So I didn't play any table tennis today. In Singapore, I would have called this pang-seh. Which reminds me of Edwin and Joseph, the pang-seh Kings. LOL.

Anyway, I came home, had lunch, and watched the latest Lost episode- Lockdown. Can anyone say OMG so many times in 40 minutes? This episode gave more insight/confusion to the clues/mysteries of the whole Lost plot.

OMG at the whole lockdown of the hatch. OMG at this map. Try decoding it here. OMG at the intruder being indeed an intruder. I knew it. 'Henry Gale' seemed so evil, trying to sow discord between Jack and Locke and then coming up with the whole if-I-was-one-of-The-Others speech.

Lost has conjured its magic again. Another 2 episodes (on April 5 and 12) before the season finale on May 24. Can't wait, but why the reruns.. again?!?

Stayed home today hoping to catch up with many assignments. Sadly, that didn't happen. I slacked around and wasted my free day. Now I have to make up for lost time and start cracking.

The weather these few days were so warm. I seriously haven't been sweating much in Canada. But I did yesterday at a temperature of 15 degrees. How I'm going to survive the weather in KL when I return in July for my holidays..

Yesterday, the Health Studies professor ended the lecture half an hour earlier. Aisha decided we shouldn't sit there and wait for Chemistry. So me, Sharmin and Aisha got up and headed to the Gym for a short game of table tennis. It was fun. And we are going to play more tomorrow after our last lecture.

221 Australia
110 England
86 Canada
50 India
38 South Africa
31 New Zealand
29 Malaysia
29 Scotland
22 Jamaica
19 Wales
18 Kenya
18 Singapore

This is the final medal standings for the Melbourne Commonwealth Games 2006. Canada sits at 3rd, Malaysia at 7th, Singapore at 11th. Dare I say it, the Games was a success. Now, let's wait for the 2010 CG at New Delhi, India. This will be the second time an Asian city hosts the CG after Kuala Lumpur in 1998. Apparently, Singapore is pending whether to bid for the 2014 CG. Halifax in Canada has confirmed its bid for the 2014 CG, but if it does not go through, Toronto will bid for the 2018 CG. Sweet, even though it's like 10 years away.

For one thing, Singapore did better than in 2002, where it got 13 medals. SECOND CLEAN SWEEP FOR SINGAPORE IN THE WOMEN'S SINGLES TABLE TENNIS! The bronze medal cam easy, compared to the final game where Li Jiawei and Zhang Xueling fought it out in 7 tense matches, to see the latter take the gold. Singapore scored brilliantly in table tennis, which it took 4 out of the 8 golds and 11 out of the 24 medals on offer, and surprisingly shooting (not badminton, which I thought was Singapore's next big sport). I still love the Singapore Swim team even though medals are rare at international events.

Malaysia and Canada shined with more diverse sports. Malaysia did well in badminton, gymnastics rythmic, shooting and weightlifting, while Canada gained medals (though not much gold ones) in aquatics diving, swimming, gymnastics artistic and rythmic, athletics, shooting and weightlifting. One Canadian created Games history when she got gold in all 5 disciplines of gymnastics rythmic, and her 6 gold medals (another in a team event) equals the record at a single Games set by other top athletes.

I see that Asia is rising as the next big thing in sports. India is coming up, and so are Asian nations like Malaysia and Singapore. When the time comes for the Beijing Olympics 2008, be sure to expect China sweeping medals throughout, and India, Korea and Japan fighting for them too.

After close to two weeks of posting medal tallys, this is finally over. I can now take a break from blogging, study for my Finals, and do my assignments. Out.

207 Australia
102 England
80 Canada
49 India
37 South Africa
29 Scotland
28 New Zealand
22 Jamaica
18 Kenya
18 Malaysia
18 Wales
15 Nigeria
14 Singapore

New medals after Singapore struck gold and silver for the women's doubles in, what-else-but table tennis. Women's singles will be tomorrow on Sunday, and there's a guranteed gold and silver medal. Some work will have to be done for Singapore to gain the bronze and achieve another clean sweep.

