Tinder fella #5: The small boy

So I won't be posting about the tinder boys in order just because some are still "ongoing projects". The stories that have been posted about are...the utterly hopeless, completely no chance of revival boys. 

Let's get into this one. 

Right from the get-go, this guy was not my type. I swiped him because his face kept appearing on my Tinder feed and I thought to myself, how bad could it be? Perhaps my Prince Charming was hiding under the guise of someone who wasn't my usual type. 

Digressing a little. I can now say with a degree of certainty, that if someone's face keeps popping up on your tinder feed despite you swiping right on them countless times. Chances are they've swiped left on you and Tinder is using the "If at first you don't succeed, keep trying. Eventually her standards will drop and you'll be matched" approach. 

We matched wow can you believe it? talked a little on Tinder and subsequently moved over to Telegram. Now, because I already knew he wasn't the kind of guy I'm normally attracted to (not physically anyway). I was a lot more candid in my conversations with him. And I truly do mean A WHOLE LOT more candid. I was downright blunt with him. Unfiltered comments, full of bullshit and a healthy amount of roasting to the point he actually said that I was not what he was expecting at all.

Me being me, of course I questioned him about that comment. Gotta make him sweat a little. But okay, I totally get it. My photos were reasonably attractive and appeared demure yet here I was being all potty-mouthed and messaging like a bro. It was the whole "Expectation vs Reality" situation. But we could somewhat click and agreed on an incredibly impromptu meet up. 

Like, "Do you want to get dessert?" "Now?" "Yeah now" kind of thing. 

IT ALL WENT DOWNHILL FROM THERE.

Turns out he stays reasonably near, and so asked me to pick him up. 

Not that I'm super princess-y but...dude. First time meeting and I had to fetch him? That was...ballsy. I obliged. Partly because I was amused and partly because I wanted to see just how clueless a guy could get.

Although he wasn't wrong in asking me to pick him up because it was the logical thing to do. I'd have to go past his place to get to the destination anyway but...c'mon. At least not when you're going to meet a potential date for the first time? 

I hurriedly threw on some shorts and a regular t-shirt, and, booked a Grab to 2 locations. 

Upon reaching his place, I thought the wrong guy boarded the car. 

He was wearing a school-based tee. 

HELP ME.

I wanted to NOPE him out of my ride. 

I get that you're proud of your school but...really? A school tee for a first meet up? Of all the plain Uniqlo t-shirts that I'm sure you as typical Singaporean boy would have, YOU COULDN'T PICK A PLAIN TSHIRT? 为什么?? If I wanted to date a small boy, I would have set my age range from 18-24 instead of 27 and up. 

And he was...awkward. There's only so much carrying a girl can do in a real-life conversations. By the end of it, I felt like I concluded a "Show and Tell" about my life. 

Oh. Another turn off was... that he didn't know what Mascarpone was. 

Found that out by accident while we were selecting the ice-cream flavours and I selected the Mango+Mascarpone flavour. He looked at me and very genuinely asked was Mascarpone was. 

This flipped a switch in my mind that this guy was really more like a younger brother that needed to be taught rather than a partner I could learn from. Nothing against guys that don't know these things. It's just that men who are more knowledgeable automatically have their attractiveness multiplied at least tenfold to me. 

So yes. We finished up dessert, I feigned being tired and having an early start the next day and he sent me home. Although I would have much rather preferred to go home on my own. 

A while after dropping me off, he messaged to ask if we'd meet again. And I told him I felt that our chemistry online did not translate well offline. My favourite part was his reply after, asking if I could take into account the fact that he hadn't been dating for quite some time. 

Yeah. Small boy. 

Tinder fella #1: Mr Bright Car

Special mention to my supportive pals who tell me they've enjoyed my stories and can't wait for the next posts don't know whether real or not, later just say to make me happy only 😘

Of course names have been changed to protect the identity of the fella (and also to protect me, fella knows where I stay later tio whacked).

He was the first guy from Tinder that I met with. And I admit, I only swiped him for fun.

In pictures he looked alright, typical guy posing in front of his car. His BRIGHTLY coloured car. Hence the pseudonym for him, Mr Bright Car. 

