Wow the last instalment was way back in February 2009. Actually I had a lot of ideas at that time, but lazy to pen down, so I eventually forgot over time. Let’s dive into the nostalgia of my school days again. =)
I think everyone has the experience of being punished in school right? Since everyone may make mistakes after all. As we go higher up in education, we will be probably punished less and less often. Or rather, the ‘punishment’ changes form to what we call ‘penalty’. For example, 10 marks will be deducted for late submission.
In this entry, I’ll talk about physical punishments we are subjected to in school. No, not corporal punishment like caning, or army-style push-ups. Just some mild ones which teachers will give in class for minor problems like poor behaviour or forgetfulness. This applies mainly for primary school.
Happy New Year Pull Your Ear
It isn’t that bad if we were to do it ourselves, since we’ll just press our earlobes with two fingers without pulling anyway. But it can be potentially painful if the teacher does it to us. Our ear tissues are so soft and vulnerable, with no bones to support. A small force exerted by the teacher can actually produce great pain. Some teachers pull and twist some more, ouch! I remember my ear was pulled (and twisted) really hard during lower primary, for forgetting to bring my textbook I think, and it was really painful. I thought my ear was going to drop.
I hate it when teachers don’t pull students (to move them from one position to another) by the arms or shoulders, but by the ears. This was usually done when the teacher pulled the student from his/her seat to the front of the classroom.
Put your finger on your lips
Not really considered a punishment, but just a simple harmless way to keep noisy kids quiet. Usually done during assembly (silent reading) or when the teacher is going out of class. Not very effective though, since we can still talk with the finger on our lips.
Variations: Cover your mouth
This kicks in when the finger isn’t enough to seal our lips. More effective since it’s more difficult to speak with a muffled voice.
Stand Up for Singapore
The most common punishment of all. Especially effective in keeping students from dozing off. One may stand at his/her seat, or at the side/back of classroom in order not to block the other alert students behind. At higher level of education, students are given the liberty to volunteer standing up if they cannot keep awake.
Variations: Stand on chair
This is done if the teacher decides to be meaner. However most of the time, the worry is not about the embarrassment, nor falling off the chair, but dirtying your own chair with your soiled shoes.
Variations: Stand on table
The leveled up version of standing on chair. Being at the top of the world isn’t necessarily a good experience.
Autocratic Ruler
If a cane can’t be used, the ruler is the next best choice. In normal cases, a 30 cm plastic ruler is used. More rulers can be stacked to add strength for a harder hit. There were times when the wooder metre rule (usually placed in front of black/whiteboard) was used for heavier punishments. The naughtier the class is, the more broken rulers can be found. Wonder who pays for them…
Don’t think that the ruler is only for primary school kids. In Secondary 4, my teacher was still using the ruler to hit our hands =p.
You’ve been eliminated
Hmm, I don’t remember being chased out of class. Apparently it can be quite embarrassing since you can be clearly seen by other people outside too. If the teacher is kind enough, you may continue to listen to the lesson through the window. Otherwise you might need to finish up the incomplete work on the floor before the period ends. It can be quite lonely if only one person is outside the classroom. But it gets really fun if majority of the class is chased outside too. The more the merrier.
Other petty treatment:
- Throwing worksheets/workbooks on the floor and we have to go and pick it up. (hope the floor is clean enough)
- Telling us to do squats. (treat it as PE)
- Pelting duster/chalk at us. (must aim properly otherwise innocent ones might be harmed)
- Slapping the face (a great deal of courage is needed)
- Hitting the head with a book (beware you might become stupid)
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
Idiot Box (II)
Mediacorp Chinese sitcoms are things of the past. When is the last time it was aired on TV? What is the last sitcom you've watched? Most of us probably would have already forgotten the answers to these questions.
Popularity of Channel 8 sitcoms started with this one. It was a hit when it first came out, along with its apt theme song. It created many memorable characters whose names (nicknames rather) we still remember, like Lobang King, 黄金来, 小妹, etc. Many seasons appeared after that, but unfortunately got worse and worse. It was the longest running sitcom in Ch8.
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A sitcom casting many popular hosts. I think the theme song is funnier than the show itself haha. The parts sung by Mark Lee and Huige should be the most memorable ones...
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Among all the sitcoms I've watched, I would rate this as the funniest. There were quite a few episodes that totally cracked me up and kept me laughing all the way. The jokes were pretty original too. The funniest parts of the show IMO were when they were performing their 广播剧.
