新年快乐！！
Happy Chinese New Year!!
It's Chinese New Year again, most of my Malaysian friends here went back to their hometowns to celebrate the new year. As I had been celebrating Chinese New Year every year in Singapore since I was a baby (save for three years, but I did travel to Singapore in two of the three years at a different time for other purposes), this year I waited for my family to come to Singapore and celebrated the new year with them. Time flies as three days passed. Today they are travelling back home and I am back in hostel. As the family car drove off, I wish I could spend more time with them... Now have to wait till the end of the month... Usually I don't feel so homesick while I am here.
Last post I wrote about the incident in Japanese class, actually I felt better before even finishing the post. I went out while in the middle of writing the post to enjoy the Othello game down there, after I came back, it's gone! I did save a copy of it in my lappie, but I felt sort of lazy to type about it again. Why eventually I finished the post? Just for the sake of finishing the post, because, I think the post presents an internal conflict within myself. Anyway, it doesn't affect my enthusiasm in learning Japanese. Why bother about her?
While Japanese class is my favourite class this semester, the runner-up should be Accounting class. Both subjects are electives, that is, the subjects I choose to study. Why Accounting? I had been interested in learning some basic concepts about Accounting, although the interest is not as strong as my love for Japanese. In NTU, we have to clear at least one business management module. Since I have 5 compulsory subjects this semester (one of them has no final exam), I choose to take 2 more subjects, this makes me having 6 subjects with final exam (the one with no exam is Mastering Communication... I will probably talk about it in the next post).
When I first knew that the Accounting module requires us to do presentation in class (need to dress formal too), I was a little afraid... I know that I am not good in speaking. I was thinking of dropping the module because of the presentation and plus accounting, my workload this semester is a bit heavy (22 AUs vs 20 AUs last sem; I had determined that I won't drop Japanese for any reason). At the end, I decided to take up the challenge; anyway, it is a skill that need to be pick up. My group will be having our presentation on this Thursday (Valentine's day) and I got the hardest of the 5 questions... Apart from the presentation, I think accounting can be quite fun, too. (btw, our team tagline is... Falling in Love with Accounting...)
In real life, however, my spending is quite a mess. Ever since I came to study in NTU, I didn't even bother to convert the prices into Ringgit Malaysia (which, I think, is a good thing; it makes you feel bad after you buy something if you convert). I don't really keep an account on how much I am spending, apart from the bank statements that come every month. Since I am not a scholar, nor applied for any loan, that means I am spending my mum's money. Therefore, I budgeted myself to spend $500 a month (including hostel fees of $160 a month but excluding books and school fees). Excluding hostel fees, I have about $340 to spend a month. Initially I tried to keep track how much I am spending, i.e. by looking at the balance I have in the bank, but somehow I lost track of it sometime in January. On the first day of this month, I withdrew $50 from the ATM machine. Due to some partying and transportation costs, I spent almost all of the $50 in 3 days. $50 in 3 days * 10 = $500 in a month. That means I am overspending. I hope the fact that 1) February has 29 days and 2) Ang paus are received during Chinese New Year can offset the difference. But overspending is overspending; this is not good. Why Ι am thinking this?
When I was in secondary school, my mum gave me money every week and said: "This is your allowance for the week." This enabled me to spend the money for the week without worrying the money needed for the coming week, and save the surplus in physical cash. Whenever I saw the pile of money growing thicker and thicker, I felt a sense of achievement (mum said that I am too stingy to spend money). Now, she gives me money only when it's time to pay tuition fees to the university: "I give you $XXX, after paying the tuition fees you should have $XXX. Not enough money tell me; I will give you more." Actually she gave me enough money to last for about a semester. The absence of a financial controller of some sort makes me feel some uneasiness. Instead of seeing thicker and thicker pile of banknotes, I see the balance in the bank getting lesser and lesser (feel that I am not saving any...). Even though she always says "you can ask for more if you don't have enough", I don't want to spend money indiscriminately and then ask for more cash, especially when things are not easy for her.
