Saturday, June 28, 2008
It's a (not so) jolly holiday with Zhen Yao
The exams are over and yet I don't feel any less busier than I did prior to the cramfest that is revision. In hindsight, the exams seem to be a break from the trappings of extracurricular responsibilities. To be fair, though, it's not the responsibilities that stress me out. Responsibilities I can handle, but when the shit hits the fan, I can't help but feel royally pissed off.
But I have calmed down a whole lot since then. If you were to speak to me just three days ago, you'd have gotten a rather depressed Zhen. In fact, I just deleted a 700 word long rant because my mood has cooled off (well, since depression should be cold, "my mood has warmed up"?) considerably.
Long story short, a Nature Society trip to Cameron Highlands that I have planned for almost two months had to be abruptly cancelled because an oversight of mine (opting not to collect nonrefundable cash deposits) resulted in the sudden withdrawal of more than a third of the participants just six days before the trip itself. Imagine how disappointed and angry I was calling up 32 people to remind them of a briefing set for the very next day, only to have 12 people telling me that they want out.
"Oh, I wanted to inform you through e-mail" and "I forgot to tell you", they all say. Is it so fucking hard to give me an e-mail or text message when I have spent hours and hours slaving myself and sending you updates on a weekly basis? I have lost almost every ounce of respect I have for those 12, if there ever were any in the first place.
Anyway, that completely ruined my holiday plans. Now I'll probably while my time away playing Portal and maybe even Magic. That's not to say that I'm completely free, though. The next semester's Orientation's in slightly more than a week. Normally, Orientation Weeks go without a hitch, except that this time around, the Pro-Vice Chancellor saw it fit to increase student participation and independence in organising the thing. In other words, that just means more work for the already taxed Student Council. Joy.
A group of law students from Monash Clayton came up here to study Asian law for two weeks. Though it's a holiday, they've seen me four days out of five doing work on campus. One of them said to me, "You work too hard!"
Why, how very perceptive of you!
All work and no play makes you a dull boy, they say. Hence, to offset the work hard part, I play hard too, so don't go all judgmental on me when you see me playing Counterstrike or DotA on my office computer from time to time. Or heading out of the house really often to relax and hang out with a bunch of friends.
In fact, I play so hard this holiday that my cash reserves are running really, really low. It's time to start saving again to undo the damage...
Pointless Fact of the Day:
I saw this on display at MPH 1 Utama last Monday:
It's (some of?) Ian Fleming's James Bond collection, complete with uber-cool matching covers!Too bad Luckily I'm not a fan, or I would have bought a set just for keepsakes.
But I have calmed down a whole lot since then. If you were to speak to me just three days ago, you'd have gotten a rather depressed Zhen. In fact, I just deleted a 700 word long rant because my mood has cooled off (well, since depression should be cold, "my mood has warmed up"?) considerably.
Long story short, a Nature Society trip to Cameron Highlands that I have planned for almost two months had to be abruptly cancelled because an oversight of mine (opting not to collect nonrefundable cash deposits) resulted in the sudden withdrawal of more than a third of the participants just six days before the trip itself. Imagine how disappointed and angry I was calling up 32 people to remind them of a briefing set for the very next day, only to have 12 people telling me that they want out.
"Oh, I wanted to inform you through e-mail" and "I forgot to tell you", they all say. Is it so fucking hard to give me an e-mail or text message when I have spent hours and hours slaving myself and sending you updates on a weekly basis? I have lost almost every ounce of respect I have for those 12, if there ever were any in the first place.
Anyway, that completely ruined my holiday plans. Now I'll probably while my time away playing Portal and maybe even Magic. That's not to say that I'm completely free, though. The next semester's Orientation's in slightly more than a week. Normally, Orientation Weeks go without a hitch, except that this time around, the Pro-Vice Chancellor saw it fit to increase student participation and independence in organising the thing. In other words, that just means more work for the already taxed Student Council. Joy.
A group of law students from Monash Clayton came up here to study Asian law for two weeks. Though it's a holiday, they've seen me four days out of five doing work on campus. One of them said to me, "You work too hard!"
Why, how very perceptive of you!
All work and no play makes you a dull boy, they say. Hence, to offset the work hard part, I play hard too, so don't go all judgmental on me when you see me playing Counterstrike or DotA on my office computer from time to time. Or heading out of the house really often to relax and hang out with a bunch of friends.
In fact, I play so hard this holiday that my cash reserves are running really, really low. It's time to start saving again to undo the damage...
Pointless Fact of the Day:
I saw this on display at MPH 1 Utama last Monday:
It's (some of?) Ian Fleming's James Bond collection, complete with uber-cool matching covers!
