Saturday, May 2, 2009
Hello. So I haven't exactly been sticking to my "one post a day" rule. I know that it's been a really long time since I last posted. I apologize for that. School has started, and I am busy once again. Still, I would like to post whenever I am free.I honestly thought that my blog would be dead, but it seems that I thought wrong. Sure, I wasn't posting, but it didn't stop all you loyal readers from constantly returning to this page and urging me to post.
And to thank you for your undying loyalty [a bit drama here], I am going to summarize all the notable stuff that happened in school during these past two weeks. I'll write about week 1 for today, and week 2 for tomorrow.
After that, I promise that I will make an effort to post everyday. I seriously want to return to my topic based posting, that is so much interesting a read, and so much more of a joy for me to write about. Can't wait.
WEEK 1
Monday
Today was a happy day. First of all, we didn't have school, because tutorials only started on week 2, and evidently, Mondays are purely tutorial days for us. So since we were all free, we decided to hold our first ever 1C01 class outing.
We were supposed to meet at Orchard MRT at 12.30pm if I'm not wrong. I screwed up quite a lot while I was trying to get there. Thanks to my obliviousness, I took the bus all the way to Somerset MRT, instead of Orchard. If I had dropped off at Orchard, I would have actually been there early.
Once I realised that I was in the wrong MRT station, instead of conveniently taking a train to Orchard, which was only one stop away, I decided to be thrifty, so I started walking to Orchard.
Big mistake.
Orchard and Somerset may be really close by to each other, but they are still quite a distance apart when you are walking. By the time I got there, I was the last one to arrive, and I was feeling sweaty and tired.
Everyone decided to eat at Fish and Co, which was at Heeren. Of course, I had only passed by the place just moments ago. And now I was walking back. I guess I got my punishment for my lack of punctuality.
Once we got to the restaurant, there wasn't enough place to fit us all, so we had to wait until people vacated the place before we could get in. We joined four tables together, so that we could all chat while we ate.
I should probably mention right now that I have only went to Fish and Co twice prior to this, so I had no idea what the menu was like. The food turned out to be of the expensive sort. The prices were reasonable to me, so I got a solo portion, while others preferred to share.
I ordered the Fish and Chips. I honestly prefer chicken to fish, but the fish turned out to be alright. I've eaten much better in Australia, but I guess the Fish and Chips from Fish and Co is already one of the best there is available locally.
While we were eating, I got to know the people sitting around me a little better. Mostly learned about their interests, and other stuff that I cannot remember now.
Several people in my class had cameras, which are those large, black cameras used by professional photographers in case you don't know. These cameras are recommended for my course, so I'll probably be getting one later this year.This kinda camera:
After lunch, we were trying to decide where to go. A whole lot of places were suggested, but we eventually went to McDonalds at Shaw Centre, where some people got themselves an ice cream, then we took a train to City Hall.
We went to the Esplanade and we just sat at the rooftop for a while and we played games. I have never been to the rooftop before. New experience!! Then I took a bus home, while the others took a train.
Throughout the day, we took numerous photos. I'm uploading some of them, but these do not belong to me. All credit goes to the ones who took them:
1CO1 waiting for food
Majority of 1C01
Playing games
The girls of 1C01
The guys of 1C01
Tuseday
We officially started school today. We had Journalism 1 News [J1 News] lecture with Mr. Ramesh. He is an awesome guy. Really funny, and he actually makes an attempt to engage with the class. Great way to start poly life.
We had a short break, then we had Essential Graphics [Ess Gra] and Graphic Design Fundamental [GDF] lectures. Our teacher for these subjects is Ms Teh Yee Lin.
It's kinda weird to look at her as a lecturer, because her name sounds almost like Tay Yiling, and she looks like Angie from some angles!! Seriously.
We finished at 2pm, because there are no tutorials this week. Since we finished early, we decided to go to E Hub, which was at Pasir Ris. We were going there because today is Tuesday.
Gelare's half priced ice cream and waffles day!!
We went to eat at Burger King when we got there. It was fun slacking there, because it was mostly empty and quiet, and the air con was very strong. After that, the majority of our group went to play pool, while the rest of us went to have our dessert.
Once again, photos were taken. And once again, these do not belong to me. All credit goes to the ones who took them:
Lunch. Gerald telling story
Mohawks!!
Porter why you look at me like that hmm?
Everyone is posing, while I'm just stoning.
You will only see me this happy when I get cheap but delicious waffles and ice cream.
Wednesday
Nothing much happened today. School started at 3pm, which was awesome. The CCA fair was being held at the Plaza. Really crowded and warm, so I didn't bother looking at the offered activities.
I met up with a group of my classmates in the library. I love the guy who invented the air conditioner. We should all just build a building sized statue of him in the middle of the CBD to acknowledge his Nobel Prize deserving invention.
We had Media and Society [Med Soc] lecture today. I'm sorry, but Med Soc is one boring subject. I cannot understand a single thing the lecturer, Mr. T, is saying, because his lecture is so dry and dull that I just involuntarily start to drift off.
