Visited Jurong Island for the first time yesterday. It was an open house organised for chemical engineering students from various institutions. Quite fortunate to have such opportunity since the security is kinda like those in army camps. There is tight control over the flow of people in and out the island.
It was a breathtaking sight as the bus travelled along the highway bridge into the island. But after a few seconds, I felt it was nothing spectacular - just oil rigs, cylindrical oil tanks, huge tankers, and some complex industrial structures.
The roads within Jurong Island resemble those on the main island - full of greenery on both sides, well-paved pedestrian paths, etc. You don't really get the feel of being on another isle; it's just like a highway in an industrial estate, with no HDB flats or high-rise office buildings.
Went to visit the research centres, the HQ of Exxon Mobil as well as the viewing gallery (something like Singapore Discovery Centre just that most exhibits and displays are about chemistry and Jurong Island). We were were hosted warmly by the staff who brought us around the buildings and gave brief introductions to the companies and their agendas. Some shared their working experiences with us and I was rather surprised to hear a young lady claim that she loves the environment and looks forward to coming to work everyday. However the thing is she's not an engineer nor operator, just working for the HR department. Good life and welfare probably.
The bus drove within the chemical plants such that we could see the industrial machinery close up. They are really gigantic and sophisticated, and look dangerous too. For safety reasons we weren't allowed to get off the bus. I wouldn't want to get off anyway haha. The plant is extensive and the weather was hot.
The gallery was fantastic! I enjoyed looking through the displays, especially the huge chart showing the various processes and products in organic chemistry - the ultimate mind map of organic chemistry!
Last but not least, we were treated with a sumptuous lunch buffet 'by the sea' (in fact it was on a jetty). Satiating indeed, one of the best catered buffet I've eaten. Many couldn't seem to help stuffing their plates with food. The delicious cream puffs were swept away quickly too, much to everyone's dismay haha.
*Thanks to JH's Da Pang Seh, the supposedly enthusiastic trip became like a lonely affair*
Mini quiz for thought: Why do cutting onions make us cry?
Monday, August 25, 2008
Bustalk
I'm pleased to report that I wasn't late for today, although I almost did, if not for Engineering faculty being the first stop of NUS visited by bus 96. It allowed me to leave the bus early and rely on my trusty legs for short-distance traveling. The towering steps in the faculty also serve as a good daily exercise. =p
The Problem
I'm discontented mainly with service 96. Due to its high frequency during peak hours, I do not totally condemn it but I feel its route can be further improved to minimise the time taken from the interchange to NUS. 96 travels through a route with high traffic and traffic light density. The construction of the new interchange and several road works in the vicinity have probably made the situation worse.
Apparently there exists a certain difficulty for the bus to even exit the interchange. Once I witnessed bus clogging at the exit, which is a minor road junction. Most buses intended to turn left whereas 96 would take the right, hence a huge manoeuvre for it to cut through the bus queue from the boarding berth is required. Normally 96 could pass through easily, but at times when there is coagulation of buses waiting to leave the interchange, that's when the problem will arise.
It can be quite frustrating to experience a bus accelerating, then a moment later stopping abruptly at a traffic light. This seems to be always the case for 96. Thanks to the regulation of traffic light timings, there is no way to beat the lights unless the bus is traveling extremely fast, which is highly improbable. The lights turn green at one junction, only to turn red at the next. Practical drivers would perhaps notice that in some cases, if you stop at one junction you will most likely stop for the next further down the road, and the next... Similarly if you are able to beat the amber, the next light will most likely turn amber upon approaching, further testing your ability to make swift decisions (whether to stop or just move on).
Just as filter lanes for turning left at a junction enhance flow, right turns normally restrict it. Not only you have to wait for the light to turn green, you have to ensure no traffic at the opposite direction before proceeding (sometimes observing crossing pedestrians is necessary too), or otherwise wait for the green arrow to appear. 96 has to make 3 right turns prior to reaching NUS, and in between lies non-junction pedestrian crossing which only serves as agony to slow down movement at a straight road (from a motorist point of view).
With all these constrains, I guess it is not surprising why 96 can be really a slowpoke at times. Frequent 96 takers are probably aware of this too. The time taken to cover even a short distance is subjected to so many limiting factors, unlike the speedy 184 - the bus I take from Bukit Panjang to Clementi - which clocks fairly consistent timings.
The queue at the interchange this morning was exceptionally long, but this did not pose any of a problem since 96 buses came in less than 5 minute intervals.
I've phased out 963 long before term started, due to its low frequency and unreliability despite being a direct transport to NUS. Furthermore, I wouldn't want walking from the track & field to Engineering faculty to be a daily affair.
Bus as Primary Transport
I've considered the possibility to depending primarily on MRT/LRT instead but its benefit unfortunately do not outweigh that of taking buses. As a north-western resident, MRT is most efficient in traveling to the north-central (Ang Mo Kio), north-eastern (Hougang) and eastern (Tampines) areas. However I don't travel to such places often.
Thankfully Bukit Panjang has a good collection of bus services that travels to various locations. Particularly service 190 - said to be the SMRT service with the most passenger volume - is an extremely efficient tool to bring Bukit Panjangers to the city areas (be it Orchard, City Hall, Clarke Quay or Chinatown) in the shortest time possible. Advantageously, I do travel to city rather often. There is a reason for its popularity, and I suppose most Bukit Panjangers would have already recognised the efficiency of 190 (though the peak hour crowds can be terrible too).
There is another major consideration -- the comfort. Who would want to stand and pack like sardines in the MRT carriage when there is a choice of sitting cosily in the bus? And having a place to sit does not necessarily imply low passenger volume, and hence the under-utilisation of buses which will reject any increase of frequency. I can say that such argument is true for 171, as its potential passengers are really few.
184 and 96 are well-sought services will high passenger volume, but why am I able to get seats in these buses almost 90% of the time?
I take 96 from the interchange itself. The bus comes empty and chances of getting a seat is quite high, depending on my position in the queue. Take the ratio of sitting capacity to total capacity and you will get the minimum probability, but note that not all buses are filled.
Similarly, I board 184 at the bus stop right after it leaves the terminal, so the chances of having a seat is almost 100%, since I doubt the bus will be filled to the brim at the terminal itself. Bendies are often utilised for 184 as well. The "point of standing", which I loosely define as the bus stop where incoming passengers will have to stand, fortunately comes 2 stops after mine. Within 3 stops from the terminal, the bus will usually be filled.
Just for some information, 184 serves mainly for NP and SIM students, explaining its demand.
Likewise, during my return journey I could get a seat too almost 90% of the time. Not only Engineering Faculty being the first NUS stop for 96 has benefited Engin students in reaching their lectures and tutorials earlier, it has also allowed them to board the bus at an earlier stage and secure a seat during dismissal hours, before the crowd starts to stream in as the bus loops via Central Library, where the chances of boarding becomes slim.
Clementi station is the loop terminus for 184 hence there will be a fresh turnover of passengers, in order words the arriving bus would be equivalent to an empty one newly dispatched from the terminal. Getting a seat should not be a problem unless during peak hours when the number of passengers boarding in that stop alone could exceed the bus capacity.
