ST4240

I did a mental calculation. Was bored from studying so decided to pen down what I think...

60% exams
40% project + tutorials

I attended 2 tutorials. Worst scenario --> 6/10
I handed my project, I reckon it should give me about 20/30
So now I have 26/40. To get a 50%, and hopefully this equates to a pass, I must get 24/60 for my paper.

4 questions, if each is 15 marks, I must get 6 points from each 15 marks.

From the looks of it, I dun think I seem to have a very good chance of passing, considering:
A) this is an optimistic view of my project, though I 100% believe my project mates did a fine job, it really depends on the lecturer,
B) 50% does not mean a pass in ANY modules; I learnt that when 80% does not constitute remotely even an A-
C) getting 6/15 for EACH question is totally beyond my reach when I dun even know how to start....
D) I am blogging when I should be mugging

Ok conclusion: I might not pass.
Implication: I might not graduate...

Somebody ought to just shoot me for morbidity...

感动

怦然心跳

然后在情感豁然的那一刻

心湖的涟漪

轻轻地扩展至整个宇宙

犹如蜻蜓点水，又似波涛汹涌

阵阵的

感动

Exams

We, the compbio people, are still having discussions about some questions hours before this first exam of mine. God bless that everything goes well for us all...

This is not my most worried paper though. The Friday one might just be the deciding factor of whether I graduate or not. That one really must push.... Looking at the notes is like looking at question marks all over...

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Decided to go Holland V today for dinner again. Went to eat Vietnamese! Wah, really love the spring rolls lehz! Ph, I dun care, you need to bring me to eat the spring rolls!!! No photos... NVM, next time.

Then after that we went to Cold Rock for ice-cream; simply good. Long time since I chill out eating ice-cream. Think one of the fav ice-cream parlours for XL. And we were sitting on these swing-chairs... Well, she was qoo-ing with delight at the sight of the swings... dotz... was wondering why ladies get infatuated with such things... well, dun think I can fathom anyway...

END OF FYP!!! once & for all...

We were so happy to finish our FYP presentation that we decided to take photos with the S16 level 8 lab that we have spent so many hours in...

The faithful lab that is exclusive to only comp bio or comp bio-related people haha, cos it's security-bound, so you need card wahahaha... Feels like a high-security vault where only selected people are allowed in the premise.. The privileged ha! *Self-delusion*

But well, gonna miss its quietness and the humming of the SunSystems, somehow.. Kindda liked the place, it's like THE fav hideout for us comp bio people. Somewhere deep within, I think I have grown attached to it. And the view from LEVEL 8 is splendid!

Here, I would like to thank WK especially for being there for my FYP, else I would really be a lone fighter and also for his career advice and his fervent emailing of open job positions! Greatly appreciated. Good luck for your phD at Novartis!

And to Christian, our ever-so-friendly-and-willing-to-help admin officer, A big thank you! Good luck in your new job at MAS! Or is it somewhere else? Arrgh egal hehe.. Best wishes for future endeavours!

Hmmm, I just realised everybody's leaving NUS.... LOLX

Protagonists in photos:
1) Ph (not in formal, cos she finished her presentation last week) - she is getting married next month!! Congrats Phuong!! I will keep you posted if I can make it to Vietnam again.

2) YY (in formal wear) - Prof Chen wants to publish her FYP project!! WOW!! Congrats!! Join GIS la, then we can go Phuong's wedding together if they allow haha...

Realization

The realization that the stats module was not THAT indigestible and incomprehensible suddenly hit me right in the face... Gave me this feeling that I might really need more time to really eat it up.... Aargh then, all the what-ifs throughout the semester starts kicking in... I am determined not to fail it, not if I can help it.

But for now, studying stats can wait I guess. Tuesday's first paper is looming its presence menacingly, zzzz...

And my stats project is not finished yet!! I really really hope that my stats proj mate pulls it through. She is our last beacon of hope :P

**********************************************************************
Felt really good to drop everything and go to take a good look at her. Had thought she would be upset by some stuff. But well, xl, look forward dun look back ya? Believe, and you will be there.

一起加油吧！！！

I am hot!

DEFINITELY NOT in the physical sense HAHA!

