Perception

The first week of the term is over, and it’s been the busiest first week I’ve ever had in my four semesters in school. Most of my time has been taken up by a single module, CS3216 (and quite expectedly so), and that’s mostly because it’s easily the only module I’ve been passionate about. I don’t foresee being any less busy in the coming weeks, so I’m pretty much banking on my time management skills to get me through unscathed.

I think it’s interesting how I ended up taking a module which quite frankly wasn’t anywhere near my academic roadmap until two months ago, and even then it was because one of the most awesome people in the School of Computing was promoting the perks of the module and the professor to me. It piqued my interest somewhat, and I applied for it after the examinations anyway, but in my mind I doubted I’d be taking it because I wouldn’t have been able to fit the module anywhere into the plans that I had made with the inclusion of NOC Silicon Valley.

Failing my calculus module last semester changed all that, and having to retake that painful module meant that I would have to all but give up my ambition of doing a double minor. I have additional modular credits that I still need to cover for Unrestricted Electives, and when I realised I was accepted for CS3216, a thought popped into my head that said ‘Why not?’.

CS3216 Software Development on Evolving Platforms is pretty much the unmodule of NUS, with a workload that is infamously heavy and past cohorts of brilliant students. It defies the structure of most modules, having no exams and no bell curve, and an inherent flexibility that borders on controversial. I was pleased to find out that CS3216 doesn’t lay claim on the intellectual property of the projects, and heartened to know that there were practically no boundaries in this module.

In spite of its attractiveness, I was still pretty torn about whether to take this module, even up until a few days before school. CS3216 seemed like a gem of a module, something even rarer than an interesting lecturer, and to not take it seemed a foolish choice. Yet, the advice given by some of my friends against me taking this was sound, and more importantly I had a CAP score that was screaming for attention. I could, after all, just find an easier module to take to fulfill the four modular credits.

Against all logic and the fear of a declining CAP score, I decided to go ahead with it. But unlike most people who are taking this module, I’m not taking it to learn how to work with people, learn programming (except Facebook development, maybe) or for the challenge. If I really wanted a challenge, I’d try to do a double degree in Engineering and Math, and take seven modules a semester. Anyhow, I examined my motivations for taking CS3216, and came up with the following three reasons:

The People. The strongest pull factor of this module is undeniably the talented cohort it attracts. I’m looking forward to networking with like-minded entrepreneurs, and well, just getting to know some of the most awesome and motivated people in the school.

The Module. If anybody asked me what my favourite module in school was, at least I’d have something to say.

The Decision. I’m most likely going to have to make a very important decision this year regarding NOC, and I’m really, really hoping that I’ll be able to find my answer talking to people from this module. I worry about this decision more often than I’d like to.

I’m really curious as to what my thoughts will be regarding this module at the end of the semester. I doubt I’ll regret taking this module, and the rush of adrenaline and exhilaration so far has got me pretty excited about the rest of the school term. I feel more motivated than before, more driven, and hopefully I’ll be able to make up for the failings of last semester. Somehow, despite my general cynicism towards academia, this feels like a good time to be in school.

Tags: CS3216, Facebook, NOC

The new year began with the familiar feeling the previous one did, that of worry and anxiety involving selecting modules for the upcoming school term. Despite trying to plan for the semester beforehand, complications always arise during CORS bidding with exam date clashes and what not. Besides the study break and examination period, these two weeks are arguably the most stressful time for any semester, and the depressing thing is I still have minimally another four semesters to go.

Anyhow, 2009 ended a few days ago, and considering that I’m trying to be more of a goal-oriented person, I’ll revisit the goals I set myself a year ago and see where I’ve come up short.

I missed what was probably my main objective of the year then, which was to pick up Python, but fortunately I’ve been able to use PHP, MySQL and CodeIgniter to build a couple of sites for myself. I guess I just didn’t have the drive to learn a new programming language last year, and was instead more focused on the application of my current knowledge. I did manage to do more reading than in 2008, finishing a few of John Grisham’s works, and right now I’m in the middle of Founders at Work by Jessica Livingston and The Art of Community by Jono Bacon. I’m hoping to borrow or purchase a copy of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig, and with any luck finish it by the middle of the year.

With regards to my fitness, I’ve moderately improved (or at least that’s how I feel about it), managing to secure an Incentive for my IPPT. Hardly impressive, of course, but sufficient to get by the rest of the year without further response from MINDEF. My grades, on the other hand, went on a roller coaster ride of sorts, soaring in the middle of the year before bottoming out at the end of it. That was quite discouraging naturally, and the decline of my CAP means I missed the mark with respects to my last goal.

