Something to make you smile and hopefully laugh!

Haha! I read this on Live Journal just now... Enjoy!

Hospital Charts

1. She has no rigors or shaking chills , but her husband states she was very hot in bed last night. 2.. Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side for over a year.

3. On the second day the knee was better, and on the third day it disappeared.

4. The patient is tearful and crying constantly. She also appears to be depressed.

5. The patient has been depressed since she began seeing me in 1993.

6. Discharge status: Alive but without my permission.

7. Healthy appearing decrepit 69 year old male, mentally alert but forgetful.

8. The patient refused autopsy

9. The patient has no previous history of suicides.

10. Patient has left white blood cells at another hospital.

11. Patient's medical history has been remarkably insignificant with only a 40 pound weight gain in the past three days.

12. Patient had waffles for breakfast and anorexia for lunch.

13. She is numb from her toes down.

14. While in ER, she was examined, x-rated and sent home.

15. The skin was moist and dry.

16. Occasional, constant infrequent headaches.

17. Patient was alert and unresponsive.

18. Rectal examination revealed a normal size thyroid.

19. She stated that she had been constipated for most of her life, until she got a divorce.

20. I saw your patient today, who is still under our car for physical therapy.

21. Both breasts are equal and reactive to light and accommodation.

22. Examination of genitalia reveals that he is circus sized.

23. The lab test indicated abnormal lover function.

24. The patient was to have a bowel resection. However, he took a job as a stock broker instead. 25. Skin: somewhat pale but present.

26. The pelvic exam will be done later on the floor.

27. Patient was seen in consultation by Dr. Blank, who felt we should sit on the abdomen and I agree.

28. Large brown stool ambulating in the hall.

29. Patient has two teenage children, but no other abnormalities.

Generativity vs Stagnation and Other Thoughts...

You know, reading about Erikson's life stage for middle adulthood makes me think that Hitler, Stalin and other famous people in history should be proud that they managed to maneuver their 'crises' to become generative in mid-life.

The 7th stage of Erikson's life stages theory, Generativity vs Stagnation, says that "generativity encompasses adults' desire to leave legacies of themselves to the next generation"(Peterson, 2002). On the other hand, stagnation happens when individuals sense that they have done nothing for the next generation. Hitler has certainly left a legacy behind, and who says he hasn't left behind valuable lessons for us?

1) League of Nations was a failure, without the co-operation of the superpowers of the world (US and Britain) (As a sidenote, don't you think this sounds incredibly reminiscent of a particularly significant event in 2002?). Anyway, from the League of Nations grew the United Nations, which learnt from the mistakes made by their predecessor (?).

2) The world of politics is DIRTY. Hitler and Stalin could play this game well I'll admit... Imagine, each agreeing with the other on what they want from the other, but all the while planning attacks.

3) And who has forgotten the extermination of 2 million (or was it more?) Jews in WWII?

Hitler has immortalised himself, all right. Ok, so to pinpoint Hitler in this post seems unfair, coz the whole History thing has more than one players, and of course, we are forgetting the roles played by heroes, like... Mother Teresa, Ghandhi (though I know some feel it's debatable whether he's actually a hero) etc. I'm just feeling a tad bitchy today, so humour me, ya? ;)

Oh, yes, if you look at it from another perspective, we could probably also say Hitler was stagnated (self-absorbed). He didn't contribute anything to the next generations except horror. So, yah, I guess you could say Hitler was stagnated. But to be fair to him, he wanted to restore Germany's pride, and restore his homeland, so to a certain extent he probably wasn't very self-absorbed. Ah well, I still stand by my first opinion that he's generative. =)

Ahh.. and I realise I can probably never manage to become a great psychologist who practices what she preaches, coz I have gotta face reality. I can't always look at the situations when making attributions to behaviour. I'm a victim of the Fundamental Attribution Error! *GASP*

The Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE) is the tendency for observers to overestimate a person's behaviour as his/her disposition, and neglect the situational causes of that behaviour. Let's say we see this father smacking his daughter in a shopping centre. The first thought we have might be that the father is cruel, and neglect the possibility that his daughter was probably making a ruckus a while ago.

I realised that if one always takes into account the situational factors before getting angry or making judgments, that person must be a truly understanding person who never ever gets angry, because that person would be able to understand that the actor's behaviour may not be his intention. OK, some of you may be thinking, if there is a consistency to this person's behaviour and a lack of distinctiveness in the types of situation this behaviour is exhibited, we probably have a right to get angry. Well, I would not disagree with you, but I think somehow the observer's anger may be attenuated?

