Y Sunday, May 27, 2007
6:56 am
As I blog this, I've gone without sleep for the past 23 hours.Heh well, Happy Birthday to me, in advance. Though I kinda regret having it today, what with the Mother Tongue O level paper on Monday. Nick's, Darren's and Chester's mums were all pretty pissed/annoyed at the whole thing, so I guess I scored demerit points where they are concerned.
Half the people whom I told "Well, it'd be great if you could come, but it's up to you and I'm fine with whatever." didn't show up, but it wasn't unexpected. If ya don't prepare before hand and hand out proper, formal invitations, response won't nearly be as good.
But it doesn't really matter. It was just meant to be a gathering to begin with.
I finally had a go at the PS3, we also managed to hook the Xbox 360 into a PC monitor, speakers and the internet to play the Halo 3 beta.
Pretty much slack away until about 2pm when we started the board game.
At first it was damned hard to get everyone to play. Bobby wasn't interested, B Foo kept flitting to and fro the computer and the board game. Plus the whole thing's quite overwhelming to a beginner, so it was a wonder that we ever got started.
Anyway, after some tough explanations, the newbies finally got it right and Darren had to go home because his mom would crucify him. We played for a bit then called McDonald's. THEN we noticed Nicholas actually made a mess out of the floor about 4 hours ago, just threw some tissue on it and said "whoops" =\. Bloody hell.
Whilst everyone was dying, Daryl and I were packing up the board game and room. (Took about 45 mins. While everyone was getting shut eye, we were packing.)
Presents presents.. ah. A nice and simple sling bag + model kit from Daryl Ho and Melvin, the WoW Board Game expansion and a Model Kit from MC, Darren and Bfoo. Actually they wanted to get me a Wii, but sadly the idea didn't come to fruitation xD.
To those who couldn't make it, no worries, it's totally cool. Exams are on Monday anyway. Not just any ordinary exam, but the Os. Ah well. I'm getting less coherent with my sentences and my brain's clogging up. I guess I'll leave today's activities here.
Oh, and before I forget, a nice book from Jollyn. Haha.
Y Wednesday, May 16, 2007
2:22 pm
Ahh. Education in Asia. Simply put, Rote Learning at it's finest. "What the heck is Rote Learning?" you ask. Basically, it's what y'all have been doing your entire lives. (At least to date.) It's the act of learning by memorizing.
Let's take Maths as an example. Most math questions in the exams don't really require much thinking. It's more of a "Oh wait, this question is familiar, I've done it *insert 3 digit number here* times. Only the values are changed." Yes, the way to score is to practice until one reaches that stage of familiarity.
But there are so many types of questions, you say. Well, that's why education in Asia's criticized so badly. The sterilization of creativity is one of the main footholds critics have. There are many others, such as the near-absolute de-emphasis of social skills. Who cares if you're popular? So long as you do well, you're a winner.
Everyone, right down to that tall, good-looking uber sportsman wants to get into a good college/university. Pity the students in Japan. If they want to try for four different schools, they have to cram for four different sets of exams. Yes, count. Four. Why so many? For security. The more schools you try for, the more you choices. And every school ahs a different entrance exam.
In fact, we are very good examples. You see the phrase "mugger dog" being thrown everywhere. Ask yourself, is it actually a bad thing? No. In fact, I personally would be ecstatic if I'm ever labeled as one. (I know I won't though. Not in me.)Like I said, education in Asia = Rote Learning. Even a below-average student has the ability to score all the As he wants. Just keep working at it until your brains fry.
Even English, which many students claim "it cannot be studied for" can actually be practiced to death. To the extent that, yes, only the passage and information required are different. Sounds familiar? Just like math.
Not essay writing, I hear you retort.
Heck, that's where you're wrong. Keep practicing your argumentative essays and you'll have it down to a pat in no time. Teachers only look out for a certain style of writing, anything different is usually not rewarded (best case scenario) or marked down. (Oops! Thanks for being creative/different. Try again!)
Combine the insane amount of rote-learning required with a near-fanatic, zealous belief in education where Asians are concerned and you get more stress than any western teen could handle. Sadly, this is the type of stress we're accustomed to, and we believe it's beneficial as it drives us to memorize (that's right, not study or pursue knowledge, but memorize based on a set amount of info.) more of our syllabus to score well in our 'examinations'.
Check out that article. A seven year old kid form Hong Kong flung herself off the top of a high-rise building because she failed her dictation test. Then there are the students who murdered their classmates because their less-than-ideal scores were poked fun of. It's not a sneaky kind of murder. The fella just walked up to his classmate and stabbed him.
Or how about the middle school (Primary school) student who sawed off the head of a nine year old, stuffed a piece of paper stating "Look what your education system has made me do." into the severed head's mouth and hung it on his school gates?
Gruesome.
According to the article, few Asian students pick up research in their further studies.