Zhen was here at 1:36 am,
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Saturday, June 14, 2008
Of Exams, Anxiety and Avocadoes
The week has ended and with it, two papers that have come and gone. I think I did okay, I had relatively more intense and methodical preparation this time around compared to previous seasons semesters. And unlike some people I know, I completed all the questions on either paper... though the extent to which the questions were actually answered accurately is moot. You know how sometimes you don't know the solution to a particular question yet you come up with such a convincing answer that you manage to fool yourself into believing that you were correct? That explains my post-exam calmness ("I believe I did quite alright") which unsurprisingly usually unravels itself when the grades are out ("What the, I got 3 Credits?!" - Me on last semester's results).
The other explanation for the lack of anxiety is due to resignation. The paper's over; what can you do about it? No amount of discussion is going to help your psyche. In fact, it's more likely that you'll worry yourself even more. Take for example a friend of mine who rang me up after our Accounting Information Systems and Financial Modelling (Monash has mouthful subject names) paper:
Friend: Eh, how did you answer question number 3 about the two most important design principles for financial models har?
Zhen: I dunno la, I wrote about separating the spreadsheet into different sections, and then for second principle I wrote about both formula flexibility and formula efficiency.
Zhen: I dunno... 'Cos I saw the same question come out in the sample exam paper but gave 8 marks only... Since this was 10 marks I wrote extra a bit. I really dunno which is the most important.
Friend: Alamak, shit la shit la...
See what I mean? And I wasn't even sure myself if I was correct. It's really silly, methinks. Look at it this way, there's a one out of four (75%) chance that you're fucked if you compare answers with a friend after an exam. Don't believe me, check this simple table out:
Working from left to right, you're more likely to be fucked.
The problem is exacerbated because there's nothing you can do about it until the results are out, especially more so for us because this is our finals. I prefer to worry about the next paper, or if it's already my last paper, worry about how to best spend my holidays, thank you very much.
Regardless, to each his own. I know that there are people out there who discuss exam answers just to gloat about how much they know and how badly their buddies screwed their papers up*.
You, my friends, are fucked up.
Anyway, moving on to funn(i)er things. We all know the controversial games that form the Grand Theft Auto series. Recently, the fourth installment was released, and to rave reviews too; it received a 10/10 rating from at least eight major online gaming sites, as well as turning the best friend into a fan... which, of course, must first be preceded by his purchasing of a PlayStation 3 as well as an original copy of the game.
Ivan is this hooked on the game:
A couple of hours later, he messaged me on MSN, about a lamp post and a tree.
Well, at least I was right about the tree. And the point that I'm trying to make is, in the middle of all this studying, I had to find a release. So, I ended up doing two things; reinstall the four-year-old Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas that I used to play on my roommate's laptop back in Singapore but never got to finish, as well as download and watch Pushing Daisies, of which I have just become a fan and completed the first season (which is only nine episodes long thanks to the bloody WGA strike... Grr). I recommend the latter to anybody who's interested in a Gilmore Girls-meets-CSI-meets-Enchanted kinda show, and the former to closet hitmen/warmongers (I'm looking at you, Suk Yin).
And that's about it for this week's installment of "What's up with our dear friend Zhen now?" Tune in next week for more post-exam antics!
Cheers.
Where everybody knows your naaaaaaaaaaaaame...
*By people who gloat, I'm referring to a very annoying first year (I think) Engineering student who occupies the same spot in the Monash library Reserve and Multimedia section for the past couple of days. He talks real loudly and makes fun of his lesser-prepared classmates even louder-ly. Good thing he's skinny as hell, so if he pisses me off enough in the future I can speak my mind with the knowledge that if he retaliates, I'll have no qualms in punching his smug face in.
Then again, I'm known for being able to tolerate really, really annoying people.
Pointless Fact of the Day:
The word "avocado" comes from the Nahuatl language, the same Aztec language that gave us the word "chocolate". It's meaning? Testicles. I heard it on TV once, I think it was Ripley's Believe it or Not (hosted by TV Superman himself, Dean Cain).
A couple of days ago, Melody said this on her blog:
She even did a mad dance! What a nut (and I mean it in the best way I can!).
The other explanation for the lack of anxiety is due to resignation. The paper's over; what can you do about it? No amount of discussion is going to help your psyche. In fact, it's more likely that you'll worry yourself even more. Take for example a friend of mine who rang me up after our Accounting Information Systems and Financial Modelling (Monash has mouthful subject names) paper:
Friend: Eh, how did you answer question number 3 about the two most important design principles for financial models har?
Zhen: I dunno la, I wrote about separating the spreadsheet into different sections, and then for second principle I wrote about both formula flexibility and formula efficiency.
