mengshuen

Carrying others hopes and making an impact on others

2011-06-19T11:13:00.002+08:00

I didn't expect myself to create another new post on this blog. So much has happened over the past year since my last post, be it with joy, sadness, anticipation, dread etc but that's not the point of this post.

I wanted to share about certain things that I've been thinking over the last week, or month, even. What triggered this post? I saw this quote that goes something like that: If you're no longer here, what will people remember you for?

The things that I've worked so hard so, for academic success, for recognition, to attain my dreams of being a top scientist, ultimately do not matter to others. Those are just my personal attainments and there is no way I would want people to remember such legacy that I'd have left behind, at least, in it's most direct method.

I came back from OBS with the common feedback that I'm intellectual type, the erudite scholar. At first, I was happy that my years of training has enabled me to be perceived in such a high social standing, but I've since realised that people will only remember me as the bookish guy. That is not enough for me. There is no meaning of my pedantic nature beyond myself.

I wanted to make an impact on others.

If there's anything I want others to take away after meeting/interacting with me, I want them to say, yes, he has made a positive impact on my life. Be it inspirational or otherwise, seeing that impact is personally satisfying for me. That is my meaning of existence. I know I've touched a few people in my lives, but clearly that's not enough.

I've been touched by countless individuals to have this current mindset, to be where I am now. I want to carry the torch further. If they can remember only one thing of me, I'd like that to be: He had impacted my life.

--

Being given the opportunity to pursue my scholarship at the very top end of academia, I know many people's hopes are on me. My teachers, my friends, my family and relatives, to Singapore at large, to people I don't even know. I am deeply humbled by this, and it is not for personal glory that I want to go so far. There is a certain level of stress to perform up to expectations and I'm indebted to people who have helped me along my journey. To that, I am truly grateful.

--

Being happy and forward looking are two very important aspects of my life that I value. Material success is but just one small portion that brings temporary happiness. Yes, I need to push myself to maximise the potential, but being contented is also an essentially part to maintain your sanity. I'm known as a very critical person, not satisfiable with the present state.

I live by this quote: Ambition is a state of permanent dissatisfaction with the present.

However, I am now seeking ways to be contented. I need to get in touch more with my emotive side, to have a fulfilling and enjoyable journey ahead.

That's just 2.14 cents of my personal reflection over the past few weeks.

fun day!

2010-07-17T00:31:00.002+08:00

woooo. went back to dhs for some alumni sharing. I was actually quite impressed with the number of people who wants to pursue science/engrg. Not too bad :D

Then we [wenjian, kek and I) went to Marina Bay Sands to visit Daniel who has TWO rooms! The skypark's really nice at night, but too bad we had to go back to his room as the skypark closes at 10pm. We were saying that the four of us can really make up the cast of Big Bang Theory, me being sheldon, wenjian being leonard, kek being howard and daniel being raj. HAHAHA. Went on to quote many lines from BBT and it's actually very funny!

Kek's father offered to fetch him back from MBS and so wenjian and I were hoping for a ride back to the MRT. But after 15min of phonecalls and running around MBS, we realised that kek's father was at Marine Parade. FAIL.

A long and tiring walk from MBS to the Promenade station ended the night. yay.

canon

2010-07-04T01:59:00.003+08:00

my 'lens' arrived today! :D

something that I've wanted to blog about

2010-06-27T20:47:00.003+08:00

One fine day, I was in Bedok Camp as the medic on duty for NSmen RT (Remedial Training).

While the RT was on-going, there was a practice match by SAFSA. When the practice ended, I saw a couple of players with injured knees/ankles. I saw this guy with a sprained ankle being supported by his fellow player, who was carrying his sports bag. As they proceeded in my general direction, another guy comes running along, offering to carry the injured guy on the back.

Compared this with the typical injury: OI MEDIC!!! Sprained ankle! (and everyone would crowd around him expecting me to perform magic) No one would even touch the sweaty guy.

A difference in attitude, a difference in outcome.

***

In other news, Kenghoe is back in Singapore! We first met up in CHIJMES over soccer and beer. Both of which are anti-thesis of myself. Fine, so companionship is rated above soccer and beer to me.

The next day we had a semi 5E gathering at Bugis! I can't remember the name of the place that we ate, but I could remember the 5m/hr queue that we were in. I liked the chicken, however. Subsequently as we were about to end Jamie arrived -.- and we moved to coffeebean in iluma. As with all DHS outings, we didn't stay out after 12mn.

Friday night was spent with kenghoe walking around suntec city and eating at pepperlunch. He met mingshuan and I'd still amused about how they communicated (through a glassdoor, no less). We then watched Knight and Day. Not too bad, but I like A-Team more.

On Saturday I went for tea (at 4pm?) with the girlfriend. :D I'm beginning to like baked rice. I spent my late evening at Timbre with a group of dhs people again. Pizza was nice. While we were on the train back home (note: 1115pm) eddy couldn't take it anymore and rested on the platform of kallang MRT. Hahah. He was alright in the end I believe.

Today... I'm in camp for duty. Again.

I guess I'd spend the rest of the day learning about my new GC. :)

public display

2010-06-01T19:41:00.005+08:00

Don't you find it very irritating when someone posts PDA-ish statements on their facebook wall?

i.e. Jackson is ♥♥♥! OMG I <>

no thanks.

Similarly, (I wouldn't speak for others), but I don't feel comfortable about the advertisements of your religious beliefs. I don't really care how much you love your religious idols, or your significant other.

What is more disturbing is that the religious idols you adore so much might not even exist. It's like saying you love some phantom person.

I'm not saying it's wrong to proclaim your love, but rather, I would prefer that you do so discretely. You wouldn't want facebook to become a place for religious conflicts right.

Thank you.

Spring Cleaning

2010-05-31T22:08:00.002+08:00

...right. Not the right time for spring cleaning, but I've cleaned and tidied up my room!

Got rid of dust and dirt, got rid of 101 ancient documents, got rid of old magazines. Rearranged the cords, study table and the TV corner. Added a CD shelf that's taller than me.

And now I have a "pseudo" desktop computer... I have a keyboard, mouse, monitor and speakers, but the CPU's actually a notebook hidden behind my monitor. :D

Aircon's cold, life's good.

It's full-time mugging from tomorrow onwards, to prepare for university (I hope). My head shall be filled with academic stuff once again!

economic rationality

2010-01-30T01:49:00.001+08:00

(M) mengshuen [56.69%] says:
*so it's a binary case, with polar opposites

wenjian; finally awake says:
*even square root of 2 = 1.4128
*is a rational answer
*and everyone knows that

(M) mengshuen [56.69%] says:
*wj: it's 1.41421

T.C. Tufts says:
*MS do you agree with me -___-
*on my quibble

(M) mengshuen [56.69%] says:
*in your specific case, yes
*but on issue of rationality, no

T.C. Tufts says:
*yes, i am arguing about that specific case

(M) mengshuen [56.69%] says:
*and sqrt 2 is not a rational number

wenjian; finally awake says:
*lol
*thats the irony im trying to portray

(M) mengshuen [56.69%] says:
*and i don't know it as 1.4128

wenjian; finally awake says:
*LOL
*oops

dreams

2009-12-24T16:39:00.001+08:00

Your Majesty, Your Royal Highnesses, Ladies and Gentlemen.

The work I have done has, already, been adequately rewarded and recognized.

Imagination reaches out repeatedly trying to achieve some higher level of understanding, until suddenly I find myself momentarily alone before one new corner of nature's pattern of beauty and true majesty revealed. That was my reward.

Then, having fashioned tools to make access easier to the new level, I see these tools used by other men straining their imaginations against further mysteries beyond. There, are my votes of recognition.

Then comes the prize, and a deluge of messages. Reports; of fathers turning excitedly with newspapers in hand to wives; of daughters running up and down the apartment house ringing neighbor's doorbells with news; victorious cries of "I told you so" by those having no technical knowledge - their successful prediction being based on faith alone; from friends, from relatives, from students, from former teachers, from scientific colleagues, from total strangers; formal commendations, silly jokes, parties, presents; a multitude of messages in a multitude of forms.

But, in each I saw the same two common elements. I saw in each, joy; and I saw affection (you see, whatever modesty I may have had has been completely swept away in recent days).

The prize was a signal to permit them to express, and me to learn about, their feelings. Each joy, though transient thrill, repeated in so many places amounts to a considerable sum of human happiness. And, each note of affection released thus one upon another has permitted me to realize a depth of love for my friends and acquaintances, which I had never felt so poignantly before.

For this, I thank Alfred Nobel and the many who worked so hard to carry out his wishes in this particular way.

And so, you Swedish people, with your honors, and your trumpets, and your king - forgive me. For I understand at last - such things provide entrance to the heart. Used by a wise and peaceful people they can generate good feeling, even love, among men, even in lands far beyond your own. For that lesson, I thank you. Tack!

Richard P. Feynman's speech at the Nobel Banquet in Stockholm, December 10, 1965

From Les Prix Nobel en 1965, [Nobel Foundation], Stockholm, 1966

It's normal!

2009-09-19T20:34:00.003+08:00

OH my. Blogger is normal now.

I don't actually spend much, contrary to certain beliefs. I don't spend on small products virtually...except sweets. I'd only decide to buy something I really like when my bank account hits a certain undisclosed limit. That's "wise-spending" to me.

I admit...that I do not buy a product sometimes due to its popular usage, but due to a particular feature. Like my Creative T20 II speakers...I got them because I have no space for a subwoofer, yet I would like to have some bass.

Generally I don't buy things on impulse. Heh.

Anyway, now that some of my closest friends are gone, I've a smaller pool of friends to go out with/take part in activities. This is tragic. Come back soon!

To kenghoe: Thanks for the postcard. :)

no more green

2009-09-04T19:36:00.002+08:00

how about sky blue.

It might be luck, it might be intentional. Actually, SAF could send me for cross training in every vocation it offers. That'd be good in the future, and I could possibly understand more. But seriously, it is very tiring, and you end up being a jack of all trade but master of none.

Let's see... I've experienced life as a rudimentary rifleman, seen combat engineers in training, been through what a platoon medic needs to know. And soon, I'd learn about aviation medicine, which is a radical change from my infantry platoon medic training.

There are some people who ask me about my decision to work in MINDEF. Not for money or for fame, definitely. Defence science is interesting and cutting edge, and it's the least I could do for my fellow countrymen. Have you not felt the sense of pride, the sense of achievement to be given the chance to contribute to national security?

Furthermore, if you feel that there is a problem, the noble thing is to stay back and to fix it, and not to exit the arena at all costs. Of course some may say that I'm just banging my head on the wall, but there's this little flame burning inside me that tells me that what I am going to do is right.