I don't think I can be as understanding and as good-tempered as that. Much as I would want to be, and try hard to be, sometimes I just don't wanna look at the situational factors. Sometimes the same behaviour may occur again and again, to make it seem far-fetched that the situation is causing it. Though I said before that the observer's anger may be attenuated, I think I'd feel even more frustrated at that, because I think I'm justified in feeling that anger or frustration. BUT, to be really angry or frustrated, wouldn't I be spoiling my own self-concept as a good, understanding person? Ahh... and now here comes cognitive dissonance, as I try to justify my anger, and if my self-justification goes in the selfish direction, I probably would carry on in my way of thinking that the person is always wrong.

Oh, and all these are hypothetical, of course, in case you're wondering.

And in hindsight, I realise that this entry may seem rather illogical and I may have gotten my concepts wrong. Haha... Somehow I had it straight in my head, but once I typed it out they seem to have gone a funny way..... =S

Scary!!!

Yi Lun just told me this ghost story. I felt it was too exciting to keep to myself, so I shall blog about it.

There was this security guard and his partner working in this office building. They were supposed to patrol the grounds after the office building closed. This security guard kept seeing something white at the corner of his eye. At first he thought it was his imagination coz it was after working hours, and the office building was empty except for the 2 of them. However, he soon became bothered by this 'vision'. He asked his friend if there was anything beside him. The friend said no. So he thought he was just tired and decided to go wash his face. In the toilet, he looked into the mirror. There was something at the corner of his eye.

























A rice grain.

Exam Sleepiness

Exams are coming in 2 weeks!! Oh man... And I'm behind in my revision. So many chapters unread, and heard we're gonna need more than luck for Social Psychology! =S Scary...

I feel a sense of relief, though, that the projects are done, and they seem to have been done rather satisfactorily. I hope. Based on the presentation last week, I would say our content's fine. Now it's the content of the portfolio....

I think it's the stress that's slowly building that's making me feel so sleepy these days. No matter how much sleep I get, it's still not enough. My eyes still want to close! It was like that during mid-sem when I was studying for the HP101 test. I just felt like sleeping and sleeping. Ah well, after the exams I'm gonna find one day to sleep the day away!! =) Man am I looking forward to that. *satisfied grin*

You know, I should have read Psychology stuff before my A-level GP paper. Seriously, there's so much info about prejudice, groupthink, etc etc, wonderful GP stuff. Too bad each time I tell Evon and Yi Lun about it, they are too busy to read it. To be expected, I guess. Year 2's a busy busy year. Haha, I doubt I'd have paid much attention to it until the last minute too...

Anyway, I'm going back to the land of mugging....

The Light is Appearing... Sooooon..

At long last, after this week is over, I can heave a sigh of relief. CS814 will be handed in tomorrow, and one more project down, one more to go. I can't wait. It's like this pressure cooker in me man...

Anyway, I think I haven't done much for HP203, so after tomorrow, I shall devote my attention to it! And then, we shall go back to the books. I haven't opened my textbooks since last week. Man I'm so way behind in my revision.

Thanks Si Huan for being so efficient with HP203 and doing so much, and covering our butts when we were doing CS814. I shall give all my attention to it this week! =) I think without that girl ah, our group would be rather behind time. Hopefully, after this, she can have enough rest... If anyone's having a bigger pressure cooker inside them, I think it's her. Hey, I hope you don't mind me talking about you here!!

Haha, so it's in a light hearted mood that I'm typing here, and I gotta go to sleep already, since I'm gonna have 8 hours of sleep, starting now....

PMS

I hate it. Never took notice of it, but this time it was practically staring me in the face that I just had to notice it.

It's been a maelstrom of emotional upheaval this week, mostly with me getting moody and irritated with no apparent reason. I don't even know why I got irritated. Sheesh. It's a bad feeling... bad bad bad... And I find it hard to tolerate myself, much less my family. Wonder how they could stand me without getting fed up this week. Even I'm disgusted with myself.

Ahh.. the beginning of a new week. Let's just hope the stupid moodswings won't start. School's soooo not the place to have moodswings and be irritable. I don't wanna get all moody and then affect the others.

Wish me luck!

One Down, Two More to Go!

Yay! Another project finished! Another load off our shoulders! Now it's down to CS814 and HP203. Not that worried bout HP203 though, cos that one still has 2 more weeks to its due that. But I'm worried bout CS814. Technically it's due in 2 weeks' time as well, but it's due on MONDAY. Yep, so in actual fact, we have a week to do it. I know we should start on it this week, but HP202 just ended today!! And I'm going out of school tomorrow, and won't be back on Thursday. Please please please don't ask me to come back on Thursday!

Luckily, Dr Ang thought our presentation was fine. When I read her guidelines yesterday, I was quite worried, and wondered if our group had actually followed what she wanted. Thank goodness it was fine! Haha, I think this project couldn't have been completed so efficiently (seriously! We rushed through it from last week to yesterday! It was only 2 days you know, excluding the weekend). I still think this group is a GREAT group where everyone tries and DOES do their part without ever complaining about their load. I like it that everyone tries to help everyone. =) Hmm... hopefully next Academic Year we can consider being in the same tutorial groups again? What do you think? ;)

Anyway, I have to go back to doing my tutorial. Take care! =D

Concert in NTU

So exciting! Zhang Shao Han is coming to NTU for a concert! Hope I can get tickets though, otherwise it'll be so disappointing! I quite like her songs, so I hope to see her live!

