Advocate (INFJ, -A/-T)

So... a colleague of mine introduced me to this amazing personality test that I've taken (some time ago) and I've gotta say, it's insanely accurate up to a certain degree.

For starters though, I've noticed that my personality has changed... maybe because of the immense and unyielding stress that I'm experiencing or maybe it's just that... I've changed. Anyway, just so you know, I used to be an INTP (according the posts on my blog).

Funny thing is though, maybe the INTP has been inaccurate all these while. You know why? The newest results that I got - INFJ - accurately predicted what job I would love which is... of course... insane!

If you're interested to check it out, here's the link: http://tenteaea.com/noy
(You can click Skip Ad after a few seconds :P)


As usual, I'll do the sharing and maybe you might want to share your results too so we could all enjoy the company of kindred souls hehe :P Here goes nothing!

Typing Test Results

After avoiding it for such a long time, I've finally decided to give it a go. My first attempt was pretty all right - 66 WPM - but I was caught off-guard because I thought there would be a countdown before the test actually starts :P

Anyway, my second attempt faired much better (obviously, because I know how things work now), but still, I'm a bit disappointed that I didn't get a Pro rating hehe... all in good time I think.

Source: https://www.typingtest.com/

I should also let you all know that I managed to achieve this typing test result without using the "standard typing method"... you know, the one where you are required to place your fingers from ASDF to JKL; 

In fact, I type in a rather weird style I guess - I basically use four fingers on my left hand (except the pinky finger) and only the middle finger on my right. I also use my middle finger on my right hand to swipe, tap and do any action on my phone/tablet :P 

That being said, I would like to point out that having a fast typing speed doesn't mean you can be a good content writer though. I'm really befuddled as to why people like to boast about their typing speed when applying for a content writing position. It's "good to know", but it's not exactly a priority (something that I'm looking for), especially when the company is paying you on a per content basis. 

A quick tip - it's more important to work on your "voice" when you write; to develop, your own unique style and tone (particularly for content that require you to express your opinions, and not say... a company's press release). 

Being able to show that you are willing to do all the necessary research to write a pretty good copy is important as well... since apparently and surprisingly not many people are willing to do so.  

Weird Superstitions in Malaysia (and maybe other places around the world)

Inspired by a post made by SAYS. #Weirdsuperstitions


Since their list of superstitions isn't exactly complete, I thought of adding a few more of the superstitions that I've heard from my "youth".

I'll probably rewrite all the superstition they have on their Facebook post too since their grammar is atrocious... heh :P

Right, so here goes!

• Don't swallow the seeds of watermelon (or any type of fruits with small "eatable" seeds). If you do swallow them, the seeds will sprout in your tummy.

• If you don't finish your food/ if you waste food, you'll go straight to the lowest level of hell (the "lucky" number 18th) when you die.

• If you suddenly smell something odd in the middle of the night, you mustn't react to or say anything about the smell no matter how nice (perfume)/ bad (something rotten) it is or the ghost that's hanging around will latch onto you. 

The same superstition applies if you spotted "something odd" in the mirror, behind you/ from the corner of your eye or if you hear something really odd like someone calling out your name when you're home alone.

• Don't walk under a ladder (those portable ones) or you'll be very unlucky

• Don't point at the moon or you'll get an unexplained cut on your ear lobe.

• Don't use red ink to write a person's name. If you do, it's like you're cursing that person to die an early death.

• When you go jungle trekking, don't bend over and peer behind you through the gap in between your legs (especially when you're tying your shoelaces) or you'll see something that you really don't want to see.

• If you need to pee or defecate in the bushes, you must say a quick prayer to the NaTuk Kong first.

• Don't talk about how you're not afraid of ghosts while you're in the jungle or the "spirits" there will take you up on your challenge and follow you home.

• Don't sleep with your feet facing any sort of doorway. Only corpses are allowed to be positioned that way.

• Don't give anyone a clock for their birthday. If you do, it's like you're saying that their time on Earth is limited and that they will die an early death.

• Don't sit on pillows or anything that's too soft or you'll grow BiSui (a form of painful blister or boil) on your butt, making it incredibly difficult to sit without accidentally squishing it.

• Don't cut your nails at night or the ghosts will come and find you.

• Don't whistle at night either or the ghosts will come and find you.

• Don't comb your hair after midnight or you'll see a ghost in the mirror.

• You must take a proper (not Mandi kerbau-type) bath after returning from a funeral or the spirits will stick around with you.

• Don't step or sit on books or you'll become stupid.

• Don't play hide and seek at night or you'll disappear... forever...

• Don't shake your leg when sitting or you'll "shake" all your fortune/ good luck away and you'll become poor in the future

• Knock on the door before entering a rented room (like in a hotel/ motel). This is mainly used as a sign of respect to any spirits in the room and to let them know that you'll be staying there for awhile.

• Don't stab your chopsticks upright on your bowl of rice (or any food for that matter). This is because the chopsticks will then look like incense to the spirits and they will come and feast on your food instead. (Note: Food that is "eaten" by spirits will become somewhat tasteless.)

• Don't go near any banana trees in the middle of the night. There's where all the Pontianak (Malaysian vampires) like to hang out.

• Pending - I'll see if I can remember anymore superstitions that I've heard in my childhood.