I did laundry yesterday, and damn it. My clothes weren't dry even though I put them in the dryer for 50 minutes. I thought of a few (rational?) reasons..
1) There were too many clothes so most of them didn't dry.
2) Someone took out my pile and snuck theirs in.
I have strong evidence pointing to the second reason. Firstly, the apartment is changing new machines. We have to clear our laundry card balance, so some may choose not to top theirs up. Secondly, I found a piece of garment belonging to me in a corner where I place my laundry basket. I definitely don't remember seeing it when I left my basket there after putting my clothes into the dryers. But then again, my eyes could have been playing tricks, and them not drying may be due to me using 4 washing machines versus 2 dryers.

I had to spread all the clothes out on my bed, on hangers, on chairs. My brother said, it looked like there was a flood in Canada. Well, actually it has been wet all night. Temperatures are above 0 degrees Celsius. And I'm finding it hot. We slept with the heater off, and the windows opened. Cool..
SPRING IS HERE! (:

189 Australia
87 England
71 Canada
43 India
32 South Africa
27 Scotland
27 New Zealand
19 Jamaica
17 Kenya
17 Malaysia
17 Wales
12 Nigeria
10 Singapore

CLEAN SWEEP FOR SINGAPORE IN THE MIXED DOUBLES TABLE TENNIS! For real! Table tennis is no doubt Singapore's best sports in decades, after bringing in foreign talent and finding new local ones. It was a close shave for bronze, but Singapore managed to sneak past Australia. In other great CG table tennis news, Singapore once again managed a 3 out of 4 in the women's singles semifinals. It could have been an all Singaporean-affair if not for a tight match which eventually saw Australia win to advance to the semifinals. Can Singapore repeat a clean sweep? Let's hope and cheer! Also, 2 out of 4 women's doubles are also from Singapore. Wee! However, there aren't similar news for men's table tennis. No paddlers to represent the city-state in men's singles, but there's one team in the doubles semifinals.

Malaysia has been doing very well, with some unexpected podium finishes. Definitely more medals to come for Malaysia with the badminton finals. Canada seem to be everywhere winning medals but are still stuck in third.

Speaking of table tennis, me and some friends are going to play ping-pong next Friday. Aisha actually wanted it today, but I had to come home and do my laundry. Besides, I need time to power up! LOL.

172 Australia
81 England
63 Canada
40 India
30 South Africa
27 Scotland
24 New Zealand
16 Jamaica
15 Wales
14 Malaysia
11 Nigeria
11 Kenya
6 Singapore

I slept really late last night (around 3am) as I did some studying and constant refreshing of the CG website. The table tennis rounds of 16 were underway to determine the top 8 women for the quarterfinals match in women singles. And guess what? Singapore has 4 women out of the 8! That's incredible. But it wasn't all easy. I went to bad with the results of Singapore trailing India 3-2. I awoke to pleasantly find out Singapore won over India 3-4. Singapore managed to win the last two matches to finish the game. So kudos to all. Now, they just have to focus on winning their quarterfinals match, and three of them would be guranteed medals. How cool is that?
Also, mixed doubles in table tennis saw 3 out of 4 Singaporean teams taking the semifinal spots. Sadly two will be playing against each other. Here's to them fighting all the way, and hopefully adding another 3 medals.

I have school later on. There won't be any hot water for the whole of today and probably tomorrow morning. Why? Maintenance of the main water boiler or some sort. So I just used really (REALLY) cold water to wash my hair, since I couldn't take my full morning shower. My head momentarily froze and went numb. Looks like I won't be taking a bath later in the day too.

154 Australia
73 England
53 Canada
34 India
26 Scotland
23 South Africa
21 New Zealand
12 Malaysia
11 Wales
10 Jamaica
8 Nigeria
6 Kenya
6 Singapore

We played with mealworms today during Biology lab. And we totally screwed up our data. We had to estimate our mealworm population using a method, and when we did, our estimation was half of that of the actual population. So we had to take another group's data. Oh, I got my Biology TA to give me a reference so that I can apply for the C-Bio Co-op Program.

Assignments are piling up. Health Studies Assignment #2, Biology Lab 6 Report, Biology Lab 8 Report, Environmental Science Practicals 2 and 3. On the brighter side, I'm having my last Chemistry lab of the semester, and probably the last Chemistry lab of my life (since I don't have to take Chemistry in later years). Then again, on a not-so-bright side, I have to focus and do well for the practical as my past lab marks aren't great.

