Freed
WHEW.
Am I relieved or what?! Finally exams are over! (for me at least.. Ganbatte all you muggers with exams to come!)
I would've titled this post "emancipation", but that would be too Mariah-ish. Haha. (Congrats to her just the same! Haha, I think she deserves the giant splash she's getting right now after all the crap she's been swimming in these past few years.. although of course, it was partly her fault she did some crappy stuff here and there) ANYWAY, point is I'm now totally free.
Too free all of a sudden actually. It's strange, I didn't even feel any closure! Not even now. Oh well. Two exams in 6 hours yesterday. As much as my fingers hurt writing pages upon pages of hopefully sensible gibberish (you know what I mean) on Waiting for the Barbarians, Pride and Prejudice and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, I rushed to YIH to run through my genetics notes all over again for two hours, until 5PM, when it was time to endure the braintwisting exam session. I didn't do too bad, hopefully, but some questions.. argh. They just annoy me because they're easily bonus questions for Life Science students (the overwhelming bulk of the examtakers, excluding me), and those that merely require memorywork. Oh well.
Calculus exam at 2:30PM today. I didn't finish, although I think I did recognize some parts from the past year exams (most of the parts actually were in the exact same format, except that the numbers were made more intensely murderous). And walau, one question exactly the same! Haha, so thankfully I recalled how exactly to work it out. But mostly, I think I did oookay. Although I skipped a number of questions due to knowledge deficiency (yesss) and time constraint.
Hmm.. so now what? Haha. Time to fix my biological clock. And get away from coffee! And return the 9 library books (I just returned the tenth one, thick and hardbound, right before my calculus paper today) and clean up my room! And get a job! Or something. Something to keep me busy! Choir practices for the competition don't start until May 9th, so that's a good deal of free time. Ferron, let's arrange our job-hunting na! And more importantly the post-exam clubbing!
And yessss, I should catch up on the OC. And finally finally watch Desperate Housewives. And CSI episodes (from the original series and the spin-offs)! Hmm.. that should be some reward to myself. And by the way, if Korinna gets into the Dean's List, she's gonna get me the new Levi's Square Cut Jeans! Hahaha. I believe we can make it to the DL Kor! I think. Not this sem though.. kasi (see previous post). ANYWAY, I've been thinking about it, and maybe, if I actually see the pair of jeans and manage to like it, I might buy it for myself! Haha, not likely though, given my broke status.
* * *
Apparently, another one who was freed (unwillingly I'm sure), is Constantine Maroulis. Sigh. Well, Constantine, I admit your song on AI this week wasn't super, but it wasn't the worst among the contestants' performances. Oh well. Scott please go next week?
And oh yeah, got this from Kiko's blog. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are dating! 42 - 26 = 16 years gap. But come on, Tom is like Top Gun guy, who shot to fame when I was still what, a baby? And Katie Holmes is like, part of my Dawson's-Creek teenage years! (And I'm still 19 too) Oh well. Trust Tommy to get all the pretty girls.
Kai! Hey you're also freed na! Finally in Manila! How are you there? Haha, it'll take time to adjust, especially since none of your high school batchmates are in Manila this early! Haha I told you I could ask Kerwin to take you out. (haha I hope Kerwin reads this haha)
Anyway, long post already. I'm gonna finish my dinner, fix up my room, and watch Survivor (guilt-free) tonight!
Failure highly probable
Failure highly probable
Yes yes I shouldn't blog but I have to get this thing out of my system so I could fully let go and forget it.
Probability exam was a disaster. I have this feeling, after every exam, that's a fairly decent gauge of how I fared. It was a sucky exam, I felt sucky, I suck. Talk about signs telling me that Statistics (or the entire Science faculty thing) is not for me.
All right. That's more than enough of my daily dose of drama. I'm not feeling suicidal don't worry. I'm sort of calloused and somewhat indifferent now, in fact.
OK, I feel better now. On to mugging for my next exams.
Yes yes I shouldn't blog but I have to get this thing out of my system so I could fully let go and forget it.
Probability exam was a disaster. I have this feeling, after every exam, that's a fairly decent gauge of how I fared. It was a sucky exam, I felt sucky, I suck. Talk about signs telling me that Statistics (or the entire Science faculty thing) is not for me.
All right. That's more than enough of my daily dose of drama. I'm not feeling suicidal don't worry. I'm sort of calloused and somewhat indifferent now, in fact.
OK, I feel better now. On to mugging for my next exams.
Signs
Signs
AGAIN I shouldn't be blogging.
But let me just say WOOOOOHOOOOOO I got my first A for an essay. Coolness!
The most I got before was last sem's A- (and that was just a proposal for an unfortunate B final paper) for my Singapore Studies module.
God I'm so happy. Especially since I basically crammed the essay, as I was in deep shit working for two essays that week (both due on the same day), and since it was a literature essay, I was still thinking about which of the two topics to write on (thanks Karen for swinging me to write about motifs and metaphors instead of text-author-meaning) and was still reading Coetzee's Waiting for the Barbarians, the other text aside from Hamlet I was to discuss, the day before submission. And if you remember the post I did that time, it was due at 5pm, and up until past 4 o'clock I was still typing the essay (and I exceeded the word limit too by some 200 words). Yey, finally my efforts are slowly paying off.
Hmm.. again I'm getting the funny feeling I'd do better if I were in the Arts and Social Sciences faculty.
In any case, thanks to my PRC tutor for marking my paper (even if you gave me a B on the first essay haha). I think of you more kindly now. Haha, although I still maintain you ought to engage the students more in discussion, and not merely accept responses and then moving on to the next points.
It's either I'm damn lucky (or I'm damn good at essay-writing harhar) or Jesus loves me very much. Come on, really, I can't take all the credit. I'm just thankful to the forces governing the universe (whatever that means).
Probability exam later! Hiatus until after the exams!
AGAIN I shouldn't be blogging.
But let me just say WOOOOOHOOOOOO I got my first A for an essay. Coolness!
The most I got before was last sem's A- (and that was just a proposal for an unfortunate B final paper) for my Singapore Studies module.
God I'm so happy. Especially since I basically crammed the essay, as I was in deep shit working for two essays that week (both due on the same day), and since it was a literature essay, I was still thinking about which of the two topics to write on (thanks Karen for swinging me to write about motifs and metaphors instead of text-author-meaning) and was still reading Coetzee's Waiting for the Barbarians, the other text aside from Hamlet I was to discuss, the day before submission. And if you remember the post I did that time, it was due at 5pm, and up until past 4 o'clock I was still typing the essay (and I exceeded the word limit too by some 200 words). Yey, finally my efforts are slowly paying off.
Hmm.. again I'm getting the funny feeling I'd do better if I were in the Arts and Social Sciences faculty.
In any case, thanks to my PRC tutor for marking my paper (even if you gave me a B on the first essay haha). I think of you more kindly now. Haha, although I still maintain you ought to engage the students more in discussion, and not merely accept responses and then moving on to the next points.
It's either I'm damn lucky (or I'm damn good at essay-writing harhar) or Jesus loves me very much. Come on, really, I can't take all the credit. I'm just thankful to the forces governing the universe (whatever that means).
Probability exam later! Hiatus until after the exams!
The Crunch
The Crunch
Crunchtime this week. All the mugging sessions that have threatened my sanity (worsen my insanity, more like it) are all geared towards this week.
* ST2131: Probability - April 26, 5-7pm.
* EN1101E: Introduction to Literary Studies - April 28, 1-3PM.
* LSM1102: Molecular Genetics - April 28, 5-7PM.
* MA1102R: Calculus - April 29, 1-3PM.
My GEM1008: Evaluating Academic Arguments module is long over, and I've exhausted everything already and now I'll just wait for the results. The in-class test was held April 8th still (not technically the exam, since the module is supposedly "non-examinable"), but the Position Paper that drained the life out of me some three weeks ago had been marked already and I got it yesterday. Coolnesss. 80! Haha, that's very high already, seriously. Highest I think, at least among the sheets of PP's I saw in the folder containing the papers of the class. Haha shouldn't have checked really, but come on, this is the only module I'm actually confident of scoring well! :D
Still tired already, but I'm just hanging on a bit longer, extending my patience and my energy for this final stretch. So it's genetics today, then I'll read all the mountains of lecture notes for Lit (nothing much else to do, except just to think the texts through, as surely I won't read all the novels and poems and Hamlet again!).
Okay, time to drag my ass to the library again. I haven't been doing much lately, really, and I even treated myself to healthy doses of American Idol (sadly no more Anwar, as much as I liked his version of EWF's September), Eye for a Guy 2 (featuring the funny witty lovely lovely MTV VJ Denise Keller), Amazing Race (I'm rooting for you Uchenna and Joyce.. ugh, I hope what spoiler some dude posted in some forum isn't confirmed..grrrrr I hate spoilers), Survivor (I really feel for you Stephenie, and yeah, Janu, I think it was right to put down your torch.. I'd kill to be in Survivor too, you know!).
I'm still fixing my bio clock, since I've seriously turned nocturnal already. Hmm.. which mugging spot to choose for the day? Mugging buddies of the day, not sure too. Thanks Karen and Ferron and Arthur for putting up with me in our all-nighters the past few days! All the best to your exams, especially to Karen who has seriously snapped in her mad mugging for her two killer papers today. And of course, to Korinna and Ivy and Sundeep and Rotana too, who are apparently taking killer Physics today.
Let's kick-ass, fellow muggers! Ganbatte! :)
P.S.
My sister Kai is finally in Manila now. She has just graduated from Phil. Science High School in Davao, and she's off to do Food Technology at UP-Los Baños in Laguna. She'll be staying at Tito Joey's place in Quezon City for the meantime though, before enrollment and all.
As much as I'm happy for Kai, I feel a bit sad that there are no more kids in our home in Davao -- me here in SG, and Kai in Los Baños. Especially that Mama has been prodding Kai to consider studying at the Ateneo de Davao College, too. Well, just the way the cookie crumbles, I guess.
Enjoy LB Kai! Being a nature-lover, you'll love it for sure. Wow, you're really a big girl now.
Dammit. I must study now. The trouble with enduring much stress is that the tendency to succumb to nostalgia is great. And that's not a good thing! Not right now, at least! Hehe. Ciao!
And oh yeah, God please give me a summer internship so I can cough out enough moolah to spend for the Czech trip and hostel accommodation!
Crunchtime this week. All the mugging sessions that have threatened my sanity (worsen my insanity, more like it) are all geared towards this week.
* ST2131: Probability - April 26, 5-7pm.
* EN1101E: Introduction to Literary Studies - April 28, 1-3PM.
* LSM1102: Molecular Genetics - April 28, 5-7PM.
* MA1102R: Calculus - April 29, 1-3PM.
My GEM1008: Evaluating Academic Arguments module is long over, and I've exhausted everything already and now I'll just wait for the results. The in-class test was held April 8th still (not technically the exam, since the module is supposedly "non-examinable"), but the Position Paper that drained the life out of me some three weeks ago had been marked already and I got it yesterday. Coolnesss. 80! Haha, that's very high already, seriously. Highest I think, at least among the sheets of PP's I saw in the folder containing the papers of the class. Haha shouldn't have checked really, but come on, this is the only module I'm actually confident of scoring well! :D
Still tired already, but I'm just hanging on a bit longer, extending my patience and my energy for this final stretch. So it's genetics today, then I'll read all the mountains of lecture notes for Lit (nothing much else to do, except just to think the texts through, as surely I won't read all the novels and poems and Hamlet again!).
