FINALLY!!!

Oct 18 2011 was my thesis defense. After 4.5 years
of hard work, this was the day. There is an
oral presentation followed by a Q & A
with the audience and then another
closed door Q & A with the
examiners.

A month ago, the office staff told me that she was
arranging a date for me for the defense and
I was immediately quite anxious.

Talking for 30 minutes in front of the crowd
require some getting used to.

So much was at stake. I have other plans & I
don't want to fail the defense & be stuck
for the next 6 mths.

I was a bit excited when the staff told me
to keep my Nov 18 for the presentation.
The next 3-4 days, I think I could
feel the anxiety. The funny thing
is it's just didn't last.

As the days get nearer, I was looking
forward to it. After all, if I cleared
it there will lotsa fun time
celebrating with my
frenzs.

Boss asked me to rehearse in front
of my lab colleagues. The delivery
wasn't that smooth although I
was quite pleased because
I didn't really feel much
anxiety while delivering
my presentation.

Boss told me that my examiners specialise
in immunology so I should try to make
sure I equipped myself well to
handle the questions.

The actual defense went very well. I was
really calm and I feel in total control
during the presentation. It is one
of my best 30 min presentation
that I have given.

Years ago, I remembered I was 'suffocated'
by my anxiety, tt time I was criticized by
the examiners of the module. It was
my first long presentation, quite
memorable.

Time really do flies, the 4.5 years of hardship
finally eases away. I am glad to have
very nice colleagues and an understanding
boss who provides the platform for
me to complete my postgraduate.

Boss was very patient during the 4.5 years.
There was a barren period of 2 years when
I have no results. The stress is immense
because I was thinking how I am going
to graduate on time.

_______________________________________

In the past week, I finally went to my first
interview. After submitting more than
10 resumes, I didn't receive any
interview. Justin told me
his company is hiring.

After three rounds of interviews, I got
the job! Thank you, Justin.

It is a sales job. Some pple find it
pretty strange because they
think it is quite a waste.

When Justin broached the idea to me,
I actually quite like it. I don't know whether
I will be a good salesperson but I
guess I am good at certain
aspects of the job.

It will be quite different from research.
The stress is at a different level. Actually,
contrary to what people think, PhD is
actually quite stressful.
In the end, my project almost
failed. It was so close to failure.

I think I 'lost' my life during this 5 years.

Most of my frenzs don't agree and
said I have work-life balance. I
think the residual fear was
slowing sipping away
my energy.

Research is a very unique kind of job. So,
I really have no regrets doing my
postgraduate. If I have it all
over again, I will still do
it.

As for sales, I have no idea how it is going
to be like. It is going to be an adventure.

I do feel a pinch of pain leaving research.
I couldn't forget colleagues like Karen,
Junli & Larry who really give me
a lot of support.

Karen is tough to others but she has always
been a kind advisor. She was my mentor
through my initial stage when I have
close to 0 technical skills.

Junli is generous and always offer her
equipments for me to use. I am
ever grateful for her generosity.
That, we share the same
birthday is also quite
a coincidence.

I remember I always thought that Larry
was rather cold before I actually know
him. I think he really embraces
research. He has been very
nice to me as well & he
gave me valuable
advices when I
needed them
most.

Even though there is plenty of hardship, I
really have fond memories of the people
I met in Paediatrics. I get emotional
when I think about how this 5 years
is going to end.

I also have fond memories of the attendants
which I chat with from time to time.

In these difficult years, I have coached
my students Janelle & Jonathan
from secondary school all the way
to JC. I remember those Fridays
after lab and teaching them till
11pm. Their parents are
very nice. It is amazing
that I coach them
for 7 years
already.

_____________________________________

I was at Avatar on a Saturday night with
Kian Leng & Yijun. The place is quite
big & I think the DJ is not bad.

The cocktail is also good, you can really
taste the vodka. My frenzs actually
complained that the cocktail was
too strong.

