ES2007S

I remember clearly that in 2004, no one did something like this. Enjoy.



And with almost everything, there's a spoof that follows it.

An interesting comment from Lyon sparked a discussion on occupation on Oxy's blog. So what good is occupation supposed to do?

I believe everyone subscribed to either,

1. I work to earn myself and my family, a decent standard of living.
2. I work because I love what I do.
3. I work therefore I am. (workaholic scenario)

Apart from the last option, I certainly do feel these are legitimate reasons to be working. An occupation is a intriguing concept, almost a love-hate relationship between you and the society. So which is better reason?

My parents did not come to Singapore as expatriates. We were closer to the immigrants category, almost bordering to the illegal side. Their desperation drove them out of the country into a new land where they could rebuild their hope. My mum was 23, my Dad a little older. In the cramp seat at the back of the bus, 3 of us took a 6 hour bus journey, (no expressway then) to get to Singapore.

I was 4 and they could not afford my milk powder. Both my parents left me in the care of a nanny while they slaved for the little money they could bring home. We survived the ordeal and 18 years later, my family enjoys a standard of living most Singaporean families are comfortably settled in most of their lives. They lost nothing, except their youth, spent on work to make ends meet.

I recently told my parents I will become a zookeeper. They joked that working with animals is way better than working with any human. I told them about the "meagre" income I will be getting. They told me it's my youth at my dispense and I should do what I want to do.

No. I do not mean that everyone should follow their heart and work accordance to their passion, even if your income will never be enough to cover your basal expenses. What I suggest everyone do however, is to consider what's best for your youth.

I know that no matter how hard I work, I can never buy back my mother's youth. I could work hard to realize her dreams, but at the end of the day, would I want my children to work so hard to realize my dreams?

With graduation in a little more than 1 to 2 years time, it's time we should consider a little about our lives.

Thanks Oxy and Lyon!

All the best for your future endeavors.

*edited*

Only at the slaughterhouse did the cattle realize the audacity of grazing.

Disagreements and unhappiness harboured through the project is subsiding into frivolity as the deadline draws near. No, I do not mean that any of my project mates aren't great people. In fact, they are nothing less than generous to tolerate my many opinionated ideas and occasional disgruntle grunts.

I’m writing this entry with relations to our near completed project. With 4 more days to submission, the team is all geared up to give the report a final coat of gloss. So naturally, to write this entry was quite like a pain in the neck. However, after reading the topic for this entry, I guess it's more or less forgivable to spend some time to contemplate on the progress of the project.

To contribute to a positive learning experience, we have to understand what we ought to learn through our project. I identified interpersonal communication as a key learning point for the project. However, with all due respect to our diligent tutors, our project groups are far too small when compared to the actual reality of the working society. Working with familiar peers certainly eases the discussion but fails to allow us to practise working with unpredictable strangers or colleagues we are more likely to face in the society.

That aside, the report provided an excellent opportunity for the team to practise our writing skills. Through the endless series of editing, commenting, polishing, my writing skills were put to the challenge. To come up with the most precise yet concise statements have always been my flaw and through this project, I was forced times and times again to write in greater specifications. Generally speaking, I learnt quite a fair amount through the project, having constantly to keep what we were taught in my minds.

Besides all the academia aspects of the project, the project benefited me in several other ways, largely related to interpersonal interactions and teamwork. My naivety blinded me of the little idiosyncrasies of individuals. The blunt me ended up creating several unpleasant moments at the start of the project. The unpleasantries bothered me and I embarked on a journey to find a problem that laid within me. I admit I can still be little intolerant sometime, but I’m working towards becoming a more cooperative and tolerant team member.

With the report near completion, we will be starting on our oral presentation. With billions information to feed the audience within the short presentation time, the challenge arises for me as a presenter to present the most crucial information to my audience. With the newly polished writing skills, I hope to deliver a concise and concrete presentation to the class.

I also aim to further improve my interpersonal skills in preparation of our oral presentation. The oral presentation would create an excellent platform for everyone to build on their current rapport to create an outstanding presentation. I strive to work together with my team to create an outstanding presentation.

While the cattle see the audacity of grazing, it's its daily effort to graze, which allowed it to reach an end where he could not possibly go without grazing.