time?

I really dunno wad to type. Just typing aimlessly, letting whatever comes to mind here to be imprinted here. Hoping my fingers coordinate well with my mind...

Man, I thought I better start posting something lest it rots.

I don't know how to start? It's been 10 days since the end of the O Levels.

Time seems to fly especially now. Doing nothing related to acadamics seems too comfortable, or so I hope. Not forgetting my self-inflicted relations with work. Having taken up the role of an advisor for E-learning and camp, and on going council related meetings, websites projects, the finalisation of EDGE Project and not forgetting the Victorians Day preparation. I will be having a packed-up holiday as expected, a full-filled one.

I can only vagely recall my experiences for the past 10 days. Perhaps the mind decided to shut down after the slackish behavior following the trauma from the examinations.

Apart from engaging in countless DOTA battles, going Orchard, touring Singapore, the EXPO for the SITEX 05, I have also been involved in the MC Farewell. It turned out pretty fun; despite the gift being simple and cheap, it is a much more meaningful gift that other white elephants, for it encompasses the spirit, the times we spent together. Thanks you guys.

E Maths

(Out of respect and sake of anonymity, I will not be naming anyone in this post)

Last night was a rough and stormy night. Slept early at 10pm, thinking that I will be prepared for tomorrow's mathematics paper...

Until 1am when I suddenly started sweating profusely. I experienced the excruciating pain from the curry last night. Instead of getting myself up and ready for the exam, I had the night up with the runs. At least 3 times I remembered. Ok, things seemed gloomy at 4 am. I was wondering what I am going to do if I had needed to answer the call of nature during the 2 1/2 hr paper. And in addtion, it's the major examiniation, and I cannot miss it! Sigh.. life's like that.

Fortunately for me, I took two doses of really yucky-tasting doses of medication, and with a little medical oil, the pain subsided. Of course, this whole process drained me totally out of my energy. So my plan of getting energetic for the paper backfired. Oh well, life's so unexpected.

Today's paper turned out straightforward. Just that there were little tricky parts. Overall, the paper turned out easy, which all of my Secondary 4 pals found likewise. Even someone had the cheek to say "Haiz yo, to think we could actually spent 4 years studying E Maths to take a paper like this."

However, this phenomenon actually worries me. The simplicity of the paper freaked me out. This means that if everybody finds it easy, and people like me tends to make ultimately stupid and careless mistakes, it will put me at a disadvantage. It might totally rob me of my A1 (just like A Maths during prelims). Sigh, better not get my expectations too high, might end up a big disappointment.

Today's officially halfway through our torment. And I have started to worry a lot. Recently, I began to feel the pressure about not being able to do as well as expected. Teachers, parents, peers, juniors alike, are all hoping to see me produce those wonderous results. For example, a teacher told me today, "Terence, make sure you get 6 points ah. We all depend on you, *censored*'s reputation depends solely on you. Do us proud."

I begin to worry for many things. Like for example, due to time constrain, I actually wrote very fast during the Social Studies paper and the Biology essay. I am pretty worried that the marker (Sg/Cambridge) might not want to mark my paper for my horrendous handwriting and give me a zero for the whole question. This is despite knowing that I have done quite ok for Social Studies in context. I also worry about making careless mistakes for Mathematics, and even about losing marks for "spelling" mistakes, so on and so forth.

In addition to this issue, I was also discussing with my friends on this issue as well. And he told me, "Wa lau, people like you sure get 6 points one la!"

I have been told, "i think you're a very confident man... getting 7/6 wont be a problem." Subconsciously, all these adds up to my stress. The fear of not being able to achieve what's expected. Sometimes I would reflect on this and pounder. Being confident is one thing. It sets you out the right image you protray, allowing people to know that you have come well-prepared. However, I believe sometimes I may end up far off the pivot (meaning not balanced). Overconfidence and complacency can bring to one's downfall. (Lesson from Venice)

Worried. Fear. Anxiety. shall linger in me.

Biology

Woah, today was one hell of a day. Biology papers started at 2pm, so had the whole morning to complete my biology syllabus. Well, for once i managed to read thr the whole freaking textbook of 380+ pages, and I managed to do that within a day and a night.

Well, just as I walked into the hall, reassuring myself that it shall be the final time I will have to undergo such torment (staying up whole night just to read boring bio stuff). Hence, today's wait for peaceful. My mind was clear...

The question paper for paper 1 came. And I was pretty surprised at its simplicity. The questions freaking simple like wth. Yet, I could still make one mistake for that stupid mosquito question. If everyone gets full marks, and I can lose miserable one mark, that puts me at a total disadvantage.

And then Paper 2 was a total contrast to Paper 1. The first question was about microorganisms and biotechnology. The question totally stunned me.

