Im going to be doing a review on all 5 modules that I took this sem, for the benefit of whoever else may want to take the module too. They are PL1101E(Intro to Psych), PL2131(Stats1), NM1101E(Comm and New Media), PH1102E(Intro to Philo), LAF1201(French1)
I'll answer 5 questions for each: What is it about? How's the workload? How difficult is it? Any miscellaneous tips? Should you take it?
PL1101E - Introduction to Psychology
What is it about?
The title says it all - the module goes through a large variety of topics such as memory, learning, intelligence, developmental psych, abnormal psych, etcetc. If you have interest in how the brain works and what human behaviour is like, this is a module for you.
How's the workload?
The textbook is a monster - it was 800++ pages in total. (excluding references + appendix) Readings every week are usually one chapter, though you may have to read more in some weeks. Each chapter is about 40-60 pages. Do note that the textbook may change every sem(or year?) so it may be different.
There is one mid term paper (which you know the topic from about week 3 or 4, and is due about week 8?), a 100 MCQ mid term test, and a 100 MCQ + 5 short essay finals. (both closed book)
One 2h lecture per week (should be 6-8pm on monday as always) and one 2h tutorial fortnightly
How difficult is it?
The readings sound like alot but they are really not that bad. Firstly, the information is generally interesting to read and are not dry readings like journal articles. Next, there are many experiments and examples to aid your understanding, so it is not as long as it seems. The textbook is pretty easy to understand so there shouldnt be any problems here.
The exams are almost entirely memory-based - if you are able to memorize the textbook from the first to last page, you will very likely get a close-to-perfect mark. That said, understanding the concepts is quite important (versus just memorizing definitions) as the MCQs like to rephrase certain terms and see if you can pick the correct definition. Do try to read every thing from the textbook and remember the gist of everything, because they will test everything.
Miscalleneous Tips
This is one module in which you cannot fall behind in your readings - everything snowballs really quickly. Also, it's all about remembering everything, so ideally try to read your textbook at least twice over. Making a summary sheet for every chapter REALLY helps in revision.
Also, get started on your mid term essay early since they release the topic so early. The topic was fairly straightforward for this semester, not sure about future sems.
Lectures are an absolute waste of time, I stopped going for lectures in the second half of the semester. All they do is regurgitate what is stated in the textbook, and do a rushed job (because realistically all the content cannot be covered within a short 2hr lecture)
Tutorials are boring as well, but I guess it depends on which TA you get. No tutorial participation, so go ahead and switch off during tutorials :p
Should you take it?
A content heavy mod and should be balanced accordingly with whatever else you are taking. Not difficult at all to score if you have the time to keep up with readings. Known to be one of the most interesting exposure mods, and psychology is always interesting to read about. Go ahead and try it!
PL2131 - Research and Statistical Methods
*It is important to note that I heard this module varies GREATLY for Sem1 and Sem2 due to different lectureres. So, take these comments with a pinch of salt.*
What is it about?
Hypothesis testing, z tests, t tests, chisquare tests, correlation, regression, effect size, power.
I think I have just summed up all you need to study for your exams.
This module is an introduction to several tests used in psychology and how to obtain your results.
How's the workload?
Two textbooks, though you won't cover every chapter. Readings aren't very long, and are filled with examples to help you understand the concepts.
2 assignments (1 week deadline to complete for each), 1 closed book mid term mcq test, 1 open book finals (short answer questions)
one 2h lecture weekly, one 2hr tutorial fortnightly
How difficult is it?
This module is very concepts-based. Memorization is NOT the focus for this module - it is much more important to understand the concepts and when to use which formula.
Mid terms may require a little memory since it is closed book, but it's not very content heavy, just several key concepts which once you understand they won't be difficult to remember.
Finals are open book so it's all about knowing your content well and applying your concepts well.
Contrary to popular belief, good mathematics knowledge is NOT required. As long as you know how to multiply, add, subtract and square root (and square) on a calculator, you will be fine. It's also important to be able to recognize which formula to use for which situations.
Assignments are generally ok, though one of them may require an external program so will be a small hassle to download it and run it.
The most difficult thing of this module may be understanding the HK lecturer's accent HAHA. :(
Miscalleneous Tips
I will repeat this - understanding the concepts are very very important! It's not about memorizing, but about applying the appropriate formula to the question. You should make a summary formula sheet for your finals for easy reference.
Should you take it?
Yes, if it's Prof Mike teaching it. He sets really easy papers apparently (for my sem, the finals paper was almost identical to the paper 2 years ago -_- )
Not difficult at all, though the competition may be high as it has limited slots and it's a prerequisite for psych majors.
NM1101E - Communications and New Media
What is it about?
A wide variety of topics from online communities, video games, copyright, development of the internet, etc. It is so broad that it is hard to describe it aptly in a paragraph.
How's the workload?
2 group projects, 1 individual project. 1 mid terms, 1 finals.
Readings are usually some sort of (outdated) journal articles, the length and how interesting it is varies greatly.
1 2hr lecture per week, 1 1hr tutorial every week.
Mid terms consists of MCQ and short answer and essay. Finals are all MCQ.
How difficult is it?
The projects are generally fun and interesting to do. For instance, my individual project was about blogging! So fun haha.
Readings can be VERY VERY dry and complicated, and what I disliked most about them was that some were waaay oudated. (e.g. 10 years ago?) It was quite ridiculous to read about 'what the Internet is going to be' when it has already surpassed what was predicted.
Of course, there are several more interesting ones. But the readings are generally tough, I wouldd say.
Mid terms was REALLY easy, the MCQs were a total joke. I think a student who did not take the module would easily get half the questions correct as the way the options were written made the correct answer really obvious
E.g.
Which of these is a fruit?
a) chicken, b) apple, c) red, d) pajamas
The short answers and essay are slightly tougher but still manageable.
I think many people did well, so the bell curve naturally shifted higher.
Finals were the killer for my sem - the 60 odd MCQs were REALLY challenging. All the options were very close and the 'application MCQs' (4 marks each mcq!) were quite difficult.
Miscallenous Tips
Read the LECTURE SLIDES. Seriously, it is a definite B at least if you read the lecture slides and study them religiously. To get an A of course you need to do well in your projects and do read the readings abit as some questions do test from readings.
However, I would say lecture slides are waaay important. They nicely capture all the important concepts you need to know so make sure you study them.
Should you take it?
Yes! Pretty interesting topics and generally slack module. The readings are not too heavy and not alot of studying is required (since revising lecture slides seems sufficient)
PH1102E - Introduction to Philosophy
What is it about?
A wide range of philosophical debates - is killing the same as letting die? Does every event have a prior cause? Is pleasure all that matters? Why is there something rather than nothing?
What is the workload?
One philo article per week which you have to do a summary writeup on. The summary is not necessarily of the entire article. Usually it is about a portion of the text, and it depends on the summary question the prof sets. In a sense, this 'forces' you to do your readings every week. They generally aren't very long.