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This is a 冷门 sitcom which used to air every Sunday night. The theme of the show itself didn't bring out much of a comedy. Look at the video and see how much Sentosa has changed. Fantasy Island haha.
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The lyrics of this theme song is pretty creative. It becomes so mathematical during the chorus haha. The interaction between the tutors and students was able to generate much jokes.
Watch only the first 90 seconds. Ignore the rest.
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This is another funny one, with a kinda far-fetched theme and exaggerated acting. This sitcom shot Fiona Xie to fame. The lyrics of this theme is pretty nonsensical too, with all the weird numeric codes haha.
Ignore the 2nd sitcom, I didn't watch that one.
---
Another sitcom worth mentioning, but I couldn't find the video anywhere in the net.
Some memorable phrases from the show:
Bo Po Mo Fo...
中国5000年的历史...
Anyone still remember the name of this sitcom? Haha.
Popularity of Channel 8 sitcoms started with this one. It was a hit when it first came out, along with its apt theme song. It created many memorable characters whose names (nicknames rather) we still remember, like Lobang King, 黄金来, 小妹, etc. Many seasons appeared after that, but unfortunately got worse and worse. It was the longest running sitcom in Ch8.
---
A sitcom casting many popular hosts. I think the theme song is funnier than the show itself haha. The parts sung by Mark Lee and Huige should be the most memorable ones...
---
Among all the sitcoms I've watched, I would rate this as the funniest. There were quite a few episodes that totally cracked me up and kept me laughing all the way. The jokes were pretty original too. The funniest parts of the show IMO were when they were performing their 广播剧.
---
This is a 冷门 sitcom which used to air every Sunday night. The theme of the show itself didn't bring out much of a comedy. Look at the video and see how much Sentosa has changed. Fantasy Island haha.
---
The lyrics of this theme song is pretty creative. It becomes so mathematical during the chorus haha. The interaction between the tutors and students was able to generate much jokes.
Watch only the first 90 seconds. Ignore the rest.
---
This is another funny one, with a kinda far-fetched theme and exaggerated acting. This sitcom shot Fiona Xie to fame. The lyrics of this theme is pretty nonsensical too, with all the weird numeric codes haha.
Ignore the 2nd sitcom, I didn't watch that one.
---
Another sitcom worth mentioning, but I couldn't find the video anywhere in the net.
Some memorable phrases from the show:
Bo Po Mo Fo...
中国5000年的历史...
Anyone still remember the name of this sitcom? Haha.
Monday, June 07, 2010
Timeless People
Sometimes I wish I could be like the characters inside a drama serial. Not because their lives are filled with dramatic events and unexplained coincidences, but because they seem to be very free attending with their personal matters rather than work.
Apparently most dramas, especially Singapore ones, are like that. The adults do not seem to have any occupation. They are always so free, be it during the day or at night. Even if they have any jobs (according to the plot), those kind of jobs would allow high flexibility such that you can have afternoon tea with your friends/family for as long as you like, or leave the workplace freely whenever something crops up.
Even their travelling behaviour is like teleportation. An 'urgent' call comes and he replies "I'll be right there" and poof! He really appears there in no time! The movement is so fast that the event or action (eg. an argument, a decision, a crime etc) has not ended yet. (And most probably hasn't reached a climax yet.) It gives a false impression that either Singapore is really so tiny, or Einstein's relativity theory is wrong.
Singapore has an extensive bus and rail network, and I believe about 70% of the population relies on such mode of public transport for movement around the island. This is not apparent in dramas though. The characters almost never take bus or MRT. They either own a car or take taxi, or just walk. Yup, they are either so rich or so poor. Sometimes we don't see them riding a bus or train, neither do we know how they get to one place to another. That's why it looks like teleporting.
That's why I envy these fictional characters. Time doesn't seem to be a problem to them. But I pity them for having to deal with all the crazy situations and dramatic happenings, usually one after another.
Apparently most dramas, especially Singapore ones, are like that. The adults do not seem to have any occupation. They are always so free, be it during the day or at night. Even if they have any jobs (according to the plot), those kind of jobs would allow high flexibility such that you can have afternoon tea with your friends/family for as long as you like, or leave the workplace freely whenever something crops up.
Even their travelling behaviour is like teleportation. An 'urgent' call comes and he replies "I'll be right there" and poof! He really appears there in no time! The movement is so fast that the event or action (eg. an argument, a decision, a crime etc) has not ended yet. (And most probably hasn't reached a climax yet.) It gives a false impression that either Singapore is really so tiny, or Einstein's relativity theory is wrong.