I'm stressed. I just want the summer holidays to come soon. I have to work my ass off to improve my Biology and Chemistry marks afer those awful Midterms and keep my GPA as high as I can for Co-op application. All in all, everything seems like it's spiralling downwards.

My friend and I went to see the Conservation Biology Course Co-ordinator, Professor Manne, today at 2pm to clarify some things regarding the program. We waited for one whole hour in front of her locked office. We left as we both had classes at 3pm. When we were walking along the Science Wing corridor, we found the professor seated in a different office, apparently talking to someone. So we decided to meet her at 4pm.

I was late in meeting my friend since my tutorial ended 15-minutes later than expected. I ran up from the first floor to the fifth, where Professor Manne's office is. I was all huffing and puffing when I entered her office, and my friend was already there. She had explained my situation to the professor, and I got an immediate reply when I arrived. My head was still all dizzy though.

This is the story. I'm planning to apply to the Specialist Conservation Biology Program with Co-op. Co-op practically means with work terms during summer with companies related to my field of study. I will get paid and gain experience. The thing is, I messed up my courses timetable.

Conservation Biology is a relatively new program. I swear I was unaware of this until recently, even though my brother said he did tell me. Well anyway, this would mean more competition as there will be less spaces allocated for Conservation Biology with Co-op. One lady at an Academic Career Info-session which I recently attended, was saying that there may probably be only 5 spaces for Co-op in C-Bio. This freaked me out ALOT, as...

In order to apply for the Co-op program, I have to take this Geography GIS course (GGRA30) by my first year. However, I didn't know then; I just thought as long as I finished all the required courses before I graduate, then it's okay. The course won't be offered in the summer, and it is during this time that we apply to the specific programs. I was worried I would not be able to qualify for my choice since I'm lacking in a course, and with the competition.

So Professor Manne clarified all our doubts.. Firstly, if my GPA is good enough, I will be offered an acceptance with the condition that I take the GIS course in the Fall semester of my second year. So I now have no need to worry about lacking a requirement. Secondly, they are trying to increase the positions for Co-op in C-Bio. The Toronto Zoo is one place where successful applicants will be working at, and now they are trying to get internships with Ministry of Natural Resources (or something like that). So, again I have no need to worry about competition. Thirdly, the professor gaves us some brief description of jobs that Conservation Biologists can work as.

So, I'm on my way to becoming a Conservation Biologist.

141 Australia
66 England
47 Canada
27 India
13 Scotland
23 South Africa
16 New Zealand
10 Malaysia
9 Wales
8 Jamaica
7 Nigeria
6 Kenya
6 Singapore

Canada is still stuck in third (which will most likely stay the same till the end of this CG). But they gained a few golds in Gymnastics. I'm just waiting for badminton and table tennis to end, as then we will see Singapore, and maybe Malaysia, jump up the medal standings too.. But for now, Singapore is being pushed down by other rising nations.

111 Australia
53 England
36 Canada
23 India
19 Scotland
17 South Africa
15 New Zealand
10 Malaysia
6 Nigeria
6 Wales
5 Singapore

Singapore stands at 11th place, even though they picked up new medals: 1 gold in women's table tennis team event, and 1 silver for the men's team after India shocked them. There's still the singles matches too. I haven't watched much CG broadcasts. It's just not convenient.

Nothing new. Only that I finally got all my marks back for the Midterm exams. Environmental Science, Psychology, and Health Studies were good. Chemistry was BAD. Biology, which I checked it just now, is okay, but I am short of two questions in making an A- grade. Boo. I have to work very hard for my Finals now. Time to get serious, and get cracking on my assignments! I feel the sudden power now. Go go go!

71 Australia
37 England
27 Canada
15 India
15 Scotland
12 South Africa
11 New Zealand
7 Malaysia
4 Wales
2 Isle of Man
2 Kenya
2 Singapore

Singapore is still holding on to the dear top 10 spot. I think when the table tennis or badminton finals come, then will Singapore explode and jump up the medal tally. Malaysia and Canada are doing fine, but if only Canada is two spots higher than it is now. (:

I felt like exploding after yesterday's dinner. I was so bloated that I think I felt my stomach clash with other internal organs. But somehow, I still managed to squish down another large cup of Rum & Raisin milkshake. I had to throw away the last few bits of raisin though..

