Went on the first flight yesterday. Really love being in the skies. Actually quite surprised that I wasn’t airsick at all. No signs of nausea when instructor pulled loops. It felt really good, facing the skies and seeing the land over you in an inverted row like in this picture. Finally understood what’s the feeling of G force. There was a lot of negative G too, the feeling of having your heart left behind, like when you zoom down a roller coaster, that’s negative G. Awesome. Fly like a bird.
Having an awesome time in Tamworth. First flight scheduled next week. Weather here ranges from 8 degrees in the morning to a cool 17 degrees in the afternoon. When the mornings come, I really miss Singapore’s weather (Never thought I will say this) because it’s so cold. Meals are buffet style with bacon, beef, steak, cheese, pancakes, ice cream, full cream milk and many other good food that lets the aussies grow to their size. Hopefully I get to bulk a little!
Anyway I’m having a dilemma now. If I fail AGC, it’s time for university. Oh ya, alot of people ask me when am I so pessimistic. I always say if I fail. It’s not that I lack confidence in myself but I like to lower my expectations and it definitely wont affect my performance. I don’t believe believing in failure will limit my performance.
Back to the university topic. I have three offers now. Two actually, but I think SIM UOL will accept me too. So SMU Information Systems Management, SIT Hotel Admin and SIM UOL Business. If I were to rate it on my interest, it will be SIM, SIT, SMU because I really prefer Business to any other stuffs. But of course if it is placed in recognition it will be SMU, SIT, SIM (I am assuming, no offence).
SMU ISM is a IT integrated Business degree. Learn about Java and stuffs to create Business solutions. It’s still within my area of interest as there’s business involved and there is chance to enter the Business industry with that degree. But I really have no idea if I will like IT and taking up this course is a big leap. On the other hand, SIT will definitely be fun but having been in the Tourism diploma, Tourism is quite a nono for me. Lastly SIM Business, really want a Business degree but the ultimate goal for having a degree is to secure a good job and of course out of the 3, SMU has the highest probability of achieving that. No offense again but I guess it’s always been that local universities (SMU NUS NTU) always had the edge when it comes to fresh graduates looking for a job.
Well sometimes we really have to think about what’s ahead then live in the moment. I presume I will be happier if I am in SIM or SIT because SMU workload is a lot. Not saying that SIM/SIT has lower workloads but I’m more familiar with their modules thus will have a gentler learning curve as compared to re-learning IT.
For now, I’ve chosen SMU because if I can graduate from it, I will be equipped with presentational skills, personal skills, confidence, IT skills as well as Business skills and finally have a local uni paper cert that I’ve aimed for when I decided to go for Poly instead of JC. SMU ISM is a big leap but I guess sometimes you have to take the leap to experience how it will be for you?
But there’s this second thought running through my head telling me to backpack around the world and relax before entering into SIT/SIM next year, this plan will amount to 4 years (same as SMU’s period of study). Or maybe backpack then still go for SMU.
I guess this is one of the big decisions that will change my course of life.
Blogged but I edited the post cos I have some things to add.
Flying off to Tamworth for Air Grading Course next Thursday. Excited but at the same time afraid. Afraid that I lack the ability to fly. The AGC only has 15 flights, it is obviously designed in a way that they are looking out for that flying ability in you. Hardwork alone isn’t enough. I’ve friends that burned and swallowed the whole study guide book but still didn’t make it. You need that ability. By the second to seventh flight you must know how to fly and land. Eighth to fifteen flight are aerobatics (turning in loops and all). It’s really hard. Even for a simple thing as driving, I need ten or more lessons. Now I’m expected to fly by the second lesson. The learning curve is steep, especially for someone like me who has 0 aviation and flying knowledge before. I just hope for the best! Hope I’m medically fit for flying too, means not affected by air sickness.
Get through AGC and I’ll have a clear path ahead of me. I want to pass it more than anything else now.
Anyway I went for SMU Information Systems interview and they asked me an estimation question which I only had four minutes to answer. You can try it out. It isn’t easy.
The question was: How many hospital beds were occupied last wed night?
I already expected a estimation question from them so I went to research on the demographics of Singapore before the interview (and hoped the question will involve Singapore) and this is what I know: 5.3m population consisting of 14% 0-14 Y.O, 77% 14 to 64 Y.O and 9% of 64 Y.O and above. I also know Singapore has 32 housing districts.
So this is my answer and my logic:
Hospital beds can be occupied by firstly emergency cases, secondly long term illness and lastly short term illness. I estimate the number of hospitals in Singapore to be 50 (32 districts, some have 1 hosp, some have 2 private nursing homes..)
1. Emergency cases
I estimated that 20 A&E emergency cases occurred per hosp. So 20*50 hosp = 1000
2. Long term illness
Knowing the 9% of SG’s population is above 64 years old, i estimate that 1% of this elderly has long term illness and needed a hosp bed on Wed night. So 1%*9%*5.3m = 5300 (estimate)
3. Short term illness
I estimate 400 people had short term illness like dengue…injury.. fractures.
So 1000 + 5300 + 400 = 6700.
That was supposedly my answer lah, but when I did the long term illness portion he said “1 minute left” so I scribbled and eventually calculated wrong answer to be 26,000. Wasted. But okay, out of all interviewers only I had an answer.