Hmm... I wouldn't mind if Guang Liang came to NTU too.. I'd love to hear him sing Tong Hua live too... Why is it that only Chinese singers come here to hold their concert? What happened to the English singers?!

Asked Yi Lun and Angel to come along too. Think they might like to come along, especially Angel, who loves this sort of events. She's quite poor thing lah, actually, whole day stay at home... Not that she works on her English particularly hard when she's at home. In fact, I think she hardly touches her English stuff. There's no motivation within her to want to do well for the subject. Doesn't she realise her family's counting on her to get into a local school so that they can do their business here?! Ah well... Hopefully one day it'll finally click in her and she'll work harder. She only watches tv at home!! If she watches tv and learns her English from the subtitles it's ok. But I have a feeling she hardly even glances at it. Anyone has any idea how to motivate her?

Results...

Just as I predicted in my last post, now I am kicking myself for not making use of the time. Read my textbook a second time when I should BLOODY WELL have been reading my lecture notes. Crap. Lost stupid marks for that stupid experiment. Who the hell (except those who read the lecture notes of course, and I'm not blaming them) would come up with such STUPID experiments like testing whether people would find BLARDY pictures the BLARDY funniest with a BLARDY pen in the mouth?! Or maybe it's just me who was STUPID enough to not read the lecture notes lar. Ah well. I'm pissed with myself.

Well. Decided not to put CS814 under S/U option, so according to the cognitive dissonance theory in Social Psych, I'm supposed to be experiencing cognitive dissonance, which will make me justify internally why I didn't put CS814 under the S/U option, since I didn't have much confidence in doing well for it in the first place. I do hope it sets in, 'cos I need the internal justification and the subsequent confidence to boost my confidence in the subject. For those who dunno what I'm talking about, lemme explain what I mean.

In the first place, I didn't have much confidence in CS814, a module I've been doing as an elective. Then, there's this S/U option available to us, where we can S/U the modules which we are not confident of doing well in. So, now the logical thing is to place this CS814 under the option, and everything will be fine and dandy right? Well, I decided to do the opposite. Which means I decided to take the risk of not doing well for the subject. Yep. So that raises what we call the cognitive dissonance within me. As in, a psychological discomfort inside my mind. It's uncomfortable in the sense that I'll keep wondering if I did the right thing, what the consequences will be if I do badly, that kind of thing? Therefore, I'll try to justify to myself why I did what I did to try to make myself feel better. Since there was no external justification like reassurance from the teacher-in-charge that I'd do OK, or the knowledge that I'd do Ok, I have to find internal justification, by convincing myself that this is still early in the Semester, so I still have time to buck up on the course, and that I will actually do well in the course, because I like the course. So with internal justification, I'll convince myself that doing well in the course is gonna be Ok, that I have just as much chance of doing well in the course as anyone else. Yes. So I'm gonna believe in that, and hopefully I'll be spurred on to work harder for this course.

I didn't expect that this course would be this hard, seriously. I thought prescribed electives were supposed to be easy. Ah well, maybe I feel like this because I'm out of my comfort zone. Ok, enough of these depressing thoughts. I'm off to work hard! =)

Thursday... Friday... Saturday... And Exams soon!

Well, it's finally Thursday, which means tomorrow will be Friday! It's strange, but I kinda find that this week has passed real slooooooooooowly.. I mean, the time just creeps by. Even HP202 tutorial, which usually zooms past without my being aware of the time passing, was slow! Goodness, what happened to time this week?

Haha, well, I think Pony would scold me for wishing that time would pass quickly. After all, tomorrow's the Social Psych test. I have no idea why I would still want time to pass so fast even when there's a test tomorrow. I don't even know if I'm well-prepared for it. I have a nasty feeling I'll be kicking myself for wishing that time would pass faster tomorrow, once I realise that I hadn't prepared enough for the paper. Well. So what the hell am I doing online, blogging about time passing very slowly and then knowing what will happen tomorrow? Frankly, I have no idea. Sounds crappy I know, but there you have it.

JB Food trip by Deli Aprecio club has been cancelled because of the bird flu. To be honest, I feel relieved at its cancellation. At least there's one less event to be carried out. However, I'm not so sure it's such a good thing. You see, when JB food trip is cancelled, all the more the committee would want the year-end publication to come out. Which means that I'm in deep trouble. Which means more writing. Which means more time spent on something which won't go towards enhancing my GPA. Which means more headaches. Which means more apportioning out my time to handle more things. Sheesh. And there are sooooo many readings to be done already! This weekend, my time will be occupied by project readings. And God knows that I haven't prepared well for my Personality Psych and Developmental Psych papers. And exams are in 4-5 weeks' time. Everything is just dandy. And my father is always behind me nagging for me to start my revision. Well, as if I don't know what's at stake here.