For me, I am trained by KK & pals,
so it was ok for me. I am still a
bad drinker and in comparison
to KK, we are miles apart.

KK asked me to be his 'brother' for his
wedding and I told him tt it is bad
being his 'brother' cuz he got
too many 'enemies'.

KK is really a great & fun pal. With the
group, it is always fun.

Anyway, the major pitfall about Avatar
is that it just doesn't have the crowd.
I like the bar beside it, the DJ is
super duper awesome. Though
the place was empty, the music
just made me reluctant to
leave it.

We went back to club Avatar & I saw
a female DJ there. I think
female DJ is generally
v cool!

Anyway, we took a cab & when to
Clarke Quay. We loitered around
& decided not to pay a second
cover charge. In the end
we went for supper.

So, it is quite a weird clubbing night, but
quite oki. for me.

Kian Leng got the clubbing bug &
he wanted to be back before the
year ends.

Yijun also asked abt clubbing on New Year
Eve, I think my friends are gonna kill
me if I 'ditch' them to go clubbing so
I rejected her even though she
said she managed to persuade
a super 'VVVVIP' to go
as well.

_____________________________________

I will be off to Shanghai with Edwin. We will
be joined by his friend over there.

Generally, I prefer beach resort holiday to
sightseeing. I am actually quite
laid back & tt pace of life
suits me perfectly.

But, I only decided on the trip just 2 weeks back,
so it was quite difficult to plan a group
trip to a beach resort.

After the trip, my schedule will be quite packed. So,
I am quite disappointed that I don't have
one full month for myself before
my work starts on Jan 3.

Let's hope Shanghai will be fun!!!

Master of wasting time!

I am quite good @ wasting time !!!

I was trying to prepare my
presentation slides. The first thing
is I will switch on the web version
of fm 98.7 -- check Yahoo News
-- Check Le Grove -- Finally
open up my ppt slides --
Back to Youtube -- Watch 1-2
video -- Finally starting
to work on the slides.

I think a pure deskbound job would probably not work
for me. But between doing lab work or
sitting at the desk, I will choose the
latter cuz doing things repeatedly
deskbound is better than
actually doing things
repeatedly hand-on.

Lab work has the 'same' procedures
as doing deskbound work.
Prepare all the items and put
in the basket -- Walk to
the hood -- Swipe all
items with alcohol -- Start
the "fan" in the hood -- Wait for
15 minutes -- Start procedure --
Clear everything from the hood --
Swipe with alcohol again -- Put
everything in the basket --
Work completed.

Anyway, I'm the adventure loving type
so I will move from challenges to
challenges.

That is me, I realise. Tutoring is the
only thing I have been doing
the longest in my life.

I used to think this is because the job
pays well and I am good at it. Recently,

then I realise I actually like
to tutor & mentor. It is
something I have always been
doing even during sec
sch in my CCA.

___________________________________

A week ago, I played soccer with a couple of
frenzs. It was the first time in 10 years
since I last touched the ball.

Soccer is still v fun. But I was too enthusiastic
during the first 15-30 mins. I made 2 and
scored 2 and our team was 5-1 up. Then,
I was just so dead tired and I got this
ridiculous thought "I don't want to
die on the court".

Me: "Can I drop out, I really can't tahan"
Team-mate: Never mind, you play defence.
Me: " Errmm, oki lah"

I started to retreat further and further behind
and it seem to work haha, I was doing my
job and regaining a bit of my
strength.

After that, the cramps lasted for weeks. I donno
what is more unbelievable, me panting like
hell or that I can still score and
assist after so long.

I was actually happy when the rain arrived.
I doubt I can last very long in the court if
the rain didn't come.

The rest were very disappointed. In their
face of disappointment, I really have to
hide my delight, haha. I think they
will laugh at my fitness if I express
relief that the rain arrived.

Anyway, we have enough people to form
more than 1 team. I am happy just to be
in reserve and play maybe 1/3
of the match. If I can score
a goal when I am on
the field, it's quite
good for me
already.

