Ok I purposely wait for the end of the week before posting so that I can write about my first impressions of the modules I am taking this semester.

Certainly didnt seem like a little more than one week since I came back. Missing my holidays already :( Although I didnt really have time to emo about it. Unpacked and settling down, and shopping for necessities while being obsessed about buying stuff that can be stored in my borrowed fridge :P. "Supervised" tech juniors supporting an external performance by Band and Unplugged the day after I came back at Orchid Country Club. I wonder how much they get paid, as they are supposed to perform to entertain the crowd waiting to enter the ballroom for some company's annual dinner, and since the company staff all dressed up for the occasion, they were busy snapping photos and mingling around and practically nobody but us paid attention to the performances. =.= Not to mention lots of article editing in between and chasing after people for articles. Ok save that for the next part.

Anyway hols ended. I listed down 6 things I wanted to do during hols and guess what? I didnt complete all of them. No surprise. Only 2.5 out of 6, that isn't even the passing score sigh. Much time spent on rotting and being family driver. Oh and giving my mum face by trying "a few" remedies she suggested for my u-noe-wat problem, which includes drinking extremely bitter TCM. Got depressed every time I see the bowl of black medicine urgh and seriously had to resist the strong temptation of emptying the whole bowl somewhere other than my tummy each time. Urgh urgh urgh. And it didnt seem like it worked anyway.

Back to hall. It feels same but different at the same time. Dinner gang reduced to only 4 or 5 persons each night due to internships and SEP (sigh). IHG Season and there are lots of work. I can totally bitch whole day about it. Schedule changes and so on are expected, and I always know my members needed a bit of pushing to get work done, but I certainly didnt expect it to be this bad. I admit I screwed up by underestimating the articles that each person needs to cover (like, serious underestimation). They have to make things worse by cleverly choosing matches which they feel won't take place (like finals of some random sport which we dont have much chance in) so that they can somehow sneak away unnoticed. One of them actually had the nerve to make up score lines and skive off in the middle of a match. Another one practically went MIA in the middle of a match right under my nose. *pukes blood* It's a long shot but I am gonna survive this.

Back to school. Starting my 6th semester and in an attempt to make my final year life a bit more comfortable I chose to do 6 modules again. 3 core modules, 1 technical elective, clearing Singapore Studies (finally) and completing another Forensic module (though I really don't think I will continue on with the minor, not taking those Life Science and Chem modules anyway). Had to endure a little bit of drama before getting all six of them. Here goes:

CE3115 - Geotechnical Engineering. Last soil module I am going to take. Don't exactly enjoy these series of lectures, I mean I don't really find the contents interesting, but I still end up doing pretty ok for the first two and hopefully this one too. Prof is kind of nice, as he is from Hong Kong he had that funny accent which kind of keeps me focused on what he is saying although content seemed dry as usual. Deals with slopes and retaining structures.

CE3155 - Structural Analysis. My nightmare module. Nuff said. Prof is horribly boring. And we have to see him four times a week (for the first half of the semester) because he also lectures.....

CE3165 - Structural Concrete Design. Probably a bad dream instead of a nightmare, somewhat like 3166 last sem. I think I will be really happy if I can manage B+s for these two. Eeps. Feeling bad about a module so early in a semester usually don't end up well for me. :(

CE5806 - Construction Project and Site Control. Advanced version of 2183 from last year. First out of the four higher technical elective module I am/will be taking, and being a graduate module the lecture takes place at night to accommodate for those graduate students who are working during daytime. Can see people rushing down to class in their working clothes, and even a few middle-aged men and women in the class whom I initially thought are TAs. Gosh. And there are only a handful of final year undergrads, and I am the only third year student in the class. Kind of intimidating. Lecture material is rather interesting to me (after all, that's why I chose it in the first place). First lecture however was kind of messed up because a writer stood me up last minute (well, there is some kind of miscommunication btw her and my vice, but it still means I am lacking a writer for the tennis girls historic final match) and I had to sms here and there during lecture and the lecturer obviously saw me. And I couldnt pay attention at all. Good thing is that it is only introductory lecture about the importance of planning and stuff. A second lecturer, who just got his PhD took over for the first three weeks and he is horrible, kept going on about the work he did while getting his PhD and a certain computer programme which he thought was useful. =.= I find it encouraging, however, when lecture ends and some graduate students chatting with each other went "chim eh, I duno what he is talking about". Lol yay.

CM3301 - Advanced Forensic Science. Lecturer is forensic scientist from HSA, and we are supposed to learn about stuff like glass properties, drugs, toxicology, fibre evidence and so on. The science behind these as opposed to evidence collection procedures and law in SP3202 last year. Once again, interesting material but boring lecturer. Lecture is webcasted because a number of people couldnt make it for the lecture and they are graduating so they need to clear the module, hence the number of people attending the lecture is kind of sad. They might lose me soon too haha.

SSD2213 - Singapore Urban History and Architecture. First lecture was about the history of Kent Ridge area where we are at and it is really interesting to me! Lots of pictures in the lecture slides and I enjoyed the lecture and the lecturer too to a certain extent. Guess its because of the material. Though the work to be done seemed horrifying. :S Chose the module not just because I find the synopsis interesting, but I was trying to avoid doing an artsy SS module and I think this may be worse now. Essays about Singapore's architecture and history in a class where 75% of the students are from Architecture. Doomed. Who cares I reserved an S/U option for my SS long long time ago haha.

Okay long long blog post. Better stop now. Tata~

Labels: NUS, Raffles Hall, rants, skin