Ah well. This is life I guess. After 4th May I'll be free! For a few days, at least. Hmm. And I can look forward to going K Box with Yi Lun! =)

Ten Top Trivia Tips about Yi Ling!

1. In Chinese, the sound 'Yi Ling' means 'bite the wax tadpole'!
2. Contrary to popular belief, Yi Ling is not successful at sobering up a drunk person, and in many cases she may actually increase the adverse effects of alcohol!
3. South Australia was the first place to allow Yi Ling to stand for parliament.
4. It's bad luck for a flag to touch Yi Ling!
5. In the Spanish edition of Cluedo, Yi Ling is the victim.
6. Yi Ling has enough fat to produce 32 bars of soap.
7. When provoked, Yi Ling will swivel the tip of her abdomen and shoot a jet of boiling chemicals at her attacker.
8. Czar Paul I banished Yi Ling to Siberia for marching out of step!
9. Twenty-eight percent of Microsoft's employees are Yi Ling!
10. Yi Ling can sleep for three and a half years.

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Happy Holidays....

Oh wow. The whole family's sick, thanks to Evon's good bye present to us. My mother, Yi Lun and I have been running a fever these last few days and my fever is still climbing. Last measurement was at 38.1 degrees. Sheesh. So because of this I have to forgo Project Bridge today. Haven't gone down for 2 weeks- this is my 3rd week- I think Yancy must be getting irritated with me.

Been sleeping the whole day, and it's still not enough! What a time to get sick. I still have to study for tests and do projects one leh! And I broke out in hives this morning. It's the worst case I've ever experienced. Bumps all over the body; even eating the usual medicine didn't really help. -_-" It's so irritating. I have no idea why it's such a serious breakout today, I didn't take any seafood yesterday. Don't tell me I am allergic to fish as well?!

I do hope I'll be able to get well by Friday! I wanna go back to TPJC to play vball! Haven't played it for a long time, I kinda miss it. However, I think it's unlikely that I'll be going back, if my mother and Yi Lun's slow recovery are an indication.

Ok, it's time for me to sleep. My eyes are sooo heavy. Let's hope I don't break out in hives again tomorrow!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Haha... Yep, my birthday was just over like... an hour and 20min ago, but still, I'm still quite touched by the events of today. Thanks to everyone who sent me birthday greetings and celebrated my birthday with me! And to Evon: I still miss you! This is the first birthday with you not in Singapore!

Anyway, the day started with me being late (I'm so sorry!) meeting Si Huan and Merrilyn. Alvin doesn't count 'cos he was late too! Met him while walking up the stairs from the train. And then we went to Kbox, where we sang until 2+ pm, and reluctantly left the place. There were still so many songs unsung! And most (if not all) of the songs unsung were Si Huan, Merrilyn and Alvin's! Feel so bad. They pushed my songs up first to let me sing 'cos it was my birthday. So sweet! Hey! We must go Kbox again after the exams k?! This time sing longer! Not bad! Everyone can sing so well! =) Though there were some points when we had no mo qi. ;) OH! I almost forgot! Merrilyn, Si Huan and Alvin sang Twins' Happy Birthday to me! Haha... So fun.. But I thought the song was never going to end. It just kept going on and on... and faster and faster... Oh man.. haha... Nonetheless, first time I've had a karaoke versh of Happy Birthday sung to me!

Then, with nothing to do from 2+ to 5.30, we walked around Suntec, and discussed project in a corner of Suntec. Haha, that is a nice place to do discussions! Nobody disturbs us! =) Yah I know... It sounds a bit anti-climatic to actually discuss project on my birthday and after an exhilarating time at Kbox, but to be honest, I quite enjoyed the discussion leh. Quite fun what, and at least we got some of our discussions done. =)

Then off it was to meet Pony and Wen Keat. We went to Chong Qing Yuan Yang Steamboat! Haha, it's a new experience, though I think Marina Bay's variety is better. This Chong Qing place is only a good experience to try Yuan Yang hotpot and the Ma La hot pot. Other than that, Marina Bay wins. =) I had a great time there though, haha. It was so full of laughs! With WenKeat and Alvin... Oh man... haha, and Si Huan... Natural entertainers.. =)

First joke of the day:
Si Huan: My whole family uses the leftover watermelon to rub on our face, that's why my skin is
so nice. Alvin you should do it!
The rest: (eye her suspiciously)
Si Huan: It's true! (proceeds to demonstrate)
People walk past, looking at her and wondering what she's doing.

