exams

1st paper (ME2143) today...well it wasn't unreasonably difficult, but
my gripe was NO TIME NO TIME NO TIME and very tricky!! aarrrggghh

but anyway it's over and done with. now full swing on ME2113. i'm
gunning at no less than an a- for this.

Oh... i coined my new quote today...

'Going to exams is like going to the guillotine. Only difference is i
don't know if i'm the executioner or executee'

Yeah. gramatically wrong i guess. the correct term should be
'victim'. but anyway, i like the way it sounds, so it shall stick. haha.

By the way, in case any of you there wonder what a guillotine is,
this <a href="http://www.metaphor.dk/guillotine/">webpage</a> is a
good primer.. Besides its morbid purpose (which has no place in
modern society), it's a pretty interesting piece of engineering if
you ask me...

Till now, I also dunno if i was the executioner or executee for
ME2143...

SEP

alrighty some of you peeps would have known by now that i was
rejected from SEP previously, my CAP score probably doesnt cut it
that's why. but whatever crap, anyway, i reapplied when it opened and
to my chagrin, University of Auckland was still available! Monash was
available too, maybe I can go pay Sam a visit, hahaha.See how it goes
again...

BTW, i am pretty sure my CAP will increase this sem but by how much?
I cannot even afford to have it stay where it is, much less drop. But
i know it will increase. Hence my blog title. Amen.

Can't decide whether to go to Wesley MC or Grace AOG tomorrow.

Ok, one sem's worth of procrastination on sensors and actuators is
really getting to me now. Got to get cracking. out

4 days before the exams and some thoughts to chew on...

I'm here to talk about life. Life in general.

At 22, and an undergraduate, I know full well the fact of life that at the end of the day, every year our universites do nothing more than churn out degree holders. As lamented in my previous post, they are labelled according to 'pedigree' like 1st class, 2-1, 2-2, 3rd class or Pass (in decreasing order of quality, sadly!) And with it, the recent writer to the forum that employers prefer PRs to Singaporeans as Singapore males have ICT (oh how i thank my lucky stars that i'm a clerk, thus spared ICT (probably) and IPPT) and i guess probably Singapore females have their maternity leave (read of many companies terminating female employees before they go on maternity leave, etc etc...)

And who are the leaders of tomorrow? These ppl are the top-notch scholars. They get packed off to overseas universities, and when they come back, they have their ROA (route of advancement) all planned out for them. A returned SAFOS scholar begins his career at the rank of CPT. What does he know about the way things are on the ground? Some years ago, a former Police Commissioner began his career as a Police Constable - a situation which will never be repeated nowadays. Now, as a retired senior police officer told me 'a father mother scholar (FMS) can never become the Commissioner of Police' sad but true!

The national policy is 'meritocracy' but the irony in this is that it is ultimately a question of: who has more money?

The rich can afford to send their kids to the brand name schools which hire quality teachers and thus charge exorbitant rates. They can also afford to hire top-notch tuition teachers to drill their kids in every subject available. Not surprising that these kids, having been tutored all their life, have the edge academically over those whose families can only afford to send them to normal schools, cannot afford tuition etc etc.

Of course, there are some scholars from humble backgrounds too. But the majority it seems, are those with rich parents. Education is said to be the great leveller, but tuition again tips the scales in favour of those who can afford it, and want it.

What about university? Rich parents again can afford to send their kids to prestigious overseas universities (that's if their kid has not already won President's/SAFOS/SPFOS/whatever OS!) Not-so-rich parents have to contend with NUS/NTU/SMU. It's no secret that the mindset of Singaporeans is that an overseas degree is valued more than a local one. Even if it was from some unknown university but in US or UK, i guess it would be perceived as 'overseas degree ... so better than local degree'

No wonder a certain lawyer friend told me impassioned 'don't do your masters in NUS!'

Hell, i should have went to Aust when i had the chance (but then again $$$ was the issue)

And in those overseas universities, what do they know about what is really going on in singapore?

Vicious cycle indeed.

Yet another reason to go to Australia. I've openly admitted that I am one of those whom SM Goh labelled as quitters. But why do I want to stay when it seems we are second class citizens in our own country (the first class being the elite scholars?)

