than half a day at the start of this week. so i had to spend yesterday and today morning clearing out this half a mess. then only thereafter i can carry on. i think caffeine from my cups of tea today drove me real well.

i am happy because this is more or less the last major part of my analysis. the next step would be presenting all these to my mentor to ensure i am doing what i think he expects me to do. if that stage is passed, i can focus completely on writing my thesis. so yeah technically i can start writing my thesis now.. just excluding those outputs and results first. but.. nah.. like i said i want to take a couple days to enjoy my winter break first.

anyway, i have 5 more weeks of winter break. i can afford certain level of procrastination. next week will be away for a short getaway as well. no city life.. just beach and a cozy room. until next time then, cheers.

new year's day

don't blame me

handclap

baby steps

yes this is an update of my life.

everyday feels like a weekend when you are on break. still finding the needed motivation to actually do something productive. well, updating here is somewhat productive i would say.. so for now i will take that while justifying i did something meaningful and productive day in day out. baby steps towards more productive days.

i have roughly 5 weeks of winter break to make significant progress in my FYP. sometimes things tend to align pretty well in terms of timing. this week most of my shows will be airing their final episode before taking roughly a month's break from air. this would allow me to watch and enjoy my first few days of winter break before these distractions are written off my schedule so as to allow me to be more focused on FYP.

so it is settled then, i shall start working hard on FYP stuff next week onwards. ought to do something first if i want to meet my supervisor once more in late December. well, he suggested January meeting but i hinted late December if possible. why, Alvin, why? well, mainly so that i could make use of the time at hand and not procrastinate and what not.

been pondering a little on employment as well. got some rough ideas but nothing is set in stone.. so shan't really comment much about it until i decide and finally take some sort of action. until next time then, cheers.

out from cave, into winter

yes this is an update of my life.

well hello hello good people of the good world. i have finally crawled out of my little cave and brought my sorry ass here to do a proper update of my life. yes i kind of fell off the grid couple of weeks back. my world was kind of spiralling a little crazy. sickness, exams, worries, obligations, adult woos. i shall tap of those today.. like i said, proper update first.

sickness. apparently i found my hearing to be bad as i felt my ear getting blocked by something two weeks ago or so. initially i thought it was due to some common cold or what not.. then i realised i was not showing signs of flu or cough. yawning and swallowing hard did not help with the blockage in my ear. so after a week's delay i went to my family doctor to learn that i have some infection in my throat that spread to my middle ear. the blocking feeling is due to that. wow.. just wow. never in my last 24 years i have had experience such an infection. first time for everything? well this one isn't a good first time thing. so yeah.. powerful infection.. currently still in midst of recovering. fingers crossed.

exams. three finals, all core modules, were good enough to force me to my little cave and mug my ass off. core module 1, i failed midterms rather badly and had to create a miracle in hope to score a B+ at least. well the finals was slightly better for me i guess. i was more calm and could do more questions as compared to midterms. the rest is up to fate and bell curve. core module 2, easy module but time consuming finals. the lecturer commented that he would set a tougher paper than last year. he did and i was kind of glad i guess.. steep bell curve isn't a good thing. core module 3, so many careless mistakes made and i was so angry with myself. was feeling more angry than happy even though finals were over. ohh wells.. bell curve and fate then.

worries. i consider myself as one who plans ahead so when i am faced with too much uncertainty or tied up in a really messy ball of yarn i tend to overthink a little. so unwanted worries will kick in and this was what happened.. i was really stressed about the next step of FYP for i was totally stuck with the analysis part. so instead of concentrating on finals revision.. my mind tend to stray to think about that nonsense during reading week. well, slight better news is that earlier today i met my supervisor to clear certain doubts out and naturally more work is in placed this December.

obligations. yeah, my cousin got married earlier this week.. yeah right smack in the middle of my exam period. nonetheless, obligation. mental note to self.. having an outdoor wedding is really romantic.. but not practical in a weather like Singapore's.

adult woos. i am in my final year. the first semester has passed. means i am so close to graduating. means i have to start hunting for jobs really soon. a little sad to think of such a thing but i guess that is life. one chapter ends so as to allow another to begin. job hunting will be the start of the many adult woos.

so winter is here. no, not the "Game of Thrones" winter but rather winter break. while i know i have to cover tons of grounds in my FYP during this few weeks, i hope i can make full use of this break to relax and enjoy while i attend to some of my adult woos. until next time then, cheers.

disturbed

poor Buffon

yes this an update of my life.

on the final lap towards the start of finals. like i mentioned in the previous post, i have two weeks of reading week. now that half of one week is gone.. i am 25% through this final lap. how well prepared i am? not really yet of course.. whether is it 25% as well i also cannot really figure out. nonetheless, at least i am making full use of each day. how would i know so? well i go to bed every night with minimal or no regrets.. knowing that i have made full use of the day.

on to another thing that is rather sad for the world of football fans. Italy will not be playing in the next World Cup after being beaten in their latest qualifying match. in other words, we will not be seeing the legendary keeper Buffon in action for the last time in World Cup. yeah he is about the age of retirement from the sport.. and true enough, he announced his retirement from international football after that match. poor dude.. i was so hoping to see him play in the World Cup after having great performances in Euro and his club matches. such is life. until next time then, cheers.

twice the reading

yes this is an update of my life.

this morning marked the official end of lessons for the current semester. my almost-two-weeks-worth of reading week begins. let me talk about this morning's last "lesson" first. well, i termed it as "lesson" because technically just had to appear with my project group to present on our report for like an odd 20 minutes or so.. not exactly learning new things. so yeah.. we cleared that CA.. with no help from a useless teammate who practically went missing since the middle of the semester. no replies to our messages.. no show at our meetings.. no contributions to report and slide.

in the end her name did not appear in any of our submission.. our lecturer is well aware of the situation as well. this morning's presentation she wasn't there too.. surprise surprise lol. apparently she emailed the lecturer to say that she was sick.. yeah sure you are "sick". ohh wells.. i am prepared to meet such weird people next time in the working world already lol.

so yeah reading week is here.. have 3 papers but all are very content heavy. these two weeks are so precious.. have to create a miracle for one of the module as well. first day off to a shaky start but let's hope i get progressively more productive each day. until next time then, cheers.

