The mini celebrity

"Oh .. so you are Zhonghan ... the exchange student!" Wa lao I think I must have heard this line at least 20 times in the past week. Seems like I'm kinda a mini celebrity here...seems like a lot of singaporeans know me and I haven't even met them yet. and everyones like saying how I will enjoy life here as an exchange student simply because I only need to pass/fail. Well, granted that, and even though I'm still very much in tourist mood, still must study what!! In fact, the non-engine modules I'm taking here are really way more interesting than anything that I've ever taken before in NUS. OK lets see my modules

Microwave Technology: Already stated to be the hardest topic. I was never good at signals always. And I guess the class register of only 13 people says it all, how people are avoiding this module here. Hmm.
Human Computer Interaction: Not bad, no exams, but courseworks are already due next week. About how to design interfaces, so it's quite engaging topic
Control Engineering: Should be the most labourious of the modules, right now its just abstract formulae after another. the prof is good tho, he's Italian and he has an Italian accent. And he always wears his Lacoste shirt. So pro-Italia. heh
Intro to Comp Architecture: basically means assembly language. Labs and labs, hopefully straightforward even tho its tedious
Comm Systems: Tomorrow's my 1st lesson, but it's another signals module, so I think I'm not gonna do too good on this...
Project: oh yes. I'm doing the 3rd year of a 4yr MASTERS of Eng. course here in IC. But I will only get a B.Eng after I finish my final year in NUS .... oh well. sian. Anyways, I'm doing this M.Eng project with 5 other pple, of which 4 are Singaporeans. It's a rather power-group (so I was told), and I won't be one of those typical exchange students who pangseh their project grps. Besides I'm going to camp in the labs for 8 weeks in the summer to do our project. Right now.... our proposal is to devise a brainwave monitoring device. From scratch. Haha ... It's ambitious la, but it's gonna be fun n challenging
Roman Empire: My favourite topic of late, of my favourite empire. Hope its gonna be a blast! Think I'm really gonna enjoy it
Film Studies: Another of my recently acquired hobbies, though this will be a appreciation of rather old and classic movies like Sherlock Junior and Bonnie & Clyde and Casablanca. And not Matrix kinda contemporary stuff.

So there. the 2 humanities and project will last through the whole year, so that's 5 core modules + 3 others for the entire Autumn Sem. Rather xiong hor. I also think so... but no choice, they dont offer these in the Spring sem.

Anyways, weather in London has been surprisingly warm these couple of days. 2 things I noticed about Londoners:
1. In Singapore, we seen parents often carrying their child in their hands. But Londoners (or actually European) seem to have this fetish for posh baby carts. I swore I've not seen 2 of the same designs around ever since I've been here, and I've seen a lot of carts.
2. Drivers here are absolutely friendly to pedestrians. I mean, Singaporeans are so used to honking at pedestrians or when a driver in front of you stalls at the zebra crossing/road turning. I do that myself too sometimes hah. And I think I should pick this up from the Londoners la. Even though I see the rubbish truck driving at 80km/h through a narrow street, they still stop for the pedestrian (usually with a posh baby cart) to cross the street. Must change!!

Anyways the some of the Singaporeans from Holbein and WJ came to my chillout balcony last night for some .. erm .. chilling out. In fact so chill that we stayed indoors in my rather small and cosy room hah. Here's some pics
that girl's teresa.




Oh and Teresa's a 5th year medic in IC ... means shes 83 like me! So rare to find 83-ers around here. Cos the 83 guys all stay far away from me, and Evelyn gdns where I stay are mostly freshers. Oh well. Even the 3rd yr exchange guy from USA is 20 yrs old only. damn.

Ok, gotta go cook soon. early dinner tonight cos....... Queen's "We Wll Rock You" is waiting for me!