56 Australia
25 England
17 Canada
11 India
11 Scotland
10 New Zealand
8 South Africa
4 Malaysia
3 Wales
2 Singapore

So today I'm planning to study a little, watch the CG a little, and then go to school and buy my freaking Environmental Science textbook which I forgot to on Friday. Then in the evening, it will be dinner at Koreantown for some sushi buffet (weird) with my brother and Kaleng.

I have to get the textbook for an assignment due on Tuesday. This will be the second CA$100+ textbook I will be buying for the EESA06 course. Just because we swtiched professors, we have to switch textbooks too. My wallet is saying "OUCH!". I'm planning to buy the book then photocopy it (at least it's cheaper); buy the book and return it before 2 weeks to get a full refund, and repeat this another once or twice till I don't need the book. I wonder if there are any restrictions or implications for being so thrifty, and canniving.

EDIT: I checked the Opening Hours and the bookstore is closed for today! AAAAHHHH! Now I have to drill it into my brain and buy it on Monday, and stay up late so that I can finish it in time. What luck..

I waited for an hour after my last lecture of the day. To my disappointment/joy, the laboratory was closed for the day, and a note posted on the door wrote that I would still be getting my 2 bonus credits. (:

29 Australia
14 England
12 Canada
7 India
5 Scotland
4 South Africa
3 Malaysia
3 New Zealand
2 Singapore
2 Wales

I thought I would extend beyond the top 5, so as to see Singapore too. This is so cool to have the 3 countries I'm supporting in the top 10 list. Yay!

12 Australia
7 England
4 Canada
3 Scotland
2 India
2 Malaysia

This keeping tab of the Commonwealth Games medal tally is harder than I thought. Melbourne is 16-hours ahead of Toronto, so when I check for the tally in the evening, it would include the next day's morning results too. Besides, the Commonwealth Games isn't too much publicised. Anyway, the medal tally will be according to the total number of medals won for each country. The main webbie of the Melbourne CG is according to the number of golds won.

I didn't get to watch the Opening Ceremony. CBC is showing snippets of the Games where Canadians are participating in for only one hour each day. I'm watching it now (yes, I didn't go to school) and saw the 200m team event for Aquatics-Swimming where Singapore and Canada were in. Singapore placed 6th out of eight, while Canada won bronze.

Today was a day of discrimination. Well, not so much of me actually being discrimating or being discriminated against, but Psychology and Health Studies lectures focused on prejudice and scapegoating.


PSYCHOLOGY.

We were shown a video about a Muslim schoolgirl who is a fashionista and wears a heafscarf. However, the government of France was planning to impose a ban on overt religious symbols in public schools. One proponent states that it is to promote a national unity, and at the same time to ensure that everyone gets an equal right in deciding their faiths, and to prevent them from being pressurised into, for example wearing the headscarf. The law is self-contradictory. The interviewed schoolgirl chooses and is comfortable wearing the headscarf. By imposing the ban, it violates the rights of Muslims who choose to wear the headscarf. Which circles and brings us back to the law wanting to ensure equal rights for all to decide on their own. The video also showed the schoolgirl's German teacher (who is a women's rights activist) 'confronting' her and her supporting friends regarding the issue. As a teacher, she should be more understanding towards her students, and not create such an uncomfortable situation. I could see that the group of students were upset, if not frustrated, with the whole tension going on.

This reminded me of the tudung issue in Singapore back in 2002. I am not for the law that bans tudung in public schools in Singapore, but then again, it is to promote racial harmony. However, it is also violating the religious rights of people. This is what is called as 'value pluralism', where policies usually have conflicting values associated with it.

There was this other video that showed how the Implicit Association Test shows our implicit attitudes, the negative prejudice that everyone may have unknown in us. I will try to explain the test. There are two options on the screen: one has the words 'Good', 'Right' and a picture of either a white or black person; the other side with 'Bad', 'Wrong' and a picture of the opposite race of that in the first side. Then, words will appear and the subject has to say if it's 'Good' or 'Bad', 'Right' or 'Wrong' for 2 rounds with the pictures swapping places in each round. The test was carried out on white and black Americans, and many, even those who were civil rights activists, showed a slight reference towards their own race as they had difficulties associating 'Good' and 'Right' with words when the picture of the opposite race was shown under the 'Good' and 'Right' side. I hope it is clear enough to understand. The funny thing is that when the whites were told that, they were shocked and felt embarassed about it. But when the blacks were told that, they felt pride for their own race.