Let's look at MRT/LRT now and consider if there is any of such priorities to seats similar to buses (even though it seems every train seat is marked as a 'Priority Seat') Clearly I won't be able to make use of the advantage of 'terminus availability of seats' in the case of trains, since Choa Chu Kang and Clementi are nowhere near the terminal stations.
As such, I think bus will still remain as my primary mode of transport for a long time. The LRT station just opposite my flat is part of a loop and the frequency isn't as fantastic as that in the main line. Hence the bus concession is really a worth investment, which encourages me to take more bus but in turn discourage MRT/LRT haha.
Alternatives
Apparently some NUS students are alighting 184 earlier than expected at the NP stop, and I conjecture it's due to the presence of 151. After all 151 provides a quicker route into the campus, particularly useful for Arts and Engin students. I've yet to test out this transfer but I'm considering the frequency of the service, as well as the potential crowd. Since there are a few doing it, there must be some reliability to a certain extent.
Credit to the bus arrival time display, I've observed another service - 183 - for a long time, and it has become another feasible option. 183 provides an even more direct route to Engin (or SOD secondarily) but the problem lies in its low frequency. As it appears that the waiting time is always in the 14-25 minutes region, I've only taken it twice when the panel 'miraculously' displayed 04 minutes at the moment I get down 184.
Another contender is 189. However unless I really enjoy walking (or rather rushing by foot) or resort taking an internal shuttle, I guess I would never go for this service.
---
Hopefully my explicit explanation and analysis will be able to convince that my vexation is not unfounded and substantiate my decision to continue taking buses in spite of prevailing worries. Thanks for your patience. =)
The Problem
I'm discontented mainly with service 96. Due to its high frequency during peak hours, I do not totally condemn it but I feel its route can be further improved to minimise the time taken from the interchange to NUS. 96 travels through a route with high traffic and traffic light density. The construction of the new interchange and several road works in the vicinity have probably made the situation worse.
Apparently there exists a certain difficulty for the bus to even exit the interchange. Once I witnessed bus clogging at the exit, which is a minor road junction. Most buses intended to turn left whereas 96 would take the right, hence a huge manoeuvre for it to cut through the bus queue from the boarding berth is required. Normally 96 could pass through easily, but at times when there is coagulation of buses waiting to leave the interchange, that's when the problem will arise.
It can be quite frustrating to experience a bus accelerating, then a moment later stopping abruptly at a traffic light. This seems to be always the case for 96. Thanks to the regulation of traffic light timings, there is no way to beat the lights unless the bus is traveling extremely fast, which is highly improbable. The lights turn green at one junction, only to turn red at the next. Practical drivers would perhaps notice that in some cases, if you stop at one junction you will most likely stop for the next further down the road, and the next... Similarly if you are able to beat the amber, the next light will most likely turn amber upon approaching, further testing your ability to make swift decisions (whether to stop or just move on).
Just as filter lanes for turning left at a junction enhance flow, right turns normally restrict it. Not only you have to wait for the light to turn green, you have to ensure no traffic at the opposite direction before proceeding (sometimes observing crossing pedestrians is necessary too), or otherwise wait for the green arrow to appear. 96 has to make 3 right turns prior to reaching NUS, and in between lies non-junction pedestrian crossing which only serves as agony to slow down movement at a straight road (from a motorist point of view).
With all these constrains, I guess it is not surprising why 96 can be really a slowpoke at times. Frequent 96 takers are probably aware of this too. The time taken to cover even a short distance is subjected to so many limiting factors, unlike the speedy 184 - the bus I take from Bukit Panjang to Clementi - which clocks fairly consistent timings.
The queue at the interchange this morning was exceptionally long, but this did not pose any of a problem since 96 buses came in less than 5 minute intervals.
I've phased out 963 long before term started, due to its low frequency and unreliability despite being a direct transport to NUS. Furthermore, I wouldn't want walking from the track & field to Engineering faculty to be a daily affair.
Bus as Primary Transport
I've considered the possibility to depending primarily on MRT/LRT instead but its benefit unfortunately do not outweigh that of taking buses. As a north-western resident, MRT is most efficient in traveling to the north-central (Ang Mo Kio), north-eastern (Hougang) and eastern (Tampines) areas. However I don't travel to such places often.
Thankfully Bukit Panjang has a good collection of bus services that travels to various locations. Particularly service 190 - said to be the SMRT service with the most passenger volume - is an extremely efficient tool to bring Bukit Panjangers to the city areas (be it Orchard, City Hall, Clarke Quay or Chinatown) in the shortest time possible. Advantageously, I do travel to city rather often. There is a reason for its popularity, and I suppose most Bukit Panjangers would have already recognised the efficiency of 190 (though the peak hour crowds can be terrible too).
There is another major consideration -- the comfort. Who would want to stand and pack like sardines in the MRT carriage when there is a choice of sitting cosily in the bus? And having a place to sit does not necessarily imply low passenger volume, and hence the under-utilisation of buses which will reject any increase of frequency. I can say that such argument is true for 171, as its potential passengers are really few.
184 and 96 are well-sought services will high passenger volume, but why am I able to get seats in these buses almost 90% of the time?
I take 96 from the interchange itself. The bus comes empty and chances of getting a seat is quite high, depending on my position in the queue. Take the ratio of sitting capacity to total capacity and you will get the minimum probability, but note that not all buses are filled.
Similarly, I board 184 at the bus stop right after it leaves the terminal, so the chances of having a seat is almost 100%, since I doubt the bus will be filled to the brim at the terminal itself. Bendies are often utilised for 184 as well. The "point of standing", which I loosely define as the bus stop where incoming passengers will have to stand, fortunately comes 2 stops after mine. Within 3 stops from the terminal, the bus will usually be filled.
Just for some information, 184 serves mainly for NP and SIM students, explaining its demand.
Likewise, during my return journey I could get a seat too almost 90% of the time. Not only Engineering Faculty being the first NUS stop for 96 has benefited Engin students in reaching their lectures and tutorials earlier, it has also allowed them to board the bus at an earlier stage and secure a seat during dismissal hours, before the crowd starts to stream in as the bus loops via Central Library, where the chances of boarding becomes slim.
Clementi station is the loop terminus for 184 hence there will be a fresh turnover of passengers, in order words the arriving bus would be equivalent to an empty one newly dispatched from the terminal. Getting a seat should not be a problem unless during peak hours when the number of passengers boarding in that stop alone could exceed the bus capacity.
Let's look at MRT/LRT now and consider if there is any of such priorities to seats similar to buses (even though it seems every train seat is marked as a 'Priority Seat') Clearly I won't be able to make use of the advantage of 'terminus availability of seats' in the case of trains, since Choa Chu Kang and Clementi are nowhere near the terminal stations.
As such, I think bus will still remain as my primary mode of transport for a long time. The LRT station just opposite my flat is part of a loop and the frequency isn't as fantastic as that in the main line. Hence the bus concession is really a worth investment, which encourages me to take more bus but in turn discourage MRT/LRT haha.
Alternatives
Apparently some NUS students are alighting 184 earlier than expected at the NP stop, and I conjecture it's due to the presence of 151. After all 151 provides a quicker route into the campus, particularly useful for Arts and Engin students. I've yet to test out this transfer but I'm considering the frequency of the service, as well as the potential crowd. Since there are a few doing it, there must be some reliability to a certain extent.
