of open books and over qualified test tube washers

its really weird. they say NUS is one of the best schools in the world. being in the top100 of many surveys, it really makes me wonder if they had taken into account the science faculty when they did it.

let me explain. in singapore (not sure bout the rest of the world as i have no experience there), if you do not get anything more than a basic degree or if u dun get a PhD in life sciences, you would be an over qualified test tube washer. well thats what they say. because only those top brass would get to do the research while you would be washing their test tubes and petri dishes for their next experiments. fair trade? i dun think so. but who is to blame?

i would usually say the problem is with yourself, solve that and you could solve many other problems. but in this case, i'd take a different stand.

that NUS is to blame.

why? well who would want to hire a life science student with a basic degree? all they are good at is mugging. not application or critical thinking skills. the life science modules are heavy modules but the emphasis is on memory rather than understanding. and my grounds for that accusation?

open book exams.

if it was really an understandin type of knowledge that the school emphasised, why not give open book exams? tell me, who, when they are in their current jobs, would not have access to a wealth of knowledge at their fingertips? thru the internet or library for that matter. who, when they will be workin in the future, would be locked up in the room with a pencil and paper and nothing else and be doing their work? unless u fit into those 2 categories, you can see where the problem lies.

now considerin the nature of our education, do you think they would want to hire us? then why the PhD and Masters student? well those people have already started research work and are able to prove themselves. not with their paper qualifications but mainly with their ability to do research. so you have a proven potential candidate. wouldnt a company hire you over someone who had no track record in the research field?

so what do i suggest. well for starters, it would be great if the lecturers would get off their bum and give open book exams. in fact, go the extra mile and allow laptops in exam rooms. why not? we are a click away from a wealth of information. why restrict ourselves? too bad for those who study too hard and do not know how to look for information on the web. at least they will know of their shortcomings earlier and can work on it.

well i dun think i would be able to see such things before i graduate but at least i have been able to identify the problem. what good that does, only you yourself will know. and that i hope it helps you in the future.

godspeed.

Tariq :: email ::
|1:56 am|
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restrictions and the godfather

now you must be wonderin what those 2 have in common. well another film lesson that got me thinking so if you're ready for the ride, buckle up.

man restricts himself. be it by his principles, religions, society, culture, upbringing. there is always some sort of restrictions on him. no man can ever say that he is free while he is tied to these restrictions. but are they really all that bad? while i agree that you should be free as you can and achieve everything that you want to regardless of anything else, how can restrictions be a good thing? well when they protect you against potential self-destruction. your principles mainly. but sometimes your religion and depending on which religion, this can be argues so i shall leave it as is.

but society and cultural restrictions. hmmm now those 2 need a closer look. what purpose do they serve? are they really beneficial to those who impose themselves with it? i'm sure you have felt the restrictions of your society and culture at some point in time. and to me, they have not really done any good. more like they are useless when i can support myself but turn against me when i feel injusticed.

for those who have watched the godfather, you will understand. when the italian girl was raped and beaten up by the american boys in the first part of the movie and they got away scott free without any punishment, the father of the italian girl must have felt restricted because justice was not served. he had restricted himself with society's ruling. and he was in that position. and he decided to break free from it and turn to the godfather and plead with him to exact revenge on those american boys.

it may be wrong legally. but the man now felt a sense of justice. if any of you were in his shoes, you would have felt good if you had taken that course of action. do you really think you could rest in peace if your daughter had been violated but those who did it walked away freely?

while this may be an extreme case, think again that scenarios may not have to be the same to be just as damagin to you. if you feel that you have been restricted, are you sayin that you enjoy that restriction?

if not, why are you not doin anything about it?

Tariq :: email ::
|12:14 am|
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n dey say

yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
let's go(ha-haha-ha-ha)
ohhhhhN Dey Say
ohhhhhh oh ohhhh

hold up, stop now, let me get a look 'cha
damn girl i aint seen u since prom
come to think about it cant believe it's been that long
i heard your man locked down now
how long he gone? oh, dat long
how the hell he get time like that
3 strikes for possesion aww he ain't coming back
he left you with two kids and bills all around
plus you found out he had another chick cross town
it's always the darkest right before the sun rises
and you gotta stay strong for the kids in they eyes'n
please dont despise and go against all brothers
and have a hatred in your heart and take it out on another
i hate to sound 2pac-ish li'l mama keep your head up
but your gonna make it i promise you keep your head up
and that that dont kill you only makes you stronger
and the will to succeed only feed the hunger
fo' reel (fo' reel, fo' reel)

