NTU Y1S2, Week 4 In Review

This semester is so hopeless man...

...

No!

I can't have this kind of thoughts!

Noooo~!

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Microprocessor Programming
Jump & Branch.

Nothing much for the CNY week.

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Algorithms

Next week quiz liao...

And I still know nuts about this module.

I just spent about 5 hours "sorting" out everything...

But even the best algorithms couldn't sort out my feelings troubles....

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Software Systems & Models
Nothing much loh... CNY.

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Software Engineering
Haiz...

This is hopeless.

I wish I could get to another class seriously.

...

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Technical Communication

I've tried my best to do what I can.

But I guess everything is predestined.

Instead of asking "Why Why Why?"

Maybe I should ask myself how can I make the best out of this situation.

My First Chinese New Year In 3 Years!!!

Wooohooo!

I can't believe this!

This is going to be my FIRST TRUE CHINESE NEW YEAR in 3 years time!

The first one that I can really enjoy to the fullest!

Well... not really fullest lah, still got lot of work to do over the holidays... and...

Well, I kinda missed school.

...

...

Anyway... went back to read the posts I wrote during the last 2 "CNY"...

Wah Lau... really want to cry sia...

往事不堪回首

....

Still can remember them so vividly...

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My First Chinese New Year

"First Duty Ever" in Kindergarten 9... My first ever KM, on Lunar 2nd.

Barely 1 month after I enrolled in

Haha... Now, that's what you call "bullying new bird".

And of course, some L** came late and I had to do extra hours during the new year...

RAWR!


My Second Chinese New Year

Again...

This time even worse than the previous year.

Blame it on the "Ops God", another L** that brought this on me.

Can you imagine the agony of going to some dark and cold island on the FIRST DAY of Lunar New Year?

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Thank god~

NO MORE BURNT CHINESE NEW YEAR, EVER!

NTU Y1S2, Week 3 In Review

This is going to be a very very tough semester...

Very very.

...

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Microprocessor Programming
It seems like we're going to learn the entire assembly language.

Loads of commands, commands and more commands.

Geez...

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Algorithms

I was still hopeful last week...

But now...

Haiz...

This is the FIRST subject which I can't even do the FIRST tutorial...

The very first, supposedly simplest tutorial!

I can't even complete half of it!

...

GG?

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Software Systems & Models
"Initially when you learn the FSP, it's going to be very boring. After a while... well, it's still going to be boring."

Yeah, quote from the Prof. Shen.

So far so good.

I actually enjoyed doing the lab work, even though it might get frustrating at times... I've forgotten quite a lot of basic stuffs after like 4+ years away from programming those GUI.

Luckily, it has all come back...

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Software Engineering
...

Geez...

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Design, Design, and more design.

Diagrams, Diagrams, and more diagrams.

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Technical Communication

Remember the post I did about not knowing who will have the last laugh until the very last minute?

...

I thought I struck gold when I managed to get into this class.

...

And guess what?

...

I landed myself in deep ****.

And it's not an ordinary one.

It's a pile of **** I couldn't get out of, at least for like another 3 months...

...

Alas...

Who can I blame except myself?

Haiz... it really wasn't worth it...

This is indeed a very very painful lesson.

So painful it's piercing my heart every moment right now...

...

...

Well...

This will be a good "experience" for me I guessed.

I shall brace myself for this ride.

NTU Y1S2, Week 2 In Review

Things are slowly picking up pace... but I still haven't attended a single lab so far...

So guess what?

3 Labs starting next week... -_-

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Microprocessor Programming
Finally, I got what this module is all about.

I was totally clueless for some reason during the first week.

What "R Nod" and "E Nod"... totally switched off...

I guess doing the tutorials helps.

My tutor is exactly the kind I like - Don't waste time on simple stuffs, and can explain the difficult stuffs very well - clear and concise.

Like, I don't really know how to do the arithmetic subtraction without first converting it. So he took some time to go through it at the end of the lessons for those students who aren't sure.

Just the first tutorial and I already cleared so many misconceptions.

He actually reminds me a bit of my Poly WEBP tutor... haha.

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Algorithms

This subject gets more and more "challenging" with each passing lecture...

Ho Ho Ho...

Big Oh, Big Omega...

How about Big Oh My God~

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Software Systems & Models
Finally!

The fun is here.

Timers, Key Listeners, Mouse Listeners, Applets, Paint~

It's like a reminiscent of the past~

These are everything I've learnt during my first ever programming subject during Poly Year 1~

And it's all coming back to me now~

LOL...

The assignment may be far from being an actual game, but at least now there's some graphics and animation to play with.