made me do

hell week

yes this is an update of my life.

well if you realised that in the past 5 days or so i have not really posted any proper updates on this platform. yes, you guessed it.. i have been facing a hell of a week in the last 5 days. two projects due at the end of this week is really no joke.

started the week with mental preparation of not going to have decent sleep for the rest of the week and i was not wrong. Tuesday and Wednesday saw myself sleeping at the most unearthly hour in the entire semester.. 4am. yes you read that right haha.. okay technically that would count as early morning of Wednesday and Thursday. could not afford to take naps during the day as well. there was seriously too much stuff to do.

well at least one good thing that came out of this week was the welfare pack. great thanks to everyone who were involved in preparing and packing and distributing of those awesome packs. so sad.. my second last welfare pack already haha.. now i left one more presentation on Monday before my reading week begins. yeah i have almost 2 weeks worth of reading week. need to really recharge before bulldozing through my revision and finals preparation. until next time then, cheers.

jungle book

kung fu

full of stars

fight song, amazing grace

piano creations

yes this is an update of my life.

past two days have been so busy that i barely touch my studies. felt really weird to go back to revision again minutes ago. well, of course it did not went well.. or else i wouldn't be here typing this update on my blog.. haha. nonetheless, i foresee a hell week next week. two projects are due.. none of those is even more than halfway done.

group project can be a good and bad thing.. i can't really put my finger on which one though. nonetheless, doing countless group projects in college so far definitely helped me to learn many life lessons and life skills.. lol. i am pretty sure these will come in more handy than the content and knowledge used in accomplishing the project itself.

camping in school on a Friday night for tomorrow morning is the welfare pack packing. yeah.. it is that time of the semester again. welfare packs. chilling and enjoying my evening with fine tunes by The Piano Guys. i recently got my hands on two of their later few albums and am currently looping some of the good pieces they have in them. will be sharing them here soon. until next time then, cheers.

immigrant song

No..v

yes this is an update of my life.

wait, what? it is the second last month of the year 2017? well, that sucks.. how time flies. it seemed only yesterday when i was enjoying my December holidays in Taiwan. it seemed only yesterday when i counted down to 2017. it seemed only yesterday that i was still a year 3. it seemed only yesterday that i told myself that probably in a year's time i need to start opening my eyes to look for job opportunities.

well, well, well, here i am, in November 2016. still at a shock at how fast time is moving. yes i have to start to look out for job opportunities really soon. if i want to head for graduation trip, i ought to start planning soon as well. anyway, moving on to something slightly more fun.

so i caught the new movie instalment of "Thor" and the picture above sort of sum up my feel towards the movie. action is good. character build up is good. but well, such superhero movie plots aren't going to deviate much from how it will end and what not.. hence the slightly less impressed face. there were numerous funny scenes as well and of course, not forgetting Stan Lee's cameo.

i think original superhero movies soon will not impressive me. i am more into big scaled superhero movies involving very big plots and many heroes.. sort of those in "Avengers" and "Justice League" kind of thing. i realised that in such original superhero movies.. i mainly look forward to two things.. Stan Lee's cameo and post credit scenes.

well, i am not going to say it is a disappointment or what but personally i have quite high expectations for movies. personally, i rate it as average but i am sure many more would say it is good. until next time then, cheers.

run

shadow monster

yes this is an update of my life.

time check, week 11 of semester 1 of year 4. things are not getting easier for sure. this coming few days and next week will be one hell of a hectic ride. nonetheless, i choose to remain positive and stand up from the recent blow to the face as i take on the final three weeks of the semester.

piles of submissions are mounting during these two weeks. FYP is going slightly smooth i guess.. the results churned out is a little questionable and weird but real data is as such i guess. there are bound to be limitations in a real dataset. am expected to churn out some presentation slides to present to my co-supervisor soon as well. mad rush for time but necessary i guess. would be good to obtain more insights on how this project can be carried on from where i am right now. i am also aware that i am doing slightly faster than expected hence i would say FYP is doing alright.. at least among the other modules i am reading.

on to something more light hearted.. here is a snapshot from the second season of "Stranger Things". still wondering if there will be future seasons and episodes of this show. the shadow monster sure instilled quite a fear throughout this season but slightly disappointed that it has not much screen time haha. until next time then, cheers.

brooding

yes this is an update of my life.

unfortunately, yes, i am still harping on the fact that i am on the left tail as mentioned in the previous post. going to comment a little more before moving on to something better.

about four years ago.. with a shitty A levels results i managed to got into NUS.. not by the conventional method but rather after the discretionary admission interview. till date, i still remember the anxiety as i waited for the outcome of the interview back then. upon knowing that i was accepted into NUS, i was really elated and promised myself to never be on the extreme left side of the curve. being there throughout JC and even among the applicants entering Science course in NUS have made me vow never to be there again. i wanted to work hard to prevent such things from happening.

well, it did went well as i strive to stay on the correct side for 3+ years. this recent one reminds me of where i was back in those days where grades told me i am a stupid and dumb student. therefore, it takes a little toll on me. grit, Alvin, grit. yes, i know, i have to get up soon.

moving on to better things. managed to finish binge watching season 2 of "Stranger Things". this season is definitely better than the first. the ending was better. the action was better. the plot was better. nonetheless, there are still questions unanswered and new stuff introduced.. which can be developed in future seasons. i wonder will there be any more seasons after this. either way.. even if this is the last season, i think it would not be that bad as well. you should watch. until next time then, cheers.

left tail

yes this is an update of my life.

yet another week past. still surviving mentally but barely. this past week has been a rather rollercoaster ride as well. from things to be really happy about to things to be really sad/angry about. two extremes occurring within a really short time.

college is generally a place where stress is mounting continuously but the company one has can really make a real difference. this is where i could be happy about the past week. the Science subcommittee i'm in has finally met.. twice in the last week to iron out many things. had welcome tea earlier in the week where we really met one another like how new people meet in an orientation camp.. over food, little games and random chit chats. our first more serious meeting went great as well.. am part of the video and photography team. cannot wait to start working with the group of awesome people and learning new things throughout this academic year.

so thankful for such great company. people ask how come among the crazy busy life of college, i still want to fork out time for such CCA. well, personally such avenue is a great way to enforce relaxation from the mundane books and papers. who knows, this would be beneficial when i look back few years from now.