Okay, time to drag my ass to the library again. I haven't been doing much lately, really, and I even treated myself to healthy doses of American Idol (sadly no more Anwar, as much as I liked his version of EWF's September), Eye for a Guy 2 (featuring the funny witty lovely lovely MTV VJ Denise Keller), Amazing Race (I'm rooting for you Uchenna and Joyce.. ugh, I hope what spoiler some dude posted in some forum isn't confirmed..grrrrr I hate spoilers), Survivor (I really feel for you Stephenie, and yeah, Janu, I think it was right to put down your torch.. I'd kill to be in Survivor too, you know!).
I'm still fixing my bio clock, since I've seriously turned nocturnal already. Hmm.. which mugging spot to choose for the day? Mugging buddies of the day, not sure too. Thanks Karen and Ferron and Arthur for putting up with me in our all-nighters the past few days! All the best to your exams, especially to Karen who has seriously snapped in her mad mugging for her two killer papers today. And of course, to Korinna and Ivy and Sundeep and Rotana too, who are apparently taking killer Physics today.
Let's kick-ass, fellow muggers! Ganbatte! :)
P.S.
My sister Kai is finally in Manila now. She has just graduated from Phil. Science High School in Davao, and she's off to do Food Technology at UP-Los Baños in Laguna. She'll be staying at Tito Joey's place in Quezon City for the meantime though, before enrollment and all.
As much as I'm happy for Kai, I feel a bit sad that there are no more kids in our home in Davao -- me here in SG, and Kai in Los Baños. Especially that Mama has been prodding Kai to consider studying at the Ateneo de Davao College, too. Well, just the way the cookie crumbles, I guess.
Enjoy LB Kai! Being a nature-lover, you'll love it for sure. Wow, you're really a big girl now.
Dammit. I must study now. The trouble with enduring much stress is that the tendency to succumb to nostalgia is great. And that's not a good thing! Not right now, at least! Hehe. Ciao!
And oh yeah, God please give me a summer internship so I can cough out enough moolah to spend for the Czech trip and hostel accommodation!
Mad Season
Mad Season
In our frenzied singing amid our mugging session in the eerily quiet AS4 Building the other night, Karen and I were discussing our favorite lines from this Matchbox Twenty song. The entire song's terrific, and it's really a feel-good tune (although the lyrics seem to say otherwise). I'm gonna be brave enough to call it one of those modern classics in alternative music.:)
I feel stupid, but I know it won't last for long
And I've been guessing and I could have been guessing wrong
You don't know me now, I kinda thought that you should somehow
Does that whole mad season got you down?
I feel stupid, but it's something that comes and goes
And I've been changing, I think it's funny how no one knows
We don't talk about the little things that we do without
When that whole mad season comes around
So, why ya gotta stand there looking like the answer now?
It seems to me you'll come around
I need you now, do you think you can cope?
You figured me out that I'm lost and I'm hopeless
I'm bleeding and broken, though I've never spoken
I come undone.. in this mad season
I feel stupid, but I think I've been catching on
I feel ugly, but I know I still turn you on
You grown colder now, torn apart, angry, turned around
Will that whole mad season knock you down?
So are you gonna stand there, are you gonna help me out?
We need to be together now
I need you now, do you think you can cope?
You figured me out that I'm lost and I'm hopeless
I'm bleeding and broken, though I've never spoken
I come undone.. in this mad season.
And now I'm crying, isn't that what you want?
And I'm trying to live my life on my own, but I won't, no
At times I do believe I am strong
So someone tell me why, why, why, do I, I, I, feel stupid.
And I come undone, well I come undone
I need you now, do you think you can cope?
You figured me out that I'm lost and I'm hopeless
I'm bleeding and broken, though I've never spoken
Well I need you now, do you think you can cope?
You figured me out, I'm a child and I'm hopeless
I'm bleeding and broken, though I've never spoken
I come, oh, I come undone in this mad season
In this mad season
It's been a mad season
Been a mad season
(Thanks to letssingit.com)
Karen says her favorite line is "I feel stupid, but I know it won't last for long". I'm not sure if she meant this in the context of the present Mugging Season for the exams, but I certainly meant it when I said my other favorite line is "I feel stupid, but it's something that comes and goes". Haha, because really, "At times I do believe I am strong / So someone tell me why, why, why, do I, I, I, feel stupid".
But of course, my favorite favorite line is, "I feel ugly, but I know I still turn you on". Harharhar. I don't think I wholly meant the second half of the sentence though, but it just sounds good, doesn't it? :D
I'm posting this stuff here, because really, pre-exam season is driving me mad, and lately, I've been rather annoyed with myself for not getting into the "study mood". My biological clock is screwed up already, and I can't seem to get anything done during the day, and lately, at night as well. Bad. And it's mad season, really. I doubt if anyone in NUS is getting any good sleep.
Come to think of it, several parts in the song are still applicable, like how I'm "bleeding and broken", how I'm "a child and hopeless", and oh yeah, in the context of my Calculus and Probability computations: "Why ya gotta stand there lookinglike [for] the answer now?" Haha. God help me in my problem-solving.
So, "Will that whole mad season knock you down?" Hell no, baby. As much as I'm struggling to get into the study groove, I'm gonna bulldoze my way, and it's gonna turn out super. Jesus help me.
In our frenzied singing amid our mugging session in the eerily quiet AS4 Building the other night, Karen and I were discussing our favorite lines from this Matchbox Twenty song. The entire song's terrific, and it's really a feel-good tune (although the lyrics seem to say otherwise). I'm gonna be brave enough to call it one of those modern classics in alternative music.:)
I feel stupid, but I know it won't last for long
And I've been guessing and I could have been guessing wrong
You don't know me now, I kinda thought that you should somehow
Does that whole mad season got you down?
I feel stupid, but it's something that comes and goes
And I've been changing, I think it's funny how no one knows
We don't talk about the little things that we do without
When that whole mad season comes around
So, why ya gotta stand there looking like the answer now?
It seems to me you'll come around
I need you now, do you think you can cope?
You figured me out that I'm lost and I'm hopeless
I'm bleeding and broken, though I've never spoken
I come undone.. in this mad season
I feel stupid, but I think I've been catching on
I feel ugly, but I know I still turn you on
You grown colder now, torn apart, angry, turned around
Will that whole mad season knock you down?
So are you gonna stand there, are you gonna help me out?
We need to be together now
I need you now, do you think you can cope?
You figured me out that I'm lost and I'm hopeless
I'm bleeding and broken, though I've never spoken
I come undone.. in this mad season.
And now I'm crying, isn't that what you want?
And I'm trying to live my life on my own, but I won't, no
At times I do believe I am strong
So someone tell me why, why, why, do I, I, I, feel stupid.
And I come undone, well I come undone
I need you now, do you think you can cope?
You figured me out that I'm lost and I'm hopeless
I'm bleeding and broken, though I've never spoken
Well I need you now, do you think you can cope?
You figured me out, I'm a child and I'm hopeless
I'm bleeding and broken, though I've never spoken
I come, oh, I come undone in this mad season
In this mad season
It's been a mad season
Been a mad season
(Thanks to letssingit.com)
Karen says her favorite line is "I feel stupid, but I know it won't last for long". I'm not sure if she meant this in the context of the present Mugging Season for the exams, but I certainly meant it when I said my other favorite line is "I feel stupid, but it's something that comes and goes". Haha, because really, "At times I do believe I am strong / So someone tell me why, why, why, do I, I, I, feel stupid".
But of course, my favorite favorite line is, "I feel ugly, but I know I still turn you on". Harharhar. I don't think I wholly meant the second half of the sentence though, but it just sounds good, doesn't it? :D
I'm posting this stuff here, because really, pre-exam season is driving me mad, and lately, I've been rather annoyed with myself for not getting into the "study mood". My biological clock is screwed up already, and I can't seem to get anything done during the day, and lately, at night as well. Bad. And it's mad season, really. I doubt if anyone in NUS is getting any good sleep.
Come to think of it, several parts in the song are still applicable, like how I'm "bleeding and broken", how I'm "a child and hopeless", and oh yeah, in the context of my Calculus and Probability computations: "Why ya gotta stand there looking
So, "Will that whole mad season knock you down?" Hell no, baby. As much as I'm struggling to get into the study groove, I'm gonna bulldoze my way, and it's gonna turn out super. Jesus help me.
Good morning
Good morning
5:06AM. Still high on coffee, but finally off to bed. Coffee doesn't seem to suit me well, since I'm feeling a funny buzz, my nerve circuit has gone haywire, and I have a slight headache. Oh well. I'm beginning to like the taste of coffee, so I guess that's a good start. ;)
Just came from another addition to my series of all-nighters. Haha thanks Karen for keeping me company (or did I keep you company?) and for, as usual, keeping me within my normal levels of insanity (I admit I've finally snapped.. but so have you haha). The study locations of the day: the comfy (and unfortunately sleep-inducing) couches in the Central Library (which we had trouble to find as the entire library was infested with muggers), and, later after 10PM, the benches at AS4 Building.
Haha, it was eerily quiet those lonely benches at AS4, so Karen and I sang aloud (sometimes with my handphone's radio on loudspeaker) and talked and debated on a series of issues and distracted each other until it was past midnight. Hmph, Karen left me before 2AM, but cool, I was suddenly productive! I guess Karen was, too, in her room.
Ahhh... Another dorky entry. Because really, what is there to say? Hehe. Karen says this kind of mugging is unheard of in the Philippines. And we're not even Medicine students! And the seemingly super stressful days in Pisay can barely match the intensive mugging sessions here. Well, that's a world-class university for you. 18th in the world, baby! Yeah yeah, I secretly still love NUS despite the torture it's doing.
I told Karen we seriously have to go clubbing after these blasted exams. God, I even told her I yearn to go clubbing. Stress release! In any case, I don't regret not going out clubbing with Ferron and Nestor last Saturday, although they, along with Karen, dragged me to Raffles City for dinner, when I planned to finish my notes. WOW, Out of the Pan is a terrrrific place, and their meaty/fishy crepes (we chose 4 kinds) were yummy, the tiramisu mouthwatering, and the honeyfig and white chocolate ice cream just divine. Never mind if we spent a fortune for the meal. Hehe always cool to use my debit card and just sign the cheque. Later, the clubbing session didn't qutie materialize anyway, so post-exam clubbing will surely be super.
And oh, thanks to Mickey, I learned that we have a new pope. My fervent prayers to you Pope Benedict XVI, aka Fr. Joseph Ratzinger. I'm not sure if the fact that you're my namesake is of any sign of significance to me, but never mind, I'm glad that the Catholic Church leadership body is once more complete, the void left by John Paul II now somewhat filled. Tough task ahead, Pope Benedict XVI, all the best to you.:)
I'm still hyper! And I don't like it anymore! Coffee's supposed to be my friend, but now I have to sleep! Lesson learned: only one cup of coffee a night. Hmm.. maybe I'll wait for breakfast instead. Lalala. Maybe I'll just lie down and stare at the ceiling and sing to myself and think happy thoughts and wait for sleep to come (if it comes at all). Good morning!
Music of the Moment: Keane's Somewhere Only We Know
Currently feeling dizzy.
5:06AM. Still high on coffee, but finally off to bed. Coffee doesn't seem to suit me well, since I'm feeling a funny buzz, my nerve circuit has gone haywire, and I have a slight headache. Oh well. I'm beginning to like the taste of coffee, so I guess that's a good start. ;)
Just came from another addition to my series of all-nighters. Haha thanks Karen for keeping me company (or did I keep you company?) and for, as usual, keeping me within my normal levels of insanity (I admit I've finally snapped.. but so have you haha). The study locations of the day: the comfy (and unfortunately sleep-inducing) couches in the Central Library (which we had trouble to find as the entire library was infested with muggers), and, later after 10PM, the benches at AS4 Building.
