Thursday, September 27, 2007
ever since the gun went off at the starting line, we've ran and ran and ran. one lap had gone by, two laps, three laps... as the race drew on, our legs grew weary, lactic begin to flood our legs, we began to feel breathless, tried hard to get ourselves to focus, and stuck with the leading pack as much as we could. soon we began to loose count of how many laps have passed, how many laps are left.
suddenly, the sound of the ringing bell broke the silence, signaling the final lap. "it is now or never", we told ourselves, and opened up our strides...
_______________________________________________
before prelims started, i remember telling myself this:
"i hope prelims kill me and wake me up"
well, be careful what you wish for 'cos it might just come true, and it did. it doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell that i'm not satisfied with my results. this is the first time i've felt this way ever since jc life started as i've always been ok with my test results. so what if the grades i get are quite decent? i know i could have done better, i know i've failed to hit the expectations i've set for myself, and i know my expectations for myself were well within my reach.
at least i've got the other thing i wanted: for prelims to kill me so that i can wake up and start whacking for As. they always say that what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger. i'm able to understand that so much better now. so A levels, watch out because i'm not not holding back anymore. it's now or never.
how the last lap will end is all up to you, and only you.
aaron | 8:35 PM
Monday, September 24, 2007
the anime freaks might be aware that in the fictional world of the fullmetal alchemist anime series, the law of equivalent exchange is the primary law that governs the practice of alchemy. It's an equation, stating that the output has to be of equal mass and materials to what you started with (aka input).
similarly, humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. to obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's first law of equivalent exchange.
"In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only, truth."
i've spent 3 days stoning at home, lying on my bed, resting, and watching the fan blades cricle around as random thoughts filled my head.
someone once asked me why is it that some people are not scoring good grades for their examinations when they have been mugging 24/7 non-stop, while there are those who ace their papers easily when the amount of work they put in are far more insignificant.
we've always believed that hard work, effort and suffering that one puts into any task will be met with an equivalent reward. yet we've seen countless cases where people worked so hard and yet achieve little or nothing in return (kinda reminds you of linkin park's "in the end"), seen situations where no equivalency appears to exists.
if you ask me, i don't know what i can say either. i too dislike that fact that there are people out there who refuse to get their study engines going and yet score well for them exams. similarly in track, there're people who haven't trained much, but due to the occasional awesome luck of the biological draw, they have the talent and are able to run faster, jump higher or throw further than their competitiors who've probably trained more than them.
I suppose the world is just too complex for the law to apply to everything in life, too imperfect for one law to explain everything.
but we can still choose to believe in the principle behind it, that if we want something, we have to work for it.
if all else fails, then don't think too much and follow my number 1 rule:
just whack.
aaron | 9:32 PM
Sunday, September 23, 2007
sick of falling sick, AGAIN. especially since this is the time when i'm suppose to be taking my temporary break and having some fun with my friends. and the gloomy weather is not making things any better. i guess i'm just not taking good care of my own body.
都几岁了还这样,真是的!well, i shall look on the bright side. *stares at the lightbulb*. at least the flu came back after prelims are over.
所谓“良药苦口”,that horrible tasting medicine i gulped down yesterday is making me feel better. but i guess i'll confine myself to this home of mine for today to make sure i recover fully. i have yellowcard to keep me company. oh by the way, yellowcard's new album, paper walls, rocks. literally. for those who're into rock music, consider picking it up =)
Wikipedia: Rhinorrhea, commonly known as a runny nose, is a symptom of the common cold and allergies (hay fever). The term comes from the Greek words "rhinos" meaning "of the nose" and "rhoia" meaning "a flowing."
Nasal discharge is any mucus-like material that comes out of the nose. Nasal discharges are common, but rarely serious. Drainage from inflamed or infected sinuses may be thick or discolored. Excess mucus production may run down the back of your throat (postnasal drip) or cause a cough that is usually worse at night. A sore throat may also result from excessive mucus drainage. The mucus drainage may plug up the eustachian tube between the nose and the ear, causing an ear infection and pain. The mucus drip may also plug the sinus passages, causing sinus infection and pain.
sometimes i wonder why the mucus seem limitless...
aaron | 10:44 AM
Thursday, September 20, 2007
and so prelims have finally come to an end. according the benjamin, it's 'temporary freedom'. yup, temporary. A levels is the big thing anyway. to be honest, i've never really bothered much about prelims. right from the beginning my starting blocks have already been set pointing towards the A levels, not common test, not prelims.
but of course these tests are used as a gauge to what kind of grades i may hit for A level's. like any non-nationals track competitions i've taken part in, the prelims to me are but mere stepping stones to guide me to that last big super ultra mega giga tera ultimate tedious-to-cross hurdle.
so no matter what grades we get, keep in mind what is our goal and stay on course.
and of course, continue working towards it. i'm sure that for those who've been working hard, you'll do fine. so no need to worry, and keep your heads up.
相信船到桥头自然直吧!
aaron | 8:04 PM
Monday, September 17, 2007
怎么去拥有一道彩虹?
怎么去拥抱一夏天的风?