Credit to the bus arrival time display, I've observed another service - 183 - for a long time, and it has become another feasible option. 183 provides an even more direct route to Engin (or SOD secondarily) but the problem lies in its low frequency. As it appears that the waiting time is always in the 14-25 minutes region, I've only taken it twice when the panel 'miraculously' displayed 04 minutes at the moment I get down 184.
Another contender is 189. However unless I really enjoy walking (or rather rushing by foot) or resort taking an internal shuttle, I guess I would never go for this service.
---
Hopefully my explicit explanation and analysis will be able to convince that my vexation is not unfounded and substantiate my decision to continue taking buses in spite of prevailing worries. Thanks for your patience. =)
Saturday, August 23, 2008
August 2008 - Food for Thought
Only three-quarters of the month have passed and I'm already writing an overview of it. Usually I don't have any habit of summarising every month I've been through, but this August is special, in the sense that it has been a fulfilling month with a number of noteworthy events. From the Beijing Olympics to National Day, from my university matriculation to my leisure recreation, there is a range of topics to blog about hehe.
First off let's talk about the big events. After watching the broadcast of Beijing Olympics opening ceremony, the NDP performances the following day seemed awfully pale in comparison. Unlike many of my peers, I still maintain the tradition of watching NDP every year, even for 2 particular years when I was directly involved in the parade and couldn't catch the live broadcast in TV. However every year my sense of excitement will dampen, until I'm involved in the next NDP when my spirits will experience a boost again. That probably explains why I could commit myself to watching the parade every year without fail, whereas others feel it's a repetition and a waste of time to watch.
One of the main focus of every year's NDP is the singer of the theme song. Quite glad that Joi was given the opportunity to sing this year, upon recognising her efforts and contributions to the Chinese music industry. Not to forget about her feat in being nominated in the Taiwan Melody Awards. From what I remember, she used to sing a sub-theme for NDP in one particular year, however the song was not very popular and easily forgettable. Not sure if she did appear live in that year's parade, but the possibility of the different singer of the English version of that song appearing was higher.
This year it rained during the parade, the first time since many years. Not only on the actual day, it also rained during the rehearsals, forcing many to perform in the rain. Is this a bad omen? Not quite. For the first time in many years too, Singapore managed to clinch an Olympic medal. Even the important annual broadcast of the Rally was postponed for the first time to make way for the finals match. Let's not argue about the fact that the medalist wasn't a pure Singaporean, but instead look at their determination and hard work in order to make our medal dream come true.
However I regret to say that out of all the full table tennis matches played by our country's representatives I've watched thus far (from 2000 to present), none was victorious for our team. I guess this is true for a handful of people too. In 2000 I watched my first full table tennis match on TV, hoping that Jing Jun Hong would win. We lost. In the bronze playoff, we lost again. At that time there weren't much debate on the use of foreign sportsmen (or sportswomen). 4 years later in 2004 the same thing happened. I watched the two matches which we lost. People were starting to be aware of the lack of national identity by having foreigners to play for us. Another 4 years later, I watched the team finals which ended in trashing defeat. It's a shame that I only caught the last round of the last game in the victorious semifinals. This led many to question the significance of the medal, and whether it's justifiable as a Singaporean to be proud of such accomplishment.
Once again, I watched our defeat in the singles semifinals yesterday. Another defeat followed. Why does it seem that every match I'm watching will end up in defeat? Why is it that whenever the TV broadcast the match live, we will lose? When can I watch a victorious match where I can jump along with joy? I know this is a fallacy but I'm sure some of the audience might have felt that way at some point of another. We were often left disappointed after every initial excitement prior to watching the match, and this has probably made many disillusioned on the results, thinking 'Oh, we have entered the semis? Then we will lose subsequently.'
Of course it's already very remarkable for someone to reach that stage. With exceptionally strong opponents, winning isn't easy. However I feel some people take this for granted. They expect our table tennis players to enter the semis every Olympics, then expect them to lose it. I agree that having higher expectations might result in greater disappointments, but we should not have too low an expectation for our players too. Perhaps it's the short of luck and powerful opponents that caused the loss, but I don't think we have the right to criticise our players for their failure to win, especially without knowing the hardships they have been through all these years.
---
Tutorial classes start next week and this might probably mark the end of the honeymoon period of semester. I guess I should clear my readings and tutorials before they start piling up to unmanageable amounts. So far I'm enjoying the flexibility of my timetable, and the liberty to report to school anytime. For lectures nobody will care if anyone is late or if anyone leaves in the midst. However I'm quite frustrated with the issue of being late. Giving the students the responsibility to take charge of their own studies indirectly encourages them to think lightly of being late. Regrettably I was late for the first tutorial on Monday haha. As well as for the lecture on the following day. I'm still feeling vexed over these.
Then I started to think about the reasons of being late, and came up with a theory: Quantisation of time. Like how energy values of each electron in an atom are quantised, our arrival times to school is also quantised, thanks to the reliance on bus and train services. Well, I think most of you have already understood what I mean (after all it's common sense) but I shall illustrate further:
I shall take on the assumption that all NUS students go to school by bus as a last transport, and the lecture theatres/classrooms are close to the bus stop. If we observe at the bus stop, buses only arrive at intervals, be it regular or irregular. If the frequency of the bus is 10 minutes, we can safely predict that the next batch of students will arrive approximately 10 minutes after the first batch. If we happen to miss the bus we intend to take, we can say that we might reach our destination 10 minutes later than expected. If we plan to reach school by 12pm, we will definitely be late if we miss the bus that is expected to arrive in school at 11.55am. Extending the frequency to 25 minutes now, if we miss the bus that is expected to arrive at 11.36am, we will definitely be late. Either we are early by 24 minutes, or late by 1 minute. In other words there is no way we can safely expect to arrive right on time, or even slightly before time, especially with buses of low frequency.
Unfortunately we often assume to reach school on time, or maybe 5 minutes before, in our calculations. Usually we will try to add the waiting time, traveling time and walking time, then subtract the total time off the appointed time to derive the time we have to leave house. However such methods will normally result in the underestimation on time, which will lead to lateness (and probably frustration), unless we deliberately overestimate the time taken. Of course we want to leave home as late as possible, so most of us usually avoid overestimation.
Now we assume that the travel time of the bus is 30 minutes. (frequency still 25 minutes) If the bus is expected to arrive in school at 11.36am, it will arrive in the our home stop at 11.06am, 54 minutes before 12pm. If our pre-calculations is any less that 54 minutes, then we are doomed. If we could reach the home stop at 11.05am, then we are lucky. But merely 2 minutes late implies doom, and we have to wait for another 24 minutes. Hence we can see that the waiting time really varies a lot, any number within the frequency.
So the safest bet to estimate total time taken is to add up bus travel time and bus frequency, rather than approximate waiting time. The more optimistic we are with estimating the waiting time, the more chances we will be late. However the problem is, how do we know the frequency? The one shown on bus guides or bus stop panels is pretty inaccurate, and gets more inaccurate the further the stop is from the terminal.