No mid terms, just a final exam which was 10 'MCQ's and 2 essays (choose 2 out of 3)
I put 'MCQs' in inverted commas because it's not exactly a 'pick a b c d e ' thing all the way. For instance, one question required you to match a particular statement to the philosopher who agrees with it. (5 statements, 7 philosophers) There were about 2-3 of these sort of 'short answer' questions.
How difficult is it?
I found all the readings really interesting, so it is not really a chore to do the readings. Even if you can't understand the reading, because the articles are usually very popular articles, you can google for a 'summary' or an explanation of the main arguments of the author :) This really helps for your summary assignments.
Miscallenous Tips
It is important to understand what each philosopher argues for. I find the main idea to be to know how to argue for each side, and the lectures and notes cover this really well. Study Prof Pelchzar's notes for your exams and you will do well :)
Should you take it?
I think Philo is as such - you either like it or you hate it. I know of plenty of people who really dread it and dislike it to bits, though I personally enjoy it and love the readings.
If you are a naturally inquisitive person or can construct arguments and understand both sides of the picture very well, this is the module for you.
LAF1201 - French 1
What is it about?
Basic french, such as introducing yourself, basic grammar and vocab, colours, numbers, time, etc.
What is the workload?
TWO 2 hour lectures every week with one 1 hour tutorial.
2 sets of grammar + listening + oral tests, one close to mid terms, one close to finals. No finals.
How difficult is it?
I heard there are 1-2 bad lecturers who are very confusing. Mine (Mr Yannick) was very good and nice so it was relatively easy enough to understand. Not EASY though, I would say it is fairly challenging for newbies like me. I had the benefit of having a friend who knew French to be my 'second lecturer' during lectures so it was easier for me.
Miscallenous Tips
Requires constant revision of work, as with all language modules I guess.
Highly recommended to take with friends, so that you all can practise speaking French together. It really really helps to just keep talking in (your limited) French as it helps you remember the grammar and vocab better.
Should you take it?
It is a competitive module, since there are many people who know abit of French and still take the module and may unbalance the bell curve. Take it if you have several friends who are interested as well!
~~~
Ok that's all I have, I will post up my results on 21st Dec so you can judge whether to trust my advice or not xD
Tuesday 30 November 2010
Monday 29 November 2010
first date!
Ok so I've been unsingle for almost a month now, and even though we've spend ALOT of time together, they were all to study, lunch, or in school. We never really went out on an actual date!
So when exams ended tmr, it was a day of fun with my girl :)
rofl why does she look so surprised here. haha
We went to watch the latest Malay show Rapun Sayang. Ok no la obviously not I don't even know if there's such a word. it's RAPUNZEL! Otherwise known as, Tangled!
cinema so dark
The movie was.. ok la. The songs were very nice (Mandy moore :D and even the duet with Zachary Levi!) and I thought the story was good all the way until... the last part. Like I don't want to spoil people who haven't watch.. but I felt it was too Disneyfied and the ending was like.. >< so convenient
After the show, we went to New York New York!
Secret snapshots of her while she was deliberating over the menu.
I must say I like how they keep trying to improve! There have been changes to the menu since the last time I went there (which was about 1-2 months ago? Maybe more but not THAT long ago) such as inclusion of an 'Elite 8' which is basically the 8 most popular dishes I guess.
I highly recommend the Chicken Mushroom Mozerella Cheese (I probably got the name wrong but it has these 4 words la just forgot the order haha) It's super super filling and very nice!!
Here it is! it's the size of 2 palms btw.
I ordered the fish and chips in the Elite 8.. it had the words Devil and Chilli or SOMETHING like that in it to suggest that it's spicy but it's not spicy at all! But yea super nice fish and chips, taste similar to Fish and Co and Manhattan Fish Market la. HUUGE portion as well.
Ok although there was a pretty waitress who kept waiting on us and was very polite and helpful (and brave.. she just picked up my used tissue paper whole (instead of like pinching it by the edges).... what if it is like soaked with mucus or something HAHA), the service before that was abit bad? Like when we placed our orders we ordered 2 iced waters... and they never came. So we had to ask another waitress for it.. and it never came. Then finally it came and it was in this plastic disposable cups.
I looked around the entire restaurant, we were the only people who got these cups!! Why ah! Other people had the normal blue plastic cups. They see SH look like little girl then can give this one issit. Not environmental friendly sia.
And my favourite dish from NYNY:
NYNY Mudpie with Icecream!
It's superrr shiok. When SH ate her first bite, a smile crept across her face, and she said it was an involuntary smile haha. You really cannot help it one! Like the first time I ate I think I also like that.
I don't really like how they changed it though, last time it was not swimming in a pool of hot chocolate syrup like this. The problem with this, although damn shiok because of the excess of chocolate, is that the warm chocolate syrup causes the icecream to melt damn fast! So have to eat faster cannot savour
Too much chocolate syrup leftover, must play.
After that we went for a walk along Singapore River ~
Trying to be skilled and capture the backdrop as well
So nice right
Ok that's a wrap. Time to watch some Starcraft2 commentaries and play some games :)
Sunday 28 November 2010
placebo facial products
I was just doing my daily pre-sleep routine of brushing teeth, washing face, and I thought of something that was in my mind for a long time but I never gave it proper thought. I have a theory:
(Definition of placebo: an inactive substance or other sham form of therapy administered to a patient usually to compare its effects with those of a real drug or treatment, but sometimes for the psychological benefit to the patient through his believing he is receiving treatment)
Read on to find out more...
I use Mentholum (probably spelt that wrong) facial wash(supposed to use daily), facial scrub(supposed to use 2-3 times a week), and a moisturizer. I'm not very religious in my facial care though, some days I don't use it.
Like all normal people who don't have flawless skin, I've been using facial care products since I was a teenager. Of course, at that point it was all pimple/acne care products, creams, lotions, funny stuff that you smudge on your face in a desperate bid to get rid of that pimple outbreak.
They may also be just facial washes to try to 'cleanse your skin' or 'clear blocked pores' as advertised on those products.
However, do they really work?
I mean, there are also many people who DON'T use facial products and have pretty good skin! And even if you use the products, how do you know that they are working? Do you really see a marked decrease in pimples? A definite increase in complexion quality?
You must understand that even without these products, your pimples WILL disappear on their own. And a good complexion is obtainable from drinking lots of water, avoiding chocolate, etc.
My theory is that these facial products are so popular NOT because they work, but because they make you think they are working. You think that scrubbing that 'special formulated extract with coco beads' facial scrub (do you even know what the ingredients are half the time?) on your face SHOULD have some kind of cleansing effect. After all, your skin does feel more refreshed. (which is probably the effect of water and your self-massage when you are rubbing the facial wash on)
Plus, it's a known fact that the mere believing that a 'treatment' has an effect CAN cause an improvement in the symptoms it is treating. (i.e. the placebo effect)
Thus, most facial products are just playing on this placebo effect.
Of course, there may be some medicinal products that DO have some effects, such as those antibiotics prescribed by the doctors or special cream which they give. Those are not the products I am referring to; I am talking about those over-the-shelf products which we always purchase, the Gatsby facial wash, the Clean and Clear, the Oxy, etc.
