Much Ado over Summers
Have a nice summer holiday, no matter how you choose to spend it!The long lazy summer holidays descend upon us. Freedom for the next 4 months! At least, that was what we thought when we were busy mugging for the exams and needed a morale boost. That was what we wanted amidst all the frentic studying, group discussions, practicing on the past year papers. But seriously, what are we going to do with the 4 months of freedom? With the third week of the hols already under way, I have yet to find a proper long-term plan that will keep me adaquetely occupied for the coming months.
It's not as if I intend to bum around the whole of the holidays. I would seriously long to go out of the house on the third day of lazing around at home. I need a proper routine to keep me occupied. I have an expedition to Mount Kilimanjaro planned, which is not only going to be a blast if it pulls through, but a great community service opportunity. (Shameless advertising pitch: Please help with the fund-raising! Buy our cute T-shirts for 12 dollars only! Follow this link: Dare to Dream Blog) After the climb, I had expected to be heavily involved in planning the night biking and helping out as facilitators in the ASOC and SMUX camps.
But looking at how I spend my days, I find lots of free time between my present commitments. And all this time, I'd be thinking of how I could better spend the time.
Look at friend D. Even while we were looking like zombies and reading page 138 of the textbook for the nth time, D had already secured a job for the summers. Isn't that the kind of foresight that we should be inculcating in students, as opposed to plain hard studying? The job sounds like it's good money, and I'm sure it'll only further beautify D's already impressive resume. Just listening to a day in D's working life, and I feel happy/jealous.
Friend E was seeking out internship opportunities before the hols started. Even though the recommended time for internships would be later in year 2 or year 3, E believes that it is not how much one has learnt from the textbooks, but how much one can contribute to the company that matters. Friend E is also of the mind that being able to secure an internship at a prestigious company, no matter which year of studies one is at, is a definite strong point on one's resume.
Friend F managed to successfully bid for a spot in the summer term. This means that while I'm slacking away at home, F will have a one module lead over me. (Not exactly, but at least F will cover this module before I do.) I figure summer terms are a pretty good deal, considering that you get to finish more modules within the academic year, and at the very least, you could keep the momentum from the normal terms going. It sure beats grinding to a halt and resting for 4 months and then finding that the machines are in dire need of oiling when the new academic year starts.
Just looking at friends and how they are somehow doing something productive for the holidays makes me feel pretty bad. Not to the point of feeling pathetic, but bad enough. Why didn't I think of clearing my community service hours earlier? Why did I think that a trip and some camps would definitely pack my holidays? Is there any way to salvage the situation?
I was talking to friend Z about how sucky it feels to know that so many of your friends are doing things to beautify their resumes and maintaining their study streak. Friend Z replied simply, "It's times like this that you'll be glad to have friends like me. Someone who would laze the day away with you, someone you can call up to Ubin for some cycling, someone who would gladly go night cycling with you on a bat." I thought about it. Yeah. Sure some of us might end up with nicer looking resumes. Sure some of us are keeping our minds sharp with summer terms. But isn't being a balanced individual also about having interesting hobbies and just having time to enjoy? At the very least, that's what I think my summer is shaping out to be. But next year, that may very well be a different story. -Jimmy
It's not as if I intend to bum around the whole of the holidays. I would seriously long to go out of the house on the third day of lazing around at home. I need a proper routine to keep me occupied. I have an expedition to Mount Kilimanjaro planned, which is not only going to be a blast if it pulls through, but a great community service opportunity. (Shameless advertising pitch: Please help with the fund-raising! Buy our cute T-shirts for 12 dollars only! Follow this link: Dare to Dream Blog) After the climb, I had expected to be heavily involved in planning the night biking and helping out as facilitators in the ASOC and SMUX camps.
But looking at how I spend my days, I find lots of free time between my present commitments. And all this time, I'd be thinking of how I could better spend the time.
Look at friend D. Even while we were looking like zombies and reading page 138 of the textbook for the nth time, D had already secured a job for the summers. Isn't that the kind of foresight that we should be inculcating in students, as opposed to plain hard studying? The job sounds like it's good money, and I'm sure it'll only further beautify D's already impressive resume. Just listening to a day in D's working life, and I feel happy/jealous.
Friend E was seeking out internship opportunities before the hols started. Even though the recommended time for internships would be later in year 2 or year 3, E believes that it is not how much one has learnt from the textbooks, but how much one can contribute to the company that matters. Friend E is also of the mind that being able to secure an internship at a prestigious company, no matter which year of studies one is at, is a definite strong point on one's resume.
Friend F managed to successfully bid for a spot in the summer term. This means that while I'm slacking away at home, F will have a one module lead over me. (Not exactly, but at least F will cover this module before I do.) I figure summer terms are a pretty good deal, considering that you get to finish more modules within the academic year, and at the very least, you could keep the momentum from the normal terms going. It sure beats grinding to a halt and resting for 4 months and then finding that the machines are in dire need of oiling when the new academic year starts.
Just looking at friends and how they are somehow doing something productive for the holidays makes me feel pretty bad. Not to the point of feeling pathetic, but bad enough. Why didn't I think of clearing my community service hours earlier? Why did I think that a trip and some camps would definitely pack my holidays? Is there any way to salvage the situation?
I was talking to friend Z about how sucky it feels to know that so many of your friends are doing things to beautify their resumes and maintaining their study streak. Friend Z replied simply, "It's times like this that you'll be glad to have friends like me. Someone who would laze the day away with you, someone you can call up to Ubin for some cycling, someone who would gladly go night cycling with you on a bat." I thought about it. Yeah. Sure some of us might end up with nicer looking resumes. Sure some of us are keeping our minds sharp with summer terms. But isn't being a balanced individual also about having interesting hobbies and just having time to enjoy? At the very least, that's what I think my summer is shaping out to be. But next year, that may very well be a different story. -Jimmy
posted by Jimmy at 1:47 PM
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