School of Interdisciplinary Studies

The best way to predict the future is to invent it.
Alan Kay

I've been prodding myself into working on Bridge for a while (by now I'm going to have to tell the truth about my laziness to Ms Z so that she doesn't expect a novel or a masterpiece). I've noticed that I've had more problems stopping than starting. When I really get into a story, or even into my homework, I can really latch on. Sometimes I can even focus properly. But I never do the things that I need to do because I'm always dipping into something else; I tell myself it's just for a little while, but of course it isn't. I was gonna build up to something that disproved my procrastination, but huh. I guess I am a procrastinating faggot after all.

The last two days I've managed to force myself into the basement in the latter part of the afternoons. Half a cup of coffee in the late morning, half a cup mid-afternoon. The first cup always goes to waste. To help myself wake up (the past few weeks I've been waking up at 10), I play some GunZ/TF2 right after the coffee. But of course I find problems stopping. Then there's GZF, ubercharged, Facebook, TVtropes... ARGH TVtropes.

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Today I got in some good shit. You'll see it this weekend. Anyway, although I want to start sleeping earlier again, I'm online now, because I'm giving the Fedac time to work. (Fedac's a suppressant for my nose that also makes me drowsy). I'm looking at Ngee Ann's Interdisciplinary Studies. I figure that after a while pwning noobs at filmmaking might get boring (look at me, I'm making empty promises again).

Sports & Wellness This module helps you to learn a sport as a recreational activity to keep you fit and healthy. Team building and collaboration skills are developed as you network with other students. There are a total of 19 sports electives to choose from: Aerobics, Badminton, Basketball, Cheerleading, Dance Movement, Dancesport, Flag Football, Hip Hop, Life Saving / Swimming, Netball, Orienteering, Street soccer, Soccer, Softball, Tennis, Touch Rugby, Volleyball, Wellness Programme and Yoga.

I want Parkour, why no parkour?. Parkour is practical. Wondering if I should try Lifesaving/Swimming, I haven't swam for a long time, and lifesaving is practical. Otherwise... Wellness Programme? They're probably going to teach me F&N and primary school exercises again.

Creativity & Applied Thinking Skills
This module sharpens your analytical, critical and creative thinking skills to help you develop a more open and inquiring mind. You will be asked to challenge assumptions and apply these skills to find solutions to real-world problems. In CATS, your senses will be awakened and you will acquire a mindset to constantly seek innovative means to improve our living environment.

Let me see: I grief, I troll, I moderate forums, I support LGBT rights, I support religious rights, I'm not religious, I'm a writer, I actually know how to USE the internet, I plan to dive into an autistic forum and then create a feature-length machinima with an autistic character. On a game designed for nothing but killing people with shotguns.

Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. Though it might be vaguely interesting to see who actually benefits from these courses.

Individual & the Community
What social values do you hold as an individual? What role do you play in your family and community? Embark on a journey of discovery and become a social investigator. You will choose from the social service sectors, arts, sports, or the environment to conduct fieldwork, collaborating with a relevant non-profit organisation.

This is moral education. Nuff' said.

Communication Toolkit
This module provides an integrated platform for you to sharpen your written and oral communication skills. You will also learn library research skills to research your chosen topics of interest for your writing and speaking assignments.

This might be interesting, but it sounds kinda... small. Library research skills? How much can you learn about the bloody library? Unless it's the internet, in which case I doubt they have a lot to teach me.

General English
This module is for you if you are an international student and need help with your oral and written English. For example, you will learn to handle everyday situations that you may encounter both on and off campus. To accommodate that, classes are interactive and very much 'hands-on'.

No.

Life Management Skills (For BA students) This module explores the behavioural processes that help you cultivate healthy relationships with family, friends, colleagues and the business community. You will apply relevant life management techniques to simulated real-life situations to handle anger, fear and conflicts.

I need this sort of stuff, but I doubt a polytechnic course will be the best teacher for that.

Exploring Contemporary Issues (For FMS and PCS students)
Do we wander through our lives without taking a second look at what is worthwhile? Exploring Contemporary Issues will engage you in critical thinking—analysis, attention, awareness and independent judgment—with the aim of developing quality thinking and the ability to articulate your thoughts. You will do so by gaining insights into the current issues that are prevalent in our social, political and creative landscapes today. Welcome to the thinking world!

They promise me independent judgement, I'd better not get some moral ed crock. This looks like where I'm going.

The above are just "Level One" IS modules, so it's not much of a surprise that the Level Twos are more interesting, especially:

Enhanced Spoken English
This module is for international students who want greater opportunities to improve their English language skills. In this module, you will build on your oral skills through a number of individual and group presentations.

Understanding Relationships: Love and Sexuality
This module enables students to gain an in-depth understanding of the fundamentals of human relationships and to acquire relational skills for effective living. The aim is to provide students with an overview of theories and concepts of human relations and enable them to understand key areas of human relationships, romantic attachments and family life. Students learn the dynamics and intricacies of diverse relations and the practical skills to manage these effectively.

Introduction to Social Psychology
Why do people conform? How does prejudice arise? Why don't people help one another in an accident? How powerful are self-fulfilling prophecies? How do we perceive people? Social psychological concepts help us explain human behaviour even where that behaviour is seemingly irrational. By understanding social psychology, you will be empowered to make sense of the social situations that you encounter daily and be more equipped to manage social relations in your private and work life.

Exploring Photography
This is a hands-on module that covers basic photography skills. You will be taught technical and aesthetic basics, including camera functions, compositions, optical properties, lighting and the decisive moments. You will plan and shoot photographs and critique your own and other students’ work. Students must come to class with a digital camera of their own.

Starting a Business
This module explores essential strategies to identify business opportunities. You will examine the ways in which a business is established, consider factors that affect the market and produce a business plan based on a market research. The module is not open to students who have taken it in their first year of study.

(And everything about business actually, I have a feeling it could get fascinating)

Practical Research Methods
This module will expose you to the basic processes and principles applied in social research. You will learn how to design a research project, collect information, analyse the data collected and apply research skills to uncover norms, values, attitudes and customs. As consumers are part of the fabric of social life, you can also employ your understanding of research techniques to develop a basic market survey.

And I'm not going to talk about the Level 3 ones, because they're becoming really specialized and I'm becoming really sleepy. Suffice to say there's an entire module dedicated to how to apply Sun Tzu's Art of War to real life.

And Sun Tzu knows a little bit more about fightin' than you do, pal, BECAUSE HE INVENTED IT.