(ha-ha-ha-ha-ha)
ohhhhh
N Dey Say
ohhhhhh oh ohhhh(ha-ha-ha-ha-ha)
ohhhhh
N Dey Say
ohhhhhh oh ohhhh

i was at the gas station when a man walked past
with a sign...'will work for food, clothes or cash'
and he asked if he could pump my gas so i let him
clean the windsheild and throw out the trash so i let him
hey, i even asked a brother his namewhere he was from, got kids man and what's they ages
he kinda stuttered for a second, he kinda looked suprised
that anyone would even take an interest in his life
he said, "young brother them the only words i've heard in the last year
wasn't no or get the fuck away from herrrr"
how could something so simple as general conversation
mean much more than general conversation
hey you could tell life had beaten him down
like he was in the title fight and this might be his last round
sometimes the easiest things we take for granted
until they gone then realized we even had it
fo' real (fo' real, fo' real)

(ha-ha-ha-ha-ha)
yeah, hey
ohhhhh
N Dey Say
ohhhhhh oh ohhhh
(ha-ha-ha-ha-ha)
yeah, heyohhhhh
N Dey Say
ohhhhhh oh ohhhh

i used to think that life had a plan for me
until i realized life had to be planned by me
see that's the key i only deal wit what i can see
cuz over history, mystery brought us nothin but misery
man more people done died in the name of the Lord
then in any natural disaster, disease or gang wars
before guns they was swords and they was killin each other
And what's changed to this day still killin each other
killin a brother while another mother cries for help
man, we need to help a brother find himself
feed 'em light 1, 2, 3
hey that's somethin every brother should see
and thats fo' real,
and thats fo' real,
and thats fo' real

(ha-haha-ha-ha)
yeah, hey,
ohhhhh
N Dey Say
ohhhhhh oh ohhhh
(ha-haha-ha-ha)
hey
ohhhhh
N Dey Say
ohhhhhh oh ohhhh
(ha-haha-ha-ha

Tariq :: email ::
|12:03 am|
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entrepreneur

i signed up for this talk "financial independence through entrepreneurship" which was to be held on wednesday at 7pm. there was suppose to be this guy who was to talk to us about being an entrepreneur and all. but something just din seem right.

firstly the timing was off coz i was to break fast at 7 yet the talk was scheduled at that time. so i thought, never mind, i shall sacrifice food for another hour (whats an hour after fasting for 14 hours straight right?). so me and daniel signed up for the talk.

then while i was takin the shower at bout 6.15pm and gettin ready a thought crossed my mind. wonder how good this talk is goin to be. singaporeans dun seem to understand the meaning of the word entrepreneur. to them, anyone who starts a business in singapore, is in their words, an entrepreneur. in that context, that aunty selling kopi at science canteen would be an entrepreneur. oh well. i hope this singaporean who would be giving the talk would have a minority thinking.

then when i got to the venue of the talk, something seemes amiss. i had to sign up for some great eastern life thingie which i did coz maybe they were the sponsors of the talk or something. i mean to get an entrepreneur who makes 100K per year mustnt come free and great eastern must have sponsored it in return for our information. small price to pay i say to myself. boy was i wrong.

upon entering the LT, it was actually a talk on joinin great eastern life as a life planner. in the words of the india guy who gave the opening, he said "nowadays its hard to make a living. you cant just start your own business and expect to survive. thus the only way to to be an entrepreneur and one way you can do that is by joinin great eastern as a life planner."

what a bummer. apparently this guy who gave the openin was just as dumb as most singaporeans when it came to the definition of the word entrepreneur. now i know its very very rude to walk out in the middle of a talk but i felt cheated and they get what they deserve and this within 15 minutes i was out of there.

just goes to show that most singaporeans dun know the difference. oh well. how on earth are they goin to encourage the entrepreneurial spirit if they cant even define it properly. there is a difference between startin a business and being an entrepreneur.

in case some of you are wonderin what an entrepreneur does, he creates a NEW service or product that is useful to the world and markets it out.

Tariq :: email ::
|8:05 pm|
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wanna be a CSI?

here's an interesting lesson to learn... funny... but still a lesson learnt

An autopsy professor was giving an introductory lecture to a class of students. Standing over a corpse, he addressed the class. 'There are two things you need to make a career in medical forensics. First, you must have no fear.' Having said that, he shoved his finger up the corpse's anus and licked it. 'Now you must do the same,' he told the class.

After a couple of minutes of uneasy silence, the class did as instructed.

'Second,' the professor continued, 'you must have an acute sense of observation. For instance, how many of you noticed that I put my middle finger up this man's anus, but licked my index finger?'

Tariq :: email ::
|6:52 pm|
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acceptance

i used to remember this one friend who critized my blog: man you're blog is so boring. no one posts comments on it. at that time i just brushed it off coz generating comment count was not the reason i did this blog. it was just an avenue to air my thoughts and views. people come and go and if they like what they read and it changes their life, all the better.

i shall not identify the person, mainly because that person seems to strike me as an attention-whore and thus i shall propogate it. from here on, that person shall be termed as X.

at that time, i din really pay much attention to the comment made, but recently when i was reflecting on people's characteristics and their traits, i realised what X's was. X was more interested in seeking acceptance than to go with what X thought was right.

