And so we finished watching the classic Pride and Prejudice! Though most of the time i didn't quite understand their language, and thanks to the speaker that was just behind me, i caught most of the meaning. Its strange, Elizabeth and Darcy's love for each other is quite strong, yet they are holding back their love. Why don't they just express it to each other? Same with Bingley and Jane, they love each other dearly but due to the lack of communication, many misunderstandings form. And i don't get how that is a proposal for marriage, isn't it just some random conversation? The word "marriage" didn't even pop up in the conversation and bingo! You two are engaged! :O
Anyway, much as my sister complain that the show is boring, i actually enjoy it. It's a period drama that's why. I like it because you get to see how people think and act in the olden days and how their balls look like and how they dress to impress. And i did hear a harpsichord! Cool right? Caroline could play Turkish March so well, on the harpsichord! (Okay, maybe she just moved her hands and pretended, but the person who played it was brilliant!)
Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us. To yield without conviction is no compliment to the understanding of either. "And your defect is a propensity to hate everybody." "And yours," he replied with a smile, "is willfully to misunderstand them" "An unhappy alternative is before you, Elizabeth. From this day you must be a stranger to one of your parents. Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr. Collins, and I will never see you again if you do." (I so love Mr Bennet's wit!) "For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn?" (Another one!) "In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you." (But there's no awwww effect because they say it so... prim and proper) "I cannot fix on the hour, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun." (And Mr Darcy love Elizabeth! Like duh... But its not really about him winning her heart directly with sweet words and more but by his actions and care for her sisters)
There's been a lot of debates about learning chinese in the papers nowadays. For example, this lady migrated to Australia 20 years ago to spare her son the agony of learning chinese. Today in the Forum page, one parent commented that schools should teach more vocabulary and idioms and whatever that would be tested in the o levels; in other words, don't test things that are not taught.
Which makes me wonder, is chinese really that difficult to learn? Perhaps these children weren't given a conducive environment to learn (like speaking chinese to their parents/grandparents or to friends from China). Or perhaps they just didn't put in the extra-curricular effort like reading books or even listening to songs (Yanling learnt 坎坷from one chinese song!) After all, chinese is your mother tongue, shouldn't you learn to like it or appreciate it? Or perhaps, schools should teach the chinese culture and china's history first and let students learn the language at the same time; that way, there is more motivation and interest in the language. I remember TPL saying that Ernest's chinese is rather good, he just doesn't put in effort (or something like that). So with effort, anything can be done, right?
I don't know, but this makes me think of something else: the multiple complaints about the PSLE math paper being so tough. I remember reading one forum article (see forum articles are good sources of information, albeit personal views) that the paper must be made tough to distinguish the good students from the average ones. Parents usually complain that the paper comes up with never-seen-before questions that students can't solve with routine maths techniques; it involves more thinking, and that's what the paper is all about.
It's the same in our school; only when you have been in such a system that stimulates and promotes thinking will you truly learn and appreciate the value of the knowledge you have because they are well-deserved. Our math honours paper is intentionally tough and it's good challenge for the mind. It makes you think and it teaches you to think. That's what makes the society progress. Without thinking, there'll be no innovation and without innovation, things like the telephone and the internet would not come about. And if there is no innovation the country only has one other means -- to copy other countries. But copying does no good because copying never allows one to make a statement and you can never truly copy everything perfectly.
So quit complaining and start working. Work on your thinking skills because that will bring you far. I know, my balance sheet is not balanced and my gross profit doesn't add up, but i'm thinking about how to manipulate the numbers to get the correct value and that will take time to start my brain into that mode.
Daddy borrowed Pride and Prejudice, the DVD movie from the library today! Okay, it isn't very nice because it's very draggy and the scenes are super long and it's in pure British english, but it's very enjoyable. The scenery is breath-taking and the costumes and their rituals (or mannerisms) are very elaborate, something you would never find today. It gives me pleasure (together with boredom) to watch this show from the Victorian Era.
What can i do with them? I can make billions of numbers and shapes with tangrams, and mazes give me a headache trying to figure the way out, but they're still cool!
The traditional 7 piece one
Try a 15 piece puzzle, also invented by the chinese, cool!
Mazes! But this one you walk along the black lines or you'll get stuck
I can't wait till Dylan's party! It'll be so cool to have another outing at his house! :P
I cooked Laksa today! With Mei and Mummy :D I thought it was very spicy but Mei thought it wasn't spicy at all :/ And we are watching Flush Away with the surround sound on the HD TV! :O
Four Prawns Each!
And now for some math puzzles
Make this key chain thing by cutting the paper only once! So fold fold fold then cut.
When you get it marvel at your creation!
Dominoes puzzle where the ends have to add up to the same number; expand the problem to Equilateral Triangles and Rectangles and more and you have fun!
3D Periwinkle, because this time if you get 3 in a row (like above) you LOSE :O
This is the peg puzzle which is difficult to explain ...
The pegs are placed on the circled circles and your objective is to eliminate all but one (which would be in the center) by jumping over each other (the peg being jumped over is eliminated)
The Fifteen Puzzle, except that each row adds up to something and you manipulate the numbers about!
The Class Chalet Pictures are out on Facebook! I bet it was cooler than all other chalets that anyone ever had! Even mum said so!
And we're going to get a new LCD TV! Which is coming in... One hour's time!
So i packed my room again, because i didn't finish packing yesterday :/ Actually i was supposed to pack my room after the exams ended but i promised mummy that i'll pack only after the class chalet because loads of exam papers aren't back yet and loads of other excuses :O
So i'm going to spam pictures!
Lovely Chocolate muffins!
God Answers Prayers, so never give up waiting! (And i'm still waiting for one!)
I don't know where this comes from, but it has quite some meaning
Don't give up because prayer works!
And we got some Ferrero Rondroir! With the flash, this picture looks cool :D
And this is the box without the flash. But the chocolate is super nice!
Some Young Scientist Project that we had to draw a bird and label its parts and collect 10 stamps of birds.
I really drew so well! Or maybe i traced it from a book :O
Haven't we been looking forward to the holidays since school started? Because that means that our days are filled with doing what we want to do (like kboxing, reading, shopping, slacking) instead of what we have to do (homework and homework) :P
I was packing my stuff and i found some really old stuff. Its really interesting to think back and wonder what i was thinking as i drew those cover pages.
This was so long ago that i can't even remember when! I must be such a nut that i couldn't spell those words then, or i must have been super young!
I think i drew these cover pages when i was year 1, when the requirement for a file check was a nicely designed cover page. Since then, Biology files were pink and chemistry files had no colour.
Now for some chalet pictures! These are the scenes of the chalet itself, not of what we did. I didn't take pictures for what we did because... i didn't :/ But Gerlynn took loads of pictures and i can't wait to see them!
The view from the room! Beautiful place!
The Master Bedroom, which belongs to the lovely 8 girls! (And our soft toys!)
Oh, this was at Downtown East! Their Christmas Decoration was so beautiful!