alright, going to touch on the sad part a little as well.. for most personal battles are fought in one's head. i think one of the saddest thing one can experience while studying or working is that after putting in all that you can and what not, you are being told that you are just not good enough.. that's it. well, i had this familiar experience when i got back one of the midterm result this past week. it was the worst in recent semesters.. probably worse than the previous worst result way back in year 1 semester 1. however, that time there was S/U option for core modules.. but this time.. no.

how bad? let's just say i am sitting "comfortably" on the left most side of the bell curve quartile. it os so going to be difficult climb from here on out.. and i wonder if it is even possible. like i said, most battles are fought in one's head. i am still finding the strength and motivation to stand up after this fatal fall.

on the other note, i also think i need a friend replacement for a person.. haha. too many times and effort wasted trying to build one side of the bridge.. hmm. until next time then, cheers.

teased by the heavens

yes this is an update of my life.

this is the first Wednesday since the beginning of the semester where i can really relax and not do anything much related to school. for the past 9 weeks, my Wednesdays have be filled with school work related stuff and tuition. those tuition classes were on Wednesday were in place as the PSLE exams were near back then. now, PSLE is over and i am somewhat on pace with my school work.. hence, the possibility of relaxing today.

feels as though i am on holiday but i know this is just for today. tomorrow will be back to the grind. last evening's first meeting with subcommittee members was great. food was great, time spent together was great. yeah, there were awkward silences at times but hey for the first time we are meeting, i got to say it was more lively than i expected. real work begins tomorrow evening as we enter our first official meeting to iron out roles and what not.

last week was cool in terms of the weather on campus but this week? the heavens are teasing us.. gloomy and cloudy more often than sunny but.. no rain. not as cooling as last week and each day i hope that rain comes to keep the grounds cooler. time to head back tocatch up on the shows i am following. until next time then, cheers.

the breeze we need

yes this is an update of my life.

anyone else as hyped as me for the season 2 of "Stranger Things"? well.. counting the days to Friday.. then i can hide in a corner all weekend to watch the entire season.

today was surprisingly a slightly more productive day than i expected it to be. two factors i guess. one, the weather. two, i refused to nap in the afternoon like i usually do. the entire week last week was so hot and humid.. thankfully this morning's weather was chilling and cold enough to make my room temperature to be at a comfortable level. woke up to slight rain and then breeze took over the entire morning. it is the breeze we need, not the breeze we deserve.. lol.

if you did not get that reference then it is alright. moving on, still working on the useless assignment i was talking about couple of posts back. this lecturer last warning.. just released another piece of work that has to been handed in on the same day as his useless assignment. this week and next week will be slightly of a hell week for me i guess.. well at least in terms of submission. nonetheless, outside of academics, there are events to look forward to as well. may i have the strength and wisdom to pull through. until next time then, cheers.

near the end

yes this is an update of my life.

yet another weekend gone. got to say i guess i had a rather decent weekend catching up on my sleep time and what not. managed to pace my lifestyle better this weekend. not much work accomplished but nevermind i will have to work slightly harder this coming 5 days.

that being said, it is the start of week 10 tomorrow. i am so focus on breathing and keep myself afloat the entire semester so much so that most weekdays feel like a serious survival course. i am surviving rather than living this entire semester so far and i don't really like it. then again, i guess this is what is of a final year student. the difficulty of modules, the workload, the stress, the agony, the frantic.. all have gone up many many notches from the previous years/semesters.

week 10.. the week count is in double digits.. meaning in about a month's time, it will be reading week. just before that would be when all the deadlines of projects and assignments. above all.. the tedious FYP. haha.. FYP. something i ought to re-visit and continue to work on this few days.

well, at least there is something to look forward to this week.. meeting new friends in the Science subcommittee. until next time then, cheers.

world of dreams

useless assignment

yes this is an update of my life.

so glad that i am able to catch up some work today. looking at the things i have to really spend a lot of time to do.. there is one more task left that requires a lot of my attention, time and brain juice. worse still, it is useless. so yes, there is this assignment for a particular module that is completely useless. let me explain myself a little.

so this assignment is an application from what we have learned. sounds good? well not exactly, because it is a very big jump from the theory. this application skill needed in this assignment is not very useful and transferable to many jobs out there as well. while the theory part might be tested, this practical part is definitely not going to be covered in the final exam. so the one and only good thing from this useless assignment is the pathetic 15% of overall grade.

that silly work aside, finally the good news arrived. am part of the Science sub-committee as well. looking forward to what's ahead and the new people i am going to meet. yes, time will get a little crammed and packed but it will always be a fruitful experience in the end. may i be able to juggle this new addition to my busy semester well. until next time then, cheers.

archangel

rock/metal cover

more steam

yes this is an update of my life.

reality check.. it is Week 9 of the semester. things are not looking good i would say.. at least in terms of studies wise. the content of two of my core level 4000 modules is disgusting. well, i love statistics, yes, but the amount of content they feed us in a given period of time is insane. furthermore, not all the teaching staffs can teach well enough to convey those new ideas and knowledge to the students. this is evident from the students' performances in various assessments. pretty evident, in fact.

nonetheless, i am hungry to improve and sort out my doubts. however, i am missing the steam these few days. maybe it is partly due to the fact that i had my last midterm paper only last week and needed to rest a little. my heart says rest but my mind knows better than that.. i cannot rest too long for it is already the second half of the semester.. a period where there are many assignments and projects due. and all these are above the fact that i need to catchup on the lectures.

ohh good gracious, may i find that steam to power through the remaining of the semester. i do not only want to survive but to do and score well this semester. i can do this. until next time then, cheers.

always

scrambling with code

yes this is an update of my life.

thankful that i can heave a sigh of relief today after meeting with my FYP mentor. the scrambling of running and testing so many models worked out well. at least now i know which one can be used and i can carry on from here. just when i thought i have to head back to write and analyse this weekend, i was notified that the next meeting with him would be two weeks form now.. so in a way still got a little more time to put it on hold first.

i realised i have been scrambling with coding and not saving the graphs and what not that eventually are needed in my report. hmm.. maybe i should use the extra time to do so soon. then again, there are few assignments, on top of the usual tutorials, to clear next week. see how this goes then.. timely to have a FYP break next week as well i guess.