天上的星星笑地上的人
总是不能懂, 不能觉得足够
要知足啊...
aaron | 6:00 PM
Thursday, September 13, 2007
i'll probably commit suicide if i ever fall sick on the day of A level exams. i mean... i've worked like a dog for 2 years for that day and if some stupid flu were to come and terrorise me and my papers, and probably make everything i've work for go down the drain, won't that feeling suck?
right to the core.
needless to say my performance for my chem paper 3 today was very very much affected by my constant sneezing. so much so that i felt guilty for distracting the people around me. was already both physically and mentally drained from all that sneezing, let alone thinking about alkanes and alkenes.
i never fail to blow a hole through the tissue paper whenever i blow my nose, which is halfway through the marathon right now. i hope this would go away by next week so that it'll be less of a hindrance when i attempt the other half of prelims.
and it has come to my attention that, according to khoo, quite a number of my classmates are sick as well. oh well, i don't think i was the one who spread the flu bug though...
sian...
aaron | 7:03 PM
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
case: insomnia
solution: read lecture notes
note: might not work for some but work wonders for others
aaron | 8:13 PM
Monday, September 10, 2007
i was flipping through my physics notes yesterday, feeling a little unsure of certain concepts. i always believed that if i've been doing my work consistently and working hard, everything should turn out fine. after all,
上天不会辜负有心人.although i was somewhat prepared, there was still a tinge of nervousness within me.
just as i put down my notes and was about to head for lala land, i received an sms from someone whom i haven't spoken to for quite some time.
"hi aaron. all the best for prelims! jiayou! :D"
a simple and short message, but it somehow made me feel better.
someone told me that at this period of time, we should be helping each other to relieve stress (besides mugging). that's what friends are for isn't it.
i thanked her for the message, and went on to wish a few people all the best for their papers before i turned in.
aaron | 1:18 PM
Friday, September 7, 2007
ok thanks wenhao.
i'm not a weakling!
haha, much better now.
manage to accomplish quite a bit today to make up for yesterday's loss. suddenly i regained my confidence back for chem.
i seriously think the day before the paper i need to go out and play my hearts out, then sleep early a have ample rest and not touch my notes at all. i shall try that for prelims.
aaron | 6:56 PM
Thursday, September 6, 2007
my fever's been wierdly periodic. it comes in the morning just after i wake up and dies down as noon approaches. it's much better now though i don't know if it'll be back again tmr morning. thanks to those who were concerned anw =)
i shall take the risk and go out to study tmr.
studying at home today was super unproductive. the fact that i'm not doing any work now and typing this is a sign of me giving up on work already. spent the whole after attempting the 2006 chem prelim paper, and for some reason some questions seem so alien to me. time and again i had to refer to the answer sheet in order to carry on. this sucks, totally sucks! especially for a subject which is suppose to be my forte (along with physics). now i know how qing sheng felt when he typed that entry. sian to the max!
econs and math are already two major issues i need to worry about. i don't need another chemistry to make my life more miserable.
get a grip man...
aaron | 10:06 PM
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
koped from cheryl's/shaun's/wenhao's blogs:
from http://www.thecolorcode.com/
Congratulations. You are WHITE.
WHITES are motivated by PEACE. They seek independence and require kindness. They resist confrontation at all costs. To them, feeling good is more important than being good. They are typically quiet by nature, process things very deeply and objectively with great clarity. Of all the colors, WHITES are the best listeners. They respect people who are direct but recoil from perceived hostility or verbal battle.
WHITES need their "alone time" and refuse to be controlled by others. WHITES want to do things their own way and in their own time. They ask little of others and resent others demanding much of them. WHITES are much stronger than people think, but are not often seen for their strength because they don't easily reveal their feelings. WHITES are even-tempered, diplomatic, and the voice of reason; but can also be indecisive, unexpressive, and silently stubborn. When others interact with you, as a WHITE you respond to them best if they are kind, accepting and supporting of your individuality, and if they look for non-verbal clues to understand your feelings.
Understand that no two WHITES are exactly alike. Although you share the same core motivation as many others, your personality is still unique to you alone.
_____________________________________
ok that aside, all i manage to complete yesterday was 2/3 of physics prelim 2005 and i knew something was wrong. (ok i admit i spent half the time trying to get my pen spinning right but that shouldn't be the cause) yup, so i decided to aviod kap today and stay at home in case i really do come down with a fever. my phlegm has the colour of Iron(III) Hydroxide ppt and i suppose that isn't a good sign...
but what irritated me was a string of smses and phone calls (from people whom i have no slightest idea of who they are) that woke me up from my sleep this morning, depriving me of proper rest. there was this phone call (which i suspect is from overseas) with the lady at the other end blabbering non-stop in chinese (i think she's from china) about some event happening somewhere. i didn't catch what she said since she was blabbering non-stop without giving me a chance to reply so i held my handphone away from me for a 30 seconds or so before saying: "
对不起,我没空" and she went "
没关系" and went on and on again and so i took my handphone away from my ear again until 30seconds later. "
抱歉, 没兴趣". being persistent, she continued and i think her mouth piece was already wet with her saliva already. i wanted to just hang up but being polite i didn't. she only gave up when i told her "
我还是学生". then she hung up, leaving me to wonder what the heck is this all about, and later realise i can't get back to sleep anymore...
ok i shall try to do a bit of work despite feeling unwell.
aaron | 11:14 AM
Saturday, September 1, 2007
ok so geepee prelims ended on thursday. how did i do? so-so i suppose. my essay wasn't at all satisfactory and my compre could have been better. ok i shall look on the bright side. it could have been worse.
one down, still have to wait long long. A levels will probably be the last mug-till-you-drop exam, so lets give it our all.
recently there's been a stark increase in the number of people asking me what career do i intend to pursue. i'm not entirely sure yet. but anyway i'm not interested in business. not exctly against it but i have other career options in mind. something outdoor would be nice. i saw the career stuff put up in the library by the ip2s and one that caught my attention was the pilot one. a military pilot earns quite a lot, and a commercial pilot ain't bad either. after my ns vocation in ndu i would wanna try getting into the air force no matter what. the interviewer at the naval base asked me what im interested to do and i told him i want to be a pilot and he went "why so many people want to be pilot?" apparently the interviewee before me said the same thing. then he went on the explain how i still can get to be a pilot after i finish my 9 months in ndu.
顺其自然吧...
aaron | 10:52 PM