Sem 5, Week 10: Relaxed...

Ok, so the 10th week of the semester is just over. Things seems to be picking up, and I am feeling a bit more relaxed.

In the beginning of the week, I decided I should function in a higher energy and be more pro-active in approaching matters (like I had always been, but seems to lost it recently). Somehow it works. Throughout the week I maintain a fast pace at work and in school. Work gets done, things started moving and momentum started to build up again. The feeling of being unsettle slowly wore off, and I can say I am 80% back to normal.

Then what about the 20%? That 20% wasn't achieve yet because I don't think I am focus enough yet. I need to concentrate more. I need to be more disciplined in getting everything done. There's still small pockets of time here and there that I just slacked off or became un-focus. If I can dispel that, I will be back 100%.

The semester is coming to a close and exams is just about a month away. This week, 3 things is going to happen: the lit report for Contemporary Organometallic Chemistry will be due, presentation slides for Graduate Organic Chemistry will have to be submitted and Quiz 2 for Graduate Organic Chemistry will be held this Friday. I was suppose to complete the report and slides over the weekend, and start revising for the Quiz. So far, I have only come up with the draft for the slides.

Then there's still the disturbing fact that I crash my CA1 for Advanced Topics in Medicinal Chemistry. So why am I feeling relaxed? I don't really know. Maybe it's the realization that the semester are heading to an end, and the stressful mid-term is over; maybe is the satisfaction that things are picking up once again, and I am once again feeling confident. I am really not sure.

But one thing I do know is that, it had been an OK week and I should keep the momentum going to make this week a good week. So, time to get back to work.

Sem 5, Week 9: Unsettled

Ok, so the 9th week of the semester was over yesterday. And somehow I am feeling rather unsettled.

After a bumpy 7th and 8th week, I thought things should be going more smoothly last week. Especially since the turmoil that is mid-term tests is over, and some level of peace had been restored.

I thought wrong.

Somehow I was feeling unsettled. As in, I wasn't focus. I was not concentrating enough; was not putting in the effort to get things back on track.

It's not just in studies also, but in work too. Work and studies behaves in the same way, the more one leaves them alone, the more they pile up (and the faster they pile up).

I really don't know why was I feeling unsettled. Maybe the horror of CA1 (Advanced Topics in Medicinal Chemistry) is still haunting me. Or maybe it's because I got a new TV in my room, and it's becoming a distraction. Maybe it's because I'm doing too many reactions at work, and not nearly doing enough to keep things in order )it always bothers me if my reactions/record/compounds/etc are not in order...)

Or simply, it's just mid-term, and I am feeling a bit worn and tired.

Whatever the cause, the semester will end in roughly a month's time, and the clock is ticking. Since I had identified a few possible causes, I think I will just work on them. Of course, together with a hearty dose of hard work and effort, I will be able to get back on form again.

Let's hope for a better 10th week.

Sem 5, Week 8: Mid-Term

OK, so the 8th week of the semester was over yesterday. And it's time to re-evaluate the objective for this semester.

Lit scan for Contemporary Organometallic Chemistry was submitted on time. The next time for this module will be the lit report, which will be due in two and a half weeks' time. There are more pressing issues at hand, so I won't be worrying about this lit scan until next weekend. But I had skipped the past two lectures, so it's time to do some catch up.

Skipped last week lecture for Graduate Organic Chemistry too, so need to catch up on that also. The next big thing for this module is the presentation. Need to submit the slides next Monday. No question this will be the main event this coming week...

Sat for CA1 of Advanced Topics in Medicinal Chemistry last Saturday. (It's the reason why I had been skipping lecture this week...) It ended as a disaster. There are two questions. I struggled through part 1 of question 1, and my mind was totally blank for question 2. To top it all off, I could had answer part 2 or question 1 easily, but somehow - I don't know why- I left that part out and didn't answer it at all. So yah, most likely I had flunked this CA1.

This isn't the most ideal way to end the mid-term. But then the only thing I can do now is to look ahead. It's time to take stock and evaluate the situation. From the looks of it, I will definitely need to prioritize the module. Maybe I will need to lower my expectation for this semester a bit. Now in the second half of the semester, there cannot be anymore mistake.

Luckily, the good news for last week is that some progress had been made in the project. That's the only bright spot for last week.

Sem 5, Week 7: Wayward

Ok, so the 7th week of the semester was just over yesterday.

Beginning of the week I attended the wake of the brother of one of my skating kakis. These kakis are friends I made after I came back from Basel. Though we don't meet up often (maybe once a couple of months nowadays...), and is not really familiar with each other's life, we still come together to celebrate each other birthdays and, in this case, to share a time of sorrow. I guess as adult friends go, this is already very good.

Had quiz 1 for Graduate Organic Chemistry on Friday. For this quiz, I skipped the Thursday's lecture for for Contemporary Organometallic Chemistry. The quiz was easy enough, though I'm quite sure I will miss a few points here and there. Oh well, it's over, look for to the next quiz then....

Was supposed to complete lit scan for Contemporary Organometallic Chemistry over the weekend. Somehow that was not done. Instead, I took a long, extended rest over the weekend, doing nothing and getting myself a TV along the way too. Slacking for the whole weekend is a luxury I can ill-afford. Now I have quite a bit of catch-up to do this following week.

Advanced Topics in Medicinal Chemistry is another module I need to do catch up with. The CA1 is this coming Saturday, and I was supposed to start revision for it last Friday. Maybe the sense of relieve after quiz 1 for Graduate Organic Chemistry lingered around for too long. I dun feel like getting back to work/study when I'm feeling so relieved...

Luckily for me, I had recovered from flu (and the irritating cough that followed). So it's time to stop things from getting even more wayward and putting them back on track.