Happy Chinese New Year

Happy Chinese New Year to everyone. May my well wishes be with you always!

Finally I am going back home for a week.

Sign off....

Pics from Bangkok - Grand Palace

Bangkok - Grand Palace

2008

Diary for 2007

Finally Im back to my blog and had being busy with so many things lately.


I would like to take this opportunity to send my best wishes esp to my sister, Good luck in your studies, Jie! haha.. CJ, I hope you could come back to Singapore soon and we could disturb Kyle again..To Kyle and Anil, stay cool bro! Both of you, I dont know how to say but its a co-incidental friends..hahaha!..To Sharina..GOLDIVA..good luck in your studies, Sha! Hope to see you back in Singapore soon again and we can go Arab street again!..Meri, :) good luck to you in everything you do, I wish I could see you soon again and thanks for coming to Singapore ..To Paulus and Junita..hmm..both of you are just very nice ppl...how I wish everyone is just like both of you..Ernie..study hard for your Master and hope to see you again..I dont know when but it has been coming to 7yrs we didnt meet up...to Casper..thanks for your support and good luck to you *casper*


First of all, 2007 has been an eventful year for me and I realized that I had being lecturing for the past 11months. I had successfully produced 25 graduates in Product Design and keep on going. It aint easy, yet aint hard to train the students. I had learnt the hard way and I am glad that I achieved it.

Holding the position as a lecturer, it is not a simple task. Managing students is only a portion. Probably about 40% of my job scope. I had learnt to make decisions, planning and moderation of schedules, managing projects, juggling students issues all at the same time and most of all, I had learnt to adapt in a corporate organisation. It is so complex that sometimes, emailing to our director is a taboo! Emailing to the directors has to have a certain format, font size, salutation and bla bla bla...Imagine sending an email to the principal...Sometimes the thought of being in the current instituition, makes me think that I want to work in the private sector. But anyway, I have more projects to come, crossing fingers...


I had achieved one of my wishlist for 2007. Travelling abroad. Eventhough it is not very far from Singapore, I had visited two countries last year.

Sept 2007 - I went to Jakarta, Bangka and Yogjakarta. Of this three places, I like Yogjakarta the best. It is no doubt the start of civilization in South East Asia, I had also learnt that Indonesia is a place full of culture, this place was blanketed with diversed religion and culture during the 6th century until the time when King of Java decided to adopt Muslim. My tour guide told me that in Java, is the only place in that are able to plant a very special rice grain, and this rice grain is red in color. I miss Yogjakarta alot and I hope I am able to go back there esp Borobodur. I would like to see the sunrise and the valcano again. Gunung Merapi!


I went to my Meri's hometown in Bangka. Superb. Its a super quiet town with very little activities during the night. I like the food there, It is different from Singapore and Malaysia, but if you really look into the cultural food in Malaysia, you can find the similarities in it. They love seafood and the best seafood restaurant was Hew Ko Sui. The seafood that I like best was the muscle cooked in this yellow stuff which I forgot what was the ingredient. I miss Bangka! Meri's sister's house is so big that I am able to host two badminton tournament at the same time!

Jakarta is the last that you will want to visit. A strong diversification between the rich and the poor. When the rich is richer, the poor is getting poorer day by day given the status of Jakarta's economy. I went to Ciputra Mall, Anggerek Mall and Tanah Abang. The point that I dont like about Jakarta is the traffic jam, pollution and people from all walks of life in a congested city. Traffic jam is massive! Imagine travelling at 60km/h on a super highway and caught in a jam at Tanah Abang for 2 hours trying to get to the first floor from level 11!! But one thing I learnt from Jakarta is, firstly, water is a precious commodity, save water and this is part of a contribution to the society, secondly, whatever you own, try to make use to the last bit to ensure no wastage of any sort and lastly Jakarta-ians has impressive driving skills!!


Dec 2007 - I went to Bangkok with my Sister, Kyle and of course Anil!! Was a fun trip. very very fun trip! I miss Bangkok, all the shoppings, bargaining and also I can buy the 'branded' stuff like nobody's business...hahha..I just love shopping in Bangkok. There was a few times when we got our way through in getting more than 70% off because we confused the shopkeeper..bad bad..tsk tsk tsk..We had massage and damn! The massage was good!.. All in all..Bangkok is touristy..so nothing much to expect from Bangkok..just shopping, more shopping and more shopping! I will be back to Bangkok again to visit the Grand Palace and the shopping areas again!

Overall, I still prefer Indonesia because Indonesia is so rich in culture that you will have alot to learn from and to understand human civilization. Comparing to Bangkok, Bangkok has a strong influnce from the French and the culture itself, you will be able to relate to the French somehow rather.

Year 2008 will be another year to go ahead with and I am now in my mid-20s. I have alot of plans to think ahead. My priority is to study and to achieve a degree program. I have these courses in mind, which is Urban Design & Planning, Architectural Studies and Materials Engineering. Considering to sponsor myself for the studies so as to not be bonded with anyone at all.

