this parting s*** is getting real yo…

Wow, all this parting shit is getting real man…

This past week has been not just an emotional ride, but also a physical battle. Friday was the last day of classes, ended it on a high note with awesome snacks during Japanese class from our very awesome Japanese teacher, followed by lots of running, soccer & gym sessions, end of semester dinner by the SSA, and finally the Ironman 3 movie at night.

On Saturday, I also went skydiving in Ohio with Ming Swin, Joel, Choon hua and Fabian. Woke up early in the morning despite having slept late the night before from the movie, and alongside my muscle aches from the soccer. And so, we leaped off a plane at a really insane altitude. I swear that was some crazy shit; I used to be even afraid of taking the massive escalator in Orchard, and I ended up jumping for almost 123499872 x that height.

It’s definitely a must-do, but I don’t thing I’d ever want to do it again. The flight up was really uncomfortable though – being squashed into such a small plane with so many people. If I had a muscle cramp (which I did while playing soccer the day before) in there, I think I’ll not be able to recover at all. The plane ride up was so slow and hot, and it felt like I’m sitting on a roller coaster which will never reach the top, and the anxiety just kept building up. The scary part was when the door was finally opened some 11,000 feet above ground, and I was told to put my feet outside the window…

Actually, once I overcame the fear and leaped  it wasn’t that bad. Free fall was actually pretty fun, and the view was awesome! I could still remember screaming like crazy, despite being unable to hear myself from all the wind gush. Can’t wait for the video to be sent to me though. I felt like s*** when the parachute opened. The harness almost choked me, and I couldn’t breathe; on top of that, I thought my thighs were getting burnt from the uplift of the harness. Although it was fun when the parachute was maneuvered (makes me feel like I’m a bird flying around), I started to get some motion sickness soon after and almost thought I would puke airborne. After the leap, the world now looks different.

Sunday was the day Jie Yee left though. After a fun night together at Catman after skydiving, I stayed over at Ming Swin’s and then sent Jie Yee off to the airport in the morning. Then I started to realize I won’t be seeing many people here again, at least for a long time. After having spent a wonderful semester in CMU (with all the mahjong, poker, karaoke night amidst the insane school work), I suddenly realize I actually might miss this place and the people.

And so, I’ve just got about a week to decide if I wanted to stay in CMU for another 3 semesters or Imperial College for 2 semesters. Tough choice, especially when considering the opportunities in both places, the things I would be learning, and the people I’ll be spending time with.

On a separate note, I was supposed to go to Alaska for the summer, but turned out that i would be headed to Rwanda instead, because the people in Alaska withdrew. Honestly, I feel that 10 weeks in Rwanda might be a little too long for me to enjoy the experience – living is tough conditions, eating not-so-delicious-vegetables for meals. And I do agree that I would actually be better off staying in Pittsburgh for 6 weeks to complete my final project instead. By then again, I think this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I somehow agreed to go for it. Hopefully it all pays off.

On a happier note, I just had an interview with Microsoft Singapore, and it sounds like a pretty fun job. Hope to hear good news from them soon!

last 4 weeks of classes

It’s now down to the last 4 weeks of classes, and then it’s the end of my undergraduate life. seriously, do I want to end it so early? sometimes i wonder why i chose to rush my classes and end it in 3 years instead of 4, especially when I’m a sponsored student.

Looking back since my last post, I can’t believe time went by so quickly. Spring break came and went. I had a great time in New Mexico and Utah with Nicky, Timothy, Jason and the Catman people then. And we finally decided on going for sky diving on the 4th may.

In fact, I just came back from move on. It’s going to be spring carnival all over again. One year ago, I was in the midst of heading to New York for Singapore day. To be honest, I am not really very excited about it – it feels like a yearly routine, something which I’ve already done for the past 2 years. Nevertheless, I’d still want to be a part of booth and help out, because my friends are there, and the sense of belonging is there. It’s also most probably the very last time of doing booth – not sure if I’m actually going to miss it after this semester.

This past week has been really awesome though. Despite having spent hours and hours working on and thinking about malloc lab, staring at code and trying to figure out where the segmentation fault lies, I’m glad I finally got it solved, after printing so many debugging code and visualizing my implementation. Malloc lab has been the topic of many people in CMU, and I’m glad to finally walk out of and survived it and the whole 15-213 course. Now it’s down to the final Proxy lab and I’m done. I’ve also just collected my graduation cap/gown. It’s all happening too soon.

