imp-erial!
just attended a dinner celebrating the promotions in our organisation. packed with happy people, the promotees and the promotees-beneficiaries (people like me who didn't get promoted but were there for free food and "qia-ing"). being a fledging still in the department, it was inevitable that the more senior people asked me and my junior about our current status.
typical conversation
"so you're in xyz department?"
"yeah, indeed."
"are you permanently there or attachment?"
"i'm on vacation attachment, going back to study in about 2 months' time."
"WAH! so late ah? why ah? overseas ah? which uni?"
"i'm studying in imperial college."
"WAH (LAN EH, if the person's a joker)! IMPerIaaL (note the variation in pronunciation) ah?" [with eye brows twitched in a manner to show him being impressed]
"yup, imperial college"
sometimes, i wonder why they do that. why the big hoohah. i guess it's something i would do if i asked someone where he/she was from and he/she said oxford/cambridge/mit/stanford/manymore.
it's a thing that we all do. most of us do rather. we do it for a few reasons. but i note the two biggest reasons.
number1 reason-cum-myth: being in imperial means you're gonna be a high-flyer in the organisation. after all, most of your colleagues or future colleagues are likely to be from nus/ntu/smu. so, because you're an Ovalsees student, you're a high-flyer.
WRONG!
high-flying-ness is when you're given a high-flying scholarship, not when you're a lowly awardee. so i'm not high-flying. i still take my chartered bus to work and don't intend to buy a car in the next dunno how many years.
number2 reason-cum-myth: being in imperial without a highly scholarship means you're darn rich.
WRONG!
i'm not darn rich. but of course, i won't say my family's poor. but ya, being in imperial doesn't mean my family's loaded and snobbish and annoyingly rich and proud and rich. i was brought up as a peasant. my dad worked his way up to sponsor me for my overseas studies. so it's wrong to say that i'm a rich bastard. or rich kid. or something. obviously, i won't say i'm poor 'cos it would be implying that 600000 is peanuts.
all in all, being in imperial means nothing. it's an experience. it does give you a name. you become a gimp (what other uk students call us). you have a degree with a different heading. i guess it's good that we're different. still, hardwork counts for all. i still need to work hard to get a good degree. after all, a 2nd upper nus degree is better than a 2nd upper imperial degree.
okay, myths debunked.
typical conversation
"so you're in xyz department?"
"yeah, indeed."
"are you permanently there or attachment?"
"i'm on vacation attachment, going back to study in about 2 months' time."
"WAH! so late ah? why ah? overseas ah? which uni?"
"i'm studying in imperial college."
"WAH (LAN EH, if the person's a joker)! IMPerIaaL (note the variation in pronunciation) ah?" [with eye brows twitched in a manner to show him being impressed]
"yup, imperial college"
sometimes, i wonder why they do that. why the big hoohah. i guess it's something i would do if i asked someone where he/she was from and he/she said oxford/cambridge/mit/stanford/manymore.
it's a thing that we all do. most of us do rather. we do it for a few reasons. but i note the two biggest reasons.
number1 reason-cum-myth: being in imperial means you're gonna be a high-flyer in the organisation. after all, most of your colleagues or future colleagues are likely to be from nus/ntu/smu. so, because you're an Ovalsees student, you're a high-flyer.
WRONG!
high-flying-ness is when you're given a high-flying scholarship, not when you're a lowly awardee. so i'm not high-flying. i still take my chartered bus to work and don't intend to buy a car in the next dunno how many years.
number2 reason-cum-myth: being in imperial without a highly scholarship means you're darn rich.
WRONG!
i'm not darn rich. but of course, i won't say my family's poor. but ya, being in imperial doesn't mean my family's loaded and snobbish and annoyingly rich and proud and rich. i was brought up as a peasant. my dad worked his way up to sponsor me for my overseas studies. so it's wrong to say that i'm a rich bastard. or rich kid. or something. obviously, i won't say i'm poor 'cos it would be implying that 600000 is peanuts.
all in all, being in imperial means nothing. it's an experience. it does give you a name. you become a gimp (what other uk students call us). you have a degree with a different heading. i guess it's good that we're different. still, hardwork counts for all. i still need to work hard to get a good degree. after all, a 2nd upper nus degree is better than a 2nd upper imperial degree.
okay, myths debunked.
posted by wc at 2:50 PM
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