I felt this was rather interesting and the other guys had their own thinking process. For example wed night = coming home from working day = 5% more accident rate. There are many ways to do estimation questions and there’s no right answer, they just want to see how logical is your answer. Cool huh.
“Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.”
I love the skies, they cheer me up when I’m down. I’m sure the view from above is magnificent.
Embarking on another journey, now as a Pilot. I hope it offers me a new direction in life, one that I love and is good at. 28 months to train to be a pilot, it will be tough but I will give my best shot.
Dare to dream. Above all.
“You can’t design your life like a building, it doesn’t work that way. You just have to live it and it will design itself. Listen to what the world is telling you to do and… take the leap.”
(via younglaady)
Awesome cover of Somebody that I used to know. Better than the original.
(Source: youtube.com)
I know I don’t look like I listen to chinese songs. But I do, and I think they carry more feelings than english songs.
Here’s an awesome cover of 被風吹过的夏天, one of my favourite songs. and the girl is cute!
(Source: youtube.com)
Two long posts in a day.
I’ve passed my spinal test. What’s up next is that I will be posted to Airforce on 26 April and fly off to Tamworth Australia on 17 May for Air Grading Course. A lot of people are asking me this,
Why do you want to sign on as a pilot?
It is not because I have a burning passion for flying but honestly, it is for the professional career. To me, it is a good career that is able to support my family and me more than sufficient.
How would I define a good career? In my context, it contains two most important elements. Money and happiness. So in short, I’m saying that signing on as a pilot will give me good money, that’s element number one being fulfilled. Second element which I will address later is happiness, it means that I must like my job. Of course there are other small elements to a good job but to me, these two make the bulk of it.
Money. Admit it, the world revolves around it. We study hard to attain a good job, for? Money. It’s never wrong to work for money, as long as it isn’t the only motivating factor and you put it to good use.
Happiness. Usually money and happiness rarely comes as a pair. So how do I know that I will like being a pilot? Well I don’t. That’s why I am signing on to try. To see if I like it, to see if it is my kind of thing. You never know until you tried.
So then, many people also ask me. “Why do you not want to sign as an army officer? But instead as a pilot?” Because I don’t want to do what I’m not best at. As an army officer, I know very well that I cannot perform. I cannot absorb army operations and planning as fast as I absorb Maths. I cannot use my abilities to it’s fullest as an army officer, I’m not made to be one and I know it well. Why I sign on as a pilot is to see if I am made for it. If my abilities lies in flying. Again the word is TRY, you never know.
If the contract bounds me to 10 years once I signed it, I won’t try. Since the contract allows me to test my capabilities at no loss, why not?
I didn’t sign so that I can purposely fail and collect some cash. I will only genuinely fail. I will go as far as I can. Even if I get kicked out after a year, I will be satisfied. The cash I earned in that year can aid me in my university expenses a lot.
If I fail at Air Grading, I am good. That means that I will ORD and enter university. SIT Hotel Administration accepted me but I guess I’m choosing UOL Business. Still pinning hopes on NTU Sociology.
I’m not at any loss, it’s worth a try. AGC here I come!
Been quite a while since I’ve jotted down my thoughts on this space. Well on the way back, many thoughts came racing through my mind. Mostly about what I’m doing now and what I plan to do in the future.
Serving in the army, is what many of my buddies and myself are into currently. Less than 6 months to reunite with my pink friend. What went through my brain cells was this question:
Is army a waste of time?
Some will not hesitate to answer with a big YES, maybe “a’ is an understatement. Many many big yeses. I’ve many friends who hate these 2 years of their life. It’s like they were dropped into a black hole. After 2 years, they will resurface back to the earth. Well here’s my perspective. I’ve to emphasize that I’m just sharing my point of view.
It’s how you look at the picture. Yes, you cannot deny that army is a waste of time if you are to look at what you can achieve within these 2 years if you aren’t wearing green. You can find a job that has a pay twice as much and learn much more stuffs that will be beneficial to your future. Yes then, it is a waste of time in terms of individual achievement, benefits, monetary gains and several other aspects. I agree.
But if you look at it as a whole picture, it isn’t. Why does a small country like us need an army. Ohh this may make me sound like a recruiter, but why? Simply, is to deter. Singapore needs to advance and grow, thus we need to build a force strong enough to provide security and deterrence to protect our assets. Think about it. Singapore without an army is like a skinny and small guy (probably my size) with high end necklaces and accessories all around his body. He is small and vulnerable to the big guys out there. A simple blow from them brings him down and out. On the other hand, Singapore with an army is like a well built muscular guy with the same amount of jewelries but he fights well. He deters the other guys from attacking him. Even if the big guys go for him, he is able to put up some resistance.
So if we do not do our individual duty to serve, who will? With the number of males we have in our little red dot, if army was made to be a non-compulsory job, do you think we can still safely grow our assets without worries?
Thus if you look as a whole picture, army is a liability but it is needed. It is necessary. So my take away is to make use of this liability to learn and benefit you as much as you can.
Just my chain of thoughts on serving. What’s yours?
Well said.
On my way to Thailand in a few hours time. For travelling or for army, I’m always excited when it comes to taking planes. Overseas yea!
Back on 1st March. SEEYOU PEOPLE!