"A poll of 20-plus countries by the Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement discovered that Asian students scored second-lowest in enjoyment of math and science, even though they placed first in understanding of these subjects."
Suffice to say, most are studying for the sake of studying (Or should I say memorizing?) and not for the actual love of the subject. Think for a moment. Did Einstein keep persevering because he needed the money or because of his sheer love for Science? Can you think of one as-accomplished Asian scientists?
Of course, I'm not saying such a system has no merits. Singapore is consistently in the top positions of some 13 year old international maths and science competition thing. The other Asian countries (Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea etc.) are at least in the top 10.
What does it really mean though, in the real world? From what I gather, Asian students are champs at absorbing then vomiting out information. In other words, in a fixed, controlled enviroments, Asians tend to do better than their Western counterparts.
Again, think. Will the outside world be such a closed enviroment? Can we really deal with just the information given to us?
Of course, I'm not saying "Just keep inventing and improvising." Of course, you gotta have the basics nailed, but not to the extent where we are led to think "Just memorize the basics and I'll be fine, I think."
In conclusion, we're pretty much screwed when it comes to a world of change, where memorizing existing information just doesn't cut it. What we want is fresh, new things we never knew. Rote learning has to go.
On a more personal note, today's maths wasn't good. No, I do not like to keep practicing what I have no interest in over and over. Pretty much explains why my math and science 'exams' are so poor.
Went to Roxy for lunch with MC, Melvin, Daryl and some others. They played bridge. I got a little side-lined. Seems that inquisitive, talkative people are often ignored. That's all good, I know my limits.
They played bridge, I went home.
These words of mine, they hold no weight.
Y Tuesday, May 15, 2007
9:34 pm
Fun fact: Waking up at 4am to cram in last minute information is no fun at all!I don't even know if doing that has any benefits. I got up and read Thiru's SS notes on Sri Lanka for the umpteenth time. But you know, it's the same deal as when you're sedated, barely awake/half dead and someone tells you something. It goes in most of the time. You don't even have to understand it. Just let it get stuffed into your brain.
A cold shower helped jolt me to my senses, and I began revision pronto. Like I said, nothing I didn't already know; it was just to make sure none of it slipped out. Not unlike many others, I staked my chances on Sri Lanka/Northern Ireland. Imo, it's one of the easier chapters. (some might disagree, but it's my blog. =D)
Y'all know how everything has a backup plan?
"Oh shit! Switch to plan B!"
Yes, so does my "snap out of that trance you idiot" mechanism. It was cold in the morning, so I wore my jacket. (For the FIRST time.) Coffee was good, but hot. So I left the steaming life-injecting liquid on my desk. Getting up to head to the toilet, the sleeve of my jacket caught onto the handle of the mug (just what are the chances of that?) and toppled the damn thing.
*THUD*
"OW. FUCK."
Yay. Now my uniform and jacket are stained with brown marks. Carpet's dirty and I have to stop my study. Fine mess I made. They always say, look for the silver lining. Yes, I'm fully awake now and it served as a cue to get ready for school.
Thankfully, the rest of the day wasn't nearly as screwed. The exam itself wasn't anything to overwhelming. I could finish the paper with 30 seconds to spare, and only the last two SBQs posed some difficulty. (When in doubt, bullshit.) MC just HAD to tell me I went horribly wrong with my second SEQ, saying I went horribly off-mark and gave wrong points.
It sucks and I wasn't too happy, considering essay questions are what people spend A LOT of effort on. I was, at that point, thinking "Well, he isn't the marker. His opinion need not become my reality." Others around him didn't get cut much slack cut for them. I mean, this is just from my PoV, but everyone who went through him seemed pretty worried.
I'm leaving my thoughts on an article I read earlier today for tomorrow. It's pretty interesting, about education in East Asian countries. Seems Rote-learning is good only for instant or short-term results.
Nothing I can do about my paper tomorrow. So I'm off for TV.
Y Tuesday, May 08, 2007
9:10 pm
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.I LOST MY PORTABLE HARDDRIVE.
OH MY HARUHI.
SHIIIIEEEET.
There's so much stuff in it. Plus my PC's HDD is gonna burst at the rate I'm using up space. There's a possibility that I lent it to someone, but forgot exactly who. I remember bringing it to someone's house but for no apparent good reason. WHERE IS THE DAMN THING.
*Sniffles* End of the world.
EDIT: I'm so proud of myself for this.
EDIT#: Damnnit. [img] tags don't work =\.
Y Sunday, May 06, 2007
10:31 pm
Ahhh. Hello blog. It's been a week.Not a very busy week, nope. But quite an inspiring one.
How so? Well, for starters, K.C showed us the results of a sec 4 class last year. 4G, I think. It was one of the weaker classes, with one or two 20+ pointers. But the majority fell between the 9 - 14 range. It definitely wasn't comforting. Hell, those 10+ people had L1R5s that were quite close to mine.
