After due consideration, I will 99.99% reject the Monash Inter-campus Exchange offer. I know it is such a waste, but it is the best decision that I came up with, after deep evaluation of the current situation. It was probably the most difficult position I was ever in in making a decision regarding my education.
But on the bright side, I just am so excited for my trip to Australia next spring! I will be heading to Gold Coast during my between semesters break in July after Semester One final examinations. I hope that I would be able to catch up with my friends who are in Australia too, it would be so fun and exciting to meet up after such a long time, and just spend some quality time in Australia! I just hope that they can make it. Speaking of this makes me so excited and just want time to fast forward!
It is so weird that I am more excited for Australia which is only next year when I am about to go to Taiwan next month. HMMM.
The renovation in my place is finally completed but the worker didn't do such a satisfactory job in the finishing touches though. I was over in my uncle's new place earlier and the tiles in his kitchen was done so amazingly neat and pretty. Then I found out that the person who did my uncle's kitchen was a Chinese. Enough said.
I received the offer letter for the Monash Intercampus Exchange program to Australia for Semester One, 2010 today. YAY right? My application was approved and I was offered a place.
As much as I am really happy that I got the offer, and as much as I really, really, I must stress, REALLY want to go, it is highly likely that I would end up rejecting the offer.
As mentioned before in one or few of my previous posts, and in my facebook and twitter updates, there are several complications that restrains me from accepting the offer like everyone else would straight away.
A detour is a task between two choices, each with its pros and cons
Choose between:
ACCEPT
In ACCEPT, I would finally realise my wish to study abroad and have an international study experience which is no doubt, an experience of a life time. Obviously it is the different study environment and also the independant lifestyle which is the main idea behind studying abroad, along with broadening horizons and international understanding between different cultures. Most of my friends who have been and are on this program have told me it is really worth it. The way classes are conducted, the level of experience and the style of teaching of the lecturers over in Australia are totally different and of course, better compared to that of Sunway Campus. However, in accepting the offer, I would have to extend an additional semester upon returning to Sunway campus, making my total course duration to be 3.5 years. To make things worse, the additional semester I have to do is only for ONE unit which I deferred this semester due to prerequisite complications. It is so silly for the school of science to overlook such a matter and jeapordize other peoples' opportunity to be on this program. Then, I recently found out after handing in my application with the proposed study plan, one of the unit which I proposed is no longer offered from next year, and that means I have to revise my unit enrollment. Finally, and this is the worst of all, Sunway Campus students no longer receive the promised travel grant of $A3500 for the program starting next year. Can you believe it? I don't even know how to speak of this stinginess Monash is exhibiting.
REJECT
In REJECT, I would miss out all the pros I mentioned above, but I won't have to an extend additional semester for only one unit which also means, saving unneccasary money for just that unit (my current scholarship is only valid if I have a full load of 4 units per semester), saving the expenses over in Australia which no doubt would cost quite high even with the travel grant, and what more, it is no longer available, you can do the math.
So most likely I will be rejecting this offer, as much as I want it, sometimes in life we just have to make difficult choices.
I may consider on doing my internship over in Australia though, or even Singapore, provided that I can apply for it. I just have to convince my lecturer or whoever who is dealing the industrial attachment for me.
On a different note, I am definitely rotting in my house since the exams ended. I want to go on a road trip, shopping, holiday-ing, movie, or just plain hang out. Anyone?
Since my final exam paper on last Monday, all that I have been doing was stay home, "grounded".
Not literally I-commited-some-teen-offense-and-being-punished-and-cannot-leave-the-house but because renovation of my home's first floor is in progress, and I have to be home to supervise the worker. It's not some major renovation, just replacing the tiles on the floor which rose and expanded due to internal pressure (how that occured, I haven't the faintest idea, but I am thinking of tectonic plates now, wtf most of you don't know that).
So basically I have to wake up early daily, since the worker begins work at about 8 a.m. and finishes about 4 to 5 p.m. &&& during the entire time frame, it is impossible for me to have any afternoon nap/sleep (more to sleep) because he constantly moves in and out of the house to bring and remove supplies/rubbish.