My goals for 2010 would include a continuation of those I set for myself in 2009, but maybe this time around I’ll be able to successfully accomplish all of them.

Scale sgBEAT to greater heights
sgBEAT was definitely something I didn’t see coming at the start of last year, but yet now it’s easily my greatest priority. The service has enjoyed quite a fair bit of growth over the last few months, and I think there’s definitely potential for more. 2010 is going to be an exciting year for sgBEAT, and some things I hope that we’ll be able to see through this year is more growth, possible collaborations with businesses and ideally, a revenue stream.

Improve on my grades
Enough said.

Learn Python
I really need to find time to get down to this after a year of procrastination. Although Ruby on Rails has been getting popular, I think I’ll go ahead with Python on Django first. With regards to web design, there’s still HTML5 and CSS3 which I’ve yet to sufficiently explore, and even YUI as well.

Fulfill IDA’s ELITe programme
Both my mentorship and internship are slated to be this year, and doing well in this programme is something I’d like to achieve.

These four goals are probably more than enough to keep me busy and focused for the rest of the year, although I think for next year I’ll try to set more quantifiable ones. I’m really looking forward to what this year has in store for me outside of academia; school, on the other hand, is something that I can’t wait to be over.

Tags: CodeIgniter, CSS3, Django, Founders at Work, HTML5, IPPT, Jessica Livingston, Jono Bacon, MySQL, PHP, Python, Rails, Resolutions, Robert Pirsig, Ruby, sgBEAT, The Art of Community, YUI, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Apparently I’m involved a tradition where I post up my results at the end of every semester, whether to serve as a congratulatory or deprecative notice to myself of the passing of the school term, and this time round is no exception, although what it looks like is more of the latter. I would say that the results for this semester, while shocking to a certain extent, have been deserved and came somewhat unsurprisingly. It will always be a clear and harsh reminder of my failings, and I look to the subsequent semesters I have left to make up for this indelible blemish.

CS2102 Database Systems: B
CS2105 Introduction to Computer Networks: B+
LSM1301 General Biology: B
MA1505 Mathematics I: F
SSA2202 Changing Landscapes of Singapore: A-

CAP: 4.03

I pretty much know why I did horrendously, so the immediate fix for next semester would be to not repeat it. On the other hand, I think I’m going to have to reflect a little deeper on my ultimate motivations and priorities with regards to school, and the inevitable acknowledgement that I’m just not putting in enough effort. At least the year’s coming to an end, so hopefully I’ll be able to leave this disappointed feeling behind.

Tags: CAP, CS2102, CS2105, Failure, LSM1301, MA1505, Results, SSA2202

The third semester of my university term is just about over, and this has by far been the most challenging one of all. I look back with the regret that I did not manage my time better and of the wrong choices I made, but in this position now I know that the last four months have been nothing more than a stern test of my character and discipline, with me performing rather poorly in both those regards. Yet, I feel these mistakes only apply to the decisions pertinent to my studies, and outside of academia I’m pleased with my relatively significant achievements.

The highs of this past semester would have been unexpected half a year ago, and they are mainly my successful enrollment into the NUS Overseas College Programme for Silicon Valley as well as the securing of my internship and mentorship with IDA under the ELITe Programme. It was time-consuming at times preparing for the interviews and attending the necessary briefings, but of course at the end of the day the trouble was well worth it. These two programmes will most likely be the highlights of my academic life in 2010, and at least I won’t have to hunt for an internship come May.

Another bonus for me is the growth of sgBEAT which I’m certainly very pleased about, and we’ve come a long way since our Beta release over seven months ago. There is still so much to be done, and I’m looking forward to the next seven months as we find ways to expand and improve our service, while building a brand that will hopefully be synonymous with nice, sweet things. This entrepreneurship thing is truly giving me quite a kick, although I know that there’s still a reservoir of skills and knowledge I’ve yet to learn. It certainly beats trying to earn modular credits through forced studying though.

Which brings me to the depressing points of my semester, and how I handled my studies in an irresponsible fashion. I think the results that will be released next week will speak for this fact, and I know that there’s definitely so much more I could have done. Trying to catch up last minute is too hard a game to play, and apparently I had to learn this the hard way. Looking on the bright side, I have at least another five semesters to make up for the disastrous one I just had.

