Bolts N' Nutz: Jdramas

Bolts N' Nutz is back again after a long break! This time it's not about songs but another aspect of my interest -- Jdramas! (short for Japanese Dramas) Have been an avid fan of Jdramas since 3 years ago, though the initial spark came during the period when Singapore TV started airing Jdramas. Quite disappointing that Jdramas have disappeared from the face of TV since the rise of Kdramas. (Budget concerns? Too few episodes?) Even shops hardly sell Jdramas anymore. Thanks to Crunchyroll, Mysoju, Daddicts for supplying my dose of Jdramas!

In this entry I will introduce and recommend a few interesting Jdramas with unique genres that can be hardly seen in Singapore dramas or Taiwanese idol dramas. A short synopsis of the story followed by my comments. Enjoy!

Credits to DramaWiki for the wonderful pictures!


Gokusen



This drama tells about a daughter in a Yakuza family whose ambition is to become a teacher. She was accepted by a school and assigned to be the homeroom teacher of a class full of rowdy and delinquent students too much for the school to handle. Being tasked such demanding job of educating a bunch of ‘rotten apples’, she dealt surprisingly well with her Yakuza tactics and physical prowess, leading her deviant students into the correct social path. Trying her best to conceal her true identity, her atypical actions of a teacher has drawn suspicion from both her colleagues and students...

This drama was so popular when it first aired such that 2 installments were released subsequently. Have just finished watching the 3rd series. Though each episode and series seem to follow a fixed formula, similar plots and ideas, I still enjoyed the story nevertheless due to its comical and touching moments. It’s rather thrilling to see how the teacher tries very hard to hide her Yakuza identity, yet resorts to using her skilled martial arts to protect her students from external gangsters. But the bewildering thing is, her students don’t seem to question her fighting capabilities at all despite witnessing her prowess. Her colleagues are equally oblivious as well, even with all the conspicuities.

The part when she throws off her glasses, unties her geeky ponytails and shakes her hair, before engaging in combat, is probably the most captivating and iconic scene in this drama series.



Good Luck



This drama focuses on the life of a co-pilot, and his interactions between fellow workers in the airport and aboard the plane. It reflects on the lively community of pilots, stewardesses and even mechanics in their daily work practices, as well as the challenges they have to face from the technical, administrative and passenger service aspects of air flights. The co-pilot eventually fell in love with a female mechanic, whom he could share his inner feelings on the occupation with (and vice versa).

A Kimura Takuya drama. After watching this show, my respect and understanding to flight personnel increased. It’s definitely not an easy job, be it a pilot, an air stewardess or a mechanic. Everyone plays an important role in ensuring safe flights. Once again my desire to fly abroad has been fermented haha. Wonder how air stewardesses look like now. Are they still pretty and polite as before? And are pilots really that handsome? This show also made me realize that passengers can really cause lots of trouble and stress for the personnel, especially when they put punctuality before the safety of the rest of the passengers, or are just plain inconsiderate.

Being a mechanic once, I can’t understand why a female would want to work in such oily and dusty environment for such routine jobs.



Densha Otoko



An otaku, a person (usually male teenagers) who spends most of his time at home in front of the computer and is peculiarly obsessed with Japanese related products like anime and manga, is being illustrated in this drama. During an incident in the train he saved a young pretty lady from a drunkard and hence fell in love at first sight. Being inexperienced in wooing the opposite sex, he sought advice from a online forum, where he met several supportive netizens who were willing to help him overcome his fears and capture the lady’s heart. Inspired by a true story.

Can’t believe it’s actually from a true story! But actually it’s not that surprising too, since from what I notice in various forums, many do share their relationship problems and request for tips. I guess those threads could be pretty helpful to a third party too. In such a information technology age, even relationships become so ‘technologized’ as well. Can someone tell me how is an otaku, 宅男, 干物女 or whatever attractive?

Recently the theme of otaku is rather hot. I think Mediacorp is going to film a drama based on this too.



Kimi wa Petto



One day a tough career woman found a box outside her apartment which unexpectedly contained an unconscious teen, shivering in the cold with bruises. Out of sympathy she brought him home and allowed him to stay until he regain consciousness. However he refused to leave after that and was even willing to become the woman’s pet for the sake of staying on. This drama discusses the master-pet relationship and depicts how having a human pet will cause a hindrance to the woman’s social life yet provide warmth, happiness and consolation.

The parts where the actor tried to act like a cutie dog are a bit…erm. Anyway the characters are quite aptly casted, as the lead actor is of a smaller build than the lead actress which makes it feel like a elder sister – little brother relationship, or more inhumanely, a master – pet association. If such show is to be filmed by Mediacorp (which is highly improbable I know) I wonder who is willing to act as the ‘pet’ haha. Really have to act adorable, naïve, intimate, hyperactive, without giving people the ‘yuck’ feeling.