I din believe XH that bioinformatics specialist is a hot position until I received another principal investigator's (PI) email from GIS asking me to go down for interview.

Well, I can't be in GIS and then going for another GIS interview right? Totally duh... Or am I missing something here? Xh care to explain...

Nonetheless greatly appreciate the fact that most probably my resume looks good, haha. Thanks to my referees (I super kiasu got 5 referees, and I actually used all of them by discretion) and internships I guess. Really must thank Bob, Leonard and Prof Chen for writing my referral letters (though the last one is more of I draft out one); Bob, I have seen his testimonial, thanks for writing such a superbly nice one for me :P Felt that all the hard work then was well worth it. HAHA! Well, if you r reading this, from the bottom of my heart, you are a thoroughly likeable boss too. Just couldn't thank you enough.

Din feel very good from correspondence with a particular prospective employer, but well, she thought I was a snob. Maybe like what YC said maybe I said something confusing. Though I thought what I asked were really prim and proper. O well, let's just leave it behind.

Now it's back to my FYP presentation prep, stats project and stats exam, which I SERIOUSLY hope I dun fail.

Just Blogging

I totally agree that in times of exam periods, there is this increasing tendency to blog. Probably it's because you dun wanna do what u are doing now and decided to do something deemed (by self naturally) more productive than just lazing around.

Einverstanden. *nods head* Precisely what I am doing now...

My schedule is pretty tight actually, now that I think of it: 23/4 today project meeting and hopefully finish the project by this week, 25/4 FYP presentation, next Tues 29/4 first Advanced Bioinformatics exam, next Fri 2 May Stats Data Mining exam, then wait for 8th May to come for the last Structural Biology exam. Hmmm..... This is like half of my normal exam workload; maybe that's why do I do not feel so uneasy about it? Baa....

Seriously looking forward to the end of the entire thing. I am finally done with Uni, for the moment at least.

Lotsa things to look forward to after that: Vietnam-Bangkok trip, damn excited to meet Kw and Th again and how they are now, wondering what to buy for them; K Box sessions with my K kakis, my graduation, Russ return, and the subsequent meetups, and pigouts, and XL return, and probably work? Working at GIS would be both strange and familiar: meet old friends, and new colleagues. Just realised I will be on 3-month probation at GIS. Hopefully no retrenchment, else damn malu LOLX.

Oh well, better go back to my Project Pursuit regression and whatever modeling things that come with that. Hopefully I generate some R code by the end of it all...

Paintball!

Hahaha (think Tanya in Red Alert) *piak piak* *pssh* *psssh*

I think truly this is one of the most realtime games I have ever played. THIS IS WAR! HAHA! Ok war is probably bloodier, more grotesque and probably a million times more morbid than this, but well, in times of peace, I would like to think this is truly a fun emulation. According to the people over there, the largest Paintball tournament was in the U.S., where they tried to re-enact the whole of the Battle of Normandy at WWII, with 4000++ people. WHOA!

So on this day of reckoning, the men decided to embark on this combat mission. Objective: to wipe out all the enemies. Benny, a clear target with this humongous physique and striking blue overalls (but nobody shoots him....), Stefan, a soldier on exchange from Germany (truly the MAN), YC (my tag team buddy, AKA the flag grabber), Ziming (opponent to be exterminated), TP (opponent to be exterminated), Najib (opponent to be exterminated), and his friends (ps, really forgot their names, only rem Diena? Well cos she was in my team.) and our organiser, SW (the cockster in the team who lost his ammo in combat.. wahaha lolx). I am probably the only goon-do (AKA the brick grabber and another cockster who IAed on the first round) to wear white but well, that is the only shirt I can do away with anyway.

After our ops briefing, we are ready to roll out!
Stealth is of the essence...
This is WAR!
Fire in the hole!

In the end, our MVP goes to Stefan, the deadliest brain and brawn in the field, who kept being cajoled by the people there to join the tournaments! GEIL! Think Siwei is gian already as well...

All in all, despite doing this in the study week (guilt-ridden.. like real, ha), Paintball was fun, especially with so many people around, new friends to meet and places to chill.
Kanna from Paintballs!!

