Tekong Cough

Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Secret War Journal[25 April 2012]
The notorious Tekong cough that perhaps most guys in Singapore suffer from at least once when they undergo the rite of passage to adulthood. There many possible causes though no one is really certain of the source of this condition.
Some say it could be due to:
  • Sudden drop in quality of water?
  • Drinking from dubious sources of water?
  • Unclean food?
  • Exposure to polluted air?
  • Poor hygiene practices?
  • Bio attack?
Who really knows?
--
Normally, it should not be threatening to one's life but sometimes it could develop into something worse.
Which brings us into the reason why I was not able to blog recently, my cought started to cause my chest to hurt. At times, I feel feverish and weak. As a result, I spent most of my free time resting instead of blogging.
I would say that my immune system is not exactly strong, I had always been lacking in physical fitness so I have no one to blame but myself... Or is it? I have someone in mind to blame but let's no speculate.
I had since seen a doctor and was given a 3-day medical leave. I really hope I can recover in such a short time as the cough had persisted for around three weeks and counting. :S

Wish me well! See ya!

"If it's natural to kill, how come men have to go into training to learn how?" - Joan Baez

SMU SIS Interview 2012

Sunday, April 15, 2012
Secret War Journal[14 April 2012]

Wohoo! I just had my interview at Singapore Management University (SMU) for the School of Information Systems! As I am now spending most of time in army, I only had weekends to go for interviews.
For SMU, they contact shortlisted applicants via mobile. That is in theory great since the applicant is contacted quickly and it is highly efficient. Unfortunately for me, I am in army. Thus, I was only able to contact them a few working days later as most of the time, I only could use mobile phones at night, which is way past office hours.

Against all odds, I managed to get a slot today, 3pm for the interview. To be honest, I do not know what to expect, there was surprisingly few materials to research on via the Internet on how to prepare for this particular interview. Nevertheless, I was able to get some glimpse how the interview would be conducted but no confirmation.

As a result, I felt as though I just went for an interview blind. So much for going into interviews prepared, hahas!

Phase 1: Pre-Interview

Part 0: Waiting Room
We were brought to the lift lobby which also served as a waiting room of sorts. Here, there are posters pasted on the walls of the nearby offices. The directions given were to read the posters. The posters generally provide information which you can also find on the University's website but I guess it would be very useful for applicants who did not have the time to read up either because they are really busy in army or work. However, one should note that not all the information from the website were reflected on the posters. So I would recommend that applicants should 'do their homework' before the interview.
--
Part 1: Your Personality
After all the interviewees for this sessions has gathered (For my session, we have 6 people), we were brought to a classroom.
First, we were tasked to complete a short personality test/survey for the interviewers to have a roughly idea on your character.
--
Part 2: Critical Information
Next, we were asked to write a mini-essay of sorts about ourselves. My advice would be to perhaps write fast because I actually ran out of time to write finish the questions on that piece of paper. Hahas!
--
Part 3: Case Study Question
This question is, in my opinion, really relevant to the course so while it was the prelude to one of the most challenging component of the interview, it was really an eye-opener for me. You should have around 10-15 minutes and you are given a piece of A4 paper to write down your solutions.
I do not think you can prepare for this interview beforehand. Fret not, there would be help and sample questions and solutions to give you a better insight on how to approach the question. ;)
--
Part 4: Verification
Probably the easiest part of the interview. Here, you would pass your supporting documents, both the real and the photocopied for verification. After a short period of time, they would return you the copies for your keeping. This should be conducted during Part 1-3 concurrently.

Phase 2: The Interview
Now for the actual interview. We are moved into another room where the interviewers await us.

Part 5: Presentation of Case Study Question
In this component of the interview, you are tasked to present your solutions for the case study question you did to the whole group and the interviewers, detailing your thought process.
During the presentation, you should expect questions to be asked from the interviewers for them to understand your solutions better. Thus, just stay calm and present your solutions! :)

I believe this is what most people would say the most challenging component of the interview, expect insightful and difficult questions to be asked. ;)
--
Part 6: Estimation Question + Presentation
This is more of a logic question. Try to make sound assumptions. If you would really like to prepare for this component, you could try to know as much general knowledge as possible. In addition, it may be also a good idea to know more about SMU and general knowledge on SMU. You should have around 4 minutes to attempt the question.
--
Part 7: Q & A
Shoot away your queries regarding the course you are gunning for! Word of caution though, please do not ask questions which could be answered on their website. ;)

Estimated duration: 2.5 to 3 hours

Bottom-line: Be at ease! Be comfortable with presenting to groups of people and be confident. Try not to flinch when difficult questions are asked. Take a moment and answer the question to the best of your ability. :)

Great news! I am offered a place on SMU School of Information Systems (SIS) since the interview! Guess, I did pretty decent. O.o

Sadly, I was not granted the double degree programme by SMU. Pity.

"An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you know and what you don't." - Anatole France

Scorpion's the Name

Thursday, April 12, 2012
Secret War Journal[April 2012]

  1. Shaun - God is gracious
  2. Gaius - Happy (Latin)
  3. Bradley - Broad Meadow (Old English)
  4. Jeremy - God will raise up; God will set free (Hebrew)
  5. Benjamin - son of the right hand; son of the south; son of my old age (Hebrew)
  6. Kevin - handsome beloved (Irish and Gaelic origin)

Easter 2012

Monday, April 9, 2012
Secret War Journal[8 April 2012]
Happy Easter people!

Once again, I shall celebrate Easter. This time, I would be attending a musical conducted by Victory Family Centre.



With me today would be Lai Yin (she's a member of the Church), Laura, Pei Shi and Debbie.

Before the Musical, we met up at a relatively new mall Changi City Point for dinner. Pei Shi and Laura had Carl's Jr while Lai Yin had Soup Spoon with me getting Subway. Nevertheless I got Carl's Jr fries because I miss them. It has been a long time since I last ate them! >.<

We did some catching up before Debbie arrived. As it turns out, Debbie is not eating with us.

I guess the latest news I just received from them is that Laura would be gunning for Law. Another friend of mine is going to be a lawyer! :P

Without further ado, it is time to watch the musical, they (the audience) are getting excited by it!



And the end draws near when...

Shortly after this scene, the resurrection was underway.

My thoughts on the musical? I think the voices were great. However, I cannot help but feel that the script was rather rushed with a lack of proper introduction of certain characters at times. I was able to let that slide because if one were to take into account the time constraint, there is not really many other ways to deliver such a musical.

In all, it was worth watching. Once again, happy Easter Day! :)

"Human beings must be known to be loved; but Divine beings must be loved to be known." - Blaise Pascal

To whose sorrow do I bleed? I wish I had an answer to that...

PTP/BMT Wishlist

Sunday, April 8, 2012
Secret War Journal[March - July 2012]
Alright, here goes nothing!
  1. Survive
  2. Pass IPPT w/ Silver / Gold
  3. Get into Command School
  4. Get sufficient sleep

Sounds simple but it is a lot harder than it looks! Gah!

"He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice." - Albert Einstein

Sakae Sushi Teppanyaki

Saturday, April 7, 2012
Secret War Journal[7 April 2012]


Had a wonderful dinner at Sakae Sushi Teppanyaki after LAN with Marcus, Johnston and Trevor before going for arcade! :)
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