Haha, it was eerily quiet those lonely benches at AS4, so Karen and I sang aloud (sometimes with my handphone's radio on loudspeaker) and talked and debated on a series of issues and distracted each other until it was past midnight. Hmph, Karen left me before 2AM, but cool, I was suddenly productive! I guess Karen was, too, in her room.
Ahhh... Another dorky entry. Because really, what is there to say? Hehe. Karen says this kind of mugging is unheard of in the Philippines. And we're not even Medicine students! And the seemingly super stressful days in Pisay can barely match the intensive mugging sessions here. Well, that's a world-class university for you. 18th in the world, baby! Yeah yeah, I secretly still love NUS despite the torture it's doing.
I told Karen we seriously have to go clubbing after these blasted exams. God, I even told her I yearn to go clubbing. Stress release! In any case, I don't regret not going out clubbing with Ferron and Nestor last Saturday, although they, along with Karen, dragged me to Raffles City for dinner, when I planned to finish my notes. WOW, Out of the Pan is a terrrrific place, and their meaty/fishy crepes (we chose 4 kinds) were yummy, the tiramisu mouthwatering, and the honeyfig and white chocolate ice cream just divine. Never mind if we spent a fortune for the meal. Hehe always cool to use my debit card and just sign the cheque. Later, the clubbing session didn't qutie materialize anyway, so post-exam clubbing will surely be super.
And oh, thanks to Mickey, I learned that we have a new pope. My fervent prayers to you Pope Benedict XVI, aka Fr. Joseph Ratzinger. I'm not sure if the fact that you're my namesake is of any sign of significance to me, but never mind, I'm glad that the Catholic Church leadership body is once more complete, the void left by John Paul II now somewhat filled. Tough task ahead, Pope Benedict XVI, all the best to you.:)
I'm still hyper! And I don't like it anymore! Coffee's supposed to be my friend, but now I have to sleep! Lesson learned: only one cup of coffee a night. Hmm.. maybe I'll wait for breakfast instead. Lalala. Maybe I'll just lie down and stare at the ceiling and sing to myself and think happy thoughts and wait for sleep to come (if it comes at all). Good morning!
Music of the Moment: Keane's Somewhere Only We Know
Currently feeling dizzy.
Mugging madness
Mugging madness
Until I came to Singapore to study, I never knew that to mug meant to study intensely. (I also didn't know that to revise meant to review, as in "revise your notes for the exam") That I can easily attribute to British English here, but what I never knew about University life that I only learned here is that mugging, especially the week before exams, is THE way of life.
Never have I seen the many floors in libraries virtually overflowing with people. And that was even until around 10pm, when the library closes, too! Theoretically, many of Singaporeans are supposed to be at home, or in their hostels, as classes have finished, but no, they were in the library most of the day to mug like mad. The Yusof Ishak House, the center of student affairs activities of sorts, even extended its study room opening hours to 24 hours, just for the exam period and the revision week. It's a BIG colorful study room, well-designed (as are most of NUS buildings and function areas) and exudes a certain cool and funky vibe, such that studying there wouldn't make you seem like a nerd (or maybe that's just me).
So Ferron and I, after mugging at the Central Library till past 9pm, were off to YIH. We watched Survivor at 10PM in the comfy TV lounge (I told you YIH was a cool place), and proceeded to the study room.
It was my first time to actually mug there, and MY GOD. It was like the Arts Canteen during lunchtime! And it was Friday night too! I told Ferron I suddenly had the motivation to study! It's not that I'm getting more competitive, but I suddenly realized that mugging like mad IS the way to survive here. The posh Munchie Monkey Cafe near the study room had a special "exam menu", in fact, available from midnight to 9AM! Whooo. Definitely peak season for the vending machines too.
Ferron left at 1AM, and still the study room was full! I was making very little progress on my Probability notes, and decided I wouldn't go home till I reached page 200 (I originally planned till page 250, but by then my head would've burst). I dozed off a while, and when I woke up past 2, the crowd was still there! Such dorks, I had told Ferron earlier. To which he commented that the nerds and dorks were not here since they had all studied too diligently throughout the semester, and here were the crammers (us included).
The crowd finally thinned around 3AM, but still, a good 1/2 to 3/4 of the big, multilevel study room was still filled. I forced my brain to accept the snippets of Joint Probability density functions and Gamma distribution, before I finally decided to walk quite a long way home to Kent Ridge Hall at 4AM. Still, muggers were at work as I left.
I passed the Central Forum, and there were quite a few muggers sleeping on the benches with their notes scattered on the desks. My bag was heavy with my Statistic notes and a hardbound book, and I was carrying a stack of NUS Choir musical scores that, as Records Sec, I was supposed to keep.
I arrived hall, my arms suddenly numb, a headache in progress. Just the same, I think I'm headed for YIH again tonight. I've given up on my room as a study area already. :D
The happy mugger makes the grade! Jia you everyone!
Until I came to Singapore to study, I never knew that to mug meant to study intensely. (I also didn't know that to revise meant to review, as in "revise your notes for the exam") That I can easily attribute to British English here, but what I never knew about University life that I only learned here is that mugging, especially the week before exams, is THE way of life.
Never have I seen the many floors in libraries virtually overflowing with people. And that was even until around 10pm, when the library closes, too! Theoretically, many of Singaporeans are supposed to be at home, or in their hostels, as classes have finished, but no, they were in the library most of the day to mug like mad. The Yusof Ishak House, the center of student affairs activities of sorts, even extended its study room opening hours to 24 hours, just for the exam period and the revision week. It's a BIG colorful study room, well-designed (as are most of NUS buildings and function areas) and exudes a certain cool and funky vibe, such that studying there wouldn't make you seem like a nerd (or maybe that's just me).
So Ferron and I, after mugging at the Central Library till past 9pm, were off to YIH. We watched Survivor at 10PM in the comfy TV lounge (I told you YIH was a cool place), and proceeded to the study room.
It was my first time to actually mug there, and MY GOD. It was like the Arts Canteen during lunchtime! And it was Friday night too! I told Ferron I suddenly had the motivation to study! It's not that I'm getting more competitive, but I suddenly realized that mugging like mad IS the way to survive here. The posh Munchie Monkey Cafe near the study room had a special "exam menu", in fact, available from midnight to 9AM! Whooo. Definitely peak season for the vending machines too.
Ferron left at 1AM, and still the study room was full! I was making very little progress on my Probability notes, and decided I wouldn't go home till I reached page 200 (I originally planned till page 250, but by then my head would've burst). I dozed off a while, and when I woke up past 2, the crowd was still there! Such dorks, I had told Ferron earlier. To which he commented that the nerds and dorks were not here since they had all studied too diligently throughout the semester, and here were the crammers (us included).
The crowd finally thinned around 3AM, but still, a good 1/2 to 3/4 of the big, multilevel study room was still filled. I forced my brain to accept the snippets of Joint Probability density functions and Gamma distribution, before I finally decided to walk quite a long way home to Kent Ridge Hall at 4AM. Still, muggers were at work as I left.
I passed the Central Forum, and there were quite a few muggers sleeping on the benches with their notes scattered on the desks. My bag was heavy with my Statistic notes and a hardbound book, and I was carrying a stack of NUS Choir musical scores that, as Records Sec, I was supposed to keep.
I arrived hall, my arms suddenly numb, a headache in progress. Just the same, I think I'm headed for YIH again tonight. I've given up on my room as a study area already. :D
The happy mugger makes the grade! Jia you everyone!
Good day
Good day
There are bad days, there are good days.
There are good days, and then there are good days.
(Inspired by my Argument module tutor Ms Peggie Chan's favorite expression)
Today, as luck would have had it, was a good day. And it's just terrific.
I'm half-asleep already, but I'll blog it anyway. I had breakfast with my suddenly-mugging first-floor neighbors, had a productive revision in the Science Library till noon, had a good chat with long-time-no-see friend Victor from KE7 Hall during lunch, sat for my mind-numbing 3-hour Molecular Genetics class beside Malaysian labreport-mate and friend Claire and survived the open-book, open-laptop, go-google-if-you-wish, discuss-with-your-friends-all-you-want midterm test what turned out strangely not brain-twisting, rode the bus with the bridging kids, went for a "surprise" fire drill which everyone was expecting at 6:30pm.
After a sumptuous meal of Singapore's favorite chicken rice, I watched American Idol, and woohooo the rockers just.. rock.:D Anwar was terrific as usual, I didn't like Vonzell's performance too much because it was too.. eightyish? Carrie unfortunately did a bad job attempting to play the rock chick, and Nadia Nadia, I like you a lot, but you have to get back that oomph. :D Please let it be Scott to go next.
The big highlight of my day came after AI show ended at 9:30pm. Haha the good thing about living on-campus is that what else, the school's just so nearby! In fact, technically I live in school! And so, after reading my Literary Studies tutor Ms Wang's email informing us to get our graded answer scripts for our midterm test in the folder outside her door, I knew I could easily go to the AS5 building at 9:30, and be back before the Amazing Race started at 10pm.
AND WOOHOOOO. 9/10 baby! That's at 9% of the 10% of the final grade. Haha, come to think of it, that's not too much. Hehe, but think this: some even got 2, or 1, or 3.5, or 5 or 7, since many of my classmates' papers were there (haha sneaky me). So it has to be at least 9%. My God, I'm back to being grade-conscious. Hahaha.
It was the Intro to Lit in-class test, which I (dorkily) posted here some time ago. I chose the Macbeth question, and lo and behold, my answers seemed to make more than enough sense even to me (I thought I was just scribbling nonsense, as I didn't quite study for it, and woke up late for the test). Dr Susan Ang, one of the fastest speakers on the planet and with that Cambridge (not British, as Karen emphasizes) accent, checked it, and I'm just awed that she found what I scribbled down sensible.
Haha, to the question of imagery on Macbeth's "If it were done, when 'tis done.." soliloquy in relation to the speaker's state of mind, Dr Ang had an interesting comment on one of my points: "hmm.. a bit over-imaginative but.." Hahaha, I found that nice. See, I found a connection from Macbeth's soliloquy to the bloody sea in the Biblical story of Moses. HAHA! Blame it on Macbeth's statement "bank and shoal of time", the recurring imagery of blood and the actual multiple gruesome deaths and some other clues. Quite far-off, now that I think about it, but I myself am quite convinced by how I presented my case. Come on, even Dr Ang poses some imaginative interpretations as well, sometimes falling prey to "overreading" the text (or maybe I'm just a shallow reader?XP). But really, that's part of the beauty of literature, as she and Dr Yeo say: there's no fixed answer, it all boils down on how you read through the symbols and support your interpretation. Woohooo.
I read through what seemed to be one of my more sensible ramblings, and happily noted the small ticks that Dr Ang made (yey), and at the bottom of my back-to-back answer, she wrote a "good", and a "5.5/7".. which she scratched and changed to "6/7". Coolness.
On the second part of the question about how sound helped to convey the atmosphere and mood, I was particularly worried since I failed to include several points that she mentioned in class, and which she even scribbled at the bottom of my corrected answer sheet: "Alliteration? Sibilance?" Haha, I've never even heard of the word sibilance before this (maybe she mentioned it when I was late for class), and now, after googling, it turns out to be an important aspect of the soliloquy. Now I know.
Just the same, I'm incredibly elated that I found some other interesting stuff to compensate for the big stuff I missed. Apparently, my detailed observation that the rhyme was breaking down as the soliloquy progressed, and my claim that there were "sounds that seemed to attempt to rhyme, but didn't quite match, like against & horsed, air & eye, babe & air", which all indicated a "mounting chaos and deviation from the 'frame of things', foreshadowing the coming catastrophe of Duncan's death and the resulting disorder" had enough merit for her to scribble "interesting" at the margin.
Finally, beside the mention of "Alliteration? Sibilance?" at the bottom of the page were the words I haven't seen in my essays for a long time: "Very good" and beside it, "3/3".