So, don't be too extravagant in your facial products, as I think just the average cleanser will do, the rest of it is in your head. Ok, gonna go sleep early, I heard that's good for skin too.
Most facial products are placebo products.
(Definition of placebo: an inactive substance or other sham form of therapy administered to a patient usually to compare its effects with those of a real drug or treatment, but sometimes for the psychological benefit to the patient through his believing he is receiving treatment)
Read on to find out more...
I use Mentholum (probably spelt that wrong) facial wash(supposed to use daily), facial scrub(supposed to use 2-3 times a week), and a moisturizer. I'm not very religious in my facial care though, some days I don't use it.
Like all normal people who don't have flawless skin, I've been using facial care products since I was a teenager. Of course, at that point it was all pimple/acne care products, creams, lotions, funny stuff that you smudge on your face in a desperate bid to get rid of that pimple outbreak.
They may also be just facial washes to try to 'cleanse your skin' or 'clear blocked pores' as advertised on those products.
However, do they really work?
I mean, there are also many people who DON'T use facial products and have pretty good skin! And even if you use the products, how do you know that they are working? Do you really see a marked decrease in pimples? A definite increase in complexion quality?
You must understand that even without these products, your pimples WILL disappear on their own. And a good complexion is obtainable from drinking lots of water, avoiding chocolate, etc.
My theory is that these facial products are so popular NOT because they work, but because they make you think they are working. You think that scrubbing that 'special formulated extract with coco beads' facial scrub (do you even know what the ingredients are half the time?) on your face SHOULD have some kind of cleansing effect. After all, your skin does feel more refreshed. (which is probably the effect of water and your self-massage when you are rubbing the facial wash on)
Plus, it's a known fact that the mere believing that a 'treatment' has an effect CAN cause an improvement in the symptoms it is treating. (i.e. the placebo effect)
Thus, most facial products are just playing on this placebo effect.
Of course, there may be some medicinal products that DO have some effects, such as those antibiotics prescribed by the doctors or special cream which they give. Those are not the products I am referring to; I am talking about those over-the-shelf products which we always purchase, the Gatsby facial wash, the Clean and Clear, the Oxy, etc.
So, don't be too extravagant in your facial products, as I think just the average cleanser will do, the rest of it is in your head. Ok, gonna go sleep early, I heard that's good for skin too.
Friday 26 November 2010
the great Mas Selamat non-detection mystery
This comic from mrbrown's blog is just funnyyy
hahahhaa
Check out his article too.
Philo immersion day 1 was fail cos I was with gf, day2 was super productive though i finished damn early like 3pm and played sc2, by tomorrow I should finish everything... and sunday is final revision.
Sigh hope I can get at least an A- or B+ for philo.
Thursday 25 November 2010
10 in a row
Alas, I have hit the magic mark - 10 wins in a row in Starcraft 2. wahahaha
Btw, for any future images on my blog, you can just click it to view the full sized image. Yup so my photos will all be standard size now. :) I REALLY love the new blogger. What took you guys so long to roll this out?! :)
Wednesday 24 November 2010
a chuckful of surprises
This is going to be a random update of my life, plus my thoughts on the latest episode of Chuck (S4E9). The review is after the pagebreak so as not to spoil those who haven't watched it and want to watch (Or just so those not interested can just not click it)
Ah, just finished two exams in the past 2 days. New Media was really hard despite being all MCQ.. the options were all super close and the questions weren't easy. Especially the application questions..oh wow. Each were worth 4 marks each.. so like really damn stress to choose one option knowing that you could lose 4 marks there and then.
Today was PL1101E which has always been one of my stronger modules as well as the one I put the most effort in to.. So I thought it was quite manageable. I won't dare say I'll ace it so hard that they can't find a good enough grade for me (LOL that came out funny) , there WERE quite a few questions that I wasn't sure of and my essay was smokefest for abit. But.. manageable ba. Because I worked really hard for it. Hope I get my A :/
Last paper is on Monday!! ugh fml most people would have ended exams by then and I'll be the only sad person having a paper. PHILOOO. Have to immerse myself in the complicated inquisitive world of philosophy for the next 4 days. Maybe I'll make another philosophical post
Ok thoughts on Chuck after the page break
I liked how we finally had a 2 parter for Chuck! Like every time the action gets so intense and they get into such danger and trouble but at the back of your head you know everything will turn up fine so in the end there's no suspense or tension. Like, they're captured by enemy spies? Don't worry, they will escape, or someone will rescue them. They are have 10 guns pointed to their heads? Don't worry, they will disarm everyone in a high tempo fight synchronized with music.
It's always the same! That's something about Chuck that made the subsequent seasons more and more predictable and hence the action less and less enjoyable. I wouldn't mind a few cliffhangers like how the previous episode ended.
Anyway, while the whole 'giant she-man' thing was funny, it was also highly unrealistic? Like oh sure, a CIA spy easily beats 'the best fighter' of Thailand. Furthermore, the fight wasn't really realistic, I would expect a street fight like that to be more than just the typical roundhouse kicks style that Chuck always uses. There should be more grappling, locks, and of course dirty moves which was the only thing they got right (throwing sand into Sarah's eyes)
Want to know how to make a decent street fight? Think Prison Break Season 3, SONA. Now, THOSE fight scenes certainly get your adrenaline up and you are almost cringing from the violence but leaning forward to urge the protagonist on. Also, how Michael eventually won the fight was realistic too. (And even more necessary because he isn't supposed to be a fighter)
How the whole scene could have been improved was Sarah fighting her teeth out trying to beat the fighter, and actually losing eventually, but the whole idea of that scene should capture the desperate effort of Sarah to keep fighting to save Chuck. Then in the end the 'boss' will ask his fighter not to kill her but let her find Chuck. Much more emotional value!
Ok maybe my critique on this whole 'unrealistic fighting' is not ... 'accurate', because this was precisely the style that Chuck started with and it's meant to be like that (for comic value). But once in a while can throw in some stuff like what I suggested right? ^^
I also didn't like how Chuck woke up from his 'sleep'. Wasn't his memory supposed to be wiped out? How come everything is fine and dandy!? Oh sure, lobotomy is a reversible process. Just yank out the electrodes (?? another part that I thought was damn weird.. Like she wasn't worried that just yanking them out may actually cause damage to Chuck) and all the memory is restored.
I thought it would have been much better for Chuck to open his eyes.. then go "Who are you?" -to be continued-
SO MUCH BETTER!! THREE PARTER!! Ratings sure go up. hahaha.
Ok that's all I have to say for Chuck. I hope the scriptwriting stops being so predictable~
(btw the blog post title is a line that Chuck said during this episode, I guess it was intentional and so lame lol. 'I am just chuckful of surprises!' (I think the actual expression is 'chock-full' or maybe it really is 'chuck-full'. I've no idea how to spell it)
And on a random side note, loved the LOST references in HIMYM this week! 4 8 15 16 23 42 :D 6 numbers I will never forget haha. Ok that's all I have, I will see you guyssss(and girlsssss) next time!