He had a somewhat beng look with his dyed blonde hair in one picture. Although, I recall it had more of a yellowish tinge to it. Think of the...golden lion tamarin monkey but more washed out. REMEMBER THIS, it's important! The rest of the pictures he had dark coloured hair. And I can't explain how someone looks beng, it's just a look that that bengs have. Typical Chinese boy kind of look, had single eyelids (read: small eyes) which I think can be quite cute. Plus he had sporty-ish photos so that's always a good sign (read: has stamina).

We got to talking a little on Tinder and subsequently moved to Telegram. Conversation flowed nicely and he was actually able to keep the conversation going even when I gave crappy-ass replies. I have to give it to him for putting in effort.

Eventually we set up a date.

He suggested brunch so I chose a popular dimsum place (SC).

Hoo-boy this was where it got...amusing.

Now I'm hardly a stickler for time. The only time I'm punctual/not late is for work. For (almost) everything else, I either barely make it in time or I'm late. Bugger was late. Which wasn't really an issue but homegirl here was already late (by ~15mins if I recall correctly) and he was even later than me... Strike 1!

So I went on my merry way to queue for a table... Who knew that people also went to SC early in the day. I've always thought of it as a midnight dimsum craving kind of supper place. The weather totally didn't help. Hot, muggy and with the mask on, I really wanted to just go home and sleep the rest of my day away. Just as I was contemplating bailing (does it really count as bailing if I'm already there and he's late?), he appeared. 

MY HEART SANK. but I also thanked my lucky stars I didn't wear heels.

HE WAS VERTICALLY CHALLENGED.

I am not tall (I tower over dwarves, pixies and other faerie folk at a staggering height of 1.63m). BUT THIS FELLA WAS SHORT. No two ways about it. Strike 2,3,4,5,6,7... 

I didn't think he was tall but I also wasn't expecting him to be almost my height? Maybe just a smidge taller, 1.65cm. And I'm not even that particular about height but dang, if I wear heels, I'll tower over faerie folk AND HIM. Maybe he's confident enough but I couldn't accept it. I need to know that I can permanently be little spoon. (also if we get serious, what about the children? I'm short enough, I can't let my future offspring be teeny-tiny right? If it's a girl, it'd still be alright because who doesn't like pocket sized chicks. But if it's a boy then high likelihood of him being TINY.) 

One more thing. His hair was a funky shade of yellowish blonde??? Nth strike already. Like true to his picture. The literal bright side was that he did not edit his photos. It was too much for my visuals to take in.

So even though we could talk, it wasn't dull or awkward, and he was an absolute gentleman, helping me to take food to my plate and even cutting it for me. (Which I thought was a bit much because I can cut up my own food, but maybe other girls like that feeling? In my mind all I could think about was NOPE. Ain't gonna be meeting him after today. 

After SC I thought it was gonna be the end of it. He asked about dessert. And me being the glutton that I am, couldn't turn him down. 

I soldiered on, because 

1. There's always room for dessert.

2. I felt bad saying no in person. 

Off I went to dessert with Mr BC...in the very brightly coloured car. To say that it was attention grabbing was an understatement.

It COMMANDED attention. I felt eyes judging me as I stepped into the car. (and his non-standard blonde hair didn't help) 

Being curious, I asked him about it.

"Why'd you choose such a bright colour for your car?"

"Because I can never find my car."

My internal thoughts: Bullshit. Confirm wanna attract attention but don't want to admit. Also probably overcompensating for the height (or lack thereof). Even the hair stands out. Confirm overcompensating.

I know I'm damn horrible but at least I'm honest (here at least). 

We actually bonded over having dead mothers while having dessert. What a topic for a first meet up. And while I felt that he was interested/attracted, the lack of height just killed any sort of attraction I had towards him. Sounds incredibly superficial but I can't help that I felt that way...

To be fair though, he was really very nice throughout and he paid for everything even though I offered to split. 

After that he sent me home and subsequently asked for another meet up but... I used the good ol' "My schedule is packed" excuse and I think he got the hint. 

Sorry pal!

If he wasn't at my eye level, there probably might've been a second date at least. 

I can barely remember the details of the date so this is the best I could churn out with my foggy-ass memory. 

The almost Catfish [TINDER]

Kindly refer to the previous post before continuing. 