I'll create share-able posts on my Facebook page this weekend (maybe) so you can easily share them to your friends.


Bonus: a TED talk on the origins of superstitions and why they still exist

A Long Overdue Update and Rant (Naturally)

Sorry for the verrryyyyy long absence! I really wanted to write some stuff here from time to time, but I often find myself too tired to actually do anything productive after work. Not to mention, I always find myself writing here whenever I have some major dilemma or some incident that I just can't stop worrying about. That said, let's just get the rant started!

It has been a whirlwind these few weeks. From an unexpected surprise to my sudden realization that I suck at planning an overseas trip (maybe because I'm still so green behind the ears when it comes to travelling overseas), I've been getting these incredible headaches (I'm still getting it at the mo'), fatigue and immense stress... to the point where my memory completely turned into Swiss cheese and I actually forgot to brew my daily cup of tea... something that I've been doing for more than a year since I started my job... for more than a week!

I'll just be waking up, getting ready, switch on the computer and go straight to work. My off times are often used to worry about all the stuff that I had to delay or ignore due to a fiasco of planning stuff. It's just crazy! It's THAT bad until the phrase "being overwhelmed" becomes an understatement. It's a wonder I haven't had a mental breakdown yet... hmm, wait a sec, I think I might have actually... I went into full-blown panic mode for 2 days when I was worrying about the Visa. LOL

Sigh, actually, if I really think about it, I hadn't had a "normal" (low stress) working month since April. So generally, these 4 months of stress would probably reduced my lifespan by a few years... lol. The stress is not going away anytime soon though either.

Sometimes, I honestly don't understand why people don't just do what they are supposed to do. It's not like I don't treat them well - at least that's what I think. I've helped them when they asked for it and even sometimes when they don't (but it's pretty obvious that they needed help)... to the point when one of them actually told me that I've helped her more than she deserved.

Why is it so difficult for some people to understand the concept of "I help you, you help me"? It's pretty much a win-win situation if they do. Everybody gets to go home happy. It's really simple, people!

It's not just people and work though - I'm also under pressure because my main tool for earning my monthly wages is causing some unnecessary problems for me. Admittedly, I haven't exactly been treating it well - just take a look at the tabs I have open within these 2 weeks where I'm doing a crazy ton of "Google Research". I dare say at peak times, I probably have like 40 tabs open spread across 3 or 4 different browser windows along with a running Photoshop, Skype, some "pending" word docs and notepads, and maybe around 3-4 windows explorer. I'm practically torturing my computer lol. Thank goodness I've upgraded its RAM last year.

Of course, I also have some personal plans that I can't seem to put into motion maybe due to the insane amount of hours I'm putting into my work at the moment. Even when I'm supposed to be "off" work, I'll be planning the things I have to do tmr - just to get all those plans shattered into brilliant tiny pieces - and I'll just be like "winging" it the best I can. Seriously, sometimes I feel like my life's out of control right now. There are just so many stuff to think of, to consider, and (let's not forget about this) to worry about. If you have yet to meet a worry wart... well, congrats, you've just met one...lol!~

Anyway, I'll need to head to the shops to collect my stuff tomorrow, conduct a short (second) training session, send emails, activate stuff, write stuff, and make sure my team has a well-stocked list of stuff to do.... all of these when I'm supposed to be off work tomorrow. What's the point of replacing my working Friday to a Sunday if I'm just going to work on Friday anyways? Haiz...well, till we meet again then!

Brexit - What It Means for Me

I haven't been writing for quite some time, but this issue has really prompted me to start writing again.. hilarious, right?

Anyway, for a citizen of a developing nation who aspire to perhaps one day move to a better place, Brexit comes as a huge blow.

You see... I can't move to the US where people often get massacred because of the lack of gun control and the impending political mayhem.

I can't go to Europe now, especially when Brexit is causing a major political and economical turmoil over there... Some are calling now Brexit a "DIY recession"... lol...

I really don't want to go to Australia because of the prevalence of melanoma and the rip in the ozone layer.

Anywhere in the Middle East, Africa or South America is not sufficiently safe...

Sigh, what has the world turned into?

Old have decided for the young but don't have to live with it. Devastating. #Brexit pic.twitter.com/dl2PDHoiuT

— Imogen Lloyd Webber (@illoydwebber) June 24, 2016

How did the major cities vote in #Brexit? We've got it all broken down here https://t.co/hBxz30r8Op pic.twitter.com/rfSooGhA4z

— TheJournal.ie (@thejournal_ie) June 24, 2016

Common European Framework (CEF) of Reference for Languages - English Test

So on whim, I've decided to take an online English Test... and well, I've managed to obtain the "highest" (seems like a lot of people can get this rather easily... odd, ain't it?) rather quickly.

Funny thing is that the website compares my score with IELTS' Band 9 (highest score). I nearly choked on my drink. I've known people - lots in fact - who I believe has a higher English level than me, but apparently they could only get a Band 7 for IELTS. So, I reckon the comparison is pretty much bogus. 