HAHA! I was so happy I was laughing and smiling alone in the empty corridor, and continued to do so as I walked/ran down the slope back to Kent Ridge Hall. "Woohoo", I had said aloud when I reached the first floor corridor, and I'm sure I heard a "woohoo" response from my neighbor Yishu, the guy who says woohooo all the time. :)
Amazing Race was great, and I enjoyed all two hours of it. Rob and Amber I still do not like, but I have to give them credit for their effective tactics and for just stepping up the excitement level of the show (which has drastically been reduced due to last season's suckiness). Ahh.. I love The Amazing Race. I'd kill to get in the show.
I checked my Yahoo! Mail manually (since my email client POP Peeper has problems connecting with it), and wow, another surprise. TY again.:) AND, the D-block night cycling photos were up! Haha nice nice. They were reduced in size (dimensions) though, sayang. In any case, I'll upload them sometime.
Then, at midnight, I checked the IVLE and learned that the results for my Molecular Genetics CA were out. Panic panic. I knew I didn't do too well, partly due to my commonsensical math approach in attacking the problem, and partly because I'm not a life science major! In any case, I opened the Excel file, and it wasn't a good grade. Barely above the mean. Sad. Never mind.
Haha, yet another addition to the series of signs that I should be in the Arts and Social Science Faculty and not in Science. As of now, I'm listed as a Statistics Major, minoring in English Studies, but I don't know, maybe I'll do a double major instead? Or transfer totally to Arts Fac? Haha ramblings ramblings.
Funny I always get the feeling that Arts is more for me than Science. Maybe because the PRC and Vietnamese students are blooody brilliant in Maths, and it's so easy to fade into the background. Arts, well, I think I have a shot at happily sticking out like a sore thumb. ;) And I enjoy it more, really.
Hmph. Decisions, decisions. Let's just see what happens. :D
Should be out of my room today! No more classes, but I must get into intense revision for exams up ahead!
There are bad days, there are good days.
There are good days, and then there are good days.
(Inspired by my Argument module tutor Ms Peggie Chan's favorite expression)
Today, as luck would have had it, was a good day. And it's just terrific.
I'm half-asleep already, but I'll blog it anyway. I had breakfast with my suddenly-mugging first-floor neighbors, had a productive revision in the Science Library till noon, had a good chat with long-time-no-see friend Victor from KE7 Hall during lunch, sat for my mind-numbing 3-hour Molecular Genetics class beside Malaysian labreport-mate and friend Claire and survived the open-book, open-laptop, go-google-if-you-wish, discuss-with-your-friends-all-you-want midterm test what turned out strangely not brain-twisting, rode the bus with the bridging kids, went for a "surprise" fire drill which everyone was expecting at 6:30pm.
After a sumptuous meal of Singapore's favorite chicken rice, I watched American Idol, and woohooo the rockers just.. rock.:D Anwar was terrific as usual, I didn't like Vonzell's performance too much because it was too.. eightyish? Carrie unfortunately did a bad job attempting to play the rock chick, and Nadia Nadia, I like you a lot, but you have to get back that oomph. :D Please let it be Scott to go next.
The big highlight of my day came after AI show ended at 9:30pm. Haha the good thing about living on-campus is that what else, the school's just so nearby! In fact, technically I live in school! And so, after reading my Literary Studies tutor Ms Wang's email informing us to get our graded answer scripts for our midterm test in the folder outside her door, I knew I could easily go to the AS5 building at 9:30, and be back before the Amazing Race started at 10pm.
AND WOOHOOOO. 9/10 baby! That's at 9% of the 10% of the final grade. Haha, come to think of it, that's not too much. Hehe, but think this: some even got 2, or 1, or 3.5, or 5 or 7, since many of my classmates' papers were there (haha sneaky me). So it has to be at least 9%. My God, I'm back to being grade-conscious. Hahaha.
It was the Intro to Lit in-class test, which I (dorkily) posted here some time ago. I chose the Macbeth question, and lo and behold, my answers seemed to make more than enough sense even to me (I thought I was just scribbling nonsense, as I didn't quite study for it, and woke up late for the test). Dr Susan Ang, one of the fastest speakers on the planet and with that Cambridge (not British, as Karen emphasizes) accent, checked it, and I'm just awed that she found what I scribbled down sensible.
Haha, to the question of imagery on Macbeth's "If it were done, when 'tis done.." soliloquy in relation to the speaker's state of mind, Dr Ang had an interesting comment on one of my points: "hmm.. a bit over-imaginative but.." Hahaha, I found that nice. See, I found a connection from Macbeth's soliloquy to the bloody sea in the Biblical story of Moses. HAHA! Blame it on Macbeth's statement "bank and shoal of time", the recurring imagery of blood and the actual multiple gruesome deaths and some other clues. Quite far-off, now that I think about it, but I myself am quite convinced by how I presented my case. Come on, even Dr Ang poses some imaginative interpretations as well, sometimes falling prey to "overreading" the text (or maybe I'm just a shallow reader?XP). But really, that's part of the beauty of literature, as she and Dr Yeo say: there's no fixed answer, it all boils down on how you read through the symbols and support your interpretation. Woohooo.
I read through what seemed to be one of my more sensible ramblings, and happily noted the small ticks that Dr Ang made (yey), and at the bottom of my back-to-back answer, she wrote a "good", and a "5.5/7".. which she scratched and changed to "6/7". Coolness.
On the second part of the question about how sound helped to convey the atmosphere and mood, I was particularly worried since I failed to include several points that she mentioned in class, and which she even scribbled at the bottom of my corrected answer sheet: "Alliteration? Sibilance?" Haha, I've never even heard of the word sibilance before this (maybe she mentioned it when I was late for class), and now, after googling, it turns out to be an important aspect of the soliloquy. Now I know.
Just the same, I'm incredibly elated that I found some other interesting stuff to compensate for the big stuff I missed. Apparently, my detailed observation that the rhyme was breaking down as the soliloquy progressed, and my claim that there were "sounds that seemed to attempt to rhyme, but didn't quite match, like against & horsed, air & eye, babe & air", which all indicated a "mounting chaos and deviation from the 'frame of things', foreshadowing the coming catastrophe of Duncan's death and the resulting disorder" had enough merit for her to scribble "interesting" at the margin.
Finally, beside the mention of "Alliteration? Sibilance?" at the bottom of the page were the words I haven't seen in my essays for a long time: "Very good" and beside it, "3/3".
HAHA! I was so happy I was laughing and smiling alone in the empty corridor, and continued to do so as I walked/ran down the slope back to Kent Ridge Hall. "Woohoo", I had said aloud when I reached the first floor corridor, and I'm sure I heard a "woohoo" response from my neighbor Yishu, the guy who says woohooo all the time. :)
Amazing Race was great, and I enjoyed all two hours of it. Rob and Amber I still do not like, but I have to give them credit for their effective tactics and for just stepping up the excitement level of the show (which has drastically been reduced due to last season's suckiness). Ahh.. I love The Amazing Race. I'd kill to get in the show.
I checked my Yahoo! Mail manually (since my email client POP Peeper has problems connecting with it), and wow, another surprise. TY again.:) AND, the D-block night cycling photos were up! Haha nice nice. They were reduced in size (dimensions) though, sayang. In any case, I'll upload them sometime.
Then, at midnight, I checked the IVLE and learned that the results for my Molecular Genetics CA were out. Panic panic. I knew I didn't do too well, partly due to my commonsensical math approach in attacking the problem, and partly because I'm not a life science major! In any case, I opened the Excel file, and it wasn't a good grade. Barely above the mean. Sad. Never mind.
Haha, yet another addition to the series of signs that I should be in the Arts and Social Science Faculty and not in Science. As of now, I'm listed as a Statistics Major, minoring in English Studies, but I don't know, maybe I'll do a double major instead? Or transfer totally to Arts Fac? Haha ramblings ramblings.
Funny I always get the feeling that Arts is more for me than Science. Maybe because the PRC and Vietnamese students are blooody brilliant in Maths, and it's so easy to fade into the background. Arts, well, I think I have a shot at happily sticking out like a sore thumb. ;) And I enjoy it more, really.
Hmph. Decisions, decisions. Let's just see what happens. :D
Should be out of my room today! No more classes, but I must get into intense revision for exams up ahead!
Speculation
Speculation
The good thing about being human and doing human things that matter to self is that one does not have to justify everything.
I like lasagna, do I have to explain to you why? No.
Are there really valid reasons for my liking lasagna? Of course.
Do you have to know? No.
But you can speculate, given the collective facts that I'm a sucker for cheese, for tomatoes, for spices, and how eating them visibly makes me high. You can even use the fact that I like Italian food in general, the fetuccine, spaghetti, pizza kind. Then, you will find the reason, as it suits you, why I like lasagna.
Just the same, that's speculation. And hopefully, it's not lined with malice. Ultimately, I alone know the reasons why I like lasagna, which may or may not coincide with your theories. And due to constraints, I don't feel like elaborating.
The reason for this rather off post is this collection of theories by Mr. Moderator of the NUS Chika blog, as to why I wanted out of it. Nice, it was an instant response to my previous post. Another instant response is the sudden total makeover of NUS Chika. Suddenly no more blog feeds from any of the individual members (but maybe that's just for the meantime). (edit[13/4/05]: the original NUS Chika blog has just been renamed/moved to NUS Noypi, apparently) All this suddenness in contrast to the absence of reply I got for my repeated requests to remove my blog, before I cornered him during lunch.
Now, if I were to use my Evaluating Academic Arguments module learnings to critique my own argument, I would easily say this is a case of false analogy. Yet, it cannot be denied that ultimately, in matters pertaining to self, I don't have to justify anything to anyone.
I would love to do so actually, to share my thoughts and reasons, but not with people who put malice in the things I do. I am sorry, Wayne, but you again have placed malice in my actions, not unlike the Varsity Voices incident. I highlight some points regarding his post:
What is the relevance of the title, "Ako ang may K", to the post? Later, he says, "According to him (referring to me), he is the one who has the "karapatan"(right) whether he should be there (in NUS Chika) or not." Are you trying to refute my claim that it is indeed my right? If so, your argument isn't substantiated. You didn't comment directly on the statement, except perhaps through the title? I still maintain it is my right to decide to have my blog displayed in NUS Chika or not.
With regard to your amazing theories, I am saddened by the malice again hurled against me.
On Theory 1: Malice in insinuating that I yearn for increased hits by removing my blog from NUS Chika. Because really, I'm not after hits. I would elaborate, but that would be too complicated. Let's just say I'm going for quality, not quantity. That's a bad analogy of sorts, but it makes sense to me.
Everyone can go get Bloglines, as Wayne suggested, and I would not complain at all with the reduced hits. I've recently even got a Bloglines account myself (got the idea originally from Sherene though).
On Theory 2: Isolating who and how many people visit? Sure I want to know who visits my blog, since I'm baring myself here and I don't want lurkers, but I never thought of it this way. The ideal situation is for people who do read to please speak up and tell me something. But to remove my blog from NUS Chika to check my visitors? Heck no.
On Theory 3: "Is it because NUS Chika has a scandalicious aura about it that would engulf anyone belonging to it?" This is the type of insinuation I recognize only in tabloids and showbiz talk shows. Don't do it, Wayne. It's not good. And that joke by someone about INQ7 and NUS Chika on different levels: not funny.
On Theory 4: I am most struck by this theory, and I'll post the entire paragraph here:
"My fourth and least probable theory would be that he does not want any one to link to his blog. Why would a guy join INQ7 blogger of the day if he did not want that attention. For the information of the uninformed, to be a blogger of the day, drop joeyalarilla@gmail.com a line and he'll check out your site. Then he'll ask you to fill up a questionnaire. That's too much effort to go through to not want being linked to by a ton of sites."
