"I had an epiphany a few years ago where I was out at a celebrity party and it suddenly dawned on me that I had yet to meet a celebrity who is as smart and interesting as any of my friends." - Moby

***

Someone was calculating the cost of our education. For Academic Year 2005/2006, we pay $5930 per annum. This works out to $2965 per semester and $228 a week. Assuming 5 modules a semester and 3 hours per module per week (2 hours of lecture, 1 hour of tutorials), we're paying $15.20/hour. Although this excludes examination fees and billing for the time the staff spend on us and our work outside of class hours, it is partially compensated by mid-lecture/mid-tutorial breaks and classes ending 15 minutes before they officially end. Damn, in Science we'll get better value for our money!

In Secondary School, for some subjects, we weren't given notes and were told that "You won't get notes in University and JC" and that "Taking notes is an important skill". And so we had to copy like mad, resulting in sometimes illegible handwriting. In JC, for some subjects, we weren't given notes and were told the same, with the same results. And now that we're in University, we get notes uploaded to IVLE. [Addendum: Many/most of us supplement the handouts with our own annotations and scribbles, of course. Oh, and we're told, in some modules, that "taking notes is an important skill".] Oh well.


Quotes:

[On my Shameless-o-Meter] Well, there's one thing clear. You have too much time.

[On proposed styling of an allegedly ah lian hairstyle] We['ll] take a picture of you with a few strands of hair around your face... Call it 'Revenge of the Ah Lians'

[Student on parallels between cupboards on the Island of Doom and KL taxis: You give them pork, then the taxi will shake.] Before you give them pork the taxi is shaking because it is very lao pok. After you give them pork, the taxi will become like Herbie: Fully loaded.

I wasn't racist until I started working.

I wasn't racist until I went to KL.

[On people asked how important intelligence was for various types of relationships] The male graduates, who seemed particularly unconcerned about the intelligence of hypothetical casual sex partners.

[On monkeys with brightly coloured external testicles] There were some species of monkeys which really really embarrassed my aunt, because she was a prim and proper lady... These were the early days of colour television.

Men tend to be very hung up about the size of their organs... Few people have showed it is really important. People leaving their lover because of their organs.

[On sharing the fruits of evolutionary psychology with the world] I think this should remain an academic thing, because if everyone knows then I can't use this to go and get girls.

[On penis envy] Shouldn't men have breast envy?

What does Freud say about religion? He says: Religion is...? [Me: Religion is the universal neurosis.] Where is it? Did you bring your text? [Me: No] So nice of you to remember. You're like a lit major. Memorising texts.

Philosophers - they sat in their desks. (at)

[On Marx, the base and superstructure] Let us think of this in terms of University life. Let me say first of all that I do not think you are being exploited... These extra-curricular activities make it possible for you to stand going to lectures. Not that I think lectures are boring.

That's what that data point mean (means)

[On the law of iterative expectations] Imagination does not provide you information, unless you are psychic,

[On why he keeps slowing down to keep pace with the previous lecture group] The previous lecture group got very confused. I learnt from their mistakes... That's why I can teach more efficiently after my lecture on Tuesday. I feel a bit sorry for the Tuesday lecture group. (my)

[On the professor] I love her man. Happily drawing on her textbook.

From this point on, there will be less math. Most of the math is done... Some people sound happy.

You can use Walras's Law (Walras')

tunder ties (thunder thighs)

[On drawing a curve as a straight line for simplicity] I don't want you to spend time going: 'Ah, it's going to look like this'.

Now we come to the grand finale. All you have done from the time you first saw me to this week ends in - this 4 lines. And it took you 5 weeks.

Don't pack your things yet. I've a stupid story to tell you. Your tutorial 2 - that's not the stupid story...