Anyway, despite all of these problems, the test is pretty challenging, especially when you tried to complete the test as quickly as you can. Do give it a try and see how you rank :)

Link to test: http://adf.ly/1azcrz

(Wait for a few seconds after clicking the link and then click Skip Ad)

My CEF Score:

C2 Mastery

The capacity to deal with material which is academic or cognitively demanding, and to use language to good effect at a level of performance which may in certain respects be more advanced than that of an average native speaker. Example: Can scan texts for relevant information, and grasp main topic of text, reading almost as quickly as a native speaker.

Source: http://adf.ly/1azcyV
(Wait for a few seconds after clicking the link and then click Skip Ad)

Time Taken: 2 min 38 secs

Like I've said, the time's important because it seems everyone with good enough English can get C2 rather easily, and also, some people might just google for the answers (but their Time Taken will suffer as a result).

DISC Personality Test

Fun stuff :P

If you're interested to take the test yourself, here's the link to the site: http://adf.ly/1azbGH
(Simply click "Skip Ad" after waiting the required few seconds)

General description

Dominance 

- Describes the way you deal with problems, assert yourself and control situations.

Influence 

- Describes the way you deal with people, the way you communicate and relate to others.

Steadiness 

- Describes your temperament - patience, persistence, and thoughtfulness

Compliance 

- Describes how you approach and organize your activity, procedures and responsibilities.

My Score

Link: http://adf.ly/1azbLJ

You act in an assertive, diplomatic way and strive for a stable, ordered life.
You are goal orientated but tend to avoid risk taking.
You handle pressure well - you push yourself and expect others to do the same.

Apparently, the website doesn't tell you whether your score is considered "comparatively high" or "comparatively low" so I just guessed the results... lol. Though, in comparison to the other percentages, my Influence score is considered as quite low? :P

Dominance - Comparatively High 
Traits:

• enjoy competition and challenge.
• are goal orientated and want to be recognised for their efforts.
• aim high, want authority and are generally resourceful and adaptable.
• are usually self-sufficient and individualistic.
• may lose interest in projects once the challenge has gone and they tend to be impatient and dissatisfied with minor detail.

They are usually direct and positive with people, enjoying being the centre of attraction and may take it for granted that people will think highly of them. 

They may have a tendency to be rather critical of others. Consequently, other people may tend to see them as being rather domineering and overpowering.



Influence - Comparatively Low
Traits:

• are usually socially passive.
• quite frequently have an affinity for things, machinery and equipment.
• are generally comfortable working alone.
• frequently have a tendency to be analytical and once they have sorted the facts out they communicate them in a straightforward direct way.
• tend to take little at face value.

They may well have learned and developed good social skills but they only bring these into play when logic dictates such tactics.


Steadiness - Comparatively Low
Traits:

• tend to enjoy change and variety in their work and non-work life.
• are expansive by nature and tend not to like routine and repetitive work/activities.

They enjoy stretching themselves intellectually and physically.


Compliance - Comparatively High
Traits:

• are usually peaceful and adaptable.
• tend not to be aggressive.
• tend to be cautious rather than impulsive.
• avoid risk-taking.
• act in a tactful, diplomatic way and strive for a stable, ordered life.
• are comfortable following procedures in both their personal and business life.

They prefer sticking to methods that have proved successful in the past. They have a high acceptance of rules and regulations.


A General DISC Guideline for Content Writers - Since I'm one :)

Content Writer: Content writers require more of a balanced DISC score than do webmasters or programmers. Content writers will be working very closely with you and interpreting your ideas into creative writing. A high "I " score accounts for creativity and a moderate "S" score should satisfy communication requirements. In order for your business to be viewed as credible, your content should be free of spelling and grammatical errors, making "C" an important score as well. It is important for a content writer to conform to your needs, as a result, the strong-willed "D" score may not be as requisite.

Suggested Scoring for Content Writers:
Highest Score: "I" - creative, emotional (ability to think like consumer).
Second Highest Score: "C" - professional and clean in writing (free of basic spelling and grammatical errors) and be analytical in their ideas.
Third Highest Score: "S" - open to communicating and willing to adjust to your needs and the needs of the consumers.
Lowest Score: "D"- Some self-starting tendencies and confidence are necessary.


Source; http://adf.ly/1azbGH

What are the signs that you are wasting your life?

Take a screenshot from Quora since I find it meaningful in a way :)

...Exactly!!!

I just love prowling around on Quora, there are so many interesting people there sharing their experience.... some of which are experiences that I will probably not be able to get - such as being a forensic scientist with the police force heh :P 

If you love reading about things.... any meaningful or helfpul stuff, Quora is definitely one of the places to go to. It's amazing what you can learn there!

Which TED Talk Are You?

This is a pretty fun Quiz to do, and to some extent, it is surprisingly accurate as well.

Do check it out if you've got the time: http://blog.ted.com/quiz-which-ted-talk-are-you/

And as usual, since this is my blog (hah, IKR!), I'll be posting up my results :)

Do let me know about your results in the discussion forum/ comment below and we can all laugh about how strangely accurate this quiz is :P

For more 'tests' such as this one, feel free to check out my other posts:

How Dark is Your Personality?
Stanford Sleepiness Scale: Are You Getting Enough Sleep?
Find out your EQ score!
How many colours can you see?
Whose #brainchild are you?

Do you ever have trouble telling right from left?

Hooked on Music - What makes music so catchy?
Kuku Kube - Test your eyesight!

