This is my last day in Perth, and I’ll be flying back to Singapore for good in a few hours’ time. It hasn’t been a long 3 years. In fact, the time I spent in Perth seemed to whiz past too quickly.
If there’s any one remark that I get more often than others from my ex-Informatics students, it’s surprise that I am doing a Ph.D centred on computer games. The usual refrain is “Wow Mr. Foo – why computer games and not software engineering?!” There’s a reason why. During the just over 7 years I spent teaching in that institution, the subject I was most closely associated with was software engineering. This was not just for the students in my lecture groups, but including those outside it in other centres – the old SE203 web site was a regular resource for them – other unit controllers, and the external examiners from the University of Oxford Delegacy of Local Examinations.
There’s a note in the acknowledgements page of my doctoral thesis that remarks on how I left a comfortable position teaching software engineering to pursue a research area driven by keen interest as opposed to as a path of career advancement. Truth to tell, now that the thesis has been submitted for examination, the premise of my changing to teaching gaming, or Internet culture, is now a likely possibility – a fact that while I was cognizant of, never gave much thought to until this week. I wonder where I will teach. Certainly I’ll be looking at available teaching positions at the tertiary institutions in Singapore, but Singapore isn’t exactly known as a hub for computer gaming research (yet).
I remember the several resolutions I made in February 2003 just before leaving Singapore – that I’d learn to cook, finish my Ph.D, and find the special ’someone’. The report card looks good at this end with my meeting all four resolutions, and I thank God for having bless me throughout this time. Right after this, it’ll be the start of another great adventure – my wedding with Ling. It can’t be too hard – I’ve just finished a 103,000 word doctoral dissertation, so how tough can preparing for a wedding be compared to that.
Er… right…?!
Recent comments