Personal Blather!

Now I have a little time to burn. Concert launch is over and we're in the midst of conducting interviews. So far, things have been fairly good, with most things on schedule and running smoothly. Talent this year is pretty outstanding too, so I'm quite happy about that. This coming week will be hectic though, so I'm praying for positive outcomes.

So far, I've been able to pretty much catch up with my work, so it's not as worrying. I really ened to keep things like that so that I can find time to complete other things. Staying ahead is my motto this semester. I'm really hoping things go well this semester. God willing it will.

I've got bible study in a bit, and I'm looking forward to it. This weekend too is going to be busy, but at least I still have the time to settle a lot of things. This update is thus short and is a summary of what I've experienced so far... Here's to preseverence!

Classes have started and I'm starting to get worried. There's a heavy project module this semester and I'm going to have to work extra hard on a statistics module. I'd have hoped I'd be able to go through this semester pretty ok, but it seems now I need God more than ever. Lord, help me!

Since orientation is over, it's time for concert to go full swing. So far, things have been pretty fine, but there are some things I worry about. Still, it's not as if things are dire, so I wouldn't complain too much. Concert Launch is next week, and we're planning full swing for it. I'm still cracking my head for a good way to film the producers to introduce us. It should be ok by tonight.

I'm going to the bank in a while to get some things done. I'm going to firstly convert my thumbprint based system into a signature system. It saves a lot of trouble. I will also be applying for a debit card; It's free and I'd like to be able to use it online in Singapore Dollars instead of converting Malaysian Ringgit if I use my credit card. I'm also going to settle my iBanking stuff, so I can start using it online. That too should simplify my life.

Inter-Block Games (IBG) have started and it has been quite interesting. Some of the matches have brought out talents which would be good for hall. We have our fair share of injury however, and I hope these people recover fast enough for concert/IHG training. Block 4 has been doing well, winning the finals for soccer (M) and getting into the finals for soccer (F). But don't worry, we're still the greatest!

Things have settled into a kind of slowly getting busy stage. I'm trying to keep ahead as much as possible. Things will go well I think, and I pray God help me do my best this semester.

I've neglected posting since orientation began. It ended just yesterday, so now it's time for me to give a good update.

IMHO, the freshmen this year was a lot better than last year. Just like last year, the freshmen were allocated according to nationality, meaning there was an overwhelming number of Singaporeans and PRCs as compared to other years. The quota for Singaporeans were raised too, probably because they found out that a lot of people staying in halls end up getting attached. It's just SDU at work. A lot of people have yet to move into hall, so there are quite a couple of empty rooms around. Still, freshmen turnout for orientation was much much better. It was shortened too, starting only in the afternoon. The freshmen were less exhausted, so I guess it's a good thing.

The initial part of orientation was standard, with games and other funny events that simply got freshmen to laugh, play and cry together. Block Orientation was strict albeit toned down. I'm not a very big fan of ragging, but to be perfectly honest, there's something about ragging that makes people end up bonding a lot more. All the previous batches, mine included, endured relatively more 'tortuous' block orientations, and turned out more united, fun loving, 'stronger'. Times have changed I gather, most poignantly in attitudes. Freshmen seem to be 'softer', with lower thresholds for anything. They seem to be more rebellious, demanding that everyone give in to their wants. Surprisingly, this applies not only to girls but a lot of guys as well, even those who went through army training. Shouldn't they know by now that things are done a certain way for a reason? I guess most can't see past the bridge of their nose. =/

No, I won't say all of them are like that. No, it's not a complain or a generalisation. It's merely an observed opinion that I have for the past two years. Talking to a number of freshmen, the common response is "They shouldn't have had to do that, or They nothing better to do is it (They referring to seniors) etc..." but they don't realise we went through much worse and still survived. I believe I got the same response from freshmen last year. To be honest, I think it might even have happened to my batch. The key issue is that, whether we like it or not, university students (myself included I believe) are a lot less matured than our fathers when they were our age. I credit that to the comfortable lifestyle we've all had.

Nevertheless, orientation was fun! It was definitely an improvement from last year, and this year, the activities saw a lot more participation. I helped where I could, like in the games, or in float, or for MOAH... It was quite cool! I won't go too much into details because there's just too much to say, but I enjoyed myself, and I hope the freshmen did too.

Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of time to write much. Suffice to say, it seems to be a good start to a new academic year, but classes start tomorrow. Let's hope things work out for the best!