Ah, just finished two exams in the past 2 days. New Media was really hard despite being all MCQ.. the options were all super close and the questions weren't easy. Especially the application questions..oh wow. Each were worth 4 marks each.. so like really damn stress to choose one option knowing that you could lose 4 marks there and then.
Today was PL1101E which has always been one of my stronger modules as well as the one I put the most effort in to.. So I thought it was quite manageable. I won't dare say I'll ace it so hard that they can't find a good enough grade for me (LOL that came out funny) , there WERE quite a few questions that I wasn't sure of and my essay was smokefest for abit. But.. manageable ba. Because I worked really hard for it. Hope I get my A :/
Last paper is on Monday!! ugh fml most people would have ended exams by then and I'll be the only sad person having a paper. PHILOOO. Have to immerse myself in the complicated inquisitive world of philosophy for the next 4 days. Maybe I'll make another philosophical post
Ok thoughts on Chuck after the page break
I liked how we finally had a 2 parter for Chuck! Like every time the action gets so intense and they get into such danger and trouble but at the back of your head you know everything will turn up fine so in the end there's no suspense or tension. Like, they're captured by enemy spies? Don't worry, they will escape, or someone will rescue them. They are have 10 guns pointed to their heads? Don't worry, they will disarm everyone in a high tempo fight synchronized with music.
It's always the same! That's something about Chuck that made the subsequent seasons more and more predictable and hence the action less and less enjoyable. I wouldn't mind a few cliffhangers like how the previous episode ended.
Anyway, while the whole 'giant she-man' thing was funny, it was also highly unrealistic? Like oh sure, a CIA spy easily beats 'the best fighter' of Thailand. Furthermore, the fight wasn't really realistic, I would expect a street fight like that to be more than just the typical roundhouse kicks style that Chuck always uses. There should be more grappling, locks, and of course dirty moves which was the only thing they got right (throwing sand into Sarah's eyes)
Want to know how to make a decent street fight? Think Prison Break Season 3, SONA. Now, THOSE fight scenes certainly get your adrenaline up and you are almost cringing from the violence but leaning forward to urge the protagonist on. Also, how Michael eventually won the fight was realistic too. (And even more necessary because he isn't supposed to be a fighter)
How the whole scene could have been improved was Sarah fighting her teeth out trying to beat the fighter, and actually losing eventually, but the whole idea of that scene should capture the desperate effort of Sarah to keep fighting to save Chuck. Then in the end the 'boss' will ask his fighter not to kill her but let her find Chuck. Much more emotional value!
Ok maybe my critique on this whole 'unrealistic fighting' is not ... 'accurate', because this was precisely the style that Chuck started with and it's meant to be like that (for comic value). But once in a while can throw in some stuff like what I suggested right? ^^
I also didn't like how Chuck woke up from his 'sleep'. Wasn't his memory supposed to be wiped out? How come everything is fine and dandy!? Oh sure, lobotomy is a reversible process. Just yank out the electrodes (?? another part that I thought was damn weird.. Like she wasn't worried that just yanking them out may actually cause damage to Chuck) and all the memory is restored.
I thought it would have been much better for Chuck to open his eyes.. then go "Who are you?" -to be continued-
SO MUCH BETTER!! THREE PARTER!! Ratings sure go up. hahaha.
Ok that's all I have to say for Chuck. I hope the scriptwriting stops being so predictable~
(btw the blog post title is a line that Chuck said during this episode, I guess it was intentional and so lame lol. 'I am just chuckful of surprises!' (I think the actual expression is 'chock-full' or maybe it really is 'chuck-full'. I've no idea how to spell it)
And on a random side note, loved the LOST references in HIMYM this week! 4 8 15 16 23 42 :D 6 numbers I will never forget haha. Ok that's all I have, I will see you guyssss(and girlsssss) next time!
Sunday 21 November 2010
diamonds are forever
Finally got my last diamond in Starcraft 2! For 4v4! Was quite retarded, I had like 9 wins in a row and no promotion.. had a 26:6 win loss ratio. Then i lost one, then after the next win BAM promoted.
Diamond league in all categories :)
Top 40 in 1v1 diamond, 39 is my highest rank so far. Hope to climb to top 20 during the holidays! But have to get used to playing with my laptop cos i'll probably be visiting gf alot haha.
Read after page break for my rave about the new blogger interface!
Btw, draft.blogger's interface is damn nice? Looks so much better and i LOVE the new image adding functionality.. So much better than the old one, which was really buggy (when you insert image it puts it at the start of the post)
Now it inserts where you want it, and even after you upload you can just click it for a variety of resizing options! How cool is that! You must try it!
Why are they not making it the main interface? The one sucks man. Anyway, good job blogger, I was almost going to switch to wordpress and i discovered draft.blogger. :D
Ok, 2 more exams this week + 1 more next week and I'll climb to top 20 in my league in SC2!
EDIT: I just realised when i made the image large it would clash with my narrow space for my blog post and overlap onto the twitter side.. zz. Have to fix that soon. Sorry for small images!
EDIT EDIT: Oh cool stuff, you can click the image to view the full size image!! It didn't work when i clicked 'Preview'. Previously where got such function one!! NICE NICE BLOGGER LOVE LOVE
New feature for Facebook
I don't know if you are familiar with the '7 degrees of separation' hypothesis, which basically states that
"any 2 people in the world are separated by at most 7 degrees of separation."
This means that someone in Alaska could well be the friend of the cousin of the friend of the teacher of the pen pal of your sister's friend. In essence, you can connect any two people with such a line.
I don't know how accurate this hypothesis is, but when I think about it it seems pretty plausible to me. I mean, I'm sure it's a pretty common occurrence for Facebook users to go like 'Eh?! You know jane ah? she's from my secondary school!' which just shows the coverage of social networks.
Ok sorry that was a random digression about what I wanted to blog about. This post isn't about this 7 degrees of separation, but for a new feature for Facebook, that is, a 'Circle of Friends' or 'CoF' for short.
The perils of Facebook is well known to Communications and New Media students and basically any individual with common sense. If you upload something onto your Facebook, you must remember that it's very likely your future colleagues, or boss(es) may see it. Even the HR of the company you're applying for may run a Facebook sweep about you. (of course this last one may be protected if the HR are not your friends and you already have your privacy setting up to prevent non-friends from viewing your stuff..) Thus, there's the fear of uploading things that you WANT to upload.
How do we rectify this? Include a 'circles of friends' classification for Facebook!
Think of it as concentric circles, with the innermost circle being your closest circle of friends, the next circle being your close friends, the next circle being your normal friends, the next being your acquaintances, and the next being peopleyoubarelyknowbutwanttofriendyoubecausetheywannaboosttheirfacebookfriendscount. You get the idea.
Then your privacy settings will include how much you want each circle to see. For instance, everytime i upload a photo, I can select 'up to which degree of friends' do i want to allow to see those photos. There can be a default setting that simply 'allows all'.
This may sound troublesome to customize for those who don't care about what others see about them, so it can be an opt-in thing - if you don't want to utilize this feature, the default will just be the way things are now.
