Scenic Sublime

Yes, I've been listening to Owl City again.
There's one exceptionally beautiful phrase in the song Fuzzy Blue Lights that I absolutely love: Scenic Sublime.

Man, how does the guy come up with such illustrative lyrics?

And this morning's weather most aptly portrays that phrase!

Melody meets Picturesque - the epitome of beauty.

Level Up!

Woohoo! Thank God for good grades :)
Math Quiz 5: 40/40!
C Programming Quiz 4: 15/16
English Test: 16/20!!

English Test was a pleasant surprise, because my friends around me were getting 12/20 and there were rumours that 90% of the cohort failed the test. Bryan, whose English is better than mine, also scored 12/20. I must have been one of the better few XD

My teacher commended me for writing in a coherent flow and using simple words. That really made my day!

Man I love my English teacher - she makes the art of critical reading and writing come alive (although the essays she asks us to read are largely unpleasant and grim).

And 1st time full marks for Math! Woohoo! Thank You Jesus.

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The father of a friend of mine had recently been hospitalized; he had fallen from the 2nd storey of a building. As the architect, he was doing inspections in the darkness of the night when he walked through a window, expecting to lean on a glass barrier. The window pane had been removed for repairs or examination, but the supervisors did not inform him, nor did they place any warning signals. Thus, he unknowingly walked off the edge, to gain a broken leg and fractures on the spine.

However, there was no hint of bitterness or anger as he narrated the mishap. Instead, he thanked the Lord for showing how much He loved him. Disregarding the intention of suing the responsible (or irresponsible) parties, he shared of his gratefulness to God that He had protected him. Doctors had expected far worse fractures on his spine. He is still able to walk. He would recover in two months.

In his unfortunate state, and not to mention the sky-high medical bills, he had every reason to complain. The amazing thing was that he was happy. Genuinely.

That really inspired me: I can choose to be happy. I am no way in a worse condition than he is - not even close. There is every reason to rejoice.

And the key is gratefulness to God.

Thank You Jesus, for finding me 10 years ago, as a lonely primary 6 boy rejected by many. Thank You for guiding me through my education, from Sec to Poly and now at DigiPen. Thank You, Father, that You know me inside out, that You know what is best for me. I thank You for the lessons You have taught me, however painful they may have been.

All things will work out for good to those who love God :)

4 Weeks in DigiPen: Getting Better

MAT 140: Linear Algebra and Geometry
    Quiz 1: 14/40    =(
    Quiz 2: 14/40    T.T
    Quiz 3: 35/40!   =D

Woot! Thank God that the 3rd quiz was much easier, and that He helped me avoid 3 careless mistakes!

The past week had 4 quizzes and 5 assignment deadlines! WooHooo!! (yeah I'm going bonkers)
Managed to finish all assignments, and generally performed well in all the quizzes!

We have one module, Project Introduction, that is about making a game.
This week, Bryan and I pitched our game idea. The presentation went well! I think we were one of the best few teams that presented! Thank God for helping me speak; public speaking scares the crap outta me. I was literally trembling when the presentation was over.

We're gonna make a simple game, where you play as a underwater creature that can spawn swarms of plankton-like minions to consume all aquatic life. We call the game "Swarm". When it's almost done, we hope to let as many people try out our game and give us feedback!

Thank God that this is a week of victory!

2 weeks later will be a crazy week. Mid-Terms! +Assignment Deadlines for at least 4 modules!
+1st Milestone Presentation for our game! This means that the game must be playable, without the art and sound, in 2 weeks!

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This week's service was incredible! Haven't felt God's love and presence in such a tangible way for a long time! I realized that for this season, the number 1 person in my life had been Yours Truly. May His grace always help me make Him my first love!

"We love Him because He first loved us."

- 1 John 4:19 -

2 Weeks in Digipen: Prelude to Hell

Overconfidence. Math has never been a big issue for me. A 20min quiz on Coordinate Systems seemed easy enough. I've done my homework - there was no need to study for a simple quiz. But when I came face to face with my underestimated foe, all I could do was to stare helplessly at it for 10 minutes.

Nervously I pulled out the formulas from my memory and proceeded to attack the enemy. But unlike the tests of our Singaporean education system, the question (yes, there was only 1 question with 5 sub-questions) could not be solved with memorized formulas; one needed a deep understanding of the topic. I completed 75% of the quiz, only to realize I got it all wrong from the start. I re-did the question, but again I realized it was still wrong. That can't be good.

But I wasn't the only screwed one. Like a reaper hovering over a field of ripe wheat, the quiz swung its deadly scythe, slicing off the heads of the great majority.

I have never failed math IN MY LIFE. Much less a Super Fail.

Super F!

After this massacre, the whole class became instantly motivated. Flocks will gather around the Math Teaching Assistants to hear them preach after class. For 4 hours. I myself will strive for at least an A-.

Life is becoming more hectic as the days pass, and the days pass exceptionally fast. My new-found friend, Gavin, and I stayed back in school until 11.15pm yesterday to complete our assignments. And its hardly the peak period yet.

But as my psychology professor puts it, "It's hell, but it's enjoyable hell."

I love my modules! From Composition to C Programming, I am passionate about them all. My favourite of all is Psychology. My psychology professor is so hilarious and interesting, and his lessons are very, VERY practical. He teaches us about interacting with people with different personalities, self-development and motivation, and simply being happy. It's just so awesome, I gotta share more about it in another post =)

I always feared that a lazy and irresponsible person such as myself can't survive in DigiPen. By God's grace (and His divine rotan), my flesh is put in check. I need more of His grace; I feel I have been relying too much on my own planning and intelligence.

And I need to play more games! One can't make fun games if he doesn't play them.

But for now, sleep is imperative. Snooze out.

DigiPen Begins

My long awaited and dreaded moment has finally arrived.
I am a freshman of DigiPen.

Time really races rapidly. ORD is just 10 days away. Yeah, I'm not that excited about it =P

The highly acclaimed college for Games creating is prestigious, yes, but for a reason. The students are placed under high academic pressure, of which I have heard many horror stories. I am excited yet apprehensive...

70/100 = C- or 1.7 GPA
93/100 = A or 4.0 GPA

And there is no bell curve. If everyone does badly and fails, everyone DOES fail. But on the bright side, it means that everyone can get A's too. This sort of encourages cooperation between students, rather than selfish competition, so I'm quite happy for that =)

In any case, I am determined to do well, for the sake of my future, my family. I want to be more than financially capable of supporting my future family as well as my mother. I want to live out the dream of creating successful games. I want to glorify God.

My first lesson on monday will be Maths. Said to be the toughest module for Sem 1. Woot.

Anyway, I was at the orientation on Friday, and was surprised to see soooo many familiar faces. There were a huge lot of us from NYP lawls!