On top of that, I also bought my Canon 60d and SSD which came in just 2 days within my purchase! I also got a new laptop bag to replace the one that’s broken. And they’re all so freaking cheap. I think I might actually miss living in the US.

I’ve also almost confirmed that I’ll be doing my internship in Kodiak, Alaska this coming summer for a good 10 weeks. Which could also potentially mean that I might not have time to return back to Singapore.

Finally, I also just received news that I’ve got accepted into Imperial College London for my masters. So now, I’ve got 2 days to decide between the eBusiness Programme in CMU, the Heinz Programme in CMU or ICL in London. I’m really going to have a hard time choosing; after all, each has its pros and cons. I’m pretty thankful that all the 3 programmes accepted me – after all, I applied to Heinz and London couple of months after the deadline. I still remember how I was still chasing my professors with the recommendation letters over spring break in March, when the application was due in early Jan. Wish I had applied to Stanford last December – my whole house is going there next semester for their masters. Seems like I procrastinated too much then while in London. sigh.

here and there.

ahh, it’s almost 5am now, yet I’m still awake, finally finding some time to write this post.

we just had a 24th birthday surprise party for Solomon in the midst of poker, and so many people got smashed. ended up with lots of drunk people and so many people puking; it was quite a mess. i decided to stay up watching over Solomon, lest he chokes over his own puke or something. it was pretty scary how he was trying so hard to vomit but nothing came out just a while earlier.

wow time seem to fly past so quickly this semester. it’s almost halfway through my final term here in CMU. while initially i thought i didn’t like it here in Pittsburgh – which gave me an incentive for trying for 2 study abroad semesters in London – this semester seems to bring back all the fun memories I’ve had during my freshmen year, and I think i’m starting to appreciate this place a lot more (albeit the really bad weather). damn, i think i might actually miss this place as it comes to an end, when everyone in my batch starts to leave in the next few weeks.

suddenly, i have this notion that by spending almost an equal amount of time in CMU and UCL, i realized i don’t have a strong social and emotional footing with people in either places anymore. it seems that my life just lingers around between these 2 places (let alone considering my life back in Singapore), and when I’m in London, i lose track with people back in CMU and vice versa. and it doesn’t help when people here keep reminding me of the fact that I’ve been away too much, even to the extent of teasing me about being a UCL exchange student. and it’s also pretty annoying how spring break is coming up, and i don’t have concrete plans on what to do. everyone seems to be having their own agenda, and i can’t decide what I want to do. so many things and so little time

As much as I’ve enjoyed myself with no regrets having done these 2 semesters abroad (and I would do it again if I were given the choice), I’m starting to feel the after-effects now. I feel like I’ve neglected people here in CMU, and also the people back in London. When I’m in Pittsburgh, life in London freezes and vice versa. Like when I flew back to London for the weekend for CNY, it felt so surreal, like how my life can interchange so easily between these 2 countries. But still, I have missed out on so much in either places during my absence.

Well, I’ve been really busy this semester, but i really enjoy my classes. taking classes like 15-213 (can’t believe i’m finally taking it – learning quite a lot of stuff although it’s really tough), and then even Japanese too, on top of design class, html and photoshop (which I already knew) and my IS project. and not forgetting my upcoming interviews next week. hope they all go well.

happy 24th.

i must say after leaving London, things turned around for the better.

The last week in London after returning from Finland wasn’t the best I could ask for. Besides the emotional ride, dealing with having no place to stay – hopping around different people’s house and staying over at school’s library, i had to also bother with the assignments which piled up from my procrastination. seems like planning to do work over the winter trip didn’t work out, and i had to rush out in the end the OS assignment, the 5000 word essay and HCI report in like 5 days. i’m glad it’s over, and I just hope i can transfer my credits successfully as soon as possible.

Coming back to CMU for my last semester sure brings back a tinge of bittersweet feeling. walking around familiar sights – Forbes, UC and especially the Gates building sure brings back many fond memories about the times during freshmen year, struggling through all the tough classes. it’s now the final semester, and i’m glad i’m taking classes that are pretty interesting.