Due to the fact that no one is able to tell the exact frequency of the bus, it's no wonder why many are late for class as they tend to include an optimistic waiting time into their estimations. If you happen to be early for 20 minutes, even leaving home 10 minutes later for the next day might result in...doom.
If you even read that huge chunk of rubbish I've written above, then I thank you (and apologise and the same time).
Currently I'm taking 2 buses from home to school. The first bus has a good frequency and speedy drivers, furthermore I'm get up at the first bus stop right after its terminal. But the 2nd leaves much to be desired. For its distance covered, the time taken is far too long, and I feel the main cause is its route and number of traffic lights. The service takes too many right turns. Those who take traffic theory should understand that it takes much longer to make a right turn than a left turn at any junction. But then again, there is nothing much we can do about this.
---
It's getting too long, so I shall it end here. Sorry for my ramblings haha. (Realised the more I type, the more incoherent I get.)
First off let's talk about the big events. After watching the broadcast of Beijing Olympics opening ceremony, the NDP performances the following day seemed awfully pale in comparison. Unlike many of my peers, I still maintain the tradition of watching NDP every year, even for 2 particular years when I was directly involved in the parade and couldn't catch the live broadcast in TV. However every year my sense of excitement will dampen, until I'm involved in the next NDP when my spirits will experience a boost again. That probably explains why I could commit myself to watching the parade every year without fail, whereas others feel it's a repetition and a waste of time to watch.
One of the main focus of every year's NDP is the singer of the theme song. Quite glad that Joi was given the opportunity to sing this year, upon recognising her efforts and contributions to the Chinese music industry. Not to forget about her feat in being nominated in the Taiwan Melody Awards. From what I remember, she used to sing a sub-theme for NDP in one particular year, however the song was not very popular and easily forgettable. Not sure if she did appear live in that year's parade, but the possibility of the different singer of the English version of that song appearing was higher.
This year it rained during the parade, the first time since many years. Not only on the actual day, it also rained during the rehearsals, forcing many to perform in the rain. Is this a bad omen? Not quite. For the first time in many years too, Singapore managed to clinch an Olympic medal. Even the important annual broadcast of the Rally was postponed for the first time to make way for the finals match. Let's not argue about the fact that the medalist wasn't a pure Singaporean, but instead look at their determination and hard work in order to make our medal dream come true.
However I regret to say that out of all the full table tennis matches played by our country's representatives I've watched thus far (from 2000 to present), none was victorious for our team. I guess this is true for a handful of people too. In 2000 I watched my first full table tennis match on TV, hoping that Jing Jun Hong would win. We lost. In the bronze playoff, we lost again. At that time there weren't much debate on the use of foreign sportsmen (or sportswomen). 4 years later in 2004 the same thing happened. I watched the two matches which we lost. People were starting to be aware of the lack of national identity by having foreigners to play for us. Another 4 years later, I watched the team finals which ended in trashing defeat. It's a shame that I only caught the last round of the last game in the victorious semifinals. This led many to question the significance of the medal, and whether it's justifiable as a Singaporean to be proud of such accomplishment.
Once again, I watched our defeat in the singles semifinals yesterday. Another defeat followed. Why does it seem that every match I'm watching will end up in defeat? Why is it that whenever the TV broadcast the match live, we will lose? When can I watch a victorious match where I can jump along with joy? I know this is a fallacy but I'm sure some of the audience might have felt that way at some point of another. We were often left disappointed after every initial excitement prior to watching the match, and this has probably made many disillusioned on the results, thinking 'Oh, we have entered the semis? Then we will lose subsequently.'
Of course it's already very remarkable for someone to reach that stage. With exceptionally strong opponents, winning isn't easy. However I feel some people take this for granted. They expect our table tennis players to enter the semis every Olympics, then expect them to lose it. I agree that having higher expectations might result in greater disappointments, but we should not have too low an expectation for our players too. Perhaps it's the short of luck and powerful opponents that caused the loss, but I don't think we have the right to criticise our players for their failure to win, especially without knowing the hardships they have been through all these years.
---
Tutorial classes start next week and this might probably mark the end of the honeymoon period of semester. I guess I should clear my readings and tutorials before they start piling up to unmanageable amounts. So far I'm enjoying the flexibility of my timetable, and the liberty to report to school anytime. For lectures nobody will care if anyone is late or if anyone leaves in the midst. However I'm quite frustrated with the issue of being late. Giving the students the responsibility to take charge of their own studies indirectly encourages them to think lightly of being late. Regrettably I was late for the first tutorial on Monday haha. As well as for the lecture on the following day. I'm still feeling vexed over these.
Then I started to think about the reasons of being late, and came up with a theory: Quantisation of time. Like how energy values of each electron in an atom are quantised, our arrival times to school is also quantised, thanks to the reliance on bus and train services. Well, I think most of you have already understood what I mean (after all it's common sense) but I shall illustrate further:
I shall take on the assumption that all NUS students go to school by bus as a last transport, and the lecture theatres/classrooms are close to the bus stop. If we observe at the bus stop, buses only arrive at intervals, be it regular or irregular. If the frequency of the bus is 10 minutes, we can safely predict that the next batch of students will arrive approximately 10 minutes after the first batch. If we happen to miss the bus we intend to take, we can say that we might reach our destination 10 minutes later than expected. If we plan to reach school by 12pm, we will definitely be late if we miss the bus that is expected to arrive in school at 11.55am. Extending the frequency to 25 minutes now, if we miss the bus that is expected to arrive at 11.36am, we will definitely be late. Either we are early by 24 minutes, or late by 1 minute. In other words there is no way we can safely expect to arrive right on time, or even slightly before time, especially with buses of low frequency.
Unfortunately we often assume to reach school on time, or maybe 5 minutes before, in our calculations. Usually we will try to add the waiting time, traveling time and walking time, then subtract the total time off the appointed time to derive the time we have to leave house. However such methods will normally result in the underestimation on time, which will lead to lateness (and probably frustration), unless we deliberately overestimate the time taken. Of course we want to leave home as late as possible, so most of us usually avoid overestimation.
Now we assume that the travel time of the bus is 30 minutes. (frequency still 25 minutes) If the bus is expected to arrive in school at 11.36am, it will arrive in the our home stop at 11.06am, 54 minutes before 12pm. If our pre-calculations is any less that 54 minutes, then we are doomed. If we could reach the home stop at 11.05am, then we are lucky. But merely 2 minutes late implies doom, and we have to wait for another 24 minutes. Hence we can see that the waiting time really varies a lot, any number within the frequency.
So the safest bet to estimate total time taken is to add up bus travel time and bus frequency, rather than approximate waiting time. The more optimistic we are with estimating the waiting time, the more chances we will be late. However the problem is, how do we know the frequency? The one shown on bus guides or bus stop panels is pretty inaccurate, and gets more inaccurate the further the stop is from the terminal.
Due to the fact that no one is able to tell the exact frequency of the bus, it's no wonder why many are late for class as they tend to include an optimistic waiting time into their estimations. If you happen to be early for 20 minutes, even leaving home 10 minutes later for the next day might result in...doom.
If you even read that huge chunk of rubbish I've written above, then I thank you (and apologise and the same time).