Singapore has an extensive bus and rail network, and I believe about 70% of the population relies on such mode of public transport for movement around the island. This is not apparent in dramas though. The characters almost never take bus or MRT. They either own a car or take taxi, or just walk. Yup, they are either so rich or so poor. Sometimes we don't see them riding a bus or train, neither do we know how they get to one place to another. That's why it looks like teleporting.
That's why I envy these fictional characters. Time doesn't seem to be a problem to them. But I pity them for having to deal with all the crazy situations and dramatic happenings, usually one after another.
Monday, May 31, 2010
The First Weekend
The long weekend was indeed a fulfilling one. (not really that 'long' for me since I had to report to work in the middle) Experienced many stuff for the first time, and it was an eye-opener.
Firstly, I went for my first official trip to Pulau Ubin. Though I went there for OBS during my secondary school days, that wasn't the gist of the place. Took the traditional boat across and landed on the undeveloped island. Walking through the crowded narrow street seemed to bring me back to the past when everything was pure and simple. People, bicycles and vehicles share the same pathway, and everyone has to give way when a van passes through. What a village-ish experience.
Being an ultra-novice in cycling, I attempted to conquer the rocky and undulating terrain of Ubin. Kept my speed low enough to stay safe should I fall or hit a stone etc. The old, worn-out bicycle with ineffective brakes proved to be a little obstacle to the overall control, but didn't pose any major problems. To think we were charged 9 bucks for that.
Can finally understand how tough it is to cycle up a rocky slope, and how thrilling it is zooming down a steep slope. After traveling through many ups and downs, we reached Chek Jawa. It was high tide so the corals were all submerged in the opaque waters. Thanks to the oil spill, blackish liquid could be seen on the water surface near the shore. And the supposedly refreshing sea breeze became an oil breeze. (felt like being in a petrol kiosk)
It was also my first visit to Changi Village. Wondered why there were so many people in such an inconvenient location.
I also realised that prior to this weekend, I've never been to Tanjong Pagar MRT station before. The station has been opened for many years yet it was the first time I actually see how the station looks like. I always pass through the stop but never alighted at all. As expected, it was quite deserted for a Sunday.
Last but not least, this weekend saw my first visit to Marina Barrage. The wide patch of grass field is really suitable for picnic and kite-flying. The wind is strong enough and the city landscape scenery is beautiful too. Hope to visit there again. =) And probably to explore the exhibits available.
It has been a long long time since I flew a kite. So long ago that I can't even remember how the experience was like, where and what kind of kite I flew. But anyway kite flying isn't as difficult as I thought. Perhaps because the wind was cooperative. The myriad of different kites in the sky was a pretty sight. Saw some kite designs which I really liked, such as the jellyfish and carp. Wonder how some kites are unable to stay up so high in the sky for so long. If only our string was longer...
Let's not mention how our kite-flying activity ended up eventually, as well as what happened to those cheap kites we flew...
Firstly, I went for my first official trip to Pulau Ubin. Though I went there for OBS during my secondary school days, that wasn't the gist of the place. Took the traditional boat across and landed on the undeveloped island. Walking through the crowded narrow street seemed to bring me back to the past when everything was pure and simple. People, bicycles and vehicles share the same pathway, and everyone has to give way when a van passes through. What a village-ish experience.
Being an ultra-novice in cycling, I attempted to conquer the rocky and undulating terrain of Ubin. Kept my speed low enough to stay safe should I fall or hit a stone etc. The old, worn-out bicycle with ineffective brakes proved to be a little obstacle to the overall control, but didn't pose any major problems. To think we were charged 9 bucks for that.
Can finally understand how tough it is to cycle up a rocky slope, and how thrilling it is zooming down a steep slope. After traveling through many ups and downs, we reached Chek Jawa. It was high tide so the corals were all submerged in the opaque waters. Thanks to the oil spill, blackish liquid could be seen on the water surface near the shore. And the supposedly refreshing sea breeze became an oil breeze. (felt like being in a petrol kiosk)
It was also my first visit to Changi Village. Wondered why there were so many people in such an inconvenient location.
I also realised that prior to this weekend, I've never been to Tanjong Pagar MRT station before. The station has been opened for many years yet it was the first time I actually see how the station looks like. I always pass through the stop but never alighted at all. As expected, it was quite deserted for a Sunday.
Last but not least, this weekend saw my first visit to Marina Barrage. The wide patch of grass field is really suitable for picnic and kite-flying. The wind is strong enough and the city landscape scenery is beautiful too. Hope to visit there again. =) And probably to explore the exhibits available.
