My final semester results and honours classifications

Yesterday, was the release of my FINAL semester results in NUS ECE.
I would say that the results were pretty much expected and I am overall very satisfied with the results. A for my FYP and my second A+ in my NUS life. I was a little disappointed with the B+, but since I'll be graduating with second upper honours, I've got nothing to complain.

Overall, it was a crazy ride in the 4 years of NUS.

Some things that I would like to note through this 4 years.
1) Not giving up
Clawing my CAP from Second Lower to Second Upper was a complete nightmare, but at least I managed to still get to second upper at the start of year 4.

I was extremely demoralising watching my CAP stagnate within the 3.9 region during year 2 and year 3. When its at the 3.8~3.9 range, it always seems as though getting it to 4 seems close, yet it is usually not as easy. This is especially so when one encounters modules which are extremely competitive or when one makes a poor module selection judgement.

Things got better for me in year 3 and year 4. Sometimes, I think that if the curriculum for year 1 and 2 is set the way it is for year 3 and 4, I would probably have scored better.

To do well, is not only to not give up. It is to commit more and more to become better and better. It the law of equivalent trade, one cannot gain better grades without first sacrificing more time to hone his skills.

In year 1 sem 1, I studied from Monday to Friday.
Year 1 sem 2, it became from Monday to Saturday.
Year 2 sem 1, it became from Monday to Sunday.
When there are not enough days to spend, you spend more time in a day.
When there is not enough time, you start thinking how to do it more efficiently.
No matter what it is, please understand that you can only get better.
Of course, please eat well and rest well.

"A sound soul resides in a sound mind and a sound body"
Soul eater

2) The ideal team
Everybody thinks if you assemble a group of the smartest people (based on CAP), you get the perfect team. If you agree, you are making a bloody mistake. Doing so many project modules, those that give me an A+, tend to be the group that is the most commited.

I had a groupmate whose most common grade is an A+, but when he is in the team he contributed nothing to the whole project except his part. When the going got tough, you cannot find him, you can't get him to help, he wouldn't help and he goes around playing the lame blame game.

Scoring in a project modules is not based on brain power because at the end of the day, even the dumbest person can figure it out. It is based on commitment, hardwork, willingness to contribute ideas and sacrifice time. Having said that, finding people who aren't the least bit motivated or aren't exactly bright is also a terrible option.

Try to find people of varying talents. People tend to take pride in their talents. Engineers tend view themselves as either hardware or software type engineers. While they can most likely do both, they tend to be more comfortable doing one over the other. Pick people who are of both categories and tap on their capabilites to maximise their potential.

3)  Relying on yourself
If I get a penny for every leech I encounter in NUS, I'd be a millionaire. Just kidding.
But seriously, in my 4 years here, I've encountered a lot of people who will ask you for help and then ninja away. They can range from people who you just got to know to friends who you know for more than a decade. At the end of the day, its only when you do it yourself then you can really from the experience.

Of course, there is the issue of half-assed work. Sometimes, you would assume that people would put in the effort, even if it is the minimum of the required standards, but reality hits you hard. Really hard. Sometimes, people cannot even be bothered to copy and paste from Wikipedia or they might try to correct existing work, only to make it worst. Whatever it is, be mentally prepared.

4) Every encounter is a neutral issue, make it work
When you make it work, it becomes a positive experience.
Adopt a positive attitude towards your work, it will reward you with a positive experience.
Don't just take a module to get your degree requirements done or to just pull your CAP. Do it so that you can learn something new. If you have no idea why you are doing this module beside pulling CAP or because someone said it was slack, your reasons who doing it is wrong. In fact, I would encourage people to do project modules for the sake of being AWESOME and pushing the limits to what one is able to accomplish. At the end of the day, you are going to look back and know that you did something with no regrets.

In my NUS life, the easiest module I every took was EE3407 and I got an A for it. When I recommended it to my friends, most of the people I know did not get more than a A-. What works for me does not work for my peers.

5) Knowing what you are good at, and being good at it
For me, I found that I tend to score well in practical and project modules.
I think it is good to know what is one's strength and capitalise on it.
In my 4 years, I did 9 technical electives instead of the 7 required because:
    a) I realise I am good at hardware/ project related modules
    b) I realise that I am starting to score in engineering modules compared to non-engineering modules (which ironically was an opposite phenonmenon from year 1 and 2)
    c) I see the potential in what I was learning in class
    d) I realise that some topics are related and I could capitalise on my prior knowledge to give me some advantage in other modules (not much though, but it makes the learning curve more gentle).

