Time flies.
I’m into my mid 1st semester of final year. It’s weird being in third, or final year so to say because it was my first time in Melbourne as a second year student. Technically speaking, last year I was a freshie, and now I’m a senior.
My blog is entitled “Carpe Diem” which means to sieze the day and that was my aim in 2012. To not be so caught up with the worries of tomorrow that I lose sight of today’s possibilities/opportunities. Ultimately, this also means trusting in God and knowing that whatever befalls me, Jesus does all things well.
There are actually alot of things I’ve learnt in this semester so far which is good. A friend of mine commented that she feels she hasn’t learnt much in school so far. To that, I have to say that sometimes learning is not so much about getting/receiving but also being active in class and being open, to pick up on ideas/things the teachers or even students say. After all, learning is a two way thing. There are so many things you can learn - learn from others mistakes, learn things from my peers (which I must say is quite a humbling experience), learn by asking questions and learn by questioning and thinking. Someone once said that critical thinking is not asking questions, but about questioning answers. Ask, and never stop thinking you have known enough.
In the weekly lunchtime lectures, guest speakers were invited to speak to us about their experience in the design studio. The common thing that most speakers said was that in this industry, personality is very important. If both interviewees were on par, what would set them apart would most likely be personality. In fact, as I ponder about the personality part, I feel that one of the mistakes I made during the interviews after I graduated was that I didn’t show enough personality. I can’t say things have improved drastically, because I’m still in that spot where I take time to warm up to people. Even in my casual workplace where I’ve been around for at least 3 months, I can’t quite say I’m entirely comfortable yet. Nevertheless, I thank God that I have rather cordial colleagues who are very hospitable and try their best to make me feel welcome at work. On a side note, I felt extremely touched when my boss told me that it didn’t matter if I was a casual or full-time staff because I was part of the team and he wanted to ensure that I was happy at work.
I suppose if personality is key, I have to work on that and try my utmost best to display it more prominently! Which is why I’ve taken this elective in class “Understanding Personality”! Kidding - there’s no connection between the two. I’ve always had an interest in personality and personality types and I like to see it manifested in people. (Maybe I’ll write an article on personality types one day). This elective is somewhat misleading because I assumed it was about understanding other people’s personality but in this class we learn more about ourselves instead. I suppose we have to learn about ourselves before we can do with others, don’t we?
The class is interesting and most enjoyable. I love coming to class weekly and I feel the atmosphere welcoming and non-judgemental. I found last week’s lesson on “The Valued Self” most interesting and applicable. The value I hold highest in regard in my life was “growth” and with that I will conclude with carpe diem and stepping out of my comfort zone. Eleanor Roosevelt once said “You must do the thing you think you cannot do” and I suppose that will sum up what I want to do. To build confidence, you must have experience and to have experience, you simply have to do! Every step you take outside of your comfort zone builds experience, and little by little they grow. Just like what my Dad often tells us: In life we must always be spiralling upwards.
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