Jeremy Teo | Just Simply Me

Work, Friends and My Forgotten Results

It has been 3 days of internship already, and I’m slowly starting to get used to things. Work has started to pile up a little too, but I’m relishing every learning opportunity I get. The only problem is waking up early everyday.

Just came back from Arts Club chalet, and it was really nice to meet up with many friends who I have not seen in a while. We spent the entire night talking, and such talks with this group of friends was something that I really missed when in HK.

Exam results from CUHK are out, and I totally forgot about my exams and the results if not for my friend alerting me through facebook. Results have allowed me to better understand why the standards and stress levels in NUS and Singapore are so high, and now I wish that there was some option to credit my SEP grades.

My entries are getting lesser and shorter, as I’m getting more and more lazy to blog. Probably still adjusting to the new ‘lifestyle’.

An Exchange to Remember

I’ve been back for a week already, and now that things have pretty much settled down, I guess it puts me in better stead to give a recount of what was another amazing chapter in my life. The entry title speaks much about my overall sentiments for this exchange experience, albeit the many hiccups and blips that came along the way. Probably going to be a long entry, and a messy one in fact, but nonetheless a necessary one.

Going for SEP was never a part of the plan in my university studies. But as we all know, there’s only so much in life we can plan for, the rest just falls in place. In fact, university studies was never a part of the plan for my own life, so yeah you get my point. The three letters of SEP only surfaced when a senior of mine mentioned that the one thing he regreted from his journey in NUS, was that he missed out on an exchange experience. So I was determined to not let that happen to me, and seeing how so many of my other friends were gunning for this opportunity, I just had to go for it. Now I’m just glad I did.

The Country – I chose Hong Kong for a number of reasons, with availability of modules and cost as one of the main factors. Mind you going on exchange is not cheap, and I knew the burdens it could bring upon my parents. So as much as how I’ve heard much comments about how HK is rather similar to Singapore, or how HK is a small and boring exchange location, I would say it is just so not true, and that HK was a great choice, especially with lower cost as a factor. For one, no other country can be similar to Singapore, and adding to that, I think the secret to a fine exchange experience should not be country dependent, as it should in fact come from the mentality you take when you approach this lifetime opportunity. Sure I don’t get to see any wonders of the world, nor did I get a chance to experience snow, but it was just the intercultural experience of being away from home that mattered. Exchange in HK was afterall a choice I made many months back, and to live it well as a memorable 4 months of my life, or to blemish it with constant complaints and comparisons, was my choice to make. Of course, I gladly chose the former.

The Language – With Hong Kong comes Cantonese. So I’m glad to say that I’ve progressed from my only line of ‘qi sor hai bin dou’, to a Cantonese vocabulary which is now much wider. I would say I more or less can string broken Cantonese sentences together, and looking back at how I didn’t even know what the Cantonese equivalent of ‘you and me’ were, I’ve up-ed a couple of levels. Then again, the key takeaway would be a better appreciation of our Singapore education system, and how being adequately educated in the English and Chinese language is key to surviving in today’s globalized world.

The School – I would say that CUHK is a beautiful university. In some sense it is rather similar to NUS, with lots of greenery, and a fusion of old and new buildings, more old ones too. Then again, what stands CUHK out from NUS is that the huge campus is located on a moutain, surrounded by magnificent landscapes and breathtaking views. In fact, the view from my hostel itself was way better than any view I’d get from any holiday resort. I was lucky to be assigned to New Asia College, as it had the best view, a gym nearby, and to me, the best canteen in the whole school. Then again, with the ups, there’s always the downs. I didn’t exactly fancy how we had to climb up and down for 20 mins just to get to class on the other side of campus, how slow and unreliable their IT and printing services were, and how we needed to spent at least 40 minutes just to get to central HK.