I followed the specialisation track of ICD design and some modules were inter-related or continuation of other modules, giving me more motivation to further explore it.

6)Don't be an asshole
As simple as it may seem, people do it for short term gain. They do not realise that others do remember and there is karma. Okay, I'm kidding...there is no karma and good guys finish last. But rumours spread so don't expect to go away scott free. And do not offend people who bear grudges.

On the other hand, be mentally prepared to encounter such people. Learn to forgive and forget. Doing so is not a sign of weakness, it is not letting the guy go scott free. Rather, it is freeing yoursef the burden of hate and allowing yourself to focus on more important things. You do not need to feed the leeches but well...just be aware of some rumours going around because it cannot be groundless.

7) USE YOUR SUs FOR RISKY MODULES.
This is really a minor point, but i think people should be aware of this. Always be prepared in case you think you might make a poor module section choice. Cool and popular modules are always appealing but one needs to consider if it is really suitable for them.

Personally, I think taking language modules is can be a poor choice. It really depends on the student. Language modules, in general, are very interesting and full of activities (cooking lesson, outings and stuff). In addition, it is very enriching since learning a new language is a very good attribute to add to yourself. But it consumes a lot of time, demanding on the student's learning abilities and full of people who are already familiar with the language (unfortunately, they tend to act like fresh learners). So take it at your own risk.

I took level 1 Vietnamese which consumed 5 hours a week and thats just the lesson. If I am not wrong, Korean and Japanese is consumes even more time. After spending so many hours studying, doing the projects, I've only got a B-. So I SU it. It was really fun, probably not as interesting as hardware or project based ECE mods, but definitely better than calculation intensive modules in ECE. The activites were fun and you get to make many friends over lessons through interactions unlike engineering modules where everyone just indulge in their own stuff.

8) As much as FYP is a nightmare, its actually quite fun
Generations of seniors scare the living hell out of their juniors. Telling them stories of terror almost similar to the descend of Diablo or the arrival of armagedon. But seriously, it really not that bad. Do your best and make it work and you are more of less at least guarenteed an A-. Usually a working project can get an A-.
    a) Be friendly to seniors (prof and postgrad students) and they will be kind to you.
    b) Be proactive in suggesting ideas and executing them. Nobody like a student who cannot do anything without someone telling them what to do
    c) One cannot lead his life in fear especially when it is FYP. In typical Singaporean lingo, we say don't Kan Chiong (nervous). Treat it like a normal job and be professional about it.
    d) Understand your professor's working style. Some like to let you do what you like, others take it as their responsibility to ensure you learn since they are in charge of you. It is up to you to understand what is their preference to adapt to it. Either way, it still requires you to be proactive.
    e) Understand that making a mistake is not something shameful. This is not National Service. People highlight your mistakes so as to make it a learning point. So please learn and become better from that experience.
    f) There is no harm doing more as you might need it in the future.

In conclusion, I would acknowledge that this NUS experience, while being tiring and hectic, is a very enriching experience for myself. I would like to thank my family and friends who were beside me and my mentors and professors for guiding me. Without you guys, it would not have been possible.

FYP: cycle of hell

Everybody said it will be like this...but you never know it until you've gone through it...yes...its Final Year Project...

I'm into my CA2 of my FYP...my project title is "frequency calibration for an oscillator for OOK transmission". As of now, I am all alone (insert forever alone guy picture here) in a cold, dark lab in the depths of the dungeons of engineering(true story)...not fun...

It not really a nightmare(in fact, its quite fun and interesting) until you reach a point where you realised that you have been isolated from society and human contact for a few days and the few incidents of social activity involves going lunch with friends.

From year 1-3, after exams are over, its official over...the sem is over...seriously over...you can play computer games everyday, go find a job, eat unhealthy food, gym and whatever make you happy. But Year 4, even if you finish your exam early, you find yourself spending time doing reports and preparing an hour long presentation(not sure if it is an hour)...I NEED TO GET OUT!!!!

EE4410: 1 sem in hell and 1 sem in heaven

Last sem I spent a lot of time on EE4410.
It is a module about VLSI, where student are supposed to design something(specified by the lecturer) on cadence.
For my semester, my group was made to design an Analog to Digital Converter(ADC). The premise of the project is that this device would be used in an ECG. So what the system would do is to take in the small signal, amplify it and then convert the analog signal into a digital signal.

