off cors and bidding

Past week has been an emotionally stressful one as the bidding for modules progress. The system is called CORS and although it has a nice ring to it, it still fails to hide its facade as one big mind game.

Mind game it is, as behind the seemingly passive looking system, lies the necessity to predict the actions of hundreds of other minds with similar objectives. Any moment of fickle-mindedness and unexpected bids will upset the delicate balance, sending the numbers spiralling.

What adds to the complexity is the fact that no one knows what the other is bidding or where he stands, other than the highest and lowest bid and the number of vacancies left. Personally, I had spent numerous hours on bidding day camping in front of the screen, making appropriate changes while nervously hitting the refresh button every 10 minutes.

Maybe it isn't that necessary, maybe I will not be so tense in the subsequent rounds, which undoubtedly would last throughout the few years or so. However the past few days have been an emotional roller coaster. Afterall, I only got the 5 modules after the third bidding round and they weren't my initial choices.

The next thing on the agenda is the balloting of tutorials and their allocation will determine if my Fridays will be free. The possibility of a 4 day week excites me but any unexpected turn of events will wipe that out.

I seriously need some luck.