* yawn * : slept through <25% of lectures
* YAWN * : slept through 25%-75% of lectures. when I was awake I was doing other work or daydreaming or eating or had simply woken up after sleeping my fill. occasionally it was because I was actually paying attention
* COMA * : I do remember walking into e LT before class & walking out when everything was over, but have no idea what happened in between. showed my face (eyes closed) to make up for lack of class size
* CMI * : (CMI = cannot make it) attended class as had skipped e maximum permissible no. of lectures & didn't want to be barred from e final exam. had no other friends taking e same module who could help fake my signature on e attendance sheet or collect notes on my behalf
* unrated * : lifetime achievement award for immunity to my attention deficit disorder

BL1101 Ecology/Evolution/Biodiversity * yawn *
this module will be remembered for e most interesting practicals (sinking into mangrove mud at Sungei Buloh, hunting for mussels under e wooden jetty at Changi, & feeding mozzies at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve), Murphy's lecture on plant biodiversity (all e haphazard chalk scrawling on e blackboard as he lectured on & on with his back facing us), & how he 'smoked out' e mozzies with puffs from his cigarette while leading us through Bukit Timah Nature Reserve along e Senapang trail. there was a bit that was lectured by some people from Dept Microbiology, but till this day I still have no idea what they were trying to say. was busy test-sleeping LT32.

BL1104 Genetics [exempted]
'The gene pool could use a little chlorine' - bumper sticker

CM1101 Principles of Modern Chemistry * yawn *
Ranford (& his 'Ed' - electronic deactivator) was great but e organic part by Chew was *yawn*. labs were just e usual boring titration after titration that served only to refresh e memory of e 94 batch guys ('I in NS where got do titration?' - Redha, bench partner) & promote e spirit of goodwill & sharing (of data). first time sitting for an exam at IMM.

CP1301 Introduction to Computing * YAWN *
LT27 is not as comfy to sleep in as LT32.

GE2220 Environmental Processes: Terrestrial & Coastal * yawn *
had reservations about being out of place as e only non-Arts freshie, but physical geog is more of a Science anyway, & Dr Peta Sanderson & e year 2s & 3s were nice. thanks to Wai Khim, Mervin & Chee Kiang - my Ubin fieldwork groupmates, & e guy (name long forgotten) who partnered me for e aerial photo mapping exercise. this module will also be remembered for e peaceful morning & afternoon mile-long walks between KE7 hall & GEOLAB @ AS2 that allowed me to enjoy e plants, animals & fresh air along Prince George's Park Road =)

MC2305 Microbes, Environment & Man * yawn *
first encounter with Faculty of Medicine's definition of 'MCQ' - having to answer true/false for each option.

SF1100 Science Foundation Module [exempted]
exemption from this: e cheapo reason as to why I joined SPS

BL1102 Biochemistry & Organisation of Cells [exempted]

BL1103 General Physiology * yawn *
would have been * unrated * if not for e sections taught by Physiology Department. first time I saw & heard a gong being sounded in an LT. e module that led to my vacation job.

BL1105 Agrobiology & Biotechnology * YAWN *
all 8am lectures are not worth attending. all lectures are at 8am. & KE7 hall is a wonderful place to snooze till lunchtime on rainy Saturday mornings once laundry has been rescued from e corridor. lecturer didn't seem to know what to do with this module. one of e most pointless modules I've ever taken.

BL2264 Virology * YAWN *

BL3206 Host-Pathogen Interactions * yawn *
one of e biggest academic risks I took - going into this without e background, prerequisite modules & lab experience in molecular bio that e senior classmates had. ended up with a flat B. but Dr Pan was great, Sai Mun & Jacqueline helped me figure out e labs, & I learnt so much more than in e previous 2 modules (BL1105 + BL2264) combined. & e crash course in molecular bio techniques helped a lot in future courses to come.