It's almost a similar response if you were to ask an SAFOS holder how he feels about signing on the SAF. It may be that we're going on different paths, but we have the same visions and goals. I remember during a SAFOS tea session, one SAFOS holder told me that the NS experience and the "regular" experience cannot be more different. I'm not going to be a regular, but still under the MINDEF umbrella nevertheless.

Gut feeling. You might be right. (I was thinking of a pun, but I think I'd let it go)

happy teachers day

2009-08-31T21:31:00.000+08:00

It's the time of the year whereby we express our gratitude to our mentors, be it mentors of our education, or of values.

There are a few teachers that have seriously made an impact on my life. And of course, when we're young, almost all of us wanted to be teachers. Some parts of my life are molded by them, and I may become a teacher myself.

They gave me inspiration, they gave me determination, and they gave me hope.

My pathway into science might be shaped by a few of them. My professors at NUS/NTU, my doctors over at RIs, my high school teachers, my primary school teachers. I may be considered lucky to have supportive mentors, such that they pushed me along this path. There are a few sad cases that I've came across whereby teachers damped their passion in a certain subject...

Once again, thank you.

On marketing strategies

2009-08-31T19:33:00.000+08:00

Sometimes I just don't understand.

Canon used to have the lead in the digital sensor technology. Remember the 20D?

Then Sony caught up and Nikon came up with D300, D700 and D3x. I dare say that Canon was overwhelmed, and effectively pwned by the combo by Nikon and Sony.

And from the impending release of the 7D, I don't think they are going to recapture the lost market share from Nikon. Why can't they be more flexible and create something that is more attractive...even during the rumor stages?

A 1.3x crop on the 7D? No?

And you dare to squeeze 18MP onto one 1.6x APS-C sensor?

Seeing the 50D sales figures, I think it doesn't take the brain of even a monkey to see that Canon is going down the wrong way. And the 50D, with the 5D2, is essentially what Canon produced with the Nikon trio. Admittedly, the 5D2 itself is a good camera, as a cheaper 1Ds3, why is it that we don't see a mini 1D3?

Oh yes I forgot. The upcoming 7D is that mini 1D3.

Canon's advantage has always been on the sensor. If everything in the 7D is meant to be a mini 1D3, except the sensor, then what's the point?

zzz. looks like I've to wait again.

it's 8 more days to our national day

2009-08-01T11:34:00.000+08:00

Different countries are meant for different people. The quasi-unique ideologies and the diverse interactions within each nation had led them to what they are today.

Singapore may not be the best country for every thing, but at the moment it might jolly well be good enough for me. I know, you might know me as another person who is sometimes critical of certain policies implemented, but that is just one aspect of a nation. You know, Singaporeans like to comprain mah. I also lo.

Without doubt the nation has done something for us, no matter how insignificant you view it as. I think back to my schooling days, and the cliche quote of: don't ask what your school can do for you, but what you can contribute to the school. I believe we have put in our efforts in shaping the school, in optimising educational policies. On a wider stage, what can we, as Singaporeans, contribute to our nation?

My friends, the NSFs now, are acting as deterrents to war. (Let's face it, whether you're willing or not, you're still playing a part) Those pursuing further education are going to contribute to the economy, to the society. But what I've listed are very broad, very indirect ways of our contribution.

Have we ever thought about this point, other than our financial and personal success?

on the inevitability of human conflicts

2009-07-11T11:03:00.002+08:00

Some moments in times, we're pushed outside our comfort zone and we're left to function independently, each man for himself. It is also the time when we function as a full human being, without interdependence.

There was a time when I was personally pissed off by the actions of one of the army regulars in my camp. I understand certain facts... such that we are scholars... and some are tough military men. We fight using brains and words, but some people do it otherwise.

The personal aggression within individuals could be unleashed if the limit is crossed. Unreasonable people are unreasonable people, regardless of their rank and appointment. There's no such thing as the higher the rank, the more logical and intelligent (both your emotional quotient and the intellectual variety) the person is. Especially in the enlisted ranks.

I would not allow an overbearing person to storm all over me. Any time, any where. The moral courage to speak up, to prevent or reduce unfair treatment, is instilled by my school.

Radically different mindsets of individuals in my organisation, from farmers to elites, from commandoes to chaokeng warriors, leads to conflict. I didn't (and still don't) believe that the actions done by that individual was morally (or even politically/legally) upright, but for some, it was seen as acceptable.

Inevitable conflicts arise, and we're bound to defend our beliefs, our values. There is just one too many fence-sitters in our society, to take the easy way out and allow things that you don't believe in to slowly creep into your soul. Values and directions change from time to time, but there's an essential core that makes up every being in this world. And for me, it's equity.

interesting... "advertisements"!

2009-07-10T20:00:00.002+08:00

HP - invent from Tom and Matt on Vimeo.

hey oxy, don't fret over that anymore! :)

year6 2008 bbq

2009-06-28T16:24:00.011+08:00

OK guys. Relax. The photos are here. I've decided to post them here because... I've too many people asking me to send them the photos. So you've the intellect to tell that peer to peer is so much less efficient than server > client transfer. So there.

tada.

my "busy" friday

2009-06-19T21:48:00.002+08:00

life's good when you have a "fast" computer.

let's see. I just reformatted my laptop as I installed windows 7 RC. (aiya no money to buy vista mah, so use beta software lo)

So I only have

Windows 7 RC
Photoshop CS4 Extended
Adobe Acrobat 9.0
Microsoft Office 2007
Diskeeper 2009
Firefox 3.5 RC

Clean and zippy laptop now. You should do it too!

Note: Please support original software.

scientists as atheists (or is it the other way round)?

2009-06-19T18:56:00.003+08:00

*switches on the desk spotlight. academic mode: ON

Science is not about uncovering every possible thing that we've came across. Science is merely a feeble attempt at understanding, and explaining, the things around us. There might be no way at all for us to know everything, because we have limited intelligence (despite what the media popularize, rocket scientists are still normal humans).

Does this incomplete information about the Universe force us into accepting God? We may doubt many things, from relativity to quantum chromodynamics, but should we doubt our ability to know everything?

I know that we can't. God and science is just about as incompatible as QM and GR. The logic goes something like this:

1. Science is never complete
2. If we were forced to fill in the blanks, it'd be some godly explanation literally
3. That godly explanation is not complete as well, it must leave some gaps, for science exists
4. That God, ultimately, is not omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent.

Of course, your logic can include "science" as what God planned, so it fits into a coherent theory. But, that'd apply to 99.9% of the population, and not for career scientists. So this final argument doesn't apply to scientists. As Feynman postulates, more than half of the scientific community does not believe in a god, which might be true.

God as a scientific idea cannot be entertained. The concept of god is not falsifiable. We are unable to test the idea, hence the belief in god must be based on pure unrelenting faith. I'm sure that many scientists can cope with both, just not simultaneously (and they're not forced to fill in the gaps).

But. Mathematicians can believe in God. Because:

God created the integers

Is God a Mathematician?

life is as such

2009-06-19T18:37:00.002+08:00

If given a choice, would you choose:

1. Pursue your dream career and make it to the top

2. To help out people who are in critical need

very tough choice. Of course, you can say that by being a minister, you can accomplish both simultaneously, but that's not what I am referring to.

I came across this article a few weeks ago that claimed whiz kids have a very strong sense of justice and equity. But somehow I'm not seeing it. Maybe the article was referring to more kids than whiz.

"the person to beat is not the one in front but the one inside"

2009-06-13T23:50:00.007+08:00

I'm penning my thoughts on this issue, of the exchange of school principals as described in zbnow, 130609.

I know that's an inspiration quote, often said to boost the morale of the individual/population.

But sometimes, I feel that it is a quote, to sweep your troubles under the rug. You can outperform yourself, and that makes you a more "imba" person to beat, and you continue to beat it. That's self-motivation or self-betterment. True, and we need that. But that's just that. You're just... you.

So what if you beat yourself? You have to continue that process. Keep pushing on, keep winning. Eh. Wait a minute. Isn't that the same as saying that we should beat the one in front?

I remember a certain mathematical concept. It is called geometric progression, whereby it is possible to reach a limit given an infinite sequence. So technically, you can keep winning yourself, but you can't win the person in front.

...and so you're now a better person. But does the society thinks likewise?

To apply this idea in school rankings, a better school isn't the same thing as the best school. You can improve your school, but you can't make your school the best. And time after time, you'd keep losing students to RJC, NUSHS and HCI. What's the point?

The spirit's there, but we are not aiming to better ourselves. If our potential is the same as those in the best schools, why should we just improve on ourselves? We should make ourselves the best, and then improve ourselves further. No point being idealistic.

The few schools that I've listed. I believe that as a cohort, we're intellectually identical. Same starting point, unequal opportunities, unequal outcomes. And why do we have to be the "last"? If you say that we start on unequal footing, yea, then competition is meaningless and we should just improve ourselves. But this is a different case and this quote is ultimately, for the failures to console themselves in this case. It's this mentality that we shouldn't compete, and since we're the only people in the field, we should just compare with ourselves. Sounds delusional to me.

I know if we use "improve ourselves" as a mission, and whatever the outcome is, whether we win HCI or not, it is incidental. It's like saying, "oops, we're now the best." That's due to hard work, and it is needed whichever your belief.

I give a rough translation here: If we do win HCI, it is the fruit of our labour, and not our goal, due to hard work.

If I read between the lines... it means that my Alma mater does not have the goal of being the best (not to say that HCI is the best). This is extremely consoling, to say the least. And who says that the goal to be the best has to be mutually exclusive to other goals?

From other angle, the quote fails on itself, as it is impossible. You cannot, technically, beat yourself.

If you can't beat yourself, beat others.

I think... my quote makes more sense.

this is sickening

2009-06-13T21:53:00.008+08:00

I was just reading up of good earphones (read: UM3X). Then I was thinking, why not a "hi-fi" set?

Ahha. But that setup of Kilpsch RB-51 and Pioneer CD Player and AV receiever is going to cost... a staggering US$1400. But I believe it'd be audio heaven!

And the sony vaio Z series. 2 SSD in raid-0! 1.48kg! 6GB DDR3. 2.66GHz. WAH.

Swee. 2 more years...

inspiration

2009-06-12T14:52:00.002+08:00

you know, the "inspiration" on TVmobile?

One of the quotes is: "Do more than talk. SAY SOMETHING." -.-

so inspiring hor.

