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Hot and Cold - A'levels and plans
Saturday, November 21, 2009
First update after the hiatus. Sigh I think I've lost the touch for personal blogging. But anyway, A'levels.
I won't say it's been very good or bad but I'm surviving. I don't exactly want to think of the results and I'm just relying on faith to deliver me. If you were to ask me about any concrete predictions, the most certain A is for Math. This is probably the first time I've very seriously done full History papers (and studied hard for them, though not all the studying paid off) so I can't gauge for that. Biology greeted me with a weird paper. I'm sad to say that after 2 years of escaping GOVAB I hadn't learnt my lesson and had to throw 10 marks beause of it. Essay was a blessing, though - I've never been so eager to annex 20 marks entirely from Nervous System. Rest of the paper stumped me at many parts, but managed to get through with some unconventional thinking. Chemistry has been merciful so far.
Well I'm not projecting anything below a B for everything I've done so far, so yeah.
I'm about to face the next two papers on Monday. Biology 3 and Chemistry 1. Sigh though, I've moderately studied 1 1/2 of the 2 chapters of Biology and I'm not anxious at all. I really hope I'm not going to regret this just as I regret to say that I'm waking up from the 5-day slumber late. Alright I'm getting scared now, I hope this is a good sign. Probably will do a Chem MCQ tomorrow and get the momentum going to late Monday, then spells 10 days of idle-ism again. Sigh.
Random photos below. In order: Vitas in Beijing (juxtaposition much?), Math and History mugging, random photo of me, horrid A'level timetable of week 2, 3 and 4 (they cover 1 page, and so did week 1 alone).
Dammit lost the A'level motivation and 3 papers left to do, unlike you people who finished or have one paper left! Shit. Sunday tomorrow shit. Well BETTER LATE THAN NEVER.
Anyway my new Putin picture above is the ultimate love! (:
SERAPHICERA | 9:32 PM |
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November Rain
Sunday, November 01, 2009
This is coming to all of you from the secret underground, i.e. the seraphicera Blogger account whose frontpage is still hiatused 'til 23 November. Quite interestingly, I don't remember switching off the Import From (blog to Facebook notes) function. Therefore mwahaha, I still have the outlet when pressured by the urge to um, express things in more than Twitter's 140 characters.
Well. It's quite pointless stating this but if the Import Notes function is off, then this will go up on 23 November as a leaf from the not-so-distant past. (Which by then, juxtaposing near-freedom with the caged life now... will actually seem pretty distant already.)
If you're all wondering, no my A'levels do not end on the 23 of November. But in the ten-day break from 23 Nov to 3 December, I have one measely Biology MCQ paper to mug for. I think that all the MCQs I have won't survive me, so even if I wanted to be so hardworking as to do them non-stop for ten days, it's not possible. I don't even know what I'm going to do from 17 November to 23 November apart from studying the Apps syllabus, because I have about 3 more Chem MCQs AS OF NOW and then I run out.
Such is the life of someone with a warped exam timetable. Not that I'm complaining anymore (much unlike my pessimistic, unprepared, messed up Prelim nature), but rejoice, rejoice... freedom is near. It's just one short week from the 9th to the 13th of November, and a bit more on the 17th. I make the six-day war a short but glorious one, no?
Preparations have been good and bad. Confucius says, 'It dosen't matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.' I think the rationale behind that isn't 'slow and steady wins the race' but rather, continued drilling without giving up will finally yield enlightenment in bits. Obviously slow work gets you nowhere especially if you're, like 25% of 1991-ers now, left with a week, but slow, continued work gets you to a stage where you stop merely absorbing. Then you turn the tables round on the work and attack it. I think this is how the latent virus I talked about a while ago undegoes spontaneous induction (HEY after studying half of GOVAB I now know!), exiting the lysogenic cycle, entering the lytic cycle and killing the bacterium from within.
No I am not going to say anything about the truth of this Confucius saying anytime until uh, results next year.
I also wonder if it's possible to really shut out all distractions and work undisturbed? I mean, this is assuming that without distractions, one can work to his/her fullest. What I realised though, is that that isn't true. The opportunity cost of shutting out distractions may not be focus but frustration and boredom (especially if you're stuck on one lousy subject or out with only one subject). This not only discourages at the moment but adds fuel to the stupid vicious cycle of inability to do work -> further behind -> discouraged -> hopelessness -> inability to do work...
OH WELL. Back to life. Here in front of me I am waiting to draw the mechanism of the reaction between bromocyclohexane and alcoholic sodium cyanide. Someone, isn't the aryl halide reaction with er, CN- nucleophile very unlikely to happen? But I guess if such a question comes out and there's only one way, you assume that it happens anyway aye?
Another slightly philosophical thought, if I can save my Math in a matter of a few days, then life is really unfair to people who have been doing it all their life. But obviously you don't expect me to at this stage, for the sake of selflessness and punishment for my own procrastination, claim that I cannot do it in a week because the odds are against me. As someone said, 'to get an A someone has to be unable to get it' (speaking on the 50% national average of Math As and us being below it) - this is a survival of the fittest world. Obviously I'm going to fight. Actually, maybe life is always fair when looking at it from the larger perspective. We always say that we're imperfect in some area where others are perfect in - say an ugly nose or something, but there's always something, however distant... like intelligence or a moral life which plastic drug-abusing celebrities don't have. Fine I have the advantage (I'm going to say I have, and I can save my Math within a week given my intelligence) in Math but if you're talking about A'levels as a whole, I've worked on other subjects for months more than others, so in the end the equation balances out. There, devil voice, no more punishment in the form of discouragement, I am not having any unfair advantage and I deserve the grades as much.
Ok, 4pm, back to Chemistry. All the best, y'all.