What I studied about cheese making was firstly, Streptococcus Thermophillus was added to create an anaerobic environment, such that the Lactobacillus Bulgaricus can respire anaerobically to convert milk sugar to lactic acid, which curdles the milk.

Yet the question was some enzyme added to curdle the milk. So I got totally confused and skipped the entire question.

Remaining questions were still ok, and till now I can't imagine myself not knowing how to spell "zygote". I hope Cambridge would accept "zygot". Questions about cloning also came out, then one was about the heart too. Pretty sure those who didn't study their text can totally flunk the paper.

I shall finish this post some time later, I better get started on Maths.

English

Yeah, finally English's over. Quite tough though.

I was surfing the web 2 days ago and stumbered upon the Fairy Tale piano score. I have always liked this song and hence I downloaded it and printed it - to try it out.

"Woah, which crazy composer composes his songs in the F# major?"

F# major = 6 sharps - F#, C#, G#, D#, A# and E#


So I thought it will be a challenge for me to try out this crazy piece of work.

And since it's my major form of breaking out of my O levels stress mood, I have decided to upload here so that I can be reminded of it after my exams.

Here's the outcome though:

Do pardon my mistakes in the song, I aren't v good at it yet. Need to practice more.


Oh yes, for those who were asking me about the answer for the question on MSN...

If you noticed in the second pattern, it's somewhat similar to the first pattern, except the "1" is missing. Hence, its clear that:
1st number (2nd pattern) = 2nd number (1st pattern)
2nd number (2nd pattern) = 3rd number (1st pattern)
3rd number (2nd pattern) = 4th number (1st pattern)
and so on...

In summary, the sequence of the numbers in the 2nd pattern is just one step higher from the sequence of the 1st pattern.

So just add 1 to the 'n's.

Hence nth term = 1/2(n+1)(n+2)

that's how i got my answer. =)

The First Step

As expected, the first step will turn out rather difficult.

Yesterday was the first paper, I was totally tensed up. Mathematics at 8am wasn't really that bad. The half an hour wait I could still stay pretty calm. And E Maths you bet, was totally no kick at all. The only thing im unhappy about the paper was the amount of space given for my workings. You want to mark my workings, and yet give us so little space?

Well, for Maths the only problem faced by most Secondary 4s is this question.

Number pattern: 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21, 28 ...
nth-term: 1/2(n)(n+1)

Number pattern: 3, 6, 10, 15, 21, 28 ...
Hence, find the n-term.

Why don't you try to solve it? Surprisingly, I managed to solve it, haha, shall reveal its answer in my next post.


After E Maths, we had a 3 1/2 hour break till Social Studies. Spent my time in IT Club room scrambling for more propaganda into my head. The time for death finally came, and we were as usual, supposed to sit in the hall half an hour before the paper.

I was freaking nervous during that period of time. I knew then I couldn't start the paper. I felt like throwing up, butterflies not only in my stomach, but my whole body. I suspect they infested my hands, and I felt numb. The stupid examiner was freaking smart, don't let us check the paper until the last 5 minutes.

Oh well, during checking of paper, when Sec 4s saw "Venice, rise and fall of a great city state", you bet half the hall was relieved. I was beaming from ear to ear, the tension in me reduced to 0. I looked around, and saw many people similing. Looks like we are in for a good time. As for those who studied all except those three topics... I offer my condolences. That's for being lazy and not study Venice due to its horrendous length.

Do or die

It's just few hours away...

Why? The first step is always the most difficult. I'm sure it will turn out much better after tomorrow.

I received this Sms from Law, "Guys, this is it. 12 hours to the Os. 2 years we have waited for this moment... Rest early for tomorrow marks the beginning of the end. Good luck and good hunting... Let's make this one count."

Very very meaningful.

Freedom

Oh give me a home, where the buffalos roam, where the deers and the antelope play...

It's only just 12 days away before the end of the troubles of all Secondary Fours. I know I have made ample preparations, despite having been relaxing this whole week. Apart from reading through the Social Studies textbook, I have been having sufficient sleep, catching up on my television, submerging in the world where you Defend the Ancients, and not forgetting my computer and MSN.

It's just a blink of an eye. I could clearly remember how we were prepared to go for the Leadership Training Camp 2004. Not forgetting how I was helping out at the Peer Leaders' Camp, and also the planning of the IT Club activities. Now, LTC 2005 will commence on the 15th, and peer leader's camp on the 11th. And even less than a year ago, I was at the Sec 3 camp. This transition is tremendous, despite being only in a short crisp one year.

Tomorrow is finally the start of the major written papers. Social Studies and Mathematics paper one. Everything has been prepared. It's finally time to enter the battlefield. This kinda feeling is unbelievable. It's like all preparations done for the past 4 years of my life will have to be presented in my top form in meerly less than a few hours.

There are no more rehersals, no more mock exams, no more school based do-badly-also-nevermind exams. It's the final CHALLENGE. "You are on your own."