This month I overspent my budget. Or rather, the correct term to use is allowance. To put it in plain mathematics terms, if x is the amount of allowance I get, I spent x+30. I overshot by about $30 dollars this month and it’s largely due to the start of school this month.
The first major event of the month is the O week which started at 1st August for the councillors and 2nd August for the freshies. I paid $15 for the O Week, excluding food meals which we paid an extra of $2 per meal for catering. Not to mention one of the meals was short of 1 due to freshies coming and going without prior notification. I spent the $2, and had to add in $5 to get two items from Delifrance. Total damage, a $7 meal. Not to mention the suppers we had.
During the O week we had external hunt too and had to travel. However this was probably offset by the fact that I stayed in school over some days and didn’t spend on travel during those days.
I also had to buy my ink cartridge at $29.50 for blank ink so I can continue to print my notes at home, and this is a one off expense that probably occurs once every semester, and I probably buy only 3 cartridges a year.
I went to Popular this month to get some supplies. I got a A5 size file with A5 writing paper and it’s now going to be my notes library. I will revise and compile all the notes into the file and hopefully it helps in revision.
Another noteworthy thing to mention is that I’m spending more on food. I’m having 7 meals in school at least now, because on tuesdays and fridays, I have MA2216 which is from 6pm-8pm. Not to mention Sunday lunch and dinner when I study with my friend outside as well as have Japanese Language lessons. The amount of Old Chang Kee I eat should warrant a need for a membership discount card. Haha. I’m also eating more snacks. It seems to be a standard event to buy coffee on Thursday and Friday mornings. I’m also having to snack on Thursday morning because my day starts from 8 and the first break is at 2 due to my tutorial lecture timeslots.
Not to mention that food prices are increasing. Technoedge’s prices are increasing and the food quality isn’t going up too. Indon’s Chicken Chop at $3 is the best deal and the price hasn’t changed since I was a freshie. Mc Donalds already upped their prices in my second semester in NUS, and the other stalls increase prices by 20 to 30 cents for each dish.
Well I should expect not to overspend in September since there are plenty of miscellaneous fees that I won’t be spending on, like $15 for O week, $30 for ink and $23 for supplies. That’s already $68. Well then, perhaps Monday mornings I can buy coffee too.
Today I was listening to my mp3 and an old song was played. Before I say what that song is, let me bring your attention to another song, Love Me, which is one of my favourite songs.
Basically there’s a story for the song. At the start, the singer reads a note his grandma wrote to his grandpa. It spoke of how the grandma’s dad didn’t approve of the grandpa and how they planned to elope. The chorus part is the content of the note and it’s like this:
“If you get there before I do, don’t give up on me. I’ll meet you when my chores are through. I don’t know how long I’ll be. But I’m not gonna let you down. Darling wait and see. Between now and then, till I see you again, I’ll be loving you, love, me.”
Then the story continues on the day of the grandma’s funeral and how the grandpa cried when he knelt at the doorway of the church as they prayed. The ending of the song is the grandpa saying the chorus to the grandma (first is grandma to grandpa, now it’s the other way).
Ok now the JJ Lin song that played is “Hui You Na Me Yi Tian”. In the song, the grandpa leaves for war at the year 1943, World War II. Before grandpa leaves, he sings a song (the chorus) to grandma. It goes like this if I remember correctly:
Basically the translation is: I’m going. Don’t cry. Don’t be sad. Belive in me. Please wait for my love which will not leave you forever. Because there’ll be a day where we hold hands in the grass field, listening to the birds sound, and telling me “I love you”.
The song then continues, and the grandma is dying on her death bed, and then she sings the song to grandpa who is still alive, and she sings the chorus.
The two songs are so alike. In terms of the chorus being sung by the male to female and female to male in the songs. As well as the meaning is somewhat similar. And both grandma dies.
Seriously I think the inspiration came from Love Me. I used to like the chinese song a lot, but I thought Love Me was nicer and I still think it’s nicer. I just find it funny how I only noticed it like now. Well nothing wrong with inspiration!
I just thought I would like to just voice out some of my own opinion on some issues, not that this is anything new or that it’s very important opinion, but yeah I just want to say some stuffs.
Recently our Singapore Table Tennis team won the silver medal. As expected, there are always issues with the fact that our team wasn’t born and bred in Singapore. In other terms, they are not Singaporeans by nature, but immigrants. I was actually quite disillusioned, and I wondered if I should be proud of this silver medal. In a way, I wondered what sports and the olympics was about. Is the Olympics about overcoming one’s personal best and trying to gain pride and honour for one’s country? I thought so, but it seems weird that we will hire people from overseas to help us in our quest for a medal.