The Modules – I’ve written much about this aspect in my previous entries already, but here’s just a summation. Results are not out yet, but I think I kinda have a rough gauge of how things would turn out. The communications module was perhaps the closest to what I’d get at home, theoretical but rather informative, and I’m sure it will do my not-so-knowledgable brain good in my honors year. Sociology modules have been a bane for the entire semester, but I survived the ordeal. The locals commented how I was crazy to even dare attempt two level 3000 soci modules in one semester, but well workload was less than desirable, but final exams was easier than first expected. So it kinda levels up.

The two film classes have been great. One like a weekly visit to the cinema, the other an experience to remember. ‘The Other End of The Gun’ is still being edited and finalised by the editor, director and composer, and hopefully it will really make it to a film festival as promised. The experience I gained, the lessons I learnt, and the people I have met through this project is way beyond what I can describe. With this I gave up much of my traveling opportunities, but if you ask me, it was well worth it. I was given the opportunity today to share my experience with those embarking on their SEP in the coming semester, and when asked where I had travelled during my 4 months at HK, I replied “Only Macau”. But the couple of sentences I added was what was perhaps the most whole-hearted sentiments I could share with them …

The People – One funny thing about this exchange experience is that I only got to know a few of the Hong Kong locals. In fact, I only had the opportunity to work with one of them, as the rest of my project mates were mostly exchange students themselves. So where did the bulk of my new found friends come from? Korea. Not sure if it’s the same-age factor, or because both our nations had compulsory national service, or some unexplained chemistry between Singaporeans and Koreans, but I had become very good friends with them. We even formed a soccer team (almost 15 of us), and to me that’s one of the biggest things I’m gonna miss about my exchange in HK, the frequent soccer sessions. Probably hung out more with Hansu, who always joined Josh and I for tennis and dim sum sessions, but overall, the Koreans have been a friendly bunch of guys. Sure gonna miss them. Also got a chance to know other Singaporeans better, like Bryan and Elaine, and a few others, and hopefully we can get together some time soon to recap on all the happenings in HK.

Then again, I must admit that things have not been all so rosy like the picture I painted with regards to the Koreans and other fellow Singaporeans. I’ve said much about smeagol and the other roommate, and how my level of intercultural tolerance has risen. Well things did get better towards the end, and we even went out for some buffet dinner a few nights before I left. Something struck me that night though, when I realised that the both of them had never eaten salmon sashimi before, and smeagol didn’t even know that seaweed was used to wrap sushi. I suddenly realised that despite co-habiting in the same room for almost 4 months, we were actually worlds apart. I suddenly realised how lucky I am to be able to savour delicacies from around the world, when my roommates have never even seen sushi before.

Project-wise, I have seen much. To sum it up, my takeaway is not that I worked well with people from different backgrounds and nationalities, but more of how I have learnt to work differently with people from different cultures in the future. I don’t want to over-generalise here, but this is what I got from my exchange experience. I have worked with a French guy who dreams and creates big things, but has major management and organization problems. A Dutch guy who gives new meaning to the word ‘phantom’, and a local Hong Kong guy who dreams big, does small, and does scary self-reflections in front of you. I always have a problem with people who talks to themselves and do something like a self-reflection in front of their friends. There’s nothing wrong with doing self-reflections and having occasional talk-to-yourself moments, but in front of your friends? How was I suppose to react I really didn’t know. So well, this intercultural experience wouldn’t be complete afterall without experiencing some shocking intercultural differences, and this was my fair share of it.

Misses – Through this 4 months, I’ve missed many things back in Singapore, and also grown to appreciate the many things that we have taken for granted back at home. But now that I’m back home, it’s perhaps more of the things I will miss in HK, or the things I’ve already started to miss. I still prefer the weather in Singapore, although I’ll probably miss some of the cool weather and breezes in HK. In school, I will miss the New Asia Canteen, the New Asia Gym, and the view from my hostel. I will miss my Korean friends, and the wonderful soccer moments we shared. Hawker food is still the best, but I will definitely miss dim sum, the Mongkok street side food, fresh egg tarts, honeymoon and xu liu shan dessert, and simple food from the canteen. Last but not least, I will miss the feeling of ‘escapism from CAP’, as the whole grades and CAP thing will resurface in my life.

