Well, I guess this is a followup from my previous Done with Year 1 post. I did better than I expected in my previous semester and, once again, I'm so thankful.

Source: https://tenor.com/view/thank-you-jesus-jesus-jesus-did-that-real-housewives-of-orange-county-rhooc-gif-6077126 

For the previous year, I used to post after every semester but I felt like changing things this year. I'm planning on posting after each term. Also, the post that will come after the semester (or second term) will actually include me having the knowledge of my results, unlike in the past where I would hope for a good GPA and only update in the next post (which would be way later).

Without further ado, here's how this first term in year 2 went.

You know the drill,
These were the modules I took for this semester:

• Communication in the Workplace (CMSK)
• Object-Oriented Analysis and Design (OOAD)
• Secure Coding Practices (SCDP)
• Mobile App Development (MBAP) 
• Software Quality Assurance (SWQA)
• Transnational Studies (TNS)
• Cross-Cultural Communication (CCC)

There were fewer modules this semester and considerably less coding (because I think the next semester will be a killer when it comes to programming). This semester involves a lot of reports, I feel. A good thing about this semester is the timetable - it's so much more relaxed! Some days we only have one 2-hour lesson.

CMSK:
Nothing much to say about this module. It's compulsory for IT students to do this from the start of year 1 till the end of year 2 and I'm not really mad about that. This semester focuses on communication in the workplace so we have projects like a written report, meeting roleplay and making meeting minutes.


OOAD:
I think this is the most challenging module among the modules I'm taking this semester. It's just very technical and abstract. I'll probably have to really spend more time to understand this subject. Besides the content, the teacher has been great! He reminds me of a grandfather or something; very gentle and patient :)  The project which I have submitted before the term break started was a report and a video. Again, it's another embarrassing video but I think I got the job done. Just crossing my fingers and hoping for the best for this module.


SCDP:
When it comes to reports and documents that need to be submitted, it's so lengthy! I don't know why but this semester, there are no word or page limits for most of the work which needs to be handed up so and pretty much all students are exploiting that fact. My reports/proposals/documents etc. have been so long but I think I've done what I could to filter out unnecessary information. I think I just need to remind myself that it's quality over quantity.

Anyway, SCDP has been alright. I think my class is pretty confused about the structure of the subject but it's a manageable module so all's good.


MBAP:
I have to say hello again to the program that first taught me "Hello World"; Android Studio. It's also the software that gave me panic attacks and nightmares in my very first semester at Poly.

The projects for this module are to create a proposal for a mobile application and to actually code the Android application. It's very open-ended so there were no limitations to the type of app you want to make - the only limitation is time because it's due in Week 13. The subsequent project is to code an app that can run on any operating system (OS).

Now, the interesting this is - I'm exempted from the first Android project. This is because I'm participating in an Artificial Intelligence competition which involves the use of Android Studio, DialogFlow, and Firebase. My team members, 2 good classmates and friends of mine, are exempted too. We've been making pretty good progress this past week. It's term break but we've been going to school from 10am to 6pm every weekday to get our solution done. It's been really great though😊
Here's a video of what my day has been looking like this past week.


I have 2 CDS' this semester and that is proving to be a very difficult task. The only silver lining to this cloud is that the CDS' are pretty similar. Other than that, it's been quite torturous. The two subjects take up my Friday, making it the longest day of my week - which is pretty unfortunate.


SWQA:
Nothing much to say about this module. It just consists of a lot of reading and studying I guess. The projects include software testing and a test.


TNS: I mentioned CDS is my  Done with Year 1 post but I'll do a quick recap - cross-disciplinary subject (CDS) is a compulsory module that a student has to take which is unrelated to their core course of study. For example, if I'm an IT student, my CDS cannot be related to IT.

TNS is a really popular CDS and the main appeal is the compulsory dorm stay for 2 weeks (you get to go back home on the weekend). I haven't gone for my stay yet but I'm so excited! My stay is going to commence a week after I go back to school after this term break.

The projects for this module are quite extensive - there's reflection journal entries, presentations and more. I guess the only thing that upset me a little before is the fact that I've been doing most, if not all, of the group project work. But my group members have apologised, and I really appreciate that - when people acknowledge the work that I do. So I'm letting it go and I'm honestly not that upset about it anymore.
Just hope things go well from here :)  I'll be staying in the dorm with my group and I don't know what to expect, but I'll be filming a little each day to make a video diary of my stay. Should be fun😋


CCC:
This has been a pretty painful CDS. The online lectures have a lot of content crammed within 6-ish weeks and the course structure in itself is pretty confusing.

It's also pretty similar to TNS so I get a little confused between the two sometimes. On the bright side, I'm happy that my group members have been good and we did pretty well in the presentation assignment. I think my test went alright too so I'm not too upset about CCC. It's just that 2 CDS' in one semester is pretty challenging. I only have 1 more CDS to clear after this sem and I'm done with it. I'm doing my last CDS during the semester vacation - I'm just not really sure whether I'm going to Cebu or Japan. We'll see :)


This term has been overwhelming. I'm participating in 2 competitions - one is the AI competition I mentioned under MBAP, another is also an AI-related competition. On top of that, I got news that I got an award.
I've also been selected to be a part of an MOE video which is related to WorldSkills. I need to create a simple website and I'll have to be filmed developing the website and explaining the flow etc. It's quite scary but I'll just focus on the development for now - I'll just follow instructions on the day of filming.

Other than that, I'd say this semester has been pretty smooth and consistent. I've been focused and I've been pretty good at juggling my commitments. I just have this problem where I get sucked up in all my work and I feel compelled to not stop until I'm done. It's a severe illness called workingitis and I'm afraid there's no cure, only temporary remedies like my lovely boyfriend.

Source: https://tenor.com/search/love-gifs 

I still get too caught up in my studies sometimes but it's because I know working hard now means an easier life later - and I want a comfortable life for me and my loved ones. I also want to work hard for me, ya know? To reach my fullest potential and to achieve my goals.
But yeah, I just need to split my time better. My boyfriend has also been supportive and understanding when I have a lot of work to do. I'm just really thankful :)

I also told myself after the previous semester that I'm not going to let any opportunities that come my way go to waste - which is probably why everything has been so overwhelming. One opportunity which I grabbed the past term was the one-day Batam trip for students from the school of IIT. I got to go with quite a few classmates of mine and it was so fun :) Really love my class!


Another thing I'm thankful for is that I feel like my typing speed has increased at each milestone, hahaha. My typing now is pretty fast and furious and at times, I don't even need to look at the keypad when I type. It's pretty exhilarating. Am I weird that these things excite me?

Source: http://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1245071-jugheads-im-weird-speech 

I'm exhausted but I actually really love the feeling, is that weird? I think school officially broke me. My system is whack and my brain is fried, haha. But in all honesty, I just really love studying and doing work - it's my coping mechanism and my escape from worldly problems. I hope this love for learning and education will never end😍 I also owe all my successes to God. If not for Him, I would not be where I am today.
That's all for this post, bye for now :)