In reply...

I received a reply a short while ago:

Dear XXX,

Thank you for your message (below). These administrative mixups are very unfortunate and I sympathise with your frustration. I shall check on Monday to try and determine where these confusions (with times and admissible materials) crept in. As far as the lecturer's absence is concerned there would have been a second examiner appointed to the course and a contact number provided for them so that, if you had questions about the exam, these would have been answered.

I must say, however, that I am not so sympathetic to your concerns about the nature of the exam. When you are taught a game theoretic example involving two players, for example, the idea is not simply to convey to you how to solve a 2-person game. Rather, the idea is to teach the principles behind solving a strategic problem and, if those problems are learned, then the student should be able to apply them to situations that have not necessarily been explicitly studied e.g. a 3-person game. This is an approach that is common across many economics courses (and certainly it is one that I follow myself in setting my own exams) and I do not accept that such a practice is properly described as an "unfair assessment method" that "punishes" students, as you put it.

I am a little unclear as to what will constitute the "favourable reply" that you seek, given that you state that you are not after higher marks. I am sorry about the administrative glitches and on Monday will look at what happened in an effort to ensure they do not recur.

Best wishes and thank you once again for letting me know your concerns.

XXX

Couldn't he have gotten my subtle hints for higher marks? Ish. Maybe I shouldn't have stated it so subtly. Sheesh.

Goksin!

I pulled one last stint before I (crossing my fingers) graduate - I complained about the examination and wrote a letter to a Head of School.

Dear Head of School of Economics XXX,

I am writing this letter as a student of the School who sat for the Economics (I) Honours exam on the 20th of November 2008. My student ID number is uXXX and I am in my final semester of a Bachelor of Commerce/Information Technology degree.

Never in my four years of study have I been so disappointed with an examination, not due to the lack of preparation on my part. I do apologise for not sending this letter in earlier as I got caught up with other things and finally found time to sit down and type it out. I did approach the College of Business and Economics on that day itself and was told that I should bring this issue to you.

Firstly, I would like to bring to your knowledge that there was a discrepancy between the examination times according to the Timetabling information we were provided with and the examination times written on the examination paper itself.

On Timetabling (and even on the door of the examination room) the exam was supposed to start at 9:20am, with 10 minutes of reading time and the writing time to start at 9:30am. The examination paper had, on its cover, written that reading time was 15 minutes, and the invigilators had started the exam at 9:16am to be exact. I arrived at 9:18am (I looked at the clock the moment I stepped in, and was surprised to see everyone already reading their papers). At that moment in time, panic rushed through me, and I thought I was late, which according to the time written on the board, I was.

I find this absolutely unfair as the paper was not supposed to start till 9:20am. Due to this fact, not only was I cheated of some of my reading time (I do admit it is not a lot, but every minute counts in an exam), I was also overcome by a feeling of panic which affected me somewhat.

Besides the difference in time, there was also a discrepancy regarding the permitted materials. According to the examination information that was provided, no permitted materials were allowed into the examination. However, on the exam paper, it was clearly written that calculators were allowed. This further put me in my state of panic and distress. I immediately shot up my hand to enquire about the calculators, and was told that it was "apparently not very helpful". Whilst this issue was later cleared up with calculators being provided by the college, it still affected me nonetheless.

Yet another issue is probably not as critical as the rest, but I always thought that the presence of the lecturer at the start of an exam was a must. This helped students cleared up any questions they had about the paper, if there was any. In this case, I had plenty, but the lecturer was nowhere to be found. According to an email I sent him a few days before the exam he was "out of town until after the exam". In that case, shouldn't there be some sort of a substitute to which we could point our questions towards?

Aside from that, there is another issue, which could be due to lack of work on my part, although I have asked around and it seems that many other students who took the exam felt the same. All throughout the semester, I have attended every class, and in each class we were taught probabilities which involve 2 variables and Game Theory problems which involve 2 firms or 2 parties. In the exam, we were faced with problems which involved 3 variables and 3 firms. I find this somewhat unfair as we have not been exposed to ways to solve these types of questions. It might be such that the lecturer was trying to test to what extent we have done our own studies, but to have put 2 out of 3 questions in such a way is pretty much testing our limits.