We also talked about how a white girl wrote a letter complaining about 'special treatments' given to minorities when discrimination is banned. True, these favors can be seen as a form of discrimination to those who do not get them. The letter was about how a college had more job opportunities in teaching for applicants or minorities rather than for whites. The author of the letter was frustrated in how jobs were allocated for minorities rather than based on merits, making it harder for them to get jobs. I think one will discriminate against others when they feel they have been discriminated against.


HEALTH STUDIES.

We watched a documentary about olden days Chinese immigrants who came to Canada and were blamed for the leprosy disease that broke out back then. It was hard to watch as a Chinese, and also with all the gruesome pictures of lepers. Leprosy is a disease that results in the rotting of fingers and toes, and distorted faces. Lepers lose sensation in their hands and feet, and their eyesight deteriorates to blindness.

The main history context is that with the influx Chinese immigrants into Canada due to the Gold Rush and to work on the Canadian Pacific Railway. They were living in poor, cramp conditions and thus facilitating the spread of leprosy. Those who were infected or suspected of being infected were taken away by authorities and left on D'arcy Island, an offshore island of Victoria, B.C., to be isolated. They had no proper housing or water supplies, and were not provided with caregivers or medical personnels. They were practically left to wait and die. In Montreal, a proper facility was set-up for white Canadian lepers, and had nurses, doctors, and cooks to care for the infected victims.

On the mainland, newspapers published that the Chinese lepers were 'happy and energetic', and were living in 'good conditions' as they need not worry about anything. However, reports on the unlivable conditions soon circulated and the federal government soon took control of the situation by improving the conditions and medical access. Eventually, an effective treatment was discovered and the cases of leprosy declined.

I had continuous goosebumps as I watched the documentary. The message was powerful: discrimination and scapegoating of a weaker minority. I cannot imagine myself ever living like that with no social interaction and with that awful disease. Madness will set in.


Why do people discriminate against each other? It's just the way we look, our culture, tradition and location that makes us different. Otherwise, we are all similar: we are human beings from one common ancestor.

Yesterday's temperature high was 16 degrees Celsius. Very unsual indeed. It was recorded as one of the warmest day compared to past years, smashing records. But do you know what the more unsual thing is? Today's high is 2 degrees Celsius. Funny eh? The weather here is so erratic, and so screwed.

Ooooo, and the Commonwealth Games at Melbourne, Australia, are starting tomorrow! This will be interesting. Who should I support: Canada, because I'm living here now; Singapore, because I was born and lived there for a period of my life; Malaysia, because I was raised and spent a good 11 years of my childhood there. I wonder, I wonder..
CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) will air only a few games. And I most likely won't be able to watch any of them. Perhaps Thursday, when I decide to skip the only hour of lecture and watch it online. Anyway, I will try to keep tab on the medal tally, which most probably will include Canada, but not Singapore and Malaysia (since Canada, Australia and UK mostly dominate the top 3 positions in past Games). But who knows? (:

Another song by Bird York- Wicked Little High.

So is MapleStory. Wicked addition. I spent half of yesterday and three-quarters of today playing the game. But, I'm now a Magician! I still have a lot of training to do. I see other players and they have such cool, strong powers. Anyway, I'm going to limit MapleStory for the weekends only. And the next time I play, it won't be that long a game. I will try..

Grey's Anatomy is on tonight! Finally, after its absence due to the Oscars.

DAMN YAHOO! I got spoiled for Project Runway. Before I go on, Project Runway is a reality TV show; something like America's Next Top Model, but this time it's fashion designing! It airs on Wednesday, but since I don't have the TV channel, I download it from the net. It is usually available around the weekends, so from Wednesday till Saturday, I try very hard to stay clear from any potential spoilers and the official website. However, since yesterday's episode was the second season finale, Yahoo! posted it on their main page. And I scrolled down and got spoiled. Thank you very much.. But I'm happy for the winner, _____. She's my favourite as all her designs are simple, sleek and well-made, with nice silhouettes.