Second joke of the day:
Si Huan: I think it's the chemical reaction of my saliva and the white of the watermelon that
make my skin nice when I apply on myself. Alvin, you should seriously try it.
Wen Keat: Then he should bring the whole bag home and try!
Alvin: ... Don't want! Later infection!
Wen Keat: Yah lor, then maybe mushrooms will grow on your face!
(Loud bursts of uncontrollable laughter around the table)
Pony: Then Alvin bo hua leh, come here to eat steamboat. He can pluck the mushrooms from
his face.
(More uncontrollable laughter, this time with moans of pain as we hadn't recovered from our last laughter)

Wen Keat and Merrilyn proceeded to eat LOTS of prawns (or should I say Merrilyn only?) after the rest of us gave up. Then we went to Bugis.

3rd joke:
Si Huan to me: Your surprises for today haven't ended yet.
Me looking at her wide-eyed: Don't tell me they went to buy cake!
Si Huan: Dunno leh, maybe they are making chocolate cake in the toilet! But why take so long?
Wen Keat: Maybe not enough ingredients. That's why Merrilyn was eating so many prawns just
now. She wanted prawn flavoured cake!
(uncontrolled laughter again)

Yah. That's it. But in between, there were many jokes! To tell them all, I'd need until like tomorrow, but I'm too sleepy. Haha. Yah I realise some of these jokes are a lil mean and erm... disgusting, but at that point in time it was rather funny, particularly when you see Wen Keat's face when he talks. I guess you just have to be there when the jokes were being said. =) Oh, and I don't think Alvin's offended....

Haha, Si Huan got saboed! Though she didn't realise it. We meant to sing the birthday song to her in Swensen's when the Earthquake was brought over, but she was too preoccupied singing out my name that she didn't hear everyone else singing her name! =D

Oh and there's 15% off for anyone with a birthday at Giordano's! Bought a pair of jeans from there. Been eyeing their jeans for ages! But it's still quite ex... from $45 to $38. Not very much of a good deal, but I've been drooling so much over it that I'm running low on water. I saw another pair which I like! (Like the cutting! and the design!) But it was $69!!! Even with 15% discount, it's still too much. I have to start saving money. But I'm not doing a very good job of it leh.

They gave me a blue Mizuno sports bag! =) Thanks guys! Haha, it might look small on the outside, but upon closer inspection the moment I got home, the interior is quite large! =) Aiyah, even if it wasn't, I'd still squeeze my clothes in one! =)

Shinder just called me! Wow she remembered my birthday even though we haven't talked in ages! So sweet of her! Really happy!

Haha, think this has been a wonderful birthday for me! Lots of people remembered me, and wonderful presents I received! Haha, all are presents I've always secretly wanted but never bought because of the cost, or because I wasn't sure if I would use it. But since it's given to me, I SHALL USE IT! =D The only dark cloud is that I'm 20. Yah, I know, most people can't wait for 21, but... 20 is old!! Just imagine, I shall be 30 in 10 years' time! And there's no significant other in sight! Haha... I sound desperate... Haha... I'm just kidding. But well... It's no fun getting old leh. Wonder why I wanted to grow up so much when I was young. Silly.

Haha. I shall retire to bed now. My eyes can't open.

Thanks again, everyone, who did or said things to make my birthday a great and memorable one!

And Serene, CONGRATS on passing your exam! =)

Crikey the last 2 days have been a total waste. I thought I'd have learned from my lesson from last break, but apparently, I'm still too addicted to slacking. -_-"

Though DAC has been taking most of my concentration, I think I'm not justified in not doing anything. Social Psych has been untouched! And I'm going to be out of the house the whole day tomorrow! And Tuesday! Ahhhh!!!

OK, I'm going to work hard. I'm going to sign out of MSN. Right Now.

A Meaningless Routine?

I'm supposed to write about a meaningless routine for my Craft of Writing assignment. What a joke. All routines have meaning what, otherwise why do them for goodness' sake! I feel like writing, "doing the regular assignments for this course is a meaningless routine in itself", but that would be digging a grave for myself. Really! What do they want us to write?

I've decided to write about making my bed. I mean, that was the best routine I could write about. What else? Doing homework? Eating? Well I do find eating meaningless sometimes. If only there was such a pill or chewing gum like the one Willy Wonka invented- the gum that can allow one to eat 3 meals! Haha... then don't have to worry about what to eat, or that I'm too full to eat or something. BUT sometimes I do enjoy eating... Hehe, think if such an invention is created, we can all say byebye to recess, lunch breaks etc. Hmm.. it'd be good for workaholics who go without meals though. At least they wouldn't have to worry about gastric problems. =)

OK, let's brainstorm about why making beds is meaningless.

1) I'll only mess it up again at night---> waste of time
2) What if I oversleep?
3) Too busy!
4) Do it so that people won't think I'm a messy person

Can't think of anymore reasons, but I would think points 1,2 and 3 can be under the category of "waste time". So that leaves me with only 2 reasons. Think you I can play around with 2 reasons? 250-300 words? I've never had a problem with exceeding word limits before! This is shocking.

