I've just reached home after 7 hours of studying in the school library (love that place). But when I saw this note posted by my TWC prof, I couldn't help but once again be amazed at how much I've learnt from being in SMU.

I remembered the 13 weeks in his class. Those were 13 weeks of seriously pushing yourself to your limits. Of course, you decided where your limits were. His project requirements were simple: create something that will solve a problem in society. During those 13 weeks, I saw people not only coming up with extremely relevant societal problems (doesn't need to be those gambling addictions or whatever) but also producing creative AND practical solutions. Solutions = not just drawing on paper and going on and on about what you envision the product to do, but LOOKING for suppliers to manufacture the product, let users try the product, linking up with companies who might want to sell the product, and a few groups actually sold their products and made profits.

Now this is the SMU difference. Where else can you find a module totally dedicated to getting your hands dirty, knowing how hard (or easy) it is to start a business? Of course we cant do much in 13 weeks. That's why I mentioned you defined your limits. Sadly, my group (sorely lacking in contacts) stopped after creating a prototype for both projects. We wrote emails to the relevant companies asking if they would be interested in the product, or even help us do a review but were rejected. So too badddd. But in any case, I really learnt a lot from his class - about business, about dreams, about life.

I have said so many nice things about school and I dont think I've said anything bad about it so far so here goes:

• We pay EXHORBITANT school fees. For what, I dont know. The welfare packs? Goodie bags during talks?
  
• Its so damn hard to make friends. And actually keep them for good, especially when you don't have a cca. You never know when they will turn on you.
  
• Accountancy Profs are damn good (replying emails, teaching, helpfulness) but Business Profs are... let's just say the variance is huge. The class I mentioned above was conducted by a Business Prof. And so is my Finance class. (the way finance prof replies emails = one question, max half a line of reply. How does anyone understand his replies?!?)
• Food. Sucks.
  
• UNREGULATED EXAMS (ie different profs different exam papers)
  

This is an email Prof Kat Yuen sent to a few people in class:

Dear students,

At the end of the three tests, I asked students sitting in the front row to help me count the papers. This is a short note to thank you for your assistance. With your help, I was able to speed up the paper collection process and maintain the order of the class. I really appreciate all of your help =)

Warmest Regards
Katherine Yuen


HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE SUCH A PROF????? Which Prof sends 'thank you' emails just because you helped them collect and count test papers? She even remembered my name although I don't put my name tent up during the test! WOWWWWWWWW.

Of course I don't just get excited because someone sends a 'thank you' email. Prof Yuen is super professional! She replies emails so effectively and efficiently that someone should give her a prize! Close to tests, I always email profs questions and this dear dear prof only took 10 minutes to reply me on a Sunday night! She also replied my email at 0052 the day before the test, with detailed answers to the extra practice questions I did and clarified all my doubts!

Learning is really a pleasure in her class. I shall give her an extremely good end of term evaluation on Monday (:

Have you ever felt like you've been taken for granted? Well, I have, and I certainly don't like that feeling.

Today, I was touched by my parents' actions so I've decided to create this post so I will remember and try not to take them for granted anymore. We can't choose our parents but we can definitely choose the way we treat them.

To Teh, thanks for sending me home tonight though it was really late and you had work the next morning; for rushing out of the house the moment Mum got home with the car even though I never asked you to come all the way just to send me home. I'm grateful that you are always our mediator and help us to solve arguments calmly.

To Mumps, thank you for always making the effort to cook even when you are tired from a whole day's work, even if it is just instant noodles or processed food. Even though Twit and I always say we wish we had a more fashionable mother, I now realise that your thrifty ways also show how much you care about our future.

Though my parents will probably never read this, I hope this post serves as a reminder for me never to take them for granted and to treasure each moment I have with them. We are all on this earth for too short a time.

I know people might think I'm being proud or whatever after reading this post but I just have to get it off my chest.

Maybe it is just SMU.

But being in the school for more than a year, I've come to judge people by material things. I know it is bad. But I'm in a business/management school after all, how else do you think they train us?

Ettiquette classes (how to impress business people and probably just about everyone), business study missions to China/Middle East, Communication classes, Finance classes (how much money you can actually make), Technology and World Change (how easy it is to start your own business), Accounting Modules (managing your business).

Whenever I see someone, I immediately think about how capable/how wealthy this person is. Credentials aside, if I know how capable you are in real life, then its fine how you dress. If not, I just judge based on appearance.

Because I take the bus to school so often, I judge the other passengers. Women who dress unprofessionally, men who dress so sloppily etc etc and I immediately think: This person must have barely any future job prospects.

Better still if I am listening to somebody present/give a speech. I immediately think of my Communications class. Body Language, Standard of English (extremely important), Content of speech, Usage of tone etc etc. If you cant even give a proper presentation, how capable CAN you be? On this note, I am extremely grateful for the 'training' I get from SMU. An average SMU graduate is said to have gone through at least 20 presentations.

I recently went for a talk where people from the 'Industry' came to advise us on career choices - 2 of the speakers were SMU Alumni. Let's just say I finally realised the 'SMU Difference'. I actually felt so proud of SMU - for the quality of education the people up there have planned for us, all that broad based education plan.

You can't blame me for thinking this way. In the business world, first impressions are what count. If you are sloppily dressed for an interview/presentation/meeting, nobody is going to take you seriously. On the other hand, a smartly dressed person has half the battle won. And in SMU, we are indirectly TAUGHT to dress smart.

I really dont know how to end this post. As this semester ends and the next starts, I really hope not to lose the more compassionate side of me. I know it'll be really scary if I do, though I also know it is easy to go down that road.