What do I do then you ask. Well, fixate my eyes on the tele of course! I practically watch the television from 8 to 5 (okay not non-stop, continously of course; my eyes would have popped out by then). Currently, I am following the encore telecast of The Amazing Race Asia Season 2 on AXN weekdays at 10 a.m. It so happened that the first episode was on the first day of my holidays aka the first day of renovation. Supporting the Philippines team Marc and Rovilson, because they are so consistent, team spirited and of course, jovial and never once argued with each other. Please don't reveal the winner to me whoever who have completed the series. Watching this show makes me so determined to travel around the world in the future.
Besides that, I am also catching the encore telecast of Grey's Anatomy Season 4 on Star World. I just love this show. It is one of the best television production ever in my opinion lah. Don't come asking me why I don't watch House instead because, because. I just don't. What I enjoy about Grey's Anatomy is its well written script and its ensemble of casts who portrayed their roles that managed to captivate my attention on each character of the show. And of course, each episode has a theme which is narrated by Meredith Grey at the start and the end of the episode, just like Mary Alice does in Desperate Housewives.
Then I also follow Astro Shuang Xing (324) Singapore's drama My School Daze (书包太重) which depicts the education system and expectation on children in Singapore. An eye opener in my opinion, to the current education system. Somewhat similar with what is happening with our nation's education system: too exam orientated, and too much memorising on unnecessary information rather then emphasis on future relevance. Only of course, Singapore's education system is still ahead and more effective than ours back here, not because we are less smart, but because some certain thing beginning with p and rhymes with solistic is suppressing the growth of our so called "advancing and growing" nation. Okay, that was some divergence from my main topic.
Shows that I download and follow are Ugly Betty Season 4, Desperate Housewives Season 6, Degrassi: The Next Generation Season 9 and Gossip Girl Season 3.
One word to describe each episode especially in Gossip Girl and Desperate Housewives: shocking.
Enough about shows, I was out with four of my uni mates in Pyramid for a gathering last Saturday before 3 of them go for clinical attachment (Medical Bioscience requirement) and another to China for the Monash In Country Chinese program in Shanghai.
We had a fusion of Western and Japanese in Pasta Zanmai for lunch before catching 2012.
Food: Okay
Price: Affordable, for a Japanese restaurant
Service: Normal
Movie: Good. Throughout the movie all of us in the cinema gave 3 applauses. Two was for totally unexpected comical scenes and one for the ending. Recommended to all, except for diehard hardcore scientists who rejected the 2012 theory and regarded it as pseudoscience, please do not go there and spoil people's mood with your scientific theory. Go get a life, it is fiction.
Oh and before ending this post, I want to share this video which I came across while browsing through Nat Ho's blog: A flash mob in Singapore's Raffles Place. Enjoy.
p/s: go listen to owl city's fireflies and some of his other songs which are good. i am currently listening to fireflies.
toodles, and to my fellow food science and technology and medical bioscience coursemates, have fun in your industrial/clinical attachments!
Cause everybody wants to party with you! - Madonna, Celebration.
Woo Hoo!
Officially completed my first semester of year 2 in Monash today.
Summary of the final exam paper: I gave it a kick the ass, even though I couldn't finish the paper regardless of non-stop writing from 1.41pm up to 4.41pm.
Now I am free to catch all my Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives, Gossip Girl, Degrassi and heck, anything!
To those who are still having their papers, take care of yourself, and if it means screwing everyone else, so be it!
Go give your exam a real kick the ass!
On a side note, my house first floor is undergoing major renovation starting tomorrow and my room looks like a store room, because anything and everything is now stuffed in here.
P/S: I haven't been shopping for quite some time, and have saved quite an amount of $$$. This Saturday's outing with my classmates, I might just splurge on some new clothes, or should I be proud to continue saving for end-year Taiwan? Hmmm.. I haven't got any new clothes since Topman back in July. Hehe. Amazing achievement, yet something shocking for someone so into clothes.
Okay that is all for today, going for my tv show now.
