Little-Wonder.Net

21 August, 2003

Hectic Schedule

21:39:14 | School Life | writebacks (9)

My right ear seems to be partially blocked, and it has already been like that for 4 days. When the ear problem first set in last Sunday, I left it alone, thinking that it would just disappear in a matter of days. However, the blockage remained and I had no strain my ears to hear my friends as well as the lecturers. Also, the irritation I am experiencing from the blockage has caused me to tug continuously at my right ear in a bid to remove whatever which was causing the problem. If this continues, I’d soon end up with one ear bigger than the other…

Hallelujah! The weekend is drawing near. Furthermore, my assignment list is also getting shorter as I devote most of my time into getting everything done. I sincerely pray hard that further workload wouldn’t be enthrusted upon me yet again tomorrow, as I would not be free for the entire weekend. Currently, the assignments which are left include, 2 Mathematics tutorial sheets (containing questions qhich I am completely clueless about) and Chemistry. However, there is also a Faculty test to study for, which would be held this Saturday.

Planning to request an appointment with Mr Lim this Saturday after the faculty test for a one-on-one Mathematics tutoring session. After all my failed attempts to make sense of the questions in the tutorial sheets two hours ago, my self confidence has been completely smashed. Out of all the subjects which I am taking, my foundation for Mathematics is the weakest. Even though I am able to absorb most of the concepts and main points during the lectures and tutorial sessions, I am unable to apply these information to any question which I attempt. In the process of racking my mind, I would mix up all my facts and figures and soon, I would find that my mind is completely blank!

Another complaint regarding JC life. The teachers and lecturers are moving from one topic/chapter to another so quickly to an extent that I have found it impossible to catch up, especially on my revision. The promotional exams are only in less than two months’ time and therefore, I am starting to get more and more panicky. So much of my time is devoted to schoolwork as well as all the catching up, leaving me with no time left to prepare for the promo-exams.

At rate I am going, I am sure that I have a 99.999% chance of being retained in JC. In other words, I am certain that this would happen, even though I am practically studying an additional 4-5 hours a day excluding the usual school hours.

The photographs taken in my JC have already been uploaded. Click here to view them. The following two are my personal favourites…

[ Photographs no longer available ]

20 August, 2003

Happenings of an atypical Wednesday

22:54:31 | School Life | writebacks (10)

A rather eventful day. The acting Minister of Education paid a visit to my JC today and I was one of the selected few to take part in the interacting session with him. Naturally, I was at a loss for words and thus, remained silent during the entire session. Whilst waiting for the Minister’s arrival, the whole lot of us stood around the college foyer, chattering away in little groups. I was practically standing there alone since I didn’t really know anyone who was unlucky enough to be selected for the Interaction Session. However, Christabel invited me to join her friends and herself. Soon after, Tin Tin, Christabel, her other friend (name unknown) and I were gibbering away continously.

Anjana, my ex-classmate was also waiting at the foyer with Natasha. However, I didn’t join her as she doesn’t even adknowledge my existence. When I tried making a conversation with her, she just waved me aside, dragged Natasha away and started to talk to her alone. In her eyes, I am just an outcast, but that impression was built upon my anti-social character in Secondary School. Things are different now! I am more outspoken, noisy and active now as compared to the previous years. People have the tendency to change once placed in a different environment. So why can’t she give me another chance?

Throughout the Minister-Students interaction, questions regarding the education system were constantly fired at the poor Minister, who was trying his best to answer them. I had the urge to bring up the topic of the current stressful education system, but decided against it as such topics often faced disapproval from both the Principal and Vice Principal. Sigh… such examples of self-expression restrictions is something I just cannot tolerate. Its depriving me of basic human rights. Humph.

The Class Project Work session was chaotic. As I had brought my digital-cum-video camera to college today, Zhi Qi and Jun Wei were so fascinated with it and they started snapping photographs of the scene in the classroom. Since both of them were in my Project Work group, Jia Hui got extremely frustrated as she was unable to get them to settle down in order for us to work on our report’s draft. Approximately 10+ candid shots have been snapped and these photographs will be uploaded once Zhi Qi returns my camera either tomorrow or the day after. (He had borrowed it to record the Interview for our project)

After which, we had to attend a National Education Seminar held at the auditorium which was rather interesting. However, my friends thought otherwise. One boy (The Umbrella boy!) even fell asleep and was rudely awakened by my Discipline Master, Mr Chew slapping him violently on the shoulder. However, I loved the way the speaker made her presentation and the methods she used to answer questions raised by the students. Ironically speaking, this is the very first formal seminar which I throughly enjoyed, compared to the S-Cube seminar held 4 months ago.

16 August, 2003

*Whine… whine*

00:11:04 | School Life | writebacks (8)

As mentioned in the previous entry, I am truly hard-up for time. Why can’t each day have 28 hours instead of just 24? At least there would be more than enough time for me to settle everything which I currently have on my to-do list. But if that happens, the average lifespan of a human would decrease drastically due to the extra hours added per day. Furthermore, I myself would suffer from a very bad case of sagging eye-bags…

At this current moment, I still have 6 incomplete items left on my schedule. The number stood at 3 yesterday but more assignments were added to that growing list after attending lessons yesterday and today. I do not even have time for any other activities at all and even so, I would have to rush just to get my assignments complete. How on earth am I able to complete a piece of work with my best effort if I am always in a rush for time? According to what Mrs Lim (my Physics tutor) said today, “If you do not work on your tutorials and assignments with the best of your ability, you are shortchanging yourself. That way, you will never improve at all…” Sadly though, the list just keeps on growing due to excess assignments left over from a particular day which I was unable to complete.

If this carries on, the number of items on my to-do list would just keep on expanding and increasing until it hits a three-digit figure… If that really happens, I would definitely explode, due to stress as well as work overload.

I have mentioned to my friends before that I am planning on transfering over to a Polytechnic, where the workload is less harsh. Even Hui Hoon has thoughts of transferring out, thanks to the hectic schedule of a typical JC student. I totally agree with that. I have already sacrificed 80% of my free time to just college assignments and tutorials and yet I am still unable to complete everything within that time slot. Moreover, many of my friends in JC have already left JC and are currently freeloading at home…

However, Hui Hoon suggested that we should wait for the outcome of the JC1 Promotional Examinations before making a decision on whether we should transfer…