Wednesday, April 25, 2007
so investors are now better prepared for future shocks from Chinese shares.
the way the STI rebounded a convincing 76 points last friday, and a further 27 two days ago, is a clear signal that the optimists are still standing firm and strong.
(okay, i take back my word about the pessimists making a comeback.)
my gaming campaign is back on track now.
but parents are controlling my playtime really strictly.
their definition of strict = no gaming on weekdays, and only two hours a day on weekends.
well, that's better than nothing still.
so i shan't complain any further. -__-
and no thanks to games, i'm losing sight of my academic goals.
starting to fall behind in tutorials again.
this week's news article also handed in late.
sian.
the next four weeks will be a crucial time for me to catch up whatever i've lost.
updates on homework:
1) GP - full essay (too lazy to type out question here) [30/04], news article [02/05]
2) econs - AJC prelim 2005 case study [02/05]
3) geog - diagnostic self-evaluation wksheet on hydrologic cycle [30/04]
wah.
i see the essay assignment already like sian 1/2 alr.
worse, the question is on scientific development.
something that i have zilch interest in.
oh well, i still have to do it in the end.
so i just got to find a way to bite through it somehow. =.=
gtg for some unicef briefing thingy right now.
ciao~
total blogging time today: 28 minutes.
those memories. 13:51
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
now, what better way to resume my Pangya campaign with a HIO? =D
those memories. 21:09
Friday, April 20, 2007
finally, my comp is back in operational mode.
but i must control the amount of time i play everyday.
if not the motherboard will burn out again.
the bad news: total repairs came to about $200.
the good news: there wasn't a need to reformat the system after all.
but i still spent one hour patching maple from ver 0.35 to 0.41.
then trained for 30 mins before going to slp.
well, i was anticipating US stocks to crash last night.
in tandem with a 4.62% drop of the Shanghai Composite.
guess what.
the DJIA actually rose instead of fell!
that's despite the fact it breached 12,800 pts the night before.
given the resilience of US stocks, which really gave me a nasty shock, it's no wonder that bargain-hunting is dominating today's session across the region.
today's geog essay presentation was postponed to next wed.
cos there was something wrong with miss johnson's laptop.
the rest of the day was just normal proceedings.
tmr is family day.
my class is setting up a games stall in the multi-purpose hall.
a combination of soccer + hockey. (= sockey?)
hope we can rake in better profits this year.
before i end off, homework for the week:
1) GP: news article (24/4), RJC Prelim 2004 AQ (redo by 23/4).
2) econs: annotation of china trade surplus article (25/4).
3) geog: refine essay presentation (25/4).
4) math: continue with tut. 23.
5) phy: continue with electromagnetism tut.
upcoming tests: (chronological order)
1) econs (class) - 26/4, 0745-0845.
2) math (common) - 3/5.
3) econs (common) - 16/5, 0945-1045.
4) gp (common) - TBC, most likely on 17/5.
total blogging time today: 17 minutes.
those memories. 13:52
Thursday, April 19, 2007
people say lightning doesn't strike twice.
but now, how about a Shanghai Composite crash tremor number two?
just as investors thought the market bears are gone for good, the Shanghai Composite is apparently spooked by "Black Tuesday", or some other reason, as the index is now down over 200 points (6.5%).
this is obviously not as painful as "Black Tuesday" as we remembered it on 27th feb, where the same index plummeted 8.9%.
but still, it's painful.
the chinese proverb 高处不胜寒applies best here.
and another chain reaction of selling across the region ensues.
(refer to http://www.channelnewsasia.com/finance for more info...)
expect stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average to be severely sold down as well in overnight trade.
so once again, here's a clear message from the pessimists.
myself included.
that the sellers are not completely down and out.
they are now back with a much stronger vengeance.
you have been warned. =D
okay.
stock talk aside, i've lots to rant about tdy.
cos school tdy was plain chaotic.
let's start with morning assembly.
when it's raining we should head to the first period venue, right?
wrong. (for today)
cos miss leong was to continue with the report regarding JC2 e-learning.
so the J2s had to assemble in the hall instead.
after that, there's evacuation drill at about 8.30.
which dragged all the way to 9.55.
which meant my first break was burnt away.
zzz.
after that i was like not in the mood for lectures lor.
half-slept through physics and maths.
and that's not the end.
after maths lecture got class phototaking.
and after phototaking, part two of personal consultation with miss johnson.
lunch break nearly burnt away as well.
even more zzz.
no, i'm not blaming anyone here.
it just surprises me that today's schedule is so jam-packed like never before.
gp lecture.. there were so many new technical terms related to biotech, i didn't bother to pay attention either.
still have afternoon PE later.
which, btw, i won't be exempted from.
cos i failed NAPFA. (congratulations?)
a brief report card of my performance:
pull-up -> ZERO (as expected -__-)
standing broad jump -> 194 (personal best, but still failed.)