On the same note, today was the release of results. It felt rather strange that I did not have any results to check, nor did I have to face any anxiety. But it kinda served as a reminder that I’m back to the grades and CAP ‘world’, and no longer do I have any backup safety net to rely on. It’s just one way forward now, and no turning back. I took up this SEP opportunity in year 2 sem 1 in view of freezing my CAP, but results turned out for the better the following semester and I soon realised that instead of a need to freeze my CAP, I could have strived to pull my CAP up. But after this 4 months, I feel confident to say that the experience gained will be many times more valuable than any A’s or A+’s I could have gotten this semester (not saying that I would).

Thank you HK for what was a memorable chapter in my life. Oh and thanks to Facebook, which allows all of us from all over the world to keep in touch. I have had some interesting convos recently regarding Facebook, and it will in fact be my topic for my next entry, the phenomenon of Facebook-alization.

Back Home

I’ve stood on the wrong side of the escalator on at least 5 different occasions already!

I suddenly realised how small and light our Singapore coins are.

I had to think for a while before I recalled which MRT line Outram Park Station was on.

I looked to the top of the train door to see which station I was at.

I had a strange and unfamiliar feeling when I stepped back into NUS.

I keeping taking a second look into every 7-11 outlet I pass by, to see if they have my favourite chocolates from HK.

I’m still not used to hearing Singapore accents around me. And they’re all around now!

Good to be back home :) Reflections of my exchange experience to come. It’s probably going to take a little longer than I expected, as there’s still so much to do back at home, and I’m putting blogging priority a little to the back now ;)

The Final Chapter

And so, after 16 full weeks, my exchange at HK is soon coming to an end.

Friday marked the end of assignments and exams for me. Well there’s still some editing left to complete within these couple of days, but I see editing as more fun albeit the hard work, so I shall not label it as an assignment. To sum up the final week of exams and assignments, I felt it turned out pretty ok, much better than how I planned it out to be in fact. Last minute again, but I think I managed to throw out some decent stuff to probably get me through safely. Fingers crossed.

Yesterday was spent packing and walking the streets of Hong Kong. It has been a while since we last walked around Mongkok and Kowloon Tong happily eating and shopping, without the worry of school and assignments. Alike a few months back, that carefree-ness was back. But we realised that one thing had changed though, we could no longer use the ‘one day we try this’ mentality, and there isn’t really any days left.

Elaine asked now that I am going back, what’s the percentage of happiness and sadness. I would personally say 70% happy, and 30% sad. I am feeling more happy simply because of the many things I miss back at home. It’s only after I’ve come here that I realise how much of a Singaporean I am. I guess I’m just used to the lifestyle at home, good or bad I don’t know. A few weeks back I was actually listening to the past National Day songs on YouTube, and realised how much more meaningful those songs appear to be when you are away from home. However, I know I will miss quite alot of things here in HK as well. I have afterall gotten used to the lifestyle here, and will take a week or so to adjust back to the lifestyle back at home. I predict that in a couple of weeks time, my 70% 30% indicators will probably adjust to something like 40% 60% in favor of HK, as I will start to crave for HK food and the not-so-hot weather.

I felt much of the 30% sadness when I was on the train alone today, when it dawned upon me that this once in a lifetime experience to be overseas for almost 4 months, is indeed coming to an end, and such an opportunity may never ever come again. Thinking back, I’m really glad to have been given such an opportunity, and am even more glad I took it.

I will do a more thorough reflection of my experience at HK in the coming few days. So much to say, but don’t know where to start. Will probably start tomorrow, lest these thoughts start to fade away within me.