Unbelievable that a single woman would agree to let a stranger stay in her home...



Nodame Cantabile



This musical-themed drama talks about an aspiring conductor whose childhood desire is to travel abroad and hone his skills as a disciple under a famous conductor. However his dreams were never fulfilled due to his phobia of flying. In the music college he met a shaggy and unkempt girl who was exceptionally talented in piano. Their vastly different personalities and musicality often result in comical conflicts, developing sparks of chemistry. Based on a manga.

It’s already quite rare to see a music-themed drama, much less an orchestra-themed. It must be really difficult to film the orchestra performances especially with a non-professional ‘conductor’ waving the baton in front. Assuming the music isn’t recorded live, coordinating the sight with sound can be a huge challenge too. Music is indeed a powerful medium that transcends all languages and cultures. Looking forward to similar dramas!

Playing an instrument may be fun, but repeated practices and routine rehearsals may just spoil it. 6 years in the symphonic band has taught me that.



Mukodono



This drama centers around a famous pop star who was married into an ordinary family. Not only must he hide his marital status from his huge fanbase and the treacherous media in order to maintain popularity, he has to ensure that his wife’s family does not get implicated in gossips. Even a proper wedding ceremony cannot be held. The family was in disapproval of their marriage initially but the pop star managed to convinced everyone that he could become a devoted son-in-law, though his compassion and warm-heartedness - traits that were impossible to discover from his public image.

Japanese seem to love using the concept of hiding a super huge secret from the public, in their dramas eh? We pull our hair in frustration when people can’t seem to notice even the obvious things, and hold our breath in tension when the secret is about to be exposed. No wonder such formula still proves to be very much successful. Hmm, imagine if you have a family member who is a celebrity, how would you feel? Proud of him/her? Blessed? Jealous? Fear of paparazzi? Personally I don’t mind lah, can obtain many insider news this way haha.

All above all, face (both looks and reputation) is the most important factor in determining a person’s potential as a celebrity. But I feel the pop star in this show is really an extreme example.



My Boss My Hero



The eldest son of a triad family faced a challenging condition set by his father, that in order to succeed as the head of the triad, he must graduate from high school. Through the help of his father’s relations, he managed to secure a place in a school, though unwillingly. This drama revolves around the juggling of his daily school life, interactions with peers and teachers during the day, as well as his triad activities at night. His eccentric behavior, crude language and over-age look have inevitably posed several risks of his background being exposed.

Once again another ‘huge secret’ drama, same actor as the previous. This is effectively the opposite of Gokusen where the student is of triad background instead. This brings us to another great formula adopted by Japanese – mismatching. It would be quite boring to see an obedient student or a rigid teacher neh? Other examples of mismatch seen in Jdramas would be a pop band singer as an air stewardess, and a timid person as a surgeon. Are they trying to prove that every individual has the potential to change and perform seemingly impossible tasks?

Even as a Yakuza or triad member, politeness is strictly observed at times. The ability to behave crudely and boorish yet stay meek and polite at certain circumstances baffles me.



Majo no Jouken



This drama narrates the forbidden love between a teacher and a student, a relationship that can never be tolerated in the contemporary society. Upon admitting her true love for the student, the teacher started to face several criticisms from both her school and family. In a desperate attempt to protect their affair from being disrupted, they escaped town to seek a better life together. However due to the dire consequences and disappointments which both of them had caused to their families, it seems that their freedom to love cannot be sustained much further.

This was such a hit then. Did you guys watch this show when it was aired in Singapore many years ago? I regretted not watching much earlier thus unable to experience the hype. Only watched it recently. The theme song ‘First Love’ by Utada Hikaru became a hit as well, and is probably the first Japanese song that comes into mind of majority Singaporeans when asked. Considering that this is the lead actor’s first drama, his acting is really superb.

Have you ever witnessed (or plunged into) any teacher-student affair before? In such a conservative society, it seems very unlikely.



Dragon Zakura



A lawyer was hired by a school, which has a bad reputation of producing substandard students, for a seemingly impossible task of sending at least 5 students into the prestigious Tokyo University (Todai). The lawyer took on the tough job and confidently vowed to achieve this audacious goal, through unorthodox means of education. This academic drama relates how the special group of students attempt to overcome their intellectual barriers within a year and work towards the entrance exams to attain elite qualifications into Todai.

