Happy

So what if it hurts me? So what if I break down? So what if the world just throws me off the edge, my feet run out of ground? I gotta find my place. I wanna hear my sound. Don't care about all the pain in front of me, I just trying to be...... Happy.

This pretty much sums up how I feel right now.

Denime XX Type 1st wash

So, after a super duper tiring day at Pulau Ubin running around, feeding insects, having red ants getting to know my whole body in an intimate way (and I getting to know their mandibles), almost stepping on a snake, and soaking up the blistering heat of the sun, I got soaked to the skin (thanks to Emy), and my jeans are super duper dirty. So it's into the washer with them! Very tired but had loads of fun!

Germs and Gibberish

So, I tried my hand at importing stuff from my COM 443 blog, Germs and Gibberish, over to my personal blog. So, all posts titled and tagged 'Germs and Gibberish' are my COM 443 thoughts. I realised that it may look very confusing and messy to the casual reader (not that I have many...) so just a heads up...

Reflection on COM 443

These are my reflections on the end of COM 443.

We all have grown. Too bad I can’t say the same about my hair. This is perhaps the most taxing and trying semester ever, and this is so bittersweet because on one hand, I am glad the crazy workload is finally over and done with. On the other hand, I really wish I had more time to get to know my fellow classmates, especially my CheckMaters. This is my last semester in school, and the end of this semester is especially significant for me as I will see people leaving, for Buffalo and for working life, for our own separate ways. But as we end this semester, I am proud to say that I may not have come to UB/SIM expecting much, but I am leaving with much more than what I expected.

I am proud of my team, just as each and every one of you are proud of yours. I am glad to be part of my group, because there was more laughter than tears, more smiles than frowns. Because we knew that we can’t win it all, but that didn’t stop us from trying our best. Because even after disappointment, we learnt to picked ourselves up. Because in the midst of overwhelming deadlines, we still managed to have fun. Because they are not just my teammates, but they are my friends.

It has been my pleasure, and privilege, to have worked with such a great bunch of people. I am not the easiest person to work with, but they managed to pull it off without killing me. It is humbling for me, to see the sacrifices and effort that each of us put in, trying our best despite lacking the know-how, contacts and experience that many other groups may have had.

This is the semester where most of us had our capacities stretched, and we had to juggle so many things that I am sure we will make excellent clowns. We worked our butts off for each and every assignment and while the judgment of our work is subjective, like any parent, no matter how ‘ugly’ our work is perceived to be, we still love it, both the end product and the process we went through to get to that end product.

I don’t really want to talk about we learnt, about work, about advertising principles and theories because honestly, 10, 20 years down the road, who will remember all these? And at the end of semester, who wants to be reminded about work? But 10, 20 years down the road, what we would remember is the camaraderie, the friendships. These are bonds made of sweat, blood and tears, forged through fire.

I want to appreciate the class at this point as well. Thank you all for being so supportive of each other, and united as a class. We revelled in each other’s success, and encouraged each other when one of us falls. We spurred each other on, to outdo each other on every single assignment. Yet at the same time, we never lost sight of our friendships and become too competitive.

So today, let’s celebrate, not the end of the semester, but celebrate the friends made throughout. Let’s celebrate, not the completion of just another module, but of an experience we all will cherish.

And watch Germs cry in front of the whole class (what a crybaby... :P), thanks to Mahfudz for the video.. >:)

Lesson learnt

I have learnt,
not to take things too seriously
because life is too short to be so uptight
I have learnt,
not to be so picky and anal about things,
because it only harms and never helps
I have learnt,
that what matters is
both the destination and the journey
I have learnt,
that no one man is an island
and that together, we are an army
I have learnt,
that I should appreciate more,
and judge less, much much less
I have learnt,
what profits a man to gain the whole word,
but to lose his own soul, and the people around
I have learnt,
that I should live in the moment,
cherish the past and look towards the future
I have learnt,
that we should live life striving for no regrets,
and let go of those things that we do regret
I have learnt,
that relationships are precious,
and I need to put in more effort to maintain them
I have learnt,
and you have taught me that.

Eternal 811 7th wash

the 811s were feeling a little loose and starting to smell a little funky so I tried my hand at handwashing them. Dunk them into a bucket with the clothes washing liquid, let them soak for a bit. Mummy then made me throw them into the washing machine 'cos I was messing up the place. Oh well, clean!

Germs and Gibberish: The final lap

As we approach the close of a hellish semester, it is always good to take a look back, and see how far we have come. First of all, to my fellow CheckMaters, the journey was tough, but you guys made it bearable, enjoyable even. Thanks for everything; the effort put into each and every project (Justin more so than anyone of us), the laughter, and more importantly, the friendship that each and every one of you have provided. Like what I said on my Facebook note, 'Thank you', these are bonds forged through fire and high water, and I wish for these bonds to always remain. Stay in touch!

So, a quick summary of how this semester went down. This whole experience brings to mind an analogy. While I was competitively training for the Army Half Marathon a couple of years back (I know I don't look like it now but I used to love running, until the Army Half Marathon...), strategy was paramount to the success of the team in such a gruelling race. Although I was part of Team B, the backup team, nevertheless I learnt a lot from that experience.

When planning the training schedule, one must make sure that training is a gradual process, slowly building up to the final goal. One cannot 'peak' too early, because that would mean that your form would be going downhill before the actual race and causing performance to drop. One cannot 'peak' too late; that would mean that the best race would not be ran during the actual race.

I feel that CheckMate has peaked too early; most of us are feeling burnt out and tired, and it is increasingly difficult to come up with ideas and execution with each assignment. This is the most evident in Assignment 5, where we did not perform as per normal. How 'fatal' that is stil remains to be seen.

Worn out.

At the same time, I can see other groups are also feeling the strain of the semester; like us, they perhaps peaked too early as well. However, I also see some groups raising their game just about now; this is their time, their peak. Only at the end of the semester would we know whether they peaked at the right time or too late.

However, with one more assignment to go, all is not lost for us. During the race, no matter whether you are at your best, or you missed your peak, there is something called 'hitting the wall'. That is the point when you feel you can't run anymore, and you feel like giving up. That is how we feel after Assignment 5. However, if one manages to push through this 'wall', they will experience what many term the 'second wind' or a 'runner's high' where one gets a fresh infusion of energy and strength, when one feels that anything is possible.

CheckMaters, I believe we are at that crucial point right now, and we only have to push ourselves just a little bit more, just grit our teeth and go forward, disregarding the past, and we will hit our 'second wind', our 'runners' high'. I don't want to end with a whimper, with a sense of defeat. I want to end with a bang, a bang that is befitting of the effort we put in so far. So, here's to our 'second wind', our 'runners' high'. Bring it on.