It has been a long long time since I flew a kite. So long ago that I can't even remember how the experience was like, where and what kind of kite I flew. But anyway kite flying isn't as difficult as I thought. Perhaps because the wind was cooperative. The myriad of different kites in the sky was a pretty sight. Saw some kite designs which I really liked, such as the jellyfish and carp. Wonder how some kites are unable to stay up so high in the sky for so long. If only our string was longer...
Let's not mention how our kite-flying activity ended up eventually, as well as what happened to those cheap kites we flew...
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Idiot Box
It's nostalgia time again! This time it's back to TV. Much of my childhood memories are formed from TV programmes and images. Although now I've shifted my focus to a different platform, choosing to spend more time in front of a computer than a TV, my habit of watching drama serials and variety shows still hasn't change through the years.
I think most of you still remember this charity show called 群星照亮千万心. Although this show disappeared with the NKF saga, as well as the multitude of complaints regarding artistes performing dangerous stunts, I admit that I used to enjoy watching such stunts, especially during the finale when all the artistes gathered to perform a record-breaking act, like squeezing the most number of people on a table or a pendulum. There were many many more miscellaneous stunts like walking on light bulbs, holding breath in water, etc. Dangerous but interesting to watch haha. Not to forget those (un)realistic donation call targets.
Here is 群星照亮千万心 when it first started off. When it was still 'pure' haha.
Wah those were the times when we could see so many big shots, heavenly kings, queens and musketeers, on the same stage in Singapore. I doubt such scene will ever reenact in the future. It would be too expensive to invite them over now.
On the other hand, there seemed to be so few local artistes. Looks like Fann Wong and Terence Cao were the Ah-jie and Ah-ge then. Fann still maintains her status, but look at Terence now...haha.
Hosted by 陈澍承 and 汪明荃. Didn't know 汪明荃 has hosted SG shows before. I can only remember the 曹启泰 and 崔丽心 duo, which bring me to this show, or rather, song:
If you have some impression of this song, you would probably remember this slogan as well: 江山万里情，中国人真行！ (put this in today's context haha) One characteristic set-up of this show would be the big map of China as the backdrop. 搞笑行动 did a parody of this show:
Actually I didn't really watch this variety show 江山万里情. I was too young to understand their topics anyway. If I remember correctly, it was aired at 10pm, right after the 9pm drama. That was when my mum will switch off the TV and chase me to bed.
10pm? Isn't that the news slot? Nope. In the early 1990s the nighttime news was not aired at 10pm, but 8pm. (right after 7pm drama) I can't find any clips of the news broadcast during that era. Only found this very old video:
Raymond Weil! The longest ever news sponsor. Thanks to the news this was one of the first watch brands I knew. I used to wonder why must the timing of news broadcasts be so accurate.
(For your info, the news was about the fall of Soviet Union & Communism in 1989)
During that era, Mediacorp used to be called SBC. Do you still remember this logo? Channel 8 was shared by Chinese and Tamil shows while Channel 5 was shared by English and Malay.
Then it changed to TCS. Ahh the peak of Singapore dramas.
This slogan '第8播道 最亲切' and the accompanying music brings back lots of childhood memories.
Sissy scenes may be common in SG TV but not gay scenes. This was one of the first (as claimed by the title haha):
Haha...look at Chen Hanwei then...so geeky.
Ok one last video of this entry. Not sissy, not gay, but just simple cross-dressing. How good if army life is really that comedic...
It's no wonder why my myopia is so serious lol.
I think most of you still remember this charity show called 群星照亮千万心. Although this show disappeared with the NKF saga, as well as the multitude of complaints regarding artistes performing dangerous stunts, I admit that I used to enjoy watching such stunts, especially during the finale when all the artistes gathered to perform a record-breaking act, like squeezing the most number of people on a table or a pendulum. There were many many more miscellaneous stunts like walking on light bulbs, holding breath in water, etc. Dangerous but interesting to watch haha. Not to forget those (un)realistic donation call targets.
Here is 群星照亮千万心 when it first started off. When it was still 'pure' haha.
Wah those were the times when we could see so many big shots, heavenly kings, queens and musketeers, on the same stage in Singapore. I doubt such scene will ever reenact in the future. It would be too expensive to invite them over now.
On the other hand, there seemed to be so few local artistes. Looks like Fann Wong and Terence Cao were the Ah-jie and Ah-ge then. Fann still maintains her status, but look at Terence now...haha.
