My first...

...KBox experience!

Thanks to YC and XL for making my KBox experience such an enjoyable and addictive one HAHA! Well, although it was only 3 persons, it was really fun in that small cubicle.

Can we go again? LOLX

Fresh from Hell

White hair, black teeth and charred fingers and face - the evil witch! OMG! Now who is this evil spawn of the dark?!?!?

Beware!

For you may be her next victim!

~~~~

interlude:

A: LOLX! That is like how black can...
B: Whoever that is *roll eyes*

~~~~

Anyway today did my Einstufungstest for German 6. Wouldn't say it was difficult but I didn't think it was very easy too. It definitely didn't help with YC spouting fluent German like no tomorrow to Frau Neumann when I am still at my last comprehension. Implication? He finished the paper long time ago already.... dotz... more dotz...

Then finally get down to doing my FYP, with XL the 'FYP debugger', at Engineering. Met the most number of people at one go: Benja, An Xiang, Darryl, Ruoling and alot of Xinli's friends too. Apparently engine people are now facing this new crisis called "CA2" which they have to wear formally for profs to 'shoot' them down mercilessly. HA. Sounds so much like engine - sadistic, sick and saddening. Don't you just like the alliteration? *dotz*

Just contented that I managed to do some FYP stuff today, after a 2-month drought.

With Einstufungstest out of the way, I am getting ready for my GRE test as well...

One week

PHOTOS and VIDEOS of COMPBIO CHALET - Please click here

The past week ensuing the exams is a tightly packed series of activities... Now let's see what I had:

05 Dec 07 (Wed):
Last day of exams - T3 Re-visit with my family!

06 Dec 07 (Thurs):
Comp Bio Chalet at The Chevrons

07 Dec 07 (Fri):
Settlers' Cafe Outing with XL, Kat, Grace, Ian and Wilson

08 Dec 07 (Sat):
Squash

09 Dec 07 (Sun):
Nua at home with my mum and bro... basically playing &... erm playing haha

Ok maybe it doesn't seemed that packed. But just to know that I have activities planned out after my exams really made me look forward to post-exams days very much. And it was really well-spaced out coincidentally; I have ample rest and ample fun throughout.

Changi airport T3 visit with my family was really suay. Collided with their flight testing. Apparently some selected people are already able to board the plane from T3 during this time. So we weren't able to enter the waiting lounge with the 800-dollar seats which I did see and sit the other time. Seriously I didn't feel any difference haha. But I felt it a pity for my mum, dad and aunt. They would have enjoyed the complete tour instead of a half-fuck one. Well the only plus point was that, it was FREE, cos they forgot to tell the public about the flight testing, so they decided to be nice :P

Compbio chalet was quite fun haha... Hadn't had so much laughter (and alcohol) since coming back from SEP haha... We stayed up till 7 am in the morning before we knock out!!! Well, though I wasn't the closest of friends to them, I did enjoy the company and games and all. Mahjong, Bridge, 'Daidi', Truth or Dare and The Ultimate Number (LOLX literally - 终极密码) and what-have-we's. The barbeque was a little haphazard though haha. Apparently my days of OAC have left only remnants of outdoor survival skills. Took us quite a while to set AND re-set the fire HAHA. The number game saw the usual people drinking lotsa Tequila haha cos the effects of alcohol compounded heavily apparently LOLX. Tequila tastes yucks urrgh lolx....

Then we discussed about our graduation trip too, to Vietnam, cos Ph says she can bring us around :P Come to think of it, it is kindda fast. We are the pioneer batch of computational biology people, and I could still remember the angst we had about our modules and the problems we were facing initially. Thankfully, we stuck together as a group a lot of the times and helped each other a lot. Well, I am glad I got to know such a fun-loving group of people.


Settlers' Cafe was COOL! First time there, and I must say I really love it! A bit on the pricey side though. We had sooo much fun and mirth was spreading like wildfire. Ok let's see what we played that day: "I am the Boss", "Pictionary", "Chatterbox"... Only 3... Diaoz.. It was expensive ($9.50 for 2 hours per person) but fun enough. Haha! And Ian made cookies. Quite nice lehz haha... Advert here advert here: Ian makes nice cookies! LOLX. Like it's an 'ing' brand, better promoted in May LOLX... Ok laming again...

Let's go Settlers' Cafe again lehz... We can play the new games from Germany there!!!