Anyway, Evon left on Thursday. It still feels kind of surreal that she's gone. I just keep thinking she's in school or something. And I think noozer is lovesick. He doesn't seem to have any energy!
Just talked to Evon on the phone. Poor girl! She's sick, in a foreign country, and has no friends yet! And she's homesick! When I spoke to her on the phone just now I also almost cried man.. I miss her! Didn't think I would miss her so much. It's almost as if it's beginning of last sem all over again, when I missed everyone so much. Haha, I was always on the verge of crying whenever I spoke to my family in the first few weeks. Thank goodness I have gotten used to it, and have begun to appreciate hall life. =) Well... in a sense, I guess I'm luckier than Evon. At least I'm still in Singapore, and at least I had Serene as my roommate. These 2 combinations made my adjustments better! =) But for Evon... I do hope she adapts soon!

Miss herMiss herMiss herMiss herMiss herMiss herMiss herMiss herMiss herMiss herMiss her!!

Tay Yi Fang if you read this you better tag on my board or I shan't call you anymore!

Ok, I'm going to watch Kate and Leopold now. Bye!

Updates...

Yes, I'm so totally bored with Developmental Psych that I just had to empty my thoughts into this Pensieve known as my blog. Nothing can get into my useless computer of a brain, so I have decided to take a break (but seriously, i haven't even reached the 3rd lecture!)

Si Huan, this is what i think!

Basically I think what you said about the life instincts operating on a higher level of awareness while the death instincts operate under a lower level. This can be seen through the survival of the fittest, and when people are on the verge of death. Their instinct is to LIVE, not die, just like Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Hmm.. but when does the death instinct take place? Personally, I think it happens when a person feels that his or her life is threatened. I once watched a movie about this girl who was sent to a freak show because she had hair all over her body that made her look like a wolf. Her friend then gave her a chemical his mother had invented (but it was not finalised yet) that could get rid of her hair and make her more human. It worked at first, and she soon wanted more, to get rid of even more hair. BUT what happened was that the friend's mother injected more of the chemical into a rabbit, and instead of losing all its hair, the rabbit started ripping its own skin from itself. Yes. It bit the skin off itself. It was like self-destructing because from what the mother said, "It felt scared". Si Huan, perhaps that's what you meant by the death instinct? Similarly, when it's applied to humans, when we are really scared and running for our lives, it's primarily for survival. But what happens when we reach a dead end or reach the edge of a cliff? What would we do? Would we surrender to the threat? Or would we attempt a last-ditch effort to save our life? What if jumping off the edge of the cliff resulted in death? Would we still take it? Perhaps this is what Freud meant when he says that the life and death instinct can coexist together...

On to less disturbing stuff...
Chinese New Year came and went, all in the blink of an eye! I thought 5 days was sufficient to catch up with work, but BOY WAS I WRONG! I didn't get to catch up on ANY work at all, much less DO work. Sheesh... It was fun though, getting to dress up as I usually wouldn't, and seeing relatives whom we seldom see, and catching up with cousins whom we haven't seen for a long time! Here are some pictures!

3 of us in the car. It was a looooong ride to fourth grand-aunt's place. Her place is at Tanjong Pagar ( I think).













And here are my 2 cousins. My 2 and only paternal Singaporean cousins! The other 3 are in Australia... =) The one on my right is Kenny, and the one on the left is Eng Hock. See the family resemblance?


Isn't he sooo adorable?! He's my nephew, Jingxun, only 15 months old this year. He looks like a future Mr Nice Guy, and someone who can act in one of Jack Neo's movies! =) Very sociable and friendly and generous! He even offered us his ang pows! =D


My 3 other nephews. Introducing Sean (the one behind), Gerald (the one saying "Cheese!") and Jonan (in orange). Jonan was supposed to look handsome! He is, you know, just that I think he just got scolded by his mother, that's why he looks a little grudging... Three more are missing, but never mind, I shall get their photos when I see them!

So yep, the days passed very fast...

And now fast forward a few days....
It was a HORROR. Last week was the ultimate HORROR I tell you. Presentations, fairs, all came at one go. Late nights and early mornings were a norm last week, with only Friday to sleep in. I tell you, never have I been so happy to see a Friday coming. There was Chocolate Fest and HSS Family Fiesta, but I was mostly at the Chocolate Fest there, coz I was down for duty for like the whole day on Thursday. Wednesday was full of commitments- school, helping Dr Lee, and then a meeting with DAC. Tuesday... was busy with preparations for Chocolate Fest. Decorating the board, when I have no sense of decor AT ALL. Sheesh. Thank goodness for Shuen Yun's help man... Without her I think I would have gone mad or something. When Thursday came, I was rather relieved. And thanks to all my subcommers man. Without them I think I might have had another round of madness, so thank you! Even though I know some of you were bored to tears that day... hehe...