___________________________________________

Over the last two weekends I caught
the german films @ the Cathay with
pal KL. This year, we watched a
comedy and a drama. These were
two very good films, I could
give them an 8.


The first was 'Welcome to Germany' which is about
the life of a Turkish Immigrant. It is
a top-notch comedy that is at times
charming and touching. The casting
is also very good and the characters
in the show are so captivating. It is
hard not to fall in love with 'Welcome
to Germany'.


'Nanga Parbat' which is based on a
real-life mountaineering expedition
is also a quality piece of work. The
cinematography and the screenplay
are very good. I think the director
manage to imbue a deep sense of
excitement and poignancy in the
audience.

I have known KL for 12 years ever since
we met in the army. In the army, we
weren't tt close. While in university,
I found tt he attended the film
festival & that was how we
started hanging out.

We are quite different, like day & night.
I can be quite frustrating at times
because I can be quite random
& don't like things to be planned
to the finest details.

When I am in sch my frenzs commented
tt my way of studying is too risky
& they will faint doing things
my way.

There is an exhilaration in spotting questions.
I am quite the confident type, and I seldom
think that I will spot wrongly. My
mantra is "Don't keep thinking
about what if it doesn't come up,
counterproductive heh"

Talking about friendship, I do really miss
my JC pal, Chunkiat. We were really quite
close during JC & army.

I would say tt our friendship is quite special,
something which you cannot easy replicate

with another person.

To me, he is the one who brings the group
together. With him around, there is
always a lot of novelty and
excitement.

I always think about how things might
be different if we have shared more
care and concern for him.

I really treasure the friendship and is
ever regretful for the demise of it.

__________________________________________

Intuition

Talking about intuition, mine have been in
top form so much so that I think it's
rather scary.

I used to really admire people with really
solid intuition. That time I wonder
whether one day my feeler
will suddenly show
up.

Just a day ago, I suddenly thought of
pal Soon Chye who told me abt
a year ago a girl he met in
Thailand.

The encounter was pretty random, like

taken up from some Thai romance
drama.

That day, perhaps because my mind was
just too bored, I suddenly thought of how
things actually will work up.

The next day, I received an email from him informing
me about his daughter first baby shower.

I was like, dear Intuition, u are getting
better. These was only one of quite
a couple of instances. Quite happy
to welcome my Intuition back home.
Welcome Back!!

Anyway, Soon Chye is someone I admire
quite a lot. He always surprises you when
you least expect it. Surprises are like the
vitamin of life. It prevents your life
from being suck away by the
monotonous beat of routine
life.

June II appears to arrive again. I have 4
wedding invitations and 3 baby
anniversary all in rapid
succession.

I decided I can't go to all of them as
it is very difficult to be genuine and
excited to do all 7.

This year celebrations do definitely hit
double digit. I wonder how old will
my friend's children be when I
actually get married. Quite
an amusing thought to
ponder!

Talking about children, my nephew is
definitely one that will always
amazes and frustrates ANYONE.

He got that mischievous look and sometimes
when it comes to kid you might just
be able to judge a book by
its cover.

He is actually quite (very) mischievous.
He is downright candid sometime:

Me: "Hello, Naughty nautilus"
Him: "Don't call me naughty, please remove
the word in front"
Me: "You are naughty what"
Him: "Just remove it, it doesn't sound nice"
Me: "How about, obedient nautilus"
Him: "I am neither obedient too, just
nautilus will do"

_____________________________________

The other day I was reading a list of Arsene Wenger
quotes and this quote really start me thinking:

" "I believe the target of anything in life should be
to do it so well that it becomes an art.
When you read some books they are fantastic,
the writer touches something in you that
you know you would not have brought out of yourself.
He makes you discover something interesting in
your life. If you are living like an animal, what is
the point of living? What makes daily life interesting
is that we try to transform it to something that is
close to art. And football is like that.
When I watch Barcelona, it is art."

That's a very long quote. It really reminds
me of Oscar Wilde in some of its work.