And that alone makes it so much better than that disastrous CSC105...

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Software Engineering
Wah...

Don't even get me started on this.

The amount of CONTENT to be memorized in this module is really crazy...

Use Case Diagrams, Activity Diagrams, Object Diagrams, Class Diagrams...

And there are like 10 more different diagrams to go...

The entire UML specifications is over 700 pages...

And the "summary"? Over 40 pages...

...

Geez...

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Technical Communication
...

I just changed to another class.

Don't know if I've made the right decision, cause I really like the tutor for my original class.

But logically speaking, there is no reason why I should not change to a better time.

Don't let my emotions get carried away...

Hope my new class tutor is good.

:(

Uncertainties...

I Will Not Be Manipulated!

I don't care who the hell is it...

I won't allow myself to be manipulated like some puppet.

If I say "no" to something, then I mean it.

There is no use trying to get me to agree to something (and worst, by lying to me)...

And from there get me to agree to what you eventually want.

...

...

I will not agree to do it just because I'm already "halfway there".

...

This is not the first time liao, so the chances of it being a miscommunication is like near zero...

Somemore, this kind of "tactic" is so typical coming from the person.

...

Really have enough of this nonsense.

...

Wasted so much of my time.

Thankfully something good happened today.

Else my day would be totally ruined.

It's a Conspiracy To Take Over The World!

Oh my god...

No...

No wonder we couldn't find Osama after so many years...

This world is doomed...

NTU Y1S2, Week 1 In Review

Frankly speaking, I don't really know what I've been doing this whole week...

Haha...

I'm still in a very "holiday mood"...

Don't really have the "heart" to listen to lectures, still having late nights... etc...

...

Hopefully I can get back into "study mode" soon...

Tutorials and labs are going to start soon...

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Microprocessor Programming
This is said to be one of the harder module of the course... and I think it probably is. I don't really have much idea about what this module really is yet though...

It's a lot of "low-level" stuffs, really really detailed things about how a computer exactly works. The architecture, how it carries out each and every single instruction, etc...

Our CPE (Engineering) counterparts have to take an extension of this module which really go into the hardware aspects.

Can I say we're fortunate to be spared?

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Algorithms

"I have a bad feeling about this module." - Glenn

Truer words have never been spoken.'

...

What is this about really?

Combine Foundation Maths and Discrete Maths from the previous semester, and add in a little programming knowledge...

And tada! You get "Algorithms"!

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Software Systems & Models
Frankly speaking, I still don't know what this is.

Is this a design module or a programming module? What exactly does this teach?

I really have no idea.

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Software Engineering
Wah the workload for this module is crazy.

Before every lecture, you have to read 1 chapter of the textbook.

Sometimes, there are case studies and you have read huge "wall of text".

Your entire semester break will be burn 9am to 5pm every single day.

There are lots of things to memorize.

There are like a dozen different thing of UML diagrams.

And there's still the labs!

...

GG.com

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Technical Communication
No comments at this point of time.

The STARS registration for this module has been causing me so much problems.

Wait You Wait Till I Heart Pain...

Dedicate this song to ALL students camping for modules/classes they want, but are unable to get in...

You spent hours after hours...

Hours and hours...

Camping...

Waiting...

Yet you still can't get into the class you want...

Haiz...

My Condolences...

I can TOTALLY UNDERSTAND HOW YOU FEEL...

...

...

...

Specially for all NTU Students!!!

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等你等到我心痛　等你等到没有SLOT
所有的SLOT已成空　就让一切都随风
CAMP STARS CAMP 到我心痛　我的心情谁会懂
所有我想要的SLOT　已消失无影踪

等你等你始终　CAMP你CAMP你不懂
我付出的时间有多么LONG
反反覆覆的REFRESH没有用

等你等你始终　CAMP你CAMP你不懂
我真的等你等到心痛
为何全部的CLASS都没有SLOT

NTU Module Registration, STARS...

On December 12th, 2008...

At 1:30PM sharp...

The gates to the NTU infamous "Student Automated Registration System", more commonly known as STARS, was unlocked...

Hundreds, Thousands of people flooded in through the online gate, hoping to secure a place in the next semester for the module they wanted...

Time was crucial.

I clicked the "Add course to STARS" button as fast as I possibly could...

And...

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A new window popped up...

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In the next few seconds, MY FATE for the next semester will be decided...!!!

...

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I WATCHED IN ANTICIPATION...

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I CLOSED MY EYES AND PRAY FOR THE BEST...

...

...

...

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A new window popped up...

