How to Survive A Boring Lecture

I believe there is scant need to define a ‘boring lecture’ - we all have our own benchmarks and yardsticks of to what extent a lecturer can blabber on until we lose interest altogether.

And because we are year 1s, or have been year 1s before, indeed at one point or another we have encountered a severly boring lecture which makes us all want to strangle the lecturers. Namely, COM2XX, COM2XX and COM2XX (identities changed to protect my grades). Well, here is five options you can take to ensure you survive the lecture without falling off your chair.

1. Bring a laptop into the LT

This is the prerequisite to most of the steps below. It makes more sense because CSLT is one of the few places with power plugs for every seat.

2. Go online shopping

If slides are provided, very good. Practise your multi tasking here. Dull-i-fied by the lecturer’s drab slides? Visit #name of online clothing store# and gape at how colorful the tops/skirts/dresses/thongs/lingerie are. Then bitch to the person next to you about how expensive shipping costs are, or how you’ve blown your allowance for the month and is currently trying to swear off online shopping (wow that’s a nice dress! I WANTTT!)

3. Social Network!

Shopping isn’t your cup of tea? Not to fret. If you are a normal student you probably would have a Facebook account. Come on, if you don’t have, it’s really REALLY time to get one. You’ll get one eventually so there is no point resisting! Yeah, time for social networking with the people sitting 5 rows below and 3 seats across from you. This is the occasion you can literally gasp at how horrid Person A looks like in a particular photograph while he/she sits 10 metres away from you. Don’t worry, the process is almost completely anonymous if you do it right.

And not to mention of course, the tons of addictive and FREE online games which are available on Facebook! I mean, for this part, if you don’t have Facebook, it’s ok. I’ve seen 19 year olds playing Neopets.

4. Wireless Gaming

I install a couple of games on my laptop to cure the boredom… well if you prefer not to disturb anyone you can play games like GUITAR HERO or WINNING ELEVEN. But well, if you would like to make use of the excellent infrastructure NTU provides for its students, now is the time for NETWORK FOOTBALL MANAGER. It’s the perfect time for this game, because you have to wait for such a long time for the other players! Well I’ve seen people play Diablo II and Diner Dash before, too, so I guess this is where creativity reigns.

5. Last resort

If you are really bored and don’t have a laptop, fret not. Because CS is a wondrous place where (most) girls do not dare to come to without makeup and pretty clothes, for guys it is the perfect time to look around and gaze around. It’s more or less the same for girls too. I mean admit it, half the time you look at other girls more than guys (cause there are so many more of them, but that’s besides the point.

If all else fails, you can count the total number of chairs in the LT, how many of them have broken tables, how many of them are occupied etc. I’m sure the two hours will fly quickly!

-lyon