Anyway, I took the train from Boon Lay to Paya Lebar. I passed Raffles Place and City Hall, then it hit me on why the doors open on opposite sides. I've always thought that it was due to the track design, or to make transition of the switching of trains easier. You know, the westbound train, if you walk across the platform, it is northbound, at city hall. And it is opposite in Raffles Place. I thought this was the reason.

It seems that SMRT may be SMaRTer (pun not intended) than I thought. The doors open at different sides may also be due to the sheer number of people boarding at these two stations. As Singaporeans don't exactly like to move, hence the different doors.

But if so, then they missed out an important point: There's only one (or two) station(s) left on the southbound trip. Therefore we do not directly observe the significance of this.

And I just tried to reinvent the loudhailer -.-

crossroads

2009-06-08T19:28:00.002+08:00

if you're given two options, and they are mutually exclusive, does accepting one option means an automatic rejection?

what if, information isn't symmetric across the two options?

...darn.

My 2 years of A levels econs talks about opportunity costs. Opportunity costs include your implicit costs, and if my estimation of my implicit costs are screwed-up, I'd be too.

Explicit costs wise it is a simple decision.

The trouble comes, when the two statements conflict each other. Let me put it this way. 10x + a and 3x + b. you suspect b is bigger than a. HOW.

HOW.

HOW.

and...

the A*STAR scholarship award presentation is on the 24th July 2009. That's... 15 months after my A*TS :D

on awareness of terrorism threats

2009-06-04T18:52:00.002+08:00

The threats are real.

Actually to be frank I wasn't really concerned about suitcase bombs and sarin attacks in public transport system. It was only when I was posted to xxxxx, then I realised the importance of public awareness and detection of such devices.

I don't know. Now I have this inherent fear whenever I see anything lying behind anywhere. Like a toy pig at the void deck -_-.

on choice and future

2009-06-04T18:29:00.002+08:00

The future is always uncertain, for what's certain is in the past.

To make a choice, that would lead to two totally different outcomes in the future is to undertake an arduous journey. To go NTU or SMU for business, to go UK or US for further education or to study Veterinary Medicine or Astrobiology.

You should be able to tell that those 3 choices are tricky (ok, except the last one. i mean, i'd choose astrobiology anytime LOL).

But that's not the point. The point is that we need to make a choice, and to (hopefully) make the right one. You can say that there is almost no room for error. I was reading something somewhere on the internet, making a claim that many (relatively) elite students that choose to remain in Singapore (either by choice or by financial reserves) take only 1. Medicine 2. Dentistry 3. Law 4. Accountancy.

Their initial choice, for overseas majors, is often not any of the four. In fact they can be very far off. It shouldn't strike you as surprising as these 4 courses are often the most challenging, with the highest entry requirements. If their pure interest is as reflected as their overseas major selection, I'm puzzled so to why they'd switch to the more "prestigious" courses in local universities. My bewilderment is implied in the above sentence.

So is it the "good" future prospect of high pay and high social status that morph the mind of the innocent 18/19 year olds? Or simply the prestige in saying: "I'm in NUS Medicine."?

I believe that this is a wrong mindset. We should go for what we like, and be less superficial on such issues. I know, money is great motivation, but isn't happiness an even greater motivation? The future is uncertain, but you can be more certain of some issues than others. Like satisfaction and joy.

You can excel in your own field and be recognised. Why the rush to all the traditional "stereotypes" of imba people when you know that you don't like it? I'm not questioning the ability of anyone here; I think that you can succeed at anything if you put in effort, but I doubt that you would be happy.

... i think that's the economist side of me kicking in again. argh.

the unfair advantage

2009-05-31T21:50:00.006+08:00

The article below is purely for entertainment purposes only. It does not truly represent the view of the poster (or me), and the maximum worth of the article that you are about to come across can only be considered as internet chatter- nothing else.

Now, how fair is it to accept a scholarship offer... without stating our own terms and conditions to the scholarship board? Hehhe

____________________________________________________________________

Block 99 Circuitous Lane
Singapore 100099

Scholarship Board Ref: #117R/BPLUS

1 Feb 1990

Executive Director of B*Plus UGA
B*Plus
B*Plus Under-Graduate Academy
30 Chempolis Street
Singapore 176831
Tel: (65) 1116 6286 Fax: (65) 2959 8746
http://www.b-plus.edu.sg/

Dear Professor Goodenough

National Smart Scholarship (BS)
______________________________________________________________________

1. Congratulations! Dr-to-be Albert is pleased to join the organisation of B*Plus under the NSS-BS Scholarship. I am glad to agree to an In-Principle-Acceptance (IPA) of your prestigious scholarship, subject to the terms and conditions that I have set up.

2. The IPA is granted to B*Plus in recognition that B*Plus is an outstanding organisation.

3. Please note that the final acceptance of the Scholarship is conditional upon:-

B*Plus maintaining its socio-economic status;
B*Plus accepting only the best students, so much so that my reputation as a B*Plus scholar is only enhanced and not degraded;
B*Plus must remain at the forefront of Applied Technologies, and continue to attract top foreign talents to boost the talent pool
B*Plus, at under no circumstances, use me as a living advertisement
Should I choose to seek greener pastures, B*Plus should send me congratulatory messages and announce this to the media of Singapore- putting me in positive spotlight all the time
B*Plus should maintain, or re-certify, its Singapore Quality Class and ISO 9001 certifications every year.

4. In addition, please note that it is an honour for you to have Dr-to-be Albert as part of your organisation. Therefore, B*Plus should recognise the talent of Dr(tb) Albert by providing:

Infinite financial support;
Dr(tb) Albert with the highest national honours year after year, along with an accelerated career promotion, relative to other scholars;
Anything at his specific request.

5. As the scholarship provider of Dr(tb) Albert, your organisation will undertake a commitment to support Dr(tb) Albert until the day of departure is inevitable. This would include, but not limited to, death, loss of interest in a career path with B*Plus, loss of competitiveness in B*Plus, and any other reasons not pertaining to any logical reasoning.

6. Enclosed with this letter, is a cheque that is already completed, less your signature. The cheque is not for a specific amount of money; I would fill it in as necessary. Also, a form of acceptance is also included, but it is not in this Acceptance package. You would have to make a trip down to Draw & Mapier to get the form signed, under the witness of 23 Oxford Law graduates.

7. You are reminded to complete all of the above within five (5) days from the date of the letter, failing which this Acceptance would lapse and you would lose the opportunity of Dr(tb) Albert to work under the best postitions in your organisation.

8. For further clarifications, you may choose to contact Barrack Obama.

9. Thank you and have a nice day. I wish B*Plus all the best.

Yours Sincerely

_____________
Dr(tb) Albert A. Advanced

Encl: as stated.

argument asymmetry

2009-05-29T22:11:00.003+08:00

I just saw Roy's msn nick and I was thinking.

Saying 'Yes' to No, and saying 'No' to Yes, it means the same thing. In essence "NO" is a stronger term.

The linkages to the term, "falsifiable", is evident.

books

2009-05-29T18:39:00.004+08:00

Let me try to recall which (popular) physics related books I have read/am reading/am trying to read.

A Brief History of Time (Hawking)
The Universe in a Nutshell (Hawking)
Six Not-So-Easy Pieces (Feynman)
The Pleasures of Finding Things Out (Feynman)
QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter (Feynman)
On Space and Time (Penrose et al)
The Nature of Space and Time (Hawking, Penrose)
The Trouble with Physics (Smolin)
The Elegant Universe (Greene)
The First Three Minutes (Weinberg)
A Short History of Nearly Everything (Bryson)
Out of this World (Webb)

Books that I want to read soon.

Elementary Particles and the Laws of Physics (Feynman, Weinberg)
Dreams of a Final Theory (Weinberg)
A Stubbornly Persistent Illusion (Hawking)
Relativity (Einstein)
Black Holes and Time Warps (Thorne)

I'm lagging. and... quantum f..i..e..l..d.....t..h..e..o.r..y.....

To be frank, I don't really understand the rigorous mathematic formulations of quantum mechanics. Reading up in camp is a highly disruptive activity. I think I need a long break to go beyond the basic ooo.

yay :D

2009-05-27T15:55:00.001+08:00

for life's like that

2009-05-24T22:52:00.004+08:00

Similar to lines.

Some lines are collinear. Some lines are parallel, some are antiparallel, some are perpendicular, some are just... intersecting lines.

Some lines are curved, some lines are crooked, some lines are broken, some lines follow a mathematical equation, some lines are three dimensional.

Some lines are thick, some lines are thin, some lines are black, some lines are white, some lines are transparent.

Some people in your life are parallel, you never get along with them. (the lines don't intersect)
Some people in your life are crooked, you get along with them sometimes.
Some people in your life are dark, they make a deep impression on you.

But there's only going to be one that is collinear.

err... move on?

2009-05-14T22:01:00.001+08:00

On Mas Selamat:

It's an honest mistake... let's move on.

On Aware:

Both sides should calm down... and move on.

2009-05-11T00:29:00.000+08:00

love and respect

2009-05-02T20:37:00.002+08:00

I've been asked who inspired me many times.

On some occasions I'm given time to consider, but I don't on some (rarer) occasions.

My first popular physics book was "A Brief History of Time". It was found in the school library, purchased with the funds from the Gifted Education department. I cannot remember at this point whether my interest in black holes started before or after reading that book, but one thing I can be sure about: I was deeply intrigued by the universe after reading that book.

Hey, I didn't exactly finish that book due to the technical nature towards the end. I was sec 2 ok? Eventually I finished it a year or two later on.

I respect Professor Hawking a lot. Being so accomplished with his current body is saying much about his determination and professionalism. He's simply brilliant.

But. I find that I admire Professor Heisenberg more. One provides me with the inspiration to carry on despite the odds, but Prof Heisenberg's fresh new way of thinking leads many to admire him. I'm among them.

Sigh. The Greats.

where am I?

I wonder

2009-05-02T19:32:00.002+08:00

...since photons move at the speed of light they do not experience time. and...

nevermind.

i'm bored

2009-04-04T15:07:00.003+08:00

Things I'd do when I'm bored.

Look up for my next computer.

Visit hwz forums.

Googling about my next calculator (HP 50g).

Read about Euler Lagrange equations.

Read blogs.

Listen to music and roll on the bed.

Search and understand university physics syllabus.

MSN Live messenger.

Worry about scholarships.

Blogging.

... i'm damn sian.

i've been thinking

2009-03-28T01:59:00.002+08:00

I like to ask fundamental questions.

But behind fundamental questions, they are abstract concepts.

Is there ultimately a state whereby we cannot ask anything, anymore? The ultimate theory could explain everything from first principles, but is it accessible to us?