It seems to me that my performance this semester has been pretty polar in this sense, probably as a consequence of my misplaced priorities, but then again I’ve never been all that dedicated to my studies, so to suggest that I would change overnight would make me rather hypocritical. I think much better time management would be necessary, and probably enough discipline for me to keep up with the lesson plans. Module selection will play a part too, although I don’t think the modules are getting any easier in that respect.

Every semester so far has been a different experience, and in a way I’m glad this semester turned out the way it did, as I’d definitely avoid repeating the mistakes I had made. The highs and lows of school life is pretty much the only sustaining factors that make studying any interesting, but next year I’m certainly going to try to keep away from the lows.

Tags: ELITe, IDA, NOC, sgBEAT

It’s been a hundred days since I attended the IDA ELITe programme briefing at the end of July, and since then I’ve managed to secure a mentorship and internship with IDA, with the former beginning on January 1, 2010. The initial pace of this programme has generally been slow but comfortable, which I suppose is because of the coordination required with the twenty-six companies and three universities involved.

After confirming my participation in the programme in August, a ‘Meet-the-Mentor’ networking session was held in early October, where most of the companies came down to share what a possible mentorship or internship with them would be like, all at a single venue. Two meeting rooms at the Suntec Convention Centre were used for this event, and it was all a pretty semi-formal affair.

I didn’t talk to the representatives of all the companies that were there, considering my lack of interest in most of them, especially the banks. Some of the internship scopes described highly technical roles too, so those didn’t really excite me as well. Most if not all the companies couldn’t really confirm what kind of projects or assignments an internship with them would involve as it would depend on the internship date and duration, so that didn’t really increase their appeal either.

I was quite enthusiastic about what MobileOne (M1) had to offer though, and the representatives present were pretty detailed about the direction of their Web Services department. But due to a possible conflict of interest with my involvement in sgBEAT, I couldn’t list them down in my selection. Ultimately, I narrowed down my choices to a few companies – IDA, Ecquaria Technologies, iSyndica and VSee, a company based in Silicon Valley and involved with the NUS Overseas College (NOC) programme as well. I listed UBS as my fifth choice for good measure (but mostly for fun).

I was hoping I would be able to secure a mentorship with VSee, as this would allow me to fulfill both programmes with a single internship, but sadly they never got back to me. However, I was fortunate enough to get interviews with UBS, IDA and Ecquaria Technologies all within the span of a week. The UBS interview was normal, I suppose, but somehow or other I didn’t really understand exactly what most of the IT departments there did. Considering my major in Communications and Media, the internship scope would probably be completely unsuitable for me, and so I was surprised that I even got called down for an interview. I did get rejected, though.

The IDA interview was interesting as there was a briefing prior to it which gave me a better understanding as to what the respective departments were doing. I had quite a lot of things to say during the interview, thankfully, so it wasn’t awkward even with three interviewers. The best thing was that IDA offered me a mentorship and internship programme the following afternoon, and I couldn’t wait to agree to it. I wanted to clarify with my future mentor about my possible NOC commitments in 2010 first though, and she was okay with it, which is simply awesome.

I think I was the only Communications and Media major among the group of students for that particular interview, so that probably differentiated me in a way. It was quite a shame that I had to cancel the interview with Ecquaria Technologies, having taken up the IDA offer already.

The next step in the ELITe programme is probably the mentorship itself, which is slated to start on the first day of next year. I’m still unclear about what I’d have to do for the mentorship, but managing to secure one with IDA is probably good for my possible career prospects with them in the future.

Tags: Ecquaria Technologies, ELITe, IDA, iSyndica, M1, NOC, sgBEAT, UBS, VSee

Since August, my friend and I have been working on a online shop selling Coach products, and we’ve finally gotten around to launching it about two weeks ago. We had already taken the photographs of the items about a month back, but we didn’t really have time to come up with the content and design of the site, what with school and everything. We finally managed to spend about a day post-midterms to get down to completing it, and safe to say the site is live now.

the loft (name courtesy of my co-founder) sells authentic Coach items brought back from the States, and we sell them at competitive prices in Singapore. It’s my first attempt at selling products online that are relatively luxurious, and I look forward to the experience of selling a product. My contribution has been to purchase the items from my brother as well as code up the website, which was quite simple considering I used CodeIgniter for it. I suppose the most tedious part was watermarking the photographs and saving them into the different sizes, but I managed to get that done in about an afternoon.