TDSC2171 Mars * unrated *
scenario: in 100 years time, Earth will be blown to bits - plan for the survival of humankind on Mars. SPS 98/99 batch was divided into committees (energy, health, transport, food & environment, finance etc) that took care of different aspects of the mission to Mars.

health comm & our 8-foot tall tutor	health comm & our brainless tutor, now shortened to actual height of around 6 feet
night time - e only common timeslot for our meetings....good thing that KE7 hall dinners were worth missing	close-up of sunflowers by e window (in background of image on left)
building e Mars model	model of settlement (living quarters, factories, nuclear power plants etc) to be built on Mars
e chicken coop: model of dome-shaped underground living quarters to be built on Mars	e big fat day - Mars Conference: 98/99 batch + Sher Yi + LKY + Chan Onn + Hawk - Yuting - me (both of us were miles away in Stanford)

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nothing to do with Mars: prank played on 98/99 batch by seniors - e infamous 'bearnapping' episode, complete with ransom notes (words put together with letters cut out from magazines), photos of hostages being ill-treated & video

elmo	cookie monster
xiaohuang	xiaopink

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TDSC2172 Monkey Business * unrated *
animal behaviour project done with Robin & Sherry, on e ranging patterns of a free-ranging mixed bunch of silver leaf langurs (below left), two red langurs & a squirrel monkey (below right). fulfilled a childhood dream of spending time studying & observing wildlife behaviour.

BL2102 Molecular Biology Techniques * yawn *
how to denature DNA: immerse eppendorf in boiling steamboat, then snap-cool by dunking immediately in ice kacang. this module will be remembered for e supposed 'acts of sabotage'....no idea as to why anyone would want to steal e genomic DNA prepared by our group. thanks to Smita & Mathi for being a wonderful tutor/demo & lab tech respectively, & to Mingshi, Huijuan, Ching Ching, Kamariah, Ivanus, Pei San, Hema & Athena for all e fun & laughter in surviving e lecturer & the other lab tech!

BL2161 Genes * CMI *
what is a Pwee? WORST module ever, attended lectures simply because we had to sign attendance at e beginning AND e end of lectures AND he'd call on us at random to answer questions to catch those who'd had friends sign e roster on their behalf. screwed 40% of my grade by writing an essay on translation instead of transcription in e final exam & have a C+ to show for it. didn't learn anything substantial from this module, but easily picked up everything from scratch in IM5002 (see below) instead

BL3244 Plant Morphogenesis & Tissue Culture * YAWN *

TDSC2173/BL2262 ISM: Cell Biology
impossible to sleep during e 2-hour discussion-cum-grilling sessions with Dr Ge in her office, since I was e only student taking e module as TDSC2171. no back-up, no reinforcements, no one to hide behind, NO ESCAPE. had to do e labs alone with Carrie whereas all my seniors got to do it in groups of TEN. thrown straight into e deep end when it came to reading journal papers for my first ever 20 page term paper on metastasis ('since I will NOT be covering metastasis in my lectures you can do it for your term paper then' - Dr Ge). after that e consoles on e medical library photocopiers can recognise me by my fingerprints.

TDSC2174 Antibacterial compounds in mangrove plants * unrated *

BL2165 Enzymes & Proteins * yawn *

BL3102 Biochemical Techniques * YAWN *

BL3161 Gene Expression * YAWN *
LT21 is one of e most uncomfy places to sleep. zero clue about what was going on for e lectures despite Ding's perfect English - e seniors took e prerequisite when it was taught by her, but my batch took it when it was lectured by Pwee, who kinda shortchanged us by leaving a whole chunk of essential stuff out. one of those modules where you just have to figure out everything on your own.

BL3262 Cell Communication & Signaling * yawn *
didn't know a thing about this field, nor that it would one day end up as my research interest, but my academic mentor commented that it was an up-&-coming area worth a try, & nothing else except for this could fit into my timetable. funny how fate works =) in a nutshell, it's about how cells get to know when to do what, which is central to so many different areas of bio, like developmental bio, cancer, e immune response, etc. smallest class I've ever taken, with only 13 students scattered among e front few rows of LT20 (not nice to sleep in - flooded each time it rained, & could enter only from e back by e 2nd floor entrance cos a 'waterfall' would block e ground level main door).

AR1722 Architectural Environment 1: Nature & Place * YAWN *
wonderful break from my home faculty, & with my favourite - fieldwork - with trips to Far East Square & e Sungei Api-Api mangroves in Pasir Ris

BL2288 UROPS * unrated *
Identification and characterisation of virulence genes from the fish pathogen Edwardsiella tarda, which simply translates into: catch FISH - feed FISH - change FISH tank water - inject FISH - count dead FISH - clear dead FISH - bleach FISH tank water - wash FISH tank & start all over again - catch FISH....won't forget those late nights looking at Southern blots through half-closed eyes, & learning how to shake my head when saying 'yes'. may Rao never have to wash another fish tank in his life!!

