#13: Free Time

Perhaps the most difficult thing to do in school is to use free time productively. Breaks between lessons are at least two hours long, and it’s been difficult to find the motivation to sit down and get real work done. I’m still fairly current with regards to other aspects of school life; readings are more-or-less done within the week, and I actively take notes during lectures. But these long breaks, often spent in the canteen? Meh.

As I type this I find myself coming to the end of a three-hour-long break. My next tutorial starts in 35 minutes time, but with today being the first tutorial of the module I’ll have to allow myself additional time to locate the venue. Just like that, three hours have passed. That’s including time for lunch, but even with that it’s still a sizable chunk of time doing and accomplishing nothing much in particular. The only measure of productivity I have from this period is half a geography reading. Which, I tell myself, is better than nothing at all.

In other news, Snow Leopard is slated for release this Friday! I’m quite excited, having joined the growing legion of Mac users at such a dynamic time. I’m planning a full backup of my system so that I can perform an erase-and-install once I get my copy in the mail. It’s things like this that occupy me instead of my studies during these long breaks. Woe is me.

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August 25, 2009 – 9:03 pm
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#12: Shifting Gears

So the second week of school has ended, with some surprise on my part at how smoothly I seem to have transitioned into school life. Gears that I had thought rusted seem to be in good condition still. I’m keeping up with readings, and have yet to get lost in a class. This is but a taste of school’s rigours though; tutorials start next week, the acid test of whether I’m truly as on-the-ball as I think I am. Despite that, I have a four-day-week that I’m quite thankful for; sharing a free day on Wednesday with Dear is a big bonus to this semester.

In fact, I just spent my most recent Wednesday at Sentosa with Dear. Visiting Underwater World for the first time in more than a decade was an interesting experience; I was happily reminded of how interested I was as a child in all sorts of nature and prehistory. Looking back, I must have spent days reading those hardcover science books for kids, flipping through dinosaur books at the bookstore and making sketches of what the world must have looked like millions of years ago. I probably could still draw a mean T-Rex for you today, but the days of doing that all day are behind me.

Looking ahead, I’ve got my hands full. There is, of course, school with its deluge of readings, tests and exams. There’s also Caroling to plan and organise. On top of that, I’m hoping I’ve cleared round 1 of Reso auditions; it was quite honestly the worst audition I’ve ever had, and while I’m critical of myself I guess it doesn’t hurt to hope.

Lots to do this semester! Gears seem polished, but now the throttle needs to be tested. Let’s see how much mileage I can get out of this seemingly refurbished engine.

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August 22, 2009 – 9:02 pm
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#11: Tomorrow

It’s the 10th of August. Tomorrow, lectures start. Tomorrow, effectively, is my first day of school since 2006.

Time now to take stock of the situation. I was fortunate enough to be in a situation that allowed me to make use of my brain during NS. Coming out of the army, I’ve kept my mind active by planning and organising a concert. Whenever possible, I’ve tried to keep up my reading. Barring heavy academics, I’d say that I’ve not regressed as much as I’d thought I would prior to BMT. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that the time is ripe for entering school, but I would say that I’m not unprepared.

I’ve had a lot of time to think during the past two years. About my academic attitude during Junior College, about my work ethic, about how I would approach my studies during University. I’ve arrived at a few conclusions:

1. Be proactive. The opportunities are there, waiting to be grasped. If there’s one thing that I must leave college knowing, it must be the knowledge of how to effectively evaluate and make decisions. No one will tell me what and how to study. That’s all up to me.

2. Be productive. I’ve become very interested in personal productivity systems in recent years. It all started when I discovered Lifehacker, which led me other websites such as 43folders. Reading about how others managed all the responsibilities in their lives inspired me to do the same. University is the opportunity for me to I tweak and refine my systems and streamline my workflow.

3. Be balanced. My biggest mistake in Junior College was failing to balance academics with my co-curricular activities. I neglected my studies, which resulted in a frantic six month cram prior to the A’s. I believe I could have attained better scores if I had led a more balanced life. The next four years are probably the most crucial in deciding my future; balance is more than an ideal, it’s a necessity.

These will be my three core tenets whilst in NUS. Let’s see where they’ll take me.

Edit:

I realised I didn’t list what modules I’m taking this semester:

1. PL1101E – Introduction to Psychology

2. NM1101E – Communications, New Media and Society

3. EN1101E/GEK1000 – An Introduction to Literary Studies

4. JS1101E/GEK1002 – An Introduction to Japanese Studies

5. GE1101E/GEK1001 – Place, Environment and Society

Anyone with anything to say about these modules, please do so in the comments. Tips and advice will be greatly appreciated. If you’ve got a friend of a friend of a friend who’s said something you think I need to know, do let me know too.

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August 10, 2009 – 9:02 pm
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