This feature can be called 'Circles of Friends' (CoF) and can be activated for various things besides photos - such as wall posts, sharing of links, videos. If you cant be bothered selecting who to allow to view your stuff everytime you perform an activity, it's ok! You just continue with your normal usage. If you ARE bothered, you activate the CoF for whichever function you want (e.g. wall posts) and everytime you make a wall post you select from a dropdown menu to which level you want to allow viewership of it, etc.
Oh, and of course your CoF settings for respective friends will be kept confidential, so your friends' feelings aren't hurt :p It can be a chore to get it up and running especially if you have like 12837 friends, but think of the benefits!
No more worrying about broadcasting personal (as in 'private', not personal as in yours) thoughts to seemingly any tom dick and harry on your FB list! No more worrying about your parents seeing your wild party photos! No more worrying about your colleagues finding out about your double life!
EDIT: http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,2032030,00.html
Even more privacy issues with the 'See Friendship' feature allowing friends of friends to see your private photos! This can potentially bypass the CoF thing as well, so I think the See Friendship feature needs fixing eh. :@
"any 2 people in the world are separated by at most 7 degrees of separation."
This means that someone in Alaska could well be the friend of the cousin of the friend of the teacher of the pen pal of your sister's friend. In essence, you can connect any two people with such a line.
I don't know how accurate this hypothesis is, but when I think about it it seems pretty plausible to me. I mean, I'm sure it's a pretty common occurrence for Facebook users to go like 'Eh?! You know jane ah? she's from my secondary school!' which just shows the coverage of social networks.
Ok sorry that was a random digression about what I wanted to blog about. This post isn't about this 7 degrees of separation, but for a new feature for Facebook, that is, a 'Circle of Friends' or 'CoF' for short.
The perils of Facebook is well known to Communications and New Media students and basically any individual with common sense. If you upload something onto your Facebook, you must remember that it's very likely your future colleagues, or boss(es) may see it. Even the HR of the company you're applying for may run a Facebook sweep about you. (of course this last one may be protected if the HR are not your friends and you already have your privacy setting up to prevent non-friends from viewing your stuff..) Thus, there's the fear of uploading things that you WANT to upload.
How do we rectify this? Include a 'circles of friends' classification for Facebook!
Think of it as concentric circles, with the innermost circle being your closest circle of friends, the next circle being your close friends, the next circle being your normal friends, the next being your acquaintances, and the next being peopleyoubarelyknowbutwanttofriendyoubecausetheywannaboosttheirfacebookfriendscount. You get the idea.
Then your privacy settings will include how much you want each circle to see. For instance, everytime i upload a photo, I can select 'up to which degree of friends' do i want to allow to see those photos. There can be a default setting that simply 'allows all'.
This may sound troublesome to customize for those who don't care about what others see about them, so it can be an opt-in thing - if you don't want to utilize this feature, the default will just be the way things are now.
This feature can be called 'Circles of Friends' (CoF) and can be activated for various things besides photos - such as wall posts, sharing of links, videos. If you cant be bothered selecting who to allow to view your stuff everytime you perform an activity, it's ok! You just continue with your normal usage. If you ARE bothered, you activate the CoF for whichever function you want (e.g. wall posts) and everytime you make a wall post you select from a dropdown menu to which level you want to allow viewership of it, etc.
Oh, and of course your CoF settings for respective friends will be kept confidential, so your friends' feelings aren't hurt :p It can be a chore to get it up and running especially if you have like 12837 friends, but think of the benefits!
No more worrying about broadcasting personal (as in 'private', not personal as in yours) thoughts to seemingly any tom dick and harry on your FB list! No more worrying about your parents seeing your wild party photos! No more worrying about your colleagues finding out about your double life!
EDIT: http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,2032030,00.html
Even more privacy issues with the 'See Friendship' feature allowing friends of friends to see your private photos! This can potentially bypass the CoF thing as well, so I think the See Friendship feature needs fixing eh. :@
Thursday 18 November 2010
blog design
So, tomorrow is my first finals paper ever in NUS.. and I've more or less stopped studying for the day lolol.
I think I am too damn complacent because it's an open book exam and I think it'll be no problemo. Will i regret not studying more ? Maybe, if I don't get an A for this module. I hope I do though :S
Anyway, I'm appealing to whoever knows abit about blog design or HTML or something. I've been wanting to tweak some parts of my blog for some time but I've no idea how.
1) How do you incorporate a twitter box without screwing up links?
Most people may not be aware of this, but when I had my twitter feed showing on the side bar, any links that were in line with the twitter box could not be clicked. Also, you cannot drag-select anything that is in line with the twitter box (e.g. you cannot copy something i typed)
And, why is my twitter box not working now >< I copied the code from Twitter and it doesn't seem to load my tweets.
2) How do you make dropdown menus?
For example, my archives is shiiizzle long, I want to make it just 'Archives ^' with an arrow that points downwards and when you click it it opens up into what it is now.
And also is there a way to make a preview style of blog posts such as @ http://qinrawks.blogspot.com/
without actually changing the template?
So I can show like, the first portion of my entry and you can click a 'Read More' button to read more.
Anyone who helps will get paid $19823712 in 129387213123982173 years
I think I am too damn complacent because it's an open book exam and I think it'll be no problemo. Will i regret not studying more ? Maybe, if I don't get an A for this module. I hope I do though :S
Anyway, I'm appealing to whoever knows abit about blog design or HTML or something. I've been wanting to tweak some parts of my blog for some time but I've no idea how.
1) How do you incorporate a twitter box without screwing up links?
Most people may not be aware of this, but when I had my twitter feed showing on the side bar, any links that were in line with the twitter box could not be clicked. Also, you cannot drag-select anything that is in line with the twitter box (e.g. you cannot copy something i typed)
And, why is my twitter box not working now >< I copied the code from Twitter and it doesn't seem to load my tweets.
2) How do you make dropdown menus?
For example, my archives is shiiizzle long, I want to make it just 'Archives ^' with an arrow that points downwards and when you click it it opens up into what it is now.
And also is there a way to make a preview style of blog posts such as @ http://qinrawks.blogspot.com/
without actually changing the template?
So I can show like, the first portion of my entry and you can click a 'Read More' button to read more.
Anyone who helps will get paid $19823712 in 129387213123982173 years
Wednesday 17 November 2010
dream blog
2 new entries on the dream blog! I think I'll update it quite regularly because.. I dream everyday ma. Unless I forget my dream.. which is a likely possibility.
http://alanzdreams.blogspot.com/
Anyway, going to meet her tomorrow! yay! after like, one week. LOL. Ok fine not very long. But it's like, the longest time since.. mid terms or something. rawr.
http://alanzdreams.blogspot.com/
Anyway, going to meet her tomorrow! yay! after like, one week. LOL. Ok fine not very long. But it's like, the longest time since.. mid terms or something. rawr.
Monday 15 November 2010
referees = rugby players
Hey, I heard the new requirement for soccer referees is to be really proficient at rugby! Or at least, dodging tackles. Watch this:
You can fastforward till about 0:35
This is just hilarious!? The referee eludes like the whole team! hahaha he can totally play rugby and score a touchdown easily against this soccer team.
