NUS vs NTU vs SMU

After days of research, interviews with poly lecturers and uni-friends, and self-reflection; I've decided to choose SMU over NTU and NUS. NTU Nanyang Business School has offered me my first choice which is Business. While NUS offered me my second choice; Arts and Social Science FASS. The latter's offer is paler in comparison to the former's and that made it easy for me to cross-out NUS.

However I was confused over NBS and SMU. So I decided to lay down all the factors for an apples-to-apples comparison but I later included NUS for a holistic decision making.

Let's start with NUS. It is a comprehensive university and it ranks higher then NTU. Furthermore, a degree from NUS has this aura of prestige. However my passion for FASS is second to Business and therefore I decided to strike out NUS.

NTU's NBS is extremely prestigious. It has an awesome global ranking of 24 and it is top in ASEAN. Furthermore, its Business programme is a 3yrs programme with direct honours. Plus, it has well furbished halls and a vibrant campus life. But, NTU is very far away, better known for its engineering programmes, and not known to produce good presenters. Three stars to NTU NBS!

SMU is a new university yet to be accredited and it cannot be ranked together with NUS and NTU as it is not a holistic university like them. However, a little research will tell you that it will be accredited within the next 2years. It has a different teaching pedagogy which is more interactive - in small seminar settings, plenty of industry partnerships and it is known to develop graduates into smooth presenters. Plus, they are offering me a scholarship. :P

Although NTU is a really good university and it has been my goal for nearly 2 years. I rather take my chances with SMU which was modelled after Wharton and has been created to be different from the other 2 older universities. So I would think that SMU is more attuned to the needs of this new era. An era that is driven by innovation and IT.

So here I come, SMU!

108 Coconuts Later

I visited the Sri Senpaga Vinayagar temple today and I would definitely visit this temple again. It is one of the temples that evokes nostalgia for me. When I was younger, I had Sunday religious lessons in that very same temple. I even had the opportunity to play Lord Ganesh once; I was the skinniest Ganesh ever. It was also a temple where we had many family functions.

However, I had no family function today nor do I still attend religious lessons. Instead I was there to give thanks and to seek further blessing from the god of prosperity. I broke 108 coconuts in the name of Lord Ganesha. Some sounded like a pop from a champagne bottle, an apt sound to celebrate my recent successes. While others sounded like a crash - and to my imaginative mind it sounded like the crushing of future obstacles. I really need him to clear any possible obstacles lying before my path to a successful future.

Tomorrow will be the start of a new chapter at SMU.

Sri Mariamman Temple, Shrine of Sharifah Rogayah, starfruit tree and Analakshmi restaurant

Wow that's a mouthful for post title.

Aruna and I had an awesome adventure yesterday. Our first stop was Sri Mariamman Temple where we bumped into Rishi, Meg, Kishaan and the rest. We were there for the oil ritual, a pre-Kobaveshakam practice and we had the liberty to take some pictures.

I was clueless to why we were applying oil onto the sacred idols nevertheless I did not want to let this rare opportunity slip away. A temple will only allow devotees to physically touch the sacred idols when they do a Kumbaveshakam, and this happens roughly once every 12years or more.

After an oily divine affair, Aruna and I were in search for the illusive Annalakshmi restaurant. This restaurant is one of its kind. It observes a 'Eat all you like and Pay what you want' policy. It get better, it is managed by volunteers from the TempleOfFineArts.

After a hearty, gastronomically and "spiritually" uplifting meal, we decided to visit the grave of a princess called Sharifah Rogaya. It was not an easy journey. We got attacked by mosquitoes and burnt by the scorching heat from the afternoon sun, but it was worth every mosquito bite and burnt when we finally found the tomb. It was uniquely situated beside a Star fruit tree, somewhere in an area behind the Hindu Ganesha Temple. We took some pictures of the tomb and the neighbouring star fruit tree.

All good things have to end. We decided to call it a day and headed home. I have uploaded the pictures of the entire episode onto photobucket. Enjoy!

Death

All that begins with birth ends with death.
Like a candle we stay lit until the wax of life melts away.

Each breath of oxygen ages us,
each passing day warns of our impending departure.
Yet we dream and create wonders.
Engineering marvels, scientific discoveries, music and artistic displays.

Are we born to die? Definitely but more....

Fish out of water

Like a fish out of water,
my heart is now heavier.
Remnants of the past,
proof that good moments never last.
The invited, smiles and celebrates,
while the uninvited simply gets pushed aside.

Prioritise or Die

3 more weeks of school followed by 1 week study break and finally the last 2 Temasek Polytechnic Exams on the 22nd and 23rd of February.

Yet in the weeks to come, I have CET Quiz 2, MS Quiz 2, CET Project, MS Project, MTM Project and CCOM Interview.

Need to utilise my little time well.

A WINNER WORKS HARDER THAN A LOSER AND HAS MORE TIME;
A LOSER IS ALWAYS "TOO BUSY" TO DO WHAT IS NECESSARY.

Roger that!