It's almost been a month since we've landed from Hong Kong back here. Good old Singapore with the new Crowne Plaza Hotel at the airport that wasn't there the last time I remember. And a working Terminal 3.
No major changes otherwise, supper gang, the band and most friends have remained largely the same. Getting used to life back in NUS was a hard hitting reality. Well not really, it slowly sinks in that it's quite a lot more theoretical compared to life in Fudan university, where there's little reading that's compulsory, we listen to the one-way lectures but in NUS we're expected to contribute proactively. That brings me to the 6 module semester syndrome. It's gradually pushing me towards an invisible wall of compacted readings, assignments, project discussions and pressure to participate.
Core modules:
NM3220 - Research for communication management. The selling point is no exam, the project is to design a campaign for the client Counselling Centre to find out the most effective media channel to reach out to youths in NUS so that they will attend the events organized by them.
NM4101 - Advanced Communications and New Media Research. My lecturer asked me why I was so quiet today since there's 30% of the grade allocated to class participation and we're expected to ask questions after classmates finish presenting, which was on the topic of surveys today. Well, if I knew what was going on I'd gladly do so!
NM4204 - Ethics in Communications and New Media. A highly abstract module that has a lot of tough readings that touch on philosophy and is not for the weak hearted. Taught seminar style and is an evening class.
NM4213 - Knowledge Economies. Finally we've left the dry bits on the techno-capitalist transition and what made the information society from the industrial era. But otherwise it's kinda strange for the presenting group to finish and the lecturer rehashes the week's topic based on the same readings. But like he said, an effective way to learn is through repetition, that I cannot refute especially now that I seem to have been afflicted with a case of chronic absent-mindedness.
MNO1001 - Management of Organizations. Have been saving this as a breadth to take, but it's no thanks to the rejection of our request to take an internship module from CNM that caused me to have to take another module in the graduation requirements. This is the main cause of the pain resulting in a 6-module semester. But lectures are general and light hearted. We watch Winnie the Pooh, The Office and other interesting clips. Feels more like a psychology module though with rather extensive focus on human behaviour and participation in personality tests as part of the class exercises.
SSA2218 - Singapore Film: Performance and Identity. Love this module as I've been waiting since Sem 1 in Year 1 to take it. All the films I've always been digging, strangely, as part of my fascination with Singapore films, maybe because I consider myself largely an outsider and am in actual fact consuming the films as if I were a foreigner. Because that's where I learn dialects and know about the mindset of the indigenous Singaporean middle class. Helps that after watching two black and white films (Hang Jebat and Bujang Lapok) with Malay dialogue, we watched a film about a pimp in Singapore during the 70s today, and it's all in colour.
On top of that, facilitating primary school kids when they go on learning journeys at local places of attraction is the avenue for pocket money as well as for financing my ticket back to Shanghai this December. It has proven not enough with serious issues with efficiency and reliability: after signing up on the website for the trails, I was not informed about the status on whether or not I got it. And sometimes we are informed at the last minute if there're jobs or briefings at the place of attraction. Hence, the plunge into the unknown as I explore the prospects of private tuition.
I know my patience is meant for me to do such things. I just need to get the hang of it. All this while working on the band with our newly recruited bassist Alex. That makes Malkee, Rickado, Dee and Lex a complete band. Lots of work needs to be done in order to prepare us for the gigs but at least we're a step closer.
Finally, it's good to be back as I embrace my reality that I am a final year undergrad in the National You-never-study of Singapore.