Hosted by 陈澍承 and 汪明荃. Didn't know 汪明荃 has hosted SG shows before. I can only remember the 曹启泰 and 崔丽心 duo, which bring me to this show, or rather, song:
If you have some impression of this song, you would probably remember this slogan as well: 江山万里情，中国人真行！ (put this in today's context haha) One characteristic set-up of this show would be the big map of China as the backdrop. 搞笑行动 did a parody of this show:
Actually I didn't really watch this variety show 江山万里情. I was too young to understand their topics anyway. If I remember correctly, it was aired at 10pm, right after the 9pm drama. That was when my mum will switch off the TV and chase me to bed.
10pm? Isn't that the news slot? Nope. In the early 1990s the nighttime news was not aired at 10pm, but 8pm. (right after 7pm drama) I can't find any clips of the news broadcast during that era. Only found this very old video:
Raymond Weil! The longest ever news sponsor. Thanks to the news this was one of the first watch brands I knew. I used to wonder why must the timing of news broadcasts be so accurate.
(For your info, the news was about the fall of Soviet Union & Communism in 1989)
During that era, Mediacorp used to be called SBC. Do you still remember this logo? Channel 8 was shared by Chinese and Tamil shows while Channel 5 was shared by English and Malay.
Then it changed to TCS. Ahh the peak of Singapore dramas.
This slogan '第8播道 最亲切' and the accompanying music brings back lots of childhood memories.
Sissy scenes may be common in SG TV but not gay scenes. This was one of the first (as claimed by the title haha):
Haha...look at Chen Hanwei then...so geeky.
Ok one last video of this entry. Not sissy, not gay, but just simple cross-dressing. How good if army life is really that comedic...
It's no wonder why my myopia is so serious lol.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Brusifee
When you're busy, you'll yearn for free time. And when you feel that there is too much time to spend, you'll hope for a job to earn some keep as well as to learn some stuff at the same time. Somehow I feel myself alternating between these two states for the past 2 years. Even if there is any 'in-between', it won't last for long.
It has been a week since work started and it's pretty smooth so far. I believe the real challenge will come next week, when I'll have to exercise my communication and reporting skills. Of course I should expect some unpleasant things to come along as well...
Have to thank my fellow intern for providing such great assistance and being a buffer from the arrows.
Time goes slow at work and passes extremely fast at home. Now I can understand how working adults feel, the significance of 'work-life balance', and the meaning of 'no time to do this and that'.
Most importantly I can better appreciate being a student, though the enormous workload and the merciless examinations are equally dreadful as well.
Since most work can be done during office hours, there is no homework and such to worry about. That means I can totally relax at home. (and dread waking up the next morning) Reminds me of NS haha.
With the 5.5-day week, there is no such thing as TGIF. In the blink of eye, I'll find myself back in the office again the moment I thought I've just left to enjoy the weekend. Have to manage my weekends more carefully from now on.
Looking at others, the craving to fly is coming again.
It has been a week since work started and it's pretty smooth so far. I believe the real challenge will come next week, when I'll have to exercise my communication and reporting skills. Of course I should expect some unpleasant things to come along as well...
Have to thank my fellow intern for providing such great assistance and being a buffer from the arrows.
Time goes slow at work and passes extremely fast at home. Now I can understand how working adults feel, the significance of 'work-life balance', and the meaning of 'no time to do this and that'.
Most importantly I can better appreciate being a student, though the enormous workload and the merciless examinations are equally dreadful as well.
Since most work can be done during office hours, there is no homework and such to worry about. That means I can totally relax at home. (and dread waking up the next morning) Reminds me of NS haha.
With the 5.5-day week, there is no such thing as TGIF. In the blink of eye, I'll find myself back in the office again the moment I thought I've just left to enjoy the weekend. Have to manage my weekends more carefully from now on.
Looking at others, the craving to fly is coming again.
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Semester 4 Overview
This semester was really a busy one, though it was only 1 MC overloaded. Even the 24 MC semester last year didn't feel that suffocating. With the mid term break shifted 1 week earlier, the second half of the semester became a horror as we had to endure 8 consecutive weeks of lessons. Moreover there was no E-learning week. =(
In any case, glad that it's all over. Will be taking a 6 MC module next. Let's see how I would be able to cope with that. Here are the module ratings:
Difficulty - Self explanatory.
Workload - Amount of lesson hours per week, assignments, tutorials, projects, self-study required, etc
Lecture - Enjoyability and understanding
Tutorial/Lab - Enjoyability and understanding
*Note that the ratings are set at an arbitrary scale and the maximum is not necessarily 5 stars.