Then again, there were also the 20-ish who shot to about 8.
I began to question my resolve. Maybe VJC isn't so realistic? Fine. If I can't get in, there's always the 20 storey build.. I mean other JCs. SAJC has very nice uniforms.. plus it isn't too bad. If you were to rank VS as a JC, it'd be around SA's standard, I think. Problem is, I'm going to have be in for long rides to and fro every damn day.
Hark! Then I came across a wicked cool anime/novel series. The (Insert Word like Melancholy, Rampage, Disappearance etc.) of Suzumiya Haruhi. I still watch anime. Sue me. However, in all seriousness, it contributed to the inspiration.
What's it about? Basically.. a high school girl (Haruhi) who has absolutely zero interest in humans. She's incredibly gifted in just about everything, be it sports, studies or music. Like all stereotypical anime leads, she's supposedly to be good looking etc. (Ask yourself honestly. Can you swap two anime characters' hair and have them look REALLY, REALLY different?)
So, her boons? Aliens, time travelers, ESP-ers (Extra Sensory Perception) and dimensional-travelers.
Okay, but that's not the main point. She's so driven to do what she wants to do, despite what others think of her. I figured, why not try to emulate her in some aspects? If she can keep being so optimistic and tireless, why can't I?
I've found out through this that tiredness is sometimes a state of mind. Take a shower, straighten your posture and change your mindset. Start on work. I think I hit the jackpot. MC said I had no determination, so whenever I felt like giving up, his words instantly echo through my head, punch me in the face and keep me going. I like the effect.
So now I'm scared into switching on the real engine. Besides, messing around was getting old.
On Saturday, Nicholas joined us for the first time, and so did Darren. I did a little more work than usual, then we took a short break to have a brief stab at the arcade. The one at some run down building near the Marine Parade marketplace had cheap Daytona and being students, our budget was limited.. so...
Mmhmm. I've definitely improved. Heck, at times I would lead Darren or even MC. (due to the catch up mode. LOL) I'm confident I can finish the advanced course on my own now. But alas, the day wasn't meant to be a total joy ride from start to finish.
Darren was careless and as a result, he left his phone ($600 W880i) and wallet ($100) unattended for a brief moment. When he discovered it was missing, we gave his phone a call. It was off. Some asshole stole his phone and wallet.
There were 3 groups of people.
The first, a couple. Presumably uneducated and hence unrefined. It's entirely safe to assume that they're parasites of the society. For the life of me, I cannot understand how one can sit with legs opened at such absurd angles and still enjoy a smoke. Yes, that included. Social grace? Simi sohsiel ga-lace?? Your IQ drops when in their company.
The second, a bunch of rowdy boys who, if left unattended, will end up being bottom feeders, not unlike that couple. Swearing over an arcade game? Come off it. It's idiotic. I pity your parents. Should you be the ones who stole Darren's stuff, I sincerely hope you don't change your ways. Keep doing what y'all are doing. The law would get wind of it someday, and for the benefit of the masses, you should be kept in jail and not breathe the same air as us. Scum.
The third group consisted of two loafers. Nothing much about them.
I make no apology for sounding elitist. Everyone has the power to change their situation, to succeed. The only thing is, how much do you want to? But hey, someone has to be that bottom 10% right? That's their merit I guess. You're just here to make the rest of us look good and for that, I thank you lowlifes.
Yes, I am very indignant about Darren's loss. What pisses me off more, however, is the attitude of the police officer in the police post. So you might argue the police aren't exactly excellent communicators or service staff in a posh restaurant. Fair enough. They keep the streets safe, but not the people happy. That's not part of their job description.
However, for someone who takes a front desk job, you'd damn bloody do well to serve the citizens in a better manner. He looked pretty dead pan most of the time, but that's fine. Must be a boring job, from the looks of it. Yet when Darren approached him (I only accompanied him for the second trip) he was instantly slapped with a "I thought I told you to meet my officers?"
Way to brush us aside and not listen? Hey, just because we're teenagers doesn't mean we're any less deserving of proper service. Bloody hell, they were lucky I didn't get my hands on the feedback form. Harsh? Hardly. His condescending tone was downright sickening.
In fact, his officers were ten times more friendly than he was. Heck, one of them even told stories about his exploits of justice. We had a good laugh when he said one of the criminals had a samurai sword brandished and seeking blood. The other enlightened me on a certain "I-mei" number on phones which cannot be removed by ordinary means. It would make their job easier, as the police would know when the phone is sold. (Near-by phone shops would be notified of the theft and respective I-mei number.)
As buddies, we bought Darren a meal and tried to console him. For a moment there, he said it slipped his mind that he ever lost his phone. Good to hear I guess.
Have fun with the phone, thief. As far as we're concerned, we're gonna have a ton more where it came from.