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I’m thinking of subscribing to online Korean classes, to start keeping track of my learning. I’ve been studying the language oh-so casually over the past few years, and have now reached a point where I don’t know at which level I stand. My vocabulary is wider than the average beginner’s, but I’m too lacking in the grammar basics to qualify for intermediate level. I find myself knowing the meaning of words I never realised I knew. At the same time, I find myself lost when reading Korean news articles, which use words that are less common in speech. I can read at a much faster pace now, but am forced to stop to look up meaning of words. And I still get confused over native Korean & Sino-Korean numbers sometimes.

See? I don’t know where I stand. That’s the downside of self-taught, informal learning. But I don’t have the luxury of time to attend formal classes at language schools. I already have part-time university on top of an unpredictable work schedule, so obviously, language classes aren’t an option now (and probably won’t be, until the day I graduate). So, in the meantime, my most viable alternative is signing up for self-paced, interactive e-learning classes. Which is a great option for me, because I personally love e-learning. (The OUUK course I’m taking online is GREAT!)

I plan to get my skills to intermediate level in the next two years. And after graduation, I shall go to Korea for a short stint to further study the language, and maybe even take the TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean). When I actually get there, then I’ll plan what to do next.

I’ll do this one milestone at a time. Right now, I’m just trying to decide which subscription plan to take up at KoreanClass101.com. After which I will pick out other online resources that can supplement my learning there.

Gosh, for a 22-year-old I do have an awful lot of things I want to do. If I had my way, I’d want to do them all NOW!

I’m undergoing some informal training to prepare me for a junior managerial position, and it’s quite…daunting. Managing people is much more delicate than managing software. At this point, I have no idea how I’m going to handle this new responsibility. I’m simply treading very carefully and taking a lot more care of how I treat people I work with. I feel the need to earn their respect first & show that I am worthy for the position before I should even dare take it up. And I pray I will never turn into one of those bitchy female bosses we all know & hate. Admittedly, I am quite susceptible to turning bitchy when dealing with stupid human beings, or when critical things that should be done are not done, but I’m also very skilled at keeping my bitchiness on the exterior to a minimum. I think everyone has a bitchy side to them, but the workplace is just not the place to show it.

The best thing about this is I now have the authority to delegate work. Mwahahaha… *evil-looking smirk* Nah, I don’t plan to be mean. Honest! In fact, I’m gonna have to stop putting every task on my list & start trusting others to do the job instead. I’m fairly anal about the quality & consistency of MY work, so I suspect I may be similarly anal about others’ work… But whatever it is, I’m going to continue treating everyone with respect without regard to their job positions or mine. I never ever want to be like a certain colleague of mine who treats her subordinates like dispensable resources & doesn’t bother getting to know them as people. So much so that even those outside her team notice her attitude, and even I, who have worked with her only occasionally over the past two years, can’t stand her. I don’t mean to start ranting about her; it’s just that this topic is fresh in my mind. I had dinner with my colleagues last night, and one of them was airing his grievances about working under her. I really feel bad for him, and last night I found myself thanking God that I happened to join this team instead of the other one.

I’m giving myself one year to reach the next step in the ladder. No plans as to where I go from there, but I’ll probably keep climbing until I get tired of it. After which I shall start on the second stage of my life.

1. It’s best to be two weeks ahead in your readings. One week just won’t do when you’re studying part-time. When it gets busy at work, you’ll be falling behind before you know it.
2. Study smart. When you’re new to a field of study (like I am to business), there’s no way you’ll be able to know every single topic well. It takes more time than the mere six weeks you spend on each module. For the exams, concentrate on the learning objectives of the module. But for the long run, you should understand (not necessarily remember) & know how to apply everything you learnt in that module.
3. Revise regularly. This is the only way to make the knowledge stay in your long-term memory. Unfortunately, this is also the thing that is hardest to do, for me. In between erratic work hours & attending classes, there’s barely any time left for assignments & projects, what more revision! This point will be on my to-do list next semester.
4. Love what you learn & use the knowledge in your job whenever possible. This is the beauty of pursuing career & studies at the same time. Knowledge from both aspects of your life will meld & make more sense than ever. It’s amazing, really.
5. Sometimes you just have to put work aside for school. Working supports my family & pays for school, but it’s okay to push it down the list of priorities during those times when you’re stretched really thin. Just make sure you maintain consistent performance on your job; school is not an excuse to produce substandard results at work.
6. Even Superwomen need their parents’ support. Even though they, like everyone else, may not fully understand the struggles I go through trying to juggle work & studies, their unconditional support is priceless. They never tell me so, for fear I might get big-headed (haha), but I know they are proud of what I am doing. 부모님, 고맙습니다. 그리고 사랑함니다.