I think most of us suffered some injuries of sorts. Lucky (oder leider) I din get hit by the Paintball on my body... The Paintballs hit me on the vest and the mask and a richochet, but none too painful definitely, cos no marks whatsoever. But was left with abrasion injuries on my hands and arms through sliding on the sand and barriers. Think pus is gonna come out of my wound soon.... Aber o well, shld have just stood there and get hit by a Paintball and see how it is like HAHA. I can only imagine it being like hit by a squash ball going at full swing. Ouch!

Deutsch 6

Left to right: SW, Dave, Wen Chiong, Frau N, YZ, TP, XL, YC, JM

I think some of the good friends in life are from those whom you share certain experiences with. I am happy to say I have many and in Uni, I am glad to have met many other people to add on to that list of good friends. Here I am to present my German 6 classmates, some of whom I have grown so much closer to and of course, my dear, didn't forget u.

The friendship with YC, SW, TP and YZ are definitely some of those I wouldn't wanna lose; not in a million years.

From Germany to back in Singapore, I think time really flies. And I truly hope we still will meet up very often, even if it's as Kbox kakis (*eyes brighten*) or drinking kakis or Brotzeit kakis oder was anderes. I will be just a call away. This is our last German lesson in NUS, but certainly it's not gonna our last meeting. Really looking forward to Paintball tmr, guys! Haha.

P/S: To Frau Niemann, wenn Sie hier kommen, haha (allerdings glaube nicht), bedanke ich mich bei Ihnen!

Wood

I actually talked to a piece of wood today after I found it smiling at me during my run.

Then the things around me started smiling.

I smiled back.

Getting better and better

I guess at the current stage I am at, things seem to be taking a turn for the better. I am glad and I am grateful for all the pleasant surprises, huge or small.

Still in the maelstrom of projects and exams. Despite the fact that people are getting ready to graduate, I seemed to be right at the heart of the huge storm. However, the encroaching feeling that it is gonna really be the end of my academic career seems more palpable as time draws near to my Vietnam trip.

With my personal life, career and family uncertainties slowly falling, surprisingly, into neat places, things just seem to be just getting better and better.

It would be perfect if I could just reach my academic goal, even if it just scrapes past that mark, seriously I dun give a shit. Just push me up that benchmark!

I just hope the streak continues, and that my decisions would be for the best, for the future and for all the important people that is making up my life now.

15th April

Probably the best day of my life :P

Phones

Sunday was a weird day indeed. I went for the tuition who was recommended by my other tutee. First time there. When I was leaving, I merely mentioned about me need ing to buy a new handphone cos my old phone is spoilt. The dad then said "Oh I got a phone that I dun want. I can give you." I immediately refused of course I mean how can first meeting then he give me something? Not like I deserve it. We were at the door already. I was almost on the verge of running away. Then he came with an.... IPHONE! Can you frigging believe it?!?!?

I was dumbfounded and kept refusing the gift lo. I mean how many people give you an IPHONE for a free gift!!! And during the first meeting! Damn ex somemore, and not like I deserve it at all. I was literally pulling away from the door. Then he shoved it in my hand. HAiz... Not nice to 拉拉扯扯 at people's front door also. So I accepted it. (!!!!) For a moment, I thought why give me such an ex gift, is it contraband? Or got heroin one? Or they have incriminating evidence in the phone and wanna use me to get rid of it? Are policemen following me? Maybe there're GPS buttons on the phone. (my bro asked me go write drama serials best.)

Reached home my bro was at all paws at the iphone. Turned out it REALLY IS a true-blown, cracked, AT&T iphone which my bro has always wanted. I actually wanted to return the tutee's dad next week, but... haiz... So in the end, my bro and mum bought me a new phone LG KS20 and my bro got the iphone. Hopefully, the tutee's dad dun try to get it back next week. *cross finger cross finger*

I guess the implication is: Please teach my daughter well, or else, I am not giving you tuition fees for the next half a year!! LOLX... *stress**stress*

But I am at ALL paws at my new gadget of KS20. It has ALL the functions I wanted: FM radio, mp3 player, PDA, phone, WIFI, bluetooth, camera with flash (YEAH! XL dun whack me LOLX) all rolled into one magnificent stylish black lightweight ergonomic amazing artwork of beauty. Apparently this worth more than an iphone, and wins iphone at all the stats except the screen of course :P The only problem thus far I have is the contacts. It can't copy SIM card contacts collectively!!! Have to do it singly. Wah lau sian lo... I changed my ancient Dual band SIM card to a 3G one also. In the end had to make another trip down to transfer my contacts cos I forgot to do it that time. But oh well, I truly adore my new gadget. AND it fits the colour of my VAIO!!

