i hate packing.

Apparently, I am crazy about him.

Private property!


No trespassing haha=)


My favorite photo=)


World peace times two.


Haha what a sweet smile. Sen's, I mean =p

It's about time

My blog has caused me a bit too much trouble already.

I could either close it down, transfer yet again to another blog address for the 5,874,980th time...or...do what I have just done: keep it private.

Yeah I think that's the way to go. So if you're reading this right now, that means I trust you.=)

Mikaela Fudolig, kid extraordinaire

I just finished my exams. Freedom is sweet. =)

I'd like to share with you the graduation speech of Mikaela Fudolig, the kid extraordinaire who graduated summa cum laude (with the highest academic distinction) from University of the Philippines at the tender age of 16. Sixteen!!!Oh and by the way, her weighted average upon finishing her BS Physics degree is a jaw-dropping 1.099. Woah. (In UP, highest grade is 1, here in Singapore it's 5).

"Take not the road less traveled"

One of the things that strike me as being very “UP Diliman” is the way UPD students can’t seem to stay on the pavement. From every street corner that bounds an unpaved piece of land, one will espy a narrow trail that cuts the corner, or leads from it. Every lawn around the buildings sports at least one of these paths, starting from a point nearest to the IKOT stop and ending at the nearest entry to the building. The trails are beaten on the grass by many pairs of feet wanting to save a fraction of a meter of traveling, no matter that doing so will exact some cost to the shoes, or, to the ubiquitous slippers, especially when the trails are new.


What do these paths say about us, UP students?


One could say that the UP student is enamored with Mathematics and Pythagoras, hence these triangles formed by the pavement and the path. Many among you would disagree.


Others could say that the UP student is naturally countercultural. And the refusal to use the pavement is just one of the myriads of ways to show his defiance of the order of things. This time, many would agree.


Still, others will say that the UP student is the model of today’s youth: they want everything easier, faster, now. The walkable paths appeal to them because they get to their destination faster, and presumably, with less effort. Now that is only partly true, and totally unfair.


These trails weren’t always walkable. No doubt they started as patches of grass, perhaps overgrown. Those who first walked them must have soiled their shoes, stubbed their toes, or had insects biting their legs, all in the immovable belief that the nearest distance between two points is a straight line. They might even have seen snakes cross their paths. But the soiled footwear, sore toes, and itchy legs started to conquer the grass. Other people, seeing the yet faint trail, followed. And as more and more walked the path, the grass gave in and stopped growing altogether, making the path more and more visible, more and more walkable.


The persistence of the paths pays tribute to those UP students who walked them first – the pioneers of the unbeaten tracks: the defiant and curious few who refuse the familiar and comfortable; the out-of-the-box thinkers who solve problems instead of fretting about them; the brave who dare do things differently, and open new opportunities to those who follow.


They say how one behaved in the past would determine how he behaves in the future. And as we leave the University, temporarily or for good, let us call on the pioneering, defiant, and brave spirit that built the paths to guide us in this next phase of our life.


We have been warned time and again. Our new world that they call “adulthood” is one that’s full of compromises, where success is determined more by the ability to belong than by the ability to think, where it is much easier to do as everyone else does. Daily we are bombarded with so much news of despair about the state of our nation, and the apparent, perverse sense of satisfaction our politicians get from vilifying our state of affairs. It is fashionable to migrate to other countries to work in deceptively high-paying jobs like nursing and teaching, forgetting that even at their favored work destinations, nurses and teachers are some of the lowest paid professionals. The lure of high and immediate monetary benefits in some low-end outsourcing jobs has drawn even some of the brightest UP students away from both industry and university teaching to which they would have been better suited.


Like the sidewalks and pavement, these paths are the easiest to take.


But, like the sidewalks and pavement, these paths take longer to traverse, just as individual successes do not always make for national progress. The unceasing critic could get elected, but not get the job done. The immigrant could get his visa, but disappear from our brainpower pool. The highly paid employee would be underutilized for his skills, and pine to get the job he truly wants, but is now out of his reach. And the country, and we, are poorer because of these.


Today, the nation needs brave, defiant pioneers to reverse our nation’s slide to despair. Today, we must call upon the spirit that beat the tracks. Today, we must present an alternative way of doing things.


