I'm pretty sure anyone who is thinking of, or has decided to study Accountancy in a local University would, at some point in time, think about which University to enter. For some, the choice is clear. But for others, like me, making that decision is a real big headache, figuratively and literally.
For myself, SMU was the first to be ruled out as I didn't really find the school's main selling point (the outspoken thingy) to be appealing to me. And ruling out that selling point, NUS would win in terms of opportunities and branding, while NTU would win in terms of course merit (In My Opinion).
That aside, it was down to NTU and NUS for me. I ultimately went for the following courses (and was offered my top choices for the business school) in each University
NTU: Accountancy and Masters in Financial Engineering (3 + 1 years)
NUS: Accountancy and Masters of Science(Management) (3 + 1 + 1 years)
To decide between the two, I begin to analyse in terms of sections, which of course mattered to me.
1. Course: Which course is better?
If you don't already know, NTU's Nanyang Business School (NBS) is the longest-running business school out of all the 3 Universities. It is the most established, has the most extensive alumni, and takes in the largest number of students per cohort (for Accountancy). It is thus no surprise that NTU would win in terms of technical skills gained from the course
This was a conclusion I was confident of coming to after speaking to several NTU ex-Accountancy-students and asking working professionals. The general consensus was that the NTU graduates are generally more proficient in the technical side of accounting.
That is not to say the other Business Schools are bad though. I'm pretty sure SMU did not get so popular just because of their main selling point, and NUS did not get their all As in the 90th percentile in their indicative grade profile just because of school branding. All 3 schools will equip you with the necessary skills for accounting, but perhaps due to their experience and size of alumni, and perhaps because of the "Technological" in their school name, NTU offers an Accountancy course that focuses more on the technical side of things.
I am pretty confident of both NUS and NTU's ability in offering top-notch education and thus didn't really feel that this was a very important point to note. It is important to realise that while NTU focuses on technical skills, NUS focuses more on all-roundedness. If you live in the 21st century, you will know how important it is to be an all-rounder who can not only work, but also possess a whole lot of other skills. That is why for this section, I feel that NTU and NUS are on par. In fact I would say NTU, NUS and SMU are on par.
But if you prefer technical skills, or if you think you want to be the best speaker ever and don't think you will be able to cultivate that confidence yourself, by all means go for the other schools.
2. Scholarship offered
NTU - College Scholarship: Covers tuition fees and offers annual allowance of $3600
NUS - Merit Scholarship: Covers tuition fees, offers annual allowance of $6000, offers one-off computer allowance of $2000, guarantees 2 years of hostel accomodation, guarantees 1 SEP(student exchange programme) and offers an NUS Scholar Enrichment Grant for scholars to apply for 50% co-funding of local/overseas enrichment programmes
I don't think I need to say much here, NUS obviously takes the top spot here.
Honestly I really don't know how I could be one of the 20++ students offered the Masters in Financial Engineering Programme, but only obtain the college scholarship. I'm not saying I'm too good to not be offered it, I just don't understand how I could do well enough to get offered the programme, but not enough to get offered the Nanyang Scholarship.
Yes, I only attended 1 interview which was for both the scholarship and Masters course application.
Like seriously, how???
3. Masters Programme Offered
For the Accountancy course, I opted to apply for Concurrent Degree(NUS)/ Integrated Programme(NTU) instead of the double degree programmes.
For NTU, the Masters in Financial Engineering is a really quantitative course. Just look at the courses to be taken, there's a whole lot of cheem math, finance, and even computing included. This would be a really good masters course for those looking to pursue a career in the quantitative side of finance as it is a really well-established course (7 weeks in Carnegie Mellon Uni!!!) and is only 1 year if you are doing it full-time.
Many people around me encouraged me to take up this course as they say that the quantitative side of finance provides a more stable career as it is a specific skillset that not everyone has. Due to that, you aren't as dispensable as people in the management side, especially during economic downturns. Also, pay is really good for this area.
But, well, I don't see myself in the quantitative side of finance. I can't say that I won't do well, or that I will absolutely hate it if I go into it, but as of now, that is not a career I want to pursue. I don't want to face numbers, data and diagrams all day long. I want a really interactive career that would bring me to see different types of people and if possible, all over the world. I feel like I would be signing myself to a death sentence if I take up this course.
True, you can always just treat it as a good extra skillset if I don't end up in the quantitative side of the finance industry. But if that's the case, why the hell then am I wasting my time over this masters??? It would become useless, in my opinion.
NUS offers a more general masters, Masters of Science (Management). Many people, and even the professor in charge of this programme himself said that it is a general masters that is not necesssary for Accountancy students. Anyone can do management, so basically it isn't a very valuable masters, by itself. But NUS offers a dual masters programme with the CEMs Masters in International Management(MIM) that would bring you to 2 schools overseas and an internship in Singapore or overseas. I don't wanna go into a long story about this CEMs MIM, go look it up yourself if you are interested, but it is an upcoming masters that has risen in its prestige to be comparable to MBAs offered by prestigious Universities around the world. It is just more catered to fresh grads, while the MBA is more catered to working professionals.
After speaking with the professor from NUS, while he didn't outright say it, he suggested that as long as a student taking the MSc wants to do the dual masters, he or she should be able to get an offer, since to do the masters you must be of a certain academic caliber anyway.
The potential benefits to the career is also in line with what I envision for myself.
Hence, after much consideration, and I truly mean much (I literally suffered from a migraine over this), I decided that the NUS one is better for me.
4. Duration
We all know NTU offers the 3-year direct honours while NUS (and SMU) is a 4-year programme for honours. NUS gives you the option of obtaining your degree after 3 years, but you won't get the honours unless you complete the 4th year.
And if you have been to an NTU business talk, you would have heard about their cost and benefit analysis of that 1 year less of studying. But even if you have not, you don't need to perform an extensive tabulation to know that 1 year less of studying is 1 year's worth of savings in school fees(if you are not under scholarship), 1 year more of income and 1 year more of experience. Also, you are 1 year ahead of your friends who graduated from the 4-year programmes.
