Of Chem SPA

I love Chem SPA Skill A, I really do.

I believe my grade will be the same as the SPA name, and no I'm not joking because the SPA was ridiculously.. heavily reliant on luck. And today I happened to be lucky and I rode my luck. Didn't even need to spot questions because I've got all the luck. I didn't know the answer at first but you know in Chemistry you have so few reagents it HAS GOT TO BE one of them.

NaOH (aq) was the answer in this case. So I tyco-ed the ammonium salt and amide.

Okay never mind that, I'm just very happy. Sorry if I seem like I'm bragging to you, because I really am. I think I should pass this round =)

And trivia time!

Q: What is the first section that you should write in Chem SPA Skill A (Planning)?

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A: Safety considerations.

Why? BECAUSE SAFETY FIRST!

Don't you think it's bloody stupid to let a bloody stupid person go through the whole procedure without wearing gloves, and at the end there's this safety consideration that says "wear gloves all the time because organic compounds might irritate your skin"?

Rubbish. Of course you put Safety Considerations at the front. NO SAFETY, NO EXPERIMENT.

Oh and another screwed up thing about today.

Shift A - 9am to 10:30am
Shift B - 10:30am to 12pm

Being number one, of course I was in Shift A. Actually, YL was in the same LT as me and I think he's going to score damn well although he certainly didn't do it by luck. He woke up at 5am to study today. Me, I preferred to study at 12:30am.

Nevertheless we were both in Shift A.

After we finished our SPA, we went out to the amphi.. and guess what? QUARANTINE ZONE. The second shift people were all seated, and construction tape (or whatever you call that red and white thing) was all over the pillars to cordon off the amphi.

They had the "haven't-took-SPA-and-cannot-know-answers" disease.

Come to think of it, what's wrong even if we leaked the questions?

1) It improves batch relations.
2) It fosters batch spirit.
3) RJC gets higher "A" %tage rate for Chemistry A levels next year.
4) I'm a selfish fagut and I won't leak the questions ANYWAY.
5) No, not even if you give me the chance, I won't leak it.
6) I WILL NOT LEAK IT YES.

Getting them all to sit down at the amphi, it seemed like a concentration camp. Without any electronic devices whatsoever. I was tempted to shout out the compounds but heck, the Chem Dept might decide to kick me off the school compounds.

And as YL puts it, "they might rip off my badge."

Coincidentally, I wasn't wearing my Councillor badge today. I told you I was in luck.

In any case I guess they got the construction tape cheap. With RI undergoing so much construction nowadays, RJ Chem Dept probably just koped some off the stupid hall they are rebuilding and cordoned off the amphi. A highly amusing experience. A pity we couldn't capture the moment as we didn't have the resources (ie a camera).

Anyone who wants to donate to our TCS fund for a camera to post stupid pics can put the money in seventh floor male toilet, third cubicle. If you openly admire us you can give it to us at the canteen, we'd gladly accept donations. If everybody from RJ donates $1 a day, we'd get our camera in no time.. like one day.

But I'm not so optimistic. Nowadays times are bad and probably everybody would only donate 50 cents a day. So sad to say but I don't think we'll be getting our camera anytime soon.

If you want us to busk for donations, that's fine too. Just leave a comment and we'll be singing in the canteen the next day. I think there is gross under-publicity for The Integrals in RJC, we're really not showing enough of our talent and ARGH. I'm dying to show it!!

Anyway not like it matters. What matters was that quarantining second batch was screwed up and we at TCS probably owned Chem SPA today. Yup. While the second batch must have got irritated by the volatile amides (inhaling poisonous fumes) so they all got quarantined, the first batch got early dismissal.

And to celebrate, I went for a real SPA at RI pool. Now that's life.