REMEMBER!! CONSPIRACY AND COORDINATION GOES HAND-IN-HAND

The Party

It was a cool and lovely night. Five college students, although knowing full well the next day they have an important test, decided to relax and party. They drank and fooled around till late into the night. As a result, they were unprepared to take the test which was scheduled in the morning. One of them then came up with a bright idea to get the test deferred.

The Bright Idea

They conspired to get dirtied by rubbing themselves with grease and dirt. Looking exhausted and haggard, they walked up to the Dean and told him that they had gone to a wedding the day before and had a flat on the way back. Since they used the back roads on their return journey, they had to push their car for almost 20 kilometres. They were, therefore, in no condition to take the test. The Dean listened sympathetically and agreed they could sit for the test in two days. The five conspirators thanked him profusely and said they would be ready by then.

D-Day

On the second day the conspirators trooped to the Dean’s room ready to take the test. The Dean was already waiting for them. The Dean remarked that since this was a special test, all five were required to sit in separate classrooms for the test. The conspirators looked nonplus and quizzically at each other. Nevertheless they were confident because they had prepared well with the time bought the last two days.

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The Test

This Test Paper consists of only 2 questions with a total of 100 Marks.

Q1. Name of the car with the flat?

.......... .......... ......... (2 MARKS)

Q2. Which tyre burst?

a) Front Left 

b) Front Right

c) Back Left 

d) Back Right (98 MARKS)

MATHEMATICS….UGH!

Mathematics…ugh! Just reading this word will solicit a shudder and grimace on our faces.  Quadratic equations, trigonometry, calculus, algebra, statistics, Pythagoras Theorem…the list goes on and on.  It still brings back spine-chilling and scary memories for many of us when re-living those days as fifth-formers. We needed to struggle in cold sweat through these strange mathematical theories in order to pass our examinations.

Maths made more sense as we grew older as only then we would begin to appreciate its usefulness and its place in our lives.  As students, we did not seem to have an affinity and love for maths.  Although teachers of the 1960s, 1970s and the 1980s were an extremely dedicated bunch, somehow this subject still seemed to bewilder and was an enigma.  Could it be that we had teachers who were unable to devise and craft the beauty of numbers when the school system was being used as a production line to produce as many achievers as possible?  Whatever the reasons, most of us never appreciated the science of numbers.  It was just another school subject to pass in order to get our certificates.

Just imagine, without mathematics mankind would not have the technology to land on the moon.  Neither would we have all the gadgets so ubiquitous present in our lives today i.e. from all our personal computers and mobile phones devices to the internet.  All of mankind’s technological progress is built on the science of mathematics.

Take some time and ponder for a moment to marvel and be dazzled by the beauty and symmetry of mathematics being splendidly demonstrated here.

1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111= 12345678987654321

1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111

9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888

THE EXTRA MILE…..

It has been quite some time since we were near the ocean, so we decided to holiday in Krabi, Thailand. We wanted a not too far-away exotic destination with some sun, fresh sea air, the feel of beach sand on our feet and most importantly, good food. Food that is different from the normal fare we get every day such as ‘nasi lemak’ , ‘fried kuei teow’, ‘yong tau foo’ etc .

As usual, we booked our budget airline and hotels early to get the “early bird” discounts. When we arrived at our hotel we clambered up to our room and the first thing we did, after dumping the bags on the racks and table, was to go to the bathroom. Needing hand and bath towels, we found none in the bathroom being the expected place to look for them. The first thought was that hotel maid had forgotten to place the towels in the room for us. I was just about to walk to the telephone to call up housekeeping when my wife called my attention to the two statuesque elephants placed on the bed. She remarked “Hey, that’s our bath towels!” Take a look at the pictures at what we found.....(neat eh!?)

We stayed for three nights. Each day we got a different theme in the origami of our bath towels.

Having travelled and stayed in numerous hotels, motels and even YMCA/YWCA in many parts of the world, we have yet to come across or experience the extra effort and dedication this Thai hotel goes to welcoming its guests. An unpretentious gesture but very well appreciated and uniquely different from just providing a fruit or flower basket!

A simple act to go the extra mile says a lot about the hotel or, for that matter, any organization. By going the extra mile to look into the fine details to provide novelty and aesthetic appeal, it generates a positive impression and perception which, in a business sense, would enhance its value. Sceptics may see it as “it’s just business”.

However, for the many of us, simpletons, we are fascinated and amazed. It amuses and brings forth our smiles and reminds us we are here on holiday to relax and unwind. We see the act as exhibiting and displaying the dedication and pride of the organization. We do not know about others but after having stayed in so many hotels, we are very much appreciative of the extra effort and the extra mile put in to enhance the pleasantness of our stay no matter how simple and small the effort is.