I think you really have to think for yourself, whether or not that 1 year is very significant to you. Some questions to ask yourself are:
1. Are you aiming to enter an accounting firm?
2. Are you ready to face the possibility of your fellow peers(same age) being ahead of you in the corporate world?
3. Is that 1 year really that important?
This was actually the main reason why I had such a hard time deciding between NUS and NTU. From the earlier sections, NUS would have been my choice. But it was that 1 year that NTU would help me save, that held me back from accepting the NUS offer. For me, the money was not the main issue, since I will be on scholarship anyway. But it was more of the experience that made me mull over my decision.
Ultimately, I decided that the 1 year isn't very important to me. I guess it's because I was thinking about the long years of working that I would have to face after graduating. The retirement age is constantly being delayed later and later, and by the time it's time for me to retire. the retirement age would probably be at 80, if not worse. The word "youth" would be referring to a broader time frame, and with my "young at heart" mentality and gerascophobia, my future self would most probably thank me for that 1 year more of student life.
Also, NUS allows one to leave after 3 years. If I decided then that that 1 year is important, I can still choose to go. Hopefully it's because I received a really good offer from a company, otherwise my ex-colleague at PwC who didn't have an honours degree is not doing worse than her peers who had an honours.
And so, I decided to go with NUS. NUS, I feel, also offers better opportunities for one's student life. Their exchange programmes are much more established, their branding both locally and internationally is also really attractive, and the opportunities the business school gets is not worse than NBS.
If you are also fretting over which school to choose, first find out what you want in both the short term and the long term. Once you have established that, your decision will suddenly become clear. Most importantly though, you should already be prepared to face the consequences of your decision. I mean both the good and the bad. I am prepared to one day curse myself for not taking the specific masters as I pack my stuff after being sacked during an economic downturn. I am prepared to have to work under peers of my age due to my 1 year delay in entrance to the workforce.
I am also prepared to spend a good 5 years of University life, living my youth to its fullest. I am prepared to put in my all in my career so that time and qualifications no longer matters. And so, let's hope for the best.
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Sucker Punch - A flop? I beg to differ
Sucker Punch is one of my all-time favourite movie. I loved the fantasy-like realm that was created in the movie. Even though everything was just Babydoll's imagination, they actually hold much more meaning in reality, because it was what held her through her difficulties and eventually pushed her to overcome them.
It is precisely the video game elements that seem to put off a majority of the audiences.Reviews are talking about how it is ridiculous, just an animation of a video game, a waste of time and money, and how incomprehensibly simplistic the movie was to them. Maybe it's because the movie was an illustration of one of the many different types of adversities one may face in the world. Maybe it's because they didn't like how unrealistic Babydoll's method of overcoming her obstacles was.
But that's precisely why I love the movie. To me, it's more than just a video game, or a showcase of beautiful girls adept at martial arts. I have never even remotely thought of the movie as feminist.
The movie was an illustration of what many of us stuck captive in reality would want to do: escape from reality.
Perhaps that's why I loved the movie so much. Because I myself would love to escape from reality once in a while. If only I could fly, wave a sword, kill monsters and still look good while doing that.
Or maybe your fantasy could be something else. But whatever it is, Sucker Punch basically embodies this desire of ours.
Yeah I am faced with difficulties, and yeah I gotta be strong and overcome it, but if fantasising is what's gonna get me through this ordeal, then no harm right?
And so, whenever I find myself too deep in my self-doubt, I watch this movie to feel good. To be able to fantasise a little so as to handle the mundanity of reality.
Watch the movie. Don't always look for some deeper meaning to make yourself feel good about your intelligence. Siimply enjoy it. Sometimes you get so much more without trying to look for it.
It is precisely the video game elements that seem to put off a majority of the audiences.Reviews are talking about how it is ridiculous, just an animation of a video game, a waste of time and money, and how incomprehensibly simplistic the movie was to them. Maybe it's because the movie was an illustration of one of the many different types of adversities one may face in the world. Maybe it's because they didn't like how unrealistic Babydoll's method of overcoming her obstacles was.
But that's precisely why I love the movie. To me, it's more than just a video game, or a showcase of beautiful girls adept at martial arts. I have never even remotely thought of the movie as feminist.
The movie was an illustration of what many of us stuck captive in reality would want to do: escape from reality.
Perhaps that's why I loved the movie so much. Because I myself would love to escape from reality once in a while. If only I could fly, wave a sword, kill monsters and still look good while doing that.
Or maybe your fantasy could be something else. But whatever it is, Sucker Punch basically embodies this desire of ours.
Yeah I am faced with difficulties, and yeah I gotta be strong and overcome it, but if fantasising is what's gonna get me through this ordeal, then no harm right?
And so, whenever I find myself too deep in my self-doubt, I watch this movie to feel good. To be able to fantasise a little so as to handle the mundanity of reality.
Watch the movie. Don't always look for some deeper meaning to make yourself feel good about your intelligence. Siimply enjoy it. Sometimes you get so much more without trying to look for it.
Friday, April 15, 2016
Being rebellious to not be rebellious
Alter Egos.
I was actually greatly inspired by Michelle Phan's makeup video on her alter ego. And just a few days back, I was suddenly overcame with this great need to dye my hair in all sorts of colours (namely pastel blue, pink and purple). I guess it was initially just the desire to do something cool, and come on, colourful hair is nice;)
And then it grew into a need, because I felt that my life was just too.....normal? Hm I'm not sure if that's the right word to explain it. How about....common? Or perhaps you can say I've been doing what a first-world society expects of a child nowadays. That is to get good grades, get a good degree, get a good career. No, I have only reached the "get good grades" stage, but all the conformity is driving me crazy. And thus my sudden need to dye my hair crazily. Even though I know how bad bleach is....sighs....