Thursday
No school today, because once again, it was a purely tutorial day. I heard that a group of people from 1C01 went jamming. I could have gone, but I think my guitar skills are too embarrassing. So I just stayed at home and slacked for most of the day.
Friday
We had our first tutorial today. I know, I said that we weren't having tutorials for the first week, but today was an exception, because it was a make up tutorial for next Friday. Since we wouldn't be having school due to Labour Day and all.
Our tutorial for today was for GDF. It is our longest lesson at four hours long. Sounds intimidating, but it is actually super slack. It's basically like art and craft. We all had to bring an A3 Sketch Book, as well as a set of colour pencils and drawing material.
We sat in an air conditioned room, listened to our own music, and we wrote down 15 adjectives that described ourselves. After that, we had to incorporate these 15 words into a poster. We did this for about an hour and a half.
Next, we went our of the classroom to collect design samples from all over TP. Most of us just went to the Design School canteen to eat. After eating, we got our samples, then we headed back to the classroom.
After that each of us did an individual presentation for our poster, and we talked about the design that interested us the most. With all that done, we were dismissed. Amazing how fast four hours can pass by.
Now we had a long three hour break. I followed a group of my classmates to Mensa, which is said to be the cafeteria with the best Western food in TP. I ate chicken chop. I have never tried the Western food in the other cafeterias, so I cannot compare yet.
After that we went to the Student Center, because some of us had to collect their EZ-Link cards. The chairs in there were super comfortable, and the air con felt really good as well, so we just stayed in there for a long time.
I also went to order my laptop, since today is the last day of the mini IT Fair in TP. I'm getting an Acer model, which costs about $1700, and it comes with $500 worth of freebies. I have to pay $500 for this, and my dad is going to pay the rest, because he wants me to have a sense of ownership for it.
For that price, I think I'm getting a really good and powerful laptop. If you are interested in the specifications, here they are. Click to enlarge:
Finally it was time for the last lecture of the week, Communications and Media Marketing [CMM]. The lecturer for this subject is Ms Winnie Tan. At that point of time, it was a little hard to judge her, because she looked like a slacker, but her attitude seemed like that of a loose cannon.
As for the subject itself, it's not exactly an interesting subject, neither is it an easy one, but it is way, way better than Med Soc. CMM is a little like humanities, which I am kinda good at.
The thing is, it's been so long since I last worked my brain, so it's going to take a while for me to get a grasp of those subjects that actually require thinking.
So yeah, there you have it. That's a summarised version of my first week at Temasek Polytechnic. I'll be lying if I said that I'm used to the school already, because we all know that these things take time.
Still, I'm slowly getting used to the school, the people around me, and the massive change the teaching methods. [Note: These are my thoughts at the end of the first week of school. Right now, I'm more or less used to poly life.]
Now I'm done with that. One more post tomorrow, and I'll be up to date.
Ok, I'm done for today. Thanks for reading. Ending off, see you tomorrow.
Monday
Today was a happy day. First of all, we didn't have school, because tutorials only started on week 2, and evidently, Mondays are purely tutorial days for us. So since we were all free, we decided to hold our first ever 1C01 class outing.
We were supposed to meet at Orchard MRT at 12.30pm if I'm not wrong. I screwed up quite a lot while I was trying to get there. Thanks to my obliviousness, I took the bus all the way to Somerset MRT, instead of Orchard. If I had dropped off at Orchard, I would have actually been there early.
Once I realised that I was in the wrong MRT station, instead of conveniently taking a train to Orchard, which was only one stop away, I decided to be thrifty, so I started walking to Orchard.
Big mistake.
Orchard and Somerset may be really close by to each other, but they are still quite a distance apart when you are walking. By the time I got there, I was the last one to arrive, and I was feeling sweaty and tired.
Everyone decided to eat at Fish and Co, which was at Heeren. Of course, I had only passed by the place just moments ago. And now I was walking back. I guess I got my punishment for my lack of punctuality.
Once we got to the restaurant, there wasn't enough place to fit us all, so we had to wait until people vacated the place before we could get in. We joined four tables together, so that we could all chat while we ate.
I should probably mention right now that I have only went to Fish and Co twice prior to this, so I had no idea what the menu was like. The food turned out to be of the expensive sort. The prices were reasonable to me, so I got a solo portion, while others preferred to share.
I ordered the Fish and Chips. I honestly prefer chicken to fish, but the fish turned out to be alright. I've eaten much better in Australia, but I guess the Fish and Chips from Fish and Co is already one of the best there is available locally.
While we were eating, I got to know the people sitting around me a little better. Mostly learned about their interests, and other stuff that I cannot remember now.
Several people in my class had cameras, which are those large, black cameras used by professional photographers in case you don't know. These cameras are recommended for my course, so I'll probably be getting one later this year.This kinda camera:
After lunch, we were trying to decide where to go. A whole lot of places were suggested, but we eventually went to McDonalds at Shaw Centre, where some people got themselves an ice cream, then we took a train to City Hall.
