and another,

"if all records told the same tale, then the lie passed into history and became truth"

George Orwell (real name: Eric Arthur Blair), 1984

as usual, during exam time, when i actually start reading textbooks, when i am bored enough to read the details, i find bits of information:

During meiosis in the male, the X and Y chromosomes separate from each other, producing two kinds of sperm, X-bearing and Y-bearing; the frequencies of the two types are approximately equal. XX females produce only one kind of egg, which is X-bearing. If fertilization were to occur randomly, approximately half the zygotes would be XX and the other half would be XY, leading to a 1:1 sex ratio at conception. However, in human beings, Y-bearing sperm have a fertilization advantage, and the zygotic sex ratio is about 1.3:1. During development, the excess of males is diminished by differential viability of XX and XY embryos, and at birth, males are only slightly more numerous than females (sex ratio 1.07:1). By the age of reproduction, the excess of males is essentially eliminated and the sex ratio is very close to 1:1.

Snustad and Simmons. Principles of Genetics. 3rd Ed. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

i wished they wouldn't simplify things when they teach. this is so much more interesting than those assertions that there's an equal chance of getting a boy or a girl.

bored, video of how people drive in india
http://youtube.com/watch?v=RjrEQaG5jPM

http://www.strategypage.com/gallery/articles/military_photos_20064611181.asp

amazing pictures of an aircraft hanger overflowing with fire retardant foam.

and just to save the trouble of repeating the whole story to everyone:

I've got the French Language Immersion Award, which means that i'll be going to INSA Lyon,France for 4 weeks in June, with great thanks to the singapore french embassy for paying for the fees. and some unwilling thanks to the Green People for deferring my ICT, at last.
coupled with a bit of travelling before and after the trip, total will be 30 May 06 - 10 Jul 06.

=]

makes it extremely hard to concentrate on studying on exams

so i havent been "blogging" in a long time.

well, i finally have something to ask:
what makes fishballs bouncy? what's the ingredient that transforms fishmeat into fishballs? (and don't say it's the shape)

and i am officially irritated that past-sem final exam questions get used in my tutorials. (and i only just realised it) now there's practically nothing for me to practice on. other than reading through everything again. and textbooks dont count, textbooks are always too different from the module, or too easy, or out of syllabus. then again, i dont touch textbooks much. (seems like ever since after primary school, i've not been much of a textbook person)
the prize goes to genetics CA (which was on the last day of sch), with a lecturer who seems to be chatting with us throughout the test, which was an open-book open-discussion, open-internet test. and which 3/4 of the way through he mentioned that some of the questions were from past-sem papers, albeit with some hints left out (i was like exclaiming "my goodness, no wonder it's so freaking hard and weird")
anyway some other amusing talk was him saying that some people received ridiculously low marks for the previous CA because they literally copied each other's answers, and some had different handwriting on the script. well...i suppose those ppl were splitting up questions to complete, unfortunately it doesnt pass the plagiarism laws. pity.

guy opp me on train
i suppose you can spot the Nokia 6230 phone. at a rather interesting place.

"remember oh remember" when they reinstated the week-long mid-sem break (NUS), remember when they went to all the bloody trouble to shift their timetables to squeeze out one day to fit in the lessons. Bollocks.

i would refer you to http://www.nus.edu.sg/registrar/calendar/newcalstructure.htm
where there is a link 2006/2007 on the left hand column: the academic calender for our next year. and in that Word document, there is a list of public holidays observed by the university.

National Day (9th Aug) happens to be part of Orientation Week
Deepavali (21 Oct) a saturday
Hari Raya Puasa (24 Oct) Tuesday
Christmas (25 Dec) during vacation
Hari Raya Haji (31 Dec) vacation
New Year (1 Jan) vacation
Chinese New Year (18,19,20 Feb) innocently happens to be during Recess Week (CNY eve is sat)
Good Friday (6 April)
Labour Day (1 May) during exam time
Vesak Day (31 May) vacation

seems like we're left with Hari Raya Puasa and Good Friday.
WOW.
perhaps Uni Hall could do with some fireworks.

"He luxuriated in the sound of high language well spoken." - Ender's Shadow, Orson Scott Card.

and so jx convinced me to watch Vendetta. and now, thinking back on it, that remark above is what i enjoyed most about the movie. the sound of high language, well spoken. a line i have lived long by, one i somehow believed in, one which made me who i am, one which i felt was who i am.
rarely, in the movies, do they Speak, do they declare and sound off like the Shakespearean plays. rarely are there speeches, and sentences, and phrases which have enough of a meaning to ponder upon. rarely have there been enough to pique my brain's interest and challenge it. and finally, the first time i heard a spoken "vox populi". voice of the populace indeed, slogan of democracy, of the dead Latin. i hope people understand what it means, i hope they did not think they had a hearing problem. fantastic term, very apt for the story.
i like the imagery of the small girl wearing the mask, and getting shot. such powerful indicators and plans. but a movie cannot emphasize the importance of that scene, not as much as the written word can.
i like V saying that he cannot die, that he has become a non-physical Idea, that no bullets can kill an Idea, that it lives on and it comes back to haunt and kill. which finally reveals the purpose of the mask, the hair, the masked identity throughout. the symbolism of the Idea.
i like it that the High Chancellor was killed by one of his subordinates. killed in a revolt, in an act of betrayal, instigated by V (just like his instigation of the rest of the populace), precipitated by HC's threats (just like he threatens the rest of the country, the non-party members). the parallel, the eventual demise, the black cover over the head.
i like evey in the end, saying that V was her father, her mother, her brother, that V was in them, in everyone. i like the the crowds wearing the mask, i like them taking off the mask and revealing the common faces underneath it. the symbolism that V's Idea lives on in them, becomes them.
but i disliked the silly fireworks, the silly explosion, the absolute nonsense that the parliament would blow up in that manner. it is not a building filled with explosives. ridiculous explosion.
the dictator, the big brother, the oppressor, the feeder of lies, the manipulator of public feelings, all are such boring concepts used so many times before.
but at least it was a slighty different angle, abit more advanced, a little more thoughtful.

as jx said, a pity for those after action, gore, time-dilation, fighting-scenes. i did not notice much of it. but just enjoy his words, and Understand, and appreciate the meaning of everything that is said.
and do not ever name yourself High Chancellor or Supreme Chancellor, or any other Chancellor.