Maybe that's why I suddenly came to this idea that in order to not become rebellious, we should occasionally be rebellious. Ok, before anyone gets confused, I mean to do things out of the norm once in a while so that you don't get driven to the extreme and end up taking a path of no return. And that's something I realised I have always been doing.
When I was still a kid, like literally a kid, below 10 years old, I actually stole before. Thank god I just stole from my mom's shop though, nothing serious. It was more of me being upset with her refusing to buy me whiteboard markers. And since she happened to sell whiteboard markers in her shop, I just took it and pretended like it appeared at home all of a sudden. Yeah, I know, awesome stealing skills. Obviously I got into SO MUCH trouble for that. It was lectures one after another, from the father down to my relatives, adding in some caning as seasoning.
And then when I went into my teenage years, I decided that the stress of having to do well academically and on my portfolio was too much to take. But instead of going into drugs or bad influences, I punched the wall! And broke my hand........and ended up in a cast for a month...... I wouldn't recommend this method of rebellion to anyone by the way, it hurt physically, it hurt my pocket (ER fees aren't cheap) and it hurt my portfolio (I couldn't take part in SYF cos I couldn't play my violin)
Now, finally, being liberated of A levels, I needed one more act of defiance. Uh...okay....maybe dyeing my hair is not exactly defying anything, I mean, my parents are perfectly fine with that. But I guess what I wanted to do was just something different. Something bold. I think I might just dress up like a goth one day after dyeing my hair:D (I genuinely think that goths are real cool k, no negative connotation in my words)
And so to end this post off, for those who can't seem to stand life and feel like deviating from the socially approved path, maybe you can try small acts of rebellion to try to appease your restricted heart and soul. If it isn't enough, then deviate a little! Just don't go so far in that you can't come back out. Drugs and illegal acts aren't the only ways to rebel against your parents. Be a little unique, challenge rules and regulations, challenge the way things are done. It could be little things like arguing with your chairperson. Or you could be the next historical figure by coming up with a new concept or idea.
I was actually greatly inspired by Michelle Phan's makeup video on her alter ego. And just a few days back, I was suddenly overcame with this great need to dye my hair in all sorts of colours (namely pastel blue, pink and purple). I guess it was initially just the desire to do something cool, and come on, colourful hair is nice;)
And then it grew into a need, because I felt that my life was just too.....normal? Hm I'm not sure if that's the right word to explain it. How about....common? Or perhaps you can say I've been doing what a first-world society expects of a child nowadays. That is to get good grades, get a good degree, get a good career. No, I have only reached the "get good grades" stage, but all the conformity is driving me crazy. And thus my sudden need to dye my hair crazily. Even though I know how bad bleach is....sighs....
Maybe that's why I suddenly came to this idea that in order to not become rebellious, we should occasionally be rebellious. Ok, before anyone gets confused, I mean to do things out of the norm once in a while so that you don't get driven to the extreme and end up taking a path of no return. And that's something I realised I have always been doing.
When I was still a kid, like literally a kid, below 10 years old, I actually stole before. Thank god I just stole from my mom's shop though, nothing serious. It was more of me being upset with her refusing to buy me whiteboard markers. And since she happened to sell whiteboard markers in her shop, I just took it and pretended like it appeared at home all of a sudden. Yeah, I know, awesome stealing skills. Obviously I got into SO MUCH trouble for that. It was lectures one after another, from the father down to my relatives, adding in some caning as seasoning.
And then when I went into my teenage years, I decided that the stress of having to do well academically and on my portfolio was too much to take. But instead of going into drugs or bad influences, I punched the wall! And broke my hand........and ended up in a cast for a month...... I wouldn't recommend this method of rebellion to anyone by the way, it hurt physically, it hurt my pocket (ER fees aren't cheap) and it hurt my portfolio (I couldn't take part in SYF cos I couldn't play my violin)
Now, finally, being liberated of A levels, I needed one more act of defiance. Uh...okay....maybe dyeing my hair is not exactly defying anything, I mean, my parents are perfectly fine with that. But I guess what I wanted to do was just something different. Something bold. I think I might just dress up like a goth one day after dyeing my hair:D (I genuinely think that goths are real cool k, no negative connotation in my words)
And so to end this post off, for those who can't seem to stand life and feel like deviating from the socially approved path, maybe you can try small acts of rebellion to try to appease your restricted heart and soul. If it isn't enough, then deviate a little! Just don't go so far in that you can't come back out. Drugs and illegal acts aren't the only ways to rebel against your parents. Be a little unique, challenge rules and regulations, challenge the way things are done. It could be little things like arguing with your chairperson. Or you could be the next historical figure by coming up with a new concept or idea.
Saturday, April 2, 2016
I DID IT!!!! (kinda...?)
So before my last paper which was H2 Chem paper 1(MCQ), I wrote a post on Managing A levels , and in there I shared about my own experience and provided info on my own performance for you guys to have a rough gauge. Actually, it is mainly targeted at students, who like me, have always been a "there but not quite there" student, i.e. the average student. We don't perform badly, but our results are nothing to boast of as well.
And so, I got my results on Friday...and........
Well the title kinda gave it away already right? I obviously must have done not bad, or maybe even well. So yeah, I got 6As and 1B, taking 4 H2s.
I was honestly just relieved when I first got to know my results. In fact, I didn't join the rest of the cohort in receiving my results. Yeah, call me a coward, but you would probably understand if you knew how it works in my school.
So everybody will gather at the hall, and at the time for official release, the principal will announce how the school did overall, moving on to the various subjects, comparing the A rate within the school and to national. After that, they will call out the names of all who got 6As and above. Ok, so imagine if you were one of those who did not get 6 As or above. You don't know how you did. 5 or 4 As would still be okay, even 3. But 2 and below? I don't know about you but I would start getting worried. And it's precisely this uncertainty that I wanted to avoid. The unknown of what you got ould be enough to drive anyone nuts.
