Tests and Teachers

A few quick updates, for those interested in the little mundane things.

I realize a lot of people aren't updating their blogs much lately.

And this (used to be) crazy-about-blogging-update-everyday person has closed hers down completely!

Apa jadi?

* * * * *

My SAT 2 results are out!


I am pretty shocked.


When I came back from the testing centre that day, I was toying with the idea of cancelling my scores, because I knew I did very very badly.

I knew because, well, I couldn't finish the paper. With an average of 12 blank questions for each subject test, and I rush-answered a whole bunch of other questions.

I was expecting 500+ scores, man! I was obviously dreading receiving the results. I also regretted not signing up for the one in December, so I would have time to study for it.

I came home that day, was in a funky Mood during lunch, went to sleep (which is what I do when I don't want to think about something), woke up at 15-minute intervals and got this heavy, sinking feeling that no college would accept me.

Surprisingly though, other than a 670 for Biology, I think my scores were pretty okay.

That weird heavy feeling I got when I thought I couldn't apply to a lot of universities ('cause of my very bad SAT 2 scores) is gooooooone!

* * * * *

Ms. Param is officially my favourite teacher EVER.

Yes, yes - of all the near 100 teachers I've had throughout my 16 years of schooling, I don't think I've ever had a teacher like her.

(And to think Ker Lei switched her initial class because she didn't like her Biology lecturer! Uh, Ms. Param la.)

When I gave her the teacher's recommendation forms before trials, she sat me down and spent 40 minutes talking to me about my goals, my dreams, things like that.

So I went back to college today, to get the recommendations from my lecturers.

I thought it was going to be very quick, y'know, like, get stuff, say thank you, then leave.

But she sat me down again, and spent - how long was it?- talking to me about my future, and politics, and NGOs, and changing the world.

You heard right - she believes I can change the world.

Ms. Param has this way of making you feel good about yourself, you know?

Like when you have full marks in one page of an exam paper, she'd write "good" and underscore it, which is obviously very nice to look at. And when you have a very good answer, she'd write "excellent!" and it makes you smile, y'know?

Or when you ask her what you got wrong, she'd tell you what you wrote was a very good answer that showed you did a lot of studying, told you that it was great that you weren't so single track minded, then go, "But there is a mark scheme for exams. It would've been an even better answer if you wrote..."

Even my parents have a very good impression of her from the parent-teacher meetings.


She spent a good amount of time talking this afternoon, so much so that my parking ticket almost ran out of time (and I had actually put in extra coins Just In Case).

Her entire family seems to be the environmentalists sort, I think her sister is a clean water advocate and does research on things like that, her bro is in NGOs, and all of Ms. Param's students would attest to her apparent passion for the environment.

I think that's way cool.

So. When I was about to leave, she wished me luck, reminded me to update her with news about myself, and went, "I believe in you!"

I think that's even cooler.

* * * * *

Can you believe, it's been two weeks since our finals ended?

So fast!

Wait another 3 weeks, and the results will be out!

Pebbled Paths and Roadside Flowers

Ya know what? I probably should clean my room.

If I had RM5 every time my mom tells me I'm the Messiest Girl She Knows, I'd have.... enough to buy a decent prom dress.

But if you tried asking her just how many teenage girls she knows, and how many whose rooms she has entered, she'd pretend to be too busy to hear you.


Anyway, I'm on it.


I started clearing out this cupboard that I had. There's this huge pile of school stuff that I've collected throughout my schooling years.

After one schooling phase, I'd just chuck everything (report cards, school photos) in there and move on to the next phase.

Well, here I am, 9 months till the next phase (University here I come!), and till then I have no school to go to. (So technically, I'm no longer a "student"?)



So I started cleaning out the cupboard, and man oh man how much I've grown.




Schooling Year Number 1



That, me friends, is a photo of the FIRST ever class I was a part of. My classmates and I were all of 3 years old!

Apparently, you can never get kids to stay still long enough to take a good photo.

Spot me? (Second row, first one on the right!)


I was such a crybaby back then. My mom told me the teacher was very apprehensive about allowing me to go to the zoo on a class trip, which, of course, made me cry even more.

I got to go anyway. I remember we had KFC. Till now it's hard to not associate zoos with KFC.



Schooling Year Number 4



The year I graduated from kindergarten. With graduation robes and mortarboards. Cool eh?

One of my kindergarten classmates was also doing SAM in Taylor's. She used to be my best friend, I used to go to her house real often, then we'd break off lead from colour pencils, and we'd "cook" them in cups of water.

I probably attended no less than 5 of her birthday parties, 'cause she'd always invite me, even after we've moved on to primary school.

I don't know if she even remembers me now.



Kindergarten phase over, moved on to primary school phase!

Schooling Year Number 10




I rummaged through the entire cupboard, but couldn't find photos of my Standard 1 - 4 classes. So those are like, the Lost Schooling Years, or something. Like a Blank Page in my History Book.

Still, that was me, in Standard 6. A few of my then-classmates went to Catholic High, and a LOT of them went/go to Taylor's. (Clicky for a better looky! You could probably recognize a lot of them from Taylor's.)

That was when I was paaaaiiinnfully quiet. That was one thing Chuan Ling makes sure I never forget. ("You know that time I damn scared talk to you one you know!")



Schooling Year Number 11


Hahah, I love this photo!

Canyousee canyousee? We all had weird hairstyles back then!