But, is that the reason that we are curious about finding things out? Is that the reason why people can spend years working on strange looking equations? What are we trying to do?

Nono, what are we doing anyway. Our perception of the world is limited by our senses, and we work things out based on incomplete understanding. Of course we would be impaired in this way, but we are still charging our way ahead, thinking that our experience is correct and exclusive.

In the way some of us are colour blind, we may be dimensionally-blind, i.e. we cannot perceive the forth spatial dimension (ok there might be more, I'm just discussing an example). So we had been working on the most fundamental assumption that our perception is accurate. This may be the reason why... some scientists are able to look beyond their physical sight and think of multiple dimensions to fulfill mathematical equations.

BUT. If we can fulfill these equations, does it mean that our perception is wrong? Or does it mean otherwise, that our mathematical formulations are wrong? Something that cannot be falsifiable is bad science (and also mathematics), and we are back at the square one.

Is that truly scientific advance? Perhaps.

PS. Quantum leap, might refer to the leap in thinking. As in the great revolution in physics.

MIT: such a wonder

2009-03-21T15:38:00.009+08:00

Letter from MIT

The following is an exact transcription of a letter John Mongan received from MIT, and the reply that he sent them. Unfortunately, they chose to discontinue their correspondence at that point. I have heard, however, that their recruitment letter has been revised and is far less snotty than it once was.

April 18, 1994

Mr. John T. Mongan

123 Main Street
Smalltown, California
94123-4567

Dear John:

You've got the grades.
You've certainly got the PSAT scores.
And now you've got a letter from MIT.
Maybe you're surprised.
Most students would be.

But you're not most students.
And that's exactly why I urge you to consider carefully one of the most selective universities in America.

The level of potential reflected in your performance is a powerful indicator that you might well be an excellent candidate for MIT.
It certainly got my attention!

Engineering's not for you? No problem. It may surprise you to learn we offer more than 40 major fields of study, from architecture to brain and cognitive sciences, from economics (perhaps the best programin the country) to writing.

What? Of course, you don't want to be bored. Who does? Life here is tough and demanding, but it's also fun. MIT students are imaginative and creative - inside and outside the classroom.

You're interested in athletics? Great! MIT has more varsity teams - 39 - than almost any other university, and a tremendous intramural program so everybody can participate.

You think we're too expensive? Don't be too sure. We've got surprises for you there, too. Why not send the enclosed Information Request to find out more about this unique institution? Why not do it right now?

Sincerely,
Michael C. Benhke

Director of Admissions

P.S. If you'd like a copy of a fun-filled, fact-filled brochure, "Insight," just check the appropriate box on the form.

May 5, 1994

Michael C. Behnke
MIT Director of Admissions
Office of Admissions, Room 3-108
Cambridge MA
02139-4307

Dear Michael:

You've got the reputation.
You've certainly got the pomposity.
And now you've got a letter from John Mongan.
Maybe you're surprised.
Most universities would be.

But you're not most universities. And that's exactly why I urge you to carefully consider one of the most selective students in America, so selective that he will choose only one of the thousands of accredited universities in the country.

The level of pomposity and lack of tact reflected in your letter is a powerful indicator that your august institution might well be a possibility for John Mongan's future education. It certainly got my attention!

Don't want Bio-Chem students? No problem. It may surprise you to learn that my interests cover over 400 fields of study, from semantics to limnology, from object-oriented programming (perhaps one of the youngest professionals in the country) to classical piano.

What? Of course you don't want egotistical jerks. Who does? I am self indulgent and over confident, but I'm also amusing. John Mongan is funny and amusing - whether you're laughing with him or at him.

You're interested in athletes? Great! John Mongan has played more sports - 47 - than almost any other student, including oddball favorites such as Orienteering.

You think I can pay for your school? Don't be too sure. I've got surprises for you there, too. Why not send a guaranteed admission and full scholarship to increase your chance of being selected by John Mongan? Why not do it right now?

Sincerely,
John Mongan

P.S. If you'd like a copy of a fun-filled, fact-filled brochure, "John Mongan: What a Guy!" just ask.

John never got a reply.

i'm slow...

2009-03-16T10:39:00.002+08:00

but POP lo!

huh

2009-03-16T00:13:00.002+08:00

imagine a square

to get from one corner to the other diagonal, the distance is 2l when you travel on the perimeter.

now you take the path inside the square, but it is a zigzag path. the path is always parallel to either sides of the square... and the total distance is still 2l.

now the zigzag path gets more and more finely divided, i.e. the steps are smaller. the total distance is still 2l.

as it reaches the limit, the distance turns to sqrt(l^2 + l^2), which is not equal to 2l. There is a discrete jump in value. why?

***

if you are really bored, and at the same time feeling stupid... go download this document: Chapter 1 of Mathematics for Phyiscs and Physicists.

afterall, the antithesis of a thinking cap is the SAF helmet.

my 24km route march

2009-03-11T13:50:00.002+08:00

I guess there are always two sentiments towards route marches: for those people who can keep pace, it's a rather nice event; for those who cannot keep up, a miserable experience.

I went from the former to the latter. A bad ankle and the associated ligament injuries. But in actual fact, it was my stamina that affected more. I didn't feel confident about the 24km march, because our field pack was filled with our personal belongings.

I volunteered for the front scout for my company, because I know I cannot possibly keep it once people in front of me start running.

Walking in the dark , I was extremely unmotivated. It was a straight path from CCP9 to Sphinx Bridge, and my company was leading (meaning that I was the first person). The road was long and never ending, filled with puddles of water that were ankle deep. When is it going to end?

Finally... after 6 puddles and 5 spectacular splashes later, I thought I saw the bridge. It was only a forest opening. False hopes, but that what keep me moving. An hour later we went up the bridge and back to our rest point.

....

More walking... and it really took quite a lot of my energy and tested my pain endurance. When we eventually made it back to base camp, I was too tired, void of any emotions. I didn't even feel like cheering like Gryphon company.

I saw a safety rover before the turn into the GHJK cluster.

My officer gave me the thumbs up.

I smiled.

structural unemployment

2009-02-06T19:48:00.002+08:00

Structural unemployment is long-term and chronic unemployment arising from imbalances between the skills and other characteristics of workers in the market and the needs of employers (Abel/Bernanke, Macroeconomics 6e, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc.).

If the previous generation did it right, by emulating them, it doesn't mean that it would be right. We may have a case of doing the right thing at the wrong time.

---

Singapore should move into an era of robotic soldiers. o.O

goodbye world

2008-12-11T22:45:00.000+08:00

prom

2008-12-07T01:49:00.003+08:00

thinking

2008-12-02T14:45:00.006+08:00

I was on the bus.

The destination was between two bus-stops.

I've tried alighting at both bus-stops and walked over to my destination. I was thinking that one stop seems closer than the other.

Should I find out the distance between the respective bus-stops and my target destination?

Ultimately, we want to find the least effort (at least, what we perceive) to reach our goals. We have already reserved judgments for such cases and why should we find out the truth? If something is indeed more enjoyable, finding out cold hard facts would not cause us to perceive things differently. In fact, we may be deeply conflicted within and this might lead to a general dissatisfaction with ourselves.

In my specific case, even though the distance may be closer, the path may not be better. Similarly, your goal may be closer but you may not enjoy it more. Worse, the goal is the same and the paths are different. Wouldn't you choose the easier path that brings you more satisfaction? Without "useless" statistics and facts to cloud your "biased" viewpoint?

issues.

2008-11-29T14:27:00.004+08:00

I'm sure you have seen this:

"I would like the Y6 to turn up for graduation ceremony looking like a role model Dunmanian. Since they will be in school uniform for the graduation ceremony, we need them to place school image before self image. If they turn up in school uniform with dyed hair and flashy nails, what signals would they be sending to the parents and juniors present? I suspect many of the teachers present would also feel let down. If we look less glam at prom, we hurt only ourselves. If we look less like a student at graduation ceremony, we can hurt the school and the feelings of those who care deeply for the school. Hence, I hope between looking less glam at the prom and looking less like a Dunmanian at Graduation Ceremony, they would choose the former. This would be placing the school above self. "

in response- Physics in Singapore

2008-11-29T00:39:00.004+08:00

I refer to www.simpleus.blogspot.com

I'm speaking about physics in Singapore.

A*STAR does not really enter the realms of physics. The closest thing to physics in A*STAR, would be biophysics and material science. Of course, these two contemporary fields are not in the traditional sense of basic physics research. They are under applied physics. PAP anyone? (PAP= Physics and Applied Physics)

Even DSO doesn't really do physics. I know many of their stuffs are classified and I 'don't know' about them (even if I know I can't say). It's more like, using established physics- or new physics to create new and powerful gadgets/weapons. They aren't responsible for new physics, except for an accidental discovery or in the case of a missing fundamental link for an engineering problem.

NUS and NTU do some basic research. But as far as I know, funding for such projects are hard to come by; neither do we have the required tools (satellites et al). In short, physics, as contrasted to biochemistry for example, is lacking, both in scope and funding. Government research direction didn't really help. I was thinking that the appointment of Dr Tony Tan as the National Research Foundation Chair might shift things a bit, but I have not seen much improvement anyway.

Lim Chuan Poh once said that we need more physics graduates. It was published 2 years ago I think. And I believe that I've been told that A*STAR is going to "fund more basic projects in physics". They have not occured, obviously.

My work in IHPC is concerned about fluid interaction. While not exactly physics (it's engineering), the governing equations are derived from the conservation laws in physics and we're interested in numerical simulations of such interactions. Note that the physics component is gone; the focus is on application (read: bio-related).

Singapore may be small, too small for a physics community anyway. We do not have a critical mass of physicists yet, and I do not believe that we'd have one. It's ultimately not practical, looking out for Type IIa Supernovae and CMB flucations. If it is not truly practical, the focus would not be there. If the focus would not be there, high school kids are not going to think that physics is a fresh area to go into. After all, F=ma and conservation of energy are not very interesting.

The problem in physics is that we spend a long time trying to get to the really interesting part pf physics. Nuclear physics is the last chapter of H2 syllabus; we don't cover particle physics and relativity. The latter is more than 100 years old and we're still not at it. The reason?

Mathematics.

To appreciate physics, we would need to understand the tool, the language of physics. And by that, my dear readers, I mean math. There is simply no English equivalent of a dot product of Nabla and velocity in vector form. Sure, there are cryptic and exact definitions of both, but they get lost in us. Afterall, college math is very much more than "linear algebra", which itself isn't easy in the first place.