Twitch Reflex Challenge!
How Well Do You See Colour?

So you're now 26 years old...

So you're now 26 years old... what have you accomplished in your life?

~~~

I was inspired to write this blog post when I saw someone, who is 26 (same as me! :D), wrote something similar on Quora in response to the question asked :)

I just thought it is something interesting to do... and so here I am... doing it xD

Okay so here are some ground rules if you guys want to try this:

1. Accomplishments - Stuff that you personally felt you've accomplished. Something that you are personally proud of. Don't only put in stuff that you think other people will consider as an accomplishment. It is your life after all :)

2. Keep your number of accomplishments the same as your age. Summarize or group stuff up if you need to (and if you feel like you've achieved a lot in your life)

3. That's it! Let's start :D

So you're now 26 years old... what have you accomplished in your life?

(in no particular order)

1. Wrote several gamebooks, stories and poems
2. Published a poem on the UK Poetry Library (for amateur/ upcoming poets) - the website is currently suspended though :P
3. Took up the role of Program Manager and, with the help of my friends and my juniors, organised UTAR's first Biological Science Week successfully.
4. Graduated from university with First Class Honours and managed to keep my scholarship intact
5. Obtained my Masters degree in science (Research mode some more!)
6. Learned how to set up a basic online/ freelance business
7. Worked at one of the most boring jobs in my life - a salesgirl at a shopping mall
8. Managed to land a job writing reviews in the video game industry (well, technically half of it is in the marketing industry though :P)
9. Set up and maintained a personal blog that is quite successful :P Thanks guys!
10. Experienced the joy of being a part of a choral speaking team
11. Experienced virtual reality and had loads of fun with some virtual reality games
12. Purchased a gaming laptop... I've always wanted a good laptop to play games on :)
13. Went through a rather gruelling "military-like" camp for prefects (though I'm not a prefect :P)
14. Learned the family recipes for a variety of CNY cookies
15. Learned a bit of French, Spanish, Latin, and even Morse Code... lol :P
16. Set up my own websites... although I've taken shortcuts by using templates and free website hosting, or that they aren't very successful coz I don't have the time to invest in them :P
17. Created and uploaded my own pretty cool typography music video which has taken me months to learn and create (But I've lost it forever when YouTube banned my account... cries internally)
18. Participated in 2 online karaoke contests - didn't win but well, the experience was fun :P
19. Represented my school in several sports competitions (I'm not the sporty sort... so this is an accomplishment for me :P)
20. Had a 60% success rate in getting a job offer after going to the job interviews (out of 5 interviews)
21. Tried to defend Playstation in a console debate (the other consoles in question are Wii and Xbox... Wii won lol) and lost... apparently, no one cares about the graphics. (Do take note that I'm not a console gamer)
22. Discovered a new passion for designing and creating digital diagrams
23. Became a teacher (tuition teacher to be exact) for a year - it was tiring but meaningful
24. Overcame several "major" mistakes that I did in life without resorting to dire methods - the word "major" here can be very relative term
25. Got a job I enjoy - well, there are ups and downs
26. Haven't died yet.

Oh and I would like to add these at the end of this blog post:

1. To have seen my friend's face when I casually bend my thumb backwards at a 90 degree angle (I have Hitchhiker's thumb :P)
2. To see the amazed expression on my students' faces when they feel the solution turned chilly after being mixed together (endothermic reaction :))

but as they aren't actually accomplishments, so I didn't add them to the main list :P


Have fun compiling up your own list of accomplishments! :)

Thesis: Acknowledgement

Okay, I've promised myself that I'll put up the acknowledgement of my Master's thesis here so that perhaps one day, the people that I'm grateful for might stumble upon it and get a very pleasant surprise :)

So here goes! 

P/S: Do not copy my Acknowledgement ya? Obviously, the people you will want to thank and the reason/s you want to thank them for will be drastically different from mine. You can use this as a template to get you started, but I find it easier to simply write from the heart. I'm sure you will realise that too :)

P/P/S: Names have been shortened to protect the people in this acknowledgement. The initials should be enough to let these people know that I'm referring to them :)

Acknowledgement

Firstly, I would like to convey my deepest gratitude to my esteemed main supervisor, Assoc Prof TTH for giving me the opportunity to pursue my masters’ degree. His advice and support is invaluable to me during this arduous postgraduate journey. I would also very much like to thank my honoured co-supervisors, Dr Subash G. and Dr Citartan M.. Their years of accumulated expertise on aptamers proved to be indispensable to this project. I’m also very grateful for their willingness to share what they knew to me. A special thanks goes to Dr HCH who was my mentor during my earlier months in the lab. His advice on lab techniques as well as on life (in general) is something that I will remember for as long as I live.

A huge shout out of thanks to my fellow lab mates at the Infectomic Cluster, especially to LLP and Kak Siti, for their constructive comments and guidance, without which I may not be here today. I wish them the best of luck in their own journeys! Another significant individual that I would like to express my utmost gratitude is to my dear friend and ex-lab mate, TYR (Lyra). Her cheerful outlook on life and her enthusiasm towards science are extremely contagious. I’m very proud to list her as one of my best friends (It is a very short list). Just in case I left anyone, who had helped to bring this thesis to fruition, out in this acknowledgement, sorry and thank you!

I would also like to express my appreciation to my family and also my boyfriend, TSY, for their loving support and encouragement, particularly when I had faltered in my journey. They saved me from the murky depths of depression when I could not see bright light in the seemingly endless and dark tunnel that embodies my postgraduate study and I am forever indebted to them.