I think that's part and parcel of growing up.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Japanese class
N.B. This post was supposed to be uploaded on 29 January, but due to technical issues, I thought I lost the post, lazy to type all over again... It was until today that I discovered the unfinished post was saved by the system.
It's my second post this month. For those who visit here often might notice that I usually post twice a month, because, erm... happy people don't blog??
It had been 3 weeks into the semester, well, I've been slacking for the 3 weeks: daydreaming in lectures, not doing tutorials... Perhaps the only class that I really learn something is Japanese language class on Tuesdays and Fridays. The sensei is a Japanese, and he is... cute!! Attending his class is fun, and I enjoy the lesson very much.
Today, as usual, I went to attend the class with high expectations. I'd been interested in learning Japanese since I was in Senior Middle One. Finally I got the chance: I can learn Japanese without paying any other than the university tution fees! I'd been feeling lucky in getting a place in the class because it is one of the most popular courses in NTU.
Today class was fine at the beginning. The sensei taught us some new words and grammar (これ.../それ... (This is.../That is...)). As usual, the sensei passed down some cards with pictures of things we just learn for us to practice among ourself. Usually we practice it in groups of two, pairing up with the person beside one.
(story paused)
I paused the story to give some background information about the class (this is crucial for the continuity of the story). Of Malaysians in the class, most, if not all, are Amcisans (save for me, despite being eligible for Amcisa membership, I didn't join Amcisa FOA, therefore, I am not a member of Amcisa). Of the Amcisans, 5 of them (2 guys and 3 girls, and 1 of the guys was my sec schoolmate) are coursemates, always come into the class together (according to a friend, Amcisans always do that), and they always sit in the first row next to the window. There are about 8 chairs in the first row, 4 of the chairs are usually occupied before they came in, so they usually shift one of the chairs (the chair beside me; I usually sit in the 2nd chair from the window) in the second row to the front. So, that in fact leaves me without a practicing partner, so I am "forced" to pratice with the 2 persons on my right.
Today, they came into the class late, so they didn't shift the chair to the front, so one of the girls sat beside me.
(story continued)
When the practice session began, I am supposed to pair up with the girl beside me. This was the dialogue between her and me. For simplicity and those who can't read Japanese, it had been translated into English.
Me: (lifting up a card, she was looking at her textbook) What is this?
She: (reading her textbook, slowly raises her head and look at the card) That is a book. (reading her book again)
Me: (lifting another card) Is this a table?
She: (reading her textbook, slowly raises her head and look at the card) No, it isn't. It is a chair. (reading her book again)
(This repeat again and again...)
I was fed up with her uncooperative and unenthusiastic behavior. After the practice session is over, she moved her chair to the front row and chat with her friends. It seems that I had did something wrong or offended her.
After class, I was thinking: is this the product of six-year Chinese independent school education? Is it students with Chinese independent school background don't mix with others or what? (Myself included; I sometimes feel that I prefer to mix with fellow Malaysians than other people e.g. Singaporeans, Vietnamese ,Chinese from China...) I must be stereotyping again... (HW111A Mastering Communication)
(the contents below is completed today)
I chatted for veeeeerry long with Tammy on Saturday while she was trying to study accounting (sorry Tammy! I will talk for very long whenever I feel to). Somehow we talk about Amcisa, she pointed out that "Amcisa people they only participate in Amcisa activities, because they very semangat ke-amcisa-an". I could only agree that this is true, to an extent. I remembered that when our school chose some of us Malaysians (MSA and Amcisa included) to take our photos, only people from MSA (including me) came to have our photo taken. The only Malaysians that didn't show up (actually only two) are from Amcisa. They seemed not interested to have their photos taken.
I know this MSA-Amcisa problem may be sensitive to some people; though we are all Malaysians, but have distinct educational, cultural and language background. Personally, I feel that students from Chinese independent schools lack the communication skills that national school students possess (refer to this post), and despite being independent school students, I feel that national school students are more independent than we are. We may have better academic results, but that is the result of 6 (or 12) years of spoonfeeding. (Stereotyping again...)