Do NOT just take courage, for courage is not enough. Instead, be BRAVE! It will take bravery to go against popular wisdom, against the clichéd expectations of family and friends. It will take bravery to gamble your future by staying in the country and try to make a prosperous life here. It might help if for a start, we try to see why our Korean friends are flocking to our country. Why, as many of us line up for immigrant visas in various embassies, they get themselves naturalized and settle here. Do they know something we don’t?


Do NOT just be strong in your convictions, for strength is not enough. Instead, DEFY the pressure to lead a comfortable, but middling life. Let us lead this country from the despair of mediocrity. Let us not seek to do well, but strive to EXCEL in everything that we do. This, so others will see us as a nation of brains of the highest quality, not just of brawn that could be had for cheap.


Take NOT the road less traveled. Rather, MAKE new roads, BLAZE new trails, FIND new routes to your dreams. Unlike the track-beaters in campus who see where they’re going, we may not know how far we can go. But if we are brave, defiant searchers of excellence, we will go far. Explore possibilities, that others may get a similar chance. I have tried it myself. And I’m speaking to you now.


But talk is cheap, they say. And so I put my money where my mouth is. Today, I place myself in the service of the University, if it will have me. I would like to teach, to share knowledge, and perhaps to be an example to new UP students in thinking and striving beyond the limits of the possible. This may only be a small disturbance in the grass. But I hope you’ll come with me, and trample a new path.


Good evening, everyone.


By Mikaela Irene Fudolig
UP Graduation 22 April 2007

I'm proud of her. I'm happy for her too=) I'm glad that her giftedness was nurtured and her abilities were maximized to their highest potential even at such a young age.

The news article about her in Inquirer is a good read too. Amazing!!!

Thank You Super Much Much!!!

Thank you God for your blessings. You are soooo great:) I haven't told my parents yet about me not being allocated a room, and that maybe I have to appeal again and I'd need to ask for supporting documents from them again...but well...thank you soooo super much I have been offered campus accommodation for next year!!! Hohoho!!! Thank you Lord.

Okies, off to SoC to study now.

Woohoooo!!!

Sk8r Boi

Me and sk8erboi.



Okay that's not really us. I stole the photo somewhere, but I'm really amused because he has a pair of shoes like that, and I have my own chucks similar to that, and he has a skateboard too. And, I have to tiptoe like that too. Hahaha.=) So cute.

Study break

Lately, pigging out eating has been one of my major stress busters. I sit and study most hours of the day, and I get up only to eat and go to the toilet. Haha. I binge especially on chocolates and donuts and slurpees and ice cream and other whatever "happy food" that catches my fancy.

My stomach body fats spilleth over my pants already. And I'm having those tiny boob-like structures between my bra lining and armpit.

After my exams, promise I will exercise and get bombastic stomach abs for the summer. Haha=)

PS

Thank you Lord for helping me with my past two exams=) Wow. I'm especially happy with my Water Resources Engineering paper, the one with hydraulics which I promised myself in the past never to take again but accidentally took because I was unaware it was part of the aforementioned module...anyway...now it's really finally super over and done with. Never again okay, but yeah...I was pleasantly surprised because I found it do-able. Haha hurrayness!!! 2 more to go and freedom awaits me=)

On a totally unrelated note,

I LOVE YOU SEN!!!

Sorry this outburst cannot be helped. Haha=)

Blue Guy again

He is wearing that blue singlet that made me refer to him as "Blue Guy". He has never worn it since we got together until today.

Sometimes I still cannot believe Blue Guy is already mine. =)

This is it!

I just had my last lecture for this semester. It was memorable, thanks to Prof Savage, who really lives up to his name. Even if I felt humiliated twice this morning, I know I deserved it, and I would have a nice anecdote to tell my future kids. Anyway, I know I will just be laughing it off again like what I did just now.

So, exams are just around the corner and I could almost smell the tension. Or not! Haha I don't know why, but right now I am not really making a big fuss out of my looming examinations. I will just do my best and get it over and done with. I think I've gone through this vicious cycle so many times that I'm not so scared anymore. I am not saying that I will take things lightly though, because I have learned from my past mistakes already. I will offer everything that is humanly possible for my exam preparations, but I will not go over the edge and be a madwoman for a 2.5-hour piece of paper.