Since the frequency of heart rate isn't exactly fast, we are looking at about 100++ Hz (engineers are not very specific unless required) and a resolution of about 10 bits. Below is the reconstructed sinewave after input a sine signal into its input.



So workload for our group was separated into 2 sub-groups. One person to design the Operational Transconductance Amplifer(OTA) and 2 other people to design the ADC. The ADC works based on Successive Approximation logic (SA).

How it works?

Well, when the signal goes into the ADC, a sample and hold block in the circuit will hold the signal. The input of the signal would be pass through a comparator which would compare this signal against a Digital to Analog Converter(DAC). The output of the comparator is passed into a Successive Approximation Register(SAR) which would determine the control logic of the DAC. The DAC is just a capacitor array which tries to convert the digitalised values of the SAR to an analog value so as to be used for comparison.

I was assigned to design the comparator and the DAC. I doubt there is any need to discuss about the DAC since it is just a capacitor array and a switch array. The only thing to note is to do the layout in common centroid to reduce capacitor mismatch. Layout is something that is not sufficiently taught in this module. Plug and play is sufficient to get your device working, but in the industry, drawing layout is a skill.

Design of a comparator

I'll just talk about it for a while.
Well, from the shallowest of levels looking at it, an analog comparator should be able to compare 2 inputs and determine if A is larger than B and appropriately produce a high or low output accordingly.

So we need to note the resolution of the comparator as well as the bandwidth. A 10 bit comparator should at least be able to to detect a difference of Full-scale/2^10, so as to appropriate digital output. That is resolution. Bandwidth is that it should be able to work at the required frequency that you need.

A simple comparator usually have 3 stages. Pre-amplifier, latch and buffer. The pre-amplifier is important due to issues such as metastability as well as kickback. Maybe I should just discuss that first.

Metastability is an issue pertaining to the latch of the comparator. It occurs when the latch is unable to latch onto a high or a low. So how the pre-amp solves this is by providing a gain into the input to increase the initial voltage so as to help the latch to reach its high or low state faster. Other ways to reduce this is to reduce the length of the MOSFETs, else we can use a double latch. But Metastability is not really an issue in EE4410 since the minimum clock time is 5kHz, which is quite low.
Upon evaluation(evalutation being like testing the real fabricated chip), our comparator can work even at 50KHz(I sure remember it can work at 80kHz, but overcommiting is bothersome).

Kickback, on the other hand is one royal pain in the ass. But learning how to solve the kickback would improve your INL and DNL and you would really learn how to design a pre-amp(impt clue). Since power consumption is an issue in EE4410, using a synchronous comparator, sure cuts down the power consumed, but it comes at a price of complication in the form of kickback.

Anyway, getting back to pre-amp, its usually just a differential with maybe a common source amplifier connected afterwards. The next stage being the latch is use to pull the output up or down based on the differential output. Its a rather simple design so really nothing much to talk about it. The final stage is the buffer. Nothing much, since its just a digital buffer, think of it as 2 inverters used to pull the output from the latch.

Looking back, it was a hectic but fun module. The GA was helpful, but they cannot tell you very much(otherwise they might as well do it for you). The first sem is usually very time consuming and stressful. The next sem is usually better because it only left to testing the circuit.

I better get back to my work. I am trying to figure out how to design a charge pump...seriously no idea...haha...

God's grace

It's been a really long while since I visited this site.
Work has been heavy and time has been scarce.
As I embark into my final year and dealing deeping within my specialisation,
I find that taking time out for external activities gradually become harder.

Fortunately, by God's grace, it seems that everything seems to be pulling through.
Never would I have thought this, especially looking back on those crappy stuff happened to me almost a year and a half ago. It seems that it would have all ended that...but by God's grace, seems that everything pulled through.

Last Semester was one big rush. EE4410 design project, staying in the lab drawing designs and layouts until midnight, only to have to take taxi home.

"He gives strength to the weary and increase the power of the weak"
Isaiah 40:29

Sometimes we are all so small to see how big our father God truly is.
Anyway, I did pretty well last semester, which I cannot understand why.
The fabricated chip worked very well and I managed to take the data successfully and it fulfils the specifications nicely. Looking forward to writing the report.

Rocky says it best about life.

