Right, time for another annual review of my life. Its been eventful, 2009 that is.
Sports :
I picked up road cycling and i've stuck with it and have come to love it. Its improved my fitness, made me new friends and is starting to drain me of my money. Still, i'd rather spend on something that will keep me healthy rather than on something pointless like an iPhone or a new bag.
Tennis and badminton is officially over for me...for at least another year. My right arm really cannot take the stress anymore. On the downside, i won't be able to enjoy the challenge BC, Vee and Whei Yeap give me on the court for some time, not that it matters anymore seeing the latter 2 are away for 6 months in moose-land.
Projects :
Started off the year with a mega one involving a giant rube goldberg machine for the 2010 Youth Olympic Games. It was by far the most challenging project ever , stressful and bloody rewarding.
EID success , finishing as champions for the Safety and Security category and as champions of the mechatronics robot building competition. Am awfully thankful and honored to have had awesome people to work with on all 3 projects.
Year 3 however was rather quiet. Overloaded with 24 AUs and was studying and cycling most of the time. Pretty dull if you ask me and i would have lost my mind with the regime were it not for a bicycle.
Exams and Disappointments :
I applied for an overseas internship in Japan with the Ford Motor Company. It really was a sweet deal. All expenses paid travel and lodging in Japan, plus the prestige of interning at the huge auto company.
I was shortlisted twice, ending up going head to head with a 3rd year student from Aerospace Engineering, and i lost to her in the end. Painful defeat and i do admit i hate losing. Its an ego thing and its not bad. It keeps me on my toes, always wanting something better.
Speaking of ego bashing.....my examination results weren't good, let alone to awesomeness i was thinking it would be.
I got a freaking C+ in an exam i actually finished an hour early, checked twice and walked out 30 minutes before time. I am truly baffled, perhaps it was soo easy that everyone in the cohort scored bloody well, pushing the graph up and leaving me in the C zone. Or perhaps in my blazing overconfidence, i overlooked several important things and ended up crashing and burning.
Not to mention the B- i got in a ridiculously simple programming paper. I did score 2 marks less for the practical CA than almost every other super genius in mechatronics, but the paper itself was easy. Overconfidence and carelessness again i suspect.
Anyway, i did finish with 4 A-'s in subjects i thought i had bombed in becos i did not finish the papers and solved some questions after making some assumption because the questions were vague. Hur hur. I seem to do well in papers that are tough.
No matter, i can walk out of this knowing i know the subjects well and did not go into the exam hall unprepared, and that it was just a exam cock up. Pity everyone else is going to judge my knowledge based on the 2 hours plus papers. Damn.
On the upside, i did get my first choice internship and Emerson Process Management. Working on a power plant control software for the Fortune 500 American company is a pretty sweet deal and i'm looking forward to that.
Love life :
Non-existant as per norm and quite frankly after listening to 1 semester's worth of breakups and relationship fiascos and cock ups, i'm pretty glad i've been spared the misery.
21st Birthday :
It was special.
I almost never celebrate my own birthday(though i wouldn't say no if a few buddies turn up with a bottle and lots of ice) and it was awfully nice to be surprised at the door by my closest friends and a simple dinner the next day with Garen and Richelle. Best birthday ever.
My bicycles :
Bear with me will you. I know i've been absolutely nutty about bicycles for the past 1 year. Some of my best memories this year were on a bicycle, and the old Jamis and the new trekki deserve some mention in this annual post.
The Jamis. A 450 dollar investment that cost me an arm (literally) and left me with fond memories of it.
Trekkie. The second hand 400 dollar energy draining 40 km/h plus speed demon which introduced me to long distance cycling, sprinting, climbing and riding in large groups with riders from all over singapore. Met new similar minded people on it and improved my fitness on it.
And so, here's to a new year!
Cheers from the,
Matrix
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