In writing this letter, I am not hoping for a miracle for me to get surprisingly high marks due to my complaints, but I would really like to see the School do something about it. It is not a fair assessment to all those who attended. Students who took the trouble to attend the extra Economics (I) Honours classes on top of the mandatory Macroeconomics (I) classes, and even more so those who bothered to show up for the exam should not be punished with such unfair assessment methods.

I appreciate your time spent reading this letter and I hope to receive a favourable reply soon.



Sincerely,

XXX.

Honestly, I don't know what he can do. Results are out on Monday, and it's after 5pm in Aussie already. Seeing as he hasn't replied, he probably wouldn't get the email until after the results have been released.

But still, I voiced out my concerns and the part where I said "I am not hoping for a miracle for me to get surprisingly high marks"? I lied.

Someone's famous!

The other day, I was flipping through the channels on Astro and came across Oprah, and this episode was on young geniuses sort of thing.

There were kids as young as 2 and a half with super talents - a 2 and a half year old girl had the ability to memorise the map and could point out where countries were (even though she couldn't read or was even potty-trained yet), and a 3 year old drummer, and plenty of others...then Oprah brought out Charice Pempengco.


Charice sang on Oprah with her magical voice, and I was hooked. Wow, who knew a diva could emerge in such a young kid as her?

And in a different realm, we have our own little celebrity too, albeit the minor spelling mistake. It appears on nearly all of the polystyrene containers I've come across so far :


Not nearly as international as Charice, but at least getting somewhere! *wink*

When SMSes cost 1 sen each...

C: Oh. So what you all doing now. This ms tan gila sms me so free.
X: Haha. We've separated. I'm with my aunt. She's home. I think.
C: Oh. Quarrel ah. Be nice. You all still have to live together. Albeit although i think it is you all can live one in room one in couch
X: Albeit in fact it is true. Ya. I jumped off the train cause i didn't like her anymore. Haha!
C: Poor her. Dumped. I hope she takes it well. And don't do silly things.
X: Like sidle up to a smelly old man and sniff his armpits till she dies?
C: Maybe? Or eat shit and die
X: Hmmm that's a hard way to die. Poor thing.
C: Ya but car how will be happy that someone actually does what he says
X: Eh. To fulfill his orders she'd do it, she must love him very deeply lo. Then we must matchmake them lo.
C: Ya but how to match make when one is dead.
X: Oh. Then infuse a chicken with her soul, then marry him with the chicken la.
C: Then she needs to convert car how to christianity too.
X: Hmmm maybe the laws don't apply when you're a chicken?
C: Not too sure. Have to ask the chicken. Or her soul. That's quite weird. Talking to chicken. But i guess It's something You're familiar with
X: Yep experienced i am. You can employ me to talk to the chicken.
C: Or trees. Whichever we choose to infuse her. *starts imagining car how walking down the isle with a chicken*

Skaibeech!

So right Missy Tan went for interview right, and then ended early right, so she called me up to go meet her right, then we met up at KLCC right, then right I was like "Eh, I've never been to the Skaibeech, come let's go!".

Then right Missy Tan was like "Aiyo, by this time, no more tickets liao lah." but I was like "Not like we have a lot of things to do now also, so let's go see look look see nia lah." so we did.

Then we go to the bottom there and then we ma play play with the brain teasers thingies - the ones that test your smartypantsness like arrange these 2 blocks to form a pyramid or stuff these 6 blocks of wood into this box since you have nothing better to do.

Then I play play, then I solved the pyramid thingie, then Missy Tan got approached by this Pettrohnahs peeper, and then he asked us if we had tickets for the Skaibeech, and we were like eerrr no?

Then he was like how many of you? Then we were like, just the two of us (we can make it if we try...) then he was like, okay could you please go over there?

And we were like, do we need tickets to come play these things? And he was like oh no no...then we walked loh...then didn't know where we were heading also. Then he came and led us to the door, and let us in and gave us the tickets to Skaibeech - the ones which loads of people line up from as early as 8am, just to get a chance to spend 10 minutes 170 metres above street level.