Speaking of ANTM, Cycle 6 premiered last night. This season is going to be great. Many of them have model potential and the first photoshoot wasn't as cheesy as the past photoshoots in recent cycles. Next week is the makeover episode, so I cannot wait. ANTM is my guilty pleasure. (:

Anyway, I had 9 hours of sleep today but I still felt sleepy when I was on my way to school. Surprisingly, the weather was very good today.. when you minus the continuous rain/drizzle. Still temperatures reached 11 degrees celsius. This very well means we are on our way to spring. I felt warm enough to wear just a hoodie over a shirt, and an outer vest. Lovely. Apparently, the nice weather is here to stay till early next week, when it cools down again.

Chemistry laboratory wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Definitely had many concept-understanding and data-sheets/quizzes to do, but overall I'm happy with how it turned out since I did most of them on my own.

I came home and then went out for dinner at Congee Wong (an eatery place, something like Crystal Jade in Singapore) at Leslie-Finch. We had a sumptuous feast, though I don't know for what. Had seafood porridge, Cantonese noodles, claypot beef rice, beef meat and a turnip side-dish. After which we went to get some groceries and headed home in this nice, but wet, evening. I missed American Idol results show, and Survivor! :(

Oh-Me-God! The awesome trailer of the last X-Men installment is out! I am freaking out. Cannot wait for it to open in theatres. And why does it have to be the end of the X-Men franchise? They can go on and on with the support of all fans. Anyway, just enjoy the trailer and make sure to catch the movie, X-Men: The Last Stand, opening May 26!

The song playing now is the song I talked about in yesterday's post. The song that is so good, but lost out to a rap song. By Bird York, this song is called 'In The Deep'. I love how the song tied in with the string of concluding scenes of each character in Crash. For visuals, here's the performance at the Academy Awards. The backdrop made use of some of the scenes in the movie itself.

Summer job, here I come. I'm planning to fill out the application form that my housemate got me for a summer job in a hotel. The residence of Nora's university, York University, turns into a hotel every summer holidays, and they get students to work at the front desk, or as housekeepers or maintenance. I'm choosing between front desk and housekeeping; maintenance will definitely be my last choise. Most probably it will be housekeeping, as I'm a neat freak. Plus, I get to earn money! So, I will be working my ass off for the few months of summer holidays (provided they employ me) before me and my brother head back to KL to spend the last 2 months enjoying life. Stoked!

I started playing MapleStory on Sunday, under the influence of pictures from Cleo's blog. It's kind of like Neopets, but much more interesting as my character actually gets to walk around, fight and gain powers and skills. How cool is that? I am having a hard time deciding if my main character should take the job as a Magician or a Bowman. I am still a freshie in this game, and will have a long way to go. But I'm loving it!

I participated in my first Psychology experiment today. I was very tense and jittery on what it would be about, but the experiment turned out fine. I thought it would be one huge bunch of participants at one 1-hour session, but I was wrong. There were only four people, including me, in the same room.

We signed a consent form and were briefed on the experiment. The purpose was to research on the "Effects of Mood on Communication". We each had a little computer where we had to answer a survey on our mood then. We then had to write a short speech choosing from a list of topics given in 5 minutes. The countdown began and I scribbled points onto a piece of paper. Another mood-survey followed.

We had to do a mental activities, called the Flanker task. Basically, there were 5 arrows on the computer screen and we had to press the direction in which the middle arrow was pointing to. At the same time, all the flanked arrows are switching directions too. We got time to practise and I got it wrong the first few times, as the system was urging us to be quick in our response too.

Then when the actual activity started, if I passed a time limit of like 5 seconds after the arrows appear, the system will automatically skip and go on. So the pressure of trying to go fast and getting it right. The funny thing I noticed was I would start to predict which direction the middle arrow would point to. And my guesses were wrong. When I got a wrong one, my fingers would somehow press the opposite direction of the previous incorrect direction, and again it would be a string of errors. I had to shake myself up before the next set came on, and then only would I start getting them right again.

After that, we were supposed to read the speech we prepared while being video-recorded. We would be test upon our clarity and fluency. But somehow, the experimenter told us that the batteries of the video-recorder died and we would have to skip that part.

I immediately turned around and smiled, knowing what the deal was. We went on to answer this question on the computer: "Did you have any suspicion about the experiment?" I don't know why, but I clicked 'No'. The other 3 people who clicked 'Yes' went on typing away. I must have been a dumb fool in their eyes for not noticing. Well, I did. As did the experimenter as he asked if I had any doubts about the experiment.