I was watching Rocky Balboa the other day. Nice movie, epic quotes. So Rocky was saying this to his son, when his son was asking him, why he wanted to get back into boxing. His son felt he was living under his father's shadow. Rocky Balboa: I'd hold you up to say to your mother, "this kid's gonna be the best kid in the world. This kid's gonna be somebody better than anybody I ever knew." And you grew up good and wonderful. It was great just watching you, every day was like a privilige. Then the time come for you to be your own man and take on the world, and you did. But somewhere along the line, you changed. You stopped being you. You let people stick a finger in your face and tell you you're no good. And when things got hard, you started looking for something to blame, like a big shadow. Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done! Now if you know what you're worth then go out and get what you're worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain't you! You're better than that! I'm always gonna love you no matter what. No matter what happens. You're my son and you're my blood. You're the best thing in my life. But until you start believing in yourself, ya ain't gonna have a life. Don't forget to visit your mother.

WWBD: what would Bond do?

Target: I heart UTown sweets
Location: MPSH X, where I have no idea what is X
ETA: Afternoon 3

My bro went to the NUS open house yesterday and brought back some freebies.
I thought most of it was pretty okay...but there was one goodie that caught my attention.

This one.


I know the bottle looks like brands essence of chicken, but it rather nice, isn't it?
The "I heart Utown" was quite well designed.
But that is not the main allure. Its the candy inside that is very interesting. Every candy has its own unique design. I am actually very impressed with the effort placed into just making one gift.

Well, so when my brother brought it back, I thought "hey, this is pretty cool...so I decided to take one...then another... and another... before I knew it, it was almost finish.

And that was yesterday. So today, as I was going to school to study, I saw some people carrying the Openhouse bag. Then it hit me that the Openhouse was still opened. Then I thought to myself "hey, lets go get some candy...hehe...hehe...BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA".

So I went to MPSH to get some UTOWN CANDY!!!!
I managed to pass through crowds of people disguised as a prospective student, getting goodie bags and acting like a new student. Its not like they would know or care, but who cares...I'm just saying this to build up the tension. Heck would I know where to find it...Then I trusted my senses, It should be where the faculties are...level 2.

As I entered the MPSH on the second floor, what caught my attention was the U Town booth. I knew it had to be there, otherwise where else could it be? So I walked over the booth, lo and behold sat bottles of UTown candy, right smack on the center of the table. I could just walk over and get it, but it would seem like I was just too damn cheapskate.

So I walked over and took a brochure. As a spy, you must always create a decoy. Decoys are crucial for the success and failure of missions, you can always over-plan but you can never under-plan. In a life as a spy, every decision is a life and death matter. If you want the candy, make it look like the candy wants you.

I took and brochure and briefly looked at it. Then i stretch my hand out to take a bottle. As I took a bottle, the lady at the booth suddenly approached me. The mission could have been compromised. Then she ask me, "Can I help you?"

At this moment, I knew I had to react. I had to. Experience in this line has prepared me for any surprises. I had to allay the suspicion. I looked at the brochure on my hand, looked through it and ask, "I was looking through this brochure and was wondering, what is this U town about?"

Well, I know it was a chessy question to ask. Almost as cheesy as "Am I dead, Angel? Cause this must be heaven!" But with my charm, I sure pulled it off. Of course, with that done, now I have to put up with her explanation which "frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn", now, go make me a sandwich. Actually I do give a damn, because a friend was asking me to apply for U town, I just wanted to use this quote from the 1939 film "gone with the wind".

But after hearing her explanation, well, I kind of didn't want to stay in U Town. Sounds like too much trouble, esp for a year 3 student who is going to graduate in 1 year. I had to make my leave, but she looked too enthusiatic in answering my questions to want me to leave. Damn my handsome looks, it just bring the girls to the yard and now they don't want me to go.

The fortunately, some smart alec girl beside me started to ask a smart alec question, "So if I do modules here, it will induce higher level thinking, right?". Why the hell do you want to take a difficult modules to stress yourself? its not like normal NUS modules wouldn't kill you. Look at the gullibility of freshies, I was once like then before, thinking that we can reach the sky, only to realise that the sky expands as fast as galaxies accelerate away from one another. But it created an opening and I took this chance to make my escape. Out of MPSH and back into the car.

Too much typing, too little sleeping, I be sleeping now. BYE BYE.

This is just this wisdom to this

Its from the end of the second sequel of Lord of the Rings.
Sam's speech.
The one that really mattered.

Frodo: I can't do this, Sam.
Sam: I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.
Frodo: What are we holding onto, Sam?
Sam: That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo... and it's worth fighting for.