So I actually wanted to add in the time I was almost catfished when I was typing out the last few paragraphs of the previous post but really I lacked the stamina to continue my stories. Plus, I think I was starting to get somewhat incoherent. Although I'm not sure if catfish is truly the right word for it. Because...the guy just looked really really really REALLY different from his profile photos. 

Anyway...

Story time (before I delve into the various characters I actually met)

This happened in the wee days of swiping and so I didn't know any better. Although frankly speaking, I kinda sorta had the feeling that the fella might've been a fake profile simply because I refuse to believe such good-looking guys exist (not on the app anyway). 

His name was simply "J". Thinking back, this was clearly a red flag. Alarm bells should've gone off at this point but no, I was too taken by the photos. According to a close friend who has seen all my matches, I have a type. And this person's photos matched that type to a T. Tall, well-built, looked like a cross between 修杰楷 and Jay Park. Was there anything to not like (based on photos I mean)? 

Clearly not. 

I swiped right. 

Obviously, based on this story, we matched. And, subsequently moved the conversation to Telegram. Nothing funky about that. However, I did notice that J had a tendency to steer the conversation towards the raunchier side and was always asking about the outcome of my earlier dates. (eg; How the date went, How far did we get etc.) And whilst there wasn't anything intrinsically wrong with that, something just felt...off. 

Nevertheless, I trudged on. Because woe betide me if I let such a looker slip through. Cannot 對不起自己! Eventually we set up a meeting and... A day or so before we were scheduled to meet, something in my gut kept nagging at me. I had to take action. 

I asked him to send a video message over Telegram. 

Now, there's really only a couple of ways this could've gone. 

1. He looked exactly like his photos and I'll be this giddy little girl thanking all the different gods for blessing me with such a catch. 

2. He'll send a dick vid...which would've been nasty. But I guess I could've judged his pecker before deciding if I was still interested in meeting up. 

3. He looked nothing like his photos and my gut was right.

The outcome was #3 big surprise there (I'm being sarcastic).

Truly the most fantastical part of that entire incident was that J was still so willing and almost confident to send a video message over. Like how? I really don't understand how or where he got the confidence to essentially send me evidence that he indeed looked nothing like his photos. 

The video he sent over wasn't too bad in all honesty. He looked...alright, but just not what I had thought I was working with. It was the fact that he appeared almost cocky and smirking in the video that just completely threw me off. That, and that the face shape was way off. 

If I could, I would post pictures here. But I'm not trying to court trouble so...I'll have to do my best with my descriptors. 

It was like he used MTXX and changed his entire jawline. What looked like a nice masculine jawline in the photos became...non-existent. AND THE NOSE. It was basically like the face belonged to someone else. 

In hindsight, I now wished I asked for pictures of his body just to see exactly how different he'd turn out to be. 

Instead, after receiving his video message.

I replied "LOL, no." 

Blocked him on Telegram and promptly unmatched him on Tinder. 

Of course I also took screenshots of his profile photos and screen recorded the video message to circulate to my close friends.

Truly interesting times on Tinder.

Also I learnt my lesson and now straight up ask guys if they look like their actual photos before arranging a meet up. 

Plus this incident always makes for a good story with other first dates. 

So, thanks J! 

Of navigating online dating [TINDER]

Plucky ol' me decided to give dating apps Tinder a 2nd shot and this is/was(?) my...experience.

For some context, I was bored and single. Though not desperately single, I just wanted to get in on the action of swiping and needed an ego boost. So I registered for a new Tinder account (I was on it like 2 years ago and then promptly got attached a month later to someone from work)...so barely any time to fully explore the...inner workings of the app intricacies of online dating then. This time I was determined to have my fun. 

After all, it is Tinder. Notorious for being a hook up/ONS app but hey, if there are those who have gotten hitched to their Tinder matches, perhaps my Mr Right was also on the app furiously swiping away till he matches me. 

Armed with my trusty phone, loads of free time (thanks Covid) and a heaping spoonful of salt, I set forth creating my profile. And boy was it a doozy. The balance between "I'm just here for fun" (read: SLUT) and "I'm looking for a BTO partner" (read: DESPERATE) was way too precarious. I had friends vet through my bio and give comments on my which photos I should use. Too much boob? Overly filtered? Clearly I spent way too much effort for something I didn't have much hope in. 

