Monday, August 31, 2009
My gosh, I'm not sure I've ever had a job that felt like it just dragged on forever. Labels: family, friends, MGS, work
Data coding was my job for one of the projects done by CRPP in NIE, and it was essentially to assign codes to the answers given by the survey-takers in an Excel file.
Now, there were 13509 survey takers, and 4 responses each, though not all of them filled in all the entries, so there were blank cells here and there.
So thankfully, instead of 13509 x 4 = 54036 entries, it was only about 46400 entries. And also, there were already pre-assigned codes, so it wasn't as if I had to come up with a whole set of codes by myself.
It was really easy at first, because being an excel file, I could arrange the column in alphabetical order, which would put all similarly spelt answers together, and then just put the correct code in the next column, click and drag until wherever necessary.
Unfortunately as it went on, I had to try to figure out typo errors as well as make decisions on creating new codes, or conforming to older ones.
I kept doing it, until the point where I thought I was going to go crazy because after entering the codes so many times after a while you it kind of just sticks in your brain.
And FINALLY, as of 11:15am this morning on the 31st of August, I finished the last entry, completing my job!
The good thing was that I got to work from home, so I didn't need to go to NIE like every working day. I think my general knowledge has increased as well.
Now I'm going to have lunch with Jane and Adeline (old MGS friends!!), and they just missed the Teachers' Day celebrations at MGS. I THOUGHT SO, they wanted to be there at what, 11:30, but my younger sister came home at about 11 already, so they must have been late!
EDIT: We had lunch at the Soup Spoon, a first time for me. And it's really filling, until I couldn't finish the bread bowl. It was really nice to see them again, but they're both flying off this month to the UK for university studies! I actually didn't know that Addie had been studying there for about 2 years already! She talks a little like a Brit now, how cool! And Jane's gonna do medicine (in Scotland), like me!! Yay!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Yeah, so I know I haven't blogged in forever - I keep meaning to, but then get lazy when I actually sit down in front of the com, and then end up not doing it at all.
Recently everyone's been going to university, except for us overseas-bound people. I'm still working!
This morning Xiaowen, Elizabeth and I sent Sheryl off at the airport, where she's headed right now for USA to commence her university studies! Actually I didn't feel as sad as I thought I would, because she's coming back in December. What the heck lah, going for like 4 months then coming back for Christmas??? It's barely going away!
I spent so much effort making her farewell card too! But at least I think she was pleasantly surprised by it :D I also got her a birthday card she can open on the 23rd when she's there.
After that Elizabeth's mum fetched us to TP where her dad works, and we were talking and walking around and chilling in the library before her mum very nicely sent me to Toa Payoh where I had tuition.
After tuition on my way home I met Jane Lua coming down from the overhead bridge on her way home with her da-baoed lunch (just like me, haha), and we talked for about 25 minutes? She's also going to study medicine, but in Glasgow, Scotland, and she's leaving in early September. Everyone's flying off!!
Nothing much exciting has happened in this month, I guess. Let's see, there was the sort of choir lunch that not many people actually went for, including k-boxing in the afternoon, (including Yong Jian, Gabriel, Ann, Chee Jun, Zhirui, Amanda).
Then there was the choir alumni gathering at Thomas' house that I couldn't stay for because of our family gathering on the same day. At least since I arrived earlier I got to play guitar hero, as well as eat yummy satay!
Oh yes, we had our church 70th anniversary on the 16th; the service was at this church near Harbourfront, after which we walked over to Harbourfront Centre to have the anniversary dinner at this Dragon Gate restaurant place.
The entire dinner is kind of a blur for me now, but I remember that there was tonnes of food, but our table always had like one person's share extra leftover, probably because my sister was barely eating. She and Andrea were both studying for their bio common test the next day, haha!
Then there was talk of this Farmville application on Facebook that I was talked into adding by Ian, so now he and Rachel are my neighbours, and I ought to go add Daryl and Nat too.
And then Melody was trying to call Ian at the next table regarding Alicia's flying back to USA on Wednesday, and it went something like this.
Melody: Ian! Ian Wong! (no response)
Me: Haha, let me try - watch this. FARMVILLE!
Ian: Did I hear someone say Farmville? [Doesn't respond to his name but hears the word Farmville. Good grief.]
Yeah, I think I'd better try to post more, or it'll become a dead blog, and I don't think I want the idea of a dead blog hanging over me.
Thanks to all the blogs i referred to (countless) for html code help :) (esp. cyn' and sixseven)
Adobe Photoshop Elements for supernatural abilities