Don't you feel the 'huh' factor in quantum mech? It's like driving blindfolded. The interesting parts come last. Take biology for example. We can learn about the most recent developments; I am sure gel electrophoresis is not as old as relativity. Human Genome Project? Cloning? Stem cells? It's very interesting.

It's the same with math. Integration? That's the Riemann era. Matrix? Vectors? Physics and Math face the same core issue- the "interesting, attention-grabbing" topics are not presented. It is true that we need a good base before anything, and so that's an eternal challenge to mount. It's inherent.

This, coupled with the pragmatic culture of Singaporeans, makes physics an isolated subject to work on. The NATO moves by organisations don't help at all. That is why, we do not do physics in the lethal red dot product.

Oops I'm sorry.

hmmm

2008-11-28T23:10:00.001+08:00

what should I do?

Chua Meng Shuen

Institute of High Performance Computing, 1 Fusionopolis Way, #16-16 Connexis, Singapore 138632

Note: The author's present address is 2 Pulau Tekong. He would be un-contactable.

Or?

:S

light

2008-11-21T19:19:00.002+08:00

transformation

2008-11-20T23:45:00.008+08:00

FROM

spot my xiaobaobao! it's featured!

hokkien

2008-11-16T23:49:00.001+08:00

our songs

2008-11-16T02:30:00.005+08:00

ahhhhhhh. brings back many memories right.

A progressive tax regime

2008-11-14T20:39:00.002+08:00

The more you earn, the more taxes you'd have to pay- not just as an absolute amount, but as a proportion as well.

That's progressive taxation. Regressive taxation is the opposite; you pay less as a proportion.

Progressive taxation is not efficient. It's just more equitable towards the general population. If I work hard to earn more, and as a result of that I am penalised due to the higher tax rates, the incentive to work more when you're already high-flying would decrease.

People with higher incomes tend to save more. Therefore, they do not need the full amount of disposable income that they received, and thus that amount should be taxed. Conversely, the poorer would have a negative tax system, that they get reimbursed by working. We call it the Workfare Income Supplement in Singapore.

On close scrutiny, if a person earns less that $2000 or less, he is likely to benefit from WIS. One doesn't get taxed (depending on various factors) if he/she is earning about $2500 or thereabout. Upwards of that, you get taxed. This redistribution of income is extremely popular among voters, so much so that the Americans are able to forget about racial issues and instead vote for their wallets.

If this progressive tax system arises from an altruistic means by the government, a slight problem surfaces. In a democracy, the majority would get its way. Going by a standard distribution curve, most of us would be from middle-income families. If this progressive tax system benefits us relatively, we would support it. This is clearly not altruism. Secondly, most governments around the world would like to stay in power- hence the need to introduce popular policies.

So is a progressive tax good for us?

In a limited way.

I'm not against a negative tax system for the poor. I think that's reasonable. I'm against the overly progressive taxation if you earn more than 10K a month. You'd repel high income earners into your nation. Given that these high fliers have a high geographical mobility, they are able to move around developed nations to seek "greener pastures". It's very much like a monopolistic competitive state, whereby all first-world's income tax system would converge in the future. It would be possible, for a nation to adopt a linear taxation rate if there isn't any underclass in that nation.

And Singapore is ready to do it. It'd be more efficient.

Gini index? There's no point in looking at that measure in this time and age. It's not going to improve. The cost of correcting your gini index- look at Communist states. There's no middle ground for income inequality- its an either/or system. Why?

A government can never optimise its resources to help/or aid both groups of people. In fact, according to comparative advantage...

a nation should even specialise on helping a rich society, and forgo the poor- or vice-versa.

please note that the above passage does not make sense- in whole or in part. reproduction out of contax (sic) is strictly prohibited.

re-furnishing in progress

2008-11-14T20:37:00.002+08:00

It's almost ending.

Physics paper 1 left.

2 years of not mugging. Room is going to be converted from a mugging den to... a relaxing corner.

Gee.

ahh

2008-11-08T17:04:00.003+08:00

I'm actually quite sleepy now. Shall go nap after finishing econs notes.

Actually, if I'm not caught up with A levels I'd be an inventor. Or engineer.

Product 1: Camera Sensor

Since a camera already has a 35 or 1005 zone evaluative metering system (for Canon and Nikon respectively), we can create an ultra sensitive metering system such that each frame is divided into regions directly proportional to the pixel count. For every ISO that is selected, we have a deviation of 1 stop for exposure as gauged by the metering sensor. For example, a bright segment of the image would use a lower ISO and a darker segment would use a higher ISO. The noise issue can then be tackled by pixel-binning. We would therefore have an expanded dynamic range.

Product 2: ERP cash-card reader + parking coupon combo

Eliminate the use of paper coupons for parking in public carparks. Once the car is detected to be in a public carpark, then, the charges would be deducted accordingly from the cash-card/credit card. The timing would be shown via a LCD screen like our calculators. One issue is that the car might be broken in for the card. An alternative to this would be to deduct the time block at one go, like 30 minutes or 60 minutes from the cash-card, and the LCD would begin a count-down. The card then can be removed, and the parking wardens can just walk around looking at the LCD. This system not only reduces wastage, but enables the authorities to price parking lots more accurately, matching demand and supply by the on-board GPS detector that would be used for the distance-based road pricing as well.

More innovations another time. Need to nap.

TEXTBOOKS!

2008-10-15T19:16:00.002+08:00

imba

2008-10-12T17:54:00.001+08:00

quotes by people

2008-10-04T20:07:00.004+08:00

I don't know why some people twist scientific untruths, but there is a possibility that we do not know the entire theory at that time, and therefore the quote would seem true.

"Aerodynamically, the bumble bee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumble bee doesn't know it so it goes on flying anyway." (Mary Kay Ash)

Of course that isn't true. Insects, using flapping wings, utilise another branch of aerodynamics altogether, different from the conventional lift from airfoils. Or lighter than air vehicles.

Of something that I can rather confidently say though, is that we humans cannot achieve flight.

(joke la. -_-)

Other than that, there are many quotes by famous people who totally misjudged the current and future trends.

"I believe that the world has a market for about three computers." IBM
"No-one would use more than 640KB of RAM." Bill Gates

something for you to ponder over

2008-09-29T20:31:00.006+08:00

"its funny how so many people claim to be above average when we know that the normal bell curve limits the number of abv-avg people to a small minority. clearly there's a clash, so what gives?" -source: unknown. [tienleng.blogspot.com]

That's assuming that the distribution is normal. And not geometric or Pareto distribution, for example. And even if the distribution is normal, there is a 50% chance that you are above average, and not a small minority. There's no clash at all; it just shows that the people we are interacting with are confident and probably successful.

"There are 50% of the people above average, and 50% of the people below average. [note: continuous spread] If you are above average, there's nothing to be proud of, for you have the same probability in landing here as someone below average finding himself there." -adapted from Richard Feynman [mengshuen.blogspot.com]

And what are we comparing ourselves against? Our level? Across all JCs? Across the world? Tough luck. Sometimes, being above average isn't good enough. You need to be the best in your field.

Really?

I've always believed that most of us are equals (some are less equal, and would be outside the scope of this discussion). The three step to success: discover what you like, do what you like, and do it well.

Hard work is of course a crucial factor in success. That's included in the "do what you like" part. I'm inclined to believe that even a genius needs one percent of hard work. But what ultimately is success? Does it have to mean that you're the president? The top earner? Fields medalist?

The cruel answer is yes. There are alot of sources that tell a different story but I beg to differ. The marginal cost of moving up one rung when you're already the top 10^-7% (oops) is very high. However, one must realise that the cost rises linearly, but marginal benefit rises exponentially. According to pure marginal analysis, we should reach the top.

Even if you're not interested in traditional fields, but instead want to help the world, then be the world's largest donor, the best charity or someone like Mother Theresa.

The first quote from TienLeng practically proves that we want to be at the "better half". As we move up the "better half", we find ourselves in another region, and that "better half" is actually "better quarter" relative to the world. As we move up, we'd want to be in the "better (1/2)^n". In the long run, (don't quote Keynes here please), n approaches infinity and we find ourselves at the top.

(i think i'm going nuts)

In your perspective, it sounds feasible. But of course. It should sound feasible for anyone! But the top is not a plateau, so the top is reserved for only one. That is where we (-1) would experience failure (other than the one who manages to reach the top). So practically speaking, there is a zero probability of you reaching all the way to the top.

One question we must ask ourselves: Are we going to be deterred by the sheer impossibility?

CHEMISTRY

2008-09-26T13:36:00.002+08:00

While waiting for the H2 Chemistry Paper 1 to start, I was thinking...

about words that can be formed from CHEMISTRY.

MISTY
TRY
HIT
CRY
HIM
HER
ME
THE
SHIT :D

2008-09-23T20:07:00.003+08:00

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door.

SON: 'Daddy, may I ask you a question?'

DAD: 'Yeah sure, what it is?' replied the man.

SON: 'Daddy, how much do you make an hour?'

DAD: 'That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?' the man said angrily.

SON: 'I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?'

DAD: 'If you must know, I make $50 an hour.'

SON: 'Oh,' the little boy replied, with his head down.

SON: 'Daddy, may I please borrow $25?'

The father was furious, 'If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I don't work hard everyday for such childish frivolities.'

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.

The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?

After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down , and started to think:

Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $25.00 and he really didn't ask for money very often The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.

'Are you asleep, son?' He asked.

'No daddy, I'm awake,' replied the boy.

'I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier' said the man. 'It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $25 you asked for.'

The little boy sat straight up, smiling. 'Oh, thank you daddy!' he yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills.

The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again.

The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father.

'Why do you want more money if you already have some?' the father grumbled.

'Because I didn't have enough, but now I do,' the little boy replied.

'Daddy, I have $50 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.'

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness.

It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. Do remember to share that $50 worth of your time with someone you love.

If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of hours. But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.

Is attracting foreign workers beneficial to Singapore’s society?

2008-09-12T21:06:00.005+08:00

As we move into the new age of Globalisation 2.0, increasing numbers of countries are tapping on low-cost labour from developing nations, most notably from China and India. Nations must have compelling reasons to do so, and many economic models do actually support this idea. In this case, foreign workers refer to mediocre-skilled labour from less developed countries, as compared to foreign talents on the other extreme. Economics promise higher growth rates and better investment prospects if we are able to tap into this new source of labour. However, theoretical models ignore the social aspect and that is precisely where many of the unseen problems arise. Before analysing the impacts of attracting foreign workers, it is imperative that we examine the motivations for utilising foreign workers in Singapore.