Last but not least, my sincere gratitude to Advanced Medical and Dental Institute (AMDI) for giving me my student grant, which helped tremendously in getting some vital lab reagents that I could not do without, and also for awarding me with the position of Graduate Assistant that greatly reduced my financial burden.  Thank you!

Welcoming the New Year - 2016

Whew, what a year indeed!

I've finally graduated from the dreaded postgrad studies that I've landed myself in... thank goodness. I still feel like the mental torture that I've put myself through isn't really worth it though :P

This year, I've gotten myself a job that I actually like, though not something that has anything to do with what I've studied over the past 7 years (degree+masters)... but it has something to do with somethings (namely writing and gaming) that I've liked since I was young lol :P

I've even gotten myself a pretty sweet promotion at this job of mine, and some really nice gifts to go along with it. Honestly, I can honestly said that I've never been more content with my life... even though I'm still very unsure what my future will lead to.

Heck, I'm not even sure what I'll be doing a year from now, but what I now know is that I am perhaps strong enough to handle it :) Who knows? I might just go on ahead and finally set up that food business idea that I had stewing inside my head for so long :P

Anyway, not many of my resolutions are being completed... unfortunately (and as expected), but well, I'll still set goals for me for the new year... because at least you have goals :)

1. Learn how to play the guitar... but I'll have to buy a guitar first!
2. Actually finish learning the languages that I've kinda abandoned in 2015 (French, Spanish, Morse Code etc)
3. Learn more about what my job is all about - lots of online courses
4. Actually attempt to design a small game using Scratch :)
5. Create a new course for people learning Penang Hokkien on Memrise
6. Relearn how to swim - my swimming is supppeeerrr awkward at the moment
7. Go overseas for the very first time - for a vacation, of course!
8. Play at least some of my game "backlogs"
9. Spend more time with my Grandma (in particular), family, and friends
10. Find new ways for me to improve my digital drawing skills and new mediums for me to have fun creating fun stuff

And MOST IMPORTANTLY - Write more stuff on my blog! :D

Battling Addiction

I was... um, I am a pretty big fan of Tyler Ward. He's a great musician... I love his songs... and he seems like he's a really chill guy.

I have no idea he had these problems though.



His video reminded me of the time when I was hooked on WoW. Granted that WoW is an excellent game and I still love it, I was very much addicted to the game... for years. It's not a major addiction, but it still affected my life and my studies (somewhat). And like all addicts, I was in denial about my addiction even though a small part of me is constantly nagging me... telling me that they (my parents) were right... that I was addicted.

I was very thankful that I have had a very strong will or I would have emerged from my addiction with even more "damage". At uni, I have a friends first policy that I could honestly say I've never broken. It's a struggle honestly... and it's not that I don't enjoy my friends' company, but the allure of WoW can be really strong... I was a total AH addict back then. I have this urge to check my listed items and relist items if I get undercut. It took up quite a lot of my time.

I also have a bit of a "kia su" (afraid to lose) attitude I suppose. No matter how much I long to play, I will still study for my exams and stuff.... but uh, maybe I just study a bit less and a bit more hurriedly, as well as study the subjects later than I would have liked (procrastinating). I got away with this (and still get OK results) for quite some time... until one day, I had a moment of terror when I completely can't recall the formulas I've memorized a few days earlier for a final exam.

It's the "blank" phenomenon... as we Msians call it and it scared the hell out of me. There I was thinking I had managed to do well with minimal studying but this one moment gave me the shock I needed. I still play WoW since then, but I'm a bit more careful about when and how long I play the game. I think that's when I realized that my future, my life... is more important than a virtual life.

And well, there's this: I have to keep my results up or I might lose my scholarship. So, yeah, I didn't went all cold turkey though... and I didn't delete any of my beloved characters, but I think they aren't there any more... it has been years since I last logged into the game.

Even after graduation, I still played the game for a bit, but I'm not sure why... the game starts to lose its hold on me. I still get addicted to games though, but now I know how to manage it... how to prioritise what real life stuff that I value more.

That said, although I still think WoW is the best MMO ever (I might try Guild Wars one day though... and maybe, I may change my mind :P) and that I would love to check out all the new stuff the game has had over the past few years, I'm now a bit afraid of playing WoW again.

Anyway, watching that gut-wrenching video of Tyler talking about his struggles made me realised how grateful I was to have a will that is strong enough to break myself free from my WoW addiction.



So.... that's all there is - my addiction story. What about yours?

Fun Times in Dirty Bomb

Let me first say that I'm not one of those really hardcore shooters... but I do relish a challenge (and not being facerolled) now and then. 

Most games that I tried for shooter games tend to have some really hardcore players who have like zero tolerance with players who are still learning the game... they expect every player in their team to be a pro. And even worse? They do not even offer any advice or help, but straightaway start flaming people.

I had my fair share of insults mind you and yes, for some of the times, I don't need someone else to tell me I've messed up (sometimes, but not always) in the game - I do that very well on my own. 

Anyway, once I've gotten sufficiently proficient at a game, I do excel at them... somewhat :P Still need to polish up lots of stuff though... like reacting fast enough to avoid a Proxy's well-placed mine, or not be stupid enough to try to have a shootout with a sniper using a submachine gun/assault rifle xD (but well, at least my teammates will know that there's a sniper there and perhaps flush him out to avenge me) 