Instead of being upset about the things i cannot do (like cycle the 10+ km we did on sunday or climb the steps from the living room to the master bedroom of the chalet), i should rejoice in the things i CAN do (like go to the chalet! and do well academically and play the piano)
And my past five days were spent at 403's awesome class chalet! I don't have pictures here because i didn't bring my camera, but it was just fun and joy! The chalet itself was HUGE! It was a bungalow off Changi Beach, some SAF bungalow that has 3 storeys, 5 rooms, 1 living room and a huge balcony with a swing and beach chairs and more than enough place to play frisbee!
So we had a lot of fun playing mahjong, playing bridge, gaming ( i don't know what game it was), cycling and kboxing! It was just fun and fun! Okay i don't know how to describe it; it can't be described it words (haaha.) Mummy came for bbq yesterday! And so did daddy! And Bernard's parents and Hokk! :P I don't know, we did so many things that i have to look at the pictures to remember what happened and the pictures, i have to wait until Gerlynn uploads it to facebook!
I'm really glad that i could participate so much in the chalet because i didn't expect to. I didn't expect the guys to be so nice to offer to cycle me on a double bike for the 10+ km from Changi Beach to East Coast Park. I didn't expect Rachel to ask her parents to send me (and Ming Yan and Gerlynn) to Changi Beach bike rental and i didn't expect everyone to stop to wait for me to catch my breath when i was struggling to keep pace with them. That's 403, the best class ever and i hope we can have more outings together!
Right, let's talk about life. "In Life, there are two doors: the front door and the back door. The front door is where people enter through grades and other achievements. The back door is never closed but is seldom used. Entry through the back door depends on how you can convince the guard there." From monday's speaker on Curiousity and other stuff, part of which i adapted for my pre-u scholarship application essay.
Lovely day! Because my gradebook on espace shows wonderful grades, much higher than i expected. Yet, I still wished I did better and put in more effort, especially for my exams. Then again, looking at my exam grades, I may have a better chance sitting for the exams in a better state of mind (and body), like now; but that would be too late. It was no until after the exams that things began to be clear why they fell apart in the first place.
Lousy day! Because its raining, and because i'm really tired, I so cannot go for Wisco outing :( Its going to be the last council outing i ever have, yet I cannot attend. Well, that's sad, but I'm really glad this committee was such a wonderful one, with people like Janice and Yu Jia to be nice ladies, Yihui to do student lounge duty with me (and call me when i forget mine), Nikki and Yuhan to talk rubbish, and Roslyn and Chui Yi to lead the comm.
Prof was super funny yesterday, working out the reason why population always ages using set theory :/ I don't think i can put the proof here because blogger doesn't have the facilities, so ask me if you want the proof (that is, ask me after I have sorted out the proof).
This is how you get your honours. And that is why they put the box of that size for you to fill up.
This Games Day 2009, semester two, was unlike any other. It was within levels, so most people were playing games; if not, there were not enough players and most house level reps hate to know of a walkover. So i was left sitting outside the hall in my red Fibo tee, reading. At 9am, the admin notice board ouside the hall was crowded with people, because our subject specialisation was out. Immediately after knowing their subject specialisation, there were three things that people would do: quietly walk away because I got the specialisation i wanted, stay in front of the board counting the number of people who were offered the honours (20% for bio, math, physics, 50% for chem), run to the general office to take the appeal form because i want BIO honours. The entire world is appealing for bio honours, and i don't get why. Anyway, i got all three honours that i applied for (bio, math, chem), so i'm happily walking away and sitting down to read my book again.
Then we went for boarding fingerprinting. Oh, spoil my finger! :O haha, the girls were super funny! After that, it was lunch and making a paper crane mobile for Roslyn, WisCo's vice-committee head. We made paper cranes for Chui Yi, our comm head, but its going to be in a form of a book, so there is no need for threading and tying knots. The guys were super slackers who only whined to go home and couldn't really fold paper cranes properly (Who's that idiot that folded that crane!)
I left the factory line of paper crane folding (yes, we did a factory line where each person folded a few steps before passing on to the next person) to go for MA review. I expected it to take up the full 20 minutes allocated, but it only took 10 minutes or lesser. And Fangyi only asked me two questions! I thought it'd be some sort of super long interview like process because the board has to cut some people if they didn't do well, so they are going to make sure everyone that stays will contribute to the board. :/ Say so earlier la. Half the time we spent talking about subject specialisation and how the teachers try to discourage people from taking honours. Oh wells. That's what i did in the echo-y orchestra room, and Fangyi was trying to do her jap homework. I know its not true, but She quit french because she sees no point in taking since Donovan isn't taking it. That was from so long ago, when i was sec 1 and everyone teases her about that!
Post exams activities have started, with the first day beginning with a lot of talks. First, there is a talk about Exchange Programme 2010. I know many people would apply, but i wouldn't bother. Though i badly want to go for such a programme but i know there is no way the school would approve of it; they wouldn't want t to shoulder the responsibility of taking care of me. So this leaves me with no choice.
Then there's this Duke-NUS guy who came to talk about curiousity and things like that. The gist of his talk was just about him being very curious and taking loads of of photos to relax and recharge. I love his photos and his camera is such a wonderful camera, being able to capture such details such as the change of water from lamina flow to droplet form while pouring teh tarik.
The last talk was rather boring since i had no intention of joining the SSEF; even if i join it, i doubt i'll get into the finals or anywhere close . But the last part was super cool! The team which developed WizFolio was really brilliant, sitting down to come up with a full-fledged software to improve research paper writings. See, this is inspired by a need. Which proves the point that innovations come about because there is a need.
Saturday was shopping day! After piano, i went home to sleep and then i met mummy at Orchard MRT at 1.30pm! And we shopped till 6pm or something like that! :P It was fabulous; i haven't been to orchard for such a long time, probably 2 years or even longer (according to mummy). So it was a walk about ION Orchard, since i haven't been there before, trying out the food at B4 (because the rest of the things were so expensive, that's all we could do), then it was a cut through Wisma Atria to get to Takashimaya, which we looked at some oven that costs $199. But so sad daddy didn't want to get it in the end :( And that means i can't bake stuff anymore, since our old oven is spoilt :( But anyways, we went to the basement of Takashimaya, and they were having sale! And i bought a tigger!
The christmas trees are made of bearss!
There was a Pluto ($24.90) that we were contemplating buying for Mei's birthday but since it was so huge and daddy wasn't fetching us, we gave up that idea. But today after church, we went back there and got the Pluto! It was so huge and i was carrying it about to the car and on the way, everyone who saw it was like "Pluto!" There was this ang-moh family with a small child that loved the Pluto so much, so mummy told the father that its for Mei's 14th birthday and he can get it at B2 if he wants. Then the girl was so happy!
Then they were advertising some Edible Body Cream outside Paragon. Actually, its just free ice-cream! That was super hilarious, and the queue was so long! We queued for 15 minutes, and the lady in front of us was so nice. She was chinese-speaking and i doubt she knew english but she took an extra cup of ice-cream for that ang-moh guy who was playing the trumpet in his wheelchair, those buskers kind of people. He was so touched, but they couldn't really communicate.
Actually it is...
I hope everything will be fine with me because i don't want my parents to worry. I experienced heart pain walking the length from Takashimaya to Paragon and my mum was so worried that she couldn't sleep last night and she cried at church today when the pastor was praying for people for healing. I'm not sure about my dad because he doesn't sleep next to me, but i'm sure he's equally as worried.