As Singapore developed, we have grown from a labour intensive economy to a knowledge-backed nation. Our population is increasingly educated and as a result of this, we are losing the competitive advantage in manual labour. Native Singaporeans would demand for a higher pay for such low-skilled jobs as a result of their education and their perceived productivity. They would also tend to have alternatives in other industries which would pay them reasonable amounts. Manual labour costs skyrocketed in the late 1980s and global investors saw diminishing returns. Production lines in Singapore moved overseas, mostly over to Malaysia. Examples include F&N, Seagate and many textile firms. Our government saw the pulling out of foreign capital detrimental to our growth and relaxed foreign worker policies. In fact, Singapore is not the only country to face this problem; Korea and Japan had this issue as well. To retain our advantage as a production and shipping hub, low-cost workers are called into Singapore for the next growth phase. Furthermore, foreigners spend in our economy, leading to a multiplied increase in our incomes. Therefore it is reasonable to conclude that foreign workers do assist our economy, ultimately raising our standards of living.

But as foreigners crossed the one million mark in Singapore, we are able to see the flaws in the previous argument. Not only is our growth jeopardised by the foreign workers, but it is also causing our social fabric to fray.

Firstly, foreign workers drive down wages for low-skilled employments- aiming head-on with the older generation who do not have immense expertise. This fact can be substantiated by the shrinking incomes of the lowest quintile. This directly contradicts the promise for a better future and a higher quality of life. Foreigners increase the supply of our low-skilled labour, tightening the competition for such vocations. As a result, domestic incomes (for the lowest quintile) have been sliding down since ten years ago. In fact, for last year, the lowest 10% of households saw their income being reduced by an alarming 8%! Foreign workers not only fill in gaps in our labour force, but they are starting to replace jobs that are held by Singaporeans. Over-liberalisation of foreign policies tends to overcorrect for the deficiencies of our existing labour force and the local population is paying the price. Attracting more foreigner workers at this stage is not going to allow Singaporeans to pursue their dreams.

Secondly, our foreign workers tend to be of similar races and prejudices that are caused by them may spill over to the native community. For instance, a local Malay might be appalled by the littering acts of Chinese nationals, and may extrapolate these misconceptions about the Chinese race to the majority of the population in Singapore. This would cause our carefully built-up racial harmony to be destroyed. A multi-racial society builds on mutual understanding for cohesive progress, and when this understanding is compromised by people who have yet to be integrated into the Singapore society, we run a social risk of distrust. With an ever increasing foreign community in Singapore, there is a greater probability of misunderstanding, be it inter-racial or inter-national. One excellent case study would be the acceptance of worker dormitories near residential estates. Few would be happy with the introduction of foreigners into their estate, and this could be xenophobia at work. However, xenophobia cannot be used to describe a fear of 25% of the population, much as we want to attribute to it. Whatever the reason is, Singapore is not prepared for the influx of low-skilled foreigners with different social norms and habits and this would not help to improve our standard of living. If happiness is a key factor of our non-material living standards, then the government is not meeting its primary objective.

Thirdly, Singapore is already reaching its maximum carrying capacity. Our resources are already strained by our 3 million plus society, and the introduction of hundreds of thousands of new immigrants each year is not going to solve any issue. We have reached an economic bottleneck; any increase in labour, however low-cost they may be, is only going to result in marginal improvements for our economic outlook. The massive congestion on Central Expressway every evening, the over-crowding of the local rail on weekends and the long queues at food-centres would attract new investments- not. We could always attract more foreigners, but their contributions to the economic would be minimal, if not futile. As the nation with the densest population, we should not look at importing workers to boost our economy. In fact, there many aspects of improvement that should be carried out without the dependence on foreign workers.

The government could look at reducing the number of foreign workers in non-investment linked areas. In this case, less skilled Singaporeans would still have hope of being employed. Moreover, Singapore’s welfare system only works if one is employed. No employment, no welfare (sounds contradictory, right?) We could also look at ways to increase our capacity in production to attract firms which depend on cheap labour, but not having foreigners to compete in the low-skilled job market. In essence, expand, but not at the expense. The government should also look at plans to allow for the controlled inflow of foreigners. Tearing down the dam to flood the island is never a wise choice, for a tide would raise a boat but a freak wave would sink it.

Therefore I believe that Singapore does not need to attract foreign workers at this moment in time, for whatever reasons. The attracting of foreign workers for Singapore did not prove beneficial for Singapore in the recent decades, and the promises of a higher standard of living is still as farfetched as ever. Any visible increase in living quality would be caused by an increase in productivity through technology instead. In the long run, would foreign labour enable us to lead a better life is still an unanswerable question. Perhaps John Maynard Keynes sums it up the best: “In the long run, we are all dead”.

Goodbye

2008-09-02T20:37:00.004+08:00

I don't usually lag behind events. Nono this time I'm not joking la.

My maternal grandmother passed away on Friday last week. It's not that I'm not expecting it... and the timing's is fortunately not even nearer to prelims/As. But it still comes as something of a shock. I... 'd say that I'm emotionally hardened for these types of events. I could still think straight and rationally for the days that followed.

I broke down only when the ... what do you call him... the person who commands the funeral told us to call her beside the coffin.

This has led me to think, whatever breakthroughs we have in the sciences and humanities, we are still unable to prevent the loss of what we treasure most. But at the very least, we have the sciences to prolong lives and to reduce suffering when we're still alive. You'd see a very biased viewpoint here because I am ultimately a science person. Humanities enrich our lives. There's no clear path to keep our loved ones alive.

Sometimes I think that, for whatever we are doing, we're not really useful. Money, success, status... they are all fleeting. Of course relationships are fleeting as well, but at least they are the most valuable asset that one person may ever own.

Rest in peace, popo. (gah I don't know how to spell lah don't laugh)

SRP Alumnus

2008-08-16T14:16:00.003+08:00

HERE'S a summary of Dr Tracey Ho's achievements:
1983 to 1995: Admitted into the Gifted Education Programme in 1986 at age 10.
1995: Awarded the President's Scholarship. Went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to study engineering.
1998: Won the national inter-collegiate air-pistol individual gold in Atlanta and helped MIT grab the women's team title.
1999: Completed her Bachelors and Masters degrees in electrical engineering at MIT, with a perfect grade-point average (GPA) of 5.0.

One of two US university students to be awarded the Tau Beta Pi Laureate, given by the national engineering society.

Represented Singapore in the South-east Asia Shooting Association Championships in Bangkok in December.
2000: Represented Singapore in Asian Shooting Championships in Langkawi.
2001: Awarded the Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship for postgraduate studies. Went to pursue a PhD in electrical engineering and computer science at MIT.
2002: Received a National Science Scholarship from the Singapore Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star).
2004: Finished her PhD in three years, again with perfect GPA of 5.0.
2005: Named one of the world's top 35 innovators under age 35 by Technology Review, MIT's innovation magazine.

... till now, she's at Caltech working as an assistant professor. Apparently Caltech bought out her bond with A*Star. Don't know how true is that. Hmm.

so cool! MUST SEE!

2008-08-10T22:32:00.000+08:00

August 30th

2008-08-08T15:39:00.002+08:00

ST: Prisoner numbers at new low

...of course lah. Mas Selamat escaped what.

GP

2008-08-05T20:37:00.002+08:00

Being an ENTP, I should have blogged about many controversies by now. But I chose not to.

By now, most people have figured out how to pass (or ace) their content subjects, but not GP.

... Right.

But ultimately, is this craze (GP scores) due to one's wish of getting a clean A level cert, getting into universities, or just bu shuang at your english standards?

Must you get all As? Is it a must? No A will die?

People must be realistic. Almost everyone have a target of 5As. For those with H3, they want a distinction. Not that I'm saying it's impossible, but seriously considering... it is nice to dream.

Perhaps success comes to easily to you guys. That is why your targets never fall short of a perfect record. Please get a sense of where you are, and where you want to go.

...

Was having the scholarships consultation with Mr Poon just now. I could tell that there's two groups of people, one with the MIT/Princeton/Stanford/ICL combo, and the other one with the Harvard/Cambridge/LSE/Chicago combo. Nice schools.

discrepancies between chem and physics

2008-07-27T01:13:00.008+08:00

In chemistry, we are taught that strength (force) of ionic bond is proportionate to

Equation (1)

However, in physics, according to Coulomb's Law, the magnitude of the electrostatic force between two point electric charges is directly proportional to the product of the magnitudes of each charge and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the charges, or simply stated,

Equation (2)

... so whatever happened to the square?

NB: Coulomb's is stated in the scalar form which shows only the magnitude, similar to the expression above as Equation (1).

Postscript: On hindsight, I believe that the difference arises from distinguishing energy and strength (force). If we say that energy of ionic bond (lattic energy), which is the potential energy, that the distance between the point charges is not squared. Chem, be careful. Thin ice around here.

chemistry

2008-07-12T21:25:00.003+08:00

Class: We want to learn the concept behind chem, not memorizing...
Mdm Koh: What concepts?

Maybe it's just me.

One takes chem for one out of the three reasons:

1. Chem engineering (research)
2. Teacher
3. Chem has always been my best subject (pure interest)

I just feel that what we learn in Chemistry doesn't apply to all three reasons proposed. I mean, what good will it give us if we have standard answers for everything, memorising equations etc?

The ratio of thinking vs vomitting is surprisingly less than other sciences (i don't know about Biology). But this isn't the fault for chemistry. Look at physics. If chem has similar math equations, we'd need a computer liao. We can't solve Schrodinger's equations for chem in our exams, can we? Together with Maxwell's equations, we can probably answer 80% of the questions. (the other 20%, are questions like biological effects and names of chemical compounds).

I still think we need a formula list for chem. What's the ultimate use of remembering those long and confusing equations, other than scoring marks?

chem = mugger's subject

long way ahead

2008-07-09T21:27:00.005+08:00

it's a long way but we'll have to step on the accelerator now.

ONE CHAPTER A DAY!

jokes: continued

2008-06-30T00:32:00.005+08:00

Why did Werner Heisenberg hate driving cars?
Because, every time he looked at the speedometer he got lost!

CAUTION: The Mass of This Product Contains the Energy Equivalent of 85
Million Tons of TNT per Net Ounce of Weight.

HANDLE WITH EXTREME CARE: This Product Contains Minute
Electrically Charged Particles Moving at Velocities in Excess
of Five Hundred Million Miles Per Hour.

"Truth decays into beauty, while beauty soon becomes merely charm. Charm
ends up as strangeness, and even that doesn't last, but up and down
are forever."