And so I deliberately applied for only a half-day leave from my internship, and even joined my team at Paypal for a lunch treat by the senior manager(come on who will wanna miss a free treat??) which resulted in my only leaving at 2. And then even when my parents came to fetch me and we reached the school, I had to scream(I know, it's rude) at my father to not alight me just yet.
I was very scared. Really. All I could think about was holding my result slip and not being able to find the highly coveted letter 'A'. And it was made worse when I saw my fellow schoolmates who have already taken their results and were lounging or crying by the corridors. In the end I was thinking I should just wait till most of the people have left.
My friend went for the whole process though, and she was the one who texted me to let me know I got 6As. Before that I was sitting in the car at my school's parking area, refusing to go up.
Naturally, I was happy and relieved. I didn't have to change any plans, I could go forward as planned. That is applying for Accountancy, the various programmes, and even going for law. At the same time I am eligible for several scholarships, so its really no harm trying.
And I walked into the hall with my head held high. I still remember the smirk on my face when my teacher ask my mom how her daughter did. My mom proudly said 6As, and he was all "wow that's really good, who is she?" And lo and behold its me.
I am not happy because I did better than others. I am happy because I proved them wrong, once again, just like how I proved my teachers and friends wrong in PSLE.
As a "there but not quite there" student, we are often the neglected bunch. Teachers know we will do well enough to survive, and so they don't care about us. They also think that we aren't that amazing anyway, so they don't need to care about us.
And so comes the insane satisfaction of slapping them in their faces with your result slip.
Perhaps it's just my frustration and dissatisfaction with the highly elitist society.
But.....(this may be offensive to those who didn't do as well) I started doubting how well I actually did. In other words, in my mind, I was thinking: is 6As really that good?
This isn't just me aiming for more since I got something good already. But really, its because the cohort has been doing better and better at every A level examination. 6As is no longer that big a thing. In fact, I believe at least 10% of the cohort for 2015 got 6As and above.
Regardless of how I did compared to the entire cohort, 6As was my original goal, and I got it. It is a cause for celebration, no matter what.
Honestly, who cares how you've been performing all the while from sec 1 till O levels till Prelims. As long as you can get the As in A levels, that's all that matters.
I was honestly just relieved when I first got to know my results. In fact, I didn't join the rest of the cohort in receiving my results. Yeah, call me a coward, but you would probably understand if you knew how it works in my school.
So everybody will gather at the hall, and at the time for official release, the principal will announce how the school did overall, moving on to the various subjects, comparing the A rate within the school and to national. After that, they will call out the names of all who got 6As and above. Ok, so imagine if you were one of those who did not get 6 As or above. You don't know how you did. 5 or 4 As would still be okay, even 3. But 2 and below? I don't know about you but I would start getting worried. And it's precisely this uncertainty that I wanted to avoid. The unknown of what you got ould be enough to drive anyone nuts.
And so I deliberately applied for only a half-day leave from my internship, and even joined my team at Paypal for a lunch treat by the senior manager(come on who will wanna miss a free treat??) which resulted in my only leaving at 2. And then even when my parents came to fetch me and we reached the school, I had to scream(I know, it's rude) at my father to not alight me just yet.
I was very scared. Really. All I could think about was holding my result slip and not being able to find the highly coveted letter 'A'. And it was made worse when I saw my fellow schoolmates who have already taken their results and were lounging or crying by the corridors. In the end I was thinking I should just wait till most of the people have left.
My friend went for the whole process though, and she was the one who texted me to let me know I got 6As. Before that I was sitting in the car at my school's parking area, refusing to go up.
Naturally, I was happy and relieved. I didn't have to change any plans, I could go forward as planned. That is applying for Accountancy, the various programmes, and even going for law. At the same time I am eligible for several scholarships, so its really no harm trying.
And I walked into the hall with my head held high. I still remember the smirk on my face when my teacher ask my mom how her daughter did. My mom proudly said 6As, and he was all "wow that's really good, who is she?" And lo and behold its me.
I am not happy because I did better than others. I am happy because I proved them wrong, once again, just like how I proved my teachers and friends wrong in PSLE.
As a "there but not quite there" student, we are often the neglected bunch. Teachers know we will do well enough to survive, and so they don't care about us. They also think that we aren't that amazing anyway, so they don't need to care about us.
And so comes the insane satisfaction of slapping them in their faces with your result slip.
Perhaps it's just my frustration and dissatisfaction with the highly elitist society.
But.....(this may be offensive to those who didn't do as well) I started doubting how well I actually did. In other words, in my mind, I was thinking: is 6As really that good?
This isn't just me aiming for more since I got something good already. But really, its because the cohort has been doing better and better at every A level examination. 6As is no longer that big a thing. In fact, I believe at least 10% of the cohort for 2015 got 6As and above.
Regardless of how I did compared to the entire cohort, 6As was my original goal, and I got it. It is a cause for celebration, no matter what.
Honestly, who cares how you've been performing all the while from sec 1 till O levels till Prelims. As long as you can get the As in A levels, that's all that matters.
Sunday, January 10, 2016
It's after As, and its all party and sunshine......or?
This probably applies not only to those who are taking A levels, but generally people who are taking major exams and are waiting for their results.
So you know how before and during the examination itself you are all "can this please be over now", "ugh just imagine my life after As" and "i can't wait for the stress-free life".......
Well let's just say it isn't all party and relax after As. Why exactly?
Waiting for the results......:O
Obviously it's going to be nerve-wrecking, waiting for any results. But waiting for the results that could totally define at least 3 years(Uni) of your life? Not fun at all. So while you are enjoying yourself, watching dramas, animes, doing stuff that you normally wouldn't be able to do while studying, there seem to always be this cloud hanging about ominously, reminding you that everyday passed is a day closer to the release of the results. I personally had a nightmare about receiving my results, and realising that they were total shit results. Like just passed results. Not only me, I have friends who have had similar nightmares, some even continue to dream about studying and taking the a level exams. Basically, be prepared for the stress of waiting for your results which could as likely put you into a panic attack as studying for the exam.