Anyway, HAPPY 14th BIRTHDAY MEI! We had a surprise for her, which was the Pluto. She went to Vivo City with her rich friends (who live at Tanglin houses) and when she comes back, she'll see a Pluto on her bed. Also congratulations for her for getting into Triple Science, top class! She studied super hard; i doubt i can ever study that hard.
While the rest of the school is receiving their semestral exam results (which they dread doing), i'm stuck in the hospital doing weird things. NUH used to be a liberation from Singapore Baby and Child, where there was no longer any bossy nurses or doctors or crying babies, and there is a food court here just next to the clinic, along with shops like gift shops and book shops.
Today everything changed.
First i hooked up to the HOTA, the 24 hour ECG machine. Why didn't they tell me that they would give me this smaller machine so i can go to school to collect my results?! The older machine was much more bulkier and heavier so it defeats its purpose, such that it would be too restrictive to do anything, when the purpose is to monitor your daily activities.
In a way, it was good that i couldn't go to school, because we had an appointment with Dr Cindy. The appointment was timely too, because for the past week i've been getting headaches and feeling faint quite often. So we did a heart scan. Apparently there are some fibrosis on my heart tissue, between the two ventricles and that could be some cause for concern. So there. It just totally ruined my day. Because i have to go back for further tests by an MRI for a clearer picture, medication tests (meaning i have to stay overnight in the hospital) and i may have to undergo surgery for an AICD (automated implantable cardioverter-defibrillator)
Goodbye Chinese lessons! I'm so glad i never have to suffer such horrible lessons where you stone in class or do some other homework (usually math honours, because chinese is before math honours) and try your best not to get caught when you sit in the front row.
Its been a long two days. After Chinese O Levels, which went quite well, except for the fact that i was still having a headache and chest pains during the papers, we had MA Bonding Day! And i decided to take a panadol pill to relieve my pain. Despite taking two pills, it was still pain the entire day, and it is still pain today :( It was just so sad that i was in pain so i didn't quite enjoy the bonding day. Like Chua Lynn said, "You don't look happy today, so you must be sick." But anyways, well done Team Mitchell! Haha, it was hilarious. Mitchell totally scribbled a '5' on his score sheet because we dressed Hui Min up in newspapers and used masking tape to write a 'M' at the back and asked for his signature. And we came in first! BBQ was great and it was one of a kind! I never had such BBQ before!
The theaterette was freezing today, still. So i was on my 'hairdryer' craze, because i wanted a hairdryer so badly to warm myself up. Good thing when you step out, it was like Sahara Desert. Divya's hairdryer worked wonders for me yesterday, the first part, at least. Council Training was fabulous; i never had such an engaging training before! And they showed Whose Line is It Anyway? That's so 403-like! We're just so easy to please; suggest to play Whose Line and we can entertain ourselves for five whole hours, while waiting for the Year 6 Farewell Assembly. All the best to the councillors for tomorrow's internal evaluation!
Pedal Point: A note that is sustained throughout the changing harmonies.
Or in other words, something that doesn't change, something that is static. I wish 403 is static and would never, ever change. But, we're going to be forced apart, split up and soon enough, we will move on our lives on different tracks. Yet, i hope that our friendship remains and the camaraderie we all share stays.
My anxiety for exams is unchanging too. With Higher Chinese O levels tomorrow, the fear is increasing and the reason why i'm writing is to relieve the fear. Its a major exam that takes precedence over all other things, yet we've had little preparation in a school where school-based exams have just ended and Chinese is not a subject that is taken seriously. Life is full of contradictions. Whilst we give little emphasis to Chinese and seldom listen attentively in class, we are still aiming for a good grade. Whilst we refuse to study because there isn't anything that we could revise, we still flip through all the supplementary books to try to cram something useful into our brains.
Edit at 8:30pm: I finally finished the book, 477 pages in total. Why must all Jodi Picoult books end this way? After what the family's been through, Willow has to die; this time, the ice broke, not her. But with the lawsuit, her mother lost her best friend, her sister went through a difficult time coping with a sister with disability (like mine, always neglected, sorry), her parents' marriage was on the verge of breaking, Willow broke sixty-two times and when they finally got the eight million to live comfortably and afford all the special needs care for her, she leaves the family -- forever.
I regret opening this book. Jodi Picoult's latest book, released in print in 2009, Handle with Care is very addictive, as all her books are. But what i hate most about this book is that it relates to me. Sorry if i ever do spoil the plot in this post; if you don't want to risk spoilers, then navigate away immediately.
Willow is born with OI (Osterogenesis Imperfecta), which means her bones are brittle and they can break easily even just from a simple fall. Her parents are suing her ob-gyn, who is also her mother's best friend for a wrongful birth. Of course, i question the practicality of the plot; which normal being has the courage to sue your best friend who has been through thick and thin with you for eight whole years?
But that's not the point. It relates to me because i see the book through Willow's eyes. While her parents are struggling with their inner self about whether they should lie in court to say that if they knew Willow had OI earlier, they could have terminated her (beyond a certain stage of pregnancy, it is fatal to terminate it) so that she never needed to suffer such pain, I wonder, would the world be different without me? Would my parents have chosen to continue with the pregnancy if they knew i had this heart problem earlier? And most importantly, do my parents and my sister still love me even though i cause so much trouble?
This book, coupled with the fact that i suffered an attack yesterday morning so i couldn't go for the Vienna Boys Choir concert which i had been looking forward for weeks, had totally ruined my day. Still, i'm going to finish it, because i just hate terminating books halfway. I cried so much last night, because i just felt that i was a pain in the bud. Because of me, my parents cancelled their date to Orchard Road light up. Because of me, my piano teacher has to arrange another time for replacement class. Because of me, my sister had to go watch Vienna Boys by herself.
I like to quote some lines in Jodi Picoult's book, because its rather inspiring.
God saves truly special babies for parents He trusts.
Barriers were meant to be broken, that no one can be defined by a disability, and that nothing's ever impossible.
Yesterday there was 403 Christmas party at Gerlynn's house! Her house at Guilin is super beautiful, it overlooks a lovely lake with a nice rock, the kind that looks natural, but i'm not sure if its natural or man-made (my mum says its man-made). So sad i didn't get a picture of it!
It was loads of fun and fun and fun, with everyone laughing and enjoying themselves. It was simply fun. Of course, like Ms Sie says, its somewhat childish talk and games but who cares, we're all young at heart, right? I will so miss all these of 403, and i sincerely do hope that we could get back together again annually.
You see, something that i gained in 403 is friends. True friends. I'm not very close to those people, but they're aware of their surroundings. When i don't feel well, i just have to shout the name of someone nearby and they'll help me. Then more will come and offer me water or a seat, which shows they care. When i couldn't walk, one strong guy would carry me so that i could be picked up by my dad. And following which, my handphone would be filled with sms-es and well wishes, and everyone doesn't forget me. Even yesterday, when i lost my way at the toilet at Gerlynn's condo swimming pool, three girls came looking for me, which was absolutely unexpected. I hope these friendships lasts and i would find more friends like these, friends that truly care about me.