BY3101 Cellular & Molecular Immunology * COMA *
another of those modules where you have to figure out everything on your own.

BY3201 Molecular Basis of Cancer * YAWN *
instant weather updates during e 2-hour lectures: when it rains inside LT24, it's raining outside too, & time to change seats & borrow pails from e cleaning aunties at MD4. LT 24 is so cold, liquid paper freezes before it dries. & if you died in your sleep during e lecture you would be mummified. first time I ever saw so many many many 'F's for a CA. but I love this area of bio =)

SE1315 Basic Thai Language I * unrated *
neverending laughter thanks to e wonderful class & our tutor Ajaan Sukree

BL3205 Molecular Developmental Biology * COMA *
at last count, 41 papers to read. at times couldn't tell what language e lecture was being conducted in, but e content & ideas sparked by e lecturer more than made up for that. it is in courses like this one that you experience an 'intellectual high'? a more than rewarding module, discovered my love for this field. glad to have talked my way into taking this module despite not having taken the prerequisite for it. he didn't seem to mind me sleeping at e back of DBS SR3 (not comfy) one bit, & we had short but penetrating & insightful e-mail (to overcome e language barrier) discussions on coursework & how Biology as a subject should be taught. based on that he actually made substantial changes when he next offered this module to e junior batch. in time to come, would almost chose his lab for my honours research project

zebrafish embryo overstained during in situ hybridisation

HR3111 Human Resource Management (Science)
thanks to Dangui, Kayla & Sharon for making this a more entertaining & delicious (never eaten so much during lectures before) module =)

SE1316 Basic Thai Language II * unrated *
finally....a language with a script that I can write NEATLY (thinking of all those Tao Nan days where I had to climb downstairs to retrieve my exercise books whenever e teacher flung them over e parapet for bad handwriting)

[left]: 'Never let school interfere with your education' - blue sign on pillar behind us in SPS room [centre & right]: at driveway under LT31, Block S16, home of SPS

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vacation = IMCB Summer Research Programme (PL lab) aka. Introduction to Moorhuhn 2 *grin*

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ACADEMIC YEAR 2001/2002 SEMESTER 1

arrival at Sentosa, SPS FOC 2001	01/02 batch + seniors, SPS FOC 2001

always a good idea to start a new academic year with PLAY!!

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BL4101 Honours Research Project * unrated *
big fat mouthful for my thesis title: 'cloning and characterisation of BPGAPs, RhoGAP-like proteins that contain a BCH domain and proline-rich regions'. thanks to lao ban for accepting me into his lab when I was still appealing into honours, & for being so frank & approachable, & to Shang Xun, Yiting & Unice for teaching me so much!

my bench in the BCL lab (lab homepage: www.bclaboratory.com)

BL4102 Current Topics in Biology * COMA *
compulsory attendance at e weekly departmental seminars turned it into e honours students weekly naptime, save for e seminars on crab-eating snakes & birds of prey (somehow biodiversity & ecology seminars have far more appeal). enjoyed e exam!!

BL4103 Biology Field Course * unrated *
hilarious week of catching & ID-ing amphibians & reptiles by daylight, moonlight & torchlight in & around 4 waterfalls (Kathu, Manik, Bang Pae & Ton Sai) in Phuket with e Frog Team. of staying in a hotel room with profs occupying e rooms on both sides & poking their heads over e adjoining balconies to yell at undergrads to pipe down. of doing laundry & washing booties & sandals at 2-3am after returning from outfield. of going back outfield again e next morning after breakfast. of returning from outfield again in e afternoon to smoke up a presentation for e day's work. of rushing off for dinner after e nightly presentation, before heading outfield yet again. & of e most spectacular sunset I've ever watched in my life, over e Andaman Sea, from Cape Promthep =)

Manik waterfall was probably e highlight. won't ever forget climbing up e rocks & boulders by torch. nor e wonderful feel of e cold water as we stood knee-deep hunting for frogs & tadpoles in a pool on e upper falls, with freshwater shrimps nipping at our toes. nor getting blinded by someone's torch beam & almost plunging off e edge of e upper falls into nothingness. nor trying to explain in half-baked Thai to this puzzled rubber tapper's wife that we were from a university in Singapore & had come all e way to her place in e middle of nowhere of Phuket. to catch frogs. at night. no dear Aunty, I am not joking. & e friendly Thai Muslim rubber tapper Khun Abdul, his goats, cat, thatched hut & gift of Thai basil leaves & seeds....a life so simple, & generosity so heartfelt.

