Hmm

Peculiar circumstances lead to uncommon thoughts. I was wondering today what would happen if the swine flu outbreak had occured sooner, and if it were so severe exams are cancelled. I wonder what action the school would take. At a glance, there are two possible scenarios: (A) award final grades based on midterms/essays/one's cumulative assignment grade, or (B) null all grades for CAP calculation, but still award module credits for those who display a satisfactory performance before the final exams (eg. attended most tutorials, got a C and above for assignments).

I think (B) would be fairer for students as a whole. I don't think it's justified to extrapolate one's midterm or CA grade to the final grade, for various reasons. For one, students who have a poor midterm or CA grade may not have gotten so because of laziness or other personal inadequacies. They could have tried new approaches to essays, presentations, they could have been taken unaware by the kind of questions certain teachers like to set, their projects could have been adversely affected by team mates, and so on. Even if they were deliberately lazy for the midterms or assignments, they should only be punished in proportion to the percentage stipulated right from the start, for their very laziness could be due to the knowledge that this or that particular assignment is only 20%. If it were established that midterms would be 80%, I'm pretty certain they would display a relatively hardworking attitude even if they are very lazy students. Another way of looking at the issue is that no student should get an A as a final grade even if he or she got an A for 30% or 40% of the course. Same goes for the worst grades.

Just some random and completely useless thoughts, as usual.

Propaganda time

Click on me 1

Click on me 2.

Un Sospiro

A textbook I was reading cited the following argument:

Nobody who really appreciates Beethoven fails to keep silence while the Moonlight Sonata is being played. Guinea pigs are hopelessly ignorant of music. No one who is hopelessly ignorant of music ever keeps silence while the Moonlight Sonata is being played. Therefore guinea pigs never really appreciate Beethoven.

Intrigued as to whether I am guinea pig, a person who is hopelessly ignorant of music, or a person who will be totally paralyzed by the Moonlight Sonata, I got myself the piece and some others. I wasn't too awestruck when I first listened to it. On further listening I must say the first movement of the piece is quite persuasive in keeping me quiet. But I don't like the other movements. In fact, I detest them. You can get a quick listen here.

Now, I am a layman when it comes to musical critique. So pardon me if the following sounds like what a guinea pig might think after being fed a dose of nourishment for the soul. The observation I have for classical music, especially the so-called masterpieces, is that they tend to lapse into quite complex phases. These complex phases usually consist of dramatic notes or a series of them played in very rapid fashion. For example, refer to the third movement of the Moonlight Sonata. I use the term lapse because I don't like those complex phases. They sound pretty chaotic to me, and detract from the elegance of the melody that was previously being played. The loudest applause tends to be reserved for such complex phases, and surely they must be striking in their technical aspects, but when it comes to simple enjoyment I will take the first movement over the third any time.

In getting the Beethoven piece I got some others as well. Un Sospiro by Liszt not bad. The Wikipedia entry mentioned something about playing with crossed hands. Intrigued, I took a look at a youtube video. The music is nice and I think the way the hands move is visually appealing. But notice at 1:24 it lapses. It may be a sign of technical mastery, of musical creativity, but I wonder why these pieces always have to have these complex moments. I prefer the simple melody at the start. You will need to up your volume for this.



There's also a little girl version where you can see the hands better but I don't like the way her body moves so much.

Haha

I want to play catching

In Red Thread today (that's a local English drama), the lead actor was saying he has cortical blindness, "which according to Wikipedia, means...". I thought that was pretty funny. Local productions really should let loose sometimes.

I remember when I was in primary school I used to play some game called police and thieves during recess every day. The thieves would have to run around a basketball court, which has a white-colored ground for some reason, and the police would have to go around catching them in putting them in jail. I remember there's this fellow who can run super fast, and he was quite a big fellow, and till today I still have this vague sense of fear whenever I think of him. Anyway, I remember running in zig-zag fashion when I'm being chased by him, so that whenever he is about to touch me I would make an abrupt turn. It doesn't work when I am the chaser, which is probably why, back then, I preferred being the thief that had to be chased.

I suspect so

Here I am, listening to music and drinking some iced milo mixed with fresh and carnation milk. I like that mixture. Why? I'm not sure. The milk takes away some of the milo taste but adds a smoother texture, I think I just like it because I feel unique doing it.

I'm waiting to do an essay now. I hate the weather. Waiting for what? I'm not sure. I dislike writing when I've got no much inspiration, I think I will just go back to drinking my drink.

The fan's blowing at me. Sometimes I wonder if we would be able to come up with much better thoughts if we have the 4 seasons.

A matter of fundamental sounds

In one of his letters to Alan Schneider, Beckett writes:

I feel the only line is to refuse to be involved in exegesis of any kind. And to insist on the extreme simplicity of dramatic situation and issue. If that's not enough for them, and it obviously isn't, it's plenty for us, and we have no elucidations to offer of mysteries that are all of their own making. My work is a matter of fundamental sounds (no joke intended) made as fully as possible, and I accept responsibility for nothing else. If people have headaches among the overtones, let them. And let them provide their own aspirin...

The point to remember is that, with or without exegesis, Beckett is great fun. The danger is that if we overinterpret we're liable to miss all the fun. For Beckett is one of the very few writers I have ever read who makes me laugh aloud, on almost every page, from work to work. That the laughter sometimes dies in the throat, that tears can well in close conjunction, is but further measure of his greatness.

- Richard Seaver, I Can't Go On, I'll Go On

Now and before

I realise that a portable mp3 player works best on bus journeys that are long, quiet and cold. Having no one seated next to you also helps so you can look out, or lean against, the window in a comfortable position.

I saw a group of school children running for the bus today. Somehow that reminded me of my younger schooling days when groups of uniformed students would be strolling out the school gates invariably making a lot of noise, and invariably running and making more noise when the bus they intend to board is approaching from a distance. I would think that no childhood is complete without participating in such a scene.