Its not good to do 11 module evaluation surveys at one shot. They're all the same questions in repeats and your evaluation turns from truth to white lies, just to get over the irritating surveys.
There's a question that's been bothering me for some time: what's the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist? I knew the difference, but i just felt that was a surface difference and there was a lot more difference between the two. The two are interesting fields, very similar to each other yet vastly different but they work in tandem with each other.
To keep it simple, a psychiatrist is a mad doctor, while a psychologist is a people's doctor. You see the former once in a while to collect medicine and certificates or letters to certify you unfit for certain courses or tasks, while you see the latter more often (usually weekly) to cure your inner being and make your mental state more stable.
The route to professionalism of both are equally tough, though i would say that a psychologist has it slightly easier. A psychiatrist first applies for a medicine, and after obtaining a M.D., he must apply for specialisation in the psychiatry field which requires another 4 years or thereabout. A psychologist doesn't have to go through the hassle of medicine and goes straight to FASS but he has to obtain a PhD in psychology to be able to practice and gain a rapport. That's about six years or more, depending on the country.
When one has a medical problem, the psychiatrist treats the body while follow-ups are done with the psychologist. And i refer to mental or behavioural problems; other than those illnesses, please see a normal General Practitioner. The good thing about a psychiatrist is that he can fall back on his M.D. in times of low demand and go back to be a G.P. A psychologist doesn't have that privilege, and can only work in fields of counselling and will reap money depending on his own skills.
Few knows this difference, and the first time that i was exposed to it was when Ms Sie told the class that very little people can make this distinction and hence will fill in university application forms with a wrong idea until they do further research.
There are pros and cons to rainy days. In a sense i love rainy days. I love the cool breeze that blows before the rain comes and i love the nice fresh grass smell after the rain goes. I love the chilly weather that makes you want to sit and relax on the couch and do nothing, or just sleep in late (though that totally warps your body clock). I love the sound of the rain that goes pitter-patter; yes its cliche, but its lovely all the same. I love just sitting at the side of the sofa in front of the window and watching the puddles of the rain grow larger and ripples form (Doppler's Effect is great!)
But i dislike the fact that when it rains, the whole world stops. Okay, figuratively. People don't go out, because they have to bring an umbrella and they risk getting wet or because they're afraid of driving in the heavy rain for vision is blurred. People don't do work, because the rain makes the weather feels like natural air-corn, so they just laze in bed and doze off soon after. People don't eat out because they have to find a sheltered place (sheltered from home to the eatery) if not they won't bother. So here's the good and bad of rainy days, but i choose to look at the good side!
Exams are finally over! Phew. Its been a hectic and tiring exam period, mostly due to my inner longing to do very well and be a cut above the rest. And this has caused me a lot of stress. Sometimes, we have to learn to relax and take things as they come, naturally.
Okay, so one of the first things i did was to clear my room. I mean, clear my files. Bundle up this semester's notes into nice fasteners and put them into a box for keeping. There's this sense of nostalgia as i was packing my chinese file. Its this feeling that you're probably not going to have interaction with your mother tongue after the o levels and that there's no chinese literature to replace that either. And i'll miss that lovely little cover page that i made way back in year 1. Aww its so nice, so cute, and gosh, my calligraphy was so beautiful then! Now its rusty and i don't dare to try it again. I guess the writing that got me the first in the competition in p4 will never come back, not without much work over it.
Watching korean dramas and seeing the young little girls beam with joy on their wedding day, only to find out that life isn't going to be that fantasy they dreamt of, because they have to serve their in-laws. Which makes me wonder, and reminiscence about my disasters in the the kitchen!
It wasn't long ago when i put the frozen bruschetta, some italian pizza-bread in the microwave oven. I think that was somewhere in the end of year 3. The instructions on the box said to put it 6 minutes in the oven. And i put it for 6 minutes in the microwave oven. By the 5th minute, the microwave was fuming, literally. Black fumes filled the kitchen and there was a dense burning smell which lingered on for days. Another time, when i was really young and was cutting orange for the very first time, i cut my thumb by accident. It was very painful and i was very silly because i stuck my thumb into the orange in a reflex action. As science students, it is clear that such a thing was stupid, because you'll only make the wound more painful.
Talking about wounds, in year 2 during the microbiology class, the glass spreader was in the sterilizer, and it was heated at a very high temperature. Xinyi took one glass spreader out while i was taking another out. One spreader (can't remember whose) dropped on my hand, the place in between the thumb and the index finger. There's still a scar now, but its rather faint. Then, i was really silly and i didn't report that to Ms Koh. I just washed my hand under running water for a while and continued on with the practical. When i went home, it was all swollen and it was painful. We didn't have cream for burns at home so my mum had to run over to Aunty Linda's house to get it and this burn took a while to recover.
It was somewhere from 5th october to 7th october 2009 when i made another blunder. I was to cook one and a half cups of rice. Common sense dictates that the amount of water put would be one and a half cups, or slightly more so the rice has some water to steam and it'll be softer. I was sick then, but it didn't make a difference. I put two and a half cups of water and before long, the rice cooker started to sputter.
I do need to learn some basic cooking. Rather, i need to acquire common sense in cooking.
I realise that these few days i've been emo-ing about exams. Its called 'exam-stress': the stress that comes with exams as you contemplate your fate even before you take the paper. The anxiousness that what you've studied is insufficient, the worry that the paper has loads of higher order thinking (HOT!) questions that you're unable to do under exam stress and the nervousness that you can't finish the paper in time.
After the paper, its always heaving a huge sigh of relief that the paper wasn't that bad and what you've studied could bring you to a good enough score; it may not be an A because there're loads of difficult questions that you probably didn't do correctly, but it should be something like a B.
Tomorrow's physics paper and i'm petrified. Again. Brian told me yesterday that there's no use being scared even if you didn't study because that'll affect your brain power and a clear brain is the best thing for an exam. Still, i worry. Physics has always been an obstacle, a chore and a bore to study and revise. I could never catch the concepts; even if i do, they don't stick long. After that, i can't apply the concepts to the questions; its merely plucking in formulas in the hope of getting some marks. Bio's different; its memory. And its not i'm smart, i just have a great memory.
Thanks to Gerlynn, who uploaded this video on facebook, i'm now so determined to play the Flight of the Bumblebee, piano transcription. Don't you think this chorus is so cool and so brilliant, using their vocals to imitate the orchestra instruments!
I'm going to try my best to play the score out, though it'll take quite a long time to learn it because this isn't an easy piece to play. I finally found the transcription by Rimsky-Korsakov online and it doesn't look easy. Actually it is, but when you play it fast, i doubt its that easy because you really need stamina to run through the notes.
I'm looking forward to the xmas party at Gerlynn's house! Though i'm not sure if mummy would let me out because its the day before o level chinese. But who studies for that anyways, and what is there to study?