In the Middle of the Night

I picked up a bad habit of going to the student-run snack shop at the lobby of my hall, for two nights in a row. I knew of it’s existence since 3 months back, but refrained from late night snacking, until last night. With the exams tying me down a little, food seems to be one of the only few pleasures left, and I just realised how good it feels to eat hot instant noodles in the cold nights in HK. The amount of late night junk food snacking in the past 2 days, way surmounts the amount for the past 2 months at least. The only saving grace is that I picked this habit up in my final week in HK, and not since the start.

Had my first exam in CUHK today, and totally approached it with a just-whack mentality. Plans to wake up at around 3am to study failed miserably, as I finally woke up 4 hours after I stopped my alarm clock. Consolation was that the paper was a communications one, and I could put to good use whatever communications and media knowledge I had to get through the exams. Again, the safety net factor played a part in reducing any pressure to score (which is farfetched), so I’m just crossing my fingers that all should be fine.

No mood to study for tomorrow’s paper though. Have been idling for the whole day already, and despite knowing that there’s quite abit to memorise, I still can’t get myself to studying. I’m already thinking about post-exam plans.

In some way, I know my plans to have a whole year break from NUS is going to make honours year semester 1 a little harder for me, yet the last couple of weeks have assured me that my current mentality towards studying is not at its best state, and that I’m totally not anywhere near prepared for a full semester of chionging back in NUS.

Exam Period Randomness

Things never change. Have a deadline tomorrow, and exams in the following two days, and yet I’m doing all the random stuff, and thinking about random thoughts …

Weather is really cold now, and I dislike it simply because … I tend to eat alot. Canteen was closed this morning, so I took it upon myself to go to Shatin to grab a bite. In the end ‘grab a bite’ was an understatement, as egg tarts, pastry, one whole Triple O’s meal, ‘Kwai Ling Gou’ and Starbucks was definitely more than ‘a bite’. On my way back I was telling myself maybe I should skip dinner as the day was sinful enough. But I just got back from dinner at the canteen :p

Was YouTubing just now and watched a few videos of my secondary school choir while they were on tour last year. Don’t really know which country it was, but I think it’s some European country. I had my fair share when I went to London and Paris with the choir in my secondary school days, and thinking back I was really fortunate to have such an opportunity. Quoting from someone, “Young people these days are so lucky. They get to travel, go on exchange … … “. It’s so true, and although I may not be considered ‘young’ anymore, I’m glad to be a part of this privileged group.

Was reading the NUS President’s letter, and realised that many things in school have changed, or will be changing. There will be a new mini-forum, the health and wellness centre moved out, the vacant space will now provide more study areas, the alumni house is ready and more. Now I’m starting to wonder what else (outside school) has changed back in Singapore, after just 3 months plus.

The Last Lap

One last lap to go before my essays and exams are done, and then it’s checking out procedures before heading back home. It’s been really fast, and it’s been a great experience, but I guess I shall leave the full recount of this exchange experience till next week, when I finally get all those school work out of my mind.

The last few days have been filled with flashbacks. I saw my orientation dorm roomate and his friend outside the canteen, the same two people who were chatting with me back in my orientation hostel about 3 months back. I recalled just how excited yet unsettled I was feeling back then. I had many plans then, some I fulfiled, some I neglected, and some which even went way beyond what I had expected. But whatever it is, the past few months will definitely be an experience unlike any other I may ever get.

Oh, and I don’t usually like to post pictures or videos on this blog space of mind, for fear that it might lag things up, but this is a must! The trailer for The Other End of The Gun, the film project we worked so hard for. A glimpse into why my exchange experience was definitely one unlike any other! Enjoy!

The Exchange S/U Option

When you have a ten page essay due in about 20 hours time, and you have not started because you can’t really get settled down on your topic, you know you’re in some kind of trouble. So the only thing to hope for, is that the grades won’t really matter, and that you’re on exchange. Yay, I am!

With deadlines all around and exams looming, the issue of the S/U option surfaced. I would say it’s a simple yet complicated matter. We used to casually talk about how the absence of grades would make things more easy going and relaxed, and how we needn’t worry about CAP and such.

