Kindergarten year 1, the teacher asks all the children about their ambition. “Nurse! Policeman! Teacher! Scientist!” the children screams excitingly. I looks at my buddy with a confused look. He shouted, “Scientist!”. I echoed, “Scientist!”.
Primary school year 3, the teacher asks all pupils for their ambitions. She asks, “Who wants to be a doctor?” I turned and looked at my buddy (different one this time). He raised his hand proudly. I raised mine too.
Secondary school year 1, the teacher asks all her student about their career paths. My buddy (different one again) wants to be in the engineering sector. I chose the same.
You see, I never had any idea what I want to be in the future. You probably realized I made up those scenarios, and yes, you are right. I went pass my Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE), then took my O levels.
I went into Jurong Junior College (JJC) which I very much dislike. I went in as a trial student and I left after 2 months. I got enrolled in Singapore Polytechnic’s BioTechnology course.
Why have I chosen this course?
I have no biology background, never explored my interests in biology too. In secondary school, I always wanted to get into a computer course called “Multimedia Computing”. That course deals with computer animations, presentation, web sites, digital photography and stuff like that. [There's a very cute girl from Multimedia Computing too.] Pretty much the things I like.
But I chose BioTechnology, reason being it’s hot. That’s it. It’s hot. Lots of people want to get into this course. David really wants to get into Singapore Polytechnic’s BioTechnology course. Unfortunately, with one mark higher than me, he can’t get in. [Read: The lower the marks, the better it is. I got 12 marks.] He went into Ngee Ann Polytechnic instead. No doubt I am interested in “technology”, but I haven’t got much interest in “bio”.
I keep telling myself to fall in love with the “bio” part. The Chinese (I am a Chinese too) would say: “Love cannot be insisted on”. The Chinese also say: “Love is fated”.
But it’s very cool to be in BioTech, there’s this wow factor. When people know that you’re in BioTech, they’ll go “wow”. It’s like having a celebrity as your girlfriend, only fused together forcefully.
The first year was very hard for me. I did not get good results. I failed one test in my first year - Applied and Physical Chemistry. [Very few people fail tests in Poly.] My class is filled with smart people. I felt like I am a total idiot when my friend can recite to me the entire process of digestion starting from “Amylase from the saliva breaks down..” to “..and finally waste exits from the anus”.
That is when I start to think - if only I were in Multimedia Computing. They teach things like web publishing and Macromedia Flash. I am actually interested in it. Yun wen tells me that she might be doing a course transfer. That is when I start to consider it as well. I tell myself if I get a “D” in my semestral exams, I’m going to suggest a course transfer to my parents. My results came back with 5 “C”s and 1 “B”, no “D” at all.
For the second year, I can choose to go into BioTechnology (General), BioTechnology (Informatics), Medical Technology (General) and Medical Technology (Cardiag). I chose BioTechnology (Informatics). It’s really like buying myself insurance. I am hoping that by choosing something to do with computer, my interests and results will balance up a bit.
It did, I scored quite quite well for my computer-related modules. Whenever there is a presentation needed, I submit Macromedia Flash presentations. This really pleases the teachers by the way. I treat it like a hobby now. Now I have a module called “Web Publishing”, which deals with web designing. Another of my hobby comes in handy too.
My bio-related modules are alright now too. I keep telling myself to love the “bio” part. It’s very scary, it’s like hypnotizing myself. But I guess it really paid off. I start to like modules that are related to genetics. My latest test returns, and I score 30.5 out of 40 for Molecular Genetics. Being an easily-contented person, I am more than happy to get that result. I have got many people to thank for this, mainly to my lecturers, my friends and Peter J. Russell. Peter who? Oh, he’s the author of my text book - iGenetics.
So what is my ambition now? Since I am in this course, there isn’t much flavors to choose from. I still do not know what I will grow up to be. I thought about it - when you are studying BioTechonology, do you ended up being a biotechnologIST?
I like what I am doing, at least, at the moment. I have been more optimistic about the future now. [I sound like the guy from the insurance advertisement when I use the phrase - "more optimistic about the future".] I also abandoned my thoughts on doing a course transfer. The first half of my second year is going to end, it’s been a blast I would say. Or should I say, it’s been a bliss.
Perhaps, love can be insisted on after all. 
Note: This is the longest post I written so far. I edited my sentences furiously to make them shorter. Hope they still make sense. There are around 1000 words in total. I wrote this in response to pketh post. Also, the red-hair girl is Harada Riku from D.N.Angel, an anime. It might be her twin sister too - Harada Risa - but she has brown long hair instead. The image is taken from D.N.Angel image book.