And so we finished watching the classic Pride and Prejudice! Though most of the time i didn't quite understand their language, and thanks to the speaker that was just behind me, i caught most of the meaning. Its strange, Elizabeth and Darcy's love for each other is quite strong, yet they are holding back their love. Why don't they just express it to each other? Same with Bingley and Jane, they love each other dearly but due to the lack of communication, many misunderstandings form. And i don't get how that is a proposal for marriage, isn't it just some random conversation? The word "marriage" didn't even pop up in the conversation and bingo! You two are engaged! :O
Anyway, much as my sister complain that the show is boring, i actually enjoy it. It's a period drama that's why. I like it because you get to see how people think and act in the olden days and how their balls look like and how they dress to impress. And i did hear a harpsichord! Cool right? Caroline could play Turkish March so well, on the harpsichord! (Okay, maybe she just moved her hands and pretended, but the person who played it was brilliant!)
Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us. To yield without conviction is no compliment to the understanding of either. "And your defect is a propensity to hate everybody." "And yours," he replied with a smile, "is willfully to misunderstand them" "An unhappy alternative is before you, Elizabeth. From this day you must be a stranger to one of your parents. Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr. Collins, and I will never see you again if you do." (I so love Mr Bennet's wit!) "For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn?" (Another one!) "In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you." (But there's no awwww effect because they say it so... prim and proper) "I cannot fix on the hour, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun." (And Mr Darcy love Elizabeth! Like duh... But its not really about him winning her heart directly with sweet words and more but by his actions and care for her sisters)
There's been a lot of debates about learning chinese in the papers nowadays. For example, this lady migrated to Australia 20 years ago to spare her son the agony of learning chinese. Today in the Forum page, one parent commented that schools should teach more vocabulary and idioms and whatever that would be tested in the o levels; in other words, don't test things that are not taught.
Which makes me wonder, is chinese really that difficult to learn? Perhaps these children weren't given a conducive environment to learn (like speaking chinese to their parents/grandparents or to friends from China). Or perhaps they just didn't put in the extra-curricular effort like reading books or even listening to songs (Yanling learnt 坎坷from one chinese song!) After all, chinese is your mother tongue, shouldn't you learn to like it or appreciate it? Or perhaps, schools should teach the chinese culture and china's history first and let students learn the language at the same time; that way, there is more motivation and interest in the language. I remember TPL saying that Ernest's chinese is rather good, he just doesn't put in effort (or something like that). So with effort, anything can be done, right?
I don't know, but this makes me think of something else: the multiple complaints about the PSLE math paper being so tough. I remember reading one forum article (see forum articles are good sources of information, albeit personal views) that the paper must be made tough to distinguish the good students from the average ones. Parents usually complain that the paper comes up with never-seen-before questions that students can't solve with routine maths techniques; it involves more thinking, and that's what the paper is all about.
It's the same in our school; only when you have been in such a system that stimulates and promotes thinking will you truly learn and appreciate the value of the knowledge you have because they are well-deserved. Our math honours paper is intentionally tough and it's good challenge for the mind. It makes you think and it teaches you to think. That's what makes the society progress. Without thinking, there'll be no innovation and without innovation, things like the telephone and the internet would not come about. And if there is no innovation the country only has one other means -- to copy other countries. But copying does no good because copying never allows one to make a statement and you can never truly copy everything perfectly.
So quit complaining and start working. Work on your thinking skills because that will bring you far. I know, my balance sheet is not balanced and my gross profit doesn't add up, but i'm thinking about how to manipulate the numbers to get the correct value and that will take time to start my brain into that mode.
Daddy borrowed Pride and Prejudice, the DVD movie from the library today! Okay, it isn't very nice because it's very draggy and the scenes are super long and it's in pure British english, but it's very enjoyable. The scenery is breath-taking and the costumes and their rituals (or mannerisms) are very elaborate, something you would never find today. It gives me pleasure (together with boredom) to watch this show from the Victorian Era.
What can i do with them? I can make billions of numbers and shapes with tangrams, and mazes give me a headache trying to figure the way out, but they're still cool!
The traditional 7 piece one
Try a 15 piece puzzle, also invented by the chinese, cool!
Mazes! But this one you walk along the black lines or you'll get stuck
I can't wait till Dylan's party! It'll be so cool to have another outing at his house! :P
I cooked Laksa today! With Mei and Mummy :D I thought it was very spicy but Mei thought it wasn't spicy at all :/ And we are watching Flush Away with the surround sound on the HD TV! :O
Four Prawns Each!
And now for some math puzzles
Make this key chain thing by cutting the paper only once! So fold fold fold then cut.
When you get it marvel at your creation!
Dominoes puzzle where the ends have to add up to the same number; expand the problem to Equilateral Triangles and Rectangles and more and you have fun!
3D Periwinkle, because this time if you get 3 in a row (like above) you LOSE :O
This is the peg puzzle which is difficult to explain ...
The pegs are placed on the circled circles and your objective is to eliminate all but one (which would be in the center) by jumping over each other (the peg being jumped over is eliminated)
The Fifteen Puzzle, except that each row adds up to something and you manipulate the numbers about!
The Class Chalet Pictures are out on Facebook! I bet it was cooler than all other chalets that anyone ever had! Even mum said so!
And we're going to get a new LCD TV! Which is coming in... One hour's time!
So i packed my room again, because i didn't finish packing yesterday :/ Actually i was supposed to pack my room after the exams ended but i promised mummy that i'll pack only after the class chalet because loads of exam papers aren't back yet and loads of other excuses :O
So i'm going to spam pictures!
Lovely Chocolate muffins!
God Answers Prayers, so never give up waiting! (And i'm still waiting for one!)
I don't know where this comes from, but it has quite some meaning
Don't give up because prayer works!
And we got some Ferrero Rondroir! With the flash, this picture looks cool :D
And this is the box without the flash. But the chocolate is super nice!
Some Young Scientist Project that we had to draw a bird and label its parts and collect 10 stamps of birds.
I really drew so well! Or maybe i traced it from a book :O
Haven't we been looking forward to the holidays since school started? Because that means that our days are filled with doing what we want to do (like kboxing, reading, shopping, slacking) instead of what we have to do (homework and homework) :P
I was packing my stuff and i found some really old stuff. Its really interesting to think back and wonder what i was thinking as i drew those cover pages.
This was so long ago that i can't even remember when! I must be such a nut that i couldn't spell those words then, or i must have been super young!
I think i drew these cover pages when i was year 1, when the requirement for a file check was a nicely designed cover page. Since then, Biology files were pink and chemistry files had no colour.
Now for some chalet pictures! These are the scenes of the chalet itself, not of what we did. I didn't take pictures for what we did because... i didn't :/ But Gerlynn took loads of pictures and i can't wait to see them!
The view from the room! Beautiful place!
The Master Bedroom, which belongs to the lovely 8 girls! (And our soft toys!)
Oh, this was at Downtown East! Their Christmas Decoration was so beautiful!
Instead of being upset about the things i cannot do (like cycle the 10+ km we did on sunday or climb the steps from the living room to the master bedroom of the chalet), i should rejoice in the things i CAN do (like go to the chalet! and do well academically and play the piano)
And my past five days were spent at 403's awesome class chalet! I don't have pictures here because i didn't bring my camera, but it was just fun and joy! The chalet itself was HUGE! It was a bungalow off Changi Beach, some SAF bungalow that has 3 storeys, 5 rooms, 1 living room and a huge balcony with a swing and beach chairs and more than enough place to play frisbee!
