Listening to Frank Sinatra - Chicago, My Kind of Town
Meetup
I found out that St. Louis is just about 450 miles from CHICAGO! Woo! The 2nd City of Dreams! No doubt New York is my favourite, but Chicago rocks just as well. I can just imagine taking the train or driving for about 6 hours to have lunch in Chicago on an off day during campus time. Although that seems very far down the timeline, I am so looking forward to going to university. What an enriching experience it will definitely be.
I found out that a few ACJC people are heading to the University of Chicago as well, so that's a good place to meet up with people. Perhaps the AC people in University of Michigan Ann-Arbor ought to take the train down together and we could have an AC reunion in the Union Stockyard Building! Hahaha!
I think Boston is probably the best place for all global ACSians studying overseas to meet up with each other. England will be just across the Atlantic, the guys in New York could take a 2 hour drive down. Those in San Francisco need only catch a domestic flight across and those in Atlanta and in the MidWest can take short plane flights or a long train journey. Boston is a beautiful place as well, no doubt about that.
My dream of studying overseas has finally come true! Everything has come to pass! I'm very happy! All that remains is to send in some documentation as well as request for a deferment of Matriculation till Fall next year. I've just scratched the surface of my 6 Academic Goals that I have set for myself in this lifetime. And NONE of it will be possible without God's Grace, Goodness, Kindness, Mercy and Love towards me. Its a miracle. The whole thing is a miracle!
Digressing slightly, I just found out that a good AC friend who is now at Harvard is switching majors from computer science to MATHEMATICS! One more person to share and debate complexities of the perfect science with, much less to share notes and learn from each other. Everyone seems to find it weird that I chose to major in Maths. No doubt it is practical, but I do it simply out of passion and love for the subject, and I'm not exactly very stellar in maths anyway. I guess what someone told me was very very true.
Passion
"You should find what you love to do and do that. Because if you love what you do, you'll eventually be the best in it".
"I would rather be the best hokkien mee seller in Singapore, than to be an average doctor. Why? Because if I love my job so much cooking and selling hokkien mee, I'm sure going to be the best one, and when I am the best, the money will inevitably come my way". Power man. "Don't settle for the path of least resistance, living might mean taking some chances, but they are certainly worth taking. Better to have tried and failed than to have never tried at all."
I was walking around Orchard yesterday when I came across Kum Yan Methodist Church. One of my good friend in F Maths class always told me he attended this Church. But I had absolutely NO IDEA where it was, and I never asked him. Unlike "Kampong Kapor Methodist Church" where it is obvious where the church is located, for this one, I was a blur. Imagine my surprise when I was going to visit the Art Museum yesterday when I passed by that place. Yes, I'm one of those dry folks that actually find interest in an ART Museum, but I interpret art according to my terms and not some "experts". I realise one thing that small churches have that big churches lose out in: The Church Camp as well as games that the whole church/service/fellowship can indulge in.
As one might infer, there was a bunch of Christians, presumably one youth fellowship worth of people playing Captain's Ball in the church's compounds. Captain's ball is like the ultimate uni-sex game that blends Men's Basketball with Women's Netball. One could call it a "politically correct manner to address gender issues" as it compromises on both games to form a third that satisfies everyone. That was what one of my friends told me in AC.
This particular friend of mine in F Maths class is a guy named Kang Fei. He rocks F Maths lessons. If the "dynamic duo" of me and Ishvinder (The GREAT INDIAN MATHEMATICIAN) was funny. Kang-Fei really takes the cake. We were the only three jokers in the entire combi who chose to drop Econs in favour of F-Maths. Everyone thought that we were crazy to do as such. But really I don't care, I believe more in following my dreams rather than let other people's limited perception of reality discourage the desires of my heart.
I can safely say that Me, Ish and Kang-Fei were struggling LIKE MAD with F-Maths back in JC2. But nevertheless, we always propped each other up with positive comments and silly jokes to numb ourselves from the painful reality that we might actually screw up our A level F-Maths papers. Kang Fei is the ultimate joker. Once when the F-Maths lecturer put up a ranking for our tests scores for all to see, Kang Fei happened to be at the bottom. So the teacher said, "Kang Fei, I think you have to work harder...."
And then he answered, "But MA'AM! My name is only at the bottom of the list cos my surname starts with a 'y'!" At this instant, Ish and I laughed so hard both of us nearly fell off our chairs (we were rocking the chairs at the time). I think his sense of humour is really first class. His jokes are really funny. Yet at the same time, Kang Fei knows how to totally sober up from a laughing state and seek the Lord diligently. He too is a really devoted Christian that gives Bible study classes in his church. Once I picked up his bible that dropped out of his bag and I found to see like the whole book was practically highlighted as well as dog-eared and scribbled over with copious notes on Christian theology and doctrine. It really hit me that I haven't really been reading through my Bible as much as I should and studying it all the more diligently.
