Steph's Friend

Sunday, February 11, 2007

On My Way To NTU's A Level Admission Talk

I noticed that being a bus driver is not just about driving. I went to Suntec City for an admission talk for A level students by NTU. Along the stretch at Orchard Road, there were some foreigners who spoke in english, asking questions like whether the bus goes to some place that they want to go. The bus driver was quite senior with grey hair, yet he was able to speak understandable english that answered those foreigners' questions. I guess it's part of being a bus driver. You need to know how to talk to people, especially tourists, as tourism generates some revenue for Singapore.

Then there was this senior looking lady who sat beside me. In her hands were quite a handful of plastic bags with stuff inside. When her stop came, she alighted. She stood up and one of her bags dropped. It dropped beside me. I decided to help her by picking it up and passing it to her. Surprisingly, she stooped down and picked it up way faster than I was! For a moment, I thought she was on drugs! It was so fast! After that this conversation followed:

Auntie: Why you want to take my things? You youngsters...old people still want to bully!
Me: But I was just trying to...
Auntie: But but but wad? I saw you trying to take my plastic bag.
Me: I wanted to help you.
Auntie: Luckily I picked it up first.

Okay, maybe the above didn't take place. But imagine the horror if it did.

Anyway, she said a "Thank you" and gave a smile. I returned her smile.

A few stops later, I reached Suntec. I looked at my watch and thought that I would be late. I rushed up the escalator. I saw the booths and posters. Then I saw this room with the words "Material Engineering". That's it. That's the room. I walked in and lo and behold...the talk has not begun...

After finding a place to sit, I cooled down and waited. The presenter was Associate Professor Ma Jan. He started the talk with this quote which I find interesting:

"Materials scientists explore what is, engineers create what has never been." Prof Theodore Von Karmen


Interesting huh? The talk was interesting and it motivated me to do well. I guess it's always good to keep in mind what you want to achieve and do in University. For with an aim, it's less likely to be lost. The talk basically introduced the course to would-be freshmen. After the talk was the Q&A. Interestingly, those who asked questions were parents and not students! This was a talk for students and the parents were the one who asked questions. Maybe the students are shy.

Overall, I would say that I learnt quite a lot today, especially on what I plan to achieve in NTU MSE :)

Well, here's a video from YouTube on Speaking English. Enjoy.




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2 Comments:

Blogger Jerine said...

Eh? How old are you? How come you go to some A Level interview talk? I thought you were older than A Level range

12:37 AM, February 12, 2007  
Blogger Steph said...

Lol...this year I will be 21. I am not going to do A Levels as I completed them already. It's a talk for University admissions for those who have an A Level certificate.

6:26 AM, February 12, 2007  

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