So we had a lot of fun playing mahjong, playing bridge, gaming ( i don't know what game it was), cycling and kboxing! It was just fun and fun! Okay i don't know how to describe it; it can't be described it words (haaha.) Mummy came for bbq yesterday! And so did daddy! And Bernard's parents and Hokk! :P I don't know, we did so many things that i have to look at the pictures to remember what happened and the pictures, i have to wait until Gerlynn uploads it to facebook!
I'm really glad that i could participate so much in the chalet because i didn't expect to. I didn't expect the guys to be so nice to offer to cycle me on a double bike for the 10+ km from Changi Beach to East Coast Park. I didn't expect Rachel to ask her parents to send me (and Ming Yan and Gerlynn) to Changi Beach bike rental and i didn't expect everyone to stop to wait for me to catch my breath when i was struggling to keep pace with them. That's 403, the best class ever and i hope we can have more outings together!
Right, let's talk about life. "In Life, there are two doors: the front door and the back door. The front door is where people enter through grades and other achievements. The back door is never closed but is seldom used. Entry through the back door depends on how you can convince the guard there." From monday's speaker on Curiousity and other stuff, part of which i adapted for my pre-u scholarship application essay.
Lovely day! Because my gradebook on espace shows wonderful grades, much higher than i expected. Yet, I still wished I did better and put in more effort, especially for my exams. Then again, looking at my exam grades, I may have a better chance sitting for the exams in a better state of mind (and body), like now; but that would be too late. It was no until after the exams that things began to be clear why they fell apart in the first place.
Lousy day! Because its raining, and because i'm really tired, I so cannot go for Wisco outing :( Its going to be the last council outing i ever have, yet I cannot attend. Well, that's sad, but I'm really glad this committee was such a wonderful one, with people like Janice and Yu Jia to be nice ladies, Yihui to do student lounge duty with me (and call me when i forget mine), Nikki and Yuhan to talk rubbish, and Roslyn and Chui Yi to lead the comm.
Prof was super funny yesterday, working out the reason why population always ages using set theory :/ I don't think i can put the proof here because blogger doesn't have the facilities, so ask me if you want the proof (that is, ask me after I have sorted out the proof).
This is how you get your honours. And that is why they put the box of that size for you to fill up.
This Games Day 2009, semester two, was unlike any other. It was within levels, so most people were playing games; if not, there were not enough players and most house level reps hate to know of a walkover. So i was left sitting outside the hall in my red Fibo tee, reading. At 9am, the admin notice board ouside the hall was crowded with people, because our subject specialisation was out. Immediately after knowing their subject specialisation, there were three things that people would do: quietly walk away because I got the specialisation i wanted, stay in front of the board counting the number of people who were offered the honours (20% for bio, math, physics, 50% for chem), run to the general office to take the appeal form because i want BIO honours. The entire world is appealing for bio honours, and i don't get why. Anyway, i got all three honours that i applied for (bio, math, chem), so i'm happily walking away and sitting down to read my book again.
Then we went for boarding fingerprinting. Oh, spoil my finger! :O haha, the girls were super funny! After that, it was lunch and making a paper crane mobile for Roslyn, WisCo's vice-committee head. We made paper cranes for Chui Yi, our comm head, but its going to be in a form of a book, so there is no need for threading and tying knots. The guys were super slackers who only whined to go home and couldn't really fold paper cranes properly (Who's that idiot that folded that crane!)
I left the factory line of paper crane folding (yes, we did a factory line where each person folded a few steps before passing on to the next person) to go for MA review. I expected it to take up the full 20 minutes allocated, but it only took 10 minutes or lesser. And Fangyi only asked me two questions! I thought it'd be some sort of super long interview like process because the board has to cut some people if they didn't do well, so they are going to make sure everyone that stays will contribute to the board. :/ Say so earlier la. Half the time we spent talking about subject specialisation and how the teachers try to discourage people from taking honours. Oh wells. That's what i did in the echo-y orchestra room, and Fangyi was trying to do her jap homework. I know its not true, but She quit french because she sees no point in taking since Donovan isn't taking it. That was from so long ago, when i was sec 1 and everyone teases her about that!
Post exams activities have started, with the first day beginning with a lot of talks. First, there is a talk about Exchange Programme 2010. I know many people would apply, but i wouldn't bother. Though i badly want to go for such a programme but i know there is no way the school would approve of it; they wouldn't want t to shoulder the responsibility of taking care of me. So this leaves me with no choice.
Then there's this Duke-NUS guy who came to talk about curiousity and things like that. The gist of his talk was just about him being very curious and taking loads of of photos to relax and recharge. I love his photos and his camera is such a wonderful camera, being able to capture such details such as the change of water from lamina flow to droplet form while pouring teh tarik.
The last talk was rather boring since i had no intention of joining the SSEF; even if i join it, i doubt i'll get into the finals or anywhere close . But the last part was super cool! The team which developed WizFolio was really brilliant, sitting down to come up with a full-fledged software to improve research paper writings. See, this is inspired by a need. Which proves the point that innovations come about because there is a need.
Saturday was shopping day! After piano, i went home to sleep and then i met mummy at Orchard MRT at 1.30pm! And we shopped till 6pm or something like that! :P It was fabulous; i haven't been to orchard for such a long time, probably 2 years or even longer (according to mummy). So it was a walk about ION Orchard, since i haven't been there before, trying out the food at B4 (because the rest of the things were so expensive, that's all we could do), then it was a cut through Wisma Atria to get to Takashimaya, which we looked at some oven that costs $199. But so sad daddy didn't want to get it in the end :( And that means i can't bake stuff anymore, since our old oven is spoilt :( But anyways, we went to the basement of Takashimaya, and they were having sale! And i bought a tigger!
The christmas trees are made of bearss!
There was a Pluto ($24.90) that we were contemplating buying for Mei's birthday but since it was so huge and daddy wasn't fetching us, we gave up that idea. But today after church, we went back there and got the Pluto! It was so huge and i was carrying it about to the car and on the way, everyone who saw it was like "Pluto!" There was this ang-moh family with a small child that loved the Pluto so much, so mummy told the father that its for Mei's 14th birthday and he can get it at B2 if he wants. Then the girl was so happy!
Then they were advertising some Edible Body Cream outside Paragon. Actually, its just free ice-cream! That was super hilarious, and the queue was so long! We queued for 15 minutes, and the lady in front of us was so nice. She was chinese-speaking and i doubt she knew english but she took an extra cup of ice-cream for that ang-moh guy who was playing the trumpet in his wheelchair, those buskers kind of people. He was so touched, but they couldn't really communicate.
Actually it is...
I hope everything will be fine with me because i don't want my parents to worry. I experienced heart pain walking the length from Takashimaya to Paragon and my mum was so worried that she couldn't sleep last night and she cried at church today when the pastor was praying for people for healing. I'm not sure about my dad because he doesn't sleep next to me, but i'm sure he's equally as worried.
Anyway, HAPPY 14th BIRTHDAY MEI! We had a surprise for her, which was the Pluto. She went to Vivo City with her rich friends (who live at Tanglin houses) and when she comes back, she'll see a Pluto on her bed. Also congratulations for her for getting into Triple Science, top class! She studied super hard; i doubt i can ever study that hard.