Anyway more exciting things to look forward to and Chinese New Year is just around the corner. Going back to my hometown is something I look forward to and this time round, I will be back there for a week and for the first time I will be flying back home together with my Jie!

Happy New Year to everyone and more to come!

Crazyguyonabike

It has been an interesting weeks and the semester ended with a video shoot lasted for a week. The video shoot was about some documentary on design process and the appreciation to design.

I got to know about this particular friend of mine. Law Tzuo Hann. Got to know him during primary school. A good tennis player back then. And now he is on his way attempting to cycle from L.A. back to our hometown. Its kinda crazy though but then its for a good course. Fund Raising is all he had in mine.

Check this following site and you will get in touch of what, where, when and many other things he is doing right now. How I wish I could do the same thing.

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=rzyi&doc_id=2405&v=1xQ

Singapore Design Festival 2007

Singapore Design Festival 2007

Save the Earth Project

Design & Disasters

useless ideas Utterubbish

Photo Montage

Design & Disasters

Audi @ Singapore Museum

Audi @ Singapore Museum

IPG Photos

The girls in my class

The boys in my class

IPG - I miss all of you

MY FIRST GRADUATING CLASS


My Journey for the past 10 months with IPG

The first class that I conducted finally graduated and in a few months time, they will be holding their graduation certificate on stage with the graduation robes.

Thinking back the past few months ago when I first step into the classroom with my section head, I was seriosuly not ready to be a lecturer. And that was 10 months ago. I did not know what to do and do not know how to handle the students. The students are really different from what I had experienced before in my previous workplace.

Everyone is dress in uniform, and they look very young and not knowing who am I. The only thing I had in mind was will they be able to accept me as their lecturer and as their new class advisor. The first class that I am going to conduct is having the students to work some projects with me and to strengthen their design skills.

It was quite scary when they look at me with the look of 'who do you think you are'. But at least I am able to take control of the class and everything went on smoothly with the help of my section head. thank God.

Working projects with them gaves me a further insights about them and getting to know them individually is something I learnt to understand further about my students and I tell myself that I will always try to be there for them.

At last my project assistant joint me to take care of the projects with the students. Thank God again that this assistant of mine is really close to the students and he will be the one telling me about who is good and who should I look out for and stuffs that a lecturer will not see in details and that only the assistants able to see the details of everything.

Time flies of fast and I know that I had been very strict to my students. And I also know that they do not like to follow the rules. They always break the rules no matter what kind of punishment given to them. I did not understand why do they behave that way and they are naturally rebellious. In my heart, I was telling myself, 'if my kids are like this, I will get them to climb the stairs up and down for a thousand times!'!!.

Really stressed out period but at least my students get the job done, pass with flying colors and tha da..

That was 10 months ago..

Three months ago..

I am going to take the same class again and I was thinking that oh no..I am going to face the same problem again. Having rebellious kids around me and there goes problems and problems again.

And true enough, they really gave me cold shoulders because they know that I will give them alot more works and pressuring them for quality works. They were so rebellious and that you would not want to imagine. Crappy works, vulgarity here and there, cold shoulders..

sigh..i gave up and I broke down in front of my colleagues...sigh..

And my this colleague is really nice...she told my students what had happen and explained to them why am I treating them this way. At least there is someone out there who shows me the end of the tunnel there are still some source of light...

Thanks to my colleagues who gave me support and finally I see a changed in my students attitude and behaviour. And this makes me think that I need to change my approach.

All these while, I realized that I had given the wrong impression and used a different approached in approaching my students. At least they changed for the better and they also realized the need for them strive harder in everything they do. i am glad that they realized it earlier during the semester.

The time comes for the first presentation to be conducted between both classes. And that was the first time, I saw smilling faces in each and everyone of them. They had placed all their heart and souls in the projects and after the presentation, joy and smile was seen sparkling all over the auditorium. They know that they had done well and they had made me proud. very proud of my class.

Second projects comes running in and they promised me that they will work doubly hard for the projects. I would not say all of them placed their heart and soul but at least they are able to continue with me and the rest of the class to try their best to complete the module.

Time flies very very quickly when the least unexpected students placed the greatest effort to strive the best out of him. This was like such a miracle that I will not forget.

But before that, about three weeks ago, I remember to called into my section head office, one of my student was caught red handed with inappropriate attire and with possession of cigarretes. That was the time that I told myself that I have never seen such a face with full of vengence and revenge. I am so afriad that he will blow up and take a knife either murder someone or himself right on the spot.

Trying talking to him comes to no conclusion, just words of feriousness and revenge is all in his mind. He broke down and started punching himself vigourously and throwing tamtrum on solid metal bar in the room. Me and section head was really stunned and do not know what to do. But then at least he calms down a while later when he comes to his senses.

And again yet another set of presentation comes and go...

Having all these ups and downs makes me understand further on my students and makes me closer to them. It is a joy and calamity that come to think of it as a lecturer and as a friend that I have for my first graduating class. And because of all of you, my tears are rolling down with joy to think back the struggling period of understanding each other and the squabbling of different opinions.

Thank you IPG for making me proud again and to have you in my mind always. Love all of you and you will always be in my heart.