We have only been marketing the site to our friends so far, and we’ve started a Facebook group to try and raise awareness about our online shop. We’ll be looking to promote our site in various forums too, and hopefully this cost-free advertising will be an effective means of marketing. Meanwhile, it’s good to see that people are reaching the site via search engines, so improving its rankings will be something I’ll be looking to do. Also, there’s another collection of items that we will be putting up on the site shortly.

Tags: Coach, CodeIgniter, Facebook, Marketing, the loft

So the tribulations of the past week came in the form of four mid-term papers, all of which I profess I wasn’t adequately prepared for. The week prior to the last was the much fabled ‘recess week’, a mythical seven days of supposed rest. This was hardly the case, however, and I spent much of the first few days working on the CS2102 Database Systems project, and the rest studying for the mid-terms.

I realised I haven’t written anything about school this semester, which is probably because school hasn’t been the least interesting so far. It seems like the last academic year was a lot more fun than the current one, and I’m attributing my current misery to my poor module selection. A sad mix of Calculus, Biology and Singapore Studies can indeed make for a boring term, but the greater tragedy is that I would have had to take the aforementioned modules sooner or later anyway.

I can’t really say how I’ve been coping with schoolwork, but I should definitely start devoting greater time and attention to the looming mountain of projects and assignments before me. The problem is that one can only be so enthusiastic in doing something that isn’t even remotely fun, and considering there aren’t any alternatives to getting through this semester, I guess that leaves me little choice. Maybe I should take solace in the fact that the semester is sort of half over, although what it really means is that finals are getting closer, but I digress.

So back to the mid terms, and the fact that having three papers within the first two days isn’t the most encouraging form of motivation one would want to have. I had spent hours on end reading and re-reading my SSA2202 Changing Landscapes in Singapore textbook, and hopefully what I wrote for the essay question was relevant and sufficient. I made some unfortunate careless mistakes in the MCQ though, so doing well for this paper looks pretty unlikely.

Speaking of doing poorly, my next two papers were, in the wise words of the Internet Generation, ‘epic fail’. I got quite confused by the multiple-choice questions in the Database Systems paper, and had to reinvest precious time into trying to understand what the questions were asking. This left less time for the open-ended part of the paper, and having to rush though forty percent worth of marks can lead to no good end. I’m not sure how the cohort generally found the paper, although it’d be ideal if they didn’t all find it a breeze.

Slightly more than an hour after that paper was my Calculus paper, and well, I don’t really want to talk about the extent of how badly I did for it. I hate that module, and while ‘hate’ is a strong word, it perfectly expresses the absolute detestation and disdain I have for Calculus. Just like how it ruined my ‘O’ and ‘A’ Levels, the horrors of differentiation and integration have returned to haunt me a third time. I think I’ve sufficiently conveyed my point, so I’ll just stop here.

The last mid-term paper, taken just hours earlier, was for CS2105 Introduction to Computer Networks. Not everything that was supposed to be tested came out, which in a way is kind of a good thing for me considering I didn’t really get that last chapter. But what caught me off guard was the second section, where I was supposed to fill in the blanks. It’s a straightforward enough instruction, yes, but some of the statements given were quite vague, and I over-complicated things by trying to speculate whether the length of the blanks had anything to do with the length of the answers that were supposed to be in there.

This post has sort of turned into a rant probably as a result of the exasperation I’m feeling, and reading through it has highlighted to me the great amount of effort I’ll need to turn this semester around. The post-mids reality is still a depressing one, however, as I’ve two important projects to finish over the course of the next few weeks. And I’ve yet to get started on one of them.

Update: I managed to score above average for both CS2102 and CS2105, so I’m pretty relieved. I’ll need to do slightly better for both to comfortably get at least a B for both those modules, but of course I’m setting much higher goals for myself. I flunked my Calculus paper as expected, however, so the results aren’t all that good.

Tags: CS2102, CS2105, SSA2202

My application for the NUS Overseas College (NOC) programme for July 2010 has been the focus of my last four weeks, and so far I’ve been successfully through the first two stages. I’m currently waiting for the result of the Round Two interview, although I’m not really sure when it’s due to be released. I guess I’ll be waiting pretty nervously these upcoming weeks.

The NOC Programme in a nutshell is a year-long internship at a start up in a major city like Silicon Valley, Beijing and Stockholm. Besides just working, the programme also includes an academic attachment at a local university, and another bonus is the awarding of a Minor in Technopreneurship upon its completion. Such is the attractiveness of NOC, and the limit on the number of selected applicants only serves to heighten its exclusiveness.