Currently I'm taking 2 buses from home to school. The first bus has a good frequency and speedy drivers, furthermore I'm get up at the first bus stop right after its terminal. But the 2nd leaves much to be desired. For its distance covered, the time taken is far too long, and I feel the main cause is its route and number of traffic lights. The service takes too many right turns. Those who take traffic theory should understand that it takes much longer to make a right turn than a left turn at any junction. But then again, there is nothing much we can do about this.
---
It's getting too long, so I shall it end here. Sorry for my ramblings haha. (Realised the more I type, the more incoherent I get.)
Friday, August 15, 2008
First Week Aftermath
It has been a relaxing week with lectures only. How I wish every week will be like this! Compared to other engineering students, I'm very fortunate to have one free weekday. Thanks to the fact that chem engin students need not take lab modules for this semester, which is quite unlike the rest of the departments. However I guess this will be the only semester in my NUS life when I can enjoy such privilege. Engin timetables are not supposed to entitle students with such kind of luxury lol. And oh, did I mention I have no lesson that starts at 8am? =p.
Out of all the lectures attended this week, I would rate my sociology lecture as the most interesting and informative. Partly due to sitting alone, I could concentrate fully on what the lecturer was talking. BUT the required readings come in a ton; the coursepack (compiled readings) is extremely thick! This is a disadvantage of taking a Arts modules, same goes to my GEM. As long as I cultivate my interest in the topic, these readings shouldn't be a problem right?
I would say my maths lecturer is the most amusing one, especially with his 'barber' analogy in chain rule differentiation which made everyone in the theatre burst into laughter. On the other hand the material science lecture remains incomprehensible. If not for my previous knowledge in A Level chemistry, the entire lecture would seem gibberish. I guess I have to rely more on the textbook from now on.
Some observations made during the 1st week:
- The Central Forum seems to be always so happening everyday anytime. Won't the noise penetrate into the library above? Talking about the library, it's really huge and well-occupied by students.
- The bus stops are always the most crowded spot in the campus. Fortunately my concession allows me to travel within campus using SBS buses hence I need not squeeze with others for the internal shuttle.
- Being late for lectures is like a norm. This is probably the reason why the main entrances of LTs are usually situated at the back.
- Personally I feel it's harder to navigate within the Arts faculty than Engin. The Engin's built-up is linear whereas the Arts' is clustered. Almost lost my way on the first lecture there. By the way, the increase in presence of girls (and the change in dressing) becomes very noticeable lol.
Some considerations (worries) for the coming weeks:
- Finding good group members. Really hope everything will go well in the coming group projects. Would not want to jeopardise my grades.
- Rushing from Engin to Arts faculty and vice versa within 15 minutes (or less). Luckily I found a shortcut today. A reliable route that doesn't require me to ascend the hills and descend again, provided it's not raining. Thank god I won't have to travel all the way to Science faculty this semester; it's 'unreachable' without transport.
- Having time for lunch. My timetable is rather packed and most of my noons are occupied, with back-to-back schedules. Even a bento isn't convenient enough. Might have to bring some bread from home, and take a quick munch during my rush to the next lesson.
---
Congrats to the Singapore Women Table Tennis team for making it to the finals! Managed to catch the last moments of the intense match on the bus. Three cheers to Feng Tian Wei who secured majority of the wins. 48 years since the last Olympic medal...quite a long wait eh?
One thing that some of you might probably have noticed - the finals will be aired concurrently with the National Day Rally on Sunday night. Which will you watch? Haha I don't have to worry about this as I won't be at home =p.
If I were to choose, of course the more interesting finals takes the priority!
Out of all the lectures attended this week, I would rate my sociology lecture as the most interesting and informative. Partly due to sitting alone, I could concentrate fully on what the lecturer was talking. BUT the required readings come in a ton; the coursepack (compiled readings) is extremely thick! This is a disadvantage of taking a Arts modules, same goes to my GEM. As long as I cultivate my interest in the topic, these readings shouldn't be a problem right?
I would say my maths lecturer is the most amusing one, especially with his 'barber' analogy in chain rule differentiation which made everyone in the theatre burst into laughter. On the other hand the material science lecture remains incomprehensible. If not for my previous knowledge in A Level chemistry, the entire lecture would seem gibberish. I guess I have to rely more on the textbook from now on.
Some observations made during the 1st week:
- The Central Forum seems to be always so happening everyday anytime. Won't the noise penetrate into the library above? Talking about the library, it's really huge and well-occupied by students.
- The bus stops are always the most crowded spot in the campus. Fortunately my concession allows me to travel within campus using SBS buses hence I need not squeeze with others for the internal shuttle.
- Being late for lectures is like a norm. This is probably the reason why the main entrances of LTs are usually situated at the back.
- Personally I feel it's harder to navigate within the Arts faculty than Engin. The Engin's built-up is linear whereas the Arts' is clustered. Almost lost my way on the first lecture there. By the way, the increase in presence of girls (and the change in dressing) becomes very noticeable lol.
Some considerations (worries) for the coming weeks:
- Finding good group members. Really hope everything will go well in the coming group projects. Would not want to jeopardise my grades.
- Rushing from Engin to Arts faculty and vice versa within 15 minutes (or less). Luckily I found a shortcut today. A reliable route that doesn't require me to ascend the hills and descend again, provided it's not raining. Thank god I won't have to travel all the way to Science faculty this semester; it's 'unreachable' without transport.
- Having time for lunch. My timetable is rather packed and most of my noons are occupied, with back-to-back schedules. Even a bento isn't convenient enough. Might have to bring some bread from home, and take a quick munch during my rush to the next lesson.
---
Congrats to the Singapore Women Table Tennis team for making it to the finals! Managed to catch the last moments of the intense match on the bus. Three cheers to Feng Tian Wei who secured majority of the wins. 48 years since the last Olympic medal...quite a long wait eh?
One thing that some of you might probably have noticed - the finals will be aired concurrently with the National Day Rally on Sunday night. Which will you watch? Haha I don't have to worry about this as I won't be at home =p.
If I were to choose, of course the more interesting finals takes the priority!
Monday, August 11, 2008
First Day of School
Yeah! After a 'holiday' of more than 2 and a half years, lessons have started once again. Feels kinda weird to report to school in the afternoon, instead of the usual daily mornings. No uniforms! No flag raising! No school bells! No discipline! Lol. Why am I still comparing this to JC life?
Was rather excited before my very first university lecture, but it ended up in a disappointment. The lecture was blatantly boring and the lecturer spoke in such an incomprehensible accent which would make one not continue to listen to him. As the 'lecture notes' (more like powerpoint slide printouts) were printed beforehand, it was not necessary to pay attention to the presentation slides and minimal notes had to be taken, partly due to the lecturer's 'language'.
The first lecture was almost unbearable (just waiting for all the slides to clear), and the lack of air-con in the theater made it worse, but luckily it only lasted 1 hour before I proceeded to the next. The second lecture was slightly better as the lecturer was more humorous and easily excited when explaining concepts. The topic covered was what I have already learnt so there was no problem in following the lecture. Thanks to ZY for being my chatting companion for today!
Basically I didn't learn anything much today. Resembled the past welcome talks I had been to - it doesn't make a difference whether I am present. Perhaps the only enlightenment I have gotten today is the realisation of how boring (and probably useless) lectures can be, which implies lots of self-study to be done.
