FML 42 - Are you one of the many students in majors you are not happy about

*Dislike* nursing major
I started out as a nursing major in 2008, but the thought of switching out of the program has never left my mind. Every day, every semester, every year, I am in deep thought whether I should continue to do this-wake up every morning realizing this is not what I want and definitely not spending the rest of my life doing what I don't like to do.

Having an Asian Family
In Asian culture, you follow blindly to what your parents or your family ask you to do. You obey, you don't override their kind "suggestions". So this is how I got into nursing. I know what my passion is, so do they, but again, you gotta do what you have been told. Like they say, nursing is a promising job with secure income and job stability. Yes, I agree with that, but what about my passion?

My art, my life
I want to go into artistic route. That is what I want. I can stay up all night long, creating new fresh crazy ideas. I am always intrigued by all the creative works by others. I have a love for CREATIVITY/ART. Wong Fu Productions is a great inspiration to me. It is shouting out to all the Asian American to bring out the young talent you have! Just like what Wes has said, "it’s crucial to nurture the creative side no matter what, despite other influences you have from parents or friends".

Mission accomplishment countdown
Now that I am almost graduating in 5 and a half month. I will be completing the so called family's mission. I will be entering into the so called "solid" career field. Finally, I can pursue a different major. I need to grow personally and creatively. There is nothing wrong to pursue "non-traditional" careers or even the arts as a hobby, right?

Lesson 42 = Don't limit yourself to what you're "told" to do. Rebel your strict upbringing if you dare!

FML 41 - When you lose a friend

How do you feel when you lose a friend? Sad? Unhappy? A little depressed?


Here is my story:
We have known each other since the second year of school. But we don't know each other very well as we all have our own friends. Coincidentally, he was my classmate and we were in the same clinical group for the semester, so we have spent more time together. He is a very good friend and I really appreciate his kindness in teaching me some of the patho-physiology and giving me a ride when possible. He was like my mentor.

Not till yesterday:
He: I didn't do anything wrong. I treated you good.
Me: (confused) Huh? What?
He: You know what you have done.
Me: What did I do? (still confused)
He: I treated you good. How can you treat me like that?
Me: ...
He: I gave everyone five for peer evaluation
Me: (Oops, I gave him 2/5) ...(don't know what to say)
He: I know how many marks you have given me. I can count.
Me: (speechless, i can't really say anything, can I?)
He: But it is okay. It is okay...
Me: O---kaay....
He left.....me in shock.

Sigh...there you go my friend. I lost a friend just because I gave him a 2/5 for peer evaluation.

But I gave you 2 because of your lack of participation and collaboration. And your paper really sucks. And yet you blame me for giving you a 4? What the heck? Why am I feeling so guilty? Because you are my friend, and I don't want to hurt your feelings.

Anyway, maybe I should have given you 10/10. Happy endings. Then I won't have to try to avoid seeing you, even your friends. Now I am even hoping that we will not be in the same class for future semester or even work together because it is just awkward and embarrassing to smile to you and pretend that nothing has happened.

But it is too late now. Friendships that is broken can't be mend. Or can it?

Lesson 41 = But I am still thankful to have you as a friend. The pain of losing a friend will never go away.

FML 40 -She foretells my future

This happens to me not very often, but quite a few times I remembered. When I was young, I wasn't doing very well academically.

Kindergarten
I have bare memory of my kindergarten. All I remember is toys and snacks that I begged my dad to buy for me, swings, and of course friends! I don't remember what I have learned in my kindergarten year at all to be honest. I remember how my teacher won't let me go home unless I finished that one test. That one test I will remember forever and ever. My mom had to sit beside me and literally tell me the answers: "This is duck", so I drew a line connecting the word "duck" and a picture of "duck" and so on! How embarrassing hey! But at least from then onwards, I know what a duck is! HAHA!