also in the process of joining back Science Club subcommittee.. hope all goes well and then i will be busier. like i said before, busy is good. looking forward to what lies ahead. until next time then, cheers.

destructive papers

yes this is an update of my life.

so yesterday was the end of the series of midterm papers. and by "series", i meant two papers. yeah while the number of papers is few, the difficulty is immense. guess over the last 3 years or so i would have mentioned couple of times that i really dislike the idea of having midterms more than i like. let me start with why i like them. well, they set the pace and expectation of the final exam of the module. at least one can anticipate better the level of difficulty, the amount of preparation need and what not.

as for the bad side, simply put, the midterms can be very disruptive to my semester studies. when there are midterms to prepare for, i realise my brain cannot really focus on the lessons that are ongoing during the weeks of midterms. i find myself heavily invested into the midterms, halting the learning of other modules. tutorials will pause, learning will pause. then once midterms are over, i have to almost immediately get back into catching up with the lectures and classes. well, more often than not my brain insists on resting a little first.

so, today is the day my brain takes a real break before moving on fast again. my lectures and tutorials will be caught up only after today. as for the dead ends i rammed into during my FYP analysis previously, i shall wait to see if my mentor can rectify the situation or what not in tomorrow's meeting. timely to have all the regular shows i watch annually to start their new seasons this week as well. until next time then, cheers.

what i've done

impossible

more weekend time

yes this is an update of my life.

so this weekend i have fewer tuition classes.. since PSLE is over. two less students, two less lessons. more time to sleep. more time to watch my shows/movies. more time to chill. more time to do schoolwork. wait.. what.

i realised i am a little of a workaholic. maybe is my OCD side of me that is causing this as well. i feel uneasy whenever i don't do anything for a long time. hence, at times school work is something i turn to if i find myself doing other things for too long. maybe is guilt of not handling the important stuff as well.. considering the more important things present in my life now is school-related. ohh wells.. off to kick start and more free weekend. until next time then, cheers.

yarn

yes this is an update of my life.

currently tangled in a very messy ball of yarn. thing is i have experienced and come across this yarn couple of times. yet i still find myself struggling to find my way out. so much thoughts, so much choices, so much possibilities, so much uncertainties. just when i thought i see some light, darkness took over yet again.

i know i am not suppose to focus on this issue right now but rather the upcoming midterms. nonetheless, now or after midterms, this will still bite me in the back. i just letting it bite now and not do anything about it. hopefully i can find the optimism to handle this the best possible way. until next time then, cheers.

singaporean cover

stranger in the north

unleashed

yes this is an update of my life.

hello weekends. okay, not like it made much of a difference being Saturday since i have be relaxing since Thursday evening. hanging out, catching up on shows/movies, playing a childhood game. so i am going to point out four things that i find worth mentioning.

first and foremost, the new year for the science committee is upon NUS FoS. the heads are being selected and what not, very soon the member sign ups will be available and the whole new cycle will begin again. being in my final year and having joined it last year, i am very interested in trying out again this year. in particular, as of now i have two committees in mind. let's see how this will go. fingers crossed.

then, next i would like highlight a movie i watched last night titled "Baby Driver". i was shocked at its IMDB ratings and thought that i might give it a little shot and watch it. well, no regrets there. while the storyline is not very surprising, i like how the plot thickens every few minutes and how the characters were developed. the pace wasn't too fast or too slow.. to my liking. naturally, the fact that i highlighted it here, i would recommend one to catch it as well.

now, to my childhood game. managed to download a software on my Macbook Pro that allowed me to play this game that is essentially only available on Windows computers. it is none other than "Little Fighter 2". well, if you know this game, good for you. if not, it is okay, you can try if you want to. little trick to unlock characters is to type "lf2.net" and hit "ENTER" when you are at the loading screen.

last but not the least, Two Steps From Hell's 2017 album. i am currently listening to it.. like literally just started.. third track. check out the album art.

well, i am sure this album will not disappoint. new trailer tunes.. woohoo. until next time then, cheers.

somewhere i belong

models

yes this is an update of my life.

battling a little with my throat. was sore for the past two days.. today the sore is gone but i have occasional coughs. good gracious me.. not even stressing myself and yet my body shows signs of stress. maybe it is just a inevitable effect. being stressed about school creates time stress. being very chill about school creates stress from probably paranoia. what a weird body i have.

so been working on my revision at a very comfortable pace. ironically, the most "stressful" part of my recess week isn't the revision for midterms but rather working on my FYP. have to focus on creating, selecting, running models for the entire of this week before heading to meet my supervisor again on Monday.

away from work, all my usual shows are slowing starting their respective new seasons. something to look forward to day in day out. until next time then, cheers.

your problems

yes this is an update of my life.

each time a new update on my Macbook pops up, i break into cold sweat. bad past experience i guess. nonetheless, thank goodness that this update is smooth with slight hard hump. hope not jinx-ing it. so yeah, here i am using the new software. i am also aware about the new update for my iphone but i have yet to update as well.. lol.

moving on, i am having a little sore throat. ohh man.. i haven't even over-exert myself and yet my throat decides to give way. been spamming water and what not to keep the breakdown. in the mean time, i am catching up on my modules. after meeting my FYP supervisor yesterday, i have new set of analysis to run as well. that is currently on hold.

being a year 4 has its perks i guess. i have 2 midterms and they start pretty late, not immediately after recess week. so, technically i can really seize this recess week to relax and enjoy myself.

finally, i would like to highlight something interesting i came across the other day. it was from a video which i did not think about saving the link. this speaker spoke about people knowing your problems and that you letting your problems known is very likely to be useless in helping yourself. yes, saying your problems out is pretty useless since "90% doesn't care, 10% would be happy you have them". hmm.. is this too pessimistic?

so i question myself on both sides.. me being the person telling my problems and me on the receiving end of someone's complains. then i came to a conclusion myself. while his statement is somewhat drastic.. i prefer to keep the idea of telling others about your problems doesn't help but not because all of them don't care or are glad you have them. yes, while there is a handful that might fall in those categories, i think at the end of the day, for most problems.. there is only one person who can solve them. the person facing it. folks around you can encourage you or suggest actions but those actions themselves and the willingness to act are all from the person himself/herself. until next time then, cheers.