Seriously, is a medal that important? To me, it is not. I felt that the process of doing the sports is the important one, even if the end result is a loss. I felt that Singaporean atheletes should be given more chances to try and even experience the Olympics, and that would be a proud moment for me even if they lost.
However, some discussion that I’ve seen over the internet made me wonder. There is an issue with the lack of a sports culture. Admittedly, the introduction of these table tennis players does raise our sports culture significantly. We get more interested in the going on’s of table tennis, and people learn that the game is set at 11 points unless the oponent is just 1 point difference from you. People are more aware of the Olympics. In fact, in a way, to have fellow Singaporeans all rooting for the same team and hoping they win, that feeling is perhaps priceless.
Is it that important whether they are true Singaporeans or not? I am not too sure now. They do have their advantages, especially in improving our sports culture. The thing is that other countries are doing the same thing too. We find that many countries employ former Chinese nationals.
Another interesting point to note is that, if they were trained locally, and not “ready made”, then it is something to be happy and proud of isn’t it? For they were given places to grow and improve by Singapore and not other countries.
On another topic, I am finding it puzzling with regards to the actions of the newly crowned president of the table tennis association. Yes I am talking about the minister who talked about shitting, in parliament. I find it puzzling that action has been taken so swiftly, and there is no room for discussion, no panel to inquire and advice on a suitable course of action. The culture seems to be a “if you can’t deliver properly, off you go”. Sadly, that doesn’t apply to ministers. In a funny way, I ask, if everytime we have a problem and we change table tennis coaches and managers, then how many people will want to be coaches and managers? Hence I propose that table tennis coaches and managers be given a high attractive salary of 3 million Singapore dollars a year. We can protect our ministers, but not the coaches, and I seem to think Mas Selamat is a bigger issue than the top male paddler losing a match. Our male paddlers have never seemed to have a medal chance anyway.
And how funny it is that our government keeps asking us to move on? When Mas Selamat escaped, we should move on. When the manager gets sacked and the coach in danger of being removed, the MP who’s also the association president asks us to move on when we make a big fuss. Is it becoming a norm where by when we the citizens question a policy or a course of action, we should just move on? I think not, we should not move on. If everytime there is a problem, we move on and ignore it, we won’t grow and improve, and we will eventually degenerate into a mindless society that does not question actions done by government level people. I don’t see why they have to ask us to move on. Rather, they should move on and tell us what they think about our queries. I find it disturbing that you can sack a manager without giving him official notification, and at such a time too, when we should be “celebrating” our first medal in 48 years. Quick to axe the peasants but not the nobles? Bleah.
On yet another topic, we have our neighbours having an election soon, with many controversies going on, ironically, in the same standard as the mp. Mp talks about shit, and we have people accusing Anwar of poking his dick in shit. Is shit a popular topic?
The funny thing I noticed is that the oaths thing is probably abused. People are calling for Anwar to take an oath of innocence. However, people assume one thing, that people taking oaths tell the truth. That is a fallacy. It may not be true. On the other hand, not taking oaths do not signify guilt either. What’s up with all the wayang, going to such lengths to swear on the religious book? The answer? Politics. Perhaps they find that they will lose the by-elections, and it seems that it is easy to sway peasants who do not understand that people can lie during oaths.
I don’t see the point in taking oaths, especially when they can be abused. But I do not like the idea that people seem to think taking oaths signify honesty and truthfulness, when it can also be a product of political manipulation. To mix religion with politics, I think that’s nasty.
Well I got it out of my system and I’m quite happy now. Feel free to comment.
Well this blog is becoming more of a journal of my life, and is really becoming more and more uninteresting, not that it ever was interesting in the first place. The second week of school ended rather fast and next week is the start of most tutorials.
Something I hate about my timetable is that my EE2005 has two lectures, one on Monday and the other on Friday. By the time Friday arrives, I would have forgotten what was taught. The other lectures are better because they are either not so far spaced out, or on consecutive days, so it’s easier to digest, in my opinion of cause. The downside to consecutive days is that if you can’t get it you have very little time at night to mug and get it before the next lecture.
But generally school is still alright, and the 6 modules is actually barely manageable. I think I just need some time to digest and do my revisions and I suppose that is what I’m going to do for my weekends. Japanese lessons are also going to end in 3 sessions time (about 2 weeks), and that will leave me with more time for studies.