Never mind if this is wrong, i shall just do it so that people will like me. oh look, people are talking to me, they must like me. oh look, a new comment, wow i must have a lot of fans. and the list goes on.

i really do not understand such people. is seeking acceptance really that important? have you no sense of self-worth? its one thing to make your friends and the people around you happy but its another thing altogether to do something just to make them accept you. if you fall into the latter group, then i'd suggest you find a new pool of friends who can accept you for who you REALLY are and not the person with the mask on.

oh and another thing: grow up

** this post is in no way a personal attack and if you think you are guilty of it and would do something about it, good on you. if not, then good luck to you**

Tariq :: email ::
|10:31 am|
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dying inside to hold you

It's turning out just another day
I took a shower and I went on my way
I stopped there as usualhad a coffee and pie
when i turned to leavei couldn't believe my eyes
standing there i didn't know what to say
without one touch
we stood there face to face

(And) i was dying indside to hold you
i couldn't believe what i felt for you
dying inside i was dying inside
but i couldn't bring myself to touch you

you said hello then u asked my name
i didn't know if i should go all the way
inside i felt my life have really changed
i knew that it would never be the same
standing there i didn't know what to say
first time looked away when i whispered your name

(And) i was dying indside to hold you
i couldn't believe what i felt for you
dying inside i was dying inside
but i couldn't bring myself to touch you

(And) i was dying indside to hold you
i couldn't believe what i felt for you
dying inside i was dying inside
but i couldn't bring myself to touch you

one hello changed my life
i didn't believe in love at first sight
but you've shown me what is life
and I now i know my love (i know it's coming right)

(And) i was dying indside to hold you
i couldn't believe what i felt for you
dying inside i was dying inside
but i couldn't bring myself to touch you

Tariq :: email ::
|1:09 pm|
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its all in the mind

had a pretty messed up day. let me see if i can recall it all here:

- my phone went bonkers and decided to hard reset (all my data was gone)
- had trouble connecting to the VoIP service i was using to call Babe
- asked history lecturer for advice on doin assignment but he's just as clueless as me
- computer decided to restart itself while i was halfway thru the history assignment
- couldnt get any friends to break fast with today
- couldnt take an afternoon nap as planned due to interruptions
- Babe's umbrealla broke

i thought someone put a curse on me. life was going pretty well. i mean even though molecular biology was messed up, i still din feel as bad as i did today. today i just fell down the drain. nothin was going my way. everythin decided to do a u-turn. and if someone decided to have a test on me, they decided to give me a volley of it one after another. thought i might have pissed someone off or something to deserve it.

but at the end of the day, i told myself that its all in the mind. i guess it started to take a downturn when my phone went bonkers and resetted itself. from then on, i got so pissed off that i took everything in a negative light. that was how easy it was to go to the dark side. something which i have been trying to avoid all this while has suddenly came back to haunt me. and the thing was when it affects you, it affects everybody around you. i have to apologise to all my friends if i sounded distant or angry when talking to you today. was not really in a good mood. but i have realised my shortcomings.

it was not fate or destiny or tests or anything of that sort. it was all just me. when i let the first negative thought manifest itself, everything that was slightly wrong turn out to be a titanic mistake in my eyes. but now i have learnt my ways. i hope that this darkness can be kept inside. it may be a part of me. but it is not something i am proud of.

to those who think that your darkness is the only way that can bring you forward, i would encourage you to take a step back and think about it. why? because i was there once. and i can tell you that while i was in darkness, i was never half as great as what i am going to be now that i am surrounded by light. there is a reason why light can overcome darkness. just be careful not to snuff out that light like i did momentarily today.

already things are looking well. gambate!!

Tariq :: email ::
|10:45 pm|
1 comments

the forest

just watched kill bill vol.1 for my film and history class and found a very interesting quote at the end of the movie. changed it a bit to suit my thoughts though:

life is never a straight line. it is like a journey thru a forest. and sometimes you will get lost.

well thats pretty much apt to anyone. who's life has not been filled with ups and downs like the terrain of the forest? who has not been in a situation when they felt lost going thru life and now knowing what they want to achieve or the goals they want to attain? sometimes you may know where you are going just as when you are trekkin in the forest in the day and there are times when you can just see whats an armlength in front when walking in the night.

we all need a guiding light to get thru this forest. to the end point that we always wanted. different people will have different paradises but no matter what you will still need that guiding light if you want to get thru that forest while you can still enjoy paradise.

and my love is my guiding light. it shines the forest and shows me the path i have to undertake. it gives me a clear view of my paradise, a paradise like no other. unachievable? only to the uninitiated. i love you babe. thanks for everything.

for the rest of you, i wish you luck in findin that light.

Tariq :: email ::
|7:22 pm|
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