Then right, we watched this video, wah so cool lo the architecture video part where they showed us how the Tween Towers were built from scratch. Then we went into this super uber cool lift which was the exact opposite of the PwC lift, cause it had at least 100 buttons.


Then right we zoooomed up to level 41 in 40 seconds (yes, I was listening to the lady when she explained what was going on, so good ya me.) then we walked out, wahhhhhh so high up lo!

Then can see all the teensy peeper, and the teensy cars, and the preetee crouds and the preetee gardens, and the naked kids in the swimming pool...that sort of thing la.

And talking bout preetee crouds, Missy Tan took one VERY nice picher when we were on the plane to Kuala LUMUR:


- she caught the break of dawn from amidst the crouds.


And then I tell you, all these peeper thinkings we were like from don't-know-what-country la, cause they kept speaking to us in English, luckily they never asked where we were from, we'd like mumble and say Australia or something. So we acted as they saw us loh, we ooohed aaahed, then spoke in Aussie accent and all that. T'was soo much fun! =) =) =)

Then our ten minutes were up, and we became Malaysians again.

It's so weird I'm scared.

I received this email when I checked my inbox this morning.

It was regarding this ad for a classified I posted up in lieu of trying to sell my washing machine. I tell you, by adding the word CUTE to my ad, I have had SO MANY responses!

So this was the email I received:
Dear Seller,
I was just going through the Billboard and i then came across the advert concerning your item for sale,am very much interested in purchasing.So kindly let me know the features,condition as well as the price you are willing to sell. I wouldn't be able to view the item or inspect before purchase but i believe that business is based on trust so i would like you to assure me that the..is in perfect working condition. I would like to know the least price as i would also like you to help send the item to my Daugther Via EMS Speed Post Office delivery to Nigeria.and pls note it must be an express delivering shipment and all the charges will be payed by me.pls get back to me with the total cost,as i wolud be making payments for the item Via Money Gramm Auction Payments and making it payable to your full name and address so get back to me with that,Let me get a response from you soonest.
Regards
Harry Allen

Firstly, the NIGERIA scared me most. Then there was the MONEY GRAMM AUCTION PAYMENTS. Sounds exactly like the type of emails that I receive that always make me a millionaire.

So, here's my reply:
Dear Harry,
Thank you very much for your interest, but I regretfully tell you that the item has been sold.
Xin Yi.

It's not exactly the truth, but I do have 3 interested buyers waiting in line, to have a look at it once I get back. I might just sell it off before it reaches his turn in line anyway. So it's more like a half-truth. =P

But it sure is interesting what sort of responses you get when you post stuff like these up. But it's ANU Classifieds you know...you think it'd be a lot safer.

One last hurdle.

I am within minutes of starting the process to jump that last hurdle in uni life. My very last final exam as an undergraduate - ECON1100 Economics (I) Honours.

So what am I doing, sitting in a comp lab, blogging, when I have an exam within minutes? Answer is, I came too early. See lah, too gung ho about exam until I arrive half an hour before time. Also because I didn't notice that reading time actually starts at 9:20 or that it is at COPG030 (which is possibly the nearest exam venue from my place).

So here I am, sitting here, without my notes (yes for once I did NOT bring along my notes, and then I actually find time to read them) blogging loh. I've finished checking the ANU classifieds, which really is a wonderful time-passing hobby. I get to see what's on sale, debate with my inner demon to NOT buy it and at the same time get to laugh at what people actually bother selling or how they try to sell their things.

I did try to download a show, but then, maybe cause someone found out it's possible now, SOMEONE'S DOWNLOADING! Geblah..stupid. Now I can't download my things, since there is a limit of how much you can download every day.

So...I'm still sitting here idly, waiting for time to pass, and for me to sit that exam (of which I so hope I don't screw up, except even if I actually do, it's okay, so no pressure there!)

Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock goes the clock. And tap tap tap tap tap tap tap goes my keyboard as I noisily type on it, while indiscreetly noticing what the other people in the room are doing.

Okay. I just suddenly remembered I do have something to do.

Wish me luck! =) For the paper, that is.

Hee hee...shhhhhh....