We went to the Esplanade and we just sat at the rooftop for a while and we played games. I have never been to the rooftop before. New experience!! Then I took a bus home, while the others took a train.
Throughout the day, we took numerous photos. I'm uploading some of them, but these do not belong to me. All credit goes to the ones who took them:
1CO1 waiting for food
Majority of 1C01
Playing games
The girls of 1C01
The guys of 1C01We officially started school today. We had Journalism 1 News [J1 News] lecture with Mr. Ramesh. He is an awesome guy. Really funny, and he actually makes an attempt to engage with the class. Great way to start poly life.
We had a short break, then we had Essential Graphics [Ess Gra] and Graphic Design Fundamental [GDF] lectures. Our teacher for these subjects is Ms Teh Yee Lin.
It's kinda weird to look at her as a lecturer, because her name sounds almost like Tay Yiling, and she looks like Angie from some angles!! Seriously.
We finished at 2pm, because there are no tutorials this week. Since we finished early, we decided to go to E Hub, which was at Pasir Ris. We were going there because today is Tuesday.
Gelare's half priced ice cream and waffles day!!
We went to eat at Burger King when we got there. It was fun slacking there, because it was mostly empty and quiet, and the air con was very strong. After that, the majority of our group went to play pool, while the rest of us went to have our dessert.
Once again, photos were taken. And once again, these do not belong to me. All credit goes to the ones who took them:
Lunch. Gerald telling story
Mohawks!!
Porter why you look at me like that hmm?
Everyone is posing, while I'm just stoning.
You will only see me this happy when I get cheap but delicious waffles and ice cream.Nothing much happened today. School started at 3pm, which was awesome. The CCA fair was being held at the Plaza. Really crowded and warm, so I didn't bother looking at the offered activities.
I met up with a group of my classmates in the library. I love the guy who invented the air conditioner. We should all just build a building sized statue of him in the middle of the CBD to acknowledge his Nobel Prize deserving invention.
We had Media and Society [Med Soc] lecture today. I'm sorry, but Med Soc is one boring subject. I cannot understand a single thing the lecturer, Mr. T, is saying, because his lecture is so dry and dull that I just involuntarily start to drift off.
Thursday
No school today, because once again, it was a purely tutorial day. I heard that a group of people from 1C01 went jamming. I could have gone, but I think my guitar skills are too embarrassing. So I just stayed at home and slacked for most of the day.
Friday
We had our first tutorial today. I know, I said that we weren't having tutorials for the first week, but today was an exception, because it was a make up tutorial for next Friday. Since we wouldn't be having school due to Labour Day and all.
Our tutorial for today was for GDF. It is our longest lesson at four hours long. Sounds intimidating, but it is actually super slack. It's basically like art and craft. We all had to bring an A3 Sketch Book, as well as a set of colour pencils and drawing material.
We sat in an air conditioned room, listened to our own music, and we wrote down 15 adjectives that described ourselves. After that, we had to incorporate these 15 words into a poster. We did this for about an hour and a half.
Next, we went our of the classroom to collect design samples from all over TP. Most of us just went to the Design School canteen to eat. After eating, we got our samples, then we headed back to the classroom.
After that each of us did an individual presentation for our poster, and we talked about the design that interested us the most. With all that done, we were dismissed. Amazing how fast four hours can pass by.
Now we had a long three hour break. I followed a group of my classmates to Mensa, which is said to be the cafeteria with the best Western food in TP. I ate chicken chop. I have never tried the Western food in the other cafeterias, so I cannot compare yet.
After that we went to the Student Center, because some of us had to collect their EZ-Link cards. The chairs in there were super comfortable, and the air con felt really good as well, so we just stayed in there for a long time.
I also went to order my laptop, since today is the last day of the mini IT Fair in TP. I'm getting an Acer model, which costs about $1700, and it comes with $500 worth of freebies. I have to pay $500 for this, and my dad is going to pay the rest, because he wants me to have a sense of ownership for it.
For that price, I think I'm getting a really good and powerful laptop. If you are interested in the specifications, here they are. Click to enlarge:
Finally it was time for the last lecture of the week, Communications and Media Marketing [CMM]. The lecturer for this subject is Ms Winnie Tan. At that point of time, it was a little hard to judge her, because she looked like a slacker, but her attitude seemed like that of a loose cannon.
As for the subject itself, it's not exactly an interesting subject, neither is it an easy one, but it is way, way better than Med Soc. CMM is a little like humanities, which I am kinda good at.
The thing is, it's been so long since I last worked my brain, so it's going to take a while for me to get a grasp of those subjects that actually require thinking.
So yeah, there you have it. That's a summarised version of my first week at Temasek Polytechnic. I'll be lying if I said that I'm used to the school already, because we all know that these things take time.
Still, I'm slowly getting used to the school, the people around me, and the massive change the teaching methods. [Note: These are my thoughts at the end of the first week of school. Right now, I'm more or less used to poly life.]
Now I'm done with that. One more post tomorrow, and I'll be up to date.
Ok, I'm done for today. Thanks for reading. Ending off, see you tomorrow.
posted @ 11:51 PM
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