one week more to my final exam and i haven't studied a bit! well, not totally my fault. most of the lecturers schedule our presentations to the last minute, and we had to prepare for them. and yesterday i went through a lot of trouble just to get myself unbarred from taking exam and doing the course registration for next semester. i got barred because i didn't settle my pre-U tuition fees which is supposed to be covered by the PTPTN loan (which i haven't got). it really makes me wonder how the MMU staffs are doing things. when i first enter the university, they didn't insist me to do medical check up. they just say it half-heartedly so i thought no need-lah. after one year at the university, they want it or else i won't be offered the stupid loan for pre-U (alpha) that they came up with after PTPTN changed their policy to not allow pre-U students to get a PTPTN loan. they told me i don't have to do a xray but the doctor insisted to avoid any future complications that might arise. so i had to get my ass to the hospital to xray my chest, wait for the xray to be processed and go back to campus to see the doctor. and then i had to fill another form (guarantor form, to make sure i can pay my tuition fees)in which i had to drive a short journey to meet up with my dad at a certain primary school and get him to sign the form. the thing is, there has to be a witness the witness must be a headmaster or a grade A officer from the civil service. luckily my dad was with a few other headmasters and it's just a matter of time before it was completed and i have to drive back to the campus for the third time to hand in the stupid forms. and then i have to queue up to show one finance officer the offer letter of the loan to get myself unbarred. and they call this a MULTIMEDIA UNIVERSITY where computers were supposed to speed things up and make our lives easier. *grunts*

here's an email i found while cleaning my mailbox. quite funny to me, but you must understand Hokkien to be able to enjoy it:

Test your Hokkien skills.:)
GCE 'O' levels Hokkien Exam

Testing of your Hokkien skills!! Just got this from
my Ah Beng and Ah Lian friends in Southpoint and I can't stop laughing.

Intructions
1.Read the passage carefully
2.Grade yourself with the grading system at the end of the passage after reading
3.Not that difficult, chin chai do lah

Section A: Orrler Exeminetion (60 marks)
Singalella why become rich

Koo zhar we chee ay char bor kia, Singalella. She
got two sisters, but the stepmarder hor, and the sisters hor, all damn
kuai-lan, so she quite zhia-lat oso. Last time Singalella got own maid,
but now she become the amah. Everyday must cook lah, clean lah, rub lah, massage lah, blow also simi sai mah pao-kah-liao. If her sisters say liak kar zhuak, she liak.

Tak jit zho kah tau-hin. CPF poon boh. Then no new shares oso No money to contribute S$50 ... cannot go out to bank also. But then, kay piak eh ah-pek got one son call Ah Ming got party. So he say, "oeh, long chong kee ah." Singalella very happy because she never go party before but then her marder say, 'lee mana eh-sai kee, this one bahru your sisters wu standard.

Then Singalella must zho sui-sui for her sisters and marder. Tap pai how, buay koon and buay pang-sai. That night she only can wave bye bye and then she go back to the kitchen and cook Maggimee. Her neighbour came over and ask, 'Eh, an-zhua boh kee party?' So Singalella kong, 'I-wan, lau bu kong buay-sai, so boh pian.' She never expect but her neighbour say,' Aiyah, kee lah, I give you money.' So Singalella brush teef and zhang-zhui, chen-kor, after that look very different. She quickly run to opposite of the beh-chia-lor, already 11 o'clock at night olredi. At the party, Ah Ming also quite shien because the char bor all buay sui one. Dance floor even got one Ah Pek dancing. Just as Ah Ming told himself, 'Aiyah see-pay zhia-lat' Singalella came in.

Ah Ming straight away lau nuar. 'Wah-lau eh, see-pay heng ah, chee kor buay pai.' Ah Ming say to Singalella, 'eh, sui eh, wah ai kah lee zho flen!'

Singalella say Ok but Ah Ming like octopus, touch here touch there, but then just it was 12 o'clock one Ah Pek die on the dance floor. He become ghost and tell Singalella all the good 4D number. So after that, Singalella quickly go and buy 4D, and then tiok tau-pio, zhit-pak ban. So she pay back the kay-piak eh lau-kay-poh and then kah kee cho sen-lee. Simi kuan eh sen-lee wah mana eh zhai.

GRADES: Gauge Your Command of Hokkien

A1. Can understand the story and pronounce Hokkien
correctly: Hokkien eh sai, bo beh zhao.

A2. Can understand half story and/ or cannot
pronounce Hokkien properly-zhia lat

E8. Don't understand story and/ or catch no ball?
leow leow, mai ka lang kong you is Hokkien Singabolean

F9. Don't understand rating - kee see lah, wah mana
leh zhai lee kong simi?
Ah see lee bah lu gia A2, mian kee gia ritten
exemanation.