Yes, it’s true. ‘Project Escapism from CAP’ has worked really well this semester here at CUHK, as I have practically not thought about my CAP at all throughout the past few months, an amazing feat considering how it’s been constantly surfacing in my life for the past 2 years. I have definitely also enjoyed more, and no doubt fatigue and frustrations did occasionally set in, the overall pressure and stress is definitely much less from that at home. Exams are less than a week from now, but I’m not exactly bothered, unlike how I would have started revisions already back at home, or started being worried that I’ve not started revisions.

Then again, the S/U option is actually a little more complex than what many think. It’s only until you get the chance to come on exchange then will you realise. When we tell ourselves to ‘just aim for a pass’, how do we actually do that? To me, it’s a really hard thing to do. How do we know what is the bare minimum to pass? So if I have a 10 page essay, can I just hand in 7 pages, and assume that even with some mistakes here and there, I should safely hit the passing mark? How does one gauge? So when the results come in, and I realised I failed, am I suppose to tell myself ‘if only’ I had put in a little more? Obviously not, so despite things being a little more relaxed, I’m still telling myself to give it my all whenever possible.

Bottom line is, I see the luxury of S/U not really as an option, but more of a back up safety net. Furthermore, I think it’s just in almost all of us to just want to try our best in whatever we do.

Oh, and I just realised that my days left in HK, is even lesser than the number of weeks in my timeline. How time flies …

Zombified

I have been zombified while on exchange, having slept around just 6 hours over the last two days. This is so unbecoming of an exchange student, but I guess I still can’t defeat my greatest enemy, myself. What’s worse is that things will start to get worse till 10 days later.

The last two nights over the weekend have been spent in the editing room until 4 am each night (or morning), as we had to show some rough edit to our prof today. What I couldn’t understand was how come everyone knew that we had make-up class today, and knew that we had to present something, and yet I was spending the last couple of nights in the editing room all alone. And amidst all those editing, I had to rush to complete a 50% paper.

I may be someone who is always last minute, but I draw a distinct line between last minute-ness, and nothing-ness. How in the world could they just assume that something magical would appear on the empty black screen today? I knew that there was going to be no magic, and as I just couldn’t bring myself to give an empty answer to the prof today, I was therefore confined to the editing room. And to think I have another assignment to submit tomorrow, and I haven’t even started.

Fair? Of course not, but I’ve seen enough over the past few semesters to know that life is never fair. The more gracious side of my inner self has already gotten used to living with all these, yet of course, there’s this other side of me which just can’t live with the unjust, and is the reason why I’m ranting here on this space.

Maybe I should get some sleep first, and maybe its my turn to wait for something magical to help me …

Co..Co..Cold

Before I went to sleep last night, I decided to leave the window slightly ajar so as to sleep comfortably with a nice cool breeze, ensuring that the room doesn’t turn too stuffy. Well it backfired, as temperatures dipped to around 11 degrees in the early hours, and I was so cold that I couldnt sleep anymore.

And as of tonight, temperatures at new territories is ranging around 8 degrees. I thought there was maybe some kind of misprint on the observatory website, so I went out with my shorts and slippers to test water. I shouldn’t have. Water turned to ice.

I kinda under-estimated the weather in HK. You see the last time I came to HK it was during winter, and temperatures averaged around 17 degrees. But it’s only autumn here now, and it’s hitting below 10 degrees. My wardrobe doesn’t seem to be able to withstand this temperature, yet with less than 3 weeks to departure I’m a little reluctant to buy some warmer clothes. I guess in some sense I will probably be staying indoors much for the next couple of weeks rushing to meet my deadlines, but the problem is my open-sea facing room is freezing as well, despite all windows and doors shut.

It’s times like this where I miss sunny Singapore. Then again, the grass is always greener on the other side, and when I’m back home, I’m sure to complain its too hot.