Can’t believe i turned 24 already. Seems like just yesterday when I came back from London last year and I turned 23. Getting a little old, and perhaps it’s time to think about settling down already.

Nevertheless, it does seem like my birthday lasted some 36 hours, lasting from Singapore to London and through Pittsburgh.

Thanks for all the wonderful gathering, meals, poker session & hanging out. It was really nice to seeing everyone again.

I think i might actually miss this place when I graduate.

Northern Europe Microsoft Student Partner Summit 2012 @ Microsoft Ireland

I have just attended a 3-day Northern Europe Microsoft Student Partner Summit 2012 in Microsoft Ireland. It was simply amazing.

 

Our welcome posters

 

This submit has given us an opportunity to meet students from all over Northern Europe  Met people from Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden, Russia, and of course other parts of UK. I suppose I was the unique one, coming from an Asian background, studying in both US and UK, and people remember me as the Singapore guy, even though I represented UCL and UK in this summit.

 

Phil Cross giving an introduction of himself to the summit

 

We started off the session with a country sharing session, and I felt like I was taking a trip around the Northern Europe then. At first, it was difficult to understand one another as everyone had different level of English proficiency. However, we slowly got used to it, and learnt to speak slower to accommodate one another. Then, we started to learn about everyone’s languages and facts about their country. For instance, the Belgium people spoke 3 languages – Dutch, French and German, as they are ‘forced’ to learn them all in school. The country is also extremely complicated in many aspects, which was actually pretty hilarious if you find out more via this video.

 

Local delights from different countries!

 

Also, it was funny how the Northern Lights are such a common thing for those living in Norway, Finland and Iceland, and it was also quite funny how they tried to rival and claim the aurora borealis belonging to their countries. It’s also interesting to hear that in summer, the sun never sets in some parts of these countries, while in winter, the sun practically does not come out throughout the day. In fact, the sun is so precious, that people are given offs to enjoy it while it lasts. Many of our friends also brought lots of their local delights for us to try (for some reason, alcohol seemed to present in almost everything). Simply an eye-opener.

 

Learning the Estonian Language

 

The highlight was when a lucky 45 of us were chosen to visit the Microsoft Data Center. Well, let’s just say it BLEW our minds away. And since we signed a non-disclosure agreement (and no photos allowed), I shall not talk about it here. But it was quite incredible to know that whatever we saw in that facility supported Microsoft’s cloud and online services for the whole of Europe – and even Singapore! Just imagine the finesse, on top of the amount of power and hard disk space needed to keep everything running, and to protect the data from being stolen. Previously, I was touring people around the mini server rooms in Microsoft Singapore; and that was nothing compared to the one I saw here. In case you’re feeling jelly, maybe this might help you get over it

 

A team hard at work at the team project

 

After a long day of workshops, coding and working on our game project, Microsoft treated us to the Guinness Storehouse, where we had unlimited flow of alcohol and food at the Infinity bar. This was the 2nd time I visited the Storehouse (yes I visited it on my own just 2 nights before), but the experience was different with the MSPs this time. I also had the chance to make my own Guinness again, but this time round I made one with the Shamrock logo on it! Free alcohol must drink – and being an Asian who can’t take too much, I ended up KO-ed right at the bar, leaving me unable to code for the night, while the rest of the group continued coding back at Microsoft with even more beer (in cartons mind you), in preparation for the final presentation the next morning. Crazy stuff; how can anyone take so much alcohol!

 

UK MSPs at Guinness Infinity Bar

 

We also had the opportunity to tour around the office, to see how live development of Windows 8, Xbox and Azure took place in the site. Many fresh hires also shared with us their experiences on how to get hired by the awesome company, and Michelle Fleming, the overall coordinator of the MSP programme also took the opportunity to interact with the MSP on the ground, and to hear what we really want from the programme.

 

Our Microsoft Name Tags

 

This event was a huge blast, and everyone certainly took away with them a fair bit about coding on Windows 8 and the Microsoft technology, and most importantly the camaraderie forged. I’m really thankful for Microsoft for providing such a wonderful opportunity, sponsoring all our expenses, for all the great hospitality, the great food and the planning of this event!