I tried baking Banana Yogurt Muffins with Almond Flakes today and I think I will stick to making more savoury stuff from here on.

Here are the stuff I've attempted to cook:

1. Pasta in Salmon-Tomato Herb Sauce. The tomatoes made the pasta a bit sourish so it was nice! This being my first pasta, I had NO idea how to get the skin of a chunk of raw salmon. It doesn't come off easily at all! Later I learnt that you have to pull it tightly towards the left while slicing it off in the opposite direction. Fishy smell stayed on hands for the whole day. An adaption of this.
   
2. Mini Cannelloni Bake.
   
3. Bolognese with Fettucine. A bit of a failure because I forgot that the bolognese had to be stewed for 2 hours to reduce the liquid! Ended up adding A LOT of corn flour. Just changed the type of pasta used in this.
   
4. Cobb Pasta Toss. This was quite a failure because the avocados in cold storage were all unripe!
   
5. Honey Mustard Chicken Tenders. Would have been better if it was deep fried I think.
6. Pancetta-Wrapped Shrimp All Amatriciana. This was super yummy! But everyone was more interested in eating the shrimp than the pasta. And I stupidly forgot to put the wrapped shrimp in the fridge before it was time to cook.
   
7. Pesto-Presto Italian flag Chicken. It turned out quite good also! I used peanuts instead of pine nuts for the pesto and it still tasted normal (:
   
8. Nutty Broken Spaghetti-Sotto. Really time consuming and it wasn't even that nice.
9. Double Eggplant Parm Baked Ziti with Minced Chicken. I added in the minced chicken because neither my family nor I was going to accept eating a meal without any meat!
10. Sticky Lemon Chicken. The family, yips, porridge and timothy LOVED this! I substituted the sherry vinegar in the recipe with balsamic vinegar and it was superb!
11. Served the above with Roasted Ratatouille Pasta. Not very nice because I decided to use my own combination of vegetables and the whole thing just looked like a big brown mess.
12. My most recent: Portabella Bolognese with Minced Beef. Quite shiok plus easy to make! I left out the parsley, celery, bay leaf (added dried oregano leaves instead) and nutmeg. Added a whole lot of onions, minced beef, red wine and tomato paste.
    

When I was starting out, I followed the recipes to a T but somewhere along the line, I just added in whatever I thought the stuff in the pan needed. Eg if I'm making a pasta sauce and it's too dry, add in more wine/stock/tomato paste.

Also, ingredients had to be changed according to whatever United Square's Cold Storage had, eg Cold Storage didn't have any raw tuna (like those for sushi) so I had to make do with Salmon.

Recipes were also changed when I wanted to try out an interesting recipe but it was all vegetables. I definitely cannot stand having no meat for dinner! I'll only make a totally vegetarian pasta if there is already a separate meat dish.

If you bothered clicking on all the links, you would have realised that ALL the recipes are from Rachael Ray's website. I love going through all those pages of recipes! If you have other recipes to recommend, please tell me!

Anyway, this is how I look in my new specs. Taken with the webcam. Damn shitty.



People have commented that I look like a doctor/damn serious in my previous one, so I'm hoping that this time, I'll look more like an auditor/accountant...? In preparation for my future job (damn sad. Yes, I know).

My previous pair was made by another optician and only when I went back to the optician that had made my very first pair some 10 years ago did I realise that the previous pair was overpowered! I think it used to be 200+ degrees for each eye and when this optician did the eye test, it turned out to be 150(right) and 75(left) with some astigmatism. Looks like all those years of reading in bed, watching the TV sitting upside down AND not eating carrots have not worsened it! Hooray. Carrots are over-rated!

Just so I can laugh at myself when I am working as an auditor next time (or rather, *shudders* in the near future)

I am so damn damn damn stressed about tmr's MA test because
-I can't understand stupid job costing!!!!!!! One darned chapter in the 4 chapters tested tmr.
- I want to practise job costing questions but the textbook doesn't even give us answers. which means I wouldnt even know if I get them wrong so what's the point in practising!
- I've spent so much time on that chapter that I think I'm starting to forget the other chapters

And after tmr, I have finance mid terms and on Friday, Comms in class assignment!

I studied so hard for the previous tests/assignments because I thought that having a good start (ie good grades) would motivate me to study even harder throughout the sem. Little did I know that it would make me even more stressed!!!!! Now I can't afford to screw up any test because I want all those nice little As this sem so that my overal GPA for this year won't be that bad. (context: I am going to take Corp reporting next sem. The most horrific nightmare any year 2 accounting student can have)!!!!

Okay back to job costing. How the heck am I supposed to calculate finished goods inventory!!!!!!!!!

Just a short post before I try to study finance so that I can finally go out this weekend!

Places I study at:

1. Starbucks @ United Sq
Advantage(s): Very near home, nice ambience.
Disadvantage(s): Have to spend money when there, the aircon is too cold but outside is too hot. Almost always crowded when I feel like studying.

2. Toa Payoh Library
Advantage(s): The place really makes me feel like studying because everyone there is studying, no need to spend money to get a seat!
Disadvantage(s): Have to travel the furthest out of all the places I study at, No seats on weekends!

3. At Home, Twit's table
Advantage(s): No need to spend money, no need to travel. Quiet.
Disadvantage(s): Too quiet, can't even start studying. Almost always end up lying on the bed to study.

I am super hungry now even though its 4.45pm and I don't know why. I haven't had a proper lunch (ie something other than instant noodles or cereal) since school started other than last monday where I had lunch with Moogles. Poor me.