The MetroDBITan student Series : Issue #002 – Soh Wei Hao

Ever since I started interviewing the DBIT students for our “MetroDBITan” series, I have been nothing but constantly inspired.
The stories that came to me made me realise that there are many ‘stories’ behind the people around us that we really don’t know, and when we do, we start to view them much differently.
Two weeks ago, we featured Tan Shi Hui – a third year DBIT student who shared with us how she trained herself to transform from a “SlowPoke” who lost 40% of her exam marks from not being able to finish her papers, to a graceful “Dragonair” who has been soaring high in various pursuits that she has been experiencing.
Today, we are delving into the world of another DBIT Year 3 student – Soh Wei Hao who has his own interesting story to share.
So, come and visit his world together with me!

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Wei Hao, can you bring us down memory lane all the way to those days when you were just a little Primary school boy? :)
I was a student of Anderson Primary School and was part of the pioneer batch of the Sports Class Program when I was in primary 4, all the way till Primary 6.
The sports class is a class whereby we had special timetable to allow us to have more time training on our specific sports CCA without neglecting our academic. I am really proud to be in the Sports Class as it is only for selected students.
I was in both Basketball and Track and Field CCA which I have to attend in Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

 

Wow, you sound really busy in primary school.  Did you have problems balancing studies and sports? How about your PSLE?
I had no problems balancing the both during that period of time because I would make use of break time in between classes to finish my homework.
For my PSLE, I scored an aggregate score of 259.
You did well for your PSLE! So which secondary school did you go after that?
I selected Catholic High as my secondary school.  I chose Catholic High mainly because it was a prestigious school.
However, the pressure to excel was too high and I was influenced by online games during the period of time. Everyone was almost as smart as I was and eventually I could not keep up with the pace as I neglected my studies just to play online games.
My grades were so bad that I almost had to retain when I was in secondary 2. I was so restless that I would sleep in class almost every day. As O-levels approaches, I was pressured by my teachers who monitored my grades and was forced to stay back for remedial. I guess that saved my grades and eventually I graduated with L1R4 9 L1R5 11.
You scored well for your ‘O’ levels again.  So what you made you choose the poly route?
From the start I already have chosen to follow the path of Polytechnic as I felt it would be more suitable for me, instead of the mundane style of learning in Junior College.
If my grades were considered good, I guess my secret to my “good” grades is that I am “hungry” to excel in my academics. To have the mindset that you have to do well in your test and exams, you will then be self-disciplined and would study hard for your test. At least this works for me during Polytechnic.
Share some of your hobbies and things you like with us!
I enjoy sleeping, playing online games and talking thrash with friends.
I enjoy the accompaniment of my close friends and talk about anything, even random stuffs.   It could be a scenario question where we ask each other and listen to each other how would they react to the situation. I felt it was fun and it would relieve stress and momentarily allow me to forget about assignments.
Especially when my group of close friends are also my polytechnic’s classmates, whenever I am stressing over the amount of assignments to clear, they would assure me that it would turn out well and lighten up my mood.
I love to drink green tea and coke. I love to eat fried chicken wings, spaghetti and pizza!
What are the other activities you do besides study?
DMIT ClubI was part of the family of DMIT Club. By default, all DMIT students are part of the club, however it is really tough to just suddenly join the club without feeling awkward. It usually requires your classmates or friends who were in the club to introduce you into the club to help you adjust into the community.
Lucky for me, at the end of year 1 in SP, my classmate Joseph who was coincidently the camp chief of Freshman Orientation Camp in year 2011 brought me into the club as a helper to the camp.
It was really tough to mingle in the sea of strangers at first but eventually I was part of the ‘gang’. I was blessed with an opportunity to be interviewed for the next batch of Management Committee of DMIT Club and ultimately earning myself a position of Logistics Coordinator of the club.
School is not all about excelling in your academics, but also enjoying the process while enriching yourself with new experiences. In DMIT Club, I earned many valuable experiences such as organizing events and interacting with many other people and I know these experiences are going to be beneficial when I step into the society.
Korean Language ClassesAlso, I joined the korean language class for 2 years since year 1 semester 2 and I have received certificate for Korean l and Korean ll, both with distinction.

It was fun and enriching, although it can be quite stressful to juggle my academics, managing the club and the extra class which I have signed up for.
All in all, I just want to say do not waste your polytechnic life away by just studying and nothing else. Study and play, each at the right moment.
Why did you choose DBIT? And what do you hope to gain from this course?
It was a long story.
It started when I thought of going for any course with relation to computer, since at that time I could not live without one. Then I browsed though the courses and was a little interested in computer engineering and information technology.
However as time goes by and listening to advice from my cousins and my sister, I was intimidated by DIT as they emphasized the hardship I would face in programming.
Eventually I settled on DBIT since it will only be half of the IT.
Initially I just hoped to learn how to design website but now, I hope to learn how to setup a fully functional e-commerce website and to start a business of my own.
What are your favourite modules in SP? Name something that you really enjoy learning and something you wished was taught, but was not taught.
My favourite module in SP is Web Client Development which was taught by Kim which also happens to be my first PT in SP. It was a relatively easy module which I was able to excel effortlessly. Maybe it is due to the fine method of teaching by Kim which makes it easier for the class to understand. Through this module I was able to understand HTML, CSS and Javascript, which fulfils what I hope to learn.
Here are some screenshots of my past projects:

WCD (Web Client Development)

WAD(Web Application Development)

IMD(Interactive Media Development)

What is your ambition in life? What do you see are the steps you need to take in order to realise your dreams?
My ambition in life is to open my own business of online e-commerce or a cafe.

First I had to finish my NS and pursue a degree in local university. Then I would go and work in the society to gain experience and also to earn some capital.
Maybe from there I would think thoroughly what I want to achieve or what kind of business I would like to have.
Any regrets in life so far?I started playing basketball at the age of 9. I would meet my primary school friends to play at public basketball court until I joined the school basketball team.
I stopped playing basketball since secondary school since that period is the time when I started to have access to the internet.
I have always regretted stopping basketball.