Code for Good Challenge – JP Morgan

As I’m writing this, I’m on board the plane at Heathrow to Dublin for a fully sponsored Microsoft Student Partner submit event. I’m really excited, and I can’t wait to see what Microsoft is like so far away from home. Moreover, we’re also given a Technology Center tour! Perhaps, I should definitely drop by Microsoft London before I leave!

School work is getting really hectic. With just 3 more weeks before my time in London as a student comes to an end, I’ve got so many projects to do – I think I’m starting to feel the pressure as a university student for once. Just few weeks back during the reading week, I worked so hard for my GRE, but sadly still didn’t do well enough . Then, there was a mid term for Networked Systems which I only had 2 days to prepare for right after the GREs, and it was very demoralizing and stressful then. 2 full fledged team reports with video presentations, a 5000 word report, 3x Networked systems assignment and Operating systems assignment deadlines are also coming up, which also clashes with my trip to Edinburgh and Oxford. Although I’ve been extremely busy here, I’m really happy to be involved with so many things and activities. Really wonderful opportunities here in London.

Just over the past weekend, I joined a JP Morgan hackathon – Code for Good, where we participants got the opportunity to use our skills in technology. Indeed, in the hands of passionate people and using technology in the service of humanity, we had the opportunity to touch more lives through non-profit organizations.

Together with SQ, Kelvin, Eric and Lynnette, I represented UCL for the competition! Initially, we were not very enthusiastic about joining the competition, given that we have to submit our CVs and write essays for the selection process. We also had some problems with our registration initially, where SQ and Kelvin didn’t get the invitation for the competition. I’m glad the email I wrote convinced them and got the whole team intact. It would have been so different without them!

Saturday morning didn’t turn out well, from all the buildup of tension from the slow administration with the hotel rooms and signing-in into JP Morgan’s building. Then, there were also technical faults, such as SQ’s laptop not being able to get onto their network, where he spent so much time with the technical support, and we were unable to get our laptops projected onto the screen. As we spent the whole morning brainstorming even up till lunch time for ideas on what to build, I was actually quite worried that we might end up having nothing to present during show and tell the following day.

Our initial ideas since the night before ranged from making an application which shows people how to get to nature trails & what to do there, to making a timeline/video to show how our environment has/will change to invoke and raise awareness about the need to conserve nature. We only managed to finalise our ideas just over lunch, and after that, somehow everything just started falling into place bit by bit. The web part was really no big deal for Eric and myself, while the rest of the team concentrated on Java & Android research and content development.

I’m really glad our team was not only strong, but also extremely versatile. Seems like everyone has certain strengths that were substantial building blocks which attributed to making the project into such a success. While our two Android programmers initially were having lots of problems trying to make the sample Augmented Reality code to work, we finally had a breakthrough from dinner, when we finally found the first SDK that could compile and run the way we needed it to. Of course, lots more work was required to customise things, which eventually only happened at midnight at the hotel. We stayed up till 3am before the AR worked the way we needed, and that warranted us a few hours of sleep!

Sunday morning was really intense. Somehow, everyone in the team was extremely motivated to get everything to work. We literally forgot about lunch and each of us working hard towards the last stretch. Just 1 hour before the presentation as scheduled at 2pm, Lynnette and I were still rushing out the content that we were going to say, while the rest were tidying up the code.

The presentation went very well (except for the technical glitch where we were unable to project the Android tablet onto the screen) and I believe we also answered the questions pretty well after having thought through them before. I believe we were also very lucky to always be the last few to present, so that gave us a fairly good amount of time to think of the possible questions that the judges might ask while the other groups were presenting.

I really enjoyed the presentation. It felt like my time in Microsoft when I conducted the workshops and Hackathons. 

Eventually, we won the competition! Both the Nature Conservancy category (50 quid Amazon voucher) and overall (iPad 4)!!! Woohoo!!

And the funny thing was we didn’t even hear our team being called because we were seated right at the back! :p

What an awesome weekend with a group of like-minded people, working towards a common goal and sharing the same interest! I believe we have learnt a lot from this event, about dealing with stress, presentation and also learning about technology skills from one another. And not to forget all the almost unlimited supply of Starbucks! 

Protected: bad bad tiring day :(

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password: