Author: alearningaday

An unexpected call..

Varun – my school + bench mate who’s currently studying at IIT in Chennai was one of the big saving graces at DAV Gopalapuram in my 2 years. While Eli, Adi and I (the 4 of us sat next to each other for 2 years) were constantly bunking classes on the pretext of inter-dav games, culturals etc, Varun was our savior in terms of notes, explanations of what was going on in class. Not only because he was a superb student, also because the sciences were his domain!

Anyway, we’ve pretty successfully kept in touch over these years, more so in the last year. I went to check out his room etc with Mom when I was home this time and he gave me an unexpected call on Gtalk today and we were catching up on general stuff for about 20 mins.

It made my day..

I think I should give someone else an unexpected gtalk call and (hopefully) make their day as well.. :D

Remembering RCS Sir..

This is something I have always wanted to do – remember the spirit of individuals who have had an impact on my life. It may sound a bit like eulogizing about someone dead and gone or something, but I actually feel it is about remembering the spirit of the person and remembering the learnings..

RCS Sir or Ramachandrasekhar sir was my Sanskrit teacher for 3 years at DAV Mogappair (I switched schools 8 times.. so there are going to be many). I was fortunate to be taught by many an exceptional teacher and RCS sir was right up there on that list..

He had a deep impact over those years. A few of the most memorable ones are –

1) The Mahabharata – The Mahabharata is a Hindu epic story. Very basically put, it is a story where 5 brothers are wronged by their cousins time after time and finally decide to fight for their right and against all odds, triumph in an 18 day battle. We once had a lesson about an incident in the war and I can still remember the way he brought it to life with his many stories. He inspired me to buy a 850 page version of the Mahabharata (by Kamala Subramaniam). That is a book I’ve read many many times despite the large size and learnt so much from it..

2) Talking in stories: Sir’s classes were lots and lots of fun because of his ability to talk in stories. This is a lesson that is basic in every presentation skill lesson.. yet I had the privelege of seeing it in action for 3 years. Sudarshan (also a student of Sir’s and friend here) and I still recall the fascinating tales.. Years since, I’ve forgotten the Sanskrit.. but I still remember the stories. :)

3) Treating us as adults: RCS sir was very feared in the early days because he wholly believed in ‘Spare the rod and spoil the child’.. but as we grew up and reached our 9th grade(/Sec4 I think..), he began treating us as adults with no policing whatsoever. He was probably the only teacher who trusted us. And sure, there may have been times when the trust was misplaced (as we were a crazy bunch of 30 boys), but I sure am better for it..

I visit all my 3 schools at home every time I visit and it is a pleasure to go back and just catch up with Sir. And of course, being very modern, we are obviously in touch via email. I just felt today should be a day I remember the many things I learnt from RCS sir. The 3 listed above are just the tip of the iceberg..

Phenomenal teacher, wonderful person.. Our RCS Sir.. I know this little note probably doesn’t do him enough justice, still, it’s an attempt. And with every attempt I’ll get better I guess..haha

Thank you Sir.. I shalt never forget.. :)

ES2007S Proposal Peer Review

4.Problem Statement

In a recent interview conducted with Mrs. Corrine Ong, Director of the NUS Career Centre, it was revealed that NUS fresh graduates have a lower employment rate as compared to SMU fresh graduates in the banking and consulting sector. Relatively weaker oral communication skills could be a major contributing factor to this statistic. Additionally, we could also be looking at a factor that could possibly stall careers of students aspiring to build their careers in such firms.

This study aims to determine the cause of NUS students having weak oral communication skills and investigate possible curriculum changes to improve these skills in students, specifically applicable in the banking and consulting sector.

5. Purpose Statement

This proposal aims to convince the NUSEU that the current faculties’ curriculums are insufficient in equipping NUS students with the essential oral communication skills to compete in the banking and consulting sector. And that an improvement in the curriculum must be made.

Midnight walk and top of the table..

Just took a midnight walk thanks to calls from my ArtVibe team to check out their cool completed masterpiece. I was tempted not to go with FYP and work generally looming but hey.. given I wrote the line about letting ourselves being influenced first, there was no way I was saying no..

And boy, isn’t their work a master-piece?

Some Facts –
1,600 sq feet..
Handpainted largely by 5 incredible people (with help from a few others as well..)
They are hoping 2,000 NUS students will sign on this work of art..

Oh, And I think they deserve an award if they manage to pull it off and survive the week! Here’s to them.. Very proud! :D

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On a side note, United beat Liverpool 2-1 today.. and Chelsea drew meaning United are now top of the table..

Trophies are only handed out in May, but we ought to celebrate small wins, right? :D