Oscar Wilde's work is art in its truest form. And his
life is also an artform himself. Although, his life
doesn't have a good ending, his works
live on.

I really enjoy reading 'The Picture of Dorian Gray'.
It was my literature text when I was in secondary
school, after more than 15 years I still
adore the book.

Anyway, I was thinking about this line in the quote :"
If you are living like an animal, what is the point of living? ".
In the past five years, I have slogged
like a bull. I am glad I am reaching the end, the
next year I hope to transform into my
life into something that is closer
to art!
___________________________________________________

Pal KL invites me to a K-pop party at Zouk so I
was there together with another three people.

It was a 2.5 hours of party that was supposed to
publicise the opening of a new channel
on SCV. There were a lot of local
dancers on the stage tt dance
to the tune of the music.

I hardly listen to korean pop so all the moves
were so foreign to me. In the beginning,

Sphero for that dose of fun!!

Experience the toy of the future. Sphero
is a robotic ball that has been launched
just recently.

If I'm not wrong, this fun, exciting &
challenging cutie is retailing at
US $130. It will also be
available at amazon.com.

Sphero is controlled using your smartphone,
whether it's a iPhone or Android.

Sphero is extremely versatile. It's
like a chameleon & you can change
its colour to suit your mood.

There are a few apps in which you can
play with. Sphero Golf, Sphero
Draw & Drive, Sphero Drive
& Sphero Chromo.

It will be loads of fun, playing the balls
with your friends. Imagine playing
it in a dark room, the sight should
be awesome! I hope I get it
as a gift for Christmas. For
those with deep pocket,
this won't go wrong
as a gift!!

More on it at http://www.gosphero.com/apps.

___________________________________________

The smartphone market kept getting strong &
Google kept consolidating its strength.

Personally, Apple is balancing on a tight-rope.
It has to make sure that it got it hardware
& software right for all future version.
If it gets it wrong, it will lose it
leadership position quite
easily.

I love Google because they offers a lot of free
stuff. They derive revenue by 'charging'
businesses which uses their
infrastructure, the consumer
wins! That, I feel is good
business ethics.

The nice wonderful font on my blog is also
free from Google webfont!

Anyway Google just gives Groupon a run for
its $$$ through Google Offers. It works
the same way as Groupon but it
leverages on its android
phone infrastructure.

Pal KG is an avid user of Groupon. You
can really get very good bargain
on Groupon. That time we
have a giant platter for
just under $20.

Pal KG is a master of getting discount. As
a person, he is also quite generous.

However, the platter was full of deep
fried stuff, that we were already
partially full after seeing it.

Deep-fried stuff are always tempting
though. It's just that too much of a
good thing is not necessarily
GOOD!

Anyway, Google Android 4.0 is called
the IceCream Sandwich. Haha! Naming
OS after desserts sounds pretty novel
but equally weird to me.


______________________________________

Today was a rather relaxing day & I have decided
to take a day off from preparing for my
presentation slides.

Sometime taking a break will inspire that
guilt-like feeling. But then, I guess

I seriously need the break!

Went over to beach road for lunch. The chilly
mee there is still one of the best. Yes,
it is called exactly like that. When
u think of it in another dialect,
it sounds like erm, a foul
language.

The ingredients are quite different from the usual fish
ball, minced meat or charsiew.

They have pork ribs, prawns, tau pok &
a generous gravy on top of your noodles.
It is not extremely spicy & I didn't even
gulp any water to go with the noodles.

I think the stall must have made a lot
of $$$. I haven't seem anything like
this elsewhere, guess the chilly
gravy is quite hard to replicate.
After so many years, the standard
is still as good, guess the
dad did a good
coaching job.

I am always the last to take up the camera,
so I don't have the picture of the sumptuous
food.

I guess sometimes my blog is pretty laborious
to read as there are words after words.

As you can see though, I am trying hard!
Three pictures in this blog! Still got
lotsa room for improvement!