Yesterday was a pretty fun day. I went for 8.30 – 10 lecture for my EE2005 and I’m completely lost because I can’t remember what was the point in the Monday lecture. Hence I have to do some revision either today or tomorrow so I will be on track on Monday. Haha. After that I went to the Multi Purpose Sports Hall 5 (MPSH 5) to play badminton with the freshies and councillors of my orientation group, and now I’m aching in numerous parts of my body due to the long 3 hour game. I really enjoyed myself and I am sure the freshies did too.
After that had a super full Subway meal at 2pm and it screwed up my meal timings. Went to the library to do tutorials and revise one particular module, and then went for “dinner”. Ordered the “Shui Jiao Tang” (Dumpling Soup) at Science and my opinion is that it should be renamed “Vegetable Soup”. The amount of vegetables they put in is more than the dumplings!
Sat in the front side for MA2216 for the first time and I realized what a wonderful experience it is to be able to hear the lecturer’s voice. From this week onwards I have to reach the LT earlier to get a seat that’s more to the front. However I was surprised that I had recursion in my probabilities course. Need to figure out that recursion thing. Perhaps I’ll borrow the textbook from the library.
After lecture we just took the bus 197 to Bugis Junction and ate the weekly dessert at the dessert shop my clique frequents. In the past I didn’t join them and I’m now making an effort to join them for all such outings, especially when we don’t get to see each other in school often due to the conflicting timetables.
Got home late and slept, this morning woke up again to go to school for a 9-12 lecture for EE2004. I got lost after the first hour or so and thank goodness it ended a little past 11. Hence there is not much I am confused about and I can just read it later and try to decipher before I do my tutorials.
And oh my marketing lecturer is great. She makes things fun and lively and I listen to the whole 2 hours. Now my problem is remembering exactly what everything is about. Lol.
I haven’t been really blogging for a very long time. I can’t remember the last time I sat down to write a decent post, be it a serious opinion or a book review, or even a review for the JDramas that I have watched before. Most of the time I seem to have lost an interest or lost the passion, the zeal, of blogging.
The main reason is that the semester has started and I became lazy. There’s just stuff to do at night, and the freshies are already freaking me out. It seemed that this batch of freshies are all very hardworking. My lecture just ended and they came in to sit down and take out their lecture notes, and I haven’t even gotten out of the lecture yet!
The libraries are quite occupied too. I’m surprised to see the whole of level 5 taken only in the beginning of second week. Unless the seniors changed all at one shot, the logical reason is that quite a number of freshies are inside.
I know they are different because they hunt for textbooks more rigorously than we did last year. They kept asking me if I knew anyone still selling the MLE textbooks. But admittedly, some are just plain stupid, or desperate. Two guys in Used Textbook Forum sold their MLE textbooks for 35 and 36 dollars respectively. The clementi bookshop price is about $38 and that’s first hand. 2 dollars cheaper for a 2nd hand book? I rather “upsize” and get a new one.
But thankfully they have not started to book the discussion rooms yet, so I can still book them and have my group mugging therapy sessions. Again this semester is 6 modules so more work needs to be done.
A friend challenged me. Loser treats winner to Kushinbo. Based on the SAP score. So there’s much work to be done, very little time. I even brought my Japanese homework to school to do. It’s pretty fun though, being in school and studying. A good change to lazying around in the 3 months holiday.
I ran today too. Ran a shorter distance and didn’t clock the time I wanted to clock. In short I’m slower and more easily tired than I was last month. I guess I need to get used to running.
Well uni life is pretty much settled. Bought all my 3 core module’s books already, the last one from Coop instead of clementi bookstore cause the stock only comes in 6-8 weeks, of which my sem is probably going to end in a month’s time. So I just get it at 1 dollars extra from Coop and without the nice plastic cover too. Haha.
Be amazed with the superior service provided by the staff. Lawry’s signature dish, Roasted Prime Ribs of Beef, is craved and served specially from Lawry’s silver carts. These carts are wheeled to diner’s tables, giving them the opportunity to choose their preferred cuts, from rare to as well done as they’d like. Absolute freedom. Waiters’ uniforms are designed such that diners feel like they are in a ritzy club.
Lawry’s The Prime Rib Singapore Pte Ltd #02-42/44 Paragon, 290 Orchard Road. Singapore 238859
Well it’s the first day of school today and I finally gotten my last module. Why so late? Because to get the sixth module, we have to bid from round 3 onwards, and round 3 starts today. It’s due to a new NUS policy where they try to make it easier for people to get all 5 modules first before allowing the rest of us who want a sixth module to try.