Look at mine! My then-signature Mushroom Hair!

Oh man, so funny la.

Form 1, by the way. I used to get SO excited when I was in primary school and I realized I was going on to secondary school.

Secondary school kids looked so adult. I wanted to be like them.

Huh, fat chance of me looking Adult. I mean, till now I still don't look Adult.



Schooling Year Number 15


Final year of high school.

I grew up (somewhat),
wanted to be a doctor,
heard that a lot of people wanted to do SAM,
wondered why they'd even consider doing SAM (why SAM?! A-Level better!),
contemplated doing Form 6 (and International Baccalaureate),
and stayed in KL an entire week in isolation (to prepare for SPM).


And then -


Schooling Year Number 16



College class!

I changed subjects and switched class, then changed my mind and switched program, to eventually end up learning about the good and bad of science in the same four walls as these people.


(Good of science - sometimes it amazes you. The Creator must've had one heck of a time coordinating the universe like this.)

(Bad of science - uhh the failed papers and the desperate attempts of last-minute cramming.)


Phew! 16 years of schooling.

Can you imagine?

One year after the next, 16 back-to-back years!

How can you medicine-hopefuls tahan the thought of another 5 years of med school, then another dunno-how-many-years of specialized study?


Just thinking about it exhausts me.

But it has all been great fun.

The whining about exams, the copying of homework ("Don't bulat-bulat copy ah! Change a bit here and there!"), the frantic attempts to hide Barang Larangan when there were rumours of spot checks.

The going out on the last day of exams to celebrate, the joy of bumping into a friend on school corridors, the deciding what to eat during breaks.


The best part, though, is the learning part.

I know I know, we hate exams and homework.

But when you look back and realize all these things you know that you didn't know before, there's a huuuge sense of satisfaction, plus you actually feel a lot smarter!

To be able to explain science stuff to people like your parents, ahhhhh nice!

Wouldn't give it up for anything.



There ya go. My schooling journey.

Can't wait for the next Phase to come along!

Jubilaaaayy-shun!

Furrowed brows and rushed scribbling. I didn't have enough time for chemistry.

BUT. During the last 5 minutes I didn't really care anymore, it was more of a "ummm this one is blank uhh don't care la simply write something" attitude.

Still, when the invigilators told us to "stop writing", and that "any more writing is considered an act of cheating", and when they collected our papers, it felt a weeeeee bit surreal, kind of like, "What, so it's really totally over now? Like, really really?"

I was also thinking, thank goodness I don't take Specialist Maths! (They have until Friday!)


Yeah, it's so over!


(Now me classmates can finally blog without a certain mentor going, "Still blogging?! Study ah!")


You can almost hear the collective sigh of relief when people from the Bio-med classes finally let their breath out. (One that we have been holding since 2 months ago!)




So anyway. Things started going a bit melancholy afterwards when we went out, because people started realizing that this is the end of G10.

"Keeping in touch" is easier said than done, especially when everyone's flying back home. If you think about it, only Adeline and I will still be in PJ!
We couldn't even have a proper post-exam class gathering, because people are flying off as early as today and tomorrow.




But the good news is, we're now the only group of people without exams to sit for!

Over the past year, my non-SAM friends have begun not-believing me when I say I have exams. Like, only few weeks ago you say exam, now got exam again?!

But it's true! You finish one batch of Common Tests, and before you can properly enjoy, you realize something else is just around the corner.
(This is a condensed course la. Which is why we've got Common Test 1, 2 , 3, Mid years, Trials and Finals, all in the span of 10 months.)

At one point Marvi jsut assumed I had an exam going on. I think she asked me out out of courtesy's sake, lol.


But I'm going to make amends, for all the times I said I didn't want to join them!

First thing I did after exams, I bought chocolate and am geared up for a visit to a neighbour-cum-bestfriend-cum-confidante's place.

Would you believe that I was such an ass, I actually (kind of) cut her short on the phone because it was 11.30 the night before my Biology paper?

I immediately felt bad about it, but apparently not enough to call her back.

(In my defence though, I have to say that I gotta wake up at 5 a.m. to get to school by 6.30 because the darned paper starts at 7!)



Okay I'll have a proper, more descriptive post up soon!

Here is a photo of G10, or whoever went out after exams anyway.




(Uh Paige I removed your cell phone from the table. Oh I will upload the undoctored photos one la don't worry.)


Next up, prom shopping with Adeline and Anggit!

Till then, bye!

12.05

It is now 12.05 a.m, and I am online.

I have closed my chemistry books, put away all my notes, and I am ready!

Yeashhhhh ready for Chemistry.

Last time I'll ever have to sit for a Chem paper, and boy do I feel good thinking about it.




Wish me luck turning that forecasted 'C' into an 'A'!


Out.

Impending Freedom!

I haven't got anything to say, other than that the guy in the airport photo in our English paper looks a lot like... Tommy Lee.

Staring riiiiiight back at us.



And that I cannot understand why exam venues have to be so darn cold.

I was having spasms during Physics. No kidding man, (stomach muscles?) was really twitching.
Had to sit on my hands every now and then. It was that cold.

I've resorted to wearing THREE layers of clothing, so you know why I look like a dumpling!







Three papers over.

Two more to go.


There's a much smaller stack of past-year papers to complete.




I can feel the excitement mounting!

Push.

The sign on the door to success says, 'PUSH'.

Go on, push!














(In case you needed a bit of nudging.)