False assumption. Do you seriously think that I wanted to get linked by "a ton of sites" by going through that "too much effort"? MY GOD. I am appalled.
Someone please tell me I'm not weird for joining the INQ7 YOU Blog Addict thing because I wanted to do my blog a tribute. That I wasn't trying to have my blog linked by "a ton of sites" (and it didn't happen too). As far as I know, the only new site that linked to me after the INQ7 thing is the same INQ7 feature itself. Sure it gives me more hits, and I'm not complaining, but that was not my aim. Quality over quantity, I repeat. As I've said to a person who commented on my previous post, I did not join the Blog Addict thing to lure many people to my site and have a shot at fame. I'm indeed addicted to blogging, and thus I qualify. And really, I was doing a tribute to the blog that has kept me sane.
Too much effort? Do you seriously think so? Is it so difficult to write an email and fill up a questionnaire of less than 10 questions? As a side note, have you applied for it too, Wayne?
OK, this has been a long enough, heavy post. I am saddened too, Wayne, if you must know. I hope you figure out why you're experiencing "confused sadness". I know I'm sad because some people still think maliciously of me.
P.S. Ugh. I hate posting stuff like this.
The good thing about being human and doing human things that matter to self is that one does not have to justify everything.
I like lasagna, do I have to explain to you why? No.
Are there really valid reasons for my liking lasagna? Of course.
Do you have to know? No.
But you can speculate, given the collective facts that I'm a sucker for cheese, for tomatoes, for spices, and how eating them visibly makes me high. You can even use the fact that I like Italian food in general, the fetuccine, spaghetti, pizza kind. Then, you will find the reason, as it suits you, why I like lasagna.
Just the same, that's speculation. And hopefully, it's not lined with malice. Ultimately, I alone know the reasons why I like lasagna, which may or may not coincide with your theories. And due to constraints, I don't feel like elaborating.
The reason for this rather off post is this collection of theories by Mr. Moderator of the NUS Chika blog, as to why I wanted out of it. Nice, it was an instant response to my previous post. Another instant response is the sudden total makeover of NUS Chika. Suddenly no more blog feeds from any of the individual members (but maybe that's just for the meantime). (edit[13/4/05]: the original NUS Chika blog has just been renamed/moved to NUS Noypi, apparently) All this suddenness in contrast to the absence of reply I got for my repeated requests to remove my blog, before I cornered him during lunch.
Now, if I were to use my Evaluating Academic Arguments module learnings to critique my own argument, I would easily say this is a case of false analogy. Yet, it cannot be denied that ultimately, in matters pertaining to self, I don't have to justify anything to anyone.
I would love to do so actually, to share my thoughts and reasons, but not with people who put malice in the things I do. I am sorry, Wayne, but you again have placed malice in my actions, not unlike the Varsity Voices incident. I highlight some points regarding his post:
What is the relevance of the title, "Ako ang may K", to the post? Later, he says, "According to him (referring to me), he is the one who has the "karapatan"(right) whether he should be there (in NUS Chika) or not." Are you trying to refute my claim that it is indeed my right? If so, your argument isn't substantiated. You didn't comment directly on the statement, except perhaps through the title? I still maintain it is my right to decide to have my blog displayed in NUS Chika or not.
With regard to your amazing theories, I am saddened by the malice again hurled against me.
On Theory 1: Malice in insinuating that I yearn for increased hits by removing my blog from NUS Chika. Because really, I'm not after hits. I would elaborate, but that would be too complicated. Let's just say I'm going for quality, not quantity. That's a bad analogy of sorts, but it makes sense to me.
Everyone can go get Bloglines, as Wayne suggested, and I would not complain at all with the reduced hits. I've recently even got a Bloglines account myself (got the idea originally from Sherene though).
On Theory 2: Isolating who and how many people visit? Sure I want to know who visits my blog, since I'm baring myself here and I don't want lurkers, but I never thought of it this way. The ideal situation is for people who do read to please speak up and tell me something. But to remove my blog from NUS Chika to check my visitors? Heck no.
On Theory 3: "Is it because NUS Chika has a scandalicious aura about it that would engulf anyone belonging to it?" This is the type of insinuation I recognize only in tabloids and showbiz talk shows. Don't do it, Wayne. It's not good. And that joke by someone about INQ7 and NUS Chika on different levels: not funny.
On Theory 4: I am most struck by this theory, and I'll post the entire paragraph here:
"My fourth and least probable theory would be that he does not want any one to link to his blog. Why would a guy join INQ7 blogger of the day if he did not want that attention. For the information of the uninformed, to be a blogger of the day, drop joeyalarilla@gmail.com a line and he'll check out your site. Then he'll ask you to fill up a questionnaire. That's too much effort to go through to not want being linked to by a ton of sites."
False assumption. Do you seriously think that I wanted to get linked by "a ton of sites" by going through that "too much effort"? MY GOD. I am appalled.
Someone please tell me I'm not weird for joining the INQ7 YOU Blog Addict thing because I wanted to do my blog a tribute. That I wasn't trying to have my blog linked by "a ton of sites" (and it didn't happen too). As far as I know, the only new site that linked to me after the INQ7 thing is the same INQ7 feature itself. Sure it gives me more hits, and I'm not complaining, but that was not my aim. Quality over quantity, I repeat. As I've said to a person who commented on my previous post, I did not join the Blog Addict thing to lure many people to my site and have a shot at fame. I'm indeed addicted to blogging, and thus I qualify. And really, I was doing a tribute to the blog that has kept me sane.
Too much effort? Do you seriously think so? Is it so difficult to write an email and fill up a questionnaire of less than 10 questions? As a side note, have you applied for it too, Wayne?
OK, this has been a long enough, heavy post. I am saddened too, Wayne, if you must know. I hope you figure out why you're experiencing "confused sadness". I know I'm sad because some people still think maliciously of me.
P.S. Ugh. I hate posting stuff like this.
Goodbye NUS Chika
Goodbye NUS Chika
I made a lengthy draft of what I really wanted to say here, but never mind, I'm tired and not in the mood to argue. Besides, like Korinna, I don't like blog wars too, as much as I sometimes get thrown into them.
I'll say stuff anyway, albeit mildly.
So, Mr. Moderator of the NUS Chika blog, next time, please tell me if you've received my multiple requests for removal of my blog, and not let me wait and wait as if you've never read them. This is my personal blog (at least I try my hardest to make it so), and, regardless of my reasons, however pointless or illogical they may seem, ultimately, you cannot refuse my decision to have my blog removed.
Please cancel my membership to the blog too (this is different from having the site feed removed) and I shall be happy and content.
I'll say it again, I hate posting stuff like this on my blog and creating bad vibrations and inviting negative energies, but I hope I'm making this blog as real and as personal as I can (but of course there are restrictions).
Enjoy your day, people. :)
I made a lengthy draft of what I really wanted to say here, but never mind, I'm tired and not in the mood to argue. Besides, like Korinna, I don't like blog wars too, as much as I sometimes get thrown into them.
I'll say stuff anyway, albeit mildly.
So, Mr. Moderator of the NUS Chika blog, next time, please tell me if you've received my multiple requests for removal of my blog, and not let me wait and wait as if you've never read them. This is my personal blog (at least I try my hardest to make it so), and, regardless of my reasons, however pointless or illogical they may seem, ultimately, you cannot refuse my decision to have my blog removed.
Please cancel my membership to the blog too (this is different from having the site feed removed) and I shall be happy and content.
I'll say it again, I hate posting stuff like this on my blog and creating bad vibrations and inviting negative energies, but I hope I'm making this blog as real and as personal as I can (but of course there are restrictions).
Enjoy your day, people. :)
Down the Gutter
Down the Gutter
Let it be known by all present that at a quarter past 11PM, I fell in the gutter on my way up to the Hon Sui Sen Library, and now I'm all scraped up and a bloody mess.
I was daydreaming (what else could I call it..thinking? fantasizing?) in the last bus from Central Library (I told myself I won't go back to my room until I finished reading the fascinating book, Waiting for the Barbarians), and when I finally alighted near KR Hall, I decided to go up the small slope up to the HSS Lib basement to check if the Pinoy group was still up mugging.
And before I knew it, my left leg was down the 2-foot deep gutter, my other leg still up on the pavement, my left palm on the semi-grassy concrete to make sure I didn't plop totally on the ground. I fell down hard on my arms and knees, and not without the grim realization that the bus hadn't left the bus stop yet, and that all eyes of passengers were on this absent-minded thin tall guy who fell in the gutter!
Hmph. My left palm has a small blob of blood (almost as if there was tiny hole in it), and later as I changed, I realized I scraped both my knees (although the right one has more um, intricate scraping) and my left elbow. My jeans tore a bit too (would've minded less if it were one of my worse pairs of jeans).
Anyway, as much as I grimace in pain once in a while, I'm feeling strangely fine. I think. Or, maybe I'm in denial again. Hmm.. I dunno really. (Pardon the stream of consciousness.. my mind has turned numb a bit already)
In any case, since I didn't finish my required reading in the library (again), now I'm sure I'll have enough soreness and pain to keep me up all night and finally finish the book! Then I can type my Lit essay, the topic of which I've decided I'll totally change! Woohoo. I'm sure I'll be an overachiever by Monday. =P
Good night!
Music of the Moment: Everything's Who Got the Hooch
Currently feeling vulnerable.
Let it be known by all present that at a quarter past 11PM, I fell in the gutter on my way up to the Hon Sui Sen Library, and now I'm all scraped up and a bloody mess.
I was daydreaming (what else could I call it..thinking? fantasizing?) in the last bus from Central Library (I told myself I won't go back to my room until I finished reading the fascinating book, Waiting for the Barbarians), and when I finally alighted near KR Hall, I decided to go up the small slope up to the HSS Lib basement to check if the Pinoy group was still up mugging.
And before I knew it, my left leg was down the 2-foot deep gutter, my other leg still up on the pavement, my left palm on the semi-grassy concrete to make sure I didn't plop totally on the ground. I fell down hard on my arms and knees, and not without the grim realization that the bus hadn't left the bus stop yet, and that all eyes of passengers were on this absent-minded thin tall guy who fell in the gutter!
Hmph. My left palm has a small blob of blood (almost as if there was tiny hole in it), and later as I changed, I realized I scraped both my knees (although the right one has more um, intricate scraping) and my left elbow. My jeans tore a bit too (would've minded less if it were one of my worse pairs of jeans).
Anyway, as much as I grimace in pain once in a while, I'm feeling strangely fine. I think. Or, maybe I'm in denial again. Hmm.. I dunno really. (Pardon the stream of consciousness.. my mind has turned numb a bit already)
In any case, since I didn't finish my required reading in the library (again), now I'm sure I'll have enough soreness and pain to keep me up all night and finally finish the book! Then I can type my Lit essay, the topic of which I've decided I'll totally change! Woohoo. I'm sure I'll be an overachiever by Monday. =P
Good night!
Music of the Moment: Everything's Who Got the Hooch
Currently feeling vulnerable.
Oh happy day
Oh happy day
Hahaha coolness. Just when I thought it would be another of those bad days, especially since I FELL ASLEEP AGAIN in my determined attempt to finish the blasted essays last night. Arthur and I even agreed to wake each other up by buzzing each other on Yahoo Messenger once in a while since our plan was, "Walang tulugan!" As it turned out, both of us fell asleep, although at different times. Stupid little me fell asleep twice. Argh.
My essay on racial profiling was quite okay, actually, since I had a draft to work on. It needed a major make-over though, because as I've learned in my recent essays, I have a STRUCTURE problem. Anyway, it required some major shuffle of things to organize my points, but more or less the paper was 80% done. As to my other essay, the one for my Lit module, it was barely 50% done. And both were due tomorrow. Panic set in, needless to say, but my never-say-die mentality just knew I'd finish them in time by hook or by crook.
