random

Whoever said getting together (and then marriage) is only about love, without regard for its practical side, must be an absolute idiot!

*

random

Just an interesting blog post that I saw on 'Money as a tool'. There're only 3 simple points, but I think only the first point was interesting (the other two are common knowledge). I never thought (based on the example given) of seeing 'saving'/'investing' for retirement as 'buying time' for retirement. Interesting. Most people just focus on building their retirement nest as a cost/expense-over-time formula. Thinking of it in terms of 'time' is interesting.

*

Not reading my readings fast enough. But at least something is being done!

*

random trivia

I learnt during my Visual Culture lecture today that the pyramids built by the ancient Egyptians were supposed to be glazed with limestone (obviously they're gone now) so that it was white, not yellowish. Wow. Imagine how they must have looked like 3000 years ago. Shimmering white megaliths in the brownish desert.

*

impressions

My first week in school has almost ended (accept that I have to attend my Bio lecture between 4-6pm on a Fri evening. Yucks. But anyway.). I think this will be an exciting semester, though, besides the fact that I'm taking physics and bio modules (in this case, its more of 'shock' than 'excitement'. But I digress.)

My Arts modules are much more worthy of comment. Above all else, my first impression of my Arts lecturers is that "my, these are really enthusiastic people". You can just so totally sense the 'fire' and enthusiasm in them.

Coincidentally, my Arts modules this Sem are all by historians (a cultural historian, a gender historian and an intellectual historian; the latter studies the history of ideas, just in case that wasn't clear, since all historians are, well, quite intellectual. Just look at me! :p). However, only one is really a history module (but even then, the disciplinary boundary is kind of iffy because of the content). Then again, cultural studies are like one of the more recent areas of historical interest, so I guess its good for me to gain some exposure in these 'cutting edge' areas, regardless of whether I choose to move on to academia next time or decide to devote my life to the nurturing of the nation's hope.

In any case, I feel kind of lethargic still. It's a bad excuse, but I think the previous semester really just drained me. As a friend commented, after a few semesters you just get sick of the readings-lecture-tutorial-CA-Exams cycle with all that bell curve nonsense. For once, I have only done half a piece of reading, and its already almost the end of Week One! I haven't even downloaded them ,let only read them. Gosh, better pull up my socks.

Anyway, the assignments are pretty interesting too, and I actually can start working on them soon. No more of those one or two week mad rush to churn something decent out, on top of juggling other priorities. Hmmmm.

*

Anyway, some more articles I came across, like religion finding "secular surrogates" in the modern consciousness, and another article on education's need for passionate teachers, although personally I disagree with the author's subtle equation of passion for a subject as a dominating pre-condition for excellent educators. Can't good teachers be average achievers in a subject's competency? After all, pedagogical instruction is a different ball game altogether from having an excellent grasp of a subject.

*

it is (almost) settled

Ok after much deliberation, this is my final timetable (well, almost, since I haven't bidded for three tutorial slots. but i digress.)

Yes, a shocking turn of events yesterday almost caused my heart to stop beating. What happened was I turned up bright and early for my Pop Culture in SEA module and realise that, lo and behold, there was a group project video worth 30%, and two (silly) reflection papers worth 10% each, and NO PROPER PAPER to write. zZz. Of course I dropped the module. (Which set off a chain reaction.) Anyway, to the young lady who sat beside me yesterday, (if you happen to be reading this; unlikely, actually) hope you have luck finding group members haha. What happened was that she wanted to form a group and you can totally imagine her reaction when I told her I just dropped the module. haha

My first (not very well thought out 'Plan B', admittedly) option was to read a HY module, to which I convinced myself was a decent module (it was). But then, someone alerted me to the HY dept's Three-Year Plan (i.e. module listing until we graduate. Yes Hist majors out there, please visit the dept website), and I realised there were interesting modules.

But I guess that merely tipped my decision. My main concern was to reserve as much HY MCs as possible for my SEP, in case module mapping outside of the dept screws up and stuff. Besides, why do GEMs/Breadths overseas when its S/Ueable in SG?

Someone wondered whether I think so much about scoring that I'm not enjoying what Im doing. To which I replied, well, I suppose I just don't want to rush headlong into things without knowing what I'm doing. hmmmmmm.

So yep. I shall have a self-declared 3-day work week as of now. Though I think I shall have to attend the Bio lectures because as I look at the slides, I see nothing but colours and diagrams that dont make sense. arrgh.

*

the semester hasn't quite started. (self-declared.)

At the time of writing, I'm surfing the web because I'm just about done with changing my module plans (again). I might well end up with a permanent 5-day work week, but, well. I guess, sometimes, long-term concerns fit in to the picture too, as much as short-term issues might be exerting overwhelming influence on our current decisions. More on this tomorrow when the dust has finally settled (and when my modules are finally finalized - yes, I noted the use of variants of 'finally' thrice).

*

In any case, there's no readings uploaded (again, there's a small side story to this readings thing, but more on that tomorrow), so I'm just clearing my backload of my TIME/Economist/Fortune subscriptions. And surfing the web. Like this inspiring story on a controversial public historian, whose latest book on postwar Europe I intend to buy (when is Kino having 20% off?). Or this article on habits that perpetuate the university; sometimes, idealism does have to be tempered with a dose of realism. (Like what I'm doing now?) A new angle of looking at the prized ability of 'critical thinking'. And a psychologist on living 'mindfully'.

*

timetable's out!

So, my timetable's out! I didn't manage to do the exact combination of modules I wanted, but this doesn't look half as bad either. In fact, I think it's quite a comfortable combination that allows me to explore cultural studies/histories a bit more carefully, given that one module is S/U-eable.

Here's what I'm taking:
1. Memory, Heritage and Identity
2. Popular Culture in SEA
3. Gender in SEA
4. Politics and the Visual
5. Modern Technology in Medicine and Health

Anyway, I'm looking at 3-day workweeks on non-tutorial weeks (Mon 4 hrs, Wed 2 hrs, Thur 6 hours), and 4-day workweeks when tutorials start. Not too bad, I suppose. Though I do hope that I only need to attend one, and not both, lecture slots for my Sci GEM! Otherwise I'm going to have 'Marathon Thursdays'!

People who want to lunch with me, make appointments fast! Whilst slots last! :)

*

on ads, cakes, and banks.

An interesting blog post on a person's attempt to get OCBC to fulfil their ad promises. Thanks for the funny article, Lio!

*