You can have a perfect review of the phone here. Flashy simulations here.
Please drool...


Check out the size!

K Crazy

Guess where I went today...

K until 12 midnight !!!

Think I can dun sing for the rest of the year le HAHA!

Despite my 豆沙喉 voice, I think K is still fun but for now I think I will take a rest first :P

But before graduation, I think we are all trying to keep the camaraderie alive. Cos I think it is not easy to find close friends in Uni and we do treasure it. All the best for the exams!!

And boy do I agree the test today sux!!

Another birthday surprise...

Got another birthday surprise! Went K with XL, YC and SW again. It was like a post-Ausflug (outing) since we were all like busy with our theses and what-nots. Felt so fun to sing again haha.

The surprise was really quite weird. We were singing singing then YC chose this 温岚's <<祝我生日快乐>>. Then started wishing me Happy Birthday. I was like ermz ok, it was supposed to be a sad song somemore. So surreal to hear it being sung happily. HAHA! And then SW went out. Thought that foodie was gonna get more food. Turned out he came back with a cake and then came the real HAPPY BIRTHDAY song... I very touched lo haha. THANKS GUYS!

K-ing with them is always such an enjoyable thing. 学会了什么叫放开, 让自己在没有拘束的情况下尽情放松享受。有种摘下面具的感觉，坦荡荡地呈现情绪。宣泄后，感觉似乎轻松了许多。。

Dunno why I keep getting birthday surprises this year :P And seriously, I am over the moon about them. I really like pleasant surprises, especially when it comes really out of the blue. HAHA!

Ok gotta rush for classes.

Birthday treats - aunt & compbio

Woke up to a post-birthday treat today - durian rolls from Angie's!!! From my aunt no doubt. One of my favs naturally. Don't you just love the wholesome creamy feeling of pure heavenly durian melting in your mouth... *Qoooo*
=============================================

Ok I gotta blog about my so-special birthday dinner with my compbio kakis! Haha so special, dint know Fish&Co., so onz one hahah... They actually did this sing-song thingy. Damn malu but damn coool!! HAha never had that before. Reminds me of the McDonald's party that I wanted to have when I was very young; always envious of the kids who get to do it :P

But they got me a "Hello Kitty" (for God's sake!!!) PINK (of all colours..) cake!! No wonder YT was asking me whether I like "Hello Kitty" during the dinner. I thought it was due to my "Winnie the Pooh" camera pouch which is my brother's Japan-purchase (he said it was kawaii...). I was so surprised when suddenly behind me people started singing birthday song. Come to think of it, no wonder they ask me to sit at that position. *sudden revelation* Though somewhat odd, the cake was a really nice surprise :P

A HUMONGOUS THANKS TO YY, Ph, J, YeCh, ZH, El, WT, LY and YT for being there and celebrating my belated birthday and for making it so special. No doubt a-quarter-of-a-century old, and my cake is still "Hello Kitty". Fish&Co crew must think I am a weirdo. Also for the present, card and the well-wishes. Love the present manz! Practical and durable. My fav type of gift HAHA!

Must thank Fish&Co. Also, they even took a picture and the whole staff actually wrote a card! Ok I know it's a gimmick, but nice all the same.

This is definitely gonna be one birthday celeb I will never forget.

Below pictures galore with a video of me standing on a chair and them singing song to me HAHA so paiseh! But well, THANK YOU TO YOU ALL AGAIN! Really looking forward to the Vietnam and Bangkok trip! Not too far now!!!

For ALL the pictures taken, please click here.

And guess who I saw after I left the gang? TC!! OMG! JC classmate. It's been eons since I last saw him! Nearly couldn't recognise him. Saw him hugging his gf then bade farewell. Then I looked again. Then finally I plucked up the courage to say his name. Finally he turned his head and IS HIM! Well, 感觉上似乎加了份沧桑又有点疲倦. But he dint change one bit. He came back from Johns Hopkins, and doing phD in August at MIT. Super high-flier la. Else how to be my "Allah" in JC right. Seriously, he was my teacher and my friend. One of the few persons I truly truly admire and respect: smart to the max (if you compare my intel to his, it would be a drop of seawater to the Pacific Ocean and I am NOT kidding), approachable and humourous; humility is one word that is epitomised on him.