Applying for Universities and Scholarships
No matter what school you are in, as long as you are in Singapore, you are bound to experience pressure from somewhere on getting into good universities and obtaining a scholarship either to relieve your parent's burden or simply for the prestige. And you know what, all these started like all the way back in Secondary 2 for me. My LA teacher, out of the blue, begin speaking really seriously to us and telling us that we have to think and plan for the future, otherwise what is the use of getting into the IP programme. I'm pretty sure it went something like this: "Well, shouldn't you guys be thinking about the future already, what university you are aiming for, what course you want to take, are you applying for scholarships? Or even the most basic, you guys should be preparing for your A levels right now. Otherwise when you want to start preparing? When you are in JC? Then what is the difference between you IP students and the O level students? Then you guys might as well go into O level?" *Disclaimer: not saying O level or IP is better, it's just a fact that IP students do not have to take O levels and hence technically can start earlier in preparing for A levels* And so the true trouble actually starts right after As.....assuming you are not going for early admission cycles or applying for internships or taking necessary tests like the SATs or BMAT for US and UK universities which all takes place before or during A levels. Sighs, I actually wonder how I got through those 2 years now. Ok back to the topic, so now, early admission cycles are starting for Universities, interviews are taking place, scholarship applications are opening up. You gotta consolidate all your achievements and dump them all into your portfolio, prepare essays for the applications and prepare for your interviews to show just how passionate you are about something. You think that's easy? It's kinda like doing another PW all over again. You gotta worry about the results too. So you know, it's not all fun and games and nua-ing on your bed cos you have to be doing all this admin work.
Work.....
Working somewhere, gaining relevant life skills and experiences while earning some extra pocket money is most probably part of many people's after As activity list. While you may not be doing anything challenging, even doing menial jobs from 9 to 5 is tiring...for some reason. By the time you get home, all you want to do is sit on the sofa and not move. There is a wide variety of jobs you could do but I actually applied for an internship at one of the Big 4 Accounting & Audit firm and successfully got chosen for the programme. So basically I'm kinda living the OL life now, except I don't exactly go through all of the hardships(OT-ing without being paid, working round the clock, stress of delivering results...). I can't do much too, like duh, I have zero knowledge on accounting. So I can only help with their admin work, like printing and stuff, or if they do want me to help with chim-er stuff, they have to guide me through it and often I still have no idea what I actually did....Yeah.... So work is kinda boring, except there's fun parts like getting treated, observing interesting stuff... But yeah, there's the socialising part you gotta stress about as well. No I'm not anti-social nor do I hate human interaction. But you know, it's always stressful going into a new environment, knowing you not only have to learn and get use to a new style of life, but also new people, new connections. Worse, I don't know anyone that was also chosen for the internship. And while I did manage to build some friendly ties with quite a few of them during the first day of orientation, we were all split up to different teams. So basically, I am stuck facing a whole new team of permanent staff, adults, with not much common topics.... yes..... So I remembered my first few days being rather stressful. But it got better eventually when I continued to put myself out there and talk to them. So yes, perseverance! But man....it's tiring T.T
And really, there are so much more reasons why after As is not exactly that perfect as you would first imagine. Your parents would most probably not allow you to "waste your life" anyway. While I'm glad to be rid of the constantly studying life, now's not exactly enjoyable either.
So you know how before and during the examination itself you are all "can this please be over now", "ugh just imagine my life after As" and "i can't wait for the stress-free life".......
Well let's just say it isn't all party and relax after As. Why exactly?
Waiting for the results......:O
Obviously it's going to be nerve-wrecking, waiting for any results. But waiting for the results that could totally define at least 3 years(Uni) of your life? Not fun at all. So while you are enjoying yourself, watching dramas, animes, doing stuff that you normally wouldn't be able to do while studying, there seem to always be this cloud hanging about ominously, reminding you that everyday passed is a day closer to the release of the results. I personally had a nightmare about receiving my results, and realising that they were total shit results. Like just passed results. Not only me, I have friends who have had similar nightmares, some even continue to dream about studying and taking the a level exams. Basically, be prepared for the stress of waiting for your results which could as likely put you into a panic attack as studying for the exam.
Applying for Universities and Scholarships
No matter what school you are in, as long as you are in Singapore, you are bound to experience pressure from somewhere on getting into good universities and obtaining a scholarship either to relieve your parent's burden or simply for the prestige. And you know what, all these started like all the way back in Secondary 2 for me. My LA teacher, out of the blue, begin speaking really seriously to us and telling us that we have to think and plan for the future, otherwise what is the use of getting into the IP programme. I'm pretty sure it went something like this: "Well, shouldn't you guys be thinking about the future already, what university you are aiming for, what course you want to take, are you applying for scholarships? Or even the most basic, you guys should be preparing for your A levels right now. Otherwise when you want to start preparing? When you are in JC? Then what is the difference between you IP students and the O level students? Then you guys might as well go into O level?" *Disclaimer: not saying O level or IP is better, it's just a fact that IP students do not have to take O levels and hence technically can start earlier in preparing for A levels* And so the true trouble actually starts right after As.....assuming you are not going for early admission cycles or applying for internships or taking necessary tests like the SATs or BMAT for US and UK universities which all takes place before or during A levels. Sighs, I actually wonder how I got through those 2 years now. Ok back to the topic, so now, early admission cycles are starting for Universities, interviews are taking place, scholarship applications are opening up. You gotta consolidate all your achievements and dump them all into your portfolio, prepare essays for the applications and prepare for your interviews to show just how passionate you are about something. You think that's easy? It's kinda like doing another PW all over again. You gotta worry about the results too. So you know, it's not all fun and games and nua-ing on your bed cos you have to be doing all this admin work.
