whoever said NTU's boring ought to [insert disgusting activity no one wants to perform]

or you could read this.

to mark my departure from this place after four long/short years, and as a companion piece to the craziest and most random things ive done here, ive compiled a to-do list for current and future students.

not just when you're bored.

i never thought i could be exhaustive. but now that im graduated, i reckon i should be comprehensive enough. from four years of college, four years of living on campus.

ADM's iconic greens

trudge up, you wont regret it. have a picnic or a laugh, or something. dont worry if you're not from ADM, the authentic ones are in the basement too busy with projects.

get muddy at SRC

play (whatever) in the rain and mud at SRC. because it's fun, nostalgic, and simply cos SRC is infamous for mud.

attend a concert
celebrity campus concerts are a big part of university life, and you wont get another chance because, well, for the word "campus". even if you're not too familiar or interested in the music, go for the atmosphere. if not, try one of the many dance concerts, or those ExxonMobil-NTU lunchtime concerts.

come on, dont you get it, just get immersed in something!

run 378 
if this university naturally has something nowhere else has, it's the tough terrain. make the most of it, stay fit at the same time. everyone runs in NTU anyway.

furthermore, run routes here are christened after bus routes. do the 378, a full loop of NTU.

 
ah fang, ah lian, extension
for some, these terms are alien; for others, they're habits. they're the three most popular supper places for NTU students, especially hallers (however, i should apologise to friends in the northern halls, i always suspected you guys cook cup noodles or drink water cooler when you get the pangs at night). why they have such quirky names? well, go find out yourself.

furthermore, NTU isnt that bad with the huge JP so near, now furnished with a 24-hour FairPrice Xtra. Safra Jurong surprisingly has K Box, Sakura buffet, Jack's Place and Ishi Mura Express. if you've a car, there's the Sheng Siong food centre along Jalan Bahar and Boon Lay Power Nasi Lemak at Boon Lay Place.

take a shuttle bus for fun
Bus C would be wiser, since it travels the longest route. take in the sights, read something, or observe the people onboard.

Yunnan Garden

not the most glamorous of gardens, this place makes up for its reputation by being the icon of NTU. take a walk, preferably when the sun's not blazing. surely the aesthetic landscape deserves some attention.

visit the Nantah Arch

this legendary landmark is a nostalgic reminder of not just NTU's beginnings, but Nantah's pride as the quintessential Chinese anti-hero. there are two gates, by the way - the replica in Yunnan Garden and the original standing at Street 93.

run for your life from ghosts

now, whether there are really hantus in this world isnt for me to call. but then there's Fright Night. college seniors routinely plot to enhance your college experience by scaring your wits out, set in the most bland of school architecture. so when you graduate, you remember not just mugging and dragging, but screaming and fleeing.

three letters: FOC
ive been to nine (to date) myself, and i say you haven't been to university if you've never experienced it. i'll spare you the details, but let's just say, after the power-packed few days, campers usually find day-to-day college life wanting.

Chinese Heritage Centre

dont let its looks fool you. the oldest building in NTU (and probably most off-putting) holds a museum and an exhibition on NTU's history. 

watch a film at ADM library

you can do it elsewhere, but here you got the university's coolest library, a wide selection of films, a big tv, and even a mini theatre for screenings. 

throw people or be thrown into Nanyang Lake

or if you're looking for something milder, try fishing (the lake is used by Anglers' Club for freshwater catch like catfish and rohu) or feed the creatures in the lake.

perform at Nanyang Playhouse 

take theatre modules. perform. release yourself.

date at Sakae

cos (1) it's the relatively most decent "restaurant" in NTU and (2) you need to get hitched in college or die.

President's Lodge

one of NTU's highest points is hidden away by design, unless you live in the blocks next to it. home to the university president, the retro houses are quite an attraction in themselves. stroll or run up at night for a view of Jurong's industrial machinery. do note though, this place is out-of-bounds to all, and campus security make regular checks. listen for the scooter!

go to North Spine

for some "up close and personal", live, uninhibited access to the university's proud assets, called "Engineers". so proud, a 'T' in the university's acronym is in homage to them.

the-place-previously-known-as-The-Sun

stroll there late at night for ben&jerry's, alcohol or whatever the surprisingly teeming store can offer.

walk the bridge at Research Techno Plaza

walk this bridge alone at night.

visit the TCM clinic

according to my sources, in terms of their dispensary, they have some of the highest-quality medicinal herbs in Singapore. available for normal consultation are also some of the best physicians in the land (think it this way, you have professor-level practitioners assessing you at a bargain price; it's like having Bertil help you plant something). what's more, how interesting to see a doc with five TCM students making you feel like a guinea pig.

anyhow whack an address (like N4-b3c-14 or TR165A) and proceed to locate it
yay half a day burnt!

sunbathe
weird, but the angmohs do it. try SRC, that's a common one. japs have been spotted there too okay.

party on WKWSCI's iconic rooftop

pardon me for the bias, i just had to insert this in.

photos: Tan Thiam Peng, CIC, Internet