the spectre

spectre

the need for focus

yes this is an update of my life.

mid-semester right now.. looking back weeks ago i was in a state of confusion. right now.. i am not much better haha besides the fact that i can handle the situation better i guess. there is quite a load on my plate right now. so many things to juggle. so many things to work on. so many things to stress on. weeks ago, the same few things exist.. now they still exist, if not, they are greater in numbers now.

well, like i said i think i am managing them better or at least i am trying to tell my self that to keep focus. each time time i decide to handle and tackle a task, i tend to lose focus after a mere hour or so. in some cases, like surfing Youtube and what not, this could be good to remind myself i have better things, more important things, to settle. for the important tasks, being easily distracted is never a good thing. i really need to focus right now. on the side note, i cannot wait for October as well.. for my weekends from October will be more carefree.

thinking what factors that might have led me to this state. there are tons of possibilities but knowing and acknowledging them will not solve them entirely. i just need to work on what's a hand.. take one step at a time. hopefully not to slow.. but i will make it surely. i have to. until next time then, cheers.

start of crunching

yes this is an update of my life.

pardon me for not updating for the last couple of days. okay, not couple but rather quite some time already. always want to update properly.. so whenever i do not have the feel to write quality posts, i tend to share videos or songs that represent my mood haha. okay, so obviously, i am into updating properly today.

first things first, good news! i have finally received my full data for my FYP and i can finally start crunching and coding properly. reading tons of literature reviews can be really dry and boring. been waiting for the time to code and do some analysis. well, the time is here. i have to be careful though.. i must always remember that FYP is not the only module i am reading this semester lol. i tend to get quite carried away. well, when you are in the mood, you are really in it.

moving on to a reality check. this week is the final week before the start of recess week. time is moving too fast for my liking.. really. well, the bright side is that i have only 2 midterms to really prepare for. the bad side is those two modules happen to be really challenging modules. well, i hope i can make full use of this recess week to recharge and revise. until next time then, cheers.

cool kids

photograph

nights

$9.53

yes this is an update of my life.

i kept telling myself to post on weekend but i did not have the energy nor the motivation to do so. then now i have a little so i shall seize the chance to do so now. so, over the weekend i met my 4th and new tutee.. first impression? it is going to be a challenging task.. he cannot sit still for more than 10 minutes. had to take away little distractions that he find amusing. he played with calculators, pens, rulers and other stuff around the table now and then. i see potential and i really hope i can help him achieve it.

speaking of the weekends, i was very stressed and distracted by the problems i am facing in my FYP. thank goodness, moments ago a small improvement was achieved. nonetheless, on Saturday, due to me over-flowing brain, i made a somewhat costly mistake. literally.. a $9.53 mistake. story was that i was heading to my tutee house in the morning and i could take bus services 37 or 4. so as i sat and waited at the bus stop, my mind drifted and i boarded a bus service that mixed the two numbers. i took bus service 34 instead.

the moment i stepped on the bus, the driver closed the door and moved off. it was then i realised that the bus is too crowded to be service 37 or 4. then i realised my mistake.. i was taking a bus which will stop next at airport terminal 3. ohh my gosh.. i felt so foolish and angry with myself. now i had to cab to my tutee house form T3 despite leaving house earlier. bye bye $9.53.

this week will yet be another hectic week. i just hope i can juggle everything well. until next time then, cheers.

no juices

yes this is an update of my life.

i can feel like i am barely breathing and i am still wondering why. it is only week 4 and the stress and workload is mounting like crazy on top of my head. despite taking one less module than usual semesters.. i am feeling a slightly bigger pinch and stress. no idea what to do but for now i am trying to pin to the root or roots of the problem.. the causes of brain juice being drained at an alarming rate.

could it be the fact that i am taking all core modules? well, probably.. then again, plus FYP, it would be four core modules.. same number as in year 1 semester 1. hmm.. obviously the content and standard are vastly different. nonetheless, the expectations and workload could be way higher a well. now, talking about expectations..

could it be that i am expecting too much from myself? thinking i am capable of doing way more than i can actually handle? biting more than i can chew, so to speak. juggling so many things at one go. nonetheless, i am trying to make my uni life count and treasure the very last year of formal education before heading to work. of course, postgraduate studies aren't out of the question yet but let's not leap too far for now.

could it be that i am encountering more obstacles in my FYP than i originally anticipated? i think this might be the main cause. though no hurry into analysis, i still want to start as soon as possible to avoid the busier periods of the semesters. i initially thought the bulk of my obstacles would be the analysing part and the coding part since the things expected are rather new. no, not that i never analyse or code.. but rather the nature and topic in which they are applied to are rather new to me. however, now even the data retrieval is giving me so many problems. i can only hope certain processes can move along faster so that i can start the coding on my laptop very soon.

could it be that the literature reading is frustrating me? my FYP involves a new concept in which no modules in NUS have taught.. hence i have to rely on countless literature reviews. thing is.. it is not easy and so far i do not have the confident to apply to my project yet. i am fully aware that this part of my FYP will not be the main task until late this semester or even during the winter break. still, i can't help to brood a little over it now and then.

someone once told me that i have a tendency to worry about things that haven't even happen or about things that i have no control over. thing is now i think most of the stuff mentioned above is within my control. am i right or wrong? regardless, i have to really find a way to boost my morale and add those juices to my brain real quick. thanks for reading my problems.. i know it isn't always nice to read things like this on blogs haha. until next time then, cheers.

suteki da ne

hopefully for good

yes this is an update of my life.

pardon my little short absence from this platform but am here now to update what's up. thank goodness for no renovation below where i am staying today. well, hopefully those headache causing drillings have stopped for good. really wonder what the hell they are trying to do with these renovations. they had 3 months of summer to do but they only chose to start when the semester starts.. ohh wells.

with FYP on hold for a moment now, i was able to catch up with all other modules. week 4 already.. getting the hang of the stress, workload and expectations. it will be a hell of a hectic year 4 and September.

as i await for the usual shows that i watch annually to begin, i am turning to movies. currently have one movie in queue and it is none other than "The Mummy". well, i have heard many bad reviews about this remake and what not.. but nonetheless i am going to watch it. in the next couple of days, if you do not see me talking about it here.. yeah, it means it isn't worth your time to watch. still trying to figure what other movies that i wanted to watch.. and are already up online lol. until next time then, cheers.