Take care, my friend.. You seriously need a well-deserved break.



The Compbio Gang in full force :P
My present! Nice right haha!
The card from the Fish&Co. crew
Birthday card
YT and LY
Me, YY and Ph. YY was learning Vietnamese from Ph. Ok, YY you will be our official after the first 2 days. YEAH! Gambatte k? 就靠你了。haha!
THE cake... Ain't it pinkish? Wah doesn't look like my kindda cake at all lehz... But oh well, gotta appreciate the fact that a theme cake is not cheap... Esp when it's "Hello Kitty" which thousands of Singaporeans line up to get the soft toys...
YT proudly presenting the "Hello Kitty" box which she specially got it from the cake shop, say it's part of my birthday present.
The candid aftermath.

TODAY!!

(The Sun is in Aries from March 21 to April 19, depending on the year).
Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, and Aries natives are the first to start—and the first to finish—whatever they set out to do. Aries is an active, energetic sign. People with Sun in Aries are direct, straightforward, and uncomplicated. They expect the same from others, and are baffled when they don't always get it.

The body comes first with Aries. Sun in Aries people are natural athletes. At the very least, their natural inclination is to use their bodies to get things done. They're not given to long, drawn-out emotional moments; nor are they big on planning ahead. Instead, they live their lives simply. What is happening right now is most important to Aries. Impatience is a definite vice, and innovation is a huge strength. Aries loves to start anything new, and they have trouble sitting still. They are pioneers in whatever they do, and there is a very basic quality of bravery in these people that is unmistakable! Aries generally knows what they want, and they know the quickest route to getting it. They take shortcuts if they must, but generally everything is aboveboard. Underhanded just isn't their style. Some Aries people are bold, but even the quieter ones are brave and even plucky in their own way. Independence is their birthright. Nothing gets them going more than a fresh slate, the promise of a new day, and a brand new start. Aries enjoys a challenge, and Aries Suns are happiest when their lives are moving forward and active. There's a childlike quality to all Aries Sun people, and it's often quite charming.

Hmmm, got that somewhere on the Net. Was listening to FM93.3 and heard some personality description about people born today so decided to check it up on the Net for more interesting information about myself. Sometimes it's just so interesting to hear about such things. Although I have forgotten what the DJ said. LOLX!

Sowieso a BIG THANK YOU to ALL the people who sent me well wishes today, be it here or SMSes, really THANK YOU! You guys really made my day. Serious. :P

Well, think today's GIS interview went ok. *cross my fingers* Thanks to J for the tips, without which I would probably have buang the technical questions, which is like majority of the questions.

Plus I got offered a teaching position... Despite my erm answer during the interview, they still want me. I think they are quite.... Ok nvm, very public here. But well, I think I am quite lucky I must say.

Then the mum of my current tuition kid recommended me to her neighbour for tuition, who recommended me to another neighbour *faint*. So now I have tuition on Sunday from 12 nn till 430pm STRAIGHT! Well, for the sake of money. 拜金 indeed :P

But I think my German oral exam went slightly below average. Sighz... Hopefully, like SW, said "I'll never know."

Saw this on another site
Born April 8: The year ahead is bound to be a pleasant and active one, ripe with new beginnings and fresh energy. There can be times when you overextend yourself, however. A positive attitude serves you best and allows you to grab the opportunities for advancement that are bound to come your way. Dream big, but keep your feet on the ground. Intensity characterizes your close personal relationships.

Hmmm.... Dunno true anot haha...

Thanks to TP, SW, and Ziming and Shuxian for your little pre-birthday dinner at Novena Square. Had this dinner at OrganicAfeXperience. The food (AND desserts and drinks) is really quite nice for its price. I and Ziming ate the beef one, Shuxian the pork one (first pic), TP and SW the fish which I thought was a tad too small but with nice almonds.