Junior High
Then it comes to Junior High. Of course I know how to sing ABC and count 123. Other than that, the purpose of going to school was just play and to meet friends? Not that lucky of course. I remember how my grade 1 teacher used to hate me to the max! She would always call my name up front, beat me with her lovely stick, and ask me to half squat throughout the lessons. Again embarrassing! She thinks I AM STUPID! Then Grade 2 was better, a lovely younger teacher who do love me and so I love her back by doing a bit better in class. I improved slowly in my learning just for her favor. Then Grade 3 was the best. I was arranged to the "green" class aka class with helpless student. Why? Because we had a substitute teacher and her last name is the same as mine. I also had the best tuition teacher ever. The encouragement and support from both of them made those negative predictions made by my Grade 1 teacher less likely to be true. And soon enough I became very popular in the class. And I guess I was stupid, but not that stupid in the "worst" class. I managed to get into the top 3! And my mom was so proud that she made sure everyone knew that I was a Top 3 student. I remembered passing by my old grade 1 classroom, seeing my grade 1 teacher looking back and me. Then she told her grade 1 class how stupid I am. Great...

Well, I guess you are wrong, my grade 1 teacher!

Because of my excellent performance in grade 3, I was being arranged into the best class in grade 4. Studying with a whole class of nerds was pretty stressful and yet benefiting at the same time. I was smart in the "worst" class, but not smart enough in the "best" class. So I made it to the last 5 in my grade 4. But one thing I am proud of? I am never the last, never ever! Someone is even stupid that me hahaha. Sorry! In the next three years, I was able to make it into the top 10! Congrats me now! Is it great? See the improvement and the growing in three years. During UPSR aka the biggest test ever in primary school, I got 5As out of 7. Impressive huh grade 1 teacher.

Again, I guess you are wrong, my grade 1 teacher! 

You couldn't believe I can get 5As/7 in UPSR (grade 6)
You couldn't believe I can get 7A's/8 in PMR (grade 9)
You couldn't believe I can get 11As/12 in SPM (grade 11)
You couldn't believe I am now pursuing my study in a university overseas!


Lesson 40= Parents or educators should be cautious in assuming that the future of your child or your student may be predicted directly based on their current performance. Whether we are excelling or not has little bearing on how we will do as an older student. We change. So be optimistic!

FML 39 - Group work

Group work sucks to the MAX I tell ya. It was, it has been and it really is! There has been tons of group work to do for school and universities. In my case, there has been group activities every single semester. I don't even understand why all the course coordinator or instructor always include group activities. Is it because they want a day off by sitting there and evaluating us instead of teaching to the class? I believe so.

But seriously group work is not collaborative at all sometimes. Everyone has their own life, own schedule, own working style, and so it is hard to collaborate with each other. What usually happens is that each of us will be assigned with different part of the assignment and at the end we will just combine everything. That is like mixing all different kinds of leftover foods together in order to come up with a dishes. And of course, sometimes it comes out great, and most of the time, it is NASTY!

In a nutshell, group work sucks. What makes it even worse is when you have unproductive, late, last-minute group members. They tend to ruin everything! So the paper is due at 9am, and you just emailed us your part at 8:53am? I can forgive you if it is really a great piece of work. But the problem is it is not! I was merely a page of simple paragraph and still missing the important points! You suck! We have to fix your problem for you at the very very last minutes! I blame you for the freaking stupid, low marks. All because of you! Sick of you! So unlucky to have you in my group.

Lesson 38 = Pray that you do have good and reliable group members whenever you are doing group activities.

FML 38 - Prince William and Kate divorce...

MAARS News reports:

" Barely a month after marrying 29-year-old Kate Middleton in a royal wedding ceremony watched by an estimated 2 billion people worldwide, Prince William announced Tuesday that he and Middleton have divorced and that the entire marriage was “a tremendous mistake in every possible regard.” “I really don’t know what I was thinking—we’re a terrible match, I don’t love her and never have, and, to be honest, I never really had any interest in being married in the first place,” announced the now unattached Prince William to a dead-silent British press corps. “People thought our wedding was some sort of fairy tale, but I assure you it was all just some ghastly ceremonial farce that got out of hand. I’m just relieved it’s over, frankly. And I’m glad I’ll never have to see that awful woman again.” Prince William then told the assembled reporters, “Well, see you all later,” smiled, and walked back into Buckingham Palace."

So unluckily Kate and William are getting divorce. I am heartbroken. And I don't understand why he thinks Kate is a "awful woman". This only proves that there is no fairy tale in this century.

Lesson 38 = Do know how to differentiate between the truth and the rumor. Rumor is just a rumor after all. It will fade eventually.