And of course, I acknowledge that I cannot do it by myself. So, I'm saying a little prayer too:

Exam Prayer

by Anonymous

Now I sit me down to study
I pray the Lord I won't go nutty
If I should fail to learn this junk,
I pray the Lord I will not flunk.
But if I do, don't pity me at all,
Just sit my butt down in study hall.
Tell my parents I did my best,
Then pile my books upon my chest.
Now I lay me down to rest,
And pray I'll pass tomorrow's test.
If I should die before I wake,
That's one less test I'll have to take!

Hee obviously this prayer has some humor injected to it. But on a more serious note, I found this Serenity Prayer that I'd like to make as my own:

God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time,
enjoying one moment at a time,
accepting hardship as the pathway to peace;
taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it;
trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His will;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
and supremely happy with Him forever
in the next.

Amen

Lord I surrender my studies to you. Please take care of me, my classmates, my schoolmates, and everyone who needs you in these stressful days. Thanks for everything, ya!=)

=)

Ok lah, based on my last post it was apparent that I got upset, but for some idiotic reason that I don't need to disclose. I just subjected myself to experience pure hell when I tried to dismiss to oblivion the one person who totally doesn't deserve that kind of treatment at all. Yet, he remained as affectionate as he always is, never showing me a sour face even just for a millisecond he was with me. Finally, I couldn't keep up with my dramatic antics and the torture of ignoring him that I imposed upon myself.

So now I am back to my cheery self ever since this morning. Heeeee=)

And oh, by the way, this goes to my honey.

Sen, you are the physical incarnate of all things wonderful.


PS

I want to write more, but time doesn't permit it coz I have a class later at 9am..hmm=)

Wag nyo nang pag-aksayahan ng panahon basahin pa to.

Eto ay isang napakawalang kwentang post.

Wala kasi akong magawa sa buhay.

Dapat ay gumagawa ako ng tinatawag na journal para sa isang subject.

Pero bakit hindi ko ginagawa? Bakit ako nagbo-blog?

Kasi may bumubulabog sa akin. Ewan ko naiinis lang ako.

Siyempre nag tagalog pa ako.

Oo may dahilan.

Wala lang inu-uod na naman yung loob ko ng mga emosyon na hindi kanais-nais, at sa mga walang kwentang dahilan.

Gusto ko lang ilabas, bakit, bawal?

Siguro nagseselos ako. O basta naiinis lang. Wala, katabi ko sya pero wala syang kamuwang-muwang sa mga pinagsususulat ko dito.

Ewan ko, hindi ko pa kasi naabot yung quota ko ng mga araw na pwede ako maging unreasonable.

Sige na babay.

:S

ouch.

medyo....MASAKIT... sa heart.

How they grade students in uni

When I was in highschool, I knew exactly how my grades came about. For one, grades back then were absolute, such that what you really are going to get is based on what you've put in, and won't be affected at all by how your classmates perform. You compete only with yourself.

However, when I came to uni, I was introduced to an entirely new grading system: the curve method. If I score 95/100, it doesn't mean anything until I know how the hairy boy 2 seats away from me, or that chio bu party girl at the back, or every single one in the class for that matter, has performed in the exam.

After almost 4 years in uni, I still don't know how our professors grade us. I am still dumbstruck yet grateful why I got a B+ for soil mechanics when I was expecting a D...or why I got a B for econs when I was expecting an A! Fortunately, my mind was enlightened by the article below. Allow me to share it with you.

A Guide to Grading Exams
by Daniel J. Solove
Associate Professor of Law, The George Washington University Law School
Posted at ConcurringOpinions.Com
December 14, 2006

It's that time of year again. Students have taken their finals, and now it is time to grade them. It is something professors have been looking forward to all semester. Exactness in grading is a well-honed skill, taking considerable expertise and years of practice to master. The purpose of this post is to serve as a guide to young professors about how to perfect their grading skills and as a way for students to learn the mysterious science of how their grades are determined.

Grading begins with the stack of exams, shown in Figure 1 below.



The next step is to use the most precise grading method possible. There never is 100% accuracy in grading essay exams, as subjective elements can never be eradicated from the process. Numerous methods have been proposed throughout history, but there is one method that has clearly been proven superior to the others. See Figure 2 below.



The key to this method is a good toss. Without a good toss, it is difficult to get a good spread for the grading curve. It is also important to get the toss correct on the first try. Exams can get crumpled if tossed too much. They begin to look as though the professor actually read them, and this is definitely to be avoided. Additional tosses are also inefficient and expend needless time and energy. Note the toss in Figure 3 below. This is an example of a toss of considerable skill -- obviously the result of years of practice.



