Leaves have fallen to the ground, and now there's no one else around to hear the cry.

SMU Local Exchange

I am super blessed this semester. I finally fulfilled my dream by getting the opportunity to embark on a local exchange. :D

(Mandatory shot)

Thanks Michael for the photo.

I still remember my first day at SMU clearly. I walked into the wrong class and sat there for quite long, until the Professor started his lesson and I sensed that something was wrong. LOL, it doesn't sound like the course that I registered for?! After checking with my table mates, I hurried out to find the correct classroom. Super embarrassing!

In a blink of an eye, I have graduated from SMU. Received my results last month and geez, I must say that the school is very competitive. Hmm, but no regrets because beyond grades (thankgawd my grades are on a pass/fail basis), I really enjoyed myself there. The teachers, the friends, and the environment are all very different from NUS. And I understand now why my NUS professor decided to go back SMU to teach!

SMU only have seminars, unlike the lecture-tutorial style over at NUS. The seminars lasted as long as 3h 15mins, and sometimes the professors even overshot. However, I haven't dozed off once during lessons. LOL, unfortunately yes, I slept a lot during classes at NUS. It was more participative in SMU (which also explains the competitiveness and my grades), but I'm glad that it trained me to speak up more.

(Matchy matchy with Fatiha)

The first friend that I made in SMU! Also the friend who crazily loves pink like me. LOL! Coincidentally, we took 2 modules together (out of my 3 modules in SMU). So I see her practically on all the days I head to SMU. Thanks for being so friendly and being my aunt agony, and for bringing me around to explore SMU - we headed to the IT center, the SMU Labs, the Li Ka Shing library and the law library. (:

(Pizza Party Part 1)

On the last day of lessons, Professor Roh from my COMM302 Psychology of Strategic Communications class, decided to host a pizza party! I like Pizzahut, but I only grabbed a slice of pizza and a drumlet because I paiseh to take more LOL! I like Professor Roh, he is like some fatherly figure who always take care of students' needs. I had a consultation with him once for my individual assignment, and he chatted with me for quite a bit. A simple consultation ended up to be 30 minutes long hahaha. The best part? He actually remembers my name and my identity as a NUS student! He was telling me that it was 'fate' that we met, because he was meant to teach at NUS, but eventually chose SMU instead. Just nice my consultation slot was an hour before the last lesson, so he was saying how he really enjoy teaching our classes, and he also asked me about my career aspirations and all. He ended with wishing me the best of luck. I was teary-eyed by the time I left his office omg.

(Fatiha, Professor Roh and me)

Nobody tell me that my hair is super messy LOL. But I wanted to say that this module was super hard to score? I aced all the other components, but class participation was worth 20% and I flunked that and ended up with a super bad grade T.T

(Pizza Party Part 2)

On the same day, during my night class, Professor Clarence from my COMM360 Investor Relations class, also decided to treat us to pizza, and it is from Pizzahut too. LOL omg, I had an overdose of pizza within a day luh T.T But no complains because free food hehe, and this time round I grabbed two slices of pizza instead. It tasted so delicious! Why SMU professors so nice!! I don't recall any of my NUS professors treating us to food, so I got culture shock once again hmmm....

(Moroccan groupmate, Zaineb)

My groupmate from Morocco! How cool is that hahaha, she is actually a Masters student and I found her a little initimidating initially. But nope, she doesn't bite and is quite friendly!

(Presenting in style with my Investor Relations groupmates)

Spot my professor in the photo! We are so cute! This is the first time that I was ever asked to theme for a presentation, and it feels superb because the dress code makes me feel a sense of identity to my group! (: Things we learn in psychology hehes. Our theme is black and white, but hahaha omg in the photo there seemed to be a visible line separating the white and black forces LOL.

Initially regretted this module 'Investor Relations' after the first lesson, but it ended up to be fine. LOL, I'm just thankful that I didn't fail anything because I went into the class with zero finance/investment knowledge, so I was legit just a blur sotong. Most of my classmates already have basics, so it really doubles my stress x.x

But I'm thankful to have these nice groupmates with me. Thanks for adopting me even though I'm a local exchange student, you guys are really the best! I miss all our late nights together sighs. Oh yeahs guys, in case you think 6-9pm classes at NUS are super late, try SMU's 7pm to 10pm classes. I was brain dead by the end of the lesson. LOL. But given the chance, I will retake this module again.

(This is how we roll)

(Before I burst out into laughter)

(And everyone was being stupidly funny and the photo was ruined)

Cheers to my Investor Relations teammates Max, Jaspreet, Jingwen, Adam and Zaineb for the wonferful times. Special mentions to the first three for tanking most of the project, and for talking nonsense with me everything during lessons so at least I would not fall asleep. (:

(Crisis Communications)

COMM246 Crisis communications is never a module I thought that I would enjoy. I actually wanted to take it because I think it will be useful, yet I want to avoid taking in NUS under a particular professor. As a last resort, I applied for the course in SMU and thankfully I got it! (:

(This is pretty candid)

And yes, we coordinated our clothes for the presentation as well! Why on Earth do we choose green? Hahaha that's the color of our client company. #dedicated LOL. I really, really enjoyed myself with this bunch of kids. We suffered so much together, but also grew so much together. Thanks for being my motivation to attend lessons even though I'm on exchange LOL. P. S. I didn't skip any lessons because my professor Augustine Pang, together with my groupmates, definitely made the lessons so much more interesting!! 

How I wish you were here.
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl.
Year after year, running over the same ground.
What have we found? The same old fears.