Work.....
Working somewhere, gaining relevant life skills and experiences while earning some extra pocket money is most probably part of many people's after As activity list. While you may not be doing anything challenging, even doing menial jobs from 9 to 5 is tiring...for some reason. By the time you get home, all you want to do is sit on the sofa and not move. There is a wide variety of jobs you could do but I actually applied for an internship at one of the Big 4 Accounting & Audit firm and successfully got chosen for the programme. So basically I'm kinda living the OL life now, except I don't exactly go through all of the hardships(OT-ing without being paid, working round the clock, stress of delivering results...). I can't do much too, like duh, I have zero knowledge on accounting. So I can only help with their admin work, like printing and stuff, or if they do want me to help with chim-er stuff, they have to guide me through it and often I still have no idea what I actually did....Yeah.... So work is kinda boring, except there's fun parts like getting treated, observing interesting stuff... But yeah, there's the socialising part you gotta stress about as well. No I'm not anti-social nor do I hate human interaction. But you know, it's always stressful going into a new environment, knowing you not only have to learn and get use to a new style of life, but also new people, new connections. Worse, I don't know anyone that was also chosen for the internship. And while I did manage to build some friendly ties with quite a few of them during the first day of orientation, we were all split up to different teams. So basically, I am stuck facing a whole new team of permanent staff, adults, with not much common topics.... yes..... So I remembered my first few days being rather stressful. But it got better eventually when I continued to put myself out there and talk to them. So yes, perseverance! But man....it's tiring T.T
And really, there are so much more reasons why after As is not exactly that perfect as you would first imagine. Your parents would most probably not allow you to "waste your life" anyway. While I'm glad to be rid of the constantly studying life, now's not exactly enjoyable either.
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Hair-care after colouring
I previously wrote on colouring my hair in JB. After colouring my hair, I did notice that it was drier than before and more frizzy which is like TERRIBLE!! And so for the first few days I used samples from Rene Furterer for their Okara shampoo and conditioner which is formulated for coloured hair. After that, I researched a bit more for products that are suitable for coloured hair and smoothening at the same time. Marc Anthony's Bye Bye Frizz series caught my eye as reviews online were quite good and they were still wthin affordable range, although it is still more expensive than the Essentials shampoo and conditioner I used.
(x)Rene furterer's Okara:
It is not a bad product honestly. When I first used it I though it was not bad in the sense that no colour was stripped off an my hair did not feel drier. But for those who don't know, Rene Furterer's hair products are really expensive! Like one bottle of shampoo is around SGD$40 or slightly lesser. For such amount of money I would think my hair should feel awesome, smooth, much less frizzy and should be radiant as the Okara line promises, which did not happen. Hence with that in mind, my verdict is a nono!
But if you still want to give it a go, cos it may work for you, look out for offers to try them. Watsons, John Little and I believe other departmental stores sell these products. There was also an offer at John Little for 3 products at ~$65 instead of the usual ~$30/product so look out for these offers!
Marc Anthony's Bye Bye Frizz:
I am loving this shampoo. No it isn't some miracle worker than miraculouly made my hair smooth and frizz-free. But! When compared to other products, bye bye frizz makes my hair smoother and less frizzy. For example when I used Okara, my hair will become quite wavy and frizzy in the morning. But when I use bye bye frizz, my hair in the morning is smoother, straighter, and less frizzy. No it is not my imagination! I did use them in 2 consecutive days to compare and there is the difference! Hopefully with prolonged usage my hair will really become smoother and less frizzy. Bye bye frizz is not exactly cheap for me. They retail at SGD$17.90 at watsons per shampoo or conditioner. I bought it at 20% off which means around $28 for both the shampoo and conditioner. This is more than what I am used to spending for shampoo and conditioner hence the effectiveness of the product will really determine if I continue buying it. So far, I can say that I will definitely re-purchase after I have finished it. Oh! This line of product is also sulfate-free and protects colour so it's a really good buy for those of you with coloured hair but would like to tame that frizzy mane.
Apparently this product is exclusive to watsons so just keep a lookout for watsons' storewide promo!
Shiseido's Fuente Vita Voltage:
I have been using this line of products for quite some time now, even before I coloured my hair. This line is mainly focused on improving the scalp, which I never believed helped until it relieved my irritated scalp which probably came about due to colouring my hair. I actually stopped using this line for a while to try out bye bye frizz, but after colouring my hair I found that a certain area of my scalp would be itchy regardless of whether my hair was freshly washed or whether it's a day old. Initially I thought perhaps I have to focus more on cleansing that area of the scalp, but when that didn't work, I used this line for the scalp and roots of the hair and my scalp was much less itchy. Perhaps it was dry and irritated from the colour job but anyway, Fuente was effective in relieving that irritation. The price however is really steep. I didn't buy this, it was given to me by my god-sis, but I'm pretty sure it retails for around SGD$40 per shampoo or conditioner. One thing to note is that the conditioner is better than the shampoo. Hence for those who have irritated scalp and really want a solution for it, you could perhaps try out the conditioner. If you are only using it for the roots and the scalp, you should not need much and hence you could use it for a long time, justifying the price if it does provide relief for your scalp:)
I seem to only see this line at salons or beauty product shops so do verify the authenticity before buying as there are a lot of fake ones out there.
I am also using essential's leave-in hair serum for before blow-drying my hair and in the morning to smooth it out, as well as their treatment milk for the night to protect my hair from all that friction against the pillow.
I just realised that it may seem like I am using a crazy amount of products, but I don't actually use a lot of each product. A key thing I have learnt is that a little goes a long way. Also, 1 line of products may not be suitable for your whole head and hair, hence you can consider using 2 lines to target different problems. Finally, it is really all about trial and error. Some products work and some don't. If you really want to have manageable and fuss-free hairstyling in the morning, spending a little more effort on hair care should provide great help.