Well, the dust is finally settling. New phase, new resolution, new direction. I guess there is a need to pick things up and snap back from play to a more balanced life of work and play.

Gambatte!

The Day after Tomorrow...

... will be the day I do not have exams anymore. For this semester at least.

Why the hell am I not happy?!?

Because on this bloody eve of my bloody last paper which is going to happen in the next 9 hours or so, my SEP coodinator happily emailed me telling

"Hi JM, Please note your credits transfer has been processed by Registrar’s Office, however one of the mapped modules CZ4225 does not exist. Please clarify / remap. Thanks...."

So then I faithfully tried to search for all evidences, on the day I should be preparing for my papers tomorrow. Apparently the bloody module is not being offered and will be replaced by CZ5225, and although they are equivalent, there is no automatic reinstalment; apparently I have to re-map it. After I finished filling out the forms and ready to send and go, I got this

"Should you have any urgent matters regarding SEP, please contact Ms Sangeetha at 6516 4930. Thank you."

Ya thanks so much for making my day....

If there is one thing I learn in Germany, it would be to take things slowly.... Even if it's for efficient Singapore.... *Breathe, jm, breathe*

Setting my life straight

For the past month or two, I felt the most sense of detachment I have ever felt before. Hopefully when the dust settles for this battle, I could rise out of the ashes with a renewed sense of direction and the resolve to do it the way I knew I always do.

I need to set myself back on track.

Until then, I ought to make final preparations for the last lap.

~~~
I need something that can shake my life and tear my world apart and
I want something that can hold me and keep me from falling apart
~~~

LASIK - final verdict

I realised there is increased enthusiasm in my blogging, despite the fact that it is amidst the exams mayhem. Implication --> I am not focusing very well....

Finally I have come to peace with myself about doing LASIK. For those of you who have been stung by my enthusiasm and oscillatory verdicts of doing (or not doing), I think I have finally settled down to NOT doing it.

For those of you who don't know, NUH now offers a $2500 standard LASIK package (there are other forms of LASIK) for both eyes for only NUS students and their immediate family members. Pretty cheap actually, and it's state-linked hospital, so reputable enough, not some dodgy end-of-some-dark-building clinic. Just pop down to the University Wellness Centre at YIH, tell the receptionist nurse you are interested in doing pre-LASIK examination at NUH LASIK centre, and that you are from NUS, to get a card that gives you free pre-LASIK examination (usually costs $100++).

Despite the eye surgeon's high credentials, NUH so-far-so-good reputation, my more-than-optimal eye examination report and of course their (seemingly over)confidence that I would be able to get back at least a 6/12 vision in terms of myopia and a reduction in my astigmatism, I think the main concerns would be:

(a) the risk of operation on my precious eyes, which although stays with only 1-2% of patients, I would say that is still high, considering the number of patients there are

(b) the severity of the side effects

(c) that this is definitely not necessary as my vision, although not perfect, and aid-dependent, other than the hassle of wearing specs and contacts, is definitely not getting on my nerves

(d) the money could have been placed somewhere more useful at the moment, like sustaining my body system, since I would probably have a hard time looking for a job, unless you self-employed people out there decided to employ me of course *hint hint*

(e I can still do it later in my life when I am more or less financially stable and when the technology could have been better, which I think it would, given the research and potential of the market

(f) the timing does not seem correct now, with all the final year shit piling up in the shithole....

(g) and of course my ever-so wise, though conservative, mum

(ok this looks like a LSM4241 essay in point form...)

So I think, na ja, I will hold it off for the moment. And if you all bother to even listen to the news or read the newspaper, there are people who did LASIK in strong and steady Singapore and didn't get a good job done. On the other hand, you will see lots of foreigners at the LASIK centre at NUH who flocked specifically to do it in Singapore, where it's cheaper but more reliable than back in their own country. It's just one centre; imagine the combined number in entire Singapore.

So I guess it's quite safe in Singapore la. Though I am really quite gian, at least for now, I think I will live my life as it is, leaving my eyes alone for the moment.

Status quo....

Oh, for more information, just google "LASIK". There is this "Top 10 reasons to avoid LASIK" website (or something along that line) that has put together the immense hatred, self-righteousness and bitterness of some 'failure' LASIK patients, to discourage you from doing LASIK. Amazingly informative, just as is scary... But bear in mind also from the persective that these people are coming from.