Anyway, we were given a debriefing form which explained the real purpose. We were advised not to tell others the specific details on the activity (which I just did) as the experiment is still ongoing. Nevertheless, no one from UTSC will be reading this blog anyway. The experiment was "Losing self-control: The impact of ethnicity on verbal performance". So basically it was to see if we (all of us were Chinese) became self-conscious over having to prepare a speech, and became unfocused in the mental activity. Also, while all these activities were carried out, subliminal noise that were beyond the range of human hearing were played. Apparently, the general idea that people had was that subliminal noises affects our mood, though no such research has proved it. So the experimenters were trying to mess with us and lead us into thinking that the experiment was about mood and communication.

Personally, I don't think having to make a speech worried me that much to make me lose concentration. It's just how I have one mistake, and the errors continue on with the next few sets of arrows. Anyhow, I had quite a fun time. I also get a bonus 1.0 credit, so what more can I ask for?

I have another experiment on March 17 too. It would be a 2-hour experiment that will give me an extra 2.0 credits! Yay. But each student can only get a maximum of 2.0 credits for participating in experiments, so today's one was basically doing it for fun and for the knowledge of mankind.

Best Motion Picture - Crash
Best Actor - Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote)
Best Actress - Reese Witherspoon (Walk The Line)
Best Director - Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain)

These are some of the Oscar-winners, which just ended. Overall, the award ceremony was good. I love the stage set: they made it carry a 1960s cinema theatre look, with big flashy words on plasma screens. Also, this year's host, Jon Stewart, did a marvelous job with some very funny jabs and jokes.

I think the top winners were Crash, Brokeback Mountain, Memoirs of a Geisha and King Kong, all with 3 wins each and the latter two winning in production awards (sound, costume designs, cinematograhy etc). There definitely were some upsets, but otherwise many were predictable/predicted.

Here are my views on the astonishment, the funnies and the upsets:

1) In one of the biggest upset, Crash came in from behind to snatch the coveted Best Picture award from Brokeback Mountain. Which I'm very happy about. I watched Crash and felt the message it was sending out. I love how each character's story interwines in one another's. Besides, I feel Brokeback Mountain may have been over-hyped, though I have to watch it for myself to decide on that.

2) A terribly unexpected and unbelievable win by some Hustle and Flow rappers in the Best Song category. I very much preferred the other nominated songs: Bird York's "In The Deep" for Crash, and Dolly Parton's "Travellin' Thru" for Transamerica. Besides, I enjoyed it very much when Bird York performed the song just now, especially with the backdrop scenes from the movie itself. Perhaps I'm more biased towards the latter two movies since I have watched them (which I must add, are very, very excellent films).

3) As expected, Reese Witherspoon won for her portrayal of June Carter in Walk The Line. Before, I was hoping for Felicity Huffman to win for her convincing role in Transamerica as a transgendered man, again probably because I watch the show and also because she was superb. Then, when the nomination clips were shown, I felt Reese Witherspoon did do a great job too, especially since besides having to act she sang all the songs on her own. Furthermore, she has come a long way from her roles in Legally Blonde, and Sweet Home Alabama. It's like a 180 degrees transformation from a chick-flick actress to a mature, versatile one. So I couldn't decide on who deserved it more. Nevertheless, if only there was an extra Oscar this year, Felicity Huffman would have won hands-down out of all others.

4) Ang Lee won Best Director for the controversial gay cowboy movie. Zhang Ziyi was on stage to present an Oscar award. How great is it that Chinese, or Asians, are making an impact in Hollywood? Hooray! I wonder who will be the first Asian to win an Oscar award for Best Actor/Actress? Maybe Zhang Ziyi, seeing how her fame is rising and her acting is good. This is why I love to watch Asian-based Hollywood-made movies like Memoirs of a Geisha.

5) Oh! Jennifer Garner nearly tripped in front of camera.. twice! She was walking down the stage to present an award, and I guess she stepped on her dress and jerked. Then she skidded down a little and finally gained balance. Lucky for her, she recovered quick by saying "I do my own stunts". Good one.

6) There were really boring, and interesting 'Thank You' speeches. Some people were cut at the end, while some couldn't even start for those with multiple winners on the stage. So those who couldn't say something looked stupid, while those who said alot looked selfish.