Allan wrote that he was "on the committee to revoke Ohm's Law". Let me
guess: Ohm's Law: is that the one about sitting crosslegged and chanting
"Ohm! Ohm! Ohm!" ?  Watt is Ohm's law and who volted it into existence? Has
it met with any resistance in its application? Please respond quickly
because my hair is on end and my emotional life has become static while
awaiting an answer.

jokes for the physics people

2008-06-30T00:21:00.000+08:00

1. An experimentalist has worked out an empirical equation that seems to explain his data. He asks the theorists to have a look at it. A week later, the theorist says that the equation is invalid, but the experimentalist used his equation to predict the results of further experiments and gets excellent results. So he asks the theorists to look again. Another week goes by and they meet once more. The theorist tells the experimentalist that the equation does work, "but only in the trivial case where the numbers are real and positive."

2. The experimentalist comes running excitedly in the theorist's office, waving a graph taken off his latest experiment. "Hmmm", says the theorist, "that's exactly where you'd expect to see that peak. Here is the reason." A long logical explanation follows. In the middle of it, the experimentalist says "Wait a minute", studies the chart for a second and says "Oops, this is upside down." He fixes it. "Hmmm," says the theorist, "you'd expect to see a dip in exactly that position. Here is the reason…"

sorry, really had to post this. you have no idea how I was laughing and rolling around!

ps: to many, the above statement would be the joke.

sony

2008-06-27T20:32:00.002+08:00

time to revamp my room...

2 years (or is it 5) of no studying in my room means time for a change!

I shall...

add

a wardrobe (notice that I don't have one in my room?)
a television
speakers (those tall tall ones)
PS3?
2 seater sofa
bookshelves

subtract

one rectangular table
my radio set

i need... ideas!

state of my room

2008-06-06T17:30:00.002+08:00

I need someone to help me with this...

hehe

2008-06-05T16:55:00.002+08:00

kek says:
hows ur preparation for sat
kek says:
i realise my fallacy in attempting to memo 1500 words
mengshuen says:
definitely
mengshuen says:
SATs have discombobulated me
kek says:
please speak in my vernacular
kek says:
do not attempt to be pompous
kek says:
for which i will not be able to comprehend
mengshuen says:
i observe
mengshuen says:
that some words are just impalpable
kek says:
indeed
kek says:
rancorous foe the sat test is
kek says:
i look forward to the day when im exonerated from it
mengshuen says:
sigh that the SATs are so portentous
mengshuen says:
i realise that i'm all but a neophyte in english
kek says:
i am just innundated by a paroxysm of frustration
kek says:
at the amount of text i have to read
mengshuen says:
that's the unassailable truth
kek says:
perhaps verbaphobia will develop soon
kek says:
but at least i discovered a nice word to describe the one
mengshuen says:
verbaphobia!
kek says:
adathema
mengshuen says:
how about satophobia
kek says:
nah
kek says:
pantophobia will pawn all
mengshuen says:
no it should be satiphobia
mengshuen says:
as in SAT I phobia
mengshuen says:
ahha
kek says:
lol
kek says:
i shall display a bellicose persona on sat for sat
mengshuen says:
why are you so angsty?
mengshuen says:
my SAT books will soon be superannuated

2008-06-05T15:47:00.001+08:00

strong interest in math, science, engineering; check

advanced courses in math and science; check

participation in math/science activities; triply check

leadership experience; check

laboratory/research experience; check

rigorous high school curriculum; check

outstanding record of academic achievement; damn

Dreams

2008-06-03T16:45:00.002+08:00

-It is the scientists' personal drive that leads to discovery. They grew up looking at the night skies and wonder what is it up there...

Dreams exist for many people, especially for people at our age. I want to be... is rather common. To achieve that, is another issue altogether. Targets change all the time.

In the past I wanted to take up physics in MIT.
Then I thought engineering was more interesting and practical.
Now, I think I like theoretical physics more.

I happen to think that we need affirmation to work towards our dreams. Success comes after failure is just too cliche and useless. (forgive me for a bit of maths, but I believe each attempt is independent of each other; we just don't learn from our mistakes) Picking yourself up from a failure is definitely not as easy as you say. Wonderful determination would propel a begger to a Manhattan millionaire.

Progressive targets are more effective, and that's when alot of people fail in this. We tend to aim for the eventual outcome, the final target, but isn't that the ultimate death? If we achieve our targets progressively, like getting an A for a test, to reach top 10% in the school, to win some national award and secure your career, that's more likely. In this aspect, the process is more important, as it is exactly the process that determines the outcome. I can tweak my final outcome by assessing the mid-term goals that I've achieved/not achieved, and that reduces the workload you have on yourself and on your peers.

now...

Imperial College London looks good.

I'm not happy

2008-05-16T23:56:00.003+08:00

For those disillusioned/discouraged

If the school doesn't spot your talent it doesn't mean that you are useless. If you are not approached by teachers/principals regarding awards/scholarships, don't despair. You have to believe in yourself. Put your heart and soul into something that you want. You will get rewarded eventually. It doesn't matter if the school sees no value in nominating you.

You shape your own destiny. Don't lose hope.

Opportunities are not just within the school. Find from without, and raise your head high when you've got it. Prove people wrong. Prove that you can be even more successful than those "groomed talents" which the school has spent money and effort in helping them.

True success is obtained only after much struggling.

Don't give up

2008-05-16T22:50:00.003+08:00

This is something that I've been keeping within me for about a year already, and I think I've forced some people to eat their own hats/retract their words.

A meritocratic society only works if each and everyone of us is given equal opportunities. According to my own little research, there are two groups of people in our school: those high flying ones, and the normal typical dunmanian who doesn't get any recognition for his/her work.

The school didn't nominate me for any scholarships or any overseas attachments. You have no idea how big an impact that had on me. I refuse to believe that I'm just another science student.

The school can decide on my destiny, but I wouldn't allow it to happen. I know exactly where I want to go and I pursued my interests independent of the school. Granted, I must thank the school for nominating me for SRP in the first place, like some 30 other peers, but other than that, I was at no advantage over anyone else. I had to work hard, to prove some people wrong. I keep telling myself that I'm nowhere inferior to anyone in school, and I believe that if you set your heart and mind into something that you want, you will get it.

Don't be sad or disappointed if you realise that the school has offered opportunities that are rightfully yours to others. The school has imperfect information and we, as individuals, should not rely on the school for our success. Groomed talents are not talents. If everyone is groomed, everyone would be a talent. We do not have equal opportunities; grab yours outside today, before it is gone.

Ironically, this independence is one component of the judging criteria. Just like a butterfly coming out of the cocoon, we need to struggle before finding success. I can honestly say that the teachers who helped me along the way were doing our of their own kindness. I think they didn't receive any official request to help me...

The pain that I've been through, the multiple setbacks, the dismay that I'm not good enough for the school, the notion that I'm lousy... I'm proud to say that I've overcome them. In spades.

saturday

2008-05-11T16:53:00.002+08:00

I can never do work on a Saturday. Perhaps because I need a rest on Saturday due to the intense week I had.

Nevermind. Ironman's full-house almost everywhere yesterday, which was soo disappointing. But the only consolation was that I found a good screen protector that effectively reduces glare! Now the screen is much better yay.

Asean Plus 08 seems quite on track bah. Let's hope it's going to be a success! ahhha.

HTC Touch Diamond

2008-05-07T20:32:00.001+08:00

I want to buy...

2008-05-06T17:42:00.002+08:00

a laser printer
a carbon fiber tripod
macbook air screen protector (antiglare)
HTC Diamond
Razer Mako

argh but i don't need any one of them...

ummm. maybe...

the tripod bah.

Road down research 3

2008-05-03T16:20:00.003+08:00

Reflections

I would like to thank my teachers, in no order of importance, in assisting me in my project until now.

Mrs Shu Yuen, for all the submission of forms and recommendation letters
Mr Chia Guo Hao, for enlightening me on the cutting edge developments of physics
Mr Jason Ng, for guiding me on my report and also my delivery of the presentation
Mr Jeremy Lim, for helping me to present information in a better format (tables and such)
Dr Yap, for preparing me what I should say during interviews
Mr Poon, for explaining the math behind fluid flows
Mr Tang, for improving my presentation
Mrs Koh, for helping me with the logistics of the two books that I bought
Mr Tan, for selecting me for SRP in the first place

I would also like to thank the AV technicians, Mr Chia and Mr Mastor, for laminating my poster and recording my presentation respectively. Also, Kit Leong for printing and reprinting my posters.

I would like to thank my mentor who has guided me through this project, Dr Tai Chin Hoe, for explaining the concepts and the usage of the software.

I would like to thank my friends who have helped me in either reminding me of the crucial dates, for wishing me all the best, and for being there when I needed entertainment. Oxy, for tolerating the stressful period when I'm doing the research.

I would like to thank my parents as well for all the reasons possible, as well as all my previous teachers, be it in science or English, for educating me.

I would like to thank A*STAR, NUS, DSO, Science Centre Singapore and MOE for organising A*TS, SSEF as well as SRP/SMP/YDSP.

Thank you.

Road down research 2

2008-05-03T15:38:00.003+08:00

I've never dreamt of even entering A*TS when I first heard about it in Sec 4. I was like, wah..., got such thing one ah, the first prize winner must be some guy from (insert name of JC), totally pwnage in studies and research.

Then I decided that perhaps, getting the A*STAR JC Science Award or the DSTA JC Scholarship was easier. 100 plus people, compared to the one (or eight finalists) for A*TS. But it turned out that I wasn't as "good" as those 1/3 in DHP who are under some form of scholarship or another, leaving me in the upper half of the 2/3 (due to my many attachments et al.) I can't be more unhappy that the world was filled with such injustice, that people totally without interest can even be awarded cash money for something that they'd never do.

But then, those awards shouldn't change anything about you. I then went on to take up science research at H3. Come to think of it, the risk that you are taking is enormous. What if you are unable to complete the project on time? What if you're stuck? What if you get inconclusive results? Well, if I cannot excel in my school work, let me try research.

Ok, plain project studying about fluid behaviour flowing past objects. Wouldn't bring me anywhere, I thought. Ah since I like cars let's modify the project! Basic and applied engineering. Ooo 4 months later I got positive results. yay.

Drafted my report and sent it in for assessment by Jan 2008. Oral defence was on end Feb. Singapore Science and Engineering Fair was on 5-6 March. Jam packed schedule. All of them went quite well and so I thought. SSEF would mark the end of my research and I'd go back to mugging.