Zhen: I dunno... 'Cos I saw the same question come out in the sample exam paper but gave 8 marks only... Since this was 10 marks I wrote extra a bit. I really dunno which is the most important.
Friend: Alamak, shit la shit la...
See what I mean? And I wasn't even sure myself if I was correct. It's really silly, methinks. Look at it this way, there's a one out of four (75%) chance that you're fucked if you compare answers with a friend after an exam. Don't believe me, check this simple table out:
Working from left to right, you're more likely to be fucked.The problem is exacerbated because there's nothing you can do about it until the results are out, especially more so for us because this is our finals. I prefer to worry about the next paper, or if it's already my last paper, worry about how to best spend my holidays, thank you very much.
Regardless, to each his own. I know that there are people out there who discuss exam answers just to gloat about how much they know and how badly their buddies screwed their papers up*.
You, my friends, are fucked up.
Anyway, moving on to funn(i)er things. We all know the controversial games that form the Grand Theft Auto series. Recently, the fourth installment was released, and to rave reviews too; it received a 10/10 rating from at least eight major online gaming sites, as well as turning the best friend into a fan... which, of course, must first be preceded by his purchasing of a PlayStation 3 as well as an original copy of the game.
Ivan is this hooked on the game:
A couple of hours later, he messaged me on MSN, about a lamp post and a tree.
Well, at least I was right about the tree. And the point that I'm trying to make is, in the middle of all this studying, I had to find a release. So, I ended up doing two things; reinstall the four-year-old Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas that I used to play on my roommate's laptop back in Singapore but never got to finish, as well as download and watch Pushing Daisies, of which I have just become a fan and completed the first season (which is only nine episodes long thanks to the bloody WGA strike... Grr). I recommend the latter to anybody who's interested in a Gilmore Girls-meets-CSI-meets-Enchanted kinda show, and the former to closet hitmen/warmongers (I'm looking at you, Suk Yin).
And that's about it for this week's installment of "What's up with our dear friend Zhen now?" Tune in next week for more post-exam antics!
Cheers.
Where everybody knows your naaaaaaaaaaaaame...
*By people who gloat, I'm referring to a very annoying first year (I think) Engineering student who occupies the same spot in the Monash library Reserve and Multimedia section for the past couple of days. He talks real loudly and makes fun of his lesser-prepared classmates even louder-ly. Good thing he's skinny as hell, so if he pisses me off enough in the future I can speak my mind with the knowledge that if he retaliates, I'll have no qualms in punching his smug face in.
Then again, I'm known for being able to tolerate really, really annoying people.
Pointless Fact of the Day:
The word "avocado" comes from the Nahuatl language, the same Aztec language that gave us the word "chocolate". It's meaning? Testicles. I heard it on TV once, I think it was Ripley's Believe it or Not (hosted by TV Superman himself, Dean Cain).
A couple of days ago, Melody said this on her blog:
I got given a pair of home-grown avocadoes today. They remind me of giant scrotum. Maybe I’ll keep them on my desk at uni as a talisman.Informing her of her not-so-coincidental thoughts, I got this reply:
She even did a mad dance! What a nut (and I mean it in the best way I can!).Zhen was here at 9:38 pm,
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Saturday, June 07, 2008
Season 4 Finale
Last week, I finally watched the Season 4 finale of House, an episode filled with all the usual Houseisms (“I had a heart attack this morning. I can't do any more drugs 'til at least lunch.”), strange diseases and a gaps-in-information narrative that befits a House season finale; to all of you who do watch House, notice how similar the hypnotic acid trips House had in this episode was to the Season 2 finale where House got shot and ended up hallucinating through the rest of the episode? Really cool stuff, reminding me again why House is my number one two favourite drama in recent years (favourite TV show still goes to Monty Python's Flying Circus, sorry).
House was still my favourite drama last year. In fact, I like it so much that I even devoted an entire assignment to it. But then Lost picked up steam late in Season 3 and it's been my favourite drama ever since.
Everyone knows how Lost stole our attention away from our usual TV fare with its survivor storyline and mindboggling mysteries back when it first premiered in 2004, but when the show ended and Season 2 came around, a lot of the people I know have come up to me with the same "Watching Lost makes me feel lost" comment. I wholeheartedly agree; Lost is a TV show that pays off if you dedicate enough time into immersing yourself in the mythology of the series. You usually can't make head or tail of an episode unless you've seen almost everything else that came before.
I've seen everything else that came before (except, ironically, the pilot episode of Lost itself, which I missed when it first started airing on TV... now I download all the episodes), so when I saw its Season 4 finale just a few days back, I was stupefied. I was amazed. And for the second straight season finale, I managed to let loose a couple of tears (Desmond and Penny reunited? Awwwwww...).