And...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

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FIVE RED MESSAGES ENDING WITH DEADLY EXCLAMATION MARK NEARLY BLINDED MY EYES.

"Have no more vacancies!"

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WTF?!!!!!!!

...

...

...

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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...

...

I was overwhelmed.

Shocked.

Stunned.

Lost for words...

...

All the planning I have done. All FIVE classes that I wanted have NO MORE VACANCIES?!

...

...

...

At that moment, I only have 2 choices - either continue camping for the classes I wanted, or start to grab the other available time slots while it is still there.

...

Time was running out.

...

I realized there's really no point in stubbornly sticking with the original plan...

So at that time, I just came up with a secondary time-table on the spot and register it ASAP...

...

...

...



This mean that I'm now in totally different classes with my friends from the previous semester.

:(

I don't have ONE SINGLE similar class with them.

:(

And to make thing worst, I could not get into 1 of the core module.

There were/are 10 classes for that module, yet none of them have any vacancies. Every single class vacancy was "zero", "zero" and more "zero". The only classes with vacancies clashed with my other classes...

And so, I SPENT THE ENTIRE DURATION, and the entire afternoon camping at the website.

Refresh, Check... zero...

Click... Refresh, Check... zero...

Refresh... Refresh... more zeroes...

And this went on and on...

FOR THREE AGONIZING HOURS...

Until the registration period closed...

...

In the end, I still didn't get the course I wanted.

...

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I called the office, and they said they could place me to join classes conducted by other schools...

WTF...

Why the hell would I want to do that?

To do such a "team-oriented" module with people that I'm totally unacquainted with ...

...

At that point, the results for the examinations wasn't released yet, and I really felt it was sign of bad things to come...

It was the FIRST time I had to register my own course, and this is what I get... -_-

Everything was hitting me in the worst possible way. I felt the results for my exams were going to be really bad, even though it was in no way related to the module registration.

...

...

In an instant, My world went from light into darkness...

...

...

...

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Haiz...

Sorrow turned into frustration.

Frustration turned into anger.

Anger turned into fear.

Into Loneliness...

...

...

This, together with some other things that happened on that day...

Had me really feeling down for a while.

...

Maybe even a little depressed....

...

...

:(

:(

:(

Even now...

Even though the worst is now over...

...

This system is still causing me lots of distress...

...

...

And I can only sing this song...

"Wait You Wait Till I Heart Pain"...

...

...

...

Waiting for the class I wanted to get into...

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Facebook Game - Typing Race

承让~承让~


Just broke my personal best!!!

...

But as the saying goes, "One Mountain Still Got Another Mountain Higher"...

...

Yesterday, I went "battling" with this guy by the name of Matthew Sinclair...

And I finally know what is call 天外有天，人外有人

Really godlike... Played like 50 rounds against him yesterday...

And he's the only "enemy encounter" so far that consistently pushes me to the 2nd place, clocking in like at least 100wpm almost every game.

佩服佩服~

I can only beat him like 2 out of 5 rounds...

So...

Beware if you run into him when playing this game... -_-

Just type "gg" right away and forfeit the match.

And The Week Before School...

Is so screw up...

Monday, woke up with a slight sore throat + fever. Thought nothing of it, just went to buy some "herbal drink" to consume...

Then evening, more and more jia lat. Whole body ache and feeling giddy... bo bian went to see doctor.

Next 2 days just resting at home... fever and headache is gone, but the cold never seem to go away.

I've now been having runny nose for more than 5 days, and unstoppable coughing (almost like "tekong cough") for 3 days...

Gosh... I couldn't even go anywhere.

Seems like common cold is hitting a lot of people... especially during year end...

Must be due to the crazy weather. One minute it's like blazing hot and the next minute it's thunderstorm.

...

Haiz... at first I thought I can return to school like - completely healthy, vibrant, full of energy, etc...

And 1 week before it I'm hit with this stupid cold that JUST won't go away...

Argh!!!

...

What's the probability that I will recover before Monday?

:(

Bedtime Stories!

And so I spent the last few hours of 2008 watching...

Bedtime Stories

Plot

A story about fairytales coming to life...

Yeah...


Summary

This is a great comedy film that had me laughing almost all the way (at least, after the first story was told).

After every "bedtime story", it makes you dying to find out what's going to happen to Skeeter (the main character) in real life, and how it's all going to turn out. Some of it can be quite unpredictable (like the "fire" and "president Lincoln" parts)...

The idea is pretty original and creative, so I'll give it credit for that.

Other then that, there isn't much to say except that it's a really great comedy...


Rating: 3.5/5
(Happy Endings, does it exists in real life?)