After Probability class (the last one this sem) and a yummy meal of Japanese food (always my destressor), I headed to the Science Computer Clusters to work on my essays (working on my laptop in my room has proven to be futile most of the time), and lo and behold, surprise of surprises from my NUS inbox.
____________________
From: Yeo Wei Wei
To: ...
Sent: Thu 4/7/2005 10:49 AM
Subject: Clarification about the deadline for the second essay
Dear students,
Apologies about the confusion about the submission date for the second assignment. Dr Ang and I have discussed this and we have decided to fix the deadline at MONDAY, 11 april, before 5 pm.
Best
Dr Yeo
_________________________
Haha! Wonder of wonders. Dr Yeo is one of the two lecturers for my Intro to Lit module. Nice! I can only happily blame the phrasing of the deadline, "Due in : Week ending April 8th". So that left me with only my argument module position paper due the next day, and the whole weekend to figure out the Lit essay. Woohoo.
I was so happy I gave myself a good deal of leeway, and allowed myself to indulge in the pleasures of watching the American Idol results show! Haha, right then and there too, since Mediacorp Channel 5 airs the show direct-off-satellite at 3pm, and, thanks to NUScast, I just needed a headset to watch the show right then and there in the computer room.
I've been seeing drastically less of TV the past 2 months, and watching the show was a guilty pleasure. Hehe. Fantasia sang, although I personally thought the performance was rather rough and not well-polished, yeah, even if it was electrifying and soulful and all. Nikko Smith got the boot, to my dismay, since I've always been a fan of R&B Usher-like singers.
Yet another pleasant pleasant surprise was a totally unexpected comment from someone about this blog. WOW, I still am overwhelmed. Really. Thanks! =P
Went through my last Calculus class, worked on the essay some more, then went back to hall for dinner. Room allocation matters in D Block, and coolness, all the first floor guys are staying on the same floor. First time in history, apparently. First floor the traditional phantom floor, which, on the contrary, I found quite accessible to every other place of significance in the hall. And the washroom is quite nice (it's for the disabled apparently, so we get some added comforts).
I was typing away my essay (yes all I do is write the blasted essay) again at around 10pm, when we were called for KR choir supper. This was a curious supper, as we didn't have to cook anything, and the Choir Comm just told us to turn up with utensils. WHOA, when we got there, it was a FEAST! Lots of big Canadian pizzas of at least 5 different kinds, KFC Chickensss, lots of softdrinks, some special puff with ice cream filling, and just as we were bloated, the real ice cream tubs came, in chocolate, vanilla, and cookies and cream. Sigh, I could've eaten a whole lot more, except that the human tummy can contain only so much. The tenors were quite good company too, although haha the conversation was slightly green this time. Not initiated by me, of course. Fun.
By midnight, my essay was about 95% done, so typing away was a breeze. I fell asleep before finishing it all up (blame it on the food), but it was sleep of the good relaxing kind, something I rightfully deserved.
Hahaha coolness. Just when I thought it would be another of those bad days, especially since I FELL ASLEEP AGAIN in my determined attempt to finish the blasted essays last night. Arthur and I even agreed to wake each other up by buzzing each other on Yahoo Messenger once in a while since our plan was, "Walang tulugan!" As it turned out, both of us fell asleep, although at different times. Stupid little me fell asleep twice. Argh.
My essay on racial profiling was quite okay, actually, since I had a draft to work on. It needed a major make-over though, because as I've learned in my recent essays, I have a STRUCTURE problem. Anyway, it required some major shuffle of things to organize my points, but more or less the paper was 80% done. As to my other essay, the one for my Lit module, it was barely 50% done. And both were due tomorrow. Panic set in, needless to say, but my never-say-die mentality just knew I'd finish them in time by hook or by crook.
After Probability class (the last one this sem) and a yummy meal of Japanese food (always my destressor), I headed to the Science Computer Clusters to work on my essays (working on my laptop in my room has proven to be futile most of the time), and lo and behold, surprise of surprises from my NUS inbox.
____________________
From: Yeo Wei Wei
To: ...
Sent: Thu 4/7/2005 10:49 AM
Subject: Clarification about the deadline for the second essay
Dear students,
Apologies about the confusion about the submission date for the second assignment. Dr Ang and I have discussed this and we have decided to fix the deadline at MONDAY, 11 april, before 5 pm.
Best
Dr Yeo
_________________________
Haha! Wonder of wonders. Dr Yeo is one of the two lecturers for my Intro to Lit module. Nice! I can only happily blame the phrasing of the deadline, "Due in : Week ending April 8th". So that left me with only my argument module position paper due the next day, and the whole weekend to figure out the Lit essay. Woohoo.
I was so happy I gave myself a good deal of leeway, and allowed myself to indulge in the pleasures of watching the American Idol results show! Haha, right then and there too, since Mediacorp Channel 5 airs the show direct-off-satellite at 3pm, and, thanks to NUScast, I just needed a headset to watch the show right then and there in the computer room.
I've been seeing drastically less of TV the past 2 months, and watching the show was a guilty pleasure. Hehe. Fantasia sang, although I personally thought the performance was rather rough and not well-polished, yeah, even if it was electrifying and soulful and all. Nikko Smith got the boot, to my dismay, since I've always been a fan of R&B Usher-like singers.
Yet another pleasant pleasant surprise was a totally unexpected comment from someone about this blog. WOW, I still am overwhelmed. Really. Thanks! =P
Went through my last Calculus class, worked on the essay some more, then went back to hall for dinner. Room allocation matters in D Block, and coolness, all the first floor guys are staying on the same floor. First time in history, apparently. First floor the traditional phantom floor, which, on the contrary, I found quite accessible to every other place of significance in the hall. And the washroom is quite nice (it's for the disabled apparently, so we get some added comforts).
I was typing away my essay (yes all I do is write the blasted essay) again at around 10pm, when we were called for KR choir supper. This was a curious supper, as we didn't have to cook anything, and the Choir Comm just told us to turn up with utensils. WHOA, when we got there, it was a FEAST! Lots of big Canadian pizzas of at least 5 different kinds, KFC Chickensss, lots of softdrinks, some special puff with ice cream filling, and just as we were bloated, the real ice cream tubs came, in chocolate, vanilla, and cookies and cream. Sigh, I could've eaten a whole lot more, except that the human tummy can contain only so much. The tenors were quite good company too, although haha the conversation was slightly green this time. Not initiated by me, of course. Fun.
By midnight, my essay was about 95% done, so typing away was a breeze. I fell asleep before finishing it all up (blame it on the food), but it was sleep of the good relaxing kind, something I rightfully deserved.
Hah
Hah!
I thought this was gonna be bad day that was off on a rocky start, but whew, it turned out gooood.
Genetics lab in the morning. I feared that it would be the time for the surprise test (but was fervently hoping otherwise), and shrunk when I our lab teaching assistant said that we had to hurry up the discussion as we had a test afterwards. Panic panic. But it turned out to be only a MOCK test, so wheeeeew. I'm guessing it's gonna be tomorrow (or later), so I'm hoping my analytical skills won't fail me in deciphering pedigrees.
Evaluating Academic Arguments class at 1pm. This time we had another mock test, in preparation for Friday's final exam. It was all right, really, except I had a good headache afterwards. But the exciting part was when Ms Chan announced after the class that, since it was our last class, we'd have to go outside and have a group photo! Haha, class photo! Never had one of those for the longest time (2 years?). This module of mine is special since it's taught in small groups with combined lectures and tutorials, unlike the usual large lecture groups of other modules, and our class of twenty seemed to be quite fun and lively in our argument discussions. Awww.. I miss my class photos in high school! And grade school! And quite cool, Ms Chan says she'll have the photo framed and hung in her office, like the rest of her class photos.
[This is supposed to be my cue to post up the long overdue photos of NUS Choir Varsity Voices and post-concert photos, KR Choir photos at Amplitude, International Relations Night photos that I haven't fully sent to Ivy, and the Sentosa pics.. Haha, next time I guess.]
And her office is one cool cool place, btw, as it's like a mini-museum of fun stuff. She has lots of these tiny decor and posters on the wall, emblems of pop culture, and lots of framed photos of her family. It was such a mixture of happy colors and all, that the first (and only) time I've been there to discuss my paper along with Amanda, I couldn't help but say "whoa". The room could very well be in a state of clutter in the wrong hands, but apparently Ms Chan has a terrific (and flamboyant in a good way) sense of order.
Went back to hall and got myself some sleep.
At past 10pm we had a splendid Block Supper at the rooftop. Wooohoooo. D Block makes uber yummy suppers I must admit. This was the last supper of the year, and a tribute to the final-years too, and there was such an excess of food everyone was restrained to eat more only because we were all happily stuffed already. I particularly liked the chicken casserole with lots of cream cheese, the baked potato with cheese, the pizza, the multilayered chocolate mudpies of all shapes and sizes, the spaghetti and pasta. Good food and good company provide for kick-ass good time.
Okay, mugging sessions up ahead. Aim of the night (or early morning), finish one of the two essays!
P.S. My good buddy Jay is in Taiwan to do his thesis (My God, we are getting older indeed). Haha you lucky bastard. I'm not sure if Taiwan is like Singapore, but I sure know the weather's better up there. Karen's brimming with envy na.:D I haven't heard from you in a while Jay, have to catch you online! Take care!
I thought this was gonna be bad day that was off on a rocky start, but whew, it turned out gooood.
Genetics lab in the morning. I feared that it would be the time for the surprise test (but was fervently hoping otherwise), and shrunk when I our lab teaching assistant said that we had to hurry up the discussion as we had a test afterwards. Panic panic. But it turned out to be only a MOCK test, so wheeeeew. I'm guessing it's gonna be tomorrow (or later), so I'm hoping my analytical skills won't fail me in deciphering pedigrees.
Evaluating Academic Arguments class at 1pm. This time we had another mock test, in preparation for Friday's final exam. It was all right, really, except I had a good headache afterwards. But the exciting part was when Ms Chan announced after the class that, since it was our last class, we'd have to go outside and have a group photo! Haha, class photo! Never had one of those for the longest time (2 years?). This module of mine is special since it's taught in small groups with combined lectures and tutorials, unlike the usual large lecture groups of other modules, and our class of twenty seemed to be quite fun and lively in our argument discussions. Awww.. I miss my class photos in high school! And grade school! And quite cool, Ms Chan says she'll have the photo framed and hung in her office, like the rest of her class photos.
[This is supposed to be my cue to post up the long overdue photos of NUS Choir Varsity Voices and post-concert photos, KR Choir photos at Amplitude, International Relations Night photos that I haven't fully sent to Ivy, and the Sentosa pics.. Haha, next time I guess.]
And her office is one cool cool place, btw, as it's like a mini-museum of fun stuff. She has lots of these tiny decor and posters on the wall, emblems of pop culture, and lots of framed photos of her family. It was such a mixture of happy colors and all, that the first (and only) time I've been there to discuss my paper along with Amanda, I couldn't help but say "whoa". The room could very well be in a state of clutter in the wrong hands, but apparently Ms Chan has a terrific (and flamboyant in a good way) sense of order.
Went back to hall and got myself some sleep.
At past 10pm we had a splendid Block Supper at the rooftop. Wooohoooo. D Block makes uber yummy suppers I must admit. This was the last supper of the year, and a tribute to the final-years too, and there was such an excess of food everyone was restrained to eat more only because we were all happily stuffed already. I particularly liked the chicken casserole with lots of cream cheese, the baked potato with cheese, the pizza, the multilayered chocolate mudpies of all shapes and sizes, the spaghetti and pasta. Good food and good company provide for kick-ass good time.
