Almost Done!

FYP report submitted! Design project completed! Exams done! Left with FYP Poster Presentation. Don't know why, I don't feel excited at all.

This FYP made me realised how little I know about CSTR and batch reactor. Although it's nothing near impressive, but at least I've learnt sth new. But he's not convinced about my arguments, despite I've already made it very simple to grasp. He also heck care about what I write in my report and only care about formatting. So what if you have the best-formatted report in the world? If there's something wrong with the basics, no amount of formatting can make up for that. My report was the last one to be read, somemore read during design lecture. That goes to show how insignificant my work is to him. I tried to put in a lot of effort into getting the basics right. But did he know? I'm totally disappointed with him. Although I've really learnt a lot from him, in terms of how to approach & solve problems, but humans are still humans. Projects which are not related to own research tend to be neglected. Never mind, I'm not bothered with my FYP grade, only what I can learn from it by myself, since I cannot get 1st class anyway.

As for design project, it also has its fair share of joy & frustration. At the start, everything seems ok. I felt very excited, since I've been waiting for 3 years for this and finally I can apply what I've learnt. But along the way, problems gradually set in. I'm really frustrated when there are non-technical problems spoiling my "design project experience", as I have very high expectations on it. I know in real life these kind of situations will occur anyway, so I'll treat it as a learning point. In the end, didn't produce a really fantastic report, still far from what the profs wanted... Creative design ideas, we still lack on this.

Job hunting hasn't had any results so far. Expected, since I didn't really put in much effort into getting lots of interviews. Will focus on job search after grad trip. Frankly speaking, many companies are very short-sighted in their recruitment drives. They mainly look at your grades. If you're not 1st class, then your resume is of lower priority. I know it's a fact, but it's such a stupid mentality. It doesn't mean that 2nd class people have no drive or have much inferior quality of work than the 1st class ones. I know theoretically speaking, there is a higher probability of success if you hire a 1st class graduate. But in real life, things don't obey this "prediction" strictly.

Next, I got a tuition student! Thanks old friend Peifen, who comes to my rescue when I'm in need of money. At least it offsets part of my expenses before I found a permanent job. So excited about tutoring JC Chemistry. I still remember vividly I fell in love with chemistry instantly during my high school years, culminating in my choice of chemical engineering as a career. It's fun to do what you like, but it's a great responsibility, as I've to gradually build up her excitement and confidence in chemistry and also need to ensure I teach the concepts correctly and the tutee really understand what I said. Although she told me she'll be taking psychology in NUS, nonetheless, I still look forward to tutoring her.

Finally comes the graduation trip! So excited about it. Never thought of going to Vietnam or Cambodia, somemore on a backpacking trip. Maybe the influence of HRM lecturer Richard was too great, as he frequently mentioned "Vietnam" as an example of overseas job posting destination. From itinerary planning to preparing stuff for the trip, a lot of things to consider & do. It's really difficult for a person like me who seldom travels. But most important is the travel experience. I hope I can be more travel-savvy after this. I dream of travelling to different parts of the world whenever I have the time & resources to do so. This shall be the starting point!

Then comes the Influenza A(H1N1) flu virus. Haiz, it really comes at a bad time. Even my student asked me "Har, you are still travelling? You are not afraid of swine flu?". I told her I'll monitor the situation closely, but I think should be ok. Just make sure I maintain personal hygiene & avoid overly crowded areas. In short, I won't let this swine flu spoil my trip!

Ok, enough of words!