While the rest of the school is receiving their semestral exam results (which they dread doing), i'm stuck in the hospital doing weird things. NUH used to be a liberation from Singapore Baby and Child, where there was no longer any bossy nurses or doctors or crying babies, and there is a food court here just next to the clinic, along with shops like gift shops and book shops.
Today everything changed.
First i hooked up to the HOTA, the 24 hour ECG machine. Why didn't they tell me that they would give me this smaller machine so i can go to school to collect my results?! The older machine was much more bulkier and heavier so it defeats its purpose, such that it would be too restrictive to do anything, when the purpose is to monitor your daily activities.
In a way, it was good that i couldn't go to school, because we had an appointment with Dr Cindy. The appointment was timely too, because for the past week i've been getting headaches and feeling faint quite often. So we did a heart scan. Apparently there are some fibrosis on my heart tissue, between the two ventricles and that could be some cause for concern. So there. It just totally ruined my day. Because i have to go back for further tests by an MRI for a clearer picture, medication tests (meaning i have to stay overnight in the hospital) and i may have to undergo surgery for an AICD (automated implantable cardioverter-defibrillator)
Goodbye Chinese lessons! I'm so glad i never have to suffer such horrible lessons where you stone in class or do some other homework (usually math honours, because chinese is before math honours) and try your best not to get caught when you sit in the front row.
Its been a long two days. After Chinese O Levels, which went quite well, except for the fact that i was still having a headache and chest pains during the papers, we had MA Bonding Day! And i decided to take a panadol pill to relieve my pain. Despite taking two pills, it was still pain the entire day, and it is still pain today :( It was just so sad that i was in pain so i didn't quite enjoy the bonding day. Like Chua Lynn said, "You don't look happy today, so you must be sick." But anyways, well done Team Mitchell! Haha, it was hilarious. Mitchell totally scribbled a '5' on his score sheet because we dressed Hui Min up in newspapers and used masking tape to write a 'M' at the back and asked for his signature. And we came in first! BBQ was great and it was one of a kind! I never had such BBQ before!
The theaterette was freezing today, still. So i was on my 'hairdryer' craze, because i wanted a hairdryer so badly to warm myself up. Good thing when you step out, it was like Sahara Desert. Divya's hairdryer worked wonders for me yesterday, the first part, at least. Council Training was fabulous; i never had such an engaging training before! And they showed Whose Line is It Anyway? That's so 403-like! We're just so easy to please; suggest to play Whose Line and we can entertain ourselves for five whole hours, while waiting for the Year 6 Farewell Assembly. All the best to the councillors for tomorrow's internal evaluation!
Pedal Point: A note that is sustained throughout the changing harmonies.
Or in other words, something that doesn't change, something that is static. I wish 403 is static and would never, ever change. But, we're going to be forced apart, split up and soon enough, we will move on our lives on different tracks. Yet, i hope that our friendship remains and the camaraderie we all share stays.
My anxiety for exams is unchanging too. With Higher Chinese O levels tomorrow, the fear is increasing and the reason why i'm writing is to relieve the fear. Its a major exam that takes precedence over all other things, yet we've had little preparation in a school where school-based exams have just ended and Chinese is not a subject that is taken seriously. Life is full of contradictions. Whilst we give little emphasis to Chinese and seldom listen attentively in class, we are still aiming for a good grade. Whilst we refuse to study because there isn't anything that we could revise, we still flip through all the supplementary books to try to cram something useful into our brains.
Edit at 8:30pm: I finally finished the book, 477 pages in total. Why must all Jodi Picoult books end this way? After what the family's been through, Willow has to die; this time, the ice broke, not her. But with the lawsuit, her mother lost her best friend, her sister went through a difficult time coping with a sister with disability (like mine, always neglected, sorry), her parents' marriage was on the verge of breaking, Willow broke sixty-two times and when they finally got the eight million to live comfortably and afford all the special needs care for her, she leaves the family -- forever.
I regret opening this book. Jodi Picoult's latest book, released in print in 2009, Handle with Care is very addictive, as all her books are. But what i hate most about this book is that it relates to me. Sorry if i ever do spoil the plot in this post; if you don't want to risk spoilers, then navigate away immediately.
Willow is born with OI (Osterogenesis Imperfecta), which means her bones are brittle and they can break easily even just from a simple fall. Her parents are suing her ob-gyn, who is also her mother's best friend for a wrongful birth. Of course, i question the practicality of the plot; which normal being has the courage to sue your best friend who has been through thick and thin with you for eight whole years?
But that's not the point. It relates to me because i see the book through Willow's eyes. While her parents are struggling with their inner self about whether they should lie in court to say that if they knew Willow had OI earlier, they could have terminated her (beyond a certain stage of pregnancy, it is fatal to terminate it) so that she never needed to suffer such pain, I wonder, would the world be different without me? Would my parents have chosen to continue with the pregnancy if they knew i had this heart problem earlier? And most importantly, do my parents and my sister still love me even though i cause so much trouble?
This book, coupled with the fact that i suffered an attack yesterday morning so i couldn't go for the Vienna Boys Choir concert which i had been looking forward for weeks, had totally ruined my day. Still, i'm going to finish it, because i just hate terminating books halfway. I cried so much last night, because i just felt that i was a pain in the bud. Because of me, my parents cancelled their date to Orchard Road light up. Because of me, my piano teacher has to arrange another time for replacement class. Because of me, my sister had to go watch Vienna Boys by herself.
I like to quote some lines in Jodi Picoult's book, because its rather inspiring.
God saves truly special babies for parents He trusts.
Barriers were meant to be broken, that no one can be defined by a disability, and that nothing's ever impossible.
Yesterday there was 403 Christmas party at Gerlynn's house! Her house at Guilin is super beautiful, it overlooks a lovely lake with a nice rock, the kind that looks natural, but i'm not sure if its natural or man-made (my mum says its man-made). So sad i didn't get a picture of it!
It was loads of fun and fun and fun, with everyone laughing and enjoying themselves. It was simply fun. Of course, like Ms Sie says, its somewhat childish talk and games but who cares, we're all young at heart, right? I will so miss all these of 403, and i sincerely do hope that we could get back together again annually.
You see, something that i gained in 403 is friends. True friends. I'm not very close to those people, but they're aware of their surroundings. When i don't feel well, i just have to shout the name of someone nearby and they'll help me. Then more will come and offer me water or a seat, which shows they care. When i couldn't walk, one strong guy would carry me so that i could be picked up by my dad. And following which, my handphone would be filled with sms-es and well wishes, and everyone doesn't forget me. Even yesterday, when i lost my way at the toilet at Gerlynn's condo swimming pool, three girls came looking for me, which was absolutely unexpected. I hope these friendships lasts and i would find more friends like these, friends that truly care about me.
Its not good to do 11 module evaluation surveys at one shot. They're all the same questions in repeats and your evaluation turns from truth to white lies, just to get over the irritating surveys.
There's a question that's been bothering me for some time: what's the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist? I knew the difference, but i just felt that was a surface difference and there was a lot more difference between the two. The two are interesting fields, very similar to each other yet vastly different but they work in tandem with each other.