Eventually, I emerged with a decent enough set of photos (I even threw in one of my dog just because) and a bio with some personality. None of that "Here for a good time not a long time" nonsense. But also clear that even I was unsure of what I wanted from Tinder. Friends? Casual dates? Hopefully a pot of gold at the end of that rainbow?

Then began the semi-tedious process of swiping. I say semi-tedious only because the truly tedious part was having conversations that weren't stale. Being the visual creature that I am, I was slightly more discerning with my screening process. I tried swiping those that I found reasonably attractive with a witty enough write up in their bio... Clearly a rookie move. Turns out if they were good looking, pretty often the bios went a little like "<height>, coffee, wine, working out" or just blank. There were some that actually stood out (ie; had more than a paragraph worth of words). But those were few and far between. So I had to lower my standards and swipe literally based on whether or not I found them attractive (or if they had a cute puppy in the pictures).

I had a fairly decent number of matches. But not everyone bothered messaging. And even as a modern, pro-female empowerment all that jazz woman, I wanted the guy to make the first move. Terribly contradicting just let me be. So I only replied those that initiated the conversation. And boy, did I give them shit (if they weren't cute enough or I was just bored). There came a point in time where I'm pretty sure I might've replied things like "How often do you use that line on girls?", "inserts generic reply about having a good day". Though to give credit, some guys actually had pretty interesting opening lines so that was fun. 

Conversations. I wasn't super into the whole opening up Tinder to message portion because what if some kaypo on the MRT/bus peeks at my phone! But okay part of the whole Tinder package (although most got ported over to Telegram). AND IT WAS SO TIRING. There's only so much you can talk to strangers about and when neither of you know what you're looking for... Do you really want to tell this stranger you met on the Internet about your childhood, your hopes and dreams, your fears? Plus it gets draining because the same topics are repeated; just that your partner changes. Literally rinse and repeat. 

Eventually I met up with a couple of them (some quite a handful of times). Because at my core I think I'm still a very people-centric person and I also wanted to see how they actually carry themselves + check if I'm being catfished. 

Voila! 

(Late Sept/Oct 2020 - present day) 

Tinder boy 1: Mr Bright Car

Tinder boy 2: Le Expat in SG

Tinder boy 3: (Potterhead) Pilot

Tinder boy 4: Flakier than a croissant

Tinder boy 5: The small boy

Tinder boy 6:  Sir Works(out) Hard Party Hard

Tinder boy 7: Scrubs

There are more that I'm scheduled to meet but since this list is for those that I've already met... Perhaps I ought to do a short writeup on each character. 

But that's all for today's musings. I've realised how much I've missed writing so perhaps this time I'll actually bother to follow through on my Tinder escapades.

Quick Update

So I've finally remembered about this ol' blog of mine and since my body clock is feeling wonky I guess I'll post something. I actually wanted to continue posting my NUS module recaps but I think I cannot for the life of me remember what I've learned maybe can only give useless remarks for stats mods. Except for my language mods because BLESS knowing basic Thai and French have semi-saved me during work/when overseas.

Everything job-wise has been pretty smooth thus far /omg what if I'm jinxing it/ the same can't be said for matters at home though :(

Work has taken me to many places; some I've visited prior to joining the company, others brand new. I've also learnt a great deal about being comfortable with being alone (especially when I'm not in SG and I wanna head out to explore).

That being said, I was kinda bummed when I saw my schedule for Feb cos I would be away for CNY it might be the mothers' last CNY  . I thought it'd be okay to just continue the celebrations after I get back from the trip but... :( It seems like everyone has moved on already? It's all "been there done that" for almost everyone around me and I'm the only one still stuck in the CNY festive mood (cos I totally missed out on the dong dong qiang and CNY songs LOL)

Oh wellz. In other news the bf and I recently applied for BTO so we're keeping our fingers crossed that we get it!

I've also been toying around with the idea that I should begin documenting my travels/food since I'm overseas all the time? This way can trial and error + share with whoever managed to stumble upon this platform of mine. ya i think it's a good idea okay I'll start with my next trip.

JAPAN TOKYO

stay tuned

Free Milo Peng

I've still got a couple more module reviews + SQ related posts sitting in my drafts folder but since this just happened today and I'm too lazy to do the post about Cambodia, I shall recount my Milo queuing experience. 

'Twas ...conflicting...

