2010

The other day a friend of mine tried to convince me to start blogging again. I thought i'd just dust off this place and just do a lookback at the year that was 2009....

Jan-May: Finished up what was my graduating semester in NUS.

after almost 5 years, i've finally come out with my degree (and a 2nd class lower honours to boot). However, that wasn't the end of my NUS journey as something i said on the last day of project submissions proved rather.... prophetic.

The final sem was rather fun, getting to know all the honours class people. Thanks guys for the birthday cake that i unfortunately couldn't eat, the wild party on the last day of school, and all those hours of camping out in the cosy room, where everyone was just chionging projects continuously.

Along the way i got involved in my first-ever (and maybe only) photography / mixed-media exhibition, made many more friends (some of which have become pretty close), and just basically had an experience i probably wouldn't have gotten otherwise.

May-Nov: LASIK Surgery: The Laser Way to Better Sight (3rd Edition). AKA how Chris became a web / publications designer.

Background story: 3 years ago my uncle got me to help him do his 2nd edition of the above-mentioned book. That time i only did the text. This time when we did the revision, i did more. A LOT MORE.

That 6-month gig at my uncle's (which never looked like ending for the longest time) possibly was one of the most beneficial experiences in my life, because of what came with it. The good thing was i worked only 3-days a week (more days optional since i was paid per hour), and it actually gave me time to hang out with my grandfather (picking him up on my work days cos he had dialyis, and hanging out at his place on the days i didn't). And those 6 months taught me quite a bit (i suppose most of you don't know that i've always considered my grandfather one of the people i've most wanted to be like).

I have to admit that doing a layout for a 192-page book (even though i can just follow format of a previous edition) is no joke. Together with having to do layouts for instruction manuals and a website, that's just... intense. But all that set the stage for what was to come next.... the next stage to set up the "fulfillment" of my "prophetic" statement a few months earlier...

Aug-Sept: Taught Photoshop and Illustrator to CNM NM2208 students.

When an opportunity came up, I jumped on a possible chance of joining Ubisoft as a marcomms (marketing / communications) 3-month contract staff. I went for the interview, sat for the test, but didn't make it (for a while i was bummed). When i got the rejection, i decided (on a whim) to take up a job as a Photoshop / Illustrator instructor to NM2208 students (for those who didn't have background in those applications - personally i had no background in Illustrator at that point so i picked it up as i went along).

The pay for the job was pretty decent (comparable to working on the book and website), and another piece of the puzzle for the big "fulfillment" was set in motion...

Nov 2009-Jun 2011: Teaching Assistant in Communications & New Media.

So this is where i am now. back in school (a friend once joked that i seemed dead-set on not leaving NUS). I've been assigned to teach 2 modules that i've taken as an undergraduate (more specifically, NM2208 and NM3217). I'd have to say that those 6 months at my uncle's had helped me tremendously in securing the job. If i hadn't taken the Photoshop / Illustrator gig, i wouldn't have known about the vacancy for Teaching Assistant open up (and applied for it ASAP). and my lecturer wouldn't have decided to nominate me as a candidate for it.

The job interview with my HOD was nothing like what i expected it to be, and was more of a "ok, here's what i'm expecting you to do". Before I knew it, i was a full-time staff in CNM. So now, i've helped students with their projects, done a bit of marking, and done some more publications layouts (for the department of course). and my HOD has just given me the gigantic task of helping revamp our department website ("no pressure of course, but i know you're a good designer!" Holy crap to that. She doesn't know i think i'm a horrendous designer, who just happens to get lucky).

So that's pretty much been the year for me. Rather interesting i suppose, in a mundane kind of way.

Incidentally, my "prophetic statement" that i made during the last week of project submissions is this - "if i can't find a job anywhere else, i'll come back to CNM and become a TA." And to think i said it half-jokingly at the time.

P.S. this teaching assistant gig is actually quite apt. It actually fits in rather nicely with the 5-year plan. And yes, singlehood is still pretty much on the cards.