Also shows how soccer players are too used to using their feet.. even tackle someone also try to do flying kick rofl! They could easily have brought him down with a normal rugby tackle .. or maybe not cos the referee too pro already hahaha
You can fastforward till about 0:35
This is just hilarious!? The referee eludes like the whole team! hahaha he can totally play rugby and score a touchdown easily against this soccer team.
Also shows how soccer players are too used to using their feet.. even tackle someone also try to do flying kick rofl! They could easily have brought him down with a normal rugby tackle .. or maybe not cos the referee too pro already hahaha
Sunday 14 November 2010
dream blog
http://alanzdreams.blogspot.com/
Just made a new separate blog for my dreams.. Decided to start penning them down since they are kinda interesting sometimes. And I heard recalling your dreams improves memory. And exams coming ma HAHA.
Yup so one new entry up, I'll advertise here whenever an entry goes up there so you can just keep coming back here for blogginggoodness. :p
Ok adios
Just made a new separate blog for my dreams.. Decided to start penning them down since they are kinda interesting sometimes. And I heard recalling your dreams improves memory. And exams coming ma HAHA.
Yup so one new entry up, I'll advertise here whenever an entry goes up there so you can just keep coming back here for blogginggoodness. :p
Ok adios
two words
Came up with this concept of a 'poem' last night. Basically, one or two words only each line.
Late night
can't sleep
full up
maggi goreng
too good
too shiok
thirsty
keep drinking
can't sleep
too full
girlfriend
comes on
entertain
talk talk
still full
can't sleep
think of
her hair
her smell
lingers
breathe deep
toes shake
lip quivers
eyes close
imagine
too vivid
can't sleep
tick tock
two more
minutes
midnight
beckons
need rest
too full
food baby
must train
for her
once again
think of
sweet voice
my ear
tingles
down my
backbone
can't sleep
too vivid
brush teeth
wash face
prepare
for bed
she is
still there
talking bout
magic week
must not
imagine
must focus
study hard
time to
se coucher
even though
can't sleep
must try.
Late night
can't sleep
full up
maggi goreng
too good
too shiok
thirsty
keep drinking
can't sleep
too full
girlfriend
comes on
entertain
talk talk
still full
can't sleep
think of
her hair
her smell
lingers
breathe deep
toes shake
lip quivers
eyes close
imagine
too vivid
can't sleep
tick tock
two more
minutes
midnight
beckons
need rest
too full
food baby
must train
for her
once again
think of
sweet voice
my ear
tingles
down my
backbone
can't sleep
too vivid
brush teeth
wash face
prepare
for bed
she is
still there
talking bout
magic week
must not
imagine
must focus
study hard
time to
se coucher
even though
can't sleep
must try.
Wednesday 10 November 2010
Gee
Today's Glee was really good! With the exception of a particularly gross scene that grossed me out even though it was supposed to be sweet and nice i guess, the rest of it was quite awesome, especially the Kurt storyline. The songs were ALL GOOD!
I don't say that very often because sometimes the songs are too boring and too 'nice' for me. When I say nice i mean like, vocally nice. But when the songs have a good rhythm and sound good in general, that's when I like it!
Just going to embed my favourite here and you can click the other links yourself :p
http://youtu.be/fKznUS2PEVA (One Love - Puck and Artie)
http://youtu.be/bVmRerHwNCs (Livin' on a Prayer/ Start me up - Glee girls)
http://youtu.be/TErgi50jm2g (Free Your Mind / Stop - Glee guys)
(yup sorry spoilt you it's a guys v girls episode again :p But the focus is totally not on the guy-girl rivalry this time.. which is good :) )
And my favourite:
Acapella all the way! Love the beatboxer. and the song damn nice! And this guy is apparently some Harrypotter guy? sorry i dont watch HP haha. DARREN CRISS. Who is he. haha.
YOU. MAKE. ME. FEEL LIKE I'M LIVING A TEEN. AGE. DREAM.
...
LET YOU PUT YOUR HANDS ON ME, IN MY SKIN TIGHT JEANS, BE YOUR TEENAGE DREAM!
this song is impossibly catchy! I bet you you can't resist singing along once you know the lyrics lol. DAMN CATCHY.
This scene was super nice also, i like Kurt's lovestruck look it was super funny!
Yup that's all about Glee.
And no, the title of this blog post wasn't a typo. I really meant, gee. like, gee gee. GG.
Exams are in, what, 9 days? OMG WTF SO FAST ? zzz. My first paper is on 20th so it's next Saturday. Sigh x123987
I've made a promise to myself to study 7 hours a day starting Saturday. Split them up in 2 hours, 3 hours, 2 hours sessions. Hope I can stick to it! Cos if i do, confirm can finish my revision. Though PL1101E looks ridiculous. 800++ pages to memorize! How!?
I mean, the MCQ maybe i can pull a miracle and get 90+ again la. wait, 45+ (it's upon 50 now). But there are five 10 mark essay questions now... which will be the main factor between an A or a B i guess. Sigh hope i can get A (or A+) for it, it's the only mod i have such confidence and is the one i'm putting in the most effort in.
Dear God,
I pray that you will give me strength to go through this exam period, studying according to my schedule everyday. Lord I pray that you will sustain me and give me the focus I need, and help me to do my best in all my papers.
in Jesus' name i pray,
Amen.
I'm praying for you too.
I don't say that very often because sometimes the songs are too boring and too 'nice' for me. When I say nice i mean like, vocally nice. But when the songs have a good rhythm and sound good in general, that's when I like it!
Just going to embed my favourite here and you can click the other links yourself :p
http://youtu.be/fKznUS2PEVA (One Love - Puck and Artie)
http://youtu.be/bVmRerHwNCs (Livin' on a Prayer/ Start me up - Glee girls)
http://youtu.be/TErgi50jm2g (Free Your Mind / Stop - Glee guys)
(yup sorry spoilt you it's a guys v girls episode again :p But the focus is totally not on the guy-girl rivalry this time.. which is good :) )
And my favourite:
Acapella all the way! Love the beatboxer. and the song damn nice! And this guy is apparently some Harrypotter guy? sorry i dont watch HP haha. DARREN CRISS. Who is he. haha.
YOU. MAKE. ME. FEEL LIKE I'M LIVING A TEEN. AGE. DREAM.
...
LET YOU PUT YOUR HANDS ON ME, IN MY SKIN TIGHT JEANS, BE YOUR TEENAGE DREAM!
this song is impossibly catchy! I bet you you can't resist singing along once you know the lyrics lol. DAMN CATCHY.
This scene was super nice also, i like Kurt's lovestruck look it was super funny!
Yup that's all about Glee.
And no, the title of this blog post wasn't a typo. I really meant, gee. like, gee gee. GG.
Exams are in, what, 9 days? OMG WTF SO FAST ? zzz. My first paper is on 20th so it's next Saturday. Sigh x123987
I've made a promise to myself to study 7 hours a day starting Saturday. Split them up in 2 hours, 3 hours, 2 hours sessions. Hope I can stick to it! Cos if i do, confirm can finish my revision. Though PL1101E looks ridiculous. 800++ pages to memorize! How!?