I seriously thought my project would get at least a Bronze in SSEF, and so I got the minimum. Looking at how can "Bacteria Resistance to Dettol" get a Gold, my Bronze looks lousy. Looking at my peers (I cannot really remember their names) with Golds and Silvers, I thought "Oh wow. They've just proved me wrong again. My research stinks."

Since I got a Bronze I was invited to the A*TS shortlisting. The waiting room was filled with Golds. The interview went well, with Prof Lim Pin being the friendly and happy assessor (not really, he was the Chairman of the A*TS board and not strictly an interviewer).

So I was very surprised and happy to see my name being shortlisted at the final 8 to go for the final round of judging. I hoped as long as I wasn't the last, that would be good enough for a Bronze project and a first timer at this sort of things. Last year's winner Hang Hao Chuien participated for two years, with a Commendation in his first year. There were a few Gold projects this year, Zhao Ye, Chew Tian Wei and others had participated in SSEF for the 2nd or even third year.

I was up against good competition. Dunman High is (was, now) never known for its scientific achievements. Compared to VJC, the cluster Science Research school, and Hwa Chong Institution, with its multimillion Science Research Centre, Dunman High pales in comparison. Not only I was a first time participant, I came from a school known for its arts.

The final interview was again in Science Centre, in a very nice and big room. I was never used to using a microphone to speak, especially when I have to hold the mike. The interview (or rather, presentation and oral defence) went quite bad in my opinion. I shouldn't be expected to know everything about fluid flows at my level right. Anyway I thought I came across some facts about fluid dynamics then one of the judges said I was confused. That was bad.

I couldn't sleep well for the next two nights. I don't want to be the last out of the eight.

On the 26th (the Awards Ceremony), only Baojia Kenghoe Binghuan Samantha Yifan Mr Ng and Mrs Shu came down from our school. Yes, I was the only Dunmanian receiving my Bronze and I was grossly outnumbered. The eight posters were printed and pinned onto boards outside of the auditorium. Mine was facing the exit of the auditorium. After I received my Bronze I saw that my name was misspelled. Oh no.

Then the moment came. The Nobel laureate mentioned my project at the last, saying... there was even this project on improving the aerodynamics of cars... The MC called the Commendation awards in order of our seats. I was seated at the third from left. They called the two up. If they skipped me, it means that I would be getting the top 3 prizes (they came up with a 4th prize, so everyone would have at least the commendation). Even the two RJC guys were called up in this first round, leaving me and Tian Wei, 3 seats apart, and Zhao Ye, nations apart.

They called up Tian Wei as 3rd and made everyone guess the first prize winner. Oh gosh. Most unnerving. Anyway nobody said anything and the MC announced the top results, which I think you should know by now.

Oh. Now people are still wondering why a Bronze in SSEF can get such a thing, considering that there were Golds and Silvers in A*TS.

I wonder too.

(Note: My H3 SRP, SSEF and A*TS have different judging criteria)

Road down research

2008-05-03T15:30:00.006+08:00

Transcript of Speech made by Chua Meng Shuen, A*TS/SSEF Awards Presentation Ceremony

Please check against delivery

Thank you. It is indeed my honour to receive the prize and also be up here to address such a distinguished crowd. Nothing would have been possible without the support of my teachers at Dunman High School, my mentor Dr Tai Chin Hoe from DSO National Laboratories, the NUS team for organising the research programme as well as the SSEF organisers who have worked hard to make this event a successful one. There are a few specific persons that I’d like to mention who have contributed much to what I am today. Mrs Shu Yuen, for all the guidance and the inspiration, Mr Chia Guo Hao, for never failing to amaze me in Physics, and Mrs Chia Su Sze, for giving me the opportunity to develop my interests in the sciences since Primary 3. She’s still in charge of the science club in Geylang Methodist Primary School and I applaud her dedication in her efforts to bring curious young minds down the captivating route of experimentation. I would also like to express my gratification to my friends and of course, my parents for providing me endless support.

Research is never a bed of roses, but is there truly anything that is more satisfying than a new conclusive finding? No monetary reward will ever replace the intellectual satisfaction that we all desire. Interests and passion would bring you to the entrance of research, but it is the resoluteness in the face of adversity that would bring you the rewards.

Mankind has always been asking “Why” since the first man looked up into the night skies. We, as scientists, should aim to fulfil that role, to unravel the mysteries of our Universe. Or rather, universes. We build up on the works of our predecessors, standing on the shoulder of giants, as Isaac Newton once said, to benefit mankind. If results are the lock, you are the key responsible for unlocking it. The limiting factor is our creativity (if we ignore basic economics) and a new generation picks up where the previous left off. I shall be more optimistic and say: only two things are infinite, the universe and human intelligence, and I'm not sure about the former.

I’d end off with a quote by Einstein: If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn’t be called research, would it? Thank you.

Costs of A*TS for me

2008-04-27T22:34:00.003+08:00

1 MacBook Air
1 Apple Remote (thanks Olivia)
2 Thumbdrives
2 Books on Scientific Presentations
1 Mounted A0 Poster
2 Laminated A1 Posters
1 Powerpoint 2007 to create the posters
4 Trips to the Science Centre
1 Trip to Biopolis
1 Trip to National Wind Tunnel Facility (WTF)
8 Days of nonstop computing (6 core power)
Countless practice sessions
Time for embarking on the project

A*TS/SSEF Awards Ceremony

2008-04-26T14:12:00.001+08:00

a presenter's nightmare

2008-04-25T20:55:00.004+08:00

... that is when the questioning session starts.

There are two scenarios that are just as scary,

1. Someone asks you a question that you are not able to answer,

2. Someone tells you that your results are wrong, but you know that he/she is wrong instead.

For point 2, if you agree with him/her that you are wrong, then just abort the presentation. But the complications arise when he/she supposed to be of a higher qualification than you, and you'd need his approval to fund your research, for example. What should you do?

a) Shoot him down, indirectly killing yourself as well. Not too wise.
b) Accept the 'fact' that he/she's right, even though you don't believe so. Not wise either, you're indirectly saying that your results are factually inconsistent.
c) Avoid the question, answer him/her briefly about what you know/believe, and move on to the next question.

Option C sounds the best right. yep. But none of the cases are win-win situations, as the questioner may persist with the question until it is sorted out, and you have no chance to clarify with him afterwards, in private.

A mind boggling issue for us all.

incomprehensible

2008-04-23T21:52:00.003+08:00

Navier-Stokes equation in spherical coordinates... it's too beautiful.

the source of my "stress"

2008-04-16T23:00:00.003+08:00

'nuff said :)

and, no, results are not out yet, or rather, the final judging has not occured yet.

My first studio experience

2008-04-02T16:36:00.002+08:00

In all these years dabbling in media stuffs, I've never been the subject of a studio before. Complete with lip gloss and foundation. burp.

My pimple scars cannot be seen now already, so *someone* would have no more buttons to push. hehehe. Anyway, I believe that this photo-taking session was the first duty of the new dunman high blazers.

Studio photography ftw! Smile until your lips quiver leh.

computer issues drive you nuts

2008-03-29T20:25:00.000+08:00

My Woes:

Wireless Encryption methods. I need to have wireless connectivity across 4 out of six computers. No encryption is not the way to go, as I've realised just now. Mooching my my neighbours is a huge liability.

WEP: Mac will lag.
WPA2: The Core Duo laptop cannot locate its IP address, and the Pentium III cannot even recognise WPA2 as well.

Going to try WPA soon. And in the next half of the year, with 802.11N being officially ratified, I foresee more troubles (if i switch, that is).

JunJie's Woes

God knows what he owes the computer, man.

Some software (what dorae something CD emulation) screwed his laptop registry up. Badly. Tried Linux (Ubuntu) to access the drive and get data out, but the drive is not accessible. Tried some Windows emergency prompt and cannot copy and paste data.

Got an external hard-disk casing to put his laptop's hdd inside. Realised he protected his files on the laptop and now cannot transfer a few 'protected' files.

Now, on his desktop, network connectin screwed up, nothing appears, creating new home network wizard corrupted. Auto-run disabled, no more windows XP theme (changed to the '98 theme) and Norton died (as expected. it always fails when you need it to run).

zzz.

where

2008-03-11T19:31:00.001+08:00

service 70

2008-03-10T13:45:00.002+08:00

some buses are really lousy.

example includes service 70. It never fails to arrive after more than 30 minutes of waiting, when the rated timings are at 11 minutes maximum.

it was my 6th time waiting for bus 70. GAH.

(note: it was on weekdays)

even a cat can do our mass dance

2008-03-06T20:38:00.003+08:00

so why not the rest?

looks sheepish oops.

don't say i "no picture no talk" ah

singapore science and engineering fair

2008-03-06T19:02:00.004+08:00

Well, not too bad for a first attempt hehe.

there are four category of awards, merit, bronze, silver and gold. there are 57 out of 248 exhibits which were awarded bronze or above.

they really shouldn't give out the awards just like that. it kills your nerves.

blockbuster

2008-03-03T19:56:00.002+08:00

hehe.

"Rationality"

2008-03-02T09:11:00.002+08:00

What is being rational? Being morally right, or being logical?

Consider the case below.

You are a railway track switcher. There are children playing on 2 different tracks. On the used track, there is a group of children, while there is a lone child on the track that's not used. You can control the path of the train to go on either track.

The train zooms towards you now. Would you redirect the train?

First thought, yes, I will. Less harm inflicted (only one guy destroyed in the process).
However, that means that the poor guy is responsible for the actions of the rest of the kids, and he needs to pay the full price of what they have done when he's in the right (relatively speaking).

Would you be logical and destroy most of the kids, as they'd have to be responsible for their actions?

Feelings, emotions, moral issues vs logic, justice, fair

Which one would you choose?

funny moments

2008-02-26T20:24:00.002+08:00

Mdm Leong: What's the marginal propensity to consume...?
Kenghoe: It is the b...
Mdm Leong: Where is the b? In the garden har?

Jamie: Mr Tan, can go down? (referring to scroll down the Word document)
Mr Tan got off his seat and squatted down.

Random person in LT3: The mic makes you sound weak...
Mdm Koh: yeah, ~i am weak...

happy new year

2008-02-07T02:45:00.000+08:00

         ____()()
       /      @@
 `~~~~~\_;m__m._>o

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

happy birthday!

2008-02-01T23:47:00.000+08:00

Oh, it 6 more minutes to the end of Meng Shuen Day. Awww.

Anyway, I should blog about the most interesting, or shall I say, intriguing, present.

Presenting to you,

CINDY WANG's MEATBALLS!!

Or, shall it be this:

Umm. 18 meatballs (note that Royston took one before I could take a picutre)

To all Feb babies out there, Happy Birthday!