Okay, mugging sessions up ahead. Aim of the night (or early morning), finish one of the two essays!
P.S. My good buddy Jay is in Taiwan to do his thesis (My God, we are getting older indeed). Haha you lucky bastard. I'm not sure if Taiwan is like Singapore, but I sure know the weather's better up there. Karen's brimming with envy na.:D I haven't heard from you in a while Jay, have to catch you online! Take care!
Good morning.
Good morning.
Sleep used to be a very good thing (and it still is, under the right conditions), but recently it's been something I've been fighting fiercely, without much success.
How am I supposed to finish two 1200-word essays on Friday, study for a surprise Genetics test (anytime this week or next), prepare for Friday's test for my Arguments module, and finish Waiting for the Barbarians, if all I ever do when I should be working is just bloody sleep? Not by choice, of course. Sigh. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.
I hate to post entries like this and I should be working not blogging, but I just need to vent it out here than what, talk to the plant, my only (as far as I know) fellow organism in the room?
I've been unconsciously brewing the recipe for disaster this semester, and it's not pretty. I'm gonna be a coffee person from now on. Or apple person. Or coke person. Whatever it takes, really. Good God please help me.
For sure I'll make it through this month. Whether I keep my sanity is a totally different thing, but hopefully it'll grow back.
Cheer up Joseph!
Sleep used to be a very good thing (and it still is, under the right conditions), but recently it's been something I've been fighting fiercely, without much success.
How am I supposed to finish two 1200-word essays on Friday, study for a surprise Genetics test (anytime this week or next), prepare for Friday's test for my Arguments module, and finish Waiting for the Barbarians, if all I ever do when I should be working is just bloody sleep? Not by choice, of course. Sigh. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.
I hate to post entries like this and I should be working not blogging, but I just need to vent it out here than what, talk to the plant, my only (as far as I know) fellow organism in the room?
I've been unconsciously brewing the recipe for disaster this semester, and it's not pretty. I'm gonna be a coffee person from now on. Or apple person. Or coke person. Whatever it takes, really. Good God please help me.
For sure I'll make it through this month. Whether I keep my sanity is a totally different thing, but hopefully it'll grow back.
Cheer up Joseph!
Night Cycling
Night Cycling
Night cycling was loads of fun! The entire Kent Ridge Hall cycled by block. My block, D block had the most representatives at 24. Coolness. And Korinna and Ivy too were there with A block, plus of course my other hall friends, so it was bound to be a blast.
I'm lousy with directions, so although I originally planned to trace the route and post it up here using some S'pore maps on the web, my memory has failed me. All I know was that the ride was a totally exhilarating experience.
We set off from NUS around past 9pm, arrived at East Coast Park at around 10pm. D block was the first to leave at around 10:30, but walau, due to some hiccup with the accounting for the 80+ bikes, we were called to stop twice before we even exited the park. But never mind, the breaks were time for block bonding anyway.
The cool air was perfect, the park's big trees gave an idyllic aura seemingly uncharacteristic of SG, and the sea at nighttime was such a refreshing sight as it zoomed past. We crossed a bridge and then we found ourselves amidst the city's bright lights. We passed through Suntec City, beautiful romantic bay beside the Singapore Indoor Stadium (I'm lousy with names too), took photos, passed by some bayside areas where lovers cuddled, cycled more into the city, passed the Esplanade, avoided some big buses, got into the major financial district at Shenton Way, and went for our first food stop at this outdoor hawker center Lau Pa Sat.
My neighbor Yishu likes to come up with stuff to cheerfully tease people. He's been sabo-ing (sabo is Singlish for sabotage of sorts) Sarah, this other blockmate of mine all throughout the ride, and this time at Lau Pa Sat, he told the group I was wearing a thong, and later sang Sisqo's Thong Song. (He's been singing while cycling too, I even joined him when he sang a [gasp] Backstreet Boys song) Haizzz, so the rest of my block bent down and checked my ass. Ugh, I was resigned. Hehe, but all the name of fun anyway. (For the record, I don't own a thong, nor have I ever worn one!)
I ate ice kachang only, since we'd have another stop at Newton. As it turned out, we never stopped at Newton to eat. Instead, as we cycled on after the food break, we stopped a long time at Orchard, outside the big Takashimaya mall. Haha, photos again, and we played games (Polar Bear was a particularly interesting strategy game). We spent so much time there that the rest of the blocks caught up to us, and were already nearing Newton! Haha. So we cycled again, reached Newton, but decided not to eat since we were still full anyway.
The next leg had some the nature-y part as well, as we approached Bukit Timah and its nature reserve. I remembered passing through this part on the 151 bus, as images of soon-to-be-relocated SMU (a.k.a S'pore Management University, which is giving NUS Business School tough competition), Hwa Chong High, and other hawker centers sped by. My legs and hands were beginning to ache as this was a particularly long stretch, and, as we stopped at McDonald's to take photos once again, I realized that most everyone was suffering from certain pains already, although butt pains was the most common complaint. Haha the sad truth.
We didn't eat at McDonald's, but ate at this Indian Prata shop uphill. Cheese prata and iced milo it was for me. And oh yes, I distributed my Philippine chewy dried mangoes for everyone to eat. Glad they liked it, I think. It was 4am when we finished eating, and the JCRC president came to tell us that we were the last block already! Hah! It was fun anyway, so never mind.
It was the final leg, and walau, the toughest! Our legs were aching, and it was a nasty uphill road, and, with the knowledge that I'd get more tired if I biked up slower, I mustered all my energy to go up, and thankfully enough, it was a goooood ride downhill after that. Another uphill ride, and then down again. Finally, the town I know so well came into view: Clementi.
By this time everybody wanted to get it done as we were all too tired already. It was almost 5:30am too. And yet, more uphill rides to come! I had to stop a couple of times to get some blood going on in my legs, and drink a good gulp of water. And just as NUS came into view, there was this very nasty uphill slope that drained the life out of me, but I pressed on and realized that this might very well be the climax of the ride. And true enough, the long sharp downhill ride was a most rejuvenating thrill to the senses.
Fong Seng came into view, a post office, and finally it was back to Heng Mui Keng Terrace. We cycled uphill for the last time, as we returned the bikes to the BizAd carpark. Michael, this final-year, threw nice cold water as I finished, and as soon as I parked the bike, I plopped down on the cement and rested my tired legs (and butt). Everyone was sweating profusely, but it was such a whoa time we didn't mind.
The rest came up, and again we took photos! The guys all pounced on Michael for throwing water on everybody. Haha good fun.
It was 6am, and after a good shower, it was finally time to go to bed. I was drained as hell, but ironically, I felt rejuvenated, especially after these recent long weeks.
I'd do it night cycling all over again, just give me some time to recover. :D
Night cycling was loads of fun! The entire Kent Ridge Hall cycled by block. My block, D block had the most representatives at 24. Coolness. And Korinna and Ivy too were there with A block, plus of course my other hall friends, so it was bound to be a blast.
I'm lousy with directions, so although I originally planned to trace the route and post it up here using some S'pore maps on the web, my memory has failed me. All I know was that the ride was a totally exhilarating experience.
We set off from NUS around past 9pm, arrived at East Coast Park at around 10pm. D block was the first to leave at around 10:30, but walau, due to some hiccup with the accounting for the 80+ bikes, we were called to stop twice before we even exited the park. But never mind, the breaks were time for block bonding anyway.
The cool air was perfect, the park's big trees gave an idyllic aura seemingly uncharacteristic of SG, and the sea at nighttime was such a refreshing sight as it zoomed past. We crossed a bridge and then we found ourselves amidst the city's bright lights. We passed through Suntec City, beautiful romantic bay beside the Singapore Indoor Stadium (I'm lousy with names too), took photos, passed by some bayside areas where lovers cuddled, cycled more into the city, passed the Esplanade, avoided some big buses, got into the major financial district at Shenton Way, and went for our first food stop at this outdoor hawker center Lau Pa Sat.
My neighbor Yishu likes to come up with stuff to cheerfully tease people. He's been sabo-ing (sabo is Singlish for sabotage of sorts) Sarah, this other blockmate of mine all throughout the ride, and this time at Lau Pa Sat, he told the group I was wearing a thong, and later sang Sisqo's Thong Song. (He's been singing while cycling too, I even joined him when he sang a [gasp] Backstreet Boys song) Haizzz, so the rest of my block bent down and checked my ass. Ugh, I was resigned. Hehe, but all the name of fun anyway. (For the record, I don't own a thong, nor have I ever worn one!)
I ate ice kachang only, since we'd have another stop at Newton. As it turned out, we never stopped at Newton to eat. Instead, as we cycled on after the food break, we stopped a long time at Orchard, outside the big Takashimaya mall. Haha, photos again, and we played games (Polar Bear was a particularly interesting strategy game). We spent so much time there that the rest of the blocks caught up to us, and were already nearing Newton! Haha. So we cycled again, reached Newton, but decided not to eat since we were still full anyway.
The next leg had some the nature-y part as well, as we approached Bukit Timah and its nature reserve. I remembered passing through this part on the 151 bus, as images of soon-to-be-relocated SMU (a.k.a S'pore Management University, which is giving NUS Business School tough competition), Hwa Chong High, and other hawker centers sped by. My legs and hands were beginning to ache as this was a particularly long stretch, and, as we stopped at McDonald's to take photos once again, I realized that most everyone was suffering from certain pains already, although butt pains was the most common complaint. Haha the sad truth.
We didn't eat at McDonald's, but ate at this Indian Prata shop uphill. Cheese prata and iced milo it was for me. And oh yes, I distributed my Philippine chewy dried mangoes for everyone to eat. Glad they liked it, I think. It was 4am when we finished eating, and the JCRC president came to tell us that we were the last block already! Hah! It was fun anyway, so never mind.
It was the final leg, and walau, the toughest! Our legs were aching, and it was a nasty uphill road, and, with the knowledge that I'd get more tired if I biked up slower, I mustered all my energy to go up, and thankfully enough, it was a goooood ride downhill after that. Another uphill ride, and then down again. Finally, the town I know so well came into view: Clementi.
By this time everybody wanted to get it done as we were all too tired already. It was almost 5:30am too. And yet, more uphill rides to come! I had to stop a couple of times to get some blood going on in my legs, and drink a good gulp of water. And just as NUS came into view, there was this very nasty uphill slope that drained the life out of me, but I pressed on and realized that this might very well be the climax of the ride. And true enough, the long sharp downhill ride was a most rejuvenating thrill to the senses.
Fong Seng came into view, a post office, and finally it was back to Heng Mui Keng Terrace. We cycled uphill for the last time, as we returned the bikes to the BizAd carpark. Michael, this final-year, threw nice cold water as I finished, and as soon as I parked the bike, I plopped down on the cement and rested my tired legs (and butt). Everyone was sweating profusely, but it was such a whoa time we didn't mind.
The rest came up, and again we took photos! The guys all pounced on Michael for throwing water on everybody. Haha good fun.
It was 6am, and after a good shower, it was finally time to go to bed. I was drained as hell, but ironically, I felt rejuvenated, especially after these recent long weeks.
I'd do it night cycling all over again, just give me some time to recover. :D
Thank you, Pope John Paul II.
I feel sad with the passing away of the Pope just three hours ago, as he was a truly admirable person. He was the Pope of the people, and he held the Filipinos close to his heart. But then again, I also think he should be free from the intense suffering that has crippled him over the years.
My descriptions would never justify how great he was. And even if I was just in second grade and saw him only on TV when he visited the Philippines for the 1995 World Youth Day (the theme song of which, Tell the World of His Love, is still a favorite song of mine), I truly am awed by him.
Thank you, dear Pope. The whole world was blessed by your presence.