CN2116 – Chemical Kinetics & Reactor Design
Difficulty: ★★★★★
Workload: ★★★★
Lecture: ★★★
Tutorial: ★★★
The title of the module sounds daunting at first. After all we’ve only been exposed to theoretical stuff so far and not practical aspects like reactor design. The topics started off simple but became increasingly difficult as it went. Not only were the calculations pretty complex (with numerous integrals and gigantic functions), it required lots of thinking skill, reasoning and analysis. As most of the time no analytical solution can be derived, the answer may not be very clear cut.
Because of this, despite the mid-term test and final exam being fully MCQ, it was still very tough. The final exam was the toughest MCQ paper I’ve ever done. An average of 6 minutes was given for each question, but some may require up to 10 minutes for its complexity. Of course there is always a choice to give up and just tikam an option…
It would be better if the lectures had webcast. But it was worth attending the lectures too since lecturers were pretty competent in explaining the concepts. As some concepts were hard to grasp, listening to the lecture only once may not suffice. The tutorial didn’t help much too, since it could only cover a limited scope. Oh ya, the weekly homework assignments posed a constant nightmare every weekend.
CN2125 – Heat & Mass Transfer
Difficulty: ★★★★
Workload: ★★★
Lecture: ★★
Tutorial: ★★★
I prefer to do the tutorials for this module as the questions are more understandable and pretty straightforward. They can be related to real-life situations as well, such as cooking. Thanks to the numerous correlations, approximate solutions can be easily derived. I find it easier to revise and study for this module too.
Nothing much to comment about the lectures and tutorials. Thanks to the uploaded tutorial solutions, answers can be counterchecked before attending the tutorial session. Sometimes there won’t be a need to attend at all, if you understand everything. For me, I’ll still attend anyway haha. (partly due to timetable considerations)
In the previous semesters, the final papers usually ended on a good note. But not this time. I felt the questions weren’t difficult but I couldn’t finish it in time, leaving behind half-hearted answers. Sometimes this may be more frustrating than not knowing how to do the questions at all. It was tedious looking up data from tables repeatedly for every question, and the data booklet provided wasn’t of much use as I wasn’t sure of how to read off the values. Wished I could have more time, but anyway I pray for the best.
CN3124 – Particle Technology
Difficulty: ★★★
Workload: ★★
Lecture: ★
Tutorial: ★
This doesn’t feel like a level 3000 module. The workload isn’t that heavy and the topic isn’t as difficult compared to the previous two modules. Lectures often ended early and yet could finish a few weeks before the term ended. The scope of syllabus was really that small. Even the questions for the final exam were similar every year. The questions only involved pure calculations – use the equation, substitute values and ta-da you’ll get the answer. How I wish every module is like this.
However many of us had problems understanding the lecturer. If not for the simplicity of the topics, most would have flunked. Because of this, and the availability of webcast, many chose not to attend the lectures at all. Furthermore the bad lecture timing and the frequent early dismissal provided additional reasons not to attend the lecture haha. Ok I admit I skipped lectures too. =p
Have you ever heard of a project group with 7 people? Yea, I’m part of it for this module. Apparently it was to keep the number of groups small to reduce the hassle of grading. Not easy to arrange discussion meetings and split jobs among so many people. Luckily I’m not the group leader haha. There might be a problem of sleeping members too… as well as people who think that they don’t have to do so much work because others can do it.
CN2108 – Chemical Engineering Process Laboratory I
Difficulty: ★★
Workload: ★★★★★
Lab: ★★
I feel that I don’t have much control over the results of this module. 70% is based on group work and 30% based on short oral assessment (basically answering a few questions verbally on the spot). How well I can do for this really depends on my group members. But on many occasions I felt that they weren’t putting in enough effort. Had to edit the whole lab report for conceptual mistakes as well as language and expression errors. Due to my busy workload, sometimes I tried to close one eye and leave it to my members. Didn’t have the luxury of time to refine the reports. But I could feel the helplessness when I had to submit reports, which I wouldn’t have done it that way if it is individual work.
The lab sessions took up a whopping 5 hours every fortnight. Some were enjoyable, some were tedious, and some felt like a waste of time. The lab work itself was not that onerous, it was the lab report after that which brought horror. What a workload for a 2 MC module! Hopefully things will be better in the sequel for this module.