Why all this talk about season finales, then? Well, I was bored one day and I started paralleling uni life to my viewing habits. You see, this is currently my fourth semester in Monash, and my finals start on Wednesday... It's a Season 4 finale too!
I've been working rather hard this semester, be it as the MUSA Treasurer, or MNSM President, as a choir member, or even as a boyfriend, brother and son. With that said, I really hope that the effort I've put in this semester has been enough to make my Season 4 end on a high note, just like those of House and Lost. But if last semester's results were anything to go by (3 Credits and 1 High Distinction), there's a shitload more of work to put into studying over the next couple of days.
And it isn't just studying that's the matter right now. My sister's PMR exams are this year, so my mom gave me the responsibility to tutor her in math, a responsibility that I've been shirking thus far. Then there's that Cameron Highlands trip that I'm organising for MNSM after the exams, plus having to worry about the first ever 90% student-run Orientation Week in the upcoming semester, and a myriad of other Student Council-related stuff (such as getting a cashbox for petty cash).
Moreover, Carrie has been really stressed lately due to work; being the typical boyfriend who just has to do something about it, I had to do something about it. Things get harder since she's one of the hardest person to read that I know. Well, more like one of the hardest person to read that I actually care about. I'm just glad that we never really had to argue before, but which guy has never had to endure a PMS fit?
Nevertheless, things often have a way of resolving themselves really nicely. Hopefully that will be the case with my Season 4 Finale. A happy ending with just enough mysteries to keep you interested for yet another rollercoaster of a season. Won't that be just peachy?
Well then I suppose I'll see you readers again next season! If my ratings are good enough and my show doesn't get discontinued, that is...
Pointless Fact of the Day:
I'm still in Monash as I'm typing this. I'll let you guys come up with your own conclusions.
House was still my favourite drama last year. In fact, I like it so much that I even devoted an entire assignment to it. But then Lost picked up steam late in Season 3 and it's been my favourite drama ever since.
Everyone knows how Lost stole our attention away from our usual TV fare with its survivor storyline and mindboggling mysteries back when it first premiered in 2004, but when the show ended and Season 2 came around, a lot of the people I know have come up to me with the same "Watching Lost makes me feel lost" comment. I wholeheartedly agree; Lost is a TV show that pays off if you dedicate enough time into immersing yourself in the mythology of the series. You usually can't make head or tail of an episode unless you've seen almost everything else that came before.
I've seen everything else that came before (except, ironically, the pilot episode of Lost itself, which I missed when it first started airing on TV... now I download all the episodes), so when I saw its Season 4 finale just a few days back, I was stupefied. I was amazed. And for the second straight season finale, I managed to let loose a couple of tears (Desmond and Penny reunited? Awwwwww...).
Why all this talk about season finales, then? Well, I was bored one day and I started paralleling uni life to my viewing habits. You see, this is currently my fourth semester in Monash, and my finals start on Wednesday... It's a Season 4 finale too!
I've been working rather hard this semester, be it as the MUSA Treasurer, or MNSM President, as a choir member, or even as a boyfriend, brother and son. With that said, I really hope that the effort I've put in this semester has been enough to make my Season 4 end on a high note, just like those of House and Lost. But if last semester's results were anything to go by (3 Credits and 1 High Distinction), there's a shitload more of work to put into studying over the next couple of days.
And it isn't just studying that's the matter right now. My sister's PMR exams are this year, so my mom gave me the responsibility to tutor her in math, a responsibility that I've been shirking thus far. Then there's that Cameron Highlands trip that I'm organising for MNSM after the exams, plus having to worry about the first ever 90% student-run Orientation Week in the upcoming semester, and a myriad of other Student Council-related stuff (such as getting a cashbox for petty cash).
Moreover, Carrie has been really stressed lately due to work; being the typical boyfriend who just has to do something about it, I had to do something about it. Things get harder since she's one of the hardest person to read that I know. Well, more like one of the hardest person to read that I actually care about. I'm just glad that we never really had to argue before, but which guy has never had to endure a PMS fit?
Nevertheless, things often have a way of resolving themselves really nicely. Hopefully that will be the case with my Season 4 Finale. A happy ending with just enough mysteries to keep you interested for yet another rollercoaster of a season. Won't that be just peachy?
Well then I suppose I'll see you readers again next season! If my ratings are good enough and my show doesn't get discontinued, that is...
Pointless Fact of the Day:
I'm still in Monash as I'm typing this. I'll let you guys come up with your own conclusions.