And today... SAD.
The test was such a disaster! I know I read the answers to those questions before the test, and I know that I know the answers, BUT I COULDN'T REMEMBER THEM! I think I only managed to remember like a fraction of each question, so that amounts to, what, a small percentage of the marks? And the essays. Which person in their right mind would give 4 essay questions and 24 short answer questions that merit 3 marks to be done in 2 hours?! And the prof could still say, "The paper will only end at 1330. You have plenty of time to complete your paper, so relax." Sheesh. How the hell was I to relax? And how much does one write for a 3 mark short answer question anyway? Is it 3 points, or does it have to be a mini-essay? And if so, why would it be called short answer questions? They should be called SHORT ESSAYS! !(*^#*&^(*^$#&%

It was such a disappointment today man... Hopefully Developmental Psych will be a much kinder paper, though I doubt it very much. My only hope lies in the coming break, where HOPEFULLY I shall have enough time to catch up on my work... Ohhhhh WHO AM I KIDDING? There's gonna be NO break. I have to help organise the JB Food Trip, which is sooo gonna take up so much time! And study for Social Psych. And complete the 2 projects.

My life has narrowed down to NTU. Experience Nanyang. Oh yeah *nods head*. Believe me, I am.

And fast forward another few days to Thursday...
Evon's going to NZ already! Time really flies man. It seems like only yesterday when I just thought her (or anyone of us, for that matter) going overseas to study was such a faraway thing. Now Evon's going away, leaving Yi Lun and me in Singapore. And Yi Lun in Clearwater, soon going to NUS, and if she's going to take up Vet Science as well, then Massey Uni next year. So that will leave lonely old me back in Sunny Singapore. Yippee. What fun. I better find a better half before Yi Lun goes away, so there's someone to spend time with me. My parents have each other already. I'm just an extra. Haha! =) I'm just kidding lar. How to find someone man?! My life is only NTU now. Last week I hardly had time to even talk to my father! So sad, considering the fact that we talk every day. Last week's standard conversation was, "Hello? Pa ah? Yah, I'm ok, but very busy. I'll call you again ok? Ok I'll remember to take my chicken essence, bye!" That kind of thing. Well, take out the exclamation mark from the "Bye" and that's basically it. I just put the exclamation mark there to give a kind of positive spin on the conversation, but the truth is, it was said in a tired voice.

Anyway. Back to Evon and my future sad and lonely existence in Singapore. Maybe if Yi Lun goes to NZ next year I'll be living with 2 'younger siblings'- Angel and this other boy. Goodness. What great fun I'll have, going home to see my siblings, who actually aren't. Who am I going to talk to? I might as well also go overseas lar, like that. Hopefully I'll get the exchange programme. But then again, getting the exchange programme would mean *GASP* MORE YOUNGER SIBLINGS!! Sheesh. So there you have it. To go, or not to go, that is the question.

OK, this entry is getting depressing, and I better end it. Perhaps it's my death instinct at work, getting me all depressed so that I won't be in the mood to study and then won't do well for this coming test and then not doing well for subsequent tests and then finally getting even more depressed until I get a nervous breakdown and maybe end up in IMH for the rest of my life.

Ok, I was exaggerating.

Whee!

Chinese New Year's coming!! Can't wait for it. Not only do we get the ang pows, we will also get to dress up, and then go visiting (not that I like this part very much. I only like visiting some families. Hee.. ). Best of all, it's HOLIDAY!

I'm going home tomorrow after the interview. Oh man, after knowing more about the service which I'll be hired for (IF I manage to pass the interview, and that's a very big IF), I'm starting to have doubts about myself. What if I can't handle the child? What if I'm too blur to know what the aim of the activity is or how it is supposed to be carried out? And what if I don't have enough time to catch up on my work this sem? Thing is, I think this home teachers thing will require me to go to the child's house to teach him/her, and one big problem is my parents. Will they let me go to another person's house? Papa is already nagging about the time needed to be spent there. I kind of agree with him, but I was also thinking, this kind of opportunity doesn't come very often, and I should try to broaden my exposure if I'm going to go this Psychology path. So it's a question of what my priority is. Then again, we will only know the results after the interview.

Yep, so tomorrow's Thursday, and Friday will be coming! Friday's gonna end at 2.30pm, and then I can go out with Evon and Yi Lun! I do hope we'll be watching Memoirs of a Geisha! I've been waiting for it for like forever! And we're gonna buy Yi Lun's new year clothes, clothes that she'll wear for chinese new year, but ultimately belong to me, coz she seldom wears those clothes. Muahahahahaha! I like! I do hope we find nice clothes though... =)

OK, so there's all you have of my bimbotic talk tonight. I was merely taking a break from my research on the Weecare services. I'd hate to think I failed the interview because I went there an idiot and came out looking like a bigger idiot. So I better go learn about autism and the school and maybe about the situation in Singapore about autistic children.