EG2401 – Engineering Professionalism
Difficulty: ★
Workload: ★★
Lecture: ★★★
Tutorial: ★★★
This module doesn’t teach us to become ethical. It’s not moral education after all. Instead, ethical issues and theories are introduced so that we can make wise judgments for ourselves when such situation arises. At this age, our moral and ethical values are more or less rooted in our minds. Nothing much can be done to change it other than considering the consequences which will result from our actions.
The lectures were informative and the tutorials were interesting as students were given a platform to discuss the topics actively. Besides Japanese, this is one module where I spoke up quite a bit during the tutorial. Because it was all discussion based, not much preparation was needed. Everyone was free to voice out their own ideas.
Didn’t know how to study this module, besides familiarizing with case studies and ethical theories. Wrote what I could in the exam, though I felt my answers were rather superficial. With so little time allocated for so many questions, it appeared that the touch-and-go approach was the best.
LAJ3202 – Japanese 6
Difficulty: ★★★★
Workload: ★★★★★★
Lecture: ★★★★
Tutorial: ★★★★★
Just what I would expect from the highest level, the workload was unprecedented, much more than Japanese 5. Three quizzes and two pieces of homework to be submitted every week. Lots of writing exercises along with speech and presentation. Everyone around me seemed to be very competent in the language, giving me a bit of stress. Unlike J5 where we visited the radio station and interacted with Japanese students, there wasn’t much fun activities in J6 other than the company visit. (which wasn’t that interesting) But in-class activities were more varied, such as screening of movies during lectures and debate during tutorials.
The most challenging aspect of this module was the shift from language study to literature appreciation. We were given lots of literature text to read and analyse, and I found it difficult to answer the questions. Yea, I’ve lost creativity. With so many of such questions in the final test, I struggled to give a reasonable argument. It’s no longer the problem of language skills.
Will this mark the end of my Japanese language study in NUS? Hopefully not, as there might be one more higher level module, about newspaper reading, offered next year. Sounds a bit dry but that’s the only way to stay in contact with Japanese in NUS. Praying that there will no schedule clash…
No high hopes for this semester. I'm ready to get disappointed at the end of this month. Just hope that my overall CAP won't plunge that much.
In any case, glad that it's all over. Will be taking a 6 MC module next. Let's see how I would be able to cope with that. Here are the module ratings:
Difficulty - Self explanatory.
Workload - Amount of lesson hours per week, assignments, tutorials, projects, self-study required, etc
Lecture - Enjoyability and understanding
Tutorial/Lab - Enjoyability and understanding
*Note that the ratings are set at an arbitrary scale and the maximum is not necessarily 5 stars.
CN2116 – Chemical Kinetics & Reactor Design
Difficulty: ★★★★★
Workload: ★★★★
Lecture: ★★★
Tutorial: ★★★
The title of the module sounds daunting at first. After all we’ve only been exposed to theoretical stuff so far and not practical aspects like reactor design. The topics started off simple but became increasingly difficult as it went. Not only were the calculations pretty complex (with numerous integrals and gigantic functions), it required lots of thinking skill, reasoning and analysis. As most of the time no analytical solution can be derived, the answer may not be very clear cut.
Because of this, despite the mid-term test and final exam being fully MCQ, it was still very tough. The final exam was the toughest MCQ paper I’ve ever done. An average of 6 minutes was given for each question, but some may require up to 10 minutes for its complexity. Of course there is always a choice to give up and just tikam an option…
It would be better if the lectures had webcast. But it was worth attending the lectures too since lecturers were pretty competent in explaining the concepts. As some concepts were hard to grasp, listening to the lecture only once may not suffice. The tutorial didn’t help much too, since it could only cover a limited scope. Oh ya, the weekly homework assignments posed a constant nightmare every weekend.
CN2125 – Heat & Mass Transfer
Difficulty: ★★★★
Workload: ★★★
Lecture: ★★
Tutorial: ★★★
I prefer to do the tutorials for this module as the questions are more understandable and pretty straightforward. They can be related to real-life situations as well, such as cooking. Thanks to the numerous correlations, approximate solutions can be easily derived. I find it easier to revise and study for this module too.
Nothing much to comment about the lectures and tutorials. Thanks to the uploaded tutorial solutions, answers can be counterchecked before attending the tutorial session. Sometimes there won’t be a need to attend at all, if you understand everything. For me, I’ll still attend anyway haha. (partly due to timetable considerations)
In the previous semesters, the final papers usually ended on a good note. But not this time. I felt the questions weren’t difficult but I couldn’t finish it in time, leaving behind half-hearted answers. Sometimes this may be more frustrating than not knowing how to do the questions at all. It was tedious looking up data from tables repeatedly for every question, and the data booklet provided wasn’t of much use as I wasn’t sure of how to read off the values. Wished I could have more time, but anyway I pray for the best.