Here are some of my moments of triumphs :)

My first match of the day - not sure why I did so well this turn, but I sure as hell know that we have a great resser :P  Oh and check out that latency... lol. It's supposed to be a SEA server and my broadband is supposed to be 30 mbps zzz

Didn't do as well in the second turn, but the K/D is pretty good :P

I switched over to playing Objective mode - my favorite mode :)

A crazily tough fight - everyone made mistakes, but we still did it :) I planted both bombs (on the 2 objectives) despite having another Bushwacker on the team. I'm lucky that my teammates saw what I was trying to do and covered me... but well, I'm not that stupid and keep rushing in to get myself blindly killed either :P Oh and they have like 2 Proxies too, who are honestly very annoying.

I have never earned an Ace achievement before. It was a rather proud moment for me :P Update in April 2016: I've gotten a few more Aces since then... yay, I'm improving my l33t skillz

I had a very good team, but they made some mistakes... I do too. 1 good team member almost rage quit-ed, but he stayed... thank goodness, and thankfully, the opponents are pretty much at my/our skill level. So, it was a very good fight. They won some skirmishes; we won some too. It's just an incredible experience, overall :)

Ah well, that said, I'm off to get in an hour or 2 of Fallout 4 :P Ciao! 

Personality Test

Okay.. don't laugh but well, I was asked to write reviews for online dating sites and I find that a tad bit awkward and embarrassing, especially considering when I have a BF. 

Anyway, one of these sites have an interesting personality test (by a Dr Helen Fisher) and well, I took it... as it is part of the sign up process. Needless to say, I find the results rather intriguing, though not at all surprising. Well, here goes: 

So apparently, the test separates people into 2 of 4 types - Director, Builder, Negotiator and Explorer. (For an overview of all 4 types of personalities, check out the diagram at the very bottom)

Well, rage is not my thing... not mainly anyway. I would say that I'm more predisposed to getting irritated, and annoyed. When frustrated, I actually might even cry (yes, yes... I was a crybaby... but whatever...). For the rest of the stuff listed, I dare say I have almost all of them to a certain degree (but more than quite a lot of people, I'm surprised to say). 

Now, for the second part, it's a hit-and-miss for half of the stuff, while the other half is pretty much spot on. I don't think I'm overly critical of others as much as I'm overly critical of myself.... and well, calling me "social" is hilarious. I'm as social as a rock... nah, not really, but that's what you'll glean off me when you first meet me anyway.... unless I'm in one of my "crazy" moods where I will share info about myself very freely (within certain boundaries, of course)

I don't actually like to debate... because I'll probably lose lol :P but for the rest of the stuff, I think they are kinda accurate. Do note that, to me, the font size of the words is irrelevant to their importance, coz if it is, then this table is wayyyyyy off.

A summary of all the 4 personality types. Which 2 of them are you? :)

If you like this sort of stuff, I'd recommend you to sign up for the site, using fake info or something, just so you can take the personality test and learn more about yourself. Of course, it is also best to delete your account after this, so as to not bloat up the site with inactive accounts... if you're concerned about that kind of stuff that is :P


P/S: I'm super sorry for not being able to keep this blog updated and such for an entire month. I'll try to put at least some stuff up once a week, though I hope to put more stuff up eventually as I get accustomed to my new work load. I will also post more stuff up on my Facebook page so you can see that I'm still alive and well, and has not went totally off-the-grid for whatever (horrifying) reasons that might come to your mind :P

Upcoming Masters VIVA presentation

Well, the date's fixed and it's on 28th of July :P

The bad news is that I had to write a manuscript before that date and have the slides ready... especially considering that I have practically forgotten quite a lot about my project. Guess it's time to do some intensive reading up... 

I have a really bad feeling about this VIVA... like I did when I was getting ready for my FYP presentation... but at that time, I'm actually happy with what I've gotten (results, although not that good) and I'm actually interested about the topic at hand. 

My supposed project is on TB and hopefully be able to find a way to diagnose it faster... it's a noble cause. I've done extensive research on that topic and had wasted more than half a year on it... with an interim period of 1 year plus... I guess you can understand my frustrations of not being able to do my own project because of some bureaucratic mess that could have been easily solved if someone just kept their big mouth shut and their ego deflated... and that I didn't have to waste months waiting for other people doing "side-projects" that didn't pique my interest at all, cannot be entered into my thesis or be published (I don't care much about publishing academic journals though) and is found out to be defective at the end (I've noticed something was wrong with it, but every time I said "something's not right, I want to double check using XXX method (which costs money)", I was rebuffed).

Now, my current project is not entirely my own and is about something that I have little to no interest in... and the "best" part, I had to do everything within 3 months and start writing or I'll need to shell out ridiculous sums of money for a piece of certificate that I now feel is rather worthless. 

How is it possible to get good stuff within 3 months after you had to suffer through 1 year plus of depression? I tried. The results look rather good... that is until I run them through the software and found the glaring problems. More than half of my results depends on the numbers from the software and now I can't use that part at all, unless I do everything all over again... (I've repeated everything once before). Time is not on my side.