Did myself a disfavour by searching for exam papers. Was appalled at the difficulty of the papers. Most were essay questions carrying 20-30 marks each, and it was sufficient to have merely 2 questions for some papers, to be completed within 2 hours. Reminds me of GP...haiz. I am not really worried for my language, but more of the content, the amount of facts and figures I have to memorise in order to churn out a well supported essay. These are rarely open-book exams. Out of my 5 modules this semester, 3 of which have such exam format (yup they are from Arts/Language faculty). Exam papers from Science faculty look easier haha, probably because I'm more of a Maths/Science person.
Now I'm stressed. The thought of doing badly for exams, S/U option, as well as the last resort of dropping modules, kept drifting within my mind. The fight hasn't even started and I'm already thinking of giving up?!
One of my module is very history intensive and there are tons of readings every week. Was a bit intimidated by the workload and assignments. All the talk of avoiding history-related subjects... Hopefully the lectures will be interesting enough to motivate me to study further.
Was rather excited before my very first university lecture, but it ended up in a disappointment. The lecture was blatantly boring and the lecturer spoke in such an incomprehensible accent which would make one not continue to listen to him. As the 'lecture notes' (more like powerpoint slide printouts) were printed beforehand, it was not necessary to pay attention to the presentation slides and minimal notes had to be taken, partly due to the lecturer's 'language'.
The first lecture was almost unbearable (just waiting for all the slides to clear), and the lack of air-con in the theater made it worse, but luckily it only lasted 1 hour before I proceeded to the next. The second lecture was slightly better as the lecturer was more humorous and easily excited when explaining concepts. The topic covered was what I have already learnt so there was no problem in following the lecture. Thanks to ZY for being my chatting companion for today!
Basically I didn't learn anything much today. Resembled the past welcome talks I had been to - it doesn't make a difference whether I am present. Perhaps the only enlightenment I have gotten today is the realisation of how boring (and probably useless) lectures can be, which implies lots of self-study to be done.
Did myself a disfavour by searching for exam papers. Was appalled at the difficulty of the papers. Most were essay questions carrying 20-30 marks each, and it was sufficient to have merely 2 questions for some papers, to be completed within 2 hours. Reminds me of GP...haiz. I am not really worried for my language, but more of the content, the amount of facts and figures I have to memorise in order to churn out a well supported essay. These are rarely open-book exams. Out of my 5 modules this semester, 3 of which have such exam format (yup they are from Arts/Language faculty). Exam papers from Science faculty look easier haha, probably because I'm more of a Maths/Science person.
Now I'm stressed. The thought of doing badly for exams, S/U option, as well as the last resort of dropping modules, kept drifting within my mind. The fight hasn't even started and I'm already thinking of giving up?!
One of my module is very history intensive and there are tons of readings every week. Was a bit intimidated by the workload and assignments. All the talk of avoiding history-related subjects... Hopefully the lectures will be interesting enough to motivate me to study further.
Friday, August 08, 2008
O Week Finale
It seemed that everyone became lethargic the next day after the Sentosa trip. Was down with sore throat and flu. Fortunately the activity for the day wasn't as intensive as the previous days. It was External Hunt, where groups travel around Singapore performing allocated tasks, something like Amazing Race.
Thanks to my bus concession, I didn't have to 'spend a single cent' on the several bus trips we took along the way. Our first stop was Orchard but I had to return to NUS again for Chemical Engineering Welcome Talk, before I got the chance to move to the next stop Harbourfront (again?!). We decided to enjoy the company rather than to win. Instead of running from place to place, we took our own sweet time window shopping, chit chatting, eating lunch, etc.
Did not really gain much new insights from the welcome session, but at least our doubts were clarified and worries eased by the fact that we could reallocate our core modules. As for the main presentation, it was just a summary of information found in the website. The free reception saved the day as I treated it as dinner haha.
Went back to Orchard again for my lessons... Missed out on the finale night as a result.
This morning was Rag Day, a whole school event where faculties and halls come together to present floats and dances, similar to Chingay. It incorporated National Day celebrations too, as we sang the National Anthem, read the pledge, and cheered with the mini Singapore flags. Almost melted under the scorching sun.
We left the event shortly after Engin's performance and went to take refuge in a coffee cafe, where we had our final chit chat session. Whether we will meet up again as a OG remains unknown.
Well I could say I enjoyed most parts of the orientation though there were times I was rather unhappy with the organisation and planning. Without my cooperative and united OG mates, O Week would be very boring. Made many friends as well within the short week, and it served as a good start to expand my social circle in campus.
Now that the orientation has come to an end, it's time to be mentally prepared for studies once again. Starting to feel the anxiety again.
080808 - an auspicious day which marks the opening of Beijing Olympics, a day which Chinese have been looking forward to since 8 years ago. Watching the opening ceremony now. Then tomorrow night would be the National Day Parade, what an eventful week!
Wish Singapore a happy 43rd birthday! The last time I watched a full parade live was Primary 5 when Singapore was celebrating her 33rd birthday. How time flies!
Thanks to my bus concession, I didn't have to 'spend a single cent' on the several bus trips we took along the way. Our first stop was Orchard but I had to return to NUS again for Chemical Engineering Welcome Talk, before I got the chance to move to the next stop Harbourfront (again?!). We decided to enjoy the company rather than to win. Instead of running from place to place, we took our own sweet time window shopping, chit chatting, eating lunch, etc.
Did not really gain much new insights from the welcome session, but at least our doubts were clarified and worries eased by the fact that we could reallocate our core modules. As for the main presentation, it was just a summary of information found in the website. The free reception saved the day as I treated it as dinner haha.
Went back to Orchard again for my lessons... Missed out on the finale night as a result.
This morning was Rag Day, a whole school event where faculties and halls come together to present floats and dances, similar to Chingay. It incorporated National Day celebrations too, as we sang the National Anthem, read the pledge, and cheered with the mini Singapore flags. Almost melted under the scorching sun.
We left the event shortly after Engin's performance and went to take refuge in a coffee cafe, where we had our final chit chat session. Whether we will meet up again as a OG remains unknown.
Well I could say I enjoyed most parts of the orientation though there were times I was rather unhappy with the organisation and planning. Without my cooperative and united OG mates, O Week would be very boring. Made many friends as well within the short week, and it served as a good start to expand my social circle in campus.
Now that the orientation has come to an end, it's time to be mentally prepared for studies once again. Starting to feel the anxiety again.
080808 - an auspicious day which marks the opening of Beijing Olympics, a day which Chinese have been looking forward to since 8 years ago. Watching the opening ceremony now. Then tomorrow night would be the National Day Parade, what an eventful week!
Wish Singapore a happy 43rd birthday! The last time I watched a full parade live was Primary 5 when Singapore was celebrating her 33rd birthday. How time flies!
Thursday, August 07, 2008
O Week @ Sentosa
Why must every orientation include sentosa games? It seems to be the norm of almost all the orientations and camps I have heard of. Not that I have anything against sentosa but travelling to another island is a chore. Anyway I rode the Sentosa Express for the first time, however the experience wasn't as exciting as expected. The glass panels are very narrow and do not provide much view to the passengers. The only thing that amazed me was the huge construction site of the ongoing IR project, as the train passed through that area.
