Not much is happening here. Singapore universities are in a studying frenzy and I am included. I just had my first and most important exam today, yes, on a Saturday. I have three exams and a paper to go for the next three weeks and then I'm headed to the Philippines.
Funny fact I learned this week. Bloomberg put out an article ranking Singapore the most emotionless society. No disagreements here. But it just so happens that the Philippines is the most emotional society! I'm excited to experience both extremes before I come home. There are about three weeks left! I hope to be have my PADI scuba certification when I return. Let's see what happens :).
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
It's never too late for Movember
Hello Everyone,
Exam time is coming, and you know what that means... Mustache! Actually, my roommate and I talked about it last night and decided we would give the mustache a try in honor of Movember. However, I remembered today that I also had a mustache for exams last year at this time. My rationale in the past was, "I will walk in to take an exam with my mustache, people will see it, and instantly their stress level will go down." I'm not sure if the questionable growth on my face will be enough to handle an average Singaporean's test anxiety, but I'll give it my best try.
All my assignments, projects, presentations, and tests are done for the semester, woohoo! This isn't America folks. Of my four classes, I have about 50% of my grades left in front of me, not to mention they are given on a bell-curve. They don't tell you this is the study abroad office... On the bright side, I have plenty of time to study. Oddly enough, exam period is my favorite time of the semester because I can completely set my own schedule. Also, I have a planned trip to the Philippines successfully motivating me each day. Then, of course, I'll return home to my wonder friends, family, and snow!
Thanks for reading!
Exam time is coming, and you know what that means... Mustache! Actually, my roommate and I talked about it last night and decided we would give the mustache a try in honor of Movember. However, I remembered today that I also had a mustache for exams last year at this time. My rationale in the past was, "I will walk in to take an exam with my mustache, people will see it, and instantly their stress level will go down." I'm not sure if the questionable growth on my face will be enough to handle an average Singaporean's test anxiety, but I'll give it my best try.
All my assignments, projects, presentations, and tests are done for the semester, woohoo! This isn't America folks. Of my four classes, I have about 50% of my grades left in front of me, not to mention they are given on a bell-curve. They don't tell you this is the study abroad office... On the bright side, I have plenty of time to study. Oddly enough, exam period is my favorite time of the semester because I can completely set my own schedule. Also, I have a planned trip to the Philippines successfully motivating me each day. Then, of course, I'll return home to my wonder friends, family, and snow!
Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Motivation and Gratitude
So, the finish line is in sight... I think? Yesterday, one of my four classes ended. Exams don't start for almost three weeks. Now you know what I'm dealing with when I talk about the studying "problem" in Singapore. With some of my exams being worth 70% of my total grade, I will have to seek some serious motivation for this final month. Only ONE month and I will be in the Philippines with all thoughts of school completely behind me.
What is going to keep me motivated? Well, today I read an awesome chapter from the book "Uprising: A Revolution of the Soul," and it taught me a lot about gratitude. It mentioned, "When we are grateful, we see and experience life with a healthy optimism. When we lack gratitude, we move toward pessimism and even cynicism. An ungrateful heart always sees what's wrong with life." I'll be the first to tell you that I struggled with pessimism and cynicism when I first got here. Although it has gotten a lot better, thanks be to God, the habit still seems to creep in.
The number one thing I canNOT do if I want to study hard without dreading it is focus on what's wrong with my life. Because when I honestly face myself, there is nothing wrong with my life. Today, I was reminded by many about the freedoms our country gets to practice every day. Even more so, I'm reminded by the Lord about the freedom I have in His Son, Jesus Christ. As I consider this freedom, and the many blessings in my life (including the opportunity of a great education), it will produce a love and joy that will keep my cup half full. Then, I will not need to be apprehensive towards studying, but I'll push on until the finish doing my best. That is the plan anyway! :)
What is going to keep me motivated? Well, today I read an awesome chapter from the book "Uprising: A Revolution of the Soul," and it taught me a lot about gratitude. It mentioned, "When we are grateful, we see and experience life with a healthy optimism. When we lack gratitude, we move toward pessimism and even cynicism. An ungrateful heart always sees what's wrong with life." I'll be the first to tell you that I struggled with pessimism and cynicism when I first got here. Although it has gotten a lot better, thanks be to God, the habit still seems to creep in.
The number one thing I canNOT do if I want to study hard without dreading it is focus on what's wrong with my life. Because when I honestly face myself, there is nothing wrong with my life. Today, I was reminded by many about the freedoms our country gets to practice every day. Even more so, I'm reminded by the Lord about the freedom I have in His Son, Jesus Christ. As I consider this freedom, and the many blessings in my life (including the opportunity of a great education), it will produce a love and joy that will keep my cup half full. Then, I will not need to be apprehensive towards studying, but I'll push on until the finish doing my best. That is the plan anyway! :)
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