Here comes the clincher... I got an email from my PI who received it from one of my external examiners about how dissatisfied she was with the thesis (she used less than 10 words to express this). Let's just say that this rant is due to this. She (I think it's a "she") then proceeds to use the other more than 10 words going on "student has no respect for the PI"... I was like WTF? Is this my thesis that you're reading about or is this a text-based psychological analysis of the student? If it is the latter, then IPS must have submitted my thesis to the wrong examiner...

Plus, I have absolutely no idea how she could jump to such conclusions from "boringly" written discussions about EPO, doping, assays and aptamers. Heck, it's not like I had a page added into it with "Stupid PI" written all over it. I'm extremely baffled to say the least!

And then there's the worry... if I have this sort of person as my ext. examiner, how the hell can I pass my VIVA? She obviously have some preconceived notion of me (perpetrated by whom, well, let's just say that I have some ideas, but not solid enough to throw accusations around) when she had not even met me! And with my rather weak (IMHO) results, it'll be more than a fight to the "death"! 

I'm not sure I even want to graduate anymore - to hell to those type of people. The postgrad institutions here are so weird (in a bad way) and negative. I'm sure not all people are like that, but I can't seem to find anyone that I think is cool and normal (well, besides the new lecturer who graduated from US - I'm not putting names here... but I dunno, I feel like she's being hugely affected by the very toxic, so-called "academics" there).

I just want to break free from that very mentally harmful environment forever, but I can't do that until I know my final "judgement" at my VIVA. No matter the outcome (for me at least), I think I would be glad to be rid of all these stuff... Though I could be extremely disappointed and perhaps upset to know that I've wasted my best (almost) 3 years there for an experience that has lasting harmful effects on my psyche.

... and I've seriously regretted not following my friend's advice to leave the lab when I had the chance. At that time, I had very promising results (for my previous project) and I thought it would be possible for me to finish this fast - I already know how toxic that lab can be, particularly through the effect on my very cheerful friend - she turned very gloomy at the end.

On the side note, I'll be posting up the "acknowledgement" part of my thesis here after I've submitted my final copy or if I get delayed indefinitely again (I will choose termination if it comes to that). I already saved enough cash to pay back my scholarship if I had to... which amounts to half the cash I need to buy my own car... zzzz

I'm thinking of putting up my entire thesis on scribd too... for free. I'm rebellious that way heh... well, free education and whatnots, right? :P Ah well, I won't go through with this... no guts xD


P/S: Seriously, I have to stop keeping stuff in the draft folder and forgetting about putting them up. - this was written months ago btw. Anyway, everything went well on VIVA, except where that part I embarrassed myself by being caught off guard by a simple question that I, needless to say, answered incorrectly. I did well for the tougher questions though, I think.

P/P/S: Just to let you know I have a whopping 100 drafts in my drafts folder LOL. So yeah, I'll be trying to get things up ASAP. Not sure why I suddenly reignited my passion to keep my blog up to date, but since I had that drive, I might as well make the most out of it :P

Life's a brief candle

Ever since the hungry ghost festival started, there had been a slew of deaths that I'm aware of and it has been dreary...

I know that every day millions of people die (well, I'm not really sure about the exact numbers), but when it's someone you knew, or at most someone that your friend, ex-teacher or relative knew... well, when it is that close to home, you'll realise again how short life is.

My grandaunt (my grandma's younger sister) passed away all because she stopped taking her high blood pressure medication (according to something my grandma heard her say prior to her demise), possibly getting a stroke, fell and gotten serious brain hemorrhage. 

It was too late when she was brought to the hospital despite the fact that she lived with her family. By the way, my grandma lives alone (my house is 30 mins away from hers) and she refused to move to my family's home. She's fiercely independent that way... which is something I really admire.

That aside, I'll miss my grandaunt. She's the most cheerful of the lot (I have a lot of grandaunts, most of whom has passed away) and I like her as she talks about stuff in a funny sort of way. During CNY, she'll always offer me (and also my brother) with extra chips - we love her New Year chips.

Another relative, my granduncle, whom we have been visiting during CNY for years (ever since I can remember) passed away too. He often reminds me of my deceased grandfather. His wife, who is still alive, is a very close friend of my grandma. Their place may be shabby (low cost apartment), but it is one of my most anticipated stops for CNY coz of the plenty of goodies to eat and the funny stories that Aunt Daisy will talk about - she's a huge extrovert and has met plenty of people from all walks of life. It's impressive, particularly for an introvert like me.

...And well, the main point that I'm trying to convey here is that we should really appreciate people while they are still around us and not when they are gone. Since death comes at unexpected moments in life, this means you should appreciate people at all times! 

So, yeah, life's a brief candle indeed.

P/S: I wrote the draft of this post 2 weeks ago when my grandaunt passed away, but had not been able to finish it. Well, better late then never, right? 

Questions 10 year olds asked in class these days...

Questions 10 year olds asked in class today... 

(Do take note that these questions were asked by kids in Msia, which is a rather conservative country, and also this is not my experience but from a fellow FB friend who became a part-time teacher.

1. Teacher, you know what anal is? 

2. Teacher, do you play the "sax"? 

3. Teacher, why don't you just say out the word "sex"... ? We know what it is. 

4. Teacher, what does this makes you think? *while playing with 2 scissors*. 