If I had to pick just one good thing that came out of studying part-time, it has to be the tremendous amount of self-discipline I discovered I have in myself. I’ve never been so disciplined & non-procrastinating (if there’s such a word) in my life! Neither have I tried this hard to excel in school – ever. I think I might’ve taken education for granted before. Having to put yourself through school does wonders to your sense of self-responsibility. I surprise even myself nowadays. Let’s hope I retain these good habits for the rest of my life, not just while I balance work & school. Ehehe.

I used to daydream of moving out into my own apartment one day, just to be independent & have my own space, after living with a big family for most my life. But after my lone overseas trip, I (disappointedly) realised that I would really hate living alone. Before that, I never thought about how horribly lonely it could get, being by yourself in an enclosed space. I’d start talking to myself before I even realised it. Tsk. There goes my plan of getting my own place. Hmm, but if I could get someone to move in with me…who knows? Or I could get an apartment right by my parents’. Haha!

I’m getting very fond of Japanese & Korean rock music. Slow rock, punk rock, pop rock, piano rock, alternative rock, hard rock… I’m into all types of rock nowadays. And starting to open my ears to Korean hip hop as well. (I used to think Korean rap & hip hop was crap. A lot of it still is.) I still listen to a fair share of pop & R&B, but yeah, rock is my current favourite. I have about six Korean albums on my YesAsia wishlist right now, and I’m trying to decide which to put into my shopping cart. It’s so dang hard! Don’t even ask about the Japanese albums. They’re much more expensive, so I can only dream for now.

Just submitted the online course registration for next semester. I decided to go ahead and pick Marketing Mix Management, so I’ll likely have class on Friday nights. So long, Friday girls’ nights out. We’ll have to reschedule to another day or something.

Looking through the curriculum plan, I realised that I’ll be done with the compulsory IT modules next semester. After which I’ll be free to take up any IT electives for the remaining two years. I love exemptions! Hee.

I got exactly what I was thinking of a few weeks ago. *points to previous post*

That’s right, another raise. I am still surprised. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m left with just a little over $100 to pay for my CPF education loan. Ya-HOO! By the end of next week, I’ll be free from my debt! Though I am still in another (bigger) debt for the sake of university education, and will be for the next three years or so. It’s okay, though. It feels good to know that I am putting my hard-earned money to good use.

I think my chances of getting a raise early next year is looking good. Why I’m thinking of my next raise so soon after my last, I don’t know. Hurhur. But I do have an idea of how much I want to be earning by the time I’m 25, so I’ve set annual salary targets for myself. That’s why I keep thinking of how to earn more money nowadays. It’s not so much for material comfort as it is for my personal satisfaction & ongoing quest to be a Superwoman. Haha.

I thought I pretty much had my plan set regarding what I’d do career-wise if I get accepted into that part-time degree course I applied for. Try juggling my current job with my studies for one semester & look for less demanding work if being Superwoman gets too tough. Which I think will likely happen.

But the situation now is: I was promoted. Yes, it’s good news. Being a thoroughly surprising & sudden piece of news made it even better, I think. My boss never spoke to me about the possibility of a promotion, and though I knew I was one of the few up for promotion, I didn’t harbour any hopes of getting one; I obviously lacked the paper qualifications. Everyone has a degree nowadays, and I was & still am the only non-university grad in my department. But apparently, that didn’t matter after all. In a way, that makes my achievement all the sweeter. I suddenly remember telling Mama when I’d just started stepped into the working world that I wanted to prove that diploma holders could do just as well at the workplace as degree holders. Through my own little successes, I think I am proving it true. Read the rest of this entry »