I feel sad with the passing away of the Pope just three hours ago, as he was a truly admirable person. He was the Pope of the people, and he held the Filipinos close to his heart. But then again, I also think he should be free from the intense suffering that has crippled him over the years.
My descriptions would never justify how great he was. And even if I was just in second grade and saw him only on TV when he visited the Philippines for the 1995 World Youth Day (the theme song of which, Tell the World of His Love, is still a favorite song of mine), I truly am awed by him.
Thank you, dear Pope. The whole world was blessed by your presence.
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"HOY YOU BLOG ADDICT!" came Korinna's pink message over MSN, just minutes ago.
I didn't quite get it, and then ahhh.. yes. Here.
Haha, I guess the timing's pretty off, since I last posted a most dorky entry, rather than the more reader-friendly photos and happy posts on blah and all. Oh well. Fact still remains I'm getting nerdier (read: more responsible and diligent) by the minute. Hah.
It feels funny. I'm actually half-embarrassed. Well, maybe for now. =P G'night!
"HOY YOU BLOG ADDICT!" came Korinna's pink message over MSN, just minutes ago.
I didn't quite get it, and then ahhh.. yes. Here.
Haha, I guess the timing's pretty off, since I last posted a most dorky entry, rather than the more reader-friendly photos and happy posts on blah and all. Oh well. Fact still remains I'm getting nerdier (read: more responsible and diligent) by the minute. Hah.
It feels funny. I'm actually half-embarrassed. Well, maybe for now. =P G'night!
Whew.
Whew
After a gruelling week, it's finally finally the weekend. Good job Jose, you've proven, once again, that you can still manage to keep your sanity in crazy times (although Karen still thinks I've already snapped).
Today was mad actually (but so were the previous days), and it started with me waking up at 8:15am. What's wrong with that? My Intro to Literature class test was at 8:40! I yanked myself out of the bed with that horrible thought, and the grim realization that I fell asleep studying again. In fact my study time was drastically short (as in I never got to finish reading half the lecture notes) because I was typing away my essay all day yesterday. I panicked and washed my face (I didn't have time to take a bath yes yes) and brushed my teeth and fixed my hair and skipped breakfast and gathered my notes and books and briskly walked out of the KR backdoor. Forgot my Miss Jean Brodie book. Went back to my room with a new wave of panic, and headed toward the backdoor again. Excuse me, someone called. I turned around. It was this guy I'd never seen before in the block, but he was there near the lift. Did you drop something? he says, holding out a crisp $50 bill I had carelessly dropped. OH YESSSS. Careful next time, he called. Thanks thanks to him and I rushed out again.
The bus would take so long, so I climbed the uphill path to Lecture Theatre 8. Thank God LT8 is just walking distance (although not too short) from KR. Was sweating when I arrived, but a good 8 minutes before the test. Sucked in all the names of characters like MacBeth and Duncan and Banquo and Jane and Elizabeth and Bingley and Darcy and Miss Jean Brodie and Jenny and Sandy. Never mind the poems lah, they were sure to replicated in the test anyway.
Two questions, answer one. One hour. The first question was about poems.
1]
i) What is a simile? (2 marks)
ii) Comment on the ways in which similes and other figures of speech in 'Ars Poetica' evoke the uniqueness of poetry. (8 marks)
*Macleish's poem followed*
First part seemed easy, but that's tricky, you know. Just when I thought that similes always have "as" or "like", Dr Yeo changed all that and said that it may not necessarily be so.
Tricky tricky question lah, decided not to do.
2]
1) Comment on the ways in which imagery in this soliloquy from Macbeth reveals the speaker's state of mind. (7 marks)
2) How does sound help to convey the atmosphere and mood of the moment? (3 marks)
*Macbeth's famous soliloquy followed*
This question was surely Dr Ang's. I know she has memorised this bit by heart, and I could even hear her saying it aloud, in the distinct British accent she got from Cambridge, and at the lightning-speed speaking rate she is known for, as I was reading the text. "If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well / It were done quickly: if the assassination could trammel up the consequence, and catch / With his surcease success; that buy this blow / Might be the be-all and end-all here, / But here, upon this bank and shoal of time, ... "
(Side note: YES I'm such a dork for posting the test questions here. Haha. I like literature.)
I did question two. It was quite okay, I guess. Except I missed out on some important images, as I learned when I checked this useful Macbeth book after the test. I forgot the imagery produced by "trammel" (a net used to catch birds or fish), and the horse imagery produced by "rider" and "striding the blast" and "couriers". Oh well. I think I did a good description of other meaty stuff, so it should be okay. The sound part I think I managed to find a few, so should be good enough.
At 9:40, I passed some one and a half sheets of paper, and rushed back to hall (walked downhill this time) for some breakfast consisting of cheese and bread and milk. Fixed up my essay, but was unable to finish, and then took the bus to my Lit tutorial. It ended at 11:40, and because I stupidly forgot my wallet (I told you this was mad season), I walked back home again (yes down the slope still), for lunch of cheese and bread and milk (sounds familiar?).
Typed my essay like mad, just doing the fixing up formality and reference part, and tada, finished! It's only a draft actually, so I can't understand why I'm devoting too much time and effort. But it would be critiqued by a peer, so it should be of some level of decency. (I wanted it quite high :P )
Rushed to my favorite small-group class of Evaluating Academic Arguments at 1pm, and yey the CA2 papers were out. That's the critique we did of a paper in some journal or something. Got my paper, and I saw an 80. Not bad, I thought, since and 85 is already considered very high in university standards. Later, Ms Chan told the class that we may refer to the papers of Kay Ping, Ramon and Joseph. Haha. Apparently I was one of the top scorers. Nice to see my hard work has paid off. Highlight of my day. Yahoo.
My position paper (i.e. the essay I've been writing) is getting into some bumpy parts though, as I think organization will be an issue. I think I've spent too much words on the background, and Ms Chan apparently doesn't think it's sound to lump up all the reasons in one heading. Haha. Major reconstruction to take place soon. :)
I accompanied Hui Xian to the Central Library as she wanted to photocopy my critique (ahem) along with Ramon's, and since I lost some blue paper with necessary stuff, I photocopied her blue paper too. It was 3:20 already, and was already late for my calculus tutorial, so I skipped it and took a decent LUNCH at the Arts Canteen.
Ahhh.. nothing like Japanese food to relieve me of stress. Feels good (and tastes good) to eat Katsudon after a loooooooong week.
Went back to hall, and got myself some much-needed sleep.
The stress isn't about to let up, actually, but I'm mighty glad to be still alive and kicking, and woohooo it's the weekend. Happy birthday Jayson! And my favorite High School Bio teacher Ms Tenchavez! And of course, Happy April fools!
After a gruelling week, it's finally finally the weekend. Good job Jose, you've proven, once again, that you can still manage to keep your sanity in crazy times (although Karen still thinks I've already snapped).
Today was mad actually (but so were the previous days), and it started with me waking up at 8:15am. What's wrong with that? My Intro to Literature class test was at 8:40! I yanked myself out of the bed with that horrible thought, and the grim realization that I fell asleep studying again. In fact my study time was drastically short (as in I never got to finish reading half the lecture notes) because I was typing away my essay all day yesterday. I panicked and washed my face (I didn't have time to take a bath yes yes) and brushed my teeth and fixed my hair and skipped breakfast and gathered my notes and books and briskly walked out of the KR backdoor. Forgot my Miss Jean Brodie book. Went back to my room with a new wave of panic, and headed toward the backdoor again. Excuse me, someone called. I turned around. It was this guy I'd never seen before in the block, but he was there near the lift. Did you drop something? he says, holding out a crisp $50 bill I had carelessly dropped. OH YESSSS. Careful next time, he called. Thanks thanks to him and I rushed out again.
The bus would take so long, so I climbed the uphill path to Lecture Theatre 8. Thank God LT8 is just walking distance (although not too short) from KR. Was sweating when I arrived, but a good 8 minutes before the test. Sucked in all the names of characters like MacBeth and Duncan and Banquo and Jane and Elizabeth and Bingley and Darcy and Miss Jean Brodie and Jenny and Sandy. Never mind the poems lah, they were sure to replicated in the test anyway.
Two questions, answer one. One hour. The first question was about poems.
1]
i) What is a simile? (2 marks)
ii) Comment on the ways in which similes and other figures of speech in 'Ars Poetica' evoke the uniqueness of poetry. (8 marks)
*Macleish's poem followed*
First part seemed easy, but that's tricky, you know. Just when I thought that similes always have "as" or "like", Dr Yeo changed all that and said that it may not necessarily be so.
Tricky tricky question lah, decided not to do.
2]
1) Comment on the ways in which imagery in this soliloquy from Macbeth reveals the speaker's state of mind. (7 marks)
2) How does sound help to convey the atmosphere and mood of the moment? (3 marks)
*Macbeth's famous soliloquy followed*
This question was surely Dr Ang's. I know she has memorised this bit by heart, and I could even hear her saying it aloud, in the distinct British accent she got from Cambridge, and at the lightning-speed speaking rate she is known for, as I was reading the text. "If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well / It were done quickly: if the assassination could trammel up the consequence, and catch / With his surcease success; that buy this blow / Might be the be-all and end-all here, / But here, upon this bank and shoal of time, ... "
(Side note: YES I'm such a dork for posting the test questions here. Haha. I like literature.)
I did question two. It was quite okay, I guess. Except I missed out on some important images, as I learned when I checked this useful Macbeth book after the test. I forgot the imagery produced by "trammel" (a net used to catch birds or fish), and the horse imagery produced by "rider" and "striding the blast" and "couriers". Oh well. I think I did a good description of other meaty stuff, so it should be okay. The sound part I think I managed to find a few, so should be good enough.
At 9:40, I passed some one and a half sheets of paper, and rushed back to hall (walked downhill this time) for some breakfast consisting of cheese and bread and milk. Fixed up my essay, but was unable to finish, and then took the bus to my Lit tutorial. It ended at 11:40, and because I stupidly forgot my wallet (I told you this was mad season), I walked back home again (yes down the slope still), for lunch of cheese and bread and milk (sounds familiar?).
Typed my essay like mad, just doing the fixing up formality and reference part, and tada, finished! It's only a draft actually, so I can't understand why I'm devoting too much time and effort. But it would be critiqued by a peer, so it should be of some level of decency. (I wanted it quite high :P )
Rushed to my favorite small-group class of Evaluating Academic Arguments at 1pm, and yey the CA2 papers were out. That's the critique we did of a paper in some journal or something. Got my paper, and I saw an 80. Not bad, I thought, since and 85 is already considered very high in university standards. Later, Ms Chan told the class that we may refer to the papers of Kay Ping, Ramon and Joseph. Haha. Apparently I was one of the top scorers. Nice to see my hard work has paid off. Highlight of my day. Yahoo.
My position paper (i.e. the essay I've been writing) is getting into some bumpy parts though, as I think organization will be an issue. I think I've spent too much words on the background, and Ms Chan apparently doesn't think it's sound to lump up all the reasons in one heading. Haha. Major reconstruction to take place soon. :)
I accompanied Hui Xian to the Central Library as she wanted to photocopy my critique (ahem) along with Ramon's, and since I lost some blue paper with necessary stuff, I photocopied her blue paper too. It was 3:20 already, and was already late for my calculus tutorial, so I skipped it and took a decent LUNCH at the Arts Canteen.
Ahhh.. nothing like Japanese food to relieve me of stress. Feels good (and tastes good) to eat Katsudon after a loooooooong week.
Went back to hall, and got myself some much-needed sleep.
The stress isn't about to let up, actually, but I'm mighty glad to be still alive and kicking, and woohooo it's the weekend. Happy birthday Jayson! And my favorite High School Bio teacher Ms Tenchavez! And of course, Happy April fools!