2.4km run ->
sit-up -> 38 (another personal best)
sit-and-reach -> 43 (this isn't even in IPPT though.)
shuttle run -> 10.9 (just scraped through.)
aiya.
总而言之, it looks damn horrible can.
this doesn't bode well when i go for NS next year.
i'm very very clear about the consequences.
for the remaining part of 2007, i really must start training up.
before it gets too late.
speaking of NS, i still have yet to complete my pre-enlistee's documentation.
zzz.
my comp will be fixed tonight.
yay.
after a four-month wait, i can finally resume mapling at home.
but unfortunately, i'll end really late tdy.
cos of aj idol tech run.
sian.
ytd's tech run was until about 7.20 at night.
tdy probably will end even later ba.
fortunately, there's the saving grace of the day.
which is none other than the regional market selldown.
which is, for your info, the THIRD such selldown in less than a year.
i couldn't emphasise the third sentence more.
cos this highlights the increasing volatility faced by regional markets nowadays.
so better think twice if you wanna invest in shares.
total blogging time today: 45 minutes.
those memories. 15:51
Monday, April 16, 2007
finally, here are the pics from the URA city gallery exhibition.
this sure looks futuristic...
the city model of Singapore.
another view of the model.
concept plan 2001.
participated in track and field heats last sat.
for fun, of course.
cos i flunked both the javelin and shot put real badly.
after that, it's the same usual trip to VirtuaLAN.
mapled for 5 hours, trained 36%.
it was supposed to be from 2-3pm, but the GM apparently forgot to return the exp gains to the original state at 3.
so in the end the 2x special was extended for another hour.
(no such luck on sun though)
* // edit: there was a 2x exp and drop rate slot from 2-4pm.
apologies for the error.
went home really pissed off though.
there was this man who just kept leaning towards me while on the train.
and i was like so damn irritated with him.
but no choice, i was like so tired after a long day.
so had to tolerate lor.
then when i got home, more bad news.
last month's phone bill still exceeded standard usage.
though it's not as bad as the previous month, $50 is still alot.
sun.. finally did some work.
started with complex numbers tutorial.
studied for geog test the day after as well.
weather was kinda overcast in the afternoon.
but still went swimming anyway.
didn't have enough money for dinner, so i had to withdraw from atm.
zzz.
thought my parents would be joining me, but they had other plans.
today.. first period geog test liao.
and as usual, i failed to complete all questions.
i have a really bad feeling about this.
got back vectors test during math.
and as usual, i passed.
11.5/17.
but once again, no room for complacency.
the P&C test is one example of how things might go terribly wrong.
civics was changed into geog tutorial(!).
didn't prepare tutorial 8.
sian.
this wed have to complete the second half of the tutorial.
and here's a quick reminder: econs essay is due this wed as well.
so don't forget.
nothing worthy of note for econs and physics, so i shan't elaborate.
okay.
it's time to get my news article done now.
i don't wish to burn midnight oil like the week before.
total blogging time today: 67 minutes.
those memories. 15:32
Friday, April 13, 2007
i got a big fat C for project work.
but is expected de lor.
wahahahas.
the oral presentation i flunked like siao.
only six of my classmates scored a B, the rest got C.
maybe our examiners were too strict?
or my individual documents pulled me down?
aiya.
no point speculating about these 'insider' info.
what's over is already over.
although i know very well i didn't put in my best.
time to move on man.
i've transformed myself to a night owl this week.
rarely do i sleep beyond 11.30, but this week's an exception.
turned in after midnight on all days so far besides monday.
tues: 2.45am, wed: 12.30am, thurs: 1.45am.
i dunno why either, but one assignment takes me like 3-4 hours to finish?
zzz.
somehow i'm getting acquainted to doing things SLOW.
which doesn't benefit me at all.
with all the burning midnight oil(s) and stuff.
because of this, i'm now struggling to catch up with my tutorials.
which is a serious problem.
the cycle of late submissions has revived for GP.
lagging behind in math and geog and econs by several tutorials too.
what's more, there's physics test today.
but i've yet to study for it.
therefore, i conclude that this week has been one of the most chaotic and messy weeks for me so far in 2007.
and i believe things will only get worse for the rest of this term.
okay.
time to go for class alr.
total blogging time today: 15 minutes.
those memories. 09:45
Monday, April 09, 2007
finally, i'm done with re-formatting the sidebar.
now that the text font is uniform, it's more eye-appealing.
heh.
the past weekend was another textbook one.
sat was as per normal.
