Exam Tip

It’s the final examination period again.

Students always ask me for tips for the finals. Here’s one. Forget about targeting this or that chapter. You can try doing that, of course, but final exams are cumulative. Try reading the first page of the question paper for once. Yes, I mean the cover page with all the instructions nobody ever reads. You have no idea how many students lost so many marks simply from not following instructions.

Easy, huh?

Now, here’s a kitty:

Blue velvetgloss by ^impressionenmeer at deviantART

Let Me Explain

Still more videos, from the album Bounce (2002). Please watch in order.
:D

Stand By Me

by Oasis.

War Movies

I love war movies. Partly it’s because I practically grew up on war movies from those afternoon matinees they used to show on television; the more memorable ones being Von Ryan’s Express, The Dirty Dozen, The Guns of Navarone, and Escape to Victory. Of course, there was also Tora! Tora! Tora!.

Then came 1998 there were Saving Private Ryan and The Thin Red Line. The two World War 2 movies were practically polar opposites in many ways, but both equally awesome. While Saving Private Ryan was action packed and hyper-realistic, The Thin Red Line was simply beautiful.

I would say that the best thing to come out of Saving Private Ryan was that Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg went on to make Band of Brothers. Compared to Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers had the added appeal of being based on real people and real events.

Looks like you guys are going to be surrounded.
We're paratroopers, Lieutenant. We're supposed to be surrounded.

Band of Brothers (2001)

I have the Band of Brothers DVD ‘can’-set.

Now, they are bringing us The Pacific. Somehow, in their infinite wisdom HBO is only going to show it in Asia in April, but I don’t think I’m going to wait.

Emails

Dated March 5 from one mujing da great:

assalamualaikum

sir,
4 ur information im one of ur students currently.

i am very weak in macroeconomics subject,
i got low marks 4 the mid term n ur quizzes,

i hope u can update ur notes at ur webpage so i can download the remaining 7chapters after the mid term..
plzz sir..

the final is just around the corner.
so i found it very difficult4 me if u dont update ur notez

so i hope u can respond it well 4 ur students success in ur teachings
i believe every lecturer dont want to get their student fail in his or her subject

so i hope u can update ur notes ASAP.

tq, wassalam

Of course, I have no idea who mujing da great is. Perhaps that is exactly the point – the author wanted to remain anonymous because he (or she) knew that he wrote me a terrible email. Or perhaps he was ashamed of the name his parents gave him. Or perhaps he was one of those-who-must-not-be-named. WHOAH! :P

mujing da great must have missed the first class. That was when I explained that I do not give class notes. It just so happens that I have presentation slides prepared for half of the course from last semester when I was assigned a seminar room, which I uploaded on to the course webpage. I strongly believe that students must prepare their own notes.

Assalamualaikum brother.. my name [name] [student ID number] from section 2 Econ1610..

Can u mk a make test 2 for us to cover our mark in mid term exam since me and my friend including from section 1 not do it well.

my suggestion is u divide the percentage into 2 which is for 1st mid test 12.4 and the another 12.5 so total 25%.

the test 2 including CH 30,31,32 and 33... to mk ur life easy just mk MCQ.. about 35Q... then after we finish the test u give the paper not to the owner and mark the paper (since it only MCQ).. so in 1 class everything is done..

As the result we can increase our carry mark and have hope to get A or at least A-..

I'm sure u'll happy if many of ur student get A in this subject...

I know it depend on our efford and i'll try..

I hope u accept my suggestion...

1 more thing whatever is ur decision i'll accept ( but i'll happy if u accept my suggestion) and thx so much for teaching me and i want to appologies 4 any shortcoming ...

'Doakan kejayaan kami semua'

Although it is one of those uniquely-UIA things, it still sounds weird when a student calls me “brother”. This email from two days ago is just wrong in so many ways. Well, maybe a little funny too. What do you think?

NY

The area around The MetLife Building on Park Avenue and Midtown. (© Jason Hawkes)

Latest on The Big Picture are breathtaking aerial pictures of New York City and Las Vegas by photographer Jason Hawkes. That is my favorite picture from the set up there; it’s infinitely more beautiful in full size. Really, the Las Vegas skyline do not compare with the majesty of the Big Apple.

Good Week

Kulliyyah meetings are typically awfully boring, but the recent one earlier this week had its moments.

Turns out we can still bar students from sitting for the final examination. *Somebody* gave us the wrong information. Supposedly now the university have decided to be silent on the issue in the revised rules to allow each kulliyyah to pursue its own policy with regard to student attendance. A quick vote and we’re set to go back to the old practice next semester. I suppose everybody missed issuing warning and barring letters. :D

Oh, before we go on here’s a comic, just because I want to put a picture on:

Devotion to Duty @ xkcd

The Dean also mentioned that he won’t be questioning course instructors about high failure rates, especially for lower level courses. Somebody commented that the kulliyyah has a very high percentage of students with CGPA of 3.6 and above, and suggested that we’re being too lenient. Too lenient? Definitely not me. “Not me,” claimed everyone else around me as well. Wonderful. :P

Finally, on an absolutely, totally separate matter, she’s said it.