Another school drama wee! Makes me want to go Japan and experience their school life! I guess Japanese really have fond memories of their school days to the extent that they produce many school dramas as a reminisce. On the other hand we don’t see this in Singapore haha, where books and exams form the core memories of schooling. Anyway this show is quite educative too; mathematical formulae and scientific concepts are occasionally flashed below the screen to give the audience a clearer picture. The most academic drama I’ve ever seen!

However this drama preaches that the easiest route to university is via maths and sciences, in which proficiency can be eventually achieved by constant and intensive drilling. Hmm?



Trick



Does supernatural phenomenon really exist in this world? Or is it merely a gimmick that looks believable? This intriguing drama tackles these questions by shining the spotlight onto various scams that have managed to fool the layman, and even professionals. A female magician seeks to uncover the truth behind such ploys and prove that the spiritual happenings are indeed entirely pre-planned illusions, using her knowledge and expertise in magic tricks, along with her companion – a physicist.

This series is so interesting that I finished watching the 3 seasons at one shot! While being mysterious and enigmatic, it has a fair share of humour and horror as well. The humour used is different in the sense that it’s more subtle and deep, rather than the blatant kind. Ok I don’t know how to explain. Anyway it’s like watching ‘Breaking the Magician’s Code’ in a dramatized form, adding scary elements which Japanese are so good at.

Quite impressed how magicians (or illusionists) go to such great extent of immerse preparation and rehearsal to trick the audience.

---

Hopefully this will slightly spur your interest and curiosity in the diminishing influence of Jdramas. =)

俘虏

一直渴望的呼吸空间终于来临了。一个礼拜的时间，说多不多，说少不少。看似有足够时间解决所有的功课，但光阴似箭，稍纵即逝，一个星期转眼就会很快地过去的。从另一角度想，如果把自己锁在家内，有纪律地把功课都完成，其实一个星期也可说是绰绰有余的。

已经大概计划这几天会做什么事，一切顺利的话，开学时就不必烦恼了。最重要的是要靠自己的意志力，推动力，耐力，希望能有效地利用这宝贵的时间来好好处理课业。虽说努力读书才会考得好成绩，但大学的评分制度往往让我觉得自己的学习成果并不能完全掌握在自己手中。

大学聚集了国内外的学业精英，所以竞争激烈是必然的。与中学初院不同的是，主要敌人不是考试测验，而是周围和你上一样讲义的同学。（哇，听起来好残酷哦！）如果表现不能突出，不能成为强中强，成绩就会显得稍微逊色些。正因为这样，学期后放榜的整体评价，总是让人意想不到，吃惊一场。

小组专题作业在大学里是家常便饭的事。除了考试以外，作业也是评分的重要项目之一。从来没享受过与别人合作的过程，所以特别讨厌分组活动。“三个臭皮匠，一个诸葛亮”，“人多好办事”之类的说法未必能应用在这方面。总觉得组员是种累赘，做什么决定须要经过讨论，还要不时抽出时间会面。若不幸遇到怠惰，不积极，或忙碌于其他活动的组员，就得为他们弥补工作空缺，结果付出更多。然而最后，组员分别的贡献也不会反映在作品上，功劳也一律被视为是平均的。真叫人捶心肝。

说我孤僻也好，自私也好，但我始终认为自己的作业，自己就应该有权力掌控它的结果，为它负全部的责任，而不是受他人影响，被他人左右。因此，以前在军营里做事务工作时，比较喜欢单人亲自办事，不委托他人帮忙。不是不信任他们，而是认为若有何问题，就能当场判断，迅速解决。传来传去实在太麻烦了。

事实就是如此，不认也得接受。谁叫自己是大学生，社会的俘虏。

遗憾

最近，为了摆脱日益繁重的课业，浏览了好多部落格。从一站连接到另一站，阅读部落格其实也蛮有趣的，令我领悟良多。尤其是那些附上很多照片的，让我读得津津有味，但也觉得自己的网站如白板般枯燥乏味。看到了别人如何在应付学业上的要求同时，也能够忙里偷闲，过着多姿多彩的生活，真得让我无比羡慕。对于1987年出生的人来说，今年朋友们的隆重21岁生日庆祝会更是接踵而来，好像全年嘉年华似的。一场赴一场，为生活增添了不少欢乐与期待。久违的朋友集聚一堂，感觉又温馨又幸福，仿佛是回到求学时期（入伍以前）。

好久好久以前，念小学时，曾经想过举办生日会。但因为自己害羞，也嫌过程麻烦，所以打消了这个念头。（那个时候谈什么知己，把全班同学都当成是朋友嘛）。还记得小学时，不时会有过生日的同学带着一包一包的糖果零食分给全班人。不知道现在小学还有没有这种习惯，还是已经升级用网络发布生日通知，其他人也用这途径传递生日祝福。哈哈。