Ironically, in a post slightly less than a year ago, I mentioned I wasn’t interested in going overseas, and back then it was true. A drastic change of personal circumstances occurred earlier this year however, and my priorities have significantly shifted. NOC now rests comfortably on top of the heap of things I hope to achieve before graduation, which probably explains the conflicting overzealous excitement and excessive worry that I’ve been experiencing over the last month.

This fervour started when they sent out the email around August 10th announcing that NOC applications were open. I knew I had NOC on my charts, but I still wanted to spend some thinking it through. The online application was relatively straightforward, requiring quite a fair bit of personal and academic details. The harder parts were writing a 300-word essay in which I had to describe my entrepreneurial aspirations as well as how NOC would benefit me, and also getting relevant references for the programme.

That was Stage I, and definitely the easiest of all, as it wasn’t long after that I received the email requesting me to select an interview timing. As I had submitted on the deadline of the online application, I was one of the last few and thus had little choice in my selection, and I ended up with a slot on the last day of the Round One interview.

The first interview, or Stage II, was a relatively casual affair. The attire required for the interview was smart casual, and the interviewers were an NOC senior and a member of staff. The questions asked included the critical one of every interview (yes, I’m looking at you, “Tell us about yourself.”), but the later questions were more specific and relevant to the programme. I had to talk about quite a range of things, such as my entrepreneurial ambitions, what career I saw myself in in future, what I would do if I did not make it for NOC, etc.

I didn’t make it a point to memorise anything beyond an introduction of myself, and so I took the questions spontaneously. I think I managed to say most of what I intended to say, although I felt there were some ‘not-so-useful’ questions which involved self-promotion, like when I was asked to evaluate my own interpersonal skills. I was prompted during the questioning that they were looking for individuals who were able to interact well with other people, and I honestly doubt that anyone sitting in that chair would put up their hand and say, “You got me there.”

I was asked to pitch sgBEAT during this interview, and I got to talk about OrangeOasis, so I’d like to think they had a say in me making it past that stage. Nonetheless, I wasn’t really sure how I did after the interview, so I was pretty relieved to receive the good news (via email again) the next morning. The next step was to book a timing for the Round Two interview, and that was when the real worrying began.

Stage III, the Round Two interview, was serious business. One of the interviewers was the Professor in charge of the NUS Overseas College programme apparently, and I felt it was crucial to make an impression in this round. The attire was formal, and I was required to prepare a hard copy of my curriculum vitae. I thought it would be pretty fun to try and be different, so instead of printing out my usual CV in Word, I went the whole nine yards and designed it Photoshop before having it printed on glossy paper. Costly, no doubt, but hopefully memorable to the interviewers whether I make it through or not.

Safe to say, the second interview was nothing like the first. The other two interviewers present were another Professor as well as a member of the NOC alumni, and the batch of questions asked were far more impromptu than that of the previous round. I think the interview was set out to render any preparation made useless, as the interviewers would often interrupt my answer with another question, and subsequently that answer with another. It was confusing at times, as I frequently tried hard to relate my answers back to the original question, only to realise that the conversation had ended up so off-tangent by then.

Apparently the interviewers aren’t given the information provided in the online application, so between the hard copy of my CV and myself, I had to try my best to impress them within the twenty minutes allocated. The obvious questions were why I applied for the programme, why I chose Silicon Valley, and why I feel I deserve to be selected for it. I was also asked to describe sgBEAT, discuss possible monetization strategies as well as value it (which I declined/was unable to do so), and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I said enough to leave them with something to think about. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to talk about the other projects I’m involved in, so that was certainly quite a shame.

I left the second interview slightly in a daze, and I personally felt that it would be one of those interviews where even if I made it through, I wouldn’t be sure exactly why or how I did it. I’m now left to wait with apprehension for the result, and I’m really hoping that the next email I receive from the programme will bring good news. This post has gotten far longer than I had hoped, but I think I managed to cover most of what I’ve gone through in my NOC process so far.

Update: I’ve been “provisionally accepted for the NUS College in Silicon Valley (NCSV) JUL 2010 Intake”, and I’m totally overjoyed that I’m another step closer. I’m not really sure when the company interviews will take place, although I’m guessing it’ll most probably be next year. On hindsight, I’m glad I didn’t take up the IT Director position in NES (although I almost did to increase my NOC chances) as it’s really not a necessary condition after all.