And to think a certain friend of mine told me 'there are no farmers in singapore'. Ha, well, indeed there are... and NUS is nothing more than a 'farmer training school'... cos the 'scholars' are all overseas...

To my juniors reading this, you have your whole life ahead of you. Study hard, suffer now, enjoy later, get that string of As and Distinctions, and get that PSC scholarship... don't be like me - I missed my chance.

To my poly juniors, still got chance also. If i'm not wrong some Poly grad got SAFOS or SAF merit scholarship this yr too.

To those in uni with me on Father Mother Scholarship, well, we missed our chance.

the time of the year again!

It's the time of the year again when undergraduates get really stressed out by this thing known as FINAL EXAMS! yes, the season is here again.... the season of mugging and getting stressed out about the final exams and the impact on this thing called a CAP. It's a form of headdress to some, but in NUS, it's the determinant factor of your worth in the university, as I found out to my chagrin during the recent selection exercise for SEP (Student Exchange Programme) where CAP was the only criterion in the selection exercise. And i thought there would be an interview or something...

I have lamented in a previous post that your worth is all too narrowly defined by this number that rests between 0 and 5. If it's below 2, it will invite the heartfelt commiseration of your friends, concern from others, friendly rebukes of "hey! go study! don't keep playing (insert latest computer game here)." Most of the time the heart ache is when it's between 3.00 to 3.99. possession of a CAP score within this range at the time of graduation would mean a Pass, a 3rd Class or a 2nd Lower. A student with a CAP score of 2 to 3.00 would probably have the same experiences as above. And many seem content with attaining the highest award available within this, the 2nd Lower. But a student with a CAP 3.9-something is not far from the next 'level' which is...

Breach the 4.00 mark, and you have entered into the sacred realm known as the 2nd Upper. You are an elevated form of being, considered more employable than those who only managed to make 2nd lower, and in a certain sense, to have made it.

Surpass 4.50, and you are in the godlike realm of the 1st Class. You have achieved what so many people have said to be impossible. Yet you have defied the odds and done it...

Only the best of the best have a CAP score approaching that of 5.00... yes you said it. Beyond Godlike.

My lament is that at the end of it all, despite how most ppl try to say 'hey studies are not everything, employers dun really look at CAP etc etc' the cold hard truth is that it seems to matter a lot...

A good honours opens the doors to greater opportunities, including graduate studies (which I am hoping to do in future) and an easier time at the job hunt...

This goes out to everyone battling the CAP system, be it resisting a downward fall or valiantly pushing up or maintaining the number between 0 and 5. ALL THE BEST FOR THE EXAMINATIONS, and hope all of you out there can raise your CAP score this sem.

disclaimer: The author of this article is a holder of a CAP 3.25, who of course hopes it will increase in the coming examinations.

Also, I need to maintain SAP 4.3 from now on to pull my CAP up to 4.0 by my final semester. Hence my choice of blog title.

Something to chew on...

I remember a story my primary school teacher once shared with us... The gist of the story is this.

There was once this taxi-driver who had a mentally-retarded son who needed to be helped with the most simple of tasks such as eating. Anyway, the father worked tirelessly to bring in the bread for his family while his wife looked after the son.

He passed away at only 50. He was remembered as one of the most hardworking taxi drivers and his photo was displayed in the main office (I can't remember if there was any reference to people praying to it...)

However, the son lived till 90, and in the final days of his life, still needed to be helped (this time by his nephews/nieces) in the most simple of tasks.

Guess it's not the number of years a person lives that matters - it's what he does with it... Something to chew on.

In memory of my late brother in Christ who did more in 20 years what others did in 70.

Concert 06/07 Swingers

Ok, having just returned from concert (actually about an hr ago lah,
the rest of the time was spent checking other stuff and buying
supper...)

And, one thing to say, IT WAS GREAT! Concert ppl reading this (don't
know if there are any... if there are please sound out on my tagboard
hehe).. give yourselves a well deserved pat on the back, you deserve
it 101% as much as I enjoyed myself thoroughly watching it. Wow.

I guess the thing which endeared me to the plot of this Concert for
one thing, besides the love story, is the fact that it is about two
students facing life's challenges akin to what most of us are going
through i'm sure. Competition with our fellow students (no thanks to
the bell curve and CAP system) is one thing...