I’m not being a sick mugger when I took this sixth module, but I absolutely have to clear it for my minor requirements. Since the department of ECE decides that we have to take 2 business modules, it has lead me to need to overload 3 semesters so that I can do my IA and clear my minor altogether within 8 normal semesters.
Hence here is the breakdown:
EE2004 – 1 point
EE2005 – 1 point
EE2011 – 1 point
All these three above are preallocated.
MKT1003 – 1 point
GEK1520 – 600 point from G account
MA2216 – 1 point
There you go. 605 points spent this semester.
Tutorial balloting also starts today. I managed to get my desired tutorial slots for GEK1520, EE2004 and EE2011. EE2005 I didn’t get because everyone chose the same slots. Why? Because the other EE2005 tutorial slots clash with the other preallocated module’s lectures. Totally stupid. No one from the same group as me would be able to attend the other tutorials. Dumb right?
So I shall do something tomorrow, maybe appeal. Then I will wait till round two before I ballot for my MKT1003 and MA2216 tutorials, of which both I hope to get my desired slots.
My OG Ziki from Zeus House sang it in the Dove Shower OK! competition. I like this song and I couldn’t help singing along with them when I was fliming the whole song. I guess it affected me a little.
Although loneliness has always been a friend of mine
Im leaving my life in your hands
People say Im crazy and that I am blind
Risking it all in a glance
How you got me blind is still a mystery
I cant get you out of my head
Dont care what is written in your history
As long as youre here with me
Chorus
I dont care who you are
Where youre from
What you did
As long as you love me
Who you are
Where youre from
Dont care what you did
As long as you love me
Every little thing that you have said and done
Feels like its deep within me
Doesnt really matter if youre on the run
It seems like were meant to be
Chorus
Bridge
Ive tried to hide it so that no one knows
But I guess it shows
When you look into my eyes
What you did and where youre coming from
I dont care, as long as you love me, baby.
Friends are an integral part of your lives, and they accompany you through life. Some friends stick with you as you change schools, some don’t. Some friends are closer, some are not. Some remember your birthdays and will wish you happy birthday, either through an sms, or by writing on your wall in Facebook, or even saying it on MSN.
Some friends celebrate your birthday together, some don’t. Some will make a party all just for you, some will just have a simple meal. Who is to say what is right? For as long as they remember, we’re all happy about it. A simple meal has its pleasures, a party has its advantages.
Having friends is a happy thing. They talk to you when you are alone, accompany you on that long train ride home. They laugh at your jokes even when it is not exactly funny, and the best thing is, they are there when you need them to be, or at least I hope I can do that.
Sometimes having a large group of friends is fine, sometimes it is not. A smaller close knit group is great when everyone is as close to each other, but let’s not deceive ourselves because it’s not true. Most likely, even within a small group of friends, you have friends that are closer to some people, and that is a universal concept that is not to be changed.
What we can just do for all of our friends is to make them enjoy being with everyone of us. Keep them in the loop of what’s happening, get them out for outings. Each other’s birthdays. Make a point to eat lunch or dinner together occasionally. Study together when you have the time even when the modules are different. Take the same modules together and have fun.
I guess that’s what friends are about. Just spending occasional time together. Because I’m an electrical engineer, I like it when charges stick to electrically charged plates. I’m the plate, and friends are the charges. Talk to me and I promise I’ll be the best friend I could ever be. After all, what matters to me in university is to have friends to finish the 4 years together with me. Isn’t it?
Actually sometimes you just feel that you’re totally lousy. I don’t know why but I just dislike and find it difficult to approach people I don’t know well. In a sense it’s not very healthy. It’s like sometimes it’s just a simple thing to do, but you delay doing it and even hope you need not do it because you are just simply too shy or embarrassed to say something?
Today my friend asked me to help do something but I didn’t. After a while I felt a little guilty because I didn’t help because of my lousy character where I just don’t like approaching people I don’t know, even when it’s just something simple.
I should really change, but how do you change something that’s fundamentally part of yourself for the past twenty two years? Sometimes I just think I am just lousy.
About Me
Name:
Kenneth Tang
Education:
B.Eng in Electrical Engineering (First Class Honours)
Employment:
Air Force Engineer
Republic of Singapore Air Force
Interests:
Project Management, Programming, Web Design, Networking
