Finally!

[*Post edited after removal of photos and text which poses potential violations of internet blogging due to sensitive information or defamation.]

Alright, after almost 8 weeks of zero post, i'm finally back. I'm not sure how long this post will end up to be, nor how meaning it shall be, i'm just going to try to make this as long as possible. And to assist me in doing up this particular post, i'll just break down into sub-headings and go from there.

1. Army

For the past 2 weeks or so, i've been "AWOL-ing" from my duty. Before you guys go into the idea of thinking how i managed to do so, or even contemplating to complain about my absence just like a famous case some time back (Article 1, Article 2), i shall state clearly that i got official Off from my immediate superior, my OC, due to the fact that i had to settle my University preparations and registration. Just digressing a little, if you guys are interested to know more about the 2 articles, do approach me. Afterall the subject was formerly my coursemate during my Pro term as a cadet in Signal Institute.

Coming back to army, i'm 3 weeks shy from my Operationally Ready Date (07 Sept '07). How time flies. Everything seems like yesterday, from the day i packed my bag and head to Puala Tekong, the trip to *Country A for a month for my Airgrading, the gruesome 9 months of Officer Cadet School training, and now coming to an end of the 9 months tour as a Platoon Commander.

Dozens of friendship made, plentiful of things learnt, wonderful memories, not forgetting the 3 countries i visited: *Country A (4 weeks), Country B (2 weeks) & Country T(3 weeks).

My BMT section during outfield. My BMT section - POP day.

My BMT Platoon Commander, 2LT Wayne.

My AGC 02/06 coursemates.

Course at dispersal.

OCT Delun, 1 of the 8 who made it. Currently in Pearce for Basic Wing Course, all the best.

63/06 Tango Wing.

Tango Platoon 1, Section 1.

Service Term - Social Night.

63/06 SOCC Platoon 1. Nah, 2LT Li is in Platoon 2.

Oversea training.

1st Runner up for 72km during oversea training.

New friend from oversea training.

Commander OCS.

Once again, we met.

Back to the familiar faces after our own Pro Term.

Our Appointment Certificate Presentation Ceremony. The day we got our swords.

Start of Officership.

Sums up the 38 weeks of training.

9th Dec '06 - Commissioning Parade.

Commissioned by President.

There we go, Officers of the SAF.

He came for his son.

2. Nintendo DS Lite

Nintendo DS Lite. And so i got myself a set. Just a quick review on it. First and foremost, i'm sure the first question to pop out would be, "Is it better than PSP?" Well, i don't own a set of Sony PSP, thus the few comments i can give based on the couple of times that i have interacted with a PSP, are that PSP is definitely better in graphics, yet loses out on gameplay, interactions and the sleek design of a Nintendo DS Lite.

DS Lite has far more interactive games, and of course to the likes of Pokemon fans, it has few of it. And many argued that DS is for gals and kids, mainly for that fact the games are simple and cute. No doubt, playing Winning Eleven on a DS is a killer, but you have to give credits for games like Nintendogs, Cooking Mama, Mario Kart, Brothers In Arm, etc. They ride on simple gameplay yet interactive, fun, and never boring.

Battery life wasn't that bad with 5hours of continous play, and adjustable screen brightness to increase battery life. Comes with WiFi enabled, which allows web browsing and of course multiplayer gaming. Thumbs up for Mario Kart if you're planning for some fun with your DS buddies.

The best part i felt was that there's no need to modify the set just to play download games. Simply purchase an additional passcard, popular ones like M3 or R4 and with a micro-SD, you can stored up to 45+ games in a 2GB SD card. You can also view video or listen to mp3 with it, but the screen size and resolutions have no fight against PSP.

Lastly, it's also definitely cheaper in cost as compared to a Sony PSP. Head down to Sim Lim Square, and you would probably get the console around $220-$240, R4 with 2GB micro-SD around $70. Top it up with screen protector and a casing, you'll be having endless gaming hours for $300+/-. Of course, i don't work for Nintendo, the choice is still yours if you're contemplating between Sony PSP and Nintendo DS lite. Last advice, make your friends around you get one too, that's where the fun actually comes from.

3. *University

As i'm about to start my school term this coming Monday, i finally ended my modules bidding yesterday. I'm sure you guys have heard bits and pieces about the bidding system in *NXX. Well, after personally experiencing it myself, all that i have to say, can be sumed up with a 4 letter word: L-A-M-E. I've no idea how long that bidding system has been in placed, nor that i'm interested to hear why it's a good system by the school, the only thing i could comprehend out of it was that its just a system to benefit the school, with no intention of making *NXX a better schooling environment.