I mean, the MCQ maybe i can pull a miracle and get 90+ again la. wait, 45+ (it's upon 50 now). But there are five 10 mark essay questions now... which will be the main factor between an A or a B i guess. Sigh hope i can get A (or A+) for it, it's the only mod i have such confidence and is the one i'm putting in the most effort in.
Dear God,
I pray that you will give me strength to go through this exam period, studying according to my schedule everyday. Lord I pray that you will sustain me and give me the focus I need, and help me to do my best in all my papers.
in Jesus' name i pray,
Amen.
I'm praying for you too.
Monday 8 November 2010
DIE AH COME LE
If you noticed the previous post was gone, for various reasons. It was meant to be a joke btw, in case you didn't get it. The actual process is obviously much longer and complicated than that.. apparently some fails don't get it and are making stupid comments.
Anyway, FINALS ARE COMING!!!
oh wow, I don't think I've fully grasped the severity of this statement when everyone is panicking.. I should be too, I'm too damn slack. I'm not motivated to study at all, have a french test (2nd last one! and last one on thursday! au revoir francaissss!) coming up on wed but i cbf to study.
And well I had a sudden interest to climb the SC2 Ladder but after losing 6 games in a row that was extinguished quickly haha. But now I have to really get into the MOOD.
Ok it's going to be like a ritual.. When I CUT MY HAIR tomorrow, all the laziness will be gone. All the slackness, procrastination, cbf-ness will be gone. When I cut my hair tomorrow, I'm going to mug like hell and get at least 3 As. RAWR. symbolic ceremonyyy
And no, I'm not cutting a bowl haircut
Anyway, FINALS ARE COMING!!!
oh wow, I don't think I've fully grasped the severity of this statement when everyone is panicking.. I should be too, I'm too damn slack. I'm not motivated to study at all, have a french test (2nd last one! and last one on thursday! au revoir francaissss!) coming up on wed but i cbf to study.
And well I had a sudden interest to climb the SC2 Ladder but after losing 6 games in a row that was extinguished quickly haha. But now I have to really get into the MOOD.
Ok it's going to be like a ritual.. When I CUT MY HAIR tomorrow, all the laziness will be gone. All the slackness, procrastination, cbf-ness will be gone. When I cut my hair tomorrow, I'm going to mug like hell and get at least 3 As. RAWR. symbolic ceremonyyy
And no, I'm not cutting a bowl haircut
Monday 1 November 2010
the mid term review
so... today I just got back my final 'mid-term' result, which is my Psych exposure mod essay. And so it's time to do a 'mid-term' review though it's already way past midterm! Exams in less than 3 weeks!! omg
I'll do another 'final review' after i get back my results on the 21st Dec (omg 4 days before christmas how to enjoy if lousy results. haha i just signed up for some SMS service just now that will SMS me my results on that day morning)
I wont discuss the grading criteria for all the modules till the 'final review', just some thoughts about each mod so far.
DISCLAIMER: I am going to put my results up so if you're the kind that thinks omg he's a showoff such a disgusting person you can stop reading this entry ktnxbai. then again you could just read on and take note of my results then laugh at me after my finals when i do badly and suan me for boasting now go ahead yea do that you dirty little #$!%^#@
PH1102E
Introduction to Philosophy
This is easily one of my favourite modules.. probably tied with French/Psych.My top 3 are all pretty close!
I love to think and debate about the philosophical issues, and my only gripe with this mod is that it focuses more on summary skills than on actual philosophical reasoning. But the articles we read every week are really interesting and I love doing the readings. (except for some weeks which are damn chim)
No mid term tests for this module so nothing to say about that..
LAF1201
French 1
Before I entered uni, never in a million years would I have guessed I would be taking this module. It all happened within 1-2 days when bestie suddenly suggested this cos of yvonne, and so we bidded for it and in the end yvonne didn't get it.
So here i am, almost done with this module and left with 2 tests. I did relatively well (i think, have no idea because bell curve was not released) for the first few tests, with a 75%ish score for all of them.
And, I love the module! It's really fun to learn a new language, just that of course it is not easy. It requires constant work, and supportive friends to learn with you so that you can practise together. Very enjoyable mod tho, my lecturer (YANNICK!) is awesome :D
PL1101E
Introduction to Psychology
I intend to major in Psych, so of course I'm taking this. I love what I study, this is probably the first time I'd say studying is FUN (as compared to learning pi r square and logarithms and 3.141592654zomgwaddanonsense)
Most of the chapters are fun and interesting to read (bio psych bleahz) and my only gripe is that it's SO much info. 50-60 pages to read every week (there was one week it was 100, one week it was about 150) I guess introductory modules are like that, they have to expose you to everything.
and yea, got back my midterm essay results today, i got an A+!! Wow so happy and pleasantly surprised with that, was expecting B+. At most, A? But A+!! wow. I really don't think my essay was that great though I guess the risk i took in writing a 'special' conclusion paid off and got me the 'plus' :D
And my midterm MCQ test I got 92.5/100... which is pretty damn high lol. (The mean was 61) I didn't really expect this though I didn't really have any quantifiable expectations.. I just hoped to do well in general.
My friends keep saying i got the highest but nooo i found out someone else got 94/100 grr. Technically we got the same number of questions correct, because it was negative marking and that person left 6 questions blank while i guessed all my 'not-sure' questions.
So that's 50% settled, must do well for my finals! this module is probably the only module i'm relatively confident of getting an A (and hope to get A+!)
PL2131
Research and Statistical Methods
A compulsory module to take for Psych majors, so had to take it. Screwed up my first assignment (3/10) so I was.. no wait, am still pretty worried about this.
Made up for it with a decent mid term MCQ score of 88/100, but the mean was 75 or something. So it isn't THAT good as compared to PL1101.
Have to have to have to do well for finals.
This is very critical as i need at least a B- if not I cant major in Psych :o I would just die la.
I kinda like the module though I wish the lecturer could be a bit clearer (he is from HongKong with a strong accent) He is very very prompt with email/forum replies though, and that's something I appreciate.
It's a concept-based module, so not that much memorization (final exam is open book) Like it, but a bit scary. Really have to totally understand your stuff to score well, and i hope to achieve that.
and finally
NM1101E
Communications and New Media
This module is really hard to define to other people. What do I study? Just about everything? Well, of course the theme is 'New Media', which refers to, well, new media. E.g. online newspapers, Internet, blogs, etcetc.
We've covered topics ranging from the Digital Divide, Good/Flawed Design models, Violence in Video Games, History of the WWW, etc. As you can see, it's really hard to explain exactly what i'm doing here as it's so varied.
I warmed up to the module through the semester, as the earlier chapters were such a bore. Now we're doing more interesting stuff like the Video Games thing and others, and also because i have a pretty darn awesome TA (Daniel :) )
He's this first-class honours graduate (2009), waiting to do his Masters i think. He sounds damn pro and i like how he conducts his tutorials, makes the understanding of material much easier. Plus, he's a robot in terms of replying emails too.. very very efficient and he puts in effort to reply emails not like a one sentence reply.