Once I asked him what would he major in whilst in the university and his instant reply was simply "Maths". And I asked him why. He just told me "Because I want to teach Maths". At this time, my F-Maths lecturer overhead a little bit of the conversation and tried to talk him out of it. He just stated quite firmly with a soft tone.
"Ma'am, I may not be the best student around. I may not be as smart as all the maths geniuses, GEPS and scholars. But I tell you ma'am, I'm going to the university, I will graduate with a degree in mathematics and I will come back here to replace you when you retire". She was absolutely dumbstuck.
Only then I realised why he chose to drop econs in favour of F-Maths. Why he choses to push through even though most of the time, the test results are discouraging. Why he choses to do something that others think of as foolish. It all just boils down to simple passion. And wow, it made me reflect on all my past decisions. Did I really drop econs because I really couldn't cope, or did I drop it because I spent practically all my time reading maths books and practising mathematics, even neglecting physics? Was I really bad in economics despite having rather intensive tuition for sometime, or did I just take the subject cos Dad recommended that I do so? Or simply was I shut off from a subject because I really liked the other one very much? This despite never scoring the grades I felt I really deserved?
Strange how even the funniest people in ACS can teach me the most self-reflective lessons in life. I'm sure Kang-Fei will do very well in university. The last I heard was that he qualified for a place in the Science Faculty in NUS and is soon to be a fully fledged army officer. But I believe that he too, will go overseas as his parents can more than afford it. I think he'll be an excellent teacher. Not because of a degree or higher mastery in Mathematics, but because he has a passion to teach the subject. Passion is probably something a lot of teachers lack nowadays. I might be generalising, but I find that most only do it for the sake of the money.
We need teachers who are truly passionate, truly committed to impart knowledge. The ability to think for self a solution. Not force students through a senseless ritual of memorisation and regurgitation. Even for F-Maths, the secret to doing well is not to be extavagantly smart. It is simply to memorise the necessary steps to arrive at the solution for the question. All the questions in the topics follow a particular methold of solving. Memorise the steps, then regurgitate them in favor of the question in the exam and do well. I believe that my friend Kang-Fei will be one of the next generation of AC Teachers that will just rock the set.
Imagine, the funniest maths teacher you ever ever had, who was cool, in touch with reality, able to relate to the students, having great passion for imparting knowledge, willing to go the extra mile(s) for weak students and all at the same time, living a life of excellence for Jesus. What a living testimony that would be! With such teachers, we don't need tuition anymore.
I could go on and on about who I saw inside the church compounds playing Captain's Ball. But that's another entirely complex lesson I've learnt in AC. Definitely another time.
Meetup
I found out that St. Louis is just about 450 miles from CHICAGO! Woo! The 2nd City of Dreams! No doubt New York is my favourite, but Chicago rocks just as well. I can just imagine taking the train or driving for about 6 hours to have lunch in Chicago on an off day during campus time. Although that seems very far down the timeline, I am so looking forward to going to university. What an enriching experience it will definitely be.
I found out that a few ACJC people are heading to the University of Chicago as well, so that's a good place to meet up with people. Perhaps the AC people in University of Michigan Ann-Arbor ought to take the train down together and we could have an AC reunion in the Union Stockyard Building! Hahaha!
I think Boston is probably the best place for all global ACSians studying overseas to meet up with each other. England will be just across the Atlantic, the guys in New York could take a 2 hour drive down. Those in San Francisco need only catch a domestic flight across and those in Atlanta and in the MidWest can take short plane flights or a long train journey. Boston is a beautiful place as well, no doubt about that.
My dream of studying overseas has finally come true! Everything has come to pass! I'm very happy! All that remains is to send in some documentation as well as request for a deferment of Matriculation till Fall next year. I've just scratched the surface of my 6 Academic Goals that I have set for myself in this lifetime. And NONE of it will be possible without God's Grace, Goodness, Kindness, Mercy and Love towards me. Its a miracle. The whole thing is a miracle!
Digressing slightly, I just found out that a good AC friend who is now at Harvard is switching majors from computer science to MATHEMATICS! One more person to share and debate complexities of the perfect science with, much less to share notes and learn from each other. Everyone seems to find it weird that I chose to major in Maths. No doubt it is practical, but I do it simply out of passion and love for the subject, and I'm not exactly very stellar in maths anyway. I guess what someone told me was very very true.
Passion
"You should find what you love to do and do that. Because if you love what you do, you'll eventually be the best in it".
"I would rather be the best hokkien mee seller in Singapore, than to be an average doctor. Why? Because if I love my job so much cooking and selling hokkien mee, I'm sure going to be the best one, and when I am the best, the money will inevitably come my way". Power man. "Don't settle for the path of least resistance, living might mean taking some chances, but they are certainly worth taking. Better to have tried and failed than to have never tried at all."