Just a quick comment on how it works:

For a start, i'm given 650 points for Programme Account and 350 points for General Account as a School of Computing(SoC) student. And to my understanding, each faculty has their own allocation, meaning some faculty students may get 600/400 instead. And basically this 2 categories of points allows you to use them based on the type of modules you plan to bid.

With that you start your bids. The information given for each module you plan to bid are, vacancies, number of bidders, highest bid, lowest bid, next min. bid. Based on these, you're able to see the demands and also what's the best bid to get a seat.

That's all? What's so difficult? That's where you're wrong. *NXX instills more fun into the bidding.

There are rounds during the bidding period, and at each round, certain types of modules are available for bidding. During each round, there's another period of open bidding and closed bidding. Closed bidding usually last 4-2 hours just before that particular round ends. And that is when you only get information of vacancies and numbers of bidders. Throughout the whole period of a round, you can drop/add modules, increase/decrease your bid.

Isn't it fun? Yeah right. It's stupid.

Without having going through much modules, i start to see modules with bids over 1500 pts and number of bidders exceeding the vacancies. And so you start to ponder and stupidly you realised not just year 1 students are fighting for the modules, that of course explains the 1500+++ points available to be used by the seniors.

Well, even so, they will used up all their points after few 1500 points modules bid right? Wrong. Why? Cause the points used for the bids will be refunded down to the lowest winning bid. Say for an example, 100 bidders for a 50 vacancies module. The highest bid is 1500pts, the 50th student who got the place bidded 500pts. As such, all the 50 students get refund of their points regardless of their bid and is only deducted 500points.

So what? So.. the student who bidded 1500pts get back his 1000pts, and what? Of course throw them all into another module, and he will once again definitely get the module he wanted.

And now, i bet it wouldn't take you long to understand that year 1 & 2 students will definitely not get the popular modules. Well, if that's the case its still not so bad, i just have to make do with less popular modules. But wrong, wrong again. Some modules are neccessary to clear and you have no choice but to take it. So what? I have to wait till i'm year 3 or 4 to take it? Cause that's when i finally managed to store up to 1500++ points to bully the freshmen.

Ain't it stupid?

For my case, as a poly student, i'm exempted from certain modules. Calculating my programme requirement, i needed 160 Module Credits(MC) to graduate. That's about 40 modules with 4MC each. I've got 9 modules exemption, thus left with 31. Any primary 3 student would be able to tell me if each semester i take 5 modules, with 1 semester 6, i'm able to graduate in 3 years time for my 4-year honours programme.

Now, with this bidding system, if any point of time during my semesters, i screwed it up due to modules being overbidded, i'm going to waste another semester just to clear modules to graduate.

Oh yeah, i'm already an adult, so i should be responsible for my education and should dutifully ensure i do not get myself stuck in a situation whereby i need to get Dean's approval to study 6-7 modules so as not spill over to another semester just for 1-2 modules? It's crap. Paying $6,000 every year just to get myself shoot in the arse for not being a dilligent student. Am i here to study or to get myself busy counting the number of MCs i'm lagging behind?

Education institutes are supposed to provide educational service to the country, and not try to be creative, making big statements like this allows us to have total freedom to plan how and what we want to study. I don't know, maybe there are some students who want to only take 2-3 modules and take like 5-6 years to graduate?

Just a month ago, we are told to go to a website to check our Qualifying English Test(QET) results online. No one could access that page. Why? Cause that page requires a login to their intranet, thus to view it you need to install a VPN client before gaining access. And for some reasons, that took the web master 1 day or so to get it stated clearly in the website and make a mess out of it.

And guess what? You have to spend 5 minutes to access the page that shows just your result and legend of what the grades meant. Tell me it's a result of how smart technology has brings us to. I see no big deal to release the result in a single page open to all, which requires no login.

Yeah, i may have complained too much, but if you ask me, my title for this section basically summarized how *NXX functions. And my friend was telling me how students from *NXX quit to join *NXX. Now you know why?

4. Thoughts

Before i wrap this post up, just some random thoughts. I was browsing through my sister's blog earlier this morning, and i'm full of envy. Looking at her travelling around the world from one continent to another and eating from restuarants to restuarants. How i wish i get to this in the near future. As for now, i have 3 years to go before i start my working career, and hopefully from there enjoy my life as i go along. Looking back at the last 22 years, i just hope in the next 22 years to come, i continue to bring joy to many. Good or bad.

Till then.