Tags: Minor in Technopreneurship, NOC, OrangeOasis, sgBEAT

It’s been just over a hundred days since sgBEAT launched into public Beta, and over this time we’ve witnessed a substantial growth of our user base. I’m personally delighted that so many Singaporeans have found the service useful, as this has always been my motivation working on this project.

While watching this increase in users has obviously been satisfying, the rise in the adoption rate has also presented new challenges. I must admit I’m thankful I’m not involved in the technical scaling of the service, but I feel that we’ve coped pretty well with this continuous influx of users. I don’t claim that our users are dependent on the service, but as more and more people sign up for it, a rare technical glitch or temporary downtime has far broader effects than before. Dealing with this has been one of the challenges for me, and the message that I always hope to get across is that while we strive to be perfect, we are still prone to errors like anyone else.

As always, the team has been working hard to reduce the possibility of any downtime, and we’ve even introduced a second gateway as an alternative for our users. Most users have been understanding whenever we face problems, although some can be pretty harsh with their remarks. Nonetheless, valid criticisms are also a source of motivation for us to improve.

Regarding aspects I’m closer to, the layout of sgBEAT has undergone a redesign in two major areas. Firstly, slide-out tabs are now used in the user’s dashboard, which hopefully will simplify the layout through the reduction of the number of panels. The front page also now has a new look, with the removal of the previous slideshow and a greater emphasis on our features and brand. I definitely don’t believe this is the end of the design iterations, and as more features are implemented we’ll be making sure that the design scales accordingly.

Speaking of features, these past 3 months have seen a range of exclusive functionalities being implemented in the service, such as a reverse Twitter bridge, MMS, maps and polls. I won’t go into detail about each of them, but I’m glad to say that more cool features are already in the pipeline.

These last 100 days or so has been an exciting, trying and sometimes frustrating period of time, but it’s an experience I’m really happy I got to go through. What the next 100 days will bring, of course, can only be speculated at this point in time, but it’s something I’m honestly looking forward to.

Tags: sgBEAT, Twitter

I recently read the post I wrote at the start of the three-month break, and looking back at the goals I had set out for myself, I realise I didn’t really achieve as much as I would have liked to. Indeed, I had such intentions at the start, but I think I somehow got caught in the current of the moment throughout the holidays and never even referred to the initial goals I had in the first place.

Granted, I did succeed in doing what I felt were my top priorities, namely doing an internship as well as working on my personal projects at the side. I’m not going to discuss them here considering I’ve more or less been writing about them the past couple of months. What I would like to take the time to do is reflect on what went wrong, and how I neglected all these other aims I previously had.

I did have altruistic intentions at the start of the summer break, but apparently any motivation then was merely momentarily at somehow ceased within a week of me writing that post. That is indeed some concern for me, as I had originally wanted to join CSC this semester, and yet I’ve joined NUS Entrepreneurship Society (NES) instead. My free time this school term is fairly limited, so any charitable ideologies I may have will just have to wait.

I didn’t get around to exercising as much I would have liked, mostly because of work and partly because of laziness, but I definitely have to find a form of motivation to improve my physical fitness. I also haven’t always had time, but excuses are always easy to come up with. I shall try my best to exercise more this coming school term, and hopefully I’ll find in myself the dedication that I need.

Although I didn’t really have time to read once I started my internship in late May, I did spend a healthy amount of time reading prior to that, covering John Grisham’s The Appeal, The Broker, The Brethren, The King of Torts and The Summons. I can’t wait to get started on The Associate, which is sitting around in my house somewhere. I’ve also decided that for development reading I most likely won’t be looking at the two books I mentioned before. Instead, I’ll try to start on A Byte of Python as soon I can.

While I don’t deny that I didn’t successfully accomplish my goals, I’d also like to point out that most of my time and focus was taken up by worthwhile undertakings which I came across along the way. Besides Tutorific, I’ve been working on another OrangeOasis service which I’d like to talk about another time. I’m also currently involved in an online shop with a friend, and that too is in a near-completion state.

I guess I learnt a couple of lessons in goal-setting from all this, and the next time I’ll be sure to set fewer goals for myself. At least that way, I’ll be able to prioritise better as it would allow me to set new goals along the way. I also need to keep track of my goals regularly, and constantly check to make sure I’m on the right track. I got pretty carried away these last two months, although right now I don’t really regret anything.

Tags: A Byte of Python, CSC, NES, OrangeOasis, Tutorific