In Response to...

After reading SMK's posts on his view of uni education I felt very motivated to reply. University education appears to be no different from the rest of what we have been through in that everything boils down to how well you are able to answer a sequence of questions in a limited time frame. Yes there are modules that grade you entirely on project/team effort and what-not but I can safely assume that the majority of your credits in university is coming out of the classic mugging materials. CSQ says he studies for the knowledge and I'm pretty certain that many, if not all, of us can at least claim that as well but it is obvious that knowledge will not feed you like a degree can.

The following is a recipe for success that you can recommend to younger relatives or friends:
1) Understand what is required for the final exam and graded tests and prepare exclusively for them
2) Attend non-compulsory classes/labs/etc. only if they give marks or tips for exams
3) Join the highest profile organisation in school and run for a committee post if possible (council,student union,etc)
4) Join as many CCAs and external activities(CIP,volunteer work,etc) as you can and attend enough to not be kicked out using previous point as excuse for poor attendance
5) Study and practice a lot of public speaking and persuasion (logic skills not required)

Results:
1) Perfect or near perfect results for exams (AAAB can qualify for President Scholar already so perfection not necessary)
2) Helps previous point and might save you from being expelled
3) Clear indicator of leadership quality, ability to work in groups and a whole slew of other good traits
4) Clear indicator of work-life balance and contribution to society
5) Trump card: ability to cover up for all the other points if they are less than perfect and an essential skill for all high-profile posts in society

Interest, logic or the ability to think is clearly not necessary for the above except for even more bragging rights. My opinion of "chao mugger" is linked directly to the point (1) of exclusive devotion to grades for graded assessments. I believe SMK is referring to them because these are the people that can happily ignore everything except for studying to score for exams. In this regard it is probably quite safe to say that 4O does not qualify in that class since our best muggers are basically just being hardworking and taking the effort to absorb everything that is being taught. Although WZ says that it is a derogatory term, I think we can all agree that 4O is famous for insulting and spewing vulgarities about everyone including their friends, relatives, ancestors,etc. so you can see the "mugger" label as just one more of the many insults then it really isn't anything to be concerned with.

I would say that if SMK or Edsoon don't know what they want then it is their own damn business and that there is absolutely nothing wrong in that. If anyone already has a clearly defined path in life at this point then he is either devoted or delusional. All the "life" we have been through has virtually nothing to do with what lies ahead after graduation so if you clearly know what you want already then I can only say congratulations on following what you think is the best.

About the issue of flair and natural talent, all I can say is LIFE IS UNFAIR. The best example I can think of is Nikola Tesla (google or find the biography in NLB Central Library) who was one of the greatest geniuses in history. Most people claim that Edison was a great inventor and Marconi invented the radio but who knows that Edison was basically leeching off the work of the talents he hired and Marconi stole the radio patents from Tesla? The effects of Tesla's ideas and inventions have changed the entire world but he lived in poverty most of his life and is largely forgotten. An interesting quote: "a bizarre concept called democracy, in which ruling power is given to whoever is most skillful at directing the herd instincts of the largest masses of their most ignorant citizens". This can be applied from governments all the way down to schools, committees and groups and it shows that we can forget about meritocracy and the concept of fairness.

If anyone actually knows or cares, the only reason I return back to Hwa Chong regularly for wushu is because it is there that I can find people who are truely devoted to a common interest. Being able to influence the future batch of undergraduates is a bonus. After all the politicking and backstabbing in NS and university, it is refreshing to return to the simplicity and naivety of school where I can actually help others because we sincerely share a common cause. It is strange that after amassing a gigantic memory of esoteric knowledge and developing an intellect that can critically assess the world in an objective fashion, the only real pleasures I can find are enjoying nature in long solo walks and helping others in something as insignificant as a two year CCA.

To all those complaints about me kaobeh-ing in .a and haolian-ing in NUS, I can only say that I am exercising my freedom of expression. If you all want to screw around and mess up a game, then by all means do so IF you can win. Nowadays I only have cause to complain in the most mindbogglingly idiotic situations where a perfectly fine game is ruined because my teammates wish to "have fun". Everyone has the right to decide what they want but if your right infringes upon MY right which is playing to my best ability to win, then don't be surprised if I declare that we will lose because you all just handed them the victory by being stupid. The NUS situation is much simpler to explain. I am going to be direct in proclaiming that most NUS students are morons. Our almighty education system is remarkably efficient in producing machines, a fact that I have constantly observed and declared in CTW classes. If they only want to attend school so that they can get tips for exams and select modules that grant the best chance of 5.0 scores, then spend their time for their own stuff and mugging to pass the all-important exams, I must look down on them.

Should I be concerned that I have the worst CAP score in 4O because I can proudly say that I refuse to study at all and depend entirely on my understanding of the subject matters? No, I don't care because I am retaining the distinct purity of essence which is the only gem in the cesspool of university education. If I succumb to temptation and mug for better grades, I will lose this last link and I can safely discard all my lofty ideals and be termed as a "normal" in the mediocrity of NUS. My only other consolation is that I predict that higher level modules will destroy these "normals" that depend on their mugging to compensate for the lack of coherent thought.

I trudge forward wearily, bearing the enormous load that is my sense of honour and responsibility and hoping that tomorrow will not mark the end of the road.