I just found out something, that helps relieve the major downloading I do at home.

A bit late to be finding it out when I'm about to graduate, but oh well, better late than never.

=)

I can dload shows in uni! Like the direct download types lah. Not the torrent types.

But yaayyy...I mean, my quota zhikabooms everytime I dload one show, but yah. Can reset! =)

Anyway, back to "studying" now.

*crossing fingers*

OH MY GOODNESS.

MY MARKS FOR ONE OF MY ASSIGNMENTS JUST CAME OUT AND I FAILED. AND IT'S NOT JUST BORDERLINE FAIL, IT'S FRIGGIN FAILED SO BAD IT'S SO SO SO SO SO BAD.

AND NOW SINCE MY FINALS WEIGH ONLY 25% OF THE ENTIRE ASSESSMENT I THINK I MIGHT NOT PASS, SINCE THE LECTURER HASN'T RELEASED THE MARKS FOR THE OTHER 20% OF MY ASSESSMENT YET.

SO ASSUMING I FAILED THAT TOO, WITH A BORDERLINE FAIL (10%), I NEED TO PASS MY FINALS, IF NOT GET A HD IN MY FINALS TO PASS THIS COURSE.

I AM SO SO SO SO DEAD.

I HAVE TO GRADUATE. HAVE TO. HAVE TO. HAVE TO.

SO MUCH FOR SLEEPING. NO SLEEPING TILL I CAN ANSWER MY ENTIRE SAMPLE PAPER NOW.

SHOOT. SHITZUS. SHIITAKE. PLEASE. I. NEED. TO. GRADUATE.

Perv much?

I came across this site which was mentioned in this other site I frequent.

And gosh, perv much?

This (linked) site I went to, it was all about this person complaining bout how sexy people dress, how their buttcracks show and how short their skirts are.

But was I noticing the length of the skirts, not really. It just kept occurring to me, gosh, the person is writing all these, taking all these pictures, noticing all the lengths of the skirts.

Have you got nothing better to do? Hey, at least I think bout women pushing prams. You go take pictures of girls in short skirts and buttcracks and post them on the net, THEN criticise them!

Perv much???

*disgusted at how some people are*

I mean, I'm not saying that I'm above petty, or that I don't gossip. Oooh, I do love my gossip. But I, for one, do NOT take pictures of which can embarass them (not that I can remember). But if I did, I don't post them up and criticise!

I mean, sometimes I try the subtle route, and criticise openly with pseudonyms and all, but no pictures!

Sigh, some people, need to do more things with their lives. Try sleeping. Or reading a book. Both help the brain, in different ways. And definitely not harmful, in any sense. None that I can think of, anyway.

Mix and mismatch.

It was a weird day yesterday.

I mean aside from the fact that I woke up at 8am, just
so I could be a kiasu freak and be early at the uni clinic
so that I could get a doctor's appointment
so that I can hand in a special consideration form
so that I might get some pity marks for my exams.

Wow. Long sentence.

Anyway, on my way back home after work, I noticed things. That did not seem normal. And way too coincidental.

So first I saw this ang moh lady, and she was pushing this pram, with a dark-skinned kid inside. There may be so many ways to end with a result like that, but the first thing that came into my mind was adoption. And I was like, interesting.

And then I cycled a bit more, up the slope of Uni Ave, and there I saw another same scene. Except this time it was an Asian lady pushing a pram with an ang moh kid.

And then it suddenly occurred to me. Wow, this is weird. Is it push other people's pram day? Why are so many people pushing prams today? How come they're so coincidental they happen within 10 minutes (max) of each other? Why is it that this is so weird? Why did I even notice the two in the first place? Xin, have you got nothing else to occupy your mind with, that you start thinking of how these women get to pushing prams with the different kids inside?

Yep. Just a thought. And yes, I couldn't get it out of my mind, so I'm spewing it here.

Oh Whoops...

*coughs up something*

Oh Whhoooops...those are my lungs, sorry. I'll just stuff them back in.





Haha. If you got that, good for you.

Anyway, I will let you know all about my last day as an undergraduate soon...some day when...well...some day soon. =P