Note in Figure 3 above that the exams are evenly spread out, enabling application of the curve. Here, however, is where the experts diverge. Some contend that the curve ought to be applied as in Figure 4 below, with the exams at the bottom of the staircase to receive a lower grade than the ones higher up on the staircase.


According to this theory, quality is understood as a function of being toward the top, and thus the best exams clearly are to be found in this position. Others, however, propose an alternative theory (Figure 5 below).


They contend that that the exams at the bottom deserve higher grades than the ones at the top. While many professors still practice the top-higher-grade approach, the leading authorities subscribe to the bottom-higher-grade theory, despite its counterintuitive appearance. The rationale for this view is that the exams that fall lower on the staircase have more heft and have traveled farther. The greater distance traveled indicates greater knowledge of the subject matter. The bottom higher-grade approach is clearly the most logical and best-justified approach.

Even with the grade curve lines established, grading is far from completed. Several exams teeter between levels. The key is to measure the extent of what is referred to as "exam protrusion." Exams that have small portions extending below the grade line should receive a minus; exams with protrusions above the grade lines receive a plus.

But what about exams that are right in the middle of a line. In Figure 6 below, this exam teeters between the A and B line. Should it receive and A- or a B+?


This is a difficult question, but I believe it is clearly an A-. The exam is already bending toward the next stair, and in the bottom-higher-grade approach, it is leaning toward the A-. Therefore, this student deserves the A- since momentum is clearly in that direction.

Finally, there are some finer points about grading that only true masters have understood. Consider the exam in Figure 7 below. Although it appears on the C stair and seems to be protruding onto the B stair, at first glance, one would think it should receive a grade of C+. But not so. A careful examination reveals that the exam is crumpled. Clearly this is an indication of a sloppy exam performance, and the grade must reflect this fact. The appropriate grade is C-.



One final example, consider in Figure 8 below the circled exam that is is very far away from the others at the bottom of the staircase. Is this an A+?



Novices would think so, as the exam has separated itself a considerable distance from the rest of the pack. However, the correct grade for this exam is a B. The exam has traveled too far away from the pack, and will lead to extra effort on the part of the grader to retrieve the exam. Therefore, the exam must be penalized for this obvious flaw.

As you can see, grading takes considerable time and effort. But students can be assured that modern grading techniques will produce the most precise and accurate grading possible, assuming professors have achieved mastery of the necessary grading skills.



DISCLAIMER FOR THE GULLIBLE: This post is a joke. I do not grade like this. Instead, I use an even more advanced method -- an eBay grade auctioning system.

Picture, picture

I am one of the most unphotogenic people I know.

I am not saying that I think I am ugly though, because I don't think I am. Hahaha.

Anyway, I was browsing through Chin's blog...and lo and behold, I saw a photo with my fugliest look compounded with a wardrobe malfunction. No, this is not self-loathing. This is me making a joke out of myself because...just because. cannot meh??

Overall the photo looked nice. Of course, why would prenship display it in her blog if it's not, right? =p





However, upon further scrutiny of myself in the above-mentioned photograph (yes, it is human nature to do that to a sea of faces in a photo), I began to chuckle.





I began to think, "This is probably the most unflattering pose of me in existence". Oh, my wrong, coz nothing beats my high school graduation photo with me crying and hugging Agnes. THAT is hands down the ultimate photo you can use to blackmail me.

Since my favorite Filipino blogger, Ala, shared her most unflattering self caught on stills, I'm doing the same. Haha=)



No, I am not drunk. Woooorrllld piiishh.


Special mention to my blue bra that insisted on making a cameo appearance.




PS Ya I am drowning with school work and I found the time to do an entry like this. Stress buster man, stress buster.

And a while ago, I was telling God that He just strike me down dead because of all the pre-exam frenzy that's suffocating me...especially a while ago that I had 4 deadlines...but well, amazingly, the dreaded day turned out okay. Thank you.=)

mon amour

When I love somebody, I am not afraid nor ashamed to tell the whole world about it.

So, here goes...

I LOVE YOU LAU AH WING SEN FOONG. =)
mon coeur est à toi.

Fortunately, the object of my affection feels the same way too:)



*yes, my name in the official records of NUS is a bit mixed up.*
*no, you cannot erase the smile off my face.* =p