5. Do you know what naughty boys are made of? They are made of dicks...

6. Can you say something hamsup (perverted)?

According to her, she didn't know how to handle these questions and proceeded to teach as normal. I believe that to be a wrong move. If kids are curious (even though they may seem like they are "trolling"a you), it isn't hard to answer these questions using science. So they can learn something besides the "usual perverted misinformation" that they hear from the older kids in the family.

Let me teach you how to answer these questions... in my way of course :P
(You can dumb down the answers so 10-year-old kids can understand these sentences or intersperse them with local slang so it won't sound too lofty)

My Answers As The Teacher

1. Yes, the word "anal" means "related to the anus", which is in other words, your butt. For example, an anal examination by the doctor, means that the doctor will check your anus for problems. 

2. I do not play the saxophone. In fact, I do not know how to play any musical instruments, so if you had the chance to learn a musical instrument, do cherish it the best you can. 

3. - I'll avoid this question straightaway by merely uttering the word as it should be. There's no shame in that. OR if you made the mistake of NOT saying it, you can try to BS your way out of this question by saying "You must have misheard me I did say 'sex'."

4. I think that it's dangerous for you to play with scissors and some more during my class. Bring the scissors over here... since you can't seem to take care of yourself, I'll help you keep the scissors until the end of class so you won't accidentally hurt yourself or others.

5. No, naughty boys are made up of everything that humans are made up of. We are basically the same. It's just our brains that are wildly different and unique/ special

6. Well, if I want to, I could. When you reach my age, you'll have learned enough of the language to say whatever you like. It's just how you use those words - your words - that matters... and of course, this means that you should only say things that you mean and think before you talk.

(and turns the question into a life lesson on how to use your words properly and responsibly) hehe :P

At the very end, try to turn the entire class back to focusing on the topic at hand. Threaten them with something minor like stay back if you cannot finish today's class, more homework (you can say that "I've planned to let you all do your homework in class today, but since I'm running out of time, you may now need to do them at home...") and stuff like that... The homework part works well most of the time in my case. :)

So, yeah if you encounter kids like that in the future, at least you can turn these troll-like questions into a more educational form and hopefully be able to teach them something new. Whether they will misuse the info you provide, well, that's a whole other matter. :P

My thoughts on learning languages

Once during my time as a tuition teacher, a parent - the mother - approached me and asked why her daughter's Mandarin results are still so bad. 

I told her that I personally thinks tuition once a week for 2 hours is not enough for someone to learn a language... particularly when her daughter has no interest in it. Why the lack of interest? Well, it's mainly because her foundation of the language are not well-established.

In fact, her daughter is in standard 2 when she can't even read, or write on her own, words that Kindergarten kids will know. 

I told the parent that languages are unlike other subjects - they require constant use and not  merely memorization, especially for kids. If you don't use them often, languages can be very hard to learn. 

If she had asked me more, I would have told her that I would recommend her to buy some very simple chinese storybooks (short ones, for kids) and read them to her daughter every night before bed. But gradually, she should stop at the cliffhanger and help her daughter finish reading the story on her own. Most kids I know love stories and will be more than eager to find out what happened (this is another tuition anecdote for another day).

Anyway, she did pursue the topic any longer. I did help her daughter as best as I could and i had thought her daughter slightly improved - the girl told me herself that she knew what the word meant and not ting-tong-tiang. I wanted to encourage her to work on her Mandarin, so I believed her and congratulated her for a job well done. Guess, the girl might not have improved after all.

I had another kid in my class as well and she was just learning Mandarin. Her Indian parents wanted her to learn and me having to juggle standard 1 to 3 kids all in the same class, I couldn't afford her too much attention. Since she looks fine on her own, I left her to her own devices and told her to ask me if she got any problems. Eventually, after her book was completed, I made a simple test, testing her on the words, she has learned. I told her to go study again the words and we'll see how she fare. 

I was expecting older words to be forgotten while hoping that for more recent ones, she'll remember. To my surprise, she can't do any of the questions at all. She wasn't learning as I thought she was doing - she was merely copying how the words are written with no knowledge whatsoever whatt he words mean even though there's a picture associated with it. I think she thought the mandarin words she are writing are scribbles.

Tuition classes are NOT the best way for someone to learn a new language, seriously. From that experience, I know that the girl doesn't understand the lines and strokes that she was writing. The book that I was given to teach her on are practically useless.

But her English is okay, so I tried another method. I associate mandarin words with the English words that she knows. Hopefully, by writing and pronouncing the words, she can learn that these two words mean the same thing but in different languages. 

Unfortunately, somehow she got phobia to come to tuition... which according to her mum, is not because of her "fierce" Mandarin tuition teacher as she said she wanted to come to my classes only lol (she had other classes with other teachers too)... but for some other reasons that she refused to say. 

Anyway, those are my experiences. Hopefully my thoughts are written down in a coherent enough manner this time :P Have fun!

Why do we sleep?

A very nice summary from Russel Foster in his TED talk on sleep.