24th Feb 2010 Woke up earlier than usual today as I had course orientation and subject briefings to attend. Luckily for me, my lectures hall are all just two streets down from my accommodation, so basically, I need just ten minutes to walk there. Listened through the entire briefing and realized that I have a lot of online things to do before the lectures, tutorials and practicals go off at full steam. Worse, my internet is not set-up yet. I guess tomorrow, I will have to bring my laptop to use in the school compound after I attend the Japanese proficiency exams. I have got to bring some food along too. Also, I have got to get lab manuals and microscope kits for the practicals. Just a question, why is the calculator not used in Calculus? Unless, all the questions they have for the exams are not to be solved with an absolute answer. Asked a girl who sat beside me during the briefings. She came from Hong Kong and that she studied in a high school here before attending the university. That’s a common answer. Even the girl that I know from China, studied in the Australia high school before attending the university. I am so unique. So, I can’t relate to them well. Why is there no one like me who just flew into Melbourne last week to study? The number of Singaporeans is so few too. I can’t seem to find or know any of them. After the briefings, I went with the China girl—Nancy (let’s drop the offending term), to the computer labs and took down my time-table. Apparently, most of my lectures are overfull and I can’t change them. Took the chance to checked and clear my yahoo mail. Browse through the unwired broadband option. Later, I had to drop by Wilson Hall to get my student diary and my student card. My face is horrible; and why can’t the photographer let me know that my glasses are tinted and have them taken off? So, you can basically imagine how my card looks like. The student diary? It’s like my primary or secondary school diary. The difference is that, instead of having printed quotes or proverbs on every page, there are all sorts of advertisements in place of it and I really do mean all sorts of advertisements. Then, I was given a slip of outstanding school fees for the semester. Damn. Isn’t 10k enough? Now, I have to feed them with another 1.5k to top up by the first of March. Now, my funds in Aust. Dollars will not be able to last me for five months. It would be shorten to three months, I estimate. I had to attend a course briefing at 1.30PM for the Calculus 1 module that I enroll for. Reached the theatre ahead of time and had to wait outside the theatre. Then, I heard Aussies discussing and the sudden mention of biomedicine bachelors being not useful. I was pretty shocked and actually I was swayed by it. Truthfully, though I have a keen interest in the medical sciences, I didn’t really like the idea of coming here to study. First, it’s expensive. Next, it is a complete different place, culture and lifestyle. Finally, I have to look over everything by myself. But, there was no other place to get a Bachelor as I was not able to enter any of SG’s Universities and the Bachelors are like the benchmark in occupations nowadays. I like travelling to places and countries to learn their culture and lifestyle from time to time though. But, one will get first-hand experience if they lived here for a period of time and I have ruled out Melbourne. So, I will have to grit my teeth and face through it. The days here are pretty boring. I don’t understand how the people live here and what they do. I don’t mean to offend but if you are in SG, you will understand. Though they have the mixed cultures and vibrancy, the vibe and feel of it is different in SG. There is a missing element which I can’t seem to pinpoint out. The Calculus module in which I have enrolled is still in doubt and the student advisor has not gotten back to me yet about my credit standings. What am I going to do? Lectures are starting soon and I’ve got to get lecture notes and etc. and the modules I am to take are not confirmed. Now, I am back in my room and I am having a headache caused by the outstanding school fees. I can’t pay them yet either as my debit card is not ready. Argh, I hate money issues. Money really messes up everything. Worse, the inflow is cut and the outflow has got leaks. I hope my three year can be shortened and I can go back soon with a Certification. ~8pm entry.