big sky

vibrated skull

yes this is an update of my life.

actually, i wanted to sleep but then laundry took longer than expected. hence, i shall make use of the little extra time i have to post here.

right now, my head is aching like crazy. free day felt as though like a work day with a rude awakening from renovation noise pollution. drilling and hammering all day two floors down from where i am sleeping. the whole morning.. the whole afternoon.. those sounds rang loudly in my ears and head. i can literally feel my skull vibrating like crazy. that was probably the cause of the current headache.

it is only week 3 and i am barely head above water. i can feel myself sinking really deep really fast. the amount of workload is indeed heavier though i am taking 3 modules apart from my FYP. probably due to the fact the content is way tougher and more time is needed to understand and apply.. or maybe it is just me being more stupid than i already am.. haha. ohh wells, juggling with more things i have been juggling in the past.

the month of September will be very torturous for me. i will be responsible for 4 students, 2 of which facing the PSLE soon. my weekends will be devoted to helping those 4, especially those 2. on the side of FYP, i am still secretly hoping that the dataset will arrive really soon. thereafter, i hope the coding and what not will move smoothly with minimal coding error or issues. i rather that i am faced with multiple deduction options and spend them deciphering which is optimal to best describe the runs than to keep ramming into coding errors. crash coursing a module is no joke.. i wonder if i crash course right. i will know real soon when i begin coding.

two tutorial presentations plus FYP deliverables.. then there is this individual assignment as well. all happening even before recess week lol. on one hand i cannot wait for the stressful September to be over real quick but on the other, if September flies by, means midterms will be waiting for me. if you see me losing hair these few weeks, please understand.. haha. until next time then, cheers.

stereo hearts

fire

dear river

fear

yes this is an update of my life.

actually this will be a short update before i move on to writing what i actually wanted to set out to write in this post. end of week 2 is near.. just met with my FYP supervisor mentor earlier. had to present a little of what i have reading over the past few weeks. managed to clarify the few doubts i have as well. however.. datasets not ready. i felt a very good mix of happiness and sadness upon hearing that they are not ready. happy because i can put my FYP work on hold and focus on other things at hand. sad because i am quite hungry dive into the analysis and code writing.

you see, the slight bad thing about individual FYP is there is no pace or checkpoints to know if you are moving too fast or too slow or just right. the first deadline is already the submission of the full report in March. so the gap from now until then is up to each individual to fill with readings, analysis and writing. the amount of uncertainty is tremendous and probably the greatest among all the modules i have taken so far.

next, moving on to a thought on my mind today. fear. fear is a very tricky feeling.. it can hold you back and at the same time, it could be served as a motivation to do things. then, when the latter is applied, fear might pushed you too far to do something silly and then down you go on a slippery slope of unfortunate events. fear, after all, is what helped humans to evolve and survive so far.

fear was a great part of me when it comes to a certain aspect. this aspect would not be mentioned here right now but i promise i will mention it some time soon. okay, so yes, rewind few weeks ago, i was fearful of stepping out of my comfort zone to deal with a certain aspect of my life. it was so as i have faced failures in that area and the impact at times can be rather "memorable" and the reason side of my brain has always cautioned me to not feed on that aspect. i know fear is governing that reason side of my brain as the curiosity side of my brain is crying for me to step out of the comfort zone.

then, a close friend of mine actually urged and motivated me to take the leap out of the reason side of my brain, out of my comfort zone, out of my shell and feed that curiosity of mine. yeah i did, for my friend somehow managed to silence the reason side of my brain. so for weeks i have been exploring something that is clearly out of my comfort zone and today was sort of like a self-reflection kind of day.

i realised that stepping out of my comfort zone this time was rather interesting. i had both good and bad "results" when i expected only bad ones all this time. ohh my.. i sound so pessimistic there but i promise i am not that pessimistic as i sound.. my english is bad haha. so yeah, i cannot go into the specifics for now.. but when i mention about this again, i will. my point of bringing this up is, of course, to highlight the point of having fear. at the end of the day, i think it is not shameful or bad to have fear to govern you now and then but always remember that fear might not be always right when it comes to your personal interests and what not. i am thankful to have switched off my reason side of my brain these couple of weeks. until next time then, cheers.

double vision

angel with a shotgun

kitchen destruction

yes this is an update of my life.

finally it is evening time.. no more thunderous drilling and hammering. despite having only an hour of class today, my head is spinning from the noise pollution. whole day the kitchen below where i am staying is undergoing renovation.. for who knows what reason.

could not do much reading or napping. ended up reading pointless texts pertaining to "Game of Thrones" haha. ohh man one more episode left before the end of the season. then the long wait for the final season begins. i am really happy how the story is going as of now.. apart from a few characters whom i wish are not alive still breathing.

now in the second week of semester and i though PGP R5 is trying to be like U-town residences with new added lifestyle and what not. so far very quiet.. haha not complaining just very puzzled. the only good thing is the common areas like kitchen and toilet are very clean.. well because most of my neighbours are Singaporeans. previous saw me living next door to people of a certain country who somehow were not taught how to flush after pee-ing or shit-ing nor not pouring wet food down the sink. ohh wells, this year's living environment is seemingly better so far. until next time then, cheers.

ain't me

3-in-1

yes this is an update of my life.

the next month of Saturdays will be rather crazy ones. 3 classes of tuition in each of them. well, yes i got a new tutee at long last. good and bad. good would be, after PSLE, i will still have this student to teach and earn a little pocket money to live by the following months of 2017. bad would be, traveling across three different estates in Singapore and giving tuition with minimal amount of rest. gosh.. may i survive this one month.

weekends are meant to rest, i know. apparently my definition of rest is just not to touch school work. so yeah.. Saturday is dedicated to tuition then Sunday would be my personal time.. and right now, the only day i get to sleep in apart from Wednesdays. well, come to think of it, i prefer to really make full use of weekdays to settle school work so on my free Wednesdays i would soon encourage myself to wake up early and make full use of the entire day. until next time then, cheers.

tons of papers

yes this is an update of my life.

time seemed to fly by in this first week and it is not a good sign. if the slackest week passes by so quickly, how will it be when i reach those weeks where more time is needed to clear personal tasks and what not?

