"Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you walk into an open sewer and die." - Mel Brooks

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The NUS Computer Centre is organising a contest where students can win an iPod Nano for saying which aspect of the new email system they like the most.

There seem to be a lot of iPod Nanos floating around to entice us into taking part in contests and polls (the Student Perception Survey 2006 has a ton of prizes; finally there's a way for students to tell NUS why it sucks!), hmm.

At least we're seeing some results from the fee hikes!

Also, "10 entries with the best comments, selected by the Judges will win an additional 1GB of mailbox space. Computer Centre reserves the right to use your quote." Uhh.


IVLE has a feature showing when students downloaded files from the workbin. Wth?! This is very disturbing.

Someone commented, on my Dr Blight hairstyle, "This is the hairstyle I had in secondary school". Somehow, I don't think that was a good thing.

In NUS, there's the usual rhetoric about learning together and helping each other, with everyone benefiting, but since we have the bell curve, helping each other is lifting it and not helping, but conversely hurting yourself. A viable (even if impractical and even perverse) strategy to do well might then be, instead of improving your grades, rather, depressing others'.

This has been a week of extremes. I had the easiest exam I've had since Lower Primary - 20 questions where you match terms to their definitions (as given in the lecture notes), 10 true/false questions (some rewording of each other - eg XXX is impossible if YYY, XXX is possible if YYY) and 20 where you chose one of 2 options, and there was the chance to mark out one or two special questions for extra credit. This is what happens with visiting Professors - last semester Macro II was 100% MCQ. On the other hand, I also got what must be the hardest homework I've had in a long time (at least since JC), and which makes up 12% of one module's grade.

I saw someone who printed his/her (I forget) notes in purple ink. I asked why and he/she said he/she didn't want to waste black ink, and that that was for his/her essays. Uhh.

The Malay stall at the Arts Canteen sells what must be the cheapest French Toast in the world. I ordered 2 pieces and was amazed that each was only $0.30. I was even more amazed when I received the goods, because I'd thought each piece was only half a slice of bread, but in reality it was a whole slice. When I bit into it, though, I was surprised to find that it wasn't sweet. Another bite shocked me even more, since there was chili-sardine-onion filling inside. Wth?!

I asked a classmate from Beijing why there were so many PRCs in Business. She said there were a lot of PRCs in NUS, period. I then theorised they went to Business for the Beijing Feng Wei canteen stall, and she said you can't find the food Beijing Feng Wei serves in Beijing. Hah!

On 18/9, the Guan Yin jigsaw stall making the Ramly burgers Halal had been moved so there was now another stall in between them. HMM.

I saw a girl wearing a "Terror on Tracks" windcheater which was almost long enough to cover her shorts (PE, not hot or FBT).

I heard a jazz ringtone for the first time.

One part of the NUS dress code I'm amazed everyone adheres to is "no midriff-baring outfits" (or words to that effect).