What to do? Sigh.
It's my second post this month. For those who visit here often might notice that I usually post twice a month, because, erm... happy people don't blog??
It had been 3 weeks into the semester, well, I've been slacking for the 3 weeks: daydreaming in lectures, not doing tutorials... Perhaps the only class that I really learn something is Japanese language class on Tuesdays and Fridays. The sensei is a Japanese, and he is... cute!! Attending his class is fun, and I enjoy the lesson very much.
Today, as usual, I went to attend the class with high expectations. I'd been interested in learning Japanese since I was in Senior Middle One. Finally I got the chance: I can learn Japanese without paying any other than the university tution fees! I'd been feeling lucky in getting a place in the class because it is one of the most popular courses in NTU.
Today class was fine at the beginning. The sensei taught us some new words and grammar (これ.../それ... (This is.../That is...)). As usual, the sensei passed down some cards with pictures of things we just learn for us to practice among ourself. Usually we practice it in groups of two, pairing up with the person beside one.
(story paused)
I paused the story to give some background information about the class (this is crucial for the continuity of the story). Of Malaysians in the class, most, if not all, are Amcisans (save for me, despite being eligible for Amcisa membership, I didn't join Amcisa FOA, therefore, I am not a member of Amcisa). Of the Amcisans, 5 of them (2 guys and 3 girls, and 1 of the guys was my sec schoolmate) are coursemates, always come into the class together (according to a friend, Amcisans always do that), and they always sit in the first row next to the window. There are about 8 chairs in the first row, 4 of the chairs are usually occupied before they came in, so they usually shift one of the chairs (the chair beside me; I usually sit in the 2nd chair from the window) in the second row to the front. So, that in fact leaves me without a practicing partner, so I am "forced" to pratice with the 2 persons on my right.
Today, they came into the class late, so they didn't shift the chair to the front, so one of the girls sat beside me.
(story continued)
When the practice session began, I am supposed to pair up with the girl beside me. This was the dialogue between her and me. For simplicity and those who can't read Japanese, it had been translated into English.
Me: (lifting up a card, she was looking at her textbook) What is this?
She: (reading her textbook, slowly raises her head and look at the card) That is a book. (reading her book again)
Me: (lifting another card) Is this a table?
She: (reading her textbook, slowly raises her head and look at the card) No, it isn't. It is a chair. (reading her book again)
(This repeat again and again...)
I was fed up with her uncooperative and unenthusiastic behavior. After the practice session is over, she moved her chair to the front row and chat with her friends. It seems that I had did something wrong or offended her.
After class, I was thinking: is this the product of six-year Chinese independent school education? Is it students with Chinese independent school background don't mix with others or what? (Myself included; I sometimes feel that I prefer to mix with fellow Malaysians than other people e.g. Singaporeans, Vietnamese ,Chinese from China...) I must be stereotyping again... (HW111A Mastering Communication)
(the contents below is completed today)
I chatted for veeeeerry long with Tammy on Saturday while she was trying to study accounting (sorry Tammy! I will talk for very long whenever I feel to). Somehow we talk about Amcisa, she pointed out that "Amcisa people they only participate in Amcisa activities, because they very semangat ke-amcisa-an". I could only agree that this is true, to an extent. I remembered that when our school chose some of us Malaysians (MSA and Amcisa included) to take our photos, only people from MSA (including me) came to have our photo taken. The only Malaysians that didn't show up (actually only two) are from Amcisa. They seemed not interested to have their photos taken.
I know this MSA-Amcisa problem may be sensitive to some people; though we are all Malaysians, but have distinct educational, cultural and language background. Personally, I feel that students from Chinese independent schools lack the communication skills that national school students possess (refer to this post), and despite being independent school students, I feel that national school students are more independent than we are. We may have better academic results, but that is the result of 6 (or 12) years of spoonfeeding. (Stereotyping again...)
What to do? Sigh.
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