To keep it simple, a psychiatrist is a mad doctor, while a psychologist is a people's doctor. You see the former once in a while to collect medicine and certificates or letters to certify you unfit for certain courses or tasks, while you see the latter more often (usually weekly) to cure your inner being and make your mental state more stable.
The route to professionalism of both are equally tough, though i would say that a psychologist has it slightly easier. A psychiatrist first applies for a medicine, and after obtaining a M.D., he must apply for specialisation in the psychiatry field which requires another 4 years or thereabout. A psychologist doesn't have to go through the hassle of medicine and goes straight to FASS but he has to obtain a PhD in psychology to be able to practice and gain a rapport. That's about six years or more, depending on the country.
When one has a medical problem, the psychiatrist treats the body while follow-ups are done with the psychologist. And i refer to mental or behavioural problems; other than those illnesses, please see a normal General Practitioner. The good thing about a psychiatrist is that he can fall back on his M.D. in times of low demand and go back to be a G.P. A psychologist doesn't have that privilege, and can only work in fields of counselling and will reap money depending on his own skills.
Few knows this difference, and the first time that i was exposed to it was when Ms Sie told the class that very little people can make this distinction and hence will fill in university application forms with a wrong idea until they do further research.
There are pros and cons to rainy days. In a sense i love rainy days. I love the cool breeze that blows before the rain comes and i love the nice fresh grass smell after the rain goes. I love the chilly weather that makes you want to sit and relax on the couch and do nothing, or just sleep in late (though that totally warps your body clock). I love the sound of the rain that goes pitter-patter; yes its cliche, but its lovely all the same. I love just sitting at the side of the sofa in front of the window and watching the puddles of the rain grow larger and ripples form (Doppler's Effect is great!)
But i dislike the fact that when it rains, the whole world stops. Okay, figuratively. People don't go out, because they have to bring an umbrella and they risk getting wet or because they're afraid of driving in the heavy rain for vision is blurred. People don't do work, because the rain makes the weather feels like natural air-corn, so they just laze in bed and doze off soon after. People don't eat out because they have to find a sheltered place (sheltered from home to the eatery) if not they won't bother. So here's the good and bad of rainy days, but i choose to look at the good side!
Exams are finally over! Phew. Its been a hectic and tiring exam period, mostly due to my inner longing to do very well and be a cut above the rest. And this has caused me a lot of stress. Sometimes, we have to learn to relax and take things as they come, naturally.
Okay, so one of the first things i did was to clear my room. I mean, clear my files. Bundle up this semester's notes into nice fasteners and put them into a box for keeping. There's this sense of nostalgia as i was packing my chinese file. Its this feeling that you're probably not going to have interaction with your mother tongue after the o levels and that there's no chinese literature to replace that either. And i'll miss that lovely little cover page that i made way back in year 1. Aww its so nice, so cute, and gosh, my calligraphy was so beautiful then! Now its rusty and i don't dare to try it again. I guess the writing that got me the first in the competition in p4 will never come back, not without much work over it.
Watching korean dramas and seeing the young little girls beam with joy on their wedding day, only to find out that life isn't going to be that fantasy they dreamt of, because they have to serve their in-laws. Which makes me wonder, and reminiscence about my disasters in the the kitchen!
It wasn't long ago when i put the frozen bruschetta, some italian pizza-bread in the microwave oven. I think that was somewhere in the end of year 3. The instructions on the box said to put it 6 minutes in the oven. And i put it for 6 minutes in the microwave oven. By the 5th minute, the microwave was fuming, literally. Black fumes filled the kitchen and there was a dense burning smell which lingered on for days. Another time, when i was really young and was cutting orange for the very first time, i cut my thumb by accident. It was very painful and i was very silly because i stuck my thumb into the orange in a reflex action. As science students, it is clear that such a thing was stupid, because you'll only make the wound more painful.
Talking about wounds, in year 2 during the microbiology class, the glass spreader was in the sterilizer, and it was heated at a very high temperature. Xinyi took one glass spreader out while i was taking another out. One spreader (can't remember whose) dropped on my hand, the place in between the thumb and the index finger. There's still a scar now, but its rather faint. Then, i was really silly and i didn't report that to Ms Koh. I just washed my hand under running water for a while and continued on with the practical. When i went home, it was all swollen and it was painful. We didn't have cream for burns at home so my mum had to run over to Aunty Linda's house to get it and this burn took a while to recover.
It was somewhere from 5th october to 7th october 2009 when i made another blunder. I was to cook one and a half cups of rice. Common sense dictates that the amount of water put would be one and a half cups, or slightly more so the rice has some water to steam and it'll be softer. I was sick then, but it didn't make a difference. I put two and a half cups of water and before long, the rice cooker started to sputter.
I do need to learn some basic cooking. Rather, i need to acquire common sense in cooking.
I realise that these few days i've been emo-ing about exams. Its called 'exam-stress': the stress that comes with exams as you contemplate your fate even before you take the paper. The anxiousness that what you've studied is insufficient, the worry that the paper has loads of higher order thinking (HOT!) questions that you're unable to do under exam stress and the nervousness that you can't finish the paper in time.
After the paper, its always heaving a huge sigh of relief that the paper wasn't that bad and what you've studied could bring you to a good enough score; it may not be an A because there're loads of difficult questions that you probably didn't do correctly, but it should be something like a B.
Tomorrow's physics paper and i'm petrified. Again. Brian told me yesterday that there's no use being scared even if you didn't study because that'll affect your brain power and a clear brain is the best thing for an exam. Still, i worry. Physics has always been an obstacle, a chore and a bore to study and revise. I could never catch the concepts; even if i do, they don't stick long. After that, i can't apply the concepts to the questions; its merely plucking in formulas in the hope of getting some marks. Bio's different; its memory. And its not i'm smart, i just have a great memory.
Thanks to Gerlynn, who uploaded this video on facebook, i'm now so determined to play the Flight of the Bumblebee, piano transcription. Don't you think this chorus is so cool and so brilliant, using their vocals to imitate the orchestra instruments!
I'm going to try my best to play the score out, though it'll take quite a long time to learn it because this isn't an easy piece to play. I finally found the transcription by Rimsky-Korsakov online and it doesn't look easy. Actually it is, but when you play it fast, i doubt its that easy because you really need stamina to run through the notes.
I'm looking forward to the xmas party at Gerlynn's house! Though i'm not sure if mummy would let me out because its the day before o level chinese. But who studies for that anyways, and what is there to study?
Lynnette is a sweet little girl
Whose favourite day is 18th October
Where she is born into the House of God
And she loves playing music
From SNGS to NUSH, she loves them all
:P
Wonderful parents
Great sister
Great friends, who never hesitate to help me, yay 403!
Be able to cope with council, MA and school
A nice research mentor and a great team
A lovely hostel mate, just as i requested you and great toilet mates
Teachers' Day celebrations IC under MA
Good grades, and coping with physics
A new TV and stereo system!
Prayers
God has blessed me richly!
High School Never Ends :P
More 403 reunions
A great class next year
A great mentor next year
Great friends
Coping with hostel life
MA Exco
To be healed
To have the perfect family
