Bursting at the Seams

This is a story about over-capacity.

Just because we can attract more students, doesn't mean we should.

But then again, I am not business-minded. What do I know?

I will just go on economics. 

The world (and the university) has limited resources.

That is why public universities have a quota.

So that the lecturers and their resources are not overwhelmed,

and they can do a decent job in producing graduates.

We on the other hand takes in any number, even 1.

Or 500, or 3674, or 50,001. No one gets turned down, 

because we provide HE education opportunities to deserving parties.

So while our counterparts in Europe and the Americas are returning home refreshed from their summer holidays, and the public unis from their semester breaks... we are still soldering on without a break since January. Well we did have the compulsory celebration breaks like Hari Raya well they're much welcome, but not quite the same as summer holidays or proper semester breaks.

Asia has always been the continent of workers, so work we shall.

There is no point saying anything to the management, because I know the answers:

- the metaphorical "you can get off the ship, or you can stay on it"

- we pay competitive salary

- we are getting more staff and part timers to cover the teaching load

- it is our business model and we won't ever change

So what is the point of even asking? Just accept it and move along. Put your complaints in the complaints box. So long as it is not a complaint about the number of intakes we have in a year, or your workload, or your timetable, we're good.

On a Trajectory

At the rate I'm going I probably would be thin in the next 3 months.

Due to a high cholesterol reading received on Tuesday, I have started making immediate changes to our diet (children were unwittingly roped in). Hubby later, he has not received the memo yet but then again he has always had his own mind so I won't preach to the non-converted.

Now that these choices are in my conscious mind, there are a lot of things that we shouldn't eat (or shouldn't eat often, if you're more liberal). Anything bleached are out: white rice, white flour, white sugar. Almost all things sweet are out: sweet fruits like mangoes, mangosteens, durians; cakes and cookies; sweet drinks; kuih muih. We are avoiding the bad fats/ oils: banana fritters, fried chicken, nasi lemak, masak lemak everything. No eating of unhealthy and processed foods: hotdogs, innards, fishballs.

So far what have we eaten?

Yesterday I cooked rice noodle soup. Still used the white vermicelli & some fishballs, but felt a bit better because 80% of the other ingredients were vege/ fibre and healthy. No oil was used.

Today I will do mushroom chicken (boiled, no oil) & stir fried cabbage (with corn oil). We'll eat this with white rice. Still some whiteness present, but we'll slowly move towards brown rice. I am not one to waste, because we have recently bought a 10kg pack for the month.

Other than that, I will need to purchase more veges and fruits... and healthy nuts... 

Next step: please get off your behind and do some exercises!

This is not a game

Students are now acting clever and submitting chatgpt answers that are nonsensical.

The problem is, they haven't mastered the subject matter. So, rubbish comes out.

Rubbish gets submitted to me. And rubbish gets marked.

What is the way to cope?

Let's calm down and see how this plays out.

However don't hold your breath till then.

The Show Must Go On

I think the work of a teacher may not be relevant for that much longer. 

Neither will a university for that matter.

TVET may still be good. Let kids work with their hands. Tactile learning.

Book smarts will soon be overrated.

It probably already is.

With ChatGPT and friends' presence.

And the mindless rubbish we see online.

What will happen to children of the future?

Will they be mindless drones without original thought?

Because AI has all the answers

Or will we be super smart, due to the knowledge we have access to...

I think it's the former.

Compare my generation and my parents.

They were smarter and much more skilled in surviving. In adulting.

I am quite hopeless. My children more so.

Adulting is hard. I'm not sure I know how to do it properly.

[Does anyone?]

Btw this post is human written.

I declare that it is true.

Ask me anything about it and I will be able to tell you.

The context, the examples, the feelings.

Not like my FYP student just now.

Whatever questions we asked her,

she replied with "It's all in the report Miss"

Now, WHERE HAVE I HEARD THAT BEFORE???

To the willing AI slaves of the world

Mindless and thoughtless

I wish one day you will wake up and realise

That you have become irrelevant

OR you could have a flash of brilliance

and use AI for your good

and earn tons of money from the venture

and you can come back to me and say

"Look Miss, I am now successful"

(despite not passing my FYP)

However the likelihood of that is pretty slim

Seeing how lost you were

You will be likely lost for another 10-20 years of your life

Good luck

You will need it

So, enough ranting and rambling

I have said my peace for today

I wish I had the brilliance of prose like Tennyson

but I don't

So here is my product

Take it or leave it

None of us will be any wiser

BUT I would have felt better

I was glad I didn't lash out at reprimand that AI student

She was already anxious (as she said)

Like a well planned script

"Remember, if there are too many questions...

feign mental health issues!"

Bloody !@#$%^&*()