Wish me loads of luck people!

And in case I don't blog again before Chinese New Year,

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR and GONG XI FA CAI!!

What is my Major?

I have NOOOO idea why the results turned out so small man.. the bars are supposed to reveal the different percentages I scored for each Major and now the only indication is the numbers. -_-"

Oh well. Personally, I feel the results are rather accurate, though I don't really know why Sociology is the course that's for me. 100% some more! I always liked Anthropology, seriously, so there's no surprise that it's ranked the same as Psychology. In fact, before I decided to take up Psychology, I wanted to do Anthropology, but I had already dropped History and Singapore doesn't have a course on Anthropology. I love culture! And people. =)Surprisingly (or not) Journalism's 3rd place. Prior to wanting to do Anthropology and Psychology, I wanted to be a journalist and eventually a writer, but I eventually came to terms with the fact that I was never gonna be as creative and as engaging as the bestseller authors, and I dislike having to write with restrictions. In journalism, there are restrictions I feel, coz there are points about each event to be noted down, and we HAVE to include them in our articles. When there are such points to be written my writing goes all stiff and horribly awkward. Sounds fake to me, and I can't write well. That's why I much prefer writing Lit essays to GP essays. Lit essays offer more freedom to express my thoughts and there's greater flexibility in language. =)

No surprises that the science subjects rank so low in my score... Absolutely no interest in them, especially Physics, though I wonder why Chem is the lowest. Dance and Art... Not that I dislike them, but coz I can't do them for nuts. I'd LOVE to be able to do Art and Dance, but I've accepted that some things just can't be forced.
-_-"

This picture was taken by Merrilyn in her room. It's now my wallpaper picture. I wanted to remove it from my wallpaper initially, but the more I look at it, the more I like it.



What do you think?

What is my Major?

You scored as Sociology. You should be a Sociology major! Sociology 100% Anthropology 92% Psychology 92% Linguistics 92% Theater 83% English 83% Journalism 83% Engineering 75% Philosophy 75% Dance 58% Mathematics 50% Biology 50% Art 42% Chemistry 33% What is your Perfect Major? (PLEASE RATE ME!!<3) created with QuizFarm.com

Busybusybusy

Sch started about 4 weeks ago, and things are picking up fast! Projects have started coming in, quiz dates have been booked, presentation deadlines coming up, and events are rushing in! Whooo! Life's getting more exciting!

Social Psych already has a project, and we are just beginning to get underway, once we confirm a social psychology question to research on. It's funny you know, how we can think of so many questions regarding social psychology and when the time comes to think of a topic, the mind is blank. Ah well, no point longing for something that isn't likely to come back for probably forever... Our project is on fundamental attribution error. Fundamental attribution error is the error outsiders make regarding a person's behaviour. That is, when someone behaves a certain way (the actor), an outsider will attribute the actor's behaviour to his/her personality, while the actor would attribute his/her behaviour to the situation. So for example, if I were to fall down in lecture, those who don't know me would think that I'm a clumsy person, but I would think that it's not because I'm clumsy, it's coz the floor was slippery. =) More specifically, our project on the fundamental attribution error is regarding cultural differences-how individualism in the west and collectivism in the east can contribute to differences in fundamental attribution errors. Cool question, isn't it? Now, if I can only access the journal providers....

Quiz is for Developmental Psych, and immensely interesting module about human development. I just hope the quiz is easy... It's a few weeks after CNY and I hope there's enough time to finish revision...

And the presentation I'm absolutely dreading- CS814: Information Visualisation and Perception, and we have to give a presentation on visual attention. Where the hell am I gonna get the info from man I wonder. One silver lining in this otherwise very very dark cloud is the fact that after this presentation I don't have to worry about this course until the term paper is due, for which I'm sure a very big headache is imminent. Bleah.

Events coming up! Whoo! Chocolate Festival 2006 is coming up from 8-9 Feb. I'm involved in the publicity for it, but I'm not entirely sure where I can find proper pictures... I feel those I submitted were most apt for the posters... But they were too pixelated. Argh!! So now I have to find alternatives. Sheesh. Another event coming up is the HSS family fiesta. Merrilyn's setting up a booth and I think I'm gonna help her, though I haven't really thought how yet, since the Choc Fest is going on at the same time. Hmm... Food for thought later... One more event is the upcoming JB Food Trip during the Feb break. Meetings are commencing to plan it. Hope turnout is good this time....

On top of these, I'm thinking of signing up for a teaching prog for autistic children which I think would be quite enriching and a good experience. At the same time I'm also interested in the job offer to be a student helper in psych research. I think both would be good exposures for me in the field of Psychology and they sound very interesting. Haha, but I would have to pass the interview for the autistic children one first.... And I have to complete my resume. Argh!

Ok, I'm going to sleep now. My eyes are tired....