A series of beach games was planned for us. Got wet, got sandy, got salty skin, as well as sunburns on my shoulders, back and neck. (Really painful till now, could hardly toss around on bed.) Was a bit relieved when the games finally ended and the next programme, Fashion Show, commenced.
It was then when everyone started to get anxious over the CORS bidding. 1 hour before the closure of round, a group of us went around with a laptop (never expected someone to bring it for sentosa trip) in search of wireless connection. Grumbled and complained about the CORS system. Eventually settled at Coffee Bean and started configuring but failed, much to everyone's disappointment. Some girl from FASS (Arts Faculty) came by and started yakking away like a madwoman about her CORS frustration lol. Looks like FASS students are having a hard time with bidding too.
Too bad for those stuck in sentosa. Fortunately thanks to YF who updated me with information helped me bid, I was able to secure all 5 modules without much problem. Not many were as lucky to have someone check bidding details for them.
Went back to watch the fashion show and almost dozed off if not for the cheering. Not that the show was boring but I was really quite tired. Surprisingly our house won and we were no longer the last!
It was sunset when our OG planned to have dinner in Vivocity instead of taking transport back to NUS for stay-in, which was the intended schedule. It caused some displeasure among our councillors. As the pavilion became engulfed in darkness, we took the chance to escape but was halted by some councillors who unexpectedly knew our OG name. We took an alternative escape route but was called out by the councillors again. This time we ignored their call and quickly walked away haha. Escaping in a group is so fun! Was quite impressed by the OG's unity too.
Felt remorseful towards the councillors' efforts but it looked like none of us regretted our decision haha...
A series of beach games was planned for us. Got wet, got sandy, got salty skin, as well as sunburns on my shoulders, back and neck. (Really painful till now, could hardly toss around on bed.) Was a bit relieved when the games finally ended and the next programme, Fashion Show, commenced.
It was then when everyone started to get anxious over the CORS bidding. 1 hour before the closure of round, a group of us went around with a laptop (never expected someone to bring it for sentosa trip) in search of wireless connection. Grumbled and complained about the CORS system. Eventually settled at Coffee Bean and started configuring but failed, much to everyone's disappointment. Some girl from FASS (Arts Faculty) came by and started yakking away like a madwoman about her CORS frustration lol. Looks like FASS students are having a hard time with bidding too.
Too bad for those stuck in sentosa. Fortunately thanks to YF who updated me with information helped me bid, I was able to secure all 5 modules without much problem. Not many were as lucky to have someone check bidding details for them.
Went back to watch the fashion show and almost dozed off if not for the cheering. Not that the show was boring but I was really quite tired. Surprisingly our house won and we were no longer the last!
It was sunset when our OG planned to have dinner in Vivocity instead of taking transport back to NUS for stay-in, which was the intended schedule. It caused some displeasure among our councillors. As the pavilion became engulfed in darkness, we took the chance to escape but was halted by some councillors who unexpectedly knew our OG name. We took an alternative escape route but was called out by the councillors again. This time we ignored their call and quickly walked away haha. Escaping in a group is so fun! Was quite impressed by the OG's unity too.
Felt remorseful towards the councillors' efforts but it looked like none of us regretted our decision haha...
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
O-Week Day 2
The day started off with War Games. Yup, it also followed the typical rule of using water bombs to destroy the opposing team's structure, as well as having a forfeit-bonus pool in the center. Why are all the schools using the same concept? As expected I stayed behind to defend the structure, as I was not very keen to rush to the frontlines and get dirty with slime. Defenders are supposed to get the wettest but thanks to the rain that started in the midst of the game, everyone was equally wet haha.
Then we proceeded to Telematch. The games were cleaner this time, but I didn't participate in any due to player limitations. Glad that my OG had the most number of members present within my house. So far it seems quite disappointing that my house kept losing in almost every game, but like what the councillor said: as long as we enjoy, the results doesn't matter.
After washing up and changing into semi-formal wear, we attended the Freshmen Inauguration Ceremony. It was a solemn affair with cultural performances (which was impressively displayed IMO) and a welcome speech from the President of NUS. The long robes worn by the professors were really eye-catching, and the scene was described by some to be similar to 'Harry Potter' haha. The rain of balloons at the end of the ceremony was indeed a pleasant surprise =).
Despite the free dinner reception, the OG decided to have a group dinner at Subway @ YIH. Quite happy to see us so united, sitting at the tables chatting away. Though there is discount for NUS students, I still find Subway a rather expensive meal in school. The ice-cream stall did not receive good comments either...
As darkness crawled in, we went for Night Walk. Everyone was to pair up with a partner of opposite sex from another OG, with hands tied together. Fortunately I got a girl haha. You can imagine the disgusted look ppl give as they see 2 guys walking together with hand tied. We walked from place to place, exploring the campus and playing simple games like riddles, guess-the-phase, memory game and popular 我猜 couple game. I find such games more enjoyable and less intimidating than those war games and telematches.
Had never talked so much to a girl before! Our hands were tied together and talking to each other was inevitable. Got to know quite a bit about her within a short span of 2 hours. And I can say she shares the same interest as me =). Within only yesterday, the number of new entries in my phonebook increased by 10!
Midnight struck and we returned to the LT for a finale couple game. The game was rather boring (the guys will sing karaoke and the girls will guess their partner)and super draggy. Many dozed off on their seats. The whole thing ended at 2am and it was only then we were allowed to sleep. Was horrified to know that reveille was 4.45am for Flag Day! Crazy!
Instead of sleeping, the small group of us(many had alr 'zao') went for prata supper. After which we had only 30 min to sleep. Of course it wasn't a good rest and created a headache instead. Some of us decided to leave for Kent Ridge terminal and take the first bus home. Took the new 151 double decker. A double decker through NUS campus is probably a new sight to many students. Happily took the 2nd deck front seats (sitting on double deckers is a rare experience for me) but the bus vibration when idle was really strong lol.
Feels so weird to be walking in the opposite direction of streaming students and commuters. Dozed off in front of my computer before deciding that retreating to bed was the best move.
Then we proceeded to Telematch. The games were cleaner this time, but I didn't participate in any due to player limitations. Glad that my OG had the most number of members present within my house. So far it seems quite disappointing that my house kept losing in almost every game, but like what the councillor said: as long as we enjoy, the results doesn't matter.
After washing up and changing into semi-formal wear, we attended the Freshmen Inauguration Ceremony. It was a solemn affair with cultural performances (which was impressively displayed IMO) and a welcome speech from the President of NUS. The long robes worn by the professors were really eye-catching, and the scene was described by some to be similar to 'Harry Potter' haha. The rain of balloons at the end of the ceremony was indeed a pleasant surprise =).
Despite the free dinner reception, the OG decided to have a group dinner at Subway @ YIH. Quite happy to see us so united, sitting at the tables chatting away. Though there is discount for NUS students, I still find Subway a rather expensive meal in school. The ice-cream stall did not receive good comments either...