除此之外，出国旅游也是我在部落格里常见的一项记载。看了让我又羡慕，又妒嫉，有心痛。羡慕的是他们有机会到各地打开眼界，妒嫉的是他们有志同道合的朋友来陪伴旅行，一起观赏体验异国的风彩。而心痛的是从退伍至今仍然曾未出国，没好好把握那良好的时机。已经把心中的出国之痒按捺了近十年，真的很期盼能再次乘搭飞机见识海外。

经过一番浏览，不禁发现两个不相关的朋友竟然有了供同的熟人。也就是说，我朋友的朋友也是我另一位朋友的朋友。更好的是，本以为不相识的两个朋友其实对彼此有认识的，令我非常惊讶。这岛屿的确那么小哦。

上个礼拜天参与了日本研究会为了迎接从日本远道而来的大学生所办的活动。可惜的是，游走了一整天结果只跟他们说了几句话而已。毕竟这是我参加研究会以来的第一个活动，对会员还不是很熟，所以把精力都放在与会员和好友对谈。咳，其实这是借口。真正的是，我鼓不起勇气跟那群日本学生对话，也找不到适当的话题聊，更不想陷于肤浅的对话。更重要的是我觉得自己的日语还达不到能与他们自然对话的水准，所以选择沉默应对。那天回到家就感到很愧疚，不仅觉得自己忽略了招待他们的本分，也发现自己竟然错失了千载难逢的机会与日本人交流。真是“笨死了！”（由杨小姐提供）因此我开始激励自己要勇于开口讲日语，努力掌握这语言，让我更有信心面对日本人。难怪今天上日语课时特别多话。

目標を持って、進んで学習しよう！頑張ります！

前天上午我在学校图书馆里，突然传来了一阵爆炸声，使到玻璃随着震动一下，好恐怖！读了这篇报道才知道原来如此：
http://campus-observer.org/content/view/181/
看来当时学生们都被那声巨响给吓着了。。。

最后想和大家分享我几天前所收到的简讯，觉得它蛮有意义的：

人生吧，
0岁出场，
10岁快乐成长，
20 为情彷徨，
30 基本定向，
40 拼命打闯，
50 回头望望，
60 告老还乡，
70 搓搓麻将，
80 晒晒太阳，
90 躺在床上，
100挂在墙上...

生得伟大，死得凄凉
所以呀，该吃就吃，该喝就喝
遇事别往心里搁
洗着澡，看着表，舒服一秒是一秒
能牵手的时候，请别只是肩并肩
能拥抱的时候，请别只是手牵手
能在一起的时候，请别轻易分开


读到结尾赫然发现原来是一封连锁简讯。。。 （我把后面的部分给删除了）

一定要珍惜活着的每一分每一秒喔！别在短短的人生里留下任何缺憾。

It's snowing?

What's wrong with the weather nowadays? It has been raining everyday for the past 5 days and recent nights have been unusually chilly, to the extent that I need not turn on the fan to cool my stuffy room. It's really a rainy August - it rained during NDP; it drizzled during the fireworks display. Whatever the case, rain came whenever it was most undesired...

Thankfully there are no major outdoor event during this period. Can't imagine how it might be ruined by the downpour.

It's really frustrating when you are just about to leave the house and it rains. To make it worse, the rain pours heavily when you are under the umbrella and the moment you step into the shelter, the rain subsides. This phenomenon indeed describes my experiences this week.

The only day when it didn't rain in the morning is Wednesday, but it happens to be my rest day too so I didn't manage to take advantage of the good weather.

However it did rain heavily on that afternoon. Was taking a sweet nap when I was rudely awakened by the earsplitting thunder. It made my head involuntarily jerk and my body uncontrollably curl up. >_< It was like my heart had just undergone an electric shock. Just in case if you're wondering, I'm normally not afraid of thunder. But yes, I'm weak against loud sudden noises. Being unaware of the lightning I couldn't anticipate the thunder which followed. And it happened to strike when I was in the most unconscious state, how despicable!

This morning it rained and I had to get my umbrella wet for the nth time this week. It was only 5 minutes since the rain started falling, when the pavement was already flooded. (the result of heavy rain and poor drainage) Wet socks, yucks!

On the way home, I discovered that one of the trees, along the path I usually walk, has been uprooted and fallen, with debris of branches strewn around......

---

Yay! Today I borrowed my very first (and second) book from the library in 8 years! Projects and assignments are gradually coming along and I have to adopt the 'bookworm' mode. Dreading it.

Okay I think I'm whining too much...

Island

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?

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. =)

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.)