The sister and I saw this post on FB last night and decided to go for it because free Milo (and I LOVE Milo; everyday must drink at least once) + both very eng.

The sister (henceforth S) woke me up at the crack of dawn  8am so we could get ready and hopefully reach Tampines Mall at 9am. Managed to reach TM at 9am but they were still setting up + we didn't see any queues. So off we went to get macs breakfast (such typical Singaporean youth).

We finished our macs pretty fast (no prizes for guessing what drink I chose). Purposely kopped a seat where we could see the queue (near the glass/ Yoogane)... or so we thought. S was like some kan chiong spider and after we finished the food (like 20mins max) she wanted to go see the queue and made me leave my lovely air-conditioned seat at macs but the queue area was weirdly empty?? 

I mean, this is Singapore, land of the kiasu where queuing is a national past-time and anything free confirm + chop will have the aunties and uncles braving our massive 30℃ heatwave for hours to get the goods. In hindsight maybe we were inexperienced queue-ers, two young uns navigating the cruel kiasu world of freebie grubbing. 

Anyway, we didn't realise anything was wrong (yet), so we STOOD around TM entrance waiting for someone to queue first because paiseh mah, didn't want to be the first to queue but still want the goody bag. #typical

It wasn't till around 9.45am when a group of young people happened to stand near us and I kaypoh-ly overheard that the queue for the Milo was incredibly long.

👀👀👀👀

SAY WHAT??????

I looked up at the Milo booth they had set up, THERE WAS NO ONE WHAT. Nevermind, I decided to walk out and as I turned the corner (with a bewildered and not as kaypoh S trailing behind me) 他妈的 THE QUEUE LONG UNTIL CANNOT LIAO LOR 

We begrudgingly joined the queue and all S could do was laugh. This one is really 哭笑不得 lor 😪 Reach so early end up queue still so long.

So for those who know the TM area, the queue started slightly behind the Newstand (the one in front of the traffic light), reached the carpark entrance of Century Square and turned into a U-shape so it was LONG ASF. When we joined the queue it was like a 3/4 U but after awhile it blossomed into a full U. 

As I was complaining to S about the lack of signage displaying where the queue was and being generally pekcek with my inability to secure the goody bag. 老娘七早八早醒来去淡滨泥就是为了拿赠品好吗？😤 S was busy fiddling with her phone and complaining about the heat. 

(Apparently people started queuing as early at 7am wtf and by 九点五分/九点五个字, Milo rep couldn't get her story straight, all the goodybags were spoken for 😓)

Thankfully Milo had sent representatives to give us updates on when the queue would be moving (they officially start giving out at 10am) and for the lucky ones who had the number (for goodybags!!) to hold on to their numbers as goodybags are limited. Only complaint is that the rep's voice was too chipper; like to the point of being annoying, but thats her job, to be nice to potential customers so bo pian.

Queuing in front of us were a couple of aunties (1 slightly younger one) and thank goodness for them. I love how aunties really 敢讲 and dare to complain LOL. 

Keeping in mind that it was really hot, almost mid-day Singapore sun with no aircon/fan, naturally everyone in the queue was hot, sweaty and angsty. So when this poor representative (NP) came to my section of the queue at about 9.59am to announce that they are starting to give out the free Milo, everyone was happy. 

All can finally get out of the heat and I think the older aunties were also a lil' confused about goody bag what 100 people etc, so they just wanted the Milo.

10.10am: Still standing in the same place, queue didn't move...

I casually (and loudly) remarked to S that 10 minutes had passed but the queue didn't seem to have moved. S joked that they were giving out the goody bags prize-presentation style LOL #foreshadow

Then poor NP came and again announced that they were starting to give out Milo now...poor NP because, poor girl didn't realise the aunties in front were getting du lan of queuing + heat makes people angsty. 

The aunty basically told her off nicely, saying that 10 minutes had passed and she had hardly moved when previously NP said that they were already starting. She knew she and the rest around her were not eligible to get the goody bag and just wanted her Milo Peng bottle.

HOOOBOY.

NP apologised (because what else can she do?) and said she'd check. 