SL followed by mapling.
only trained up about 20% exp though.
for sun, up till 5pm it was pure slacking.
then after that had to go lim chu kang cemetery sao mu.
rained on the way there.
but thank god it wasn't that heavy at the cemetery.
my parents said this is due to ancestors' blessing.
hmm.
maybe or maybe not.
but let's not get too superstitious ya?
tdy and tmr are e-learning days.
doesn't make a difference though.
my com is still spoilt.
so i had to return to sch to complete the online assignments.
till now, i've only done econs.
maths and physics' multimedia files seemed to have problems loading.
okay.
gtg back home now.
photos of the URA city gallery exhibition will be up by wed latest.
total blogging time today: 9 minutes.
those memories. 15:58
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
two more random pix:
anyways.
tdy was another day of sian-sation.
that was made worse by the fact that i didn't complete GP essay and geog tutorial 6.
i actually stayed up till 12.30am the prev nite to get as much stuff done as possible.
hais.
forget it la.
never finish means never finish.
it's a cold hard fact.
so there's no point arguing any further.
on a brighter note, i'll be getting a new laptop sooner than i'd expected.
my broadband contract has passed 21 months.
so i could actually upgrade the contract now.
and my dad has promised to get me a bundled plan with a free laptop.
all i can do now is just wait for the good news.
okay.
got to stop here.
will be going for some URA exhibition thingy.
total blogging time today: 17 minutes.
those memories. 13:44
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
super duper tired tdy.
maybe it's becos i slept late last night.
and the lessons didn't help one bit.
math:
mr hong completed the series of lectures for complex numbers.
following that was an introduction to distributions.
in layman's terms, it's just statistics.
and mr yong is lecturing for this topic.
i did pay attention okays.
proof?
this was my takeaway from tdy's lecture.
the discrete random distribution refers to [the summation of distributions (X=x) for all values of x].
but i guess that's more of memory work rather than me truly understanding it.
hahas.
caught any ball from the above definition?
if yes, then you must have worked in some statistical department before.
if not, it's perfectly normal, i don't expect you to know anyway.
pe:
hmm.
did 2.4km run today.
not the actual thing of course.
and i improved.
14 min 20 sec.
previous attempt was 16 min.
but it's still below the passing mark of 13:40.
sigh.
want to train now also too late la.
the actual fitness test starts from 11/04.
during morning pe sessions only.
mine is on every tues.
meaning i'll be taking the test the week after.
but seriously, does it make any difference in the end?
i'm still gonna fail the stations big-time. =/
geog:
will have alot of reading up to do for hydrology.
which is right after urban issues and challenges.
somemore got scheme of work leh.
damn power.
GP:
stomachache at beginning of lesson.
---15 min toilet break---
then after that i became kinda moody.
missed out on many important points for the summary timed practice.
argh.
mass civics:
hands up, those of you who felt that the presentation by the singapore red cross society was boring and pretty much one-way traffic.
well, i guess this is the perfect lullaby after a long and tiring day?
and i ain't exaggerating.
across the auditorium, i could observe many others blatantly dozing off.
the conclusion - can't wait for the civics electives module to begin!
okay.
done with my rantings.
got to go finish up GP essay, geog and econs DRQs.
sian 1/2.
surely i'll have to burn midnight oil again tonite.
total blogging time today: 39 minutes.
those memories. 17:17
Monday, April 02, 2007
was occupied with quite abit of stuff over the past weekend.
sat was SL as usual in the morning.
followed by an increasingly compulsory journey to VirtuaLAN at bugis
and i levelled for both maple [lvl 80] and audition [lvl 12] (:
played for about 5.25 hours.
sun was supposed to be a rest day.
but i had to follow my relatives from father's side to nan an shan tang.
among the private properties in upper paya lebar.
to offer prayers to my grandfather.
reached at about 11am.
and it was like so crowded there la.
not to mention that it was raining.
but that's understandable.
since ching ming festival is just round the corner.
so we completed our business by 12.15.
headed to toa payoh where one of my relatives passed something to her friend.
then went to amk.
grandmother's house.
had lunch before returning home.
time now was about 2.30.
swimming lesson at 5.30 was on as usual.
zzz.
training continued at the middle pool.
wth.
insufficient head space to perform somersaults in water.
depth was only one metre but my height is alr one point seven.
forget it.
dinner was on my own.
parents went to sengkang to visit relatives' newborn baby.
then back at home, took out vectors (3) tutorial but just stared blankly at it.
was simply too drained and tired to work on it.
fast forward to tdy.
well, another uneventful day i suppose.
apart from the vectors test.
which i think i'll screw up quite badly. * pessimists at work *
update on the current list of assignments:
GP - news article and essay on image.
Econs - two DRQ assignments on balance of payments.
Geog - DRQ on urbanisation.
except the article, which is by tmr, all other assignments are due tis wed.
okay.
that's about all i have for tdy.
here's a random pic before i go:
all the (outdated) phones that i own tdy.
total blogging time today: 43 minutes.
those memories. 15:45
