http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/STIStory_169845.html?vgnmr=1
lol i just knew something was wrong with that company… but i didn’t know exactly what.
Grrrr Tuesday, Oct 23 2007
Whinings 9:41 am
Time and time again you get textbooks that do not have solutions for the questions inside. And everytime the publisher will simply reply that solutions are not given because it restricts the students creativity. Many also say that in engineering there is no “easy way” out; you really need to go through the whole thinking process. And solutions kinda destroy this process, and you will end up not understanding anything. Many well-meaning graduate students also give the same advice. I BEG TO DIFFER.
Students who constantly refer to the solutions without working out themselves beforehand, deserve to get low grades. On the other hand, students who have done some work before, deserve a look at the solution and I believe, if done correctly, this helps to reinforce their understanding, and improve the studying efficiency. Besides, any “problems” with making solutions manual available to students can be resolved easily.
1) Students scoring well without understanding. Bearing in mind that this is college engineering where nothing is that straightforward, I wouldn’t worry too much about that. Anyway, it’s the professors duty to set conceptual questions in the end.
2) Students bringing in solution manuals into the exam hall, since most engineering exams are open-book and open-notes. That can be tweaked easily right? Just allow the student to bring in any of the approved textbook, for example, and an A4-size “cheat sheet”. I’d personally rather leave my tutorials at home during the exam and have a comprehensive solutions manual available for reference.
3) Examiners no longer able to set questions lifted whole-sale from the textbook. Now….. that is the actual reason for not releasing solutions manual, isn’t it?
Now I get a textbook that doesn’t even have the answers, let alone solutions. Can someone please tell me, how on earth does that help students at all?!
Confiding. Monday, Oct 22 2007
Uncategorized 9:08 pm
Many things have been happening for the past six months. I thought things may get better but sigh I guess life’s like that. To cut the story short, my parents really strongly disagree in each other’s views and my mom has depression. I haven’t been showing much affection to my parents, but another separate incident made me realize I have to learn to love my mom and show it, before it’s too late. She has been crying many times, and it really freaked me out. I will be helping her to find a psychiatrist tomorrow when the hospital hotlines open.
But today she said she has to think of her life, and she may be moving out, and staying with my relatives, to get away from things. And she told me to be mentally prepared if things don’t turn out well. Surprisingly, I felt a bit relieved, after realizing she is not as “needy” and dependent as I thought she was.
But I have to say this particular event impacted me to some extent. This, together with other stuff, made me quite distracted. Cannot study properly. I got a warning letter from a module facilitator who “wrote with concern that my grades are very bad.” Heh. Then my parents expect me not to be bothered with their affairs, and just simply concentrate on my studies. How is that possible?
I guess it’s time for me to learn to be independent from now on, and learn to cope like a grownup.
If things really can’t work, there is really no point forcing it, right? I can’t be so selfish…. Hmmmmm.
I should be relieved that I have come to know God.. ok maybe I don’t really know Him, but it’s a start. Honestly, I am glad that I have an everlasting source of comfort which I can turn to anytime. Even though I still doubt my salvation at this point of time, the thought that everything is under His control and is part of His big plans (given that someday I will be truly saved) is still incredibly reassuring. I am very thankful for that. If this have happened one year ago, I will probably really “GG uninstall”.
The trick is to be able to magnify God, even if things turn for the worse. After all, we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Well, I am really not sure how things will turn out to be, but I hope one year from now I can magnify God even more than what I am doing now. Instead of languishing, and going back to my old ways. Now that will be a real challenge.
For now, I will keep praying for my parents. Especially my dad. My mom should know how to take care of herself more. But my dad… I know he is an unhappy man, and I want him to be happy. I think the only thing that keeps him going this while is me – he loves me a lot. But that bloody f***ing cult is brainwashing him.. it’s destroying him. It destroys families. I wonder why police haven’t arrested the leader yet??? It’s high time they should!! And it saddens me that he refuses to listen to anyone.
Enough of the whining. Today’s genetics lab was fun. We experimented with Drosophila flies and how mutation in the genome can change the phenotype. We had to knock them out using anesthetic… though I accidentally squashed a couple of them.
In fact, school has been hectic, but in a strangely masochistic fun way. In experimental biochemistry, which is the most headache of all practicals, we had to extract glutamate dehydrogenase from rat liver. Yes, it stinks like hell, and our limited purification knowledge resulted in many times needing to restart the whole thing. I hope the remaining weeks are enough to complete the whole extraction procedure. Meanwheil, thermodynamics and fluid mechanics are uber difficult, as usual.