S and I being very 贱 said maybe they really were giving the bottles out like they were prizes, must shake hand and take picture LOL. And also joked that NP ain't gonna come back to our area liao and  added a lot of 风凉话 saying they should just bring a carton over and we'd take and leave, or they should just hand it out to passer-bys as they walked past the Milo booth instead of making us queue and wait 😞

Shortly after (less than 5 mins; power of complaining) the queue started moving and NP came back and apologised again for the delay. (Props to her🙌) 

That was when we saw.. 

the Milo "booth" was just a decorated queuing area with fans. /faints/ 

But at least we were moving forward so all's good.

AND THEN WE SAW HOW THEY WERE HANDING OUT THE MILO BOTTLES.

😂😂😂😂😂😂

It was almost like a prize presentation!!! Must individually go up to obtain an OPENED bottle of Milo Peng.... S had something on in the afternoon and was intending to use the bottle as her water bottle after and she realised that everyone who already got the Milo didn't seem to get the cap back???

When it was our turn she asked the girl ushering if she could have the bottle cap back but the girl said no, she asked why not but the girl didn't know and said it was Milo protocol 😕

OOOOOHKAY...so we decided not to pursue with more questions and gratefully took our bottles of opened + capless Milo Peng. Thankfully the Milo was COLD. According to S not cold enough but chilled lah. 

After walking away S 越想越不甘心 that she didn't get her bottle cap. (She deliberately didn't bring her bottle along because she thought she could re-use the Milo bottle). So we walked back and decided to approach someone who seemed more "senior" about the bottle caps. As we were walking we discussed the plausible reasons for the curious protocol of giving bottles but not the cap.

Here's what we came up with: 

1. Recycling purposes

To help reduce plastic waste, it was possible that the bottle caps were being collected to be recycled. But if that were the case it'd make more sense to simply place a recycling bin near the Milo area so that they could collect the bottles after drinking to recycle too right? And there were no designated Milo bottle bins so...I guess not?

2. Re-use bottle caps

S postulated that maybe they were keeping the bottle caps to be reused for future Milo Peng bottles but...then shouldn't they also do the same for the bottles (see point above)

3. Top-secret company policy about bottle caps

....?????

Walked back to the booth and S walked right up the the announcer guy and asked about the bottle cap, and he explained that it was to prevent re-sellers from getting the bottles of Milo Peng and selling them at a higher price.

OH.Okay, understood.

BUT

IF THEY ALREADY OPEN HOW TO RE-SELL THE BOTTLES???? 

Plus I think most people take a swig of the drink so...? 

I then asked but what if I drank my drink halfway and couldn't finish? His response...

"Throw away lor." 

A bit taken aback but errr okay can. S then asked if they wanted back the bottles since she'd already finished hers (I was still drinking mine). He replied nicely that they were only keeping the caps so S jokingly asked if he'd dispose of the bottle for her and he agreed. 

We walked away and S was very happy that she got rid of the bottle because she knew the area around the booth hardly had trash bins. Her logic being since she now had to spend 30-50¢ purchasing bottled water, might as well make them/Milo work. Petty sia 😂

Taste

Milo Peng is claimed to taste like the Milo from Milo trucks (the ones that always appear during school sports days). CLAIMED AH. 

My Milo rating is like this:

Randomly made Milo < Homemade Milo < FASS Milo < Milo from Macs < Milo from Milo truck

The Milo Peng is just after randomly made Milo. In all honesty I thought it tastes too milky??? The taste kind of reminded me of Magnolia Chocolate milk, which is not what I was expecting. 

As S and I were leaving TM level 2, I was drinking my Milo Peng with the bottle and happened to lock eyes with an auntie who was also drinking her Milo Peng bottle with a quizzical expression as she drank it. She probably also thought it was an unexpected taste for Milo and we both laughed at each other as she asked me 好喝吗 from across the pathway. I gave her a somewhat forced smile and said it was probably and acquired taste as we passed each other. 

So I guess I wasn't the only one who found the taste of Milo Peng interesting 💁

p/s found out what was in the goody bag. S's friend reached super early and got a goody bag. 

1l full cream milk, 1 Milo van, 6 bottles of Milo Peng, 6 cans of Milo & 1 packet of 3-in-1 Milo.

Probably somewhat thankful we didn't get the goody bag because WAH CFM HEAVY LOR. Must lug it back to Pasir Ris somemore.