And another thing which really cracked me up was that this year, they
incorporated the 'parents' of the main characters making their
entrance by the side aisles and one of them even interacted with a
few members of the audience including an 'electrician' and a certain
'plumber', heh heh. Hope he does not take offense or else the actor
is really going to get it, ha ha (joking)

The other thing was that... there was a play within a play which i
must admit is quite an interesting concept...

If i were asked to, from a third party point of view to sum up what i
felt the main theme of this concert was, it's love. In the play, the
two main characters were together in the end, but in the play within
a play, they were not. I was kind of captivated by this theme
especially since it kind of mirrors what i am going through now. :|
But nevertheless, this concert has a happy ending... and I am sure
that one day, at an undetermined time in the future, the love story
of my life will have a happy ending as well, with The Special Someone
who is out there but as yet unidentified..... as for now... I can
only wait and see, and not force open the veil which God has not
opened for me yet.

Will be waking up early tomorrow for an early church service, so i
shall retire to my bed. once again, all Concert members reading this
give yourself another pat on the back. Good Job, Well Done!!!

Exams are drawing near once again

Yes, it's the time of the year again... it's week 10 (going on 11), only 3 WEEKS MORE to reading week...

Random musings

For once, i am finally updating something other than the lame 

Tagboard is down!!! :( It keeps requesting for some funny userid and password when I load the page... anyway for the life of me, i can't remember what's my password, which i guess means the old tagboard is history. I've got a new tagboard from flooble. Hope it doesnt 

My hair has grown.. very soon i will be able to comb it again.. but i'm not really in a hurry to do that

Concert rehearsals are going on as i type this.... looks like a lot of ppl are getting really high strung over it. Anyway i will definitely be going down to show my support. All those ppl are my friends after all, even though we have no time to talk because of concert. Oh well... and that brings me to think of a certain friend of mine whom we have not spoke for a very long time cos she is busy with work. Not too busy to maintain the friendship i hope... 

I've made up my mind to apply for SEP. probably to australia, which i am not confident of getting due to my pathetic CAP score. got to study hard this sem to boost my CAP to at least 3.5, and boost my chances of getting the SEP destination i want.\

$$ though is a real pain in the @$$... on average, everything will cost about $10k for one sem, even by the most modest estimates. And i've already maxed myself out in terms of loans to cover my basic university education in sg

If all else fails, there's always the SU (Singapore Universities) SEP. Which means I go to NTU to experience the life there. Somehow, if i could map those difficult modules like Heat Transfer, etc (and they'll be on S/U).... but the other side of the coin is that it will be harder for me to push up my CAP then.

It's the end of week 9. There's only 4 more weeks left to the dreaded reading week, and then the exams.

It's time to stop playing around, stop slacking and start studying.

-----

Someone out there knows this is directed to her. I know that you have found the one . And I know I am not good enough, but what matters is your happiness – not mine. I will be as happy if you are similarly blessed by the one whom you truly love. God bless you.

Something meaningful.

Something meaningful.......