Have had 1 big project, 1 small project, 1 mid term test. Got a total of 14.5/15 combined for the 2 projects (i'm very proud of this for reasons I shall not say on my blog because I will offend people) and 29.5/35 for mid term test.. which isn't very good because I know alot of people who got above 30.
The test was too easy IMHO, when I left the LT i remember thinking 'damn that was too easy'. The MCQ had some ridiculously straightforward questions.. I cant remember exactly but this is an example of how obvious the options would be: (don't look at how easy the question is, that's not the point. The point is how obvious the correct answer is the correct answer)
Q: What is the color of an apple
a) 23
b) red
c) pie
d) eggs
Ya ya some smart alecks will go 'no wait apples can be green' BUT THATS NOT THE POINT the point is from the options, it's too darn obvious what the correct answer is!
Then you'll ask, 'so why you never get 30+ ?'
To which I will respond.. ... ... i dunno :( i suck la k.
I genuinely hope the finals will be tougher (all MCQ -_- ) so that it will separate those who really studied and those who didn't. And of course I hope to fall in the former category... though my exam schedule for NM is alittle screwed as it is one day before Psych ugh.
Yup and that concludes my mid term review. I've another big long post (it may not be long but it will certainly be big) coming up soon, probably on friday or saturday, stay tuned for that :) As for now, my loyal blog reader(s?), take care and eat your veggies!
I'll do another 'final review' after i get back my results on the 21st Dec (omg 4 days before christmas how to enjoy if lousy results. haha i just signed up for some SMS service just now that will SMS me my results on that day morning)
I wont discuss the grading criteria for all the modules till the 'final review', just some thoughts about each mod so far.
DISCLAIMER: I am going to put my results up so if you're the kind that thinks omg he's a showoff such a disgusting person you can stop reading this entry ktnxbai. then again you could just read on and take note of my results then laugh at me after my finals when i do badly and suan me for boasting now go ahead yea do that you dirty little #$!%^#@
PH1102E
Introduction to Philosophy
This is easily one of my favourite modules.. probably tied with French/Psych.My top 3 are all pretty close!
I love to think and debate about the philosophical issues, and my only gripe with this mod is that it focuses more on summary skills than on actual philosophical reasoning. But the articles we read every week are really interesting and I love doing the readings. (except for some weeks which are damn chim)
No mid term tests for this module so nothing to say about that..
LAF1201
French 1
Before I entered uni, never in a million years would I have guessed I would be taking this module. It all happened within 1-2 days when bestie suddenly suggested this cos of yvonne, and so we bidded for it and in the end yvonne didn't get it.
So here i am, almost done with this module and left with 2 tests. I did relatively well (i think, have no idea because bell curve was not released) for the first few tests, with a 75%ish score for all of them.
And, I love the module! It's really fun to learn a new language, just that of course it is not easy. It requires constant work, and supportive friends to learn with you so that you can practise together. Very enjoyable mod tho, my lecturer (YANNICK!) is awesome :D
PL1101E
Introduction to Psychology
I intend to major in Psych, so of course I'm taking this. I love what I study, this is probably the first time I'd say studying is FUN (as compared to learning pi r square and logarithms and 3.141592654zomgwaddanonsense)
Most of the chapters are fun and interesting to read (bio psych bleahz) and my only gripe is that it's SO much info. 50-60 pages to read every week (there was one week it was 100, one week it was about 150) I guess introductory modules are like that, they have to expose you to everything.
and yea, got back my midterm essay results today, i got an A+!! Wow so happy and pleasantly surprised with that, was expecting B+. At most, A? But A+!! wow. I really don't think my essay was that great though I guess the risk i took in writing a 'special' conclusion paid off and got me the 'plus' :D
And my midterm MCQ test I got 92.5/100... which is pretty damn high lol. (The mean was 61) I didn't really expect this though I didn't really have any quantifiable expectations.. I just hoped to do well in general.
My friends keep saying i got the highest but nooo i found out someone else got 94/100 grr. Technically we got the same number of questions correct, because it was negative marking and that person left 6 questions blank while i guessed all my 'not-sure' questions.
So that's 50% settled, must do well for my finals! this module is probably the only module i'm relatively confident of getting an A (and hope to get A+!)
PL2131
Research and Statistical Methods
A compulsory module to take for Psych majors, so had to take it. Screwed up my first assignment (3/10) so I was.. no wait, am still pretty worried about this.
Made up for it with a decent mid term MCQ score of 88/100, but the mean was 75 or something. So it isn't THAT good as compared to PL1101.
Have to have to have to do well for finals.
This is very critical as i need at least a B- if not I cant major in Psych :o I would just die la.
I kinda like the module though I wish the lecturer could be a bit clearer (he is from HongKong with a strong accent) He is very very prompt with email/forum replies though, and that's something I appreciate.
It's a concept-based module, so not that much memorization (final exam is open book) Like it, but a bit scary. Really have to totally understand your stuff to score well, and i hope to achieve that.
and finally
NM1101E
Communications and New Media
This module is really hard to define to other people. What do I study? Just about everything? Well, of course the theme is 'New Media', which refers to, well, new media. E.g. online newspapers, Internet, blogs, etcetc.
We've covered topics ranging from the Digital Divide, Good/Flawed Design models, Violence in Video Games, History of the WWW, etc. As you can see, it's really hard to explain exactly what i'm doing here as it's so varied.
I warmed up to the module through the semester, as the earlier chapters were such a bore. Now we're doing more interesting stuff like the Video Games thing and others, and also because i have a pretty darn awesome TA (Daniel :) )
He's this first-class honours graduate (2009), waiting to do his Masters i think. He sounds damn pro and i like how he conducts his tutorials, makes the understanding of material much easier. Plus, he's a robot in terms of replying emails too.. very very efficient and he puts in effort to reply emails not like a one sentence reply.
Have had 1 big project, 1 small project, 1 mid term test. Got a total of 14.5/15 combined for the 2 projects (i'm very proud of this for reasons I shall not say on my blog because I will offend people) and 29.5/35 for mid term test.. which isn't very good because I know alot of people who got above 30.
The test was too easy IMHO, when I left the LT i remember thinking 'damn that was too easy'. The MCQ had some ridiculously straightforward questions.. I cant remember exactly but this is an example of how obvious the options would be: (don't look at how easy the question is, that's not the point. The point is how obvious the correct answer is the correct answer)
Q: What is the color of an apple
a) 23
b) red
c) pie
d) eggs
Ya ya some smart alecks will go 'no wait apples can be green' BUT THATS NOT THE POINT the point is from the options, it's too darn obvious what the correct answer is!
Then you'll ask, 'so why you never get 30+ ?'
To which I will respond.. ... ... i dunno :( i suck la k.
I genuinely hope the finals will be tougher (all MCQ -_- ) so that it will separate those who really studied and those who didn't. And of course I hope to fall in the former category... though my exam schedule for NM is alittle screwed as it is one day before Psych ugh.
Yup and that concludes my mid term review. I've another big long post (it may not be long but it will certainly be big) coming up soon, probably on friday or saturday, stay tuned for that :) As for now, my loyal blog reader(s?), take care and eat your veggies!
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