anyway, been easing into the final year slowly i guess.. really slowly. still in the play mode for now. just attended Student Life Fair as well. then, reality hit me.. this will be the last Student Life Fair that i will be enjoying. my last chance to grab all the freebies NUS and the sponsors have to offer. this is where age has caught up on me.. being kiasu.. okay, and maybe a little of auntie-ism. nonetheless, so far so good, i am enjoying my first week. i have not touched anything on other modules, except for one. that's right, FYP module ST4199.

still waiting for my FYP supervisor to reply me and hand me the few datasets that i have to deal with for the course of the project. in the meantime, i have been spam reading tons of papers. i laugh at how my initial idea of printing every important papers to read. thank goodness i did not feed to that OCD trait when it comes to this or my table would be like the picture above.

so yeah, been reading a lot of papers on literature review pertaining to my topic of research and also the various statistical methods and approaches. it will be a real struggle but i am glad i am given the opportunity to tackle an individual FYP. until next time then, cheers.

what is 8am

yes this is an update of my life.

woke up to a rather rainy morning today for classes. bus services were more crowded than usual. every start of the semester i would have a similar thought when riding the internal shuttle bus services. i would wonder how long would such a crowd last. because you see, students tend to start the semester with a strong sense of purpose of going to classes faithfully, hence the crowd. however, as weeks go by, excuses kick in and many will start to disappear resulting to a significant drop in numbers of commuters. so yeah.. i give them 3 or 4 weeks haha.

so four-days work week for me when most of my peers are enjoying three. nonetheless, i am happy with the modules i am taking presently. one very good thing is for the very first time in who knows how many semesters, i do not have early morning classes. 8am classes, i mean. so i get to wake up happy every morning, not regretting the time i head to bed the night before.

on all the days that i have classes, the first one starts at 10am.. meaning waking up at around 8:30am, which is a rather comfortable time to wake up for a weekday. so, two days have passed and i have attended at least one lesson from all the modules that i am taking. the feeling is still surreal though.. year 4.. the most senior student among the undergraduate students. until next time then, cheers.

uncertainty

yes this is an update of my life.

though this is only the first day of year 4, i can already describe what this academic year is going to be like.. uncertain. currently juggling quite a few things with my two bare hands. regular modules, FYP, tuition and some other things that i don't feel comfortable stating on this platform. this feeling of uncertainty will for sure remain for quite some time. nonetheless, i really hope to have the strength and wisdom to pull through them all.

that aside, let's talk about the best show on earth currently.. "Game of Thrones". just watched the latest episode couple of minutes ago and man i just realised there are only two more episodes left in this season. the plot thickens and every episode gets better and better. so excited to know how this season will end in two weeks time and then how this series will end in next year's season.

with GoT coming to an end, it would mean one thing too. the other shows that i usually follow every year will kick off there new seasons really soon, with the bulk of them starting in late September and October. these shows will definitely give school days more purpose.. haha. until next time then, cheers.

strange waters

yes this is an update of my life.

bittersweet end to my internship and here i am resting a couple of days before wandering into the unknown of year 4. heard many stories and experiences from friends when it comes to doing FYP and completing the course of undergrad life. never really wonder how it would be like to really start and complete a FYP.. then it is happening. i am really amused at how time really past by so quickly. on to the final year doing an individual FYP.

many asked me if i ever consider further studies after these four years. maybe Masters or even PhD studies. well, my answer remains the same since the first time i was asked until today. i do not entire shut out those options. however, my primary aim after these four years would be clearing my school fees first and working a couple of years. i would very much to explore what is out there and what not.. hopefully in the course of doing so, chance upon some sponsorship or scholarship to add more motivation to further studies.

i don't jump before i learn to walk. i take on step at a time, only looking few steps ahead. so those are my plans for now. nonetheless, i have a FYP and undergraduate studies to focus on first for now. until next time then, cheers.

time

yes this is an update of my life.

well, here it is, the end of my summer, the end of my internship as well. tomorrow marks the last weekday of summer and of course the last day of my internship.

being a data science intern over the last three months have been really full of ups and downs. i recalled scaling the very steep learning curve at the beginning of the attachment.. so much so i overworked myself and surrendered to fever for a full weekend. nonetheless, i was glad that things worked out and the projects assigned to me were off to a decent start. yeah, halfway through there were countless obstacles.. challenges and learning points, if you may. all in all i am really thankful for this opportunity and having a great supervisor. hopefully, my future supervisors will be at least as friendly as her.

bidding of modules is somewhat done for me. three modules, all of which are statistics modules although i am taking one of them as an UE. insane? maybe but i want to learn as much as i want to boost my CAP. no time to slack too much as well. it is going to be a real busy semester ahead.. probably the busiest though the number of MCs is less than previous semesters.

okay, on to the next thing that is related to the title of this post.

time. something money cannot buy. time is a measurement of many things.. including the value of friendship. time is of essence in friendships. to me, i would gladly reserve time for the friends whom i really care and hold on dear to. however, recently i have begun questioning my take on this.

is time not a good thing to share with your friends? have we live in the age where being busy is a legitimate excuse to bail in the eleventh hour? is being busy a legitimate excuse to go away from a phone for almost a day, leaving your friend hanging and wondering if plans are still on or not?

no. to me, it is simple, no. you don't take more than a minute to answer a simple yes or no question. you don't just forget about your friends the moment you get busy. if they really matter to you, you would be responsible enough to know these. busy is and always be an excuse no matter what. people usually use that reason to avoid people whom i do not want to hang out with. otherwise, they would suggest alternative or become proactive in re-arranging meet-ups. rich or poor, people from all walks of lives are given 24 hours a day to use. never ever complain about not having enough time. mind you, everyone has the same amount of time each day to utilise. if one cannot commit a small part of time on relationships, do not find any excuses to cover the lack of ability to time manage.

so there you have it, i said it all. now i am going back to question myself on whether i have been reserving my time for the right friend. until next time then, cheers.

light of the seven

4 days

yes this is an update of my life.

well, coming week will be the last week of summer and also the last week of internship. Wednesday is a public holiday so four more days of internship. i don't know, i am having mixed feelings about this. on one hand, i prefer work life than school life.. something i am sure i have mentioned before here. on the other hand, i want it to end so i can enjoy work free and school free summer. well.. for the two days of weekends that is.. lol.

