Reflections on 2007...and first happenings in 2008

I think it is a little tough to cap up 2007 especially when it was one which I would largely want to forget...but here it is, 15 days after 2008 formally started:

1) Forgettable academic results throughout 2007 itself...this includes a very rough ride at the beginning and the end of 2007 itself for various reasons that are a bit too long to mention - to put it short, for personal and non-personal reasons. Whatever it is though, I just want to do well in this one remaining semester to prove to myself that I can still do well at this level.

2) New friendships! This is one problematic area which I did not address in 2006 well enough - and the comforting thing is that I have made new friends and tried to stick with them as much as I can - I cannot say how long this can go, but this is a start. Catching up with old pals was another priority that I stuck to - seriously in work, there will be little time to make new friends. The ones you already have will be your true friends you will most probably hang out with. I learnt that the hard way - work and friends do not mix together.

3) Romance - a failure this time round. I was interested in someone whom I worked with, but the only consolation was that I did not formally try to pursue her as a matter of fact. I informally knew through one of her closest friends that she had already set her heart for someone else - so...while I knew I was not the one, the comforting thing was that I did not get formally rejected due to the fact that I was a little worried about chasing her in the first place...Still, this is a regret and I will not attempt to mask it. Well, I sincerely wish her all the best in searching for a new happiness...

4) Probably the one positive event that turned out for me in my life in 2007 is SMUN 2007. Also known as the SIngapore Model United Nations 2007 Conference - I am extremely happy that it worked out despite the odds. There were a lot of people especially naysayers who poured cold water, scorn and whatever it took to bring it down - in fact I know these people and I was personally very saddened by it (one of them happens to be working in an intelliegence department in MINDEF - that of which I will say no more since that person had already graduated when SMUN 2007 came into being). Nonetheless, I am deeply thankful for everyone who stuck by my stubborness and persistence in making it happen, and the numbers that turned out made it probably the largest academic conference organised by a CCA in its own right. SMUN 2007 served to tell me one important lesson - though I had to climb up various obstacles several times, I can tell myself that I do have the steel for anything - and anything that I want to do and am given the chance to do it.

Ok, that's for a quick roundup of 2007...

To mark the start of 2008 was the informal cohort gathering among PS majors. Have been working on it with Shawn and it was a tremendous success. Both of us were only expecting like 30 odd on last count but the overall turnout of 45 of us which was half of the cohort was far larger than we had envisioned. The only downside was the food due to the fact that we acted conservatively - but the key thing was that everyone enjoyed themselves - but I apologise to Kelvin (here, for the record) for allowing him to have a little bit too much to drink.

Still, I thank everyone who came down for the gathering - it was just a bang and a good way to usher in the new semester in a good mood..

Then again which leads me to the very last issue on the agenda which is CORS - some of you may know what that is. I am personally very angered and frustrated that the department has placed a very ridiculous limit on the number of students per module on the very unrealistic assumptions on us doing theses and ISMs. And what has worsened this is that the department itself did not restrict anyone else other than us honours students in taking the modules - 3rd year students are just now flooding into various modules that has exacerbated the situation. Case example - for a particular honours module, there are 9 Year 3 students taking it! No offence to my juniors, but my perception is that some of them just want to take and 'see see'.

Well, if they want to 'see see', than most probably I will do my very best to make sure they will end up with a 'bloody nose' - and the department is at fault with that, 101%. I myself and other honours students who are trying to get into various modules which are oversuscribed are truly frustrated with this.

It looks like this semester may not be as smooth sailing as I thought.