Manik waterfall is unmarked on most maps - only knew that we had to head somewhere southwest towards e hilly range on finding e tiny countryside road that led southwards from e main town road. so glad for contour maps, no matter how sketchy or outdated they may be! e place seems rather unknown even within Manik town itself. spent ~15 min using up my entire Thai vocabulary to ask around at e petrol station before a local who had some idea where it was finally walked by & enlightened us. for e record, e turn-off from e main road through Manik is opposite a shop selling trucks & tractors. so sad that this beautiful place with e wonderful view of mainland Thailand has been slated for development.

[L-R]: Ming, Zijun & Lynn walking along a rubber tapper's path down Manik waterfall. Yew Kwang was behind with Joyce taking this photo, while I was somewhere just in front of Lynn. to our right is a steep drop (hidden by vegetation) into the lower part of e falls	morning before our final presentation: Phuket Frog Team minus our postgrad, overlooking a field where about 18 water buffalos come to wallow in mud under e hotel corridor lights every night. 3 of us are wearing T-shirts with frog designs
last day: Frog Team minus Zijun, outside e Kamala Beach Hotel & Resort lobby entrance before leaving for Phuket Airport	Frog Team at Phuket Airport
	morning of Children's Day: Frog Team + Machiko at House No. 1, Tanjong Chek Jawa on Pulau Ubin. had walked there e previous night & camped at e front of e house to catch e 4am low tide. e kind soul who helped us take this photo needs help in getting his focus right though

BL4205 Computational Molecular Biology * YAWN *
with an entire class of 'zombie-fied' honours students who had been working around e clock in their respective labs, no surprise to see at most one single other student awake at certain times

BL4102 Current Topics in Biology * COMA *
to ensure that students had sufficient sleep throughout their honours year, this module was made to span two semesters. but seriously, LT32 is quite a comfortable place to hibernate in - tested it out extensively in year one during BL1101, BL1105 & BL2264

BL4206 Conservation Biology * yawn *
enjoyed this so much, especially e fieldtrips to e Nee Soon swamp forest, zoo & around e Southern Islands

BL4245 Protein Technology * COMA *
this module ensured that I had at least 4 hours of sleep per week. & total teaching time was obviously 4 hours per week.

BL4263 Molecular Marine Biotechnology * YAWN *
like any typical module, much more enjoyable & rewarding to learn on your own as you write term papers, rather than try to sleep in e hard red plastic seats of e old DBS SR1

BL4265 Functional Genomics * YAWN *
first time seeing a lecturer use a pole as a pointer for e projection screen. heard that he used a MOP in another undergrad class....& pointed with e frilly end. hope he used it when it was dry

BL4207 Coral Reef Ecology [sit-in]

BL4208 Symbiology [sit-in] * highly unrated *
probably e best of all e modules that I've ever sat in for, & e most gross one as well. only lecture I missed was e one where they had their CA.

BL4264 Structural Biology [sit-in] * yawn */* COMA *
Jia & Swaminathan were great!! Jia could make me understand in an hour e same amount of Physics that my JC Physics tutor can only dream of doing so in 2 years. but after their series of lectures ended & someone else took over (hence e double rating), it became a sleep-in module & decided that I preferred to sleep elsewhere

• kicked me awake during important parts of lectures
• but wisely left me alone to koon in peace e rest of e time
• filled up e seats directly in front of me to form a human wall so that e prof wouldn't notice me napping (so grateful to all e tall guys)
• made sure that I woke up on time for morning exams & interviews
• paged me for lunch & helped me ta pao food from Dover, NUH Kopitiam, e former Sheares canteen, NUH staff canteen, Arts canteen, Fong Seng & buffet tables outside LT31 & LT27
• unstintingly shared their NUS Co-op & Ultra Supplies photostating cards, cashcards & NUS library loan quotas
• saved me trips to SC, MD & CL libraries
• spared me LB+Amp plates & DNA sequencing lanes
• taught me how to use linux & d/l all versions of Moorhuhn
• lent me or collected on my behalf notes for lectures I 'stayed away' from
• gave me advance warnings about lousy lecturers & tutors to avoid
• raised e alarm when my name was missing from e list of students qualified for honours
• kept me going during my 4-day-long 'day-night-day-night-day-night-days' of thesis writing
• watched out for my safety during my stay on campus