guess keeping myself busy is a good thing as well.. keeps my brain active, keeps my proficiency in R throughout the summer without needing to crash course again when lessons begin, keeps myself form being too bored, keeps myself feeling young at heart.. lol. okay the last one is silly but yeah.. so thankful for the opportunities i have this summer. indeed, i have learned a lot from working alongside a data scientist. 3 projects in 3 months.. can be torturous at times but i am glad i am given these chances.

busy weekend this weekend as well. heading out soon for early birthday celebration. my dad's and my birthday celebrations in a day. well, our birthdays are one day difference anyway. so 24 years ago, he received a live birthday gift that was in the making for 9 months or so.. lol. tomorrow i will be heading back to campus to move into PGPR. a year academic year awaits. until next time then, cheers.

i got you

run boy run

kind stranger

yes this is an update of my life.

man ohh man.. my throat is so sore. the price to pay for eating two bags of chips in a week last week. been spamming water and what not last couple of days. hope to recover as soon as possible. having a fast food craving at this time is so bad.

actually i wanted to write today is not to rant about the sore throat but to praise a kind stranger whom i do not know his name. story goes that i was on the way to tuition and was rather early. so i decided to wander around the neighbourhood for a while. at the same time went to take on a legendary raid on Pokemon Go. i saw many others already that but apparently they were already fighting the boss. so i waited for a while then two players came, one of them being this kind stranger.

still, there were too few of us to play and we started chatting while waiting for more to join. that's when i know if i continued waiting, i will be late for tuition. the kind stranger knew that and offered me a ride there. ohh my.. so touched and thankful to that stranger. his game crashed just when we all started fighting. still, he live up to his offer and drove me to my tuition venue before heading back to the spot to fight with other groups of players.

i am the kind of person who have very little faith in people to be honest. every time i meet someone new, i expect the person to be unfriendly and cold and what not. today's incident remained me that there are genuine nice people out there.. even if you only met the person for less than an hour, he/she can be really friendly. until next time then, cheers.

legendary hype

yes this is an update of my life.

while many of my peers are done with internship, i still have two more weeks. i think it is amusing though.. how things work out to comfort me on the fact that i will not have a week of rest before school starts. having the need to head to work means i have to wander around. as i am wandering around i get to catch some legendary Pokemon as well.. haha. the line up of them is coincidentally the last few weeks of summer before school starts anyway.

so yeah.. additional motivation to head to work. without work i will opt to stay home more days then i head out to prevent excessive spending on food cravings and what not. ohh, the things i tell myself to comfort myself.

weeks ago, at the start of July, i had the notion that by the end of this month, the usual mundane need to bid for modules will begin as well. never did i expect that time will pass so fast and CORS bidding rounds have began on Friday with Round 0. well, it is so surreal to see the FYP module being allocated to me. i am entering year 4, though still young enough to find fun in Pokemon games. no, not childish.. i don't rage quit or throw tantrums if i fail at achieving something from the game.. haha.

yeah, well i think this legendary hype is good to force strangers to have fun together. strangers of all ages. moving away from Pokemon and back to CORS, i find myself not being able to allocate more time to explore my module options this time. partly because i prefer to sloth away on weekends rather than touch anything related to school. ohh wells, may the transition into the start of my final year be smooth.

this transition includes moving back to campus as well. will be moving in soon next weekend. ohh my.. so fast. then i get to stay in school and travel to work from there for a week. yeah to extra 90 minutes of sleep. until next time then, cheers.

talking to myself

crawling

divide

mystic

yes this is an update of my life.

thank goodness now is still the summer break. the hype has died down for many but for me, i am still playing the game and following news about it rather closely. what's the game? well, i thought you would guess from the title of the blog post title. Pokemon Go, of course. last night, i stayed up a while to witness the first ever outdoor event held in Chicago Grant Park. well, turned out it was more of a failure than success but that wasn't the main think players around the world was looking forward to. we just look forward to the new legendary creatures to appear.

true enough, now Lugia and Articuno are out in the wild as raid bosses. managed to fight both of them this morning. tough to defeat. number and quality of players really do matter when challenging those two birds. defeated both but could not catch Lugia after running out of the white balls. nonetheless, i was glad to have the one that represented my team.. lol.

been waiting for so long and finally got my favourite legendary bird from the first generation. fun to go out and fight/hunt alongside strangers who set aside differences and chat with one another as we attempt to get those raid bosses.

ohh wells, back to reality.. when they become more rare i will get you one day, Lugia. now back home focused on my usual weekend routine of chilling and catching up on shows. then work week begins. until next time then, cheers.

numb

Chester

yes this is an update of my life.

at last the end of the week is here. been so busy with the deliverables of the projects in internship past couple of days that i feel that i can hardly breathe at times. a big hurdle is over but the internship duration is not. i wonder what will be still in stall for me in the next three weeks. working solo has its perks and downfalls.

well for perks, the pace is up to me. i prefer to be very focus during office hours so as to not work overtime or bring work home. this method worked well for me so far. efficiency is great too. i get to clear things earlier than expected. i also get to say "pause" to myself and take a short break whenever stress is too overwhelming. i have to answer for myself only after all.

as for downfalls, the work i do is sensitive. small errors might be compounded. working alone means there will not be anyone to cross-check for you as often or maybe none at all. small mistakes made might not be spotted in an instant. they are only spotted when some shit is clearly evident. that's bad because back tracking and correcting is really tedious, especially when your work is based on so huge data and code writing.

ohh wells, all in all i am still loving this experience.i left two big deliverables before i end my three months of internship and head back to being a student.. a final year student.

work aside, woke up to a really unfortunate news this morning as well. as most of you ought to be aware by now, Linkin' Park's lead singer Chester Bennigton has passed away from apparent suicide. personally, i always find suicides as a very selfish way to die. yes, a huge shortcut but the pain is gone for one person but the pain grows for many more others.

nonetheless, it is really sad to have such a young talented singer from a era-defining group to leave the world like this. songs from Linkin' Park have been a huge part of my secondary school life. songs that are very unique and distinct from other songs out there. thanks for the awesome years and may you rest in peace, Chester.

time to wallow in slight sorrow as i re-visit the great pieces sung by him. until next time then, cheers.