(x)Rene furterer's Okara:
It is not a bad product honestly. When I first used it I though it was not bad in the sense that no colour was stripped off an my hair did not feel drier. But for those who don't know, Rene Furterer's hair products are really expensive! Like one bottle of shampoo is around SGD$40 or slightly lesser. For such amount of money I would think my hair should feel awesome, smooth, much less frizzy and should be radiant as the Okara line promises, which did not happen. Hence with that in mind, my verdict is a nono!
But if you still want to give it a go, cos it may work for you, look out for offers to try them. Watsons, John Little and I believe other departmental stores sell these products. There was also an offer at John Little for 3 products at ~$65 instead of the usual ~$30/product so look out for these offers!
Marc Anthony's Bye Bye Frizz:
I am loving this shampoo. No it isn't some miracle worker than miraculouly made my hair smooth and frizz-free. But! When compared to other products, bye bye frizz makes my hair smoother and less frizzy. For example when I used Okara, my hair will become quite wavy and frizzy in the morning. But when I use bye bye frizz, my hair in the morning is smoother, straighter, and less frizzy. No it is not my imagination! I did use them in 2 consecutive days to compare and there is the difference! Hopefully with prolonged usage my hair will really become smoother and less frizzy. Bye bye frizz is not exactly cheap for me. They retail at SGD$17.90 at watsons per shampoo or conditioner. I bought it at 20% off which means around $28 for both the shampoo and conditioner. This is more than what I am used to spending for shampoo and conditioner hence the effectiveness of the product will really determine if I continue buying it. So far, I can say that I will definitely re-purchase after I have finished it. Oh! This line of product is also sulfate-free and protects colour so it's a really good buy for those of you with coloured hair but would like to tame that frizzy mane.
Apparently this product is exclusive to watsons so just keep a lookout for watsons' storewide promo!
Shiseido's Fuente Vita Voltage:
I have been using this line of products for quite some time now, even before I coloured my hair. This line is mainly focused on improving the scalp, which I never believed helped until it relieved my irritated scalp which probably came about due to colouring my hair. I actually stopped using this line for a while to try out bye bye frizz, but after colouring my hair I found that a certain area of my scalp would be itchy regardless of whether my hair was freshly washed or whether it's a day old. Initially I thought perhaps I have to focus more on cleansing that area of the scalp, but when that didn't work, I used this line for the scalp and roots of the hair and my scalp was much less itchy. Perhaps it was dry and irritated from the colour job but anyway, Fuente was effective in relieving that irritation. The price however is really steep. I didn't buy this, it was given to me by my god-sis, but I'm pretty sure it retails for around SGD$40 per shampoo or conditioner. One thing to note is that the conditioner is better than the shampoo. Hence for those who have irritated scalp and really want a solution for it, you could perhaps try out the conditioner. If you are only using it for the roots and the scalp, you should not need much and hence you could use it for a long time, justifying the price if it does provide relief for your scalp:)
I seem to only see this line at salons or beauty product shops so do verify the authenticity before buying as there are a lot of fake ones out there.
I am also using essential's leave-in hair serum for before blow-drying my hair and in the morning to smooth it out, as well as their treatment milk for the night to protect my hair from all that friction against the pillow.
I just realised that it may seem like I am using a crazy amount of products, but I don't actually use a lot of each product. A key thing I have learnt is that a little goes a long way. Also, 1 line of products may not be suitable for your whole head and hair, hence you can consider using 2 lines to target different problems. Finally, it is really all about trial and error. Some products work and some don't. If you really want to have manageable and fuss-free hairstyling in the morning, spending a little more effort on hair care should provide great help.
Monday, December 21, 2015
Hair Colouring @ JB
Actually more specifically, at Holiday Plaza. It's after A levels and having a change of hair colour seemed like not a bad idea. I decided to get it done at a salon simply because I wanted a taste of it before I convert to the more affordable option of DIY hair colouring. Since quite a few of my friends have had rather pleasant experiences doing their hair in JB, I decided to give it a go there.
Of course I researched quite a bit for where exactly I should go and the current rates there. Generally people went to salons in Citysquare or KSL City, but I was actually considering Holiday Plaza. Holiday Plaza, for those who are not familiar, is a rather old shopping centre with a variety of beauty services, mainly nails and hair salons with some clothing and beauty product shops. Since the rent is likely to be lower than in Citysquare or KSL city, the rates would naturally be lower too right? That was what I assumed and so I decided to simply ask for the rates at all 3 places! Not in one day of course. My mom went to Citysquare and KSL city to ask for the rates a few days before our designated Hair day. The rates there were pretty similar. Overall, for the long-haired ones out there, expect to dish out around 350 RM for colouring, cut and basic treatment. The salons there also generally had better furnishing so I guess you feel more confident there too. Honestly, 350 RM is not a bad price and when compared to the rates in Singapore, I'd say it's still a bargain.
But! Lo and behold, Holiday Plaza had even better rates! I approached quite a few and the better-furnished, seemingly cleaner ones charged me around 260 RM for colouring, cut and treatment for my waist-length hair. That is really quite a bargain no? And so it was between Toyako Salon(not exactly Toyako but one of their branches) or Benefit Hairdressing. If not for my mom and lil sis who are doing their hair as well, I would have gone for Toyako for they seem to be more professional and skilled. But since perming is cheaper at Benefit, we decided to do our hair there.
*On a side note, if you are thinking of perming your hair, it seems like perming is more expensive than other hair services? Toyako charged us 350 RM while Benefit charged us 240 RM and it is for short hair! Like hair above the shoulders.
My sister and I started first since there seemed to be only 2 hairdressers who are pro enough to handle hair colouring and rebonding(my sister did rebonding). I had a lady with blonde hair tend to my hair and she handled my hair from the start to the end, never leaving it alone to others, with only another helper to help her with the application of colour and treatment. I find that quite reassuring since you know there isn't going to be a misunderstanding throughout the process. I find her skills to be not bad(not that I have much experience with doing my hair in salons) but she was rather rough with my hair....or maybe I am just too gentle with it since I think I have a hairfall problem from all the stress of A levels and would like to maintain my thick hair. Anyway, it was not a big problem.