I was walking around Orchard yesterday when I came across Kum Yan Methodist Church. One of my good friend in F Maths class always told me he attended this Church. But I had absolutely NO IDEA where it was, and I never asked him. Unlike "Kampong Kapor Methodist Church" where it is obvious where the church is located, for this one, I was a blur. Imagine my surprise when I was going to visit the Art Museum yesterday when I passed by that place. Yes, I'm one of those dry folks that actually find interest in an ART Museum, but I interpret art according to my terms and not some "experts". I realise one thing that small churches have that big churches lose out in: The Church Camp as well as games that the whole church/service/fellowship can indulge in.
As one might infer, there was a bunch of Christians, presumably one youth fellowship worth of people playing Captain's Ball in the church's compounds. Captain's ball is like the ultimate uni-sex game that blends Men's Basketball with Women's Netball. One could call it a "politically correct manner to address gender issues" as it compromises on both games to form a third that satisfies everyone. That was what one of my friends told me in AC.
This particular friend of mine in F Maths class is a guy named Kang Fei. He rocks F Maths lessons. If the "dynamic duo" of me and Ishvinder (The GREAT INDIAN MATHEMATICIAN) was funny. Kang-Fei really takes the cake. We were the only three jokers in the entire combi who chose to drop Econs in favour of F-Maths. Everyone thought that we were crazy to do as such. But really I don't care, I believe more in following my dreams rather than let other people's limited perception of reality discourage the desires of my heart.
I can safely say that Me, Ish and Kang-Fei were struggling LIKE MAD with F-Maths back in JC2. But nevertheless, we always propped each other up with positive comments and silly jokes to numb ourselves from the painful reality that we might actually screw up our A level F-Maths papers. Kang Fei is the ultimate joker. Once when the F-Maths lecturer put up a ranking for our tests scores for all to see, Kang Fei happened to be at the bottom. So the teacher said, "Kang Fei, I think you have to work harder...."
And then he answered, "But MA'AM! My name is only at the bottom of the list cos my surname starts with a 'y'!" At this instant, Ish and I laughed so hard both of us nearly fell off our chairs (we were rocking the chairs at the time). I think his sense of humour is really first class. His jokes are really funny. Yet at the same time, Kang Fei knows how to totally sober up from a laughing state and seek the Lord diligently. He too is a really devoted Christian that gives Bible study classes in his church. Once I picked up his bible that dropped out of his bag and I found to see like the whole book was practically highlighted as well as dog-eared and scribbled over with copious notes on Christian theology and doctrine. It really hit me that I haven't really been reading through my Bible as much as I should and studying it all the more diligently.
Once I asked him what would he major in whilst in the university and his instant reply was simply "Maths". And I asked him why. He just told me "Because I want to teach Maths". At this time, my F-Maths lecturer overhead a little bit of the conversation and tried to talk him out of it. He just stated quite firmly with a soft tone.
"Ma'am, I may not be the best student around. I may not be as smart as all the maths geniuses, GEPS and scholars. But I tell you ma'am, I'm going to the university, I will graduate with a degree in mathematics and I will come back here to replace you when you retire". She was absolutely dumbstuck.
Only then I realised why he chose to drop econs in favour of F-Maths. Why he choses to push through even though most of the time, the test results are discouraging. Why he choses to do something that others think of as foolish. It all just boils down to simple passion. And wow, it made me reflect on all my past decisions. Did I really drop econs because I really couldn't cope, or did I drop it because I spent practically all my time reading maths books and practising mathematics, even neglecting physics? Was I really bad in economics despite having rather intensive tuition for sometime, or did I just take the subject cos Dad recommended that I do so? Or simply was I shut off from a subject because I really liked the other one very much? This despite never scoring the grades I felt I really deserved?
Strange how even the funniest people in ACS can teach me the most self-reflective lessons in life. I'm sure Kang-Fei will do very well in university. The last I heard was that he qualified for a place in the Science Faculty in NUS and is soon to be a fully fledged army officer. But I believe that he too, will go overseas as his parents can more than afford it. I think he'll be an excellent teacher. Not because of a degree or higher mastery in Mathematics, but because he has a passion to teach the subject. Passion is probably something a lot of teachers lack nowadays. I might be generalising, but I find that most only do it for the sake of the money.
We need teachers who are truly passionate, truly committed to impart knowledge. The ability to think for self a solution. Not force students through a senseless ritual of memorisation and regurgitation. Even for F-Maths, the secret to doing well is not to be extavagantly smart. It is simply to memorise the necessary steps to arrive at the solution for the question. All the questions in the topics follow a particular methold of solving. Memorise the steps, then regurgitate them in favor of the question in the exam and do well. I believe that my friend Kang-Fei will be one of the next generation of AC Teachers that will just rock the set.
Imagine, the funniest maths teacher you ever ever had, who was cool, in touch with reality, able to relate to the students, having great passion for imparting knowledge, willing to go the extra mile(s) for weak students and all at the same time, living a life of excellence for Jesus. What a living testimony that would be! With such teachers, we don't need tuition anymore.
I could go on and on about who I saw inside the church compounds playing Captain's Ball. But that's another entirely complex lesson I've learnt in AC. Definitely another time.
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