Ah well, I guess there is still time to catch up with schoolwork from now on, as I try to push my distractions aside. I only have a few television shows to watch and maybe an occasional movie outing. Shouldn’t affect too much.
Is this Internet marketing? Saturday, Oct 20 2007
Scams 1:44 pm
http://www.sgmillionprofits.com/
http://www.123easybiz.com/
http://www.getrichsg.com/
http://www.homeincomesg.com/
http://www.netcashsg.com/
Really becoming curioser and curioser as to how these work. One thing’s for sure, though, the testimonials are definitely fake. Unless Ahmad Jufri recently changed his name to Johnathan Chua, or the other way round. Or unless you really have two different Rosie Ng staying at Clementi and JB at the same time, and signing up two “different” plans, and writing out exactly the same stuff. Now what are the odds?
Mambo Addicts Friday, Oct 12 2007
Uncategorized 6:44 pm
Name:
Mambo Addicts
Description:
For those who:
1) find it no problem to type “Mambo” on their handphone dictionaries
2) have resisted the urge to do Mambo actions in public
3) have not succeeded in resisting this urge
4) have danced around in front of a mirror at home
5) have tried to practice Mambo with other non-Mambo songs
6) shun Phuture
7) find themselves utterly incapable of doing anything on Thursdays (read: waking up, eating food, going out)
8 ) can do the actions of the next song just before it starts playing
9) have a list of favourite songs
10) hope that they wake up their idea and never play Black Eyed Peas/ Pink/ Jenifer Lopez/ the stupid gatsby song at Mambo ever again
11) have a “Mambo” playlist in their ipods
12) have seen the lights go up in Zouk
13) love the smoke machine
14) know the rap for Mambo no. 5
15) keep a lighter handy, ready for belinda carlisle
16) jump around like idiots, spraying drinks, losing ash, breaking jewellery, breaking heels, hurting ankles, getting burnt, and screaming damn loudly.
17) display the actions for summer rain between songs hoping the dj will see you and play it!
18) have been asked the question “how do you remember all the moves?”
19) have smacked someone accidentally while doing mambo actions
20) have had people say “see you at mambo” even though you didn’t say you were going.
SUMMER RAIN. LOVE IN THE FIRST DEGREE. CALL ME. I HEARD A RUMOUR. TOGETHER FOREVER. STAY. DYING INSIDE TO HOLD YOU. I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY. DANCING QUEEN. DONT YOU WANT ME BABY. CIRCLES IN THE SAND. THIS TIME I KNOW ITS FOR REAL. YOU CAME. BIZARRE LOVE TRIANGLE. I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER FOR YOU. TRUE FAITH. GO WEST. NOTHING IS GOING TO STOP US NOW. SWEET CHILD OF MINE. I GOT MY MIND SET ON YOU. SWEET DREAMS. BOYS. GET THIS PARTY STARTED. LEAVE A LIGHT ON FOR ME. MISSING. LADY HEAR ME TONIGHT. I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY. UNBELIEVABLE. YMCA. GO WEST. I HATE MYSELF FOR LOVING YOU. SONG TWO. YOU SPIN ME RIGHT ROUND. LOVE GENERATION. MAMBO NO. 5. BABY GIVE IT UP. LOCOMOTION. TOO MANY BROKEN HEARTS. THE TWIST. GREASE LIGHTNING. MAMA MIA. I CAN’T TAKE MY EYES OFF YOU. A LITLE RESPECT. THE HUSTLE. STRANGE LOVE. VENUS. ROOM AT THE TOP. I SAW THE SIGN. LIKE A PRAYER. IT’S IN YOUR EYES. HORNY. LARGER THAN LIFE. GIVE ME HOPE, JOANNA. TOGETHER IN ELECTRIC DREAMS. DON’T CALL ME BABY. THAT THING YOU DO.
Numbers 1, 6, 8, 10, 16 and 20 are so true lol!!!! (Get this party started and let’s get loud are super awful songs and I don’t understand why it’s repeatedly being played all the time.) Sigh… it’s been eons since I last stepped into mambo, but I still identify with this facebook group hahahaha.
Hmm.. btw the list is not complete. They forgot gems like SQUARE ROOMS, NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP, SHOUT, UPTOWN GIRL, BLAME IT ON THE BOOGIE, SELF CONTROL, THE GREAT COMMANDMENT, I WANT YOU, LA LUNA, OPPORTUNITIES, EVERYBODY HAVE FUN TONIGHT, ROCK STEADY, COME UNDONE, IT’S MY LIFE, PUMP IT and GIRLFRIEND.#1
#1 Zouk (club). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zouk_%28club%29 at 10 Oct 2007.