CN3124 – Particle Technology
Difficulty: ★★★
Workload: ★★
Lecture: ★
Tutorial: ★
This doesn’t feel like a level 3000 module. The workload isn’t that heavy and the topic isn’t as difficult compared to the previous two modules. Lectures often ended early and yet could finish a few weeks before the term ended. The scope of syllabus was really that small. Even the questions for the final exam were similar every year. The questions only involved pure calculations – use the equation, substitute values and ta-da you’ll get the answer. How I wish every module is like this.
However many of us had problems understanding the lecturer. If not for the simplicity of the topics, most would have flunked. Because of this, and the availability of webcast, many chose not to attend the lectures at all. Furthermore the bad lecture timing and the frequent early dismissal provided additional reasons not to attend the lecture haha. Ok I admit I skipped lectures too. =p
Have you ever heard of a project group with 7 people? Yea, I’m part of it for this module. Apparently it was to keep the number of groups small to reduce the hassle of grading. Not easy to arrange discussion meetings and split jobs among so many people. Luckily I’m not the group leader haha. There might be a problem of sleeping members too… as well as people who think that they don’t have to do so much work because others can do it.
CN2108 – Chemical Engineering Process Laboratory I
Difficulty: ★★
Workload: ★★★★★
Lab: ★★
I feel that I don’t have much control over the results of this module. 70% is based on group work and 30% based on short oral assessment (basically answering a few questions verbally on the spot). How well I can do for this really depends on my group members. But on many occasions I felt that they weren’t putting in enough effort. Had to edit the whole lab report for conceptual mistakes as well as language and expression errors. Due to my busy workload, sometimes I tried to close one eye and leave it to my members. Didn’t have the luxury of time to refine the reports. But I could feel the helplessness when I had to submit reports, which I wouldn’t have done it that way if it is individual work.
The lab sessions took up a whopping 5 hours every fortnight. Some were enjoyable, some were tedious, and some felt like a waste of time. The lab work itself was not that onerous, it was the lab report after that which brought horror. What a workload for a 2 MC module! Hopefully things will be better in the sequel for this module.
EG2401 – Engineering Professionalism
Difficulty: ★
Workload: ★★
Lecture: ★★★
Tutorial: ★★★
This module doesn’t teach us to become ethical. It’s not moral education after all. Instead, ethical issues and theories are introduced so that we can make wise judgments for ourselves when such situation arises. At this age, our moral and ethical values are more or less rooted in our minds. Nothing much can be done to change it other than considering the consequences which will result from our actions.
The lectures were informative and the tutorials were interesting as students were given a platform to discuss the topics actively. Besides Japanese, this is one module where I spoke up quite a bit during the tutorial. Because it was all discussion based, not much preparation was needed. Everyone was free to voice out their own ideas.
Didn’t know how to study this module, besides familiarizing with case studies and ethical theories. Wrote what I could in the exam, though I felt my answers were rather superficial. With so little time allocated for so many questions, it appeared that the touch-and-go approach was the best.
LAJ3202 – Japanese 6
Difficulty: ★★★★
Workload: ★★★★★★
Lecture: ★★★★
Tutorial: ★★★★★
Just what I would expect from the highest level, the workload was unprecedented, much more than Japanese 5. Three quizzes and two pieces of homework to be submitted every week. Lots of writing exercises along with speech and presentation. Everyone around me seemed to be very competent in the language, giving me a bit of stress. Unlike J5 where we visited the radio station and interacted with Japanese students, there wasn’t much fun activities in J6 other than the company visit. (which wasn’t that interesting) But in-class activities were more varied, such as screening of movies during lectures and debate during tutorials.
The most challenging aspect of this module was the shift from language study to literature appreciation. We were given lots of literature text to read and analyse, and I found it difficult to answer the questions. Yea, I’ve lost creativity. With so many of such questions in the final test, I struggled to give a reasonable argument. It’s no longer the problem of language skills.
Will this mark the end of my Japanese language study in NUS? Hopefully not, as there might be one more higher level module, about newspaper reading, offered next year. Sounds a bit dry but that’s the only way to stay in contact with Japanese in NUS. Praying that there will no schedule clash…
No high hopes for this semester. I'm ready to get disappointed at the end of this month. Just hope that my overall CAP won't plunge that much.
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