7) For fashion, Keira Knightley, Zhang Ziyi, Reese Witherspoon, Michelle Williams (the bright yellow dress, red lipstick), Jessica Alba, Rachel Weisz (being pregnant and glowing), etc looked great. No one really blew me away, as some of them had nice hair and makeup, but an average dress, vice versa.

Funny isn't it, how many people wants a BALD, SMALL statuette by the name of Oscar. I wonder how Mr. Oscar became so popular and be in such high-demand. It's because he is coated with gold isn't it? It's like the figures you put on top of wedding cakes, only that this time the Oscar stands for so much more to actors- achievement and excellence.

Well, it's getting late. I should go sleep.

I spent last night watching 2 hours worth of Psychology lecture, and watched another before dinner. We are on Social Psychology now, and indeed is interesting. Talked about conformity and obedience, and watched some really nice videos on experiments carried out. It turns out we humans can be mostly very obedient, depending on the situation and each character. And so the very apt title for this post. Being obedient by doing schoolwork, and watching online lectures that touched on the obedient nature of humans..

Me, Nora and Juyenty went for grocery shopping nearby. Stopped at Food Basics and we got some items that we wouldn't be able to get at the asian mart that we headed to next. The asian mart was packed full of people. All the trolleys, baskets and the bad smell were giving me a headache. I tried to limit the number of groceries, but everytime my hand would just be in a pick-and-throw motion. The computer system was down at the cashiers, thus the long, disorganised queues. They didn't announce it aloud, but only till it was our turn. I had no cash on me, so I had to leave my stuffs and run to the nearest bank to make a withdrawal. I should have just left, but then again I really needed those foods to fill up the refrigerator.

The house had a lovely hotplate dinner. It has been such a long time since we used the hotplate. All of us, except my brother, have finished our Midterms, so we are taking it slightly easier and relaxing more. Plus, the weather was nice today! Clear skies and sun rays!

Ok, I'm heading back to being obedient and watching the online videos for Biology. And the Oscars is tomorrow! Yay! But boo, for there will be no Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy!

I haven't been giving the deserved-props to Lost in a while now. It has been Grey's Anatomy, Grey's Anatomy, and even more Grey's Anatomy. So, kudos Lost! I am in love with you, again! LOL.

I suppose the 'lost in favour' started when I watched the whole of Season 1 day in and night out. Then, when I caught up with the television episodes, I had to wait week by week, even many weeks when the show went on hiatus now and then. So Grey's Anatomy entered. But now, I am back to being in awe by how the Lost plot uncovers in such a suspenseful manner. There are still many details to fill in, and sometimes it can get frustrating; like "Reveal already!" Then again, I guess this is what makes the show so captivating.

Have you wondered how Lost will end? Perhaps, along the lines of 'all is but a dream', 'everyone is dead' or 'in the twilight zone'? I hope not..

Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAMANTHA LIM WEIQI! (:

The song playing now says alot of what I am feeling.

I screwed myself thrice in a week. How, you may ask? With my freaking Midterms. I had Midterms for Health Studies, Biology and Chemistry on alternating days this week. I think it started going downhill when I disregarded my Reading Week for studying, spending it on relaxation.

Chemistry Midterm is toast. Had it just now, and many people found it easy. I agree that the paper is easier than expected, but the trouble for me was that I couldn't calculate one value that was one of the MCQ options. I had to practically guess (with some common sense) quite a few. And I actually messed up a formula! This will cost me a hell lot of marks, as each question on this Midterm is worth 1.3% of my final Chemistry mark. Besides, there were questions for my other Midterms where I screened the answers down to two options, but unfortunately chose the wrong one.

This week really was Hell Week. And even though it's Friday, Hell Week isn't officially over. I skipped all the classes on Tuesday and Thursday, and the first class on Wednesday and Friday. So I have a total of 4 hours of online lectures that I have to watch in order to catch up. I really wanted to rest over the weekends, but seeing how things are now, I have to buck up for my Finals!

The stress is killing me.. Actually, I am an above average student when compared to the whole cohort. However, my grades don't match up to my expectations. Call me competitive, but I have to make something positive out of this overseas education that is costly, and also for my own sake.

My sudden seriousness is creeping me out. I know my crying over spilt milk isn't going to remedy my mistakes. And it is irritating eh? Anyway, I'm waiting for dinner as me and my brother ordered take-out. I will watch the Lost episode that I missed as I have my dinner, and the online lectures later in the night.