So yes, free Milo Peng made me happy but the journey to free Milo Peng and after tasting it left me perplexed.

Recap of life (aka modules taken) in NUS (part 3)

Year 2 Sem 1

ES1541 (Ms Shantina)

Compulsory module for all Science students, especially if you're intending to go for overseas exchange (SEP etc). If you don't like writing then this mod super suck thumb, had a total of 3 essay assignments to submit + SO MANY PRESENTATIONS. Presentations weren't as formal as GEM2027 (Intro to Public Speaking) but dress decently; no flipflops, berms etc on presentation days. 

There were a couple of books to read (you CAN get by NOT reading them, just don't expect to score participation points for it unless you've got a lot of scientific general knowledge stored in your brain), I stupidly bought one of the books since the final essay we were supposed to write should be based on an issue in the book, total waste of my money because it was super tough to even pinpoint 1 scientific breakthrough from the book 😪 Ended up writing my essay on something that the book touched on (like one line LOL) and my essay was accepted. 

Some of the readings were pretty interesting, like the numbers and their applicability to safe guarding our online transactions etc. 

Definitely prepare well for your personal presentation, super important. And please don't voice out opinions for the sake of getting the class participation marks, thought-provoking questions or clearing doubts are fine, but merely repeating the content covered and disguising them as questions is just..😬annoying.

PRO-TIP: If you think your standard of english isn't that good (but not bad enough to have to take the bridging mod), take ES in Sem 2. Logic being all those with better english would have taken in Sem 1 since they don't have to take the bridging mod so if you take it in Sem 2 you'll be "fighting" with those who can't grasp English as well. 

Grade: A-

MA2311 (Leung Man Chun)

This prof was adorable. His class, not so much. It was a compulsory stats mod so...urgh. Attended all his lectures but didn't really pay attention. I was more like...everytime he started writing I'd also write down note but without understanding it. I do remember that he'd always enter the LT with a coffeebean cup in hand, like every single lecture without fail LOL. I was almost tempted to ambush him with coffeebean so that I'd pass the mod. 

Friends are everything because god knows how much I relied on my friends to help me. 

Grade: C+

PC1327 (Prof Benard Tan)

I only took this module because I heard it was "easy" and to clear my faculty requirement. Content-wise it was easy peasy (if you do the practices etc). Bell-curve though, that's the one to watch out for. I skipped most lectures because the prof was super monotonous; the notes were good enough, but I'd recommend this mod for those with musical background. Because one of the assignments (like 20%) was to create your own musical composition lasting about 30secs using one of the software the prof will teach (like basics only, or you can use whichever software you're already comfortable with). 

There was also some review of a musical performance which I cheapo went to google for the schedules of free performances and attended one of those. The mid-term tests and final paper basically tested how fast you could do the calculations. As long as you did the pyp you'll be fine. The format is exactly the same, questions only changed  a couple of numbers/notes, but overall concept was the same. Like all the qn 6 would be on a certain topic etc, you get what I mean. 

I think the musical composition and review pulled me up because my midterms was terrible (didn't fail but terrible nonetheless) and I think I did average for finals. Don't forget to attend tutorials because attendance marks 😂

Grade: B

ST2132 (???)

I thought that doing decently for ST2131 would have some sort of help...I was wrong. But okay maybe if you got like A's for it then ya. But nope, B didn't do much to help with 2132. 

The first few chapters was essentially a rehash of ST2131, the later chapters were...difficult. Don't remember anything else LOL I think I actually remember more about my non-core mods than core mods. 

Grade: C

ST2137 (Dr Lim Chingway)

Basic R, SAS and SPSS is taught. SAS and SPSS is pretty easy (SPSS is the easiest, just explore the buttons and can figure out already). Everyone did crazy well for mid-terms median was like 45/50? so be prepared. 

Lectures were pretty manageable + be familiar with the softwares, (SAS & SPSS) can get it from seniors (if you know who to ask) and install it on your com so you won't have to keep going to the lab to do your work. R is free so just download and use. It'll be good to be build a good R foundation as it is super helpful for other 3000 stats mods. 

Grade: B-

Clearly I can recall info from non-core mods better since I didn't really enjoy doing stats. I'm sorry if you came here for legit module reviews on stats mods LOL but judging from my results can tell that I'm not gonna give proper reviews about stats mods lah.