Thanks also to SM, for the treat at Brotzeit, cos I said I had Lust for German beer suddenly. And of course P, the fly-pigeon-busy-man.

Thanks to comp bio kakis, who is gonna celebrate for me my birthday tomorrow.

Thanks to my German kakis as well, going out to TP, SW, YC, YZ and XL, for all the things we have done together especially Kbox!! And possibly Paintball next Sunday. YEAH!

Thanks to my family lastly, had Lao Beijing at Novena Square after my greataunt's 80th birthday lunch at her granddaughter's condo. Met a lot relatives whom I met like God-knows-when. Now they are 18!! Gosh!! One of my cousin's daughter (who is 18 or the whereabouts) was like asking me out of the blue, "Are we related?" "That depends on where you are from." (laughed) "Oh. That is my mum." "I think my mum is your mum's aunt." Then she went squealing "OMG! You are my granduncle!!" "I think you can drop that 'grand'. Not that old. HAHA!" Then finally remembered her name, Arita, whom I have met like when she was 8 years old!! I think she is gonna grow up to become an attractive young woman. Even my dad says she can be a model. No pics, sorry. Leider LOLX. Anyway, I left early for tuition then she said to my another cousin's daughter, who is a really pretty Eurasian, Trina, "Did you know he is my uncle!" I just laughed and said good bye. BTW, though Trina is older, I am her uncle!! I met my cousins sons as well. One from ACJC, VERY TALL. Haha.. My brother was afraid to stand beside him for phototaking :P The others are mostly working adults. My cousins are all married btw, in their 50s and 60s (!!!!). Can't believe I have such a skewed but interesting family tree.

I think my life is just getting more interesting.

I think I flunked the first part of my Test cos I din say 'Thank you'

$100 gone in 2 seconds

That's how I lost my $100 incentive in IPPT... Bloody 2 seconds to silver... I shouted "F***!" so loudly at the end of the run when I saw the time board showing my timing...

Damn sianz... I thought I was making good time 7.33 min finishing the second round (3 rounds only, so 11.40min to silver, do your math). Then the last round started to give me problems... Firstly I dropped my right side contact lens... first F***... I knew it was torn already but I din have a replacement at my aunt's place but when it started to get on my nerves I took it off... Then I started to have the lao sai feeling, cos btw, just recovered totally from my diarrhoea on Sunday. Bo bian, have to stop. Then the momentum TOTALLY gone.

I could feel my adrenaline rushing, heart beating like crazy, breathing was horrendous, I was literally gasping for breath. The chief PTI came and thought I was gonna conked out. But well, it's just my usual stuff. Damn, I should have just forget about the lao sai feeling and keep running. What was worse was I overtook the guy whom I think was gonna get silver. I mean he looked damn fit lo. So I paced him. He was in front then oddly, I felt our distance closer, ended up I overtook him but there was nobody more in front of me.

But well, I knew I wasn't in good shape today. Sunday I felt I have recovered finally from the diarrhoea. Wondered why it took so long, then think maybe it was the stress. Anyway, I ran on Monday and couldn't even complete 2 rounds of 400m straight!!! Totally flabbergasted and disgusted. It's that bad. Mental was bad, physical was bad. And I was so weak after my Monday's run.

Din think one week of little sleep (3-4 hours per night) and less eating (no lunches) and no training would have such a huge toll on me and zapped so much mental and physical strength out of me. Then again, the diarrhoea must have dehydrated and killed lotsa my body cells.

Hinweis to self: Do not burn midnight oils and not eat. It kills you. Well, it really took me so long to realise the REAL importance of sleep and diet. Just one week it's enough to kill you, ok, putting being sick aside. But I wasn't that sick what, just frequent runs in the toilet, that's all.... But I must say the Actal Antacids work wonders. And it taste like sweets. Now I know how I could cure my flatulence effectively.

Well, I still get to keep $100. But the pride hurts. Lost my streak of silver!!! DAMN! Not that it's gold or what la, but then hoh the thought of missing silver by 2 seconds sux!! Then all the if-onlys start swarming in. I lost $100 and my streak of silver over the past few years just by 2 seconds.

Other than shares and gambling, this has gotta be the fastest loss in my life.

But well, minor no doubt, I ought to get it out of my head.

Was geschehen ist, ist geschehen.