> > THE CAB RIDE
> > By Author Unknown
> >
> > Twenty years ago, I drove a cab for a living. When I arrived at 2:30
> > a.m., the building was dark except for a single light in a ground
> > floor window. Under these circumstances, many drivers would just honk
>=
> >once or twice, wait a minute, and then drive away. But, I had seen too =
> >many impoverished people who depended on taxis as their only means of =
> >transportation. Unless a situation smelled of danger, I always went to =
> >the door. This passenger might be someone who needs my assistance, I =
> >reasoned to myself.
> >
> > So I walked to the door and knocked. "Just a minute", answered a
> > frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the
> > floor. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 80's
> > stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with
> > a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie. By her side
> > was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had
> > lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.
> > There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the
> > counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and
> > glassware.
> >
> > "Would you carry my bag out to the car?" she said. I took the suitcase
> > to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.
> >
> > She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept
> > thanking me for my kindness.
> >
> > "It's nothing", I told her. "I just try to treat my passengers the way
> > I would want my mother treated".
> >
> > "Oh, you're such a good boy", she said.
> >
> > When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, then asked, "Could you
> > drive through downtown?"
> >
> > "It's not the shortest way," I answered quickly.
> >
> > "Oh, I don't mind," she said. "I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a =
> >hospice".
> >
> > I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening.
> >
> > "I don't have any family left," she continued. "The doctor says I
> > don't have very long."
> >
> > I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. "What route would you
> > like me to take?" I asked.
> >
> > For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the
> > building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove
> > through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they
> > were newlyweds. Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a
> > particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness,
> > saying nothing.
> >
> > As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said,
> > "I'm tired. Let's go now."
> >
> > We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low
> > building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed
> > under a portico. Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we
> > pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move.
> > They must have been expecting her.
> >
> > I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman
> > was already seated in a wheelchair. "How much do I owe you?" she
> > asked, reaching into her purse.
> >
> > "Nothing," I said.
> >
> > "You have to make a living," she answered.
> >
> > "There are other passengers," I responded.
> >
> > Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me
> > tightly. "You gave an old woman a little moment of joy," she said.
> > "Thank you."
> >
> > I squeezed her hand, then walked into the dim morning light. Behind
> > me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life. I didn't
> > pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in
> > thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that
> > woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his
> > shift? What if
> > I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?
> >
> > On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more
> > important in my life. We're conditioned to think that our lives
> > revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us
> > unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.
> >
> >
> > PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID, BUT =
> >THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.

_________________________________________________________________
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Search. http://search.msn.com.sg/ Try it now.

FW: It Is Written

Something interesting.

----
Never doubt the Word of God!!!

Make a personal reflection about this. Very interesting, read until
the end...

It is written in the Bible (Galatians 6:7):
" Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth,
that shall he also reap."

Here are some men and women who mocked God:

JOHN LENNON:
Some years before during his interview with an American Magazine, he
said:

"Christianity will end, it will disappear. I do not have to argue
about that. I am certain. Jesus was ok, but his subjects were too
simple, Today we are more famous than Him" (1966)

Lennon, after saying that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus
Christ, was shot six times.

TANCREDO NEVES:
During the Presidential campaign, he said if he got 500 votes from
his party, not even God would remove him from Presidency. Sure he got
the votes, but he got sick a day before being made President, then he
died.

CAZUZA:
During a show in Caneco ( Rio de Janeiro ), whilst smoking his
cigarette, he puffed out some smoke into the air and said: "God,
that's for you." I can't even explain how he died.

THE MAN WHO BUILT TITANIC:
After the construction of Titanic, a reporter asked him how safe the
Titanic would be. With an ironic tone he said: "Not even God can sink
it"

The result: I think you all know what happened to the Titanic.

MARILYN MONROE:
She was visited by Billy Graham during a presentation of a show. He
is a preacher and Evangelist and the Spirit of God had sent him to
preach to her.

After hearing what the Preacher had to say, she said: "I don't need
your Jesus"

A week later, she was found dead in her apartment.

BON SCOTT:
The ex-vocalist of the AC/DC. On one of his 1979 songs he sang:
"Don't stop me, I'm going down all the way, down the highway to hell".
On the 19th of February 1980, Bon Scott was found dead, he had been
choked by his vomit.

CAMPINAS/SP IN 2005
In Campinas, a group of friends, drunk, went to pick up a friend. The
mother accompanied her to the car and was so worried about the
drunkenness of her friends and she said to the daughter - holding her
hand, who was already seated in the car: "MY DAUGHTER, GO WITH GOD
AND MAY HE PROTECT YOU",

She responded: "ONLY IF HE (GOD) TRAVELS IN THE BOOT, COZ INSIDE HERE
IT'S ALREADY FULL"

Hours later, news came by that they had been involved in a fatal
accident, everyone had died, the car could not be recognized what
type of car it had been, but surprisingly, the boot was intact.

The police said there was no way the boot could have remained intact.
To their surprise, inside the boot was a crate of eggs, none was broken.

Many more important people have forgotten that there is no other name
that was given so much authority as the name of Jesus. Many have
died, but only Jesus died and rose again, and he is still alive.
JESUS!!!

Jesus said "If you get embarrassed about me, I will also get
embarrassed about you before my Father"

What benefit does it have, if a man gains the whole world but loses
his soul? What can man give in exchange of his soul? (Matthew 16:26)