As darkness crawled in, we went for Night Walk. Everyone was to pair up with a partner of opposite sex from another OG, with hands tied together. Fortunately I got a girl haha. You can imagine the disgusted look ppl give as they see 2 guys walking together with hand tied. We walked from place to place, exploring the campus and playing simple games like riddles, guess-the-phase, memory game and popular 我猜 couple game. I find such games more enjoyable and less intimidating than those war games and telematches.
Had never talked so much to a girl before! Our hands were tied together and talking to each other was inevitable. Got to know quite a bit about her within a short span of 2 hours. And I can say she shares the same interest as me =). Within only yesterday, the number of new entries in my phonebook increased by 10!
Midnight struck and we returned to the LT for a finale couple game. The game was rather boring (the guys will sing karaoke and the girls will guess their partner)and super draggy. Many dozed off on their seats. The whole thing ended at 2am and it was only then we were allowed to sleep. Was horrified to know that reveille was 4.45am for Flag Day! Crazy!
Instead of sleeping, the small group of us(many had alr 'zao') went for prata supper. After which we had only 30 min to sleep. Of course it wasn't a good rest and created a headache instead. Some of us decided to leave for Kent Ridge terminal and take the first bus home. Took the new 151 double decker. A double decker through NUS campus is probably a new sight to many students. Happily took the 2nd deck front seats (sitting on double deckers is a rare experience for me) but the bus vibration when idle was really strong lol.
Feels so weird to be walking in the opposite direction of streaming students and commuters. Dozed off in front of my computer before deciding that retreating to bed was the best move.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Engin O Week
Attended the 1st day of Engin Orientation Week yesterday. It is like officially starting school 2 days earlier haha. I think holding a full day orientation on a Saturday is not a very good idea, as many had to leave early, or was unable to attend at all. Since the very first day is crucial, I made an effort to participate fully till the end. After all nobody has any mood to organise outings at such period of time...
Was feeling jittery during the gathering in the morning. I think this phase of orientation - introducing yourself and getting to know others - requires the most courage. Plucked up my courage to initiate conversations with others, though it was quite unnatural for me to do so. Whenever a group of people was looking at me talk, it felt uneasy yet amazing. At times I returned to my quiet self, keeping slient and listening attentively to others' conversations.
Icebreakers and welcome talks followed. As everyone is strongly encourage to wear their house colours, it is not easy to sneak in, crash into, or change to another house/group. We then proceeded to learning the mass dance. However the place (roof balcony) was extremely narrow and congested, resulting everyone to make do with the sloppy dance moves. Not to mention the gender imbalance is becoming more evident here.
After a rushed lunch in the lecture theatre, it marks the 2nd-third of the day, as well as the key of the day's programme: station games. As the name suggests, we move from point to point around the faculty ground, playing games to compete with the opposing teams. Games include musical chairs, 终极密码, balloon bursting, foam making, 3-legged soccer, etc. There were several stations but the one I enjoyed most is the passing of small objects via mouth only. You know, that cliche guy-girl game. But as I mentioned earlier due to gender imbalance, guy-guy pairing was extremely common. The passing process was more difficult than I thought because of the distance and obstacles. Though our team lost I really enjoyed it nevertheless. And I noticed some people can get really aggressive in such games.
Our team did not do very well in the games, in fact we lost majority of the stations. Our OGL (Orientation Group Leader) seemed to be a bit helpless too, and did not do anything much to motivate us except to make sure her primary job was done. The assistant OGL wasn't any better, she was soft-spoken and rarely interacted with us. That explains why some members were rather disappointed.
The moment all the stations were completed, we returned to the lecture theatre for a series of talks. That was when everyone was exhausted and started to doze off under the cold temperature. To make it worse, the dinner came almost 2 hours later than the stipulated time. Even the cheering practice sounded lethargic, as claps were heard instead of voices. Many started to leave upon finishing dinner. Was about to leave with my friends too when the councillor came to persuade us not to leave. They remind me so much of my seniors in JC, whom I enjoyed interacting with. Hence we decided to stay on...
The last programme of the day is computer games! The houses will fight against each other in Worms 4 Mayhem. (it's a 3D Worms game) The fight was really interesting and it looked like most had played the game before. (JH played really well too!) It has been a long time since I ever enjoyed watching others play game. Most of the games are just nice to play, but not very nice to watch. (CS, Dota, MMORPGs, etc)
Thanks to the experienced players, our house managed to win and secure a prize for everyone: limited Engin Club foolscap pad...haha. Along with the goodies bag, there are a few more stationeries I could make use of when lessons start officially.
Yup, that's all for the very 1st orientation day. It seems like so many things have happened already. Hope the subsequent days will be better =).
Was feeling jittery during the gathering in the morning. I think this phase of orientation - introducing yourself and getting to know others - requires the most courage. Plucked up my courage to initiate conversations with others, though it was quite unnatural for me to do so. Whenever a group of people was looking at me talk, it felt uneasy yet amazing. At times I returned to my quiet self, keeping slient and listening attentively to others' conversations.
Icebreakers and welcome talks followed. As everyone is strongly encourage to wear their house colours, it is not easy to sneak in, crash into, or change to another house/group. We then proceeded to learning the mass dance. However the place (roof balcony) was extremely narrow and congested, resulting everyone to make do with the sloppy dance moves. Not to mention the gender imbalance is becoming more evident here.
After a rushed lunch in the lecture theatre, it marks the 2nd-third of the day, as well as the key of the day's programme: station games. As the name suggests, we move from point to point around the faculty ground, playing games to compete with the opposing teams. Games include musical chairs, 终极密码, balloon bursting, foam making, 3-legged soccer, etc. There were several stations but the one I enjoyed most is the passing of small objects via mouth only. You know, that cliche guy-girl game. But as I mentioned earlier due to gender imbalance, guy-guy pairing was extremely common. The passing process was more difficult than I thought because of the distance and obstacles. Though our team lost I really enjoyed it nevertheless. And I noticed some people can get really aggressive in such games.
Our team did not do very well in the games, in fact we lost majority of the stations. Our OGL (Orientation Group Leader) seemed to be a bit helpless too, and did not do anything much to motivate us except to make sure her primary job was done. The assistant OGL wasn't any better, she was soft-spoken and rarely interacted with us. That explains why some members were rather disappointed.
The moment all the stations were completed, we returned to the lecture theatre for a series of talks. That was when everyone was exhausted and started to doze off under the cold temperature. To make it worse, the dinner came almost 2 hours later than the stipulated time. Even the cheering practice sounded lethargic, as claps were heard instead of voices. Many started to leave upon finishing dinner. Was about to leave with my friends too when the councillor came to persuade us not to leave. They remind me so much of my seniors in JC, whom I enjoyed interacting with. Hence we decided to stay on...
The last programme of the day is computer games! The houses will fight against each other in Worms 4 Mayhem. (it's a 3D Worms game) The fight was really interesting and it looked like most had played the game before. (JH played really well too!) It has been a long time since I ever enjoyed watching others play game. Most of the games are just nice to play, but not very nice to watch. (CS, Dota, MMORPGs, etc)
Thanks to the experienced players, our house managed to win and secure a prize for everyone: limited Engin Club foolscap pad...haha. Along with the goodies bag, there are a few more stationeries I could make use of when lessons start officially.
Yup, that's all for the very 1st orientation day. It seems like so many things have happened already. Hope the subsequent days will be better =).
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