I can’t believe I stupidly lent a colleague $50. I didn’t even let him finish saying when he would return (he said he would return when he gets his CPF…no idea what that means) and I just said okay. I gave him a $50 note when he only asked for $30 (granted, the ATM machine only dispenses $50 bills, but I didn’t help myself). I was being overly-generous, plain naïve and downright foolish in believing that I was only helping out a colleague in need.
I heard from other colleagues that he uses the money to bet, and he has a history of borrowing from others (and defaulting on these loans). You can say that I should take it as a lesson well-learnt and move on from this unhappy episode, but $50 is too steep a price to pay, and I don’t wish to lose faith in humanity because of one poor character.
***
Being stood up by others for the past 3 semesters, after having my hopes raised to giddying heights by false, insincere promises of “yeah, we should meet up”, this semester was one where words are being put into action, and we are really meeting up.
Back in April, I knew that Xuan Ting was more sincere in asking for a meet-up after exams, but I thought that I would still have to initiate it and work round her schedule, and was half-expecting it to dwindle into nothingness once things become almost impassable. This time round she approached me, and was willing to work round my schedule, and I could feel that she really wanted it.
Likewise for Valerie…I just can’t describe how immensely moved and apologetic I am when she went out of her way to accommodate to my schedule. Granted, she wasn’t working, but I am working night-shift, and am thus only free on Sundays and Mondays (before work). She offered to come all the way down to Vivocity for a late dinner, knowing that I would be leaving from Harbourfront for work only at 10pm.
Until now, it still amazes me how I never came to know her properly even though we were acquainted way back in those Fairfield years…and how close I am to missing out on the caring and genuine friend that she is.
And I think this year’s birthday should be a happier one than past years, since I know that at least 2 people would almost definitely remember it this time. As usual, there are still the ‘others’ who I used to expect to remember after they said they would remember next time, who even until now I am still left hoping they would remember…but at least the cloak of perennial disappointment would be lifted somewhat.
***
I just saw this on TV, and it reminds me of LSM1303 lecture when the Prof showed it to us too. The crows are just so smart. We were all already impressed enough when the crow dropped the nut onto the road from a height, even more awed when the crow let the car do the job, and just stunned when it waited for the traffic light to change before taking its meal.
I was secretly hoping for an A, because this is the one module that I have put in the most effort for, meeting up at least once a fortnight for consultation with the Prof, but ultimately I’m undone by self-doubt during the quizzes. To be frank, I am slightly disappointed, in spite of the decent grade.
CL3281: A-
I am flattered by this grade. I had only a B+ in Basic Translation, so why would I ever think that I could do better in Advanced Translation right? The competition in the class is so intense that I never thought I could out-perform anyone else, unless they falter on their own. This grade came as a bonus to me, and it’s almost fortuitous.
CL3203: A-
I was also secretly hoping for an A, because this was another module which I went the extra mile for, completing weekly readings which I doubt anyone else in the class did, and I collated data samples even when the Prof had excused me due to my personal circumstances. I’m still a little befuddled by the 古汉语 question, which never came out in past year papers before, but it was an enjoyable learning experience.
CL3202: A
The excitement over this has more or less worn off, because this was a grade that I already knew 3 days after the paper ended. I can only say that I am incredibly lucky to have such a understanding Professor, who granted me extension of deadline for my report without any penalty given, and who was always so willing to meet up with me for consultations, be it over project, presentation, or lecture questions.
CL2103: A+
I deliberately left this module for the last, because this is one grade that I never saw coming from a mile away, and it was so unexpected to the extent that I hadn’t even hoped for it. At the start of the semester, I remember that I was thinking to myself how I would be lucky to scrape a B+ (essentially just do better than CL2121), because the content was technical, competition was keen, and I was always teetering just barely on the periphery of understanding.
Then in the last couple of weeks before exams, I was lucky enough to have my TA who met up with me thrice (one occasion being the morning before the paper itself, which is also the day right after she returned from holiday) over consultation. There isn’t a shadow of doubt that, without her, I would never have been able to achieve an A, because she slashed a huge amount of content to study for me to focus on the truly important parts.
And that is the first A+ I ever had over 4 semesters. Considering that I had taken easier modules before, and this is one module which I wouldn’t have taken in this lifetime had it not been compulsory for Chinese Language majors, that is saying something.
I calculated…based on this sem’s results alone, I should have a CAP of 4.7, yet because of past semesters’ disappointment, it’s only 4.38. It’s definitely still better than the past 2 semesters, and I didn’t think there was much I could have done back then to better my results, just that it’s such a pity, and makes me wonder what it could have been.
I always felt that this was the one semester in which I was going to improve my CAP (which has been falling over the past 2 semesters), and that it was going to be the most enjoyable one. I’m proven right on both counts. The first time I had an A+, and the first time I never had a B-range grade.
***
The auditions really made me LOL-ed so hard. The contestants’ imitations of the judges are so funny, especially at 3:45! Ken Lim’s expression at 8:27 was hilarious too!
Apart from the first one, I have been getting full marks and A+ for every assignment, so my CA should be great. I have been meeting up with my TA for consultations prior to the exams, and I felt somewhat confident of my answers during the paper itself. Yet, I still have this niggling feeling that my final paper would pull me down the steep bell-curve, thus I’m bracing myself for disappointment in the event I do not get at least an A-.
CL3202: A
I already know this result. Still find it incredible that I managed to achieve this grade, when I only managed to scrape an A- for CL2102 (the pre-requisite module for CL3202). Even then, I still think it’s entirely fortuitous for me to achieve an A- for it.
CL3203: B+
Even though I had an enjoyable time learning in this module, collating data samples and writing the term report, I doubt I’ll fare well when the class size is so small and everyone’s CA seems to be on par with each other (judging by how everyone is equally active in class participation and the term report grades are so close). This makes the final exam the crux of it all, and I bet I failed my 古汉语 question to have lost the A-.
CL2281: B+
I think this is the realistic grade I should get (maybe even worse), since I was far from excellent in my graded quizzes, and I’m not confident of getting full marks for my final paper.
CL3281: B
With everyone else in the class being a powerhouse other than me, I’m secretly preparing myself mentally for a B-. I didn’t come out feeling good vibes from the exam either…just felt slightly lucky that there was a line of text regarding dropped hose, so I just ‘spammed’ my knowledge garnered from fire-fighting in the navy in my 注释.