Basically this is an outline of how she did my hair:
Haircut to the rough length I want first -> Apply colour to my hair -> Wait, checking in occasionally to monitor the degree of colour -> rinse off colour + wash my hair -> apply treatment and steam for around 10 minutes -> wash off treatment -> back to haircut for a more defined style -> blow and perfect style.
Overall it was a smooth process. They also had free wifi that was working well so I was well-entertained throughout the process which took slightly less than 2 hours. They served a cup of tea initially but did not refill unless you ask for it. The hair colour was quite nice and even, but perhaps too even as the top of my hair seemed lighter than the ends as the light shines on the top first. Also they somehow avoided colouring the roots, in other words when you part my hair at the roots, you can see my black natural hair. I'm not very sure why or if salons do it that way or its just them but I don't really appreciate having black roots when a DIY hair colouring would not have given me that. I do like the haircut that she gave me though, she also gave a few helpful tips of managing my hair and future styling. As my hair is thick and considered healthy, rebonding is not necessary and I just have to make sure to use good hair products at home and blow dry it instead of air drying it to reduce frizz.
I can't say how the 350 RM hair colouring in city square and KSL city would be like since I have never done my hair there but Benefit Hairdressing is not a bad salon for hair colouring with very affordable prices too. Their rebonding was not bad as well, according to my sister, as it seemed to be smoother than when she rebonded her hair at Far East Plaza SG. Perming though is not a strength for Benefit hairdressing as my mom did not get her desired hairstyle. In fact, her hairdresser tried to discourage her from perming and kept steering her towards hair straightening procedures like Keratin treatment or rebonding.
And that concludes my post on hair colouring in JB:) If you would like to find out more about hair care after dyeing your hair, look at my post on hair-care after colouring.
Of course I researched quite a bit for where exactly I should go and the current rates there. Generally people went to salons in Citysquare or KSL City, but I was actually considering Holiday Plaza. Holiday Plaza, for those who are not familiar, is a rather old shopping centre with a variety of beauty services, mainly nails and hair salons with some clothing and beauty product shops. Since the rent is likely to be lower than in Citysquare or KSL city, the rates would naturally be lower too right? That was what I assumed and so I decided to simply ask for the rates at all 3 places! Not in one day of course. My mom went to Citysquare and KSL city to ask for the rates a few days before our designated Hair day. The rates there were pretty similar. Overall, for the long-haired ones out there, expect to dish out around 350 RM for colouring, cut and basic treatment. The salons there also generally had better furnishing so I guess you feel more confident there too. Honestly, 350 RM is not a bad price and when compared to the rates in Singapore, I'd say it's still a bargain.
But! Lo and behold, Holiday Plaza had even better rates! I approached quite a few and the better-furnished, seemingly cleaner ones charged me around 260 RM for colouring, cut and treatment for my waist-length hair. That is really quite a bargain no? And so it was between Toyako Salon(not exactly Toyako but one of their branches) or Benefit Hairdressing. If not for my mom and lil sis who are doing their hair as well, I would have gone for Toyako for they seem to be more professional and skilled. But since perming is cheaper at Benefit, we decided to do our hair there.
*On a side note, if you are thinking of perming your hair, it seems like perming is more expensive than other hair services? Toyako charged us 350 RM while Benefit charged us 240 RM and it is for short hair! Like hair above the shoulders.
My sister and I started first since there seemed to be only 2 hairdressers who are pro enough to handle hair colouring and rebonding(my sister did rebonding). I had a lady with blonde hair tend to my hair and she handled my hair from the start to the end, never leaving it alone to others, with only another helper to help her with the application of colour and treatment. I find that quite reassuring since you know there isn't going to be a misunderstanding throughout the process. I find her skills to be not bad(not that I have much experience with doing my hair in salons) but she was rather rough with my hair....or maybe I am just too gentle with it since I think I have a hairfall problem from all the stress of A levels and would like to maintain my thick hair. Anyway, it was not a big problem.
Basically this is an outline of how she did my hair:
Haircut to the rough length I want first -> Apply colour to my hair -> Wait, checking in occasionally to monitor the degree of colour -> rinse off colour + wash my hair -> apply treatment and steam for around 10 minutes -> wash off treatment -> back to haircut for a more defined style -> blow and perfect style.
Overall it was a smooth process. They also had free wifi that was working well so I was well-entertained throughout the process which took slightly less than 2 hours. They served a cup of tea initially but did not refill unless you ask for it. The hair colour was quite nice and even, but perhaps too even as the top of my hair seemed lighter than the ends as the light shines on the top first. Also they somehow avoided colouring the roots, in other words when you part my hair at the roots, you can see my black natural hair. I'm not very sure why or if salons do it that way or its just them but I don't really appreciate having black roots when a DIY hair colouring would not have given me that. I do like the haircut that she gave me though, she also gave a few helpful tips of managing my hair and future styling. As my hair is thick and considered healthy, rebonding is not necessary and I just have to make sure to use good hair products at home and blow dry it instead of air drying it to reduce frizz.
I can't say how the 350 RM hair colouring in city square and KSL city would be like since I have never done my hair there but Benefit Hairdressing is not a bad salon for hair colouring with very affordable prices too. Their rebonding was not bad as well, according to my sister, as it seemed to be smoother than when she rebonded her hair at Far East Plaza SG. Perming though is not a strength for Benefit hairdressing as my mom did not get her desired hairstyle. In fact, her hairdresser tried to discourage her from perming and kept steering her towards hair straightening procedures like Keratin treatment or rebonding.
And that concludes my post on hair colouring in JB:) If you would like to find out more about hair care after dyeing your hair, look at my post on hair-care after colouring.
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