SERAPHICERA | 3:31 PM |
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MBTI
Saturday, August 29, 2009
I've possibly been an ENTJ all my life until about four months ago when the disparity between the Extrovert and the Introvert arose. I am currently unsure of my type, for all MBTI tests I've done recently have shown me to either be an ENTJ, or an INTJ.
Maybe a bit of type analysis will help. Parts that apply are left alone, parts that apply much are bolded and parts that don't apply are striked off.
Both from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
______
ENTJ
efficient and organized, realistic and visionary, fiercely independent in decision making, having a strong will that insulates them against external influence, highly competent, analyze and structure the world around them in a logical and rational way, greatest difficulty of all the types in applying subjective considerations and emotional values into the decision-making process.
dynamic and pragmatic problem solvers, high degree of confidence in their own abilities, assertive and outspoken, generally outgoing, charismatic, fair-minded, unaffected by conflict or criticism, (these qualities can make ENTJs appear) arrogant, insensitive, and confrontational, overwhelm others with their energy, intelligence, and desire to order the world according to their own vision, (they may seem) intimidating, hasty, and controlling.
cultivate their personal power, or that can otherwise be improved upon and strengthened, strive to learn new things, resourceful problem-solvers, rely on provable facts, find subjective issues pointless, take a tough approach to emotional or personal issues, (can be viewed as) aloof and cold-hearted.
______
INTJ
analytical individual, more comfortable working alone than with other people, prepared to take the lead if nobody else seems up to the task or if they see a major weakness in the current leadership, tend to be pragmatic and logical individuals, with an individualistic and creative bent, low tolerance for spin or rampant emotionalism, not susceptible to catchphrases, do not recognize authority based on tradition, rank, or title.
independence of thought, strong individualism, creativity, desire for efficiency, work best given large amounts of autonomy and creative freedom, harbor an innate desire to express themselves by creatively conceptualizing their own intellectual designs, greatest strengths are analyzing and formulating complex theories, acutely aware of their knowledge and abilities—as well as their limitations and what they don't know, develop a strong confidence in their ability and talents, making them natural leaders.
seek out others with similar character traits and ideologies, agreement on theoretical concepts is an important aspect of their relationships, can be demanding in their expectations, and they approach relationships in a rational manner, may not always respond to a naturally occurring infatuation, wait for a mate who better fits their set criteria; stable, reliable, and dedicated, Harmony in relationships and home life tends to be extremely important to them, withhold strong emotion and do not like to waste time with what they consider irrational social rituals, very loyal partners who are prepared to commit substantial energy and time into a relationship to make it work.
SERAPHICERA | 9:16 AM |
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Friday, August 28, 2009
SERAPHICERA | 10:09 PM |
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Sunshine after the rain
Ok the supposed break last night was spent cursing at myself for listening to Britney Spears, Aqua and Avril Lavigne in my primary school days instead of... 98 Degrees and N'Sync. Never mind.
The philosophy today: Prelims have ended for non science subjects + lit people, and all that's left for these subjects are well, MCQs and one lit paper. No one is really going to study anyway and people are going out to watch movies. So psst. When no one is inhabiting the stresswagon, making the stresswagon pressure-free (less molecules in a given volume=less pressure); by Le Chatelier's Principle I will study. Then when everyone gets back on the stresswagon I'll be a notch higher, ha ha.
I shall start with Math. (Yeah, why not Chem? Why not Chem???? Psst KIV that.)
Let's see, things I obviously am not sure of from Prelims:
1. Differentiation
2. Maclaurins
3. Sequences & Series / difficult MIs
4. Reciprocal graphs
5. Complex numbers + Loci
6. P&C / Probability
7. SAMPLING AND HYPOTHESIS TESTING (I threw at least 10m of PP2 because of this and still have a risky A, slap me please because I have never studied it in my life, duh)
Think I can reform Math by the weekend? Maybe do some Chem inbetween. For Chem I should jolly well start with TYS - Group II/GroupVII/Transition. I keep telling myself not to do the TYS because it's lower than prelim standard, I think that stands for Math because I can handle higher questions but definitely not for Chem. Let's see if I can pass Chem prelims.
(I don't even know the percentage of each paper. Okay hi SEAB...)
Scheme of Assessment:
Paper 1 20%
Paper 2 25%
Paper 3 35%
Paper 4 SPA 20%
SPA is excluded for prelims so let's see how well I'll do converting the 80% to 100%.
Lowest predicted...
Paper 1 30%
Paper 2 55%
Paper 3 55%
48.75% For Chemistry at the lowest. Oh well.
Ok enough lamenting time to start studying. My CJC friends having been mugging at 5 times our prelim intensity for a few weeks now and it worries me.
SERAPHICERA | 9:45 AM |
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Day Tripper
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Yay, new Twitter layout. Decided to change it while bored studying for tomorrow's Biology exam.
I also downloaded a pile of Boney M Christmas songs (plus a medley in German). I don't know why every August or so I get into an early Christmas mood and indulge in my library of about 100+ Christmas songs in about ten languages. I think it's the leftover high mood from National Day.
The weather is also extremely hot today so apart from spending a few hours in the morning (when it's coolest) studying Biology, I went for lunch, napped, woke up and drank water, slept again and ate just a bit of dinner. Then it was back to Biology and changing the Twitter layout and Biology again. I hate hot weather.
You know, I seem to have forgotten that Chemistry exists. I know there's an MCQ paper tomorrow but I'm kinda, not doing anything about it. Will drag the pile of MCQs and do them during the 4-hour inbetween break tomorrow.
Oh yes, the discovery today was the striking Cambridge bias with regard to GMOs. You see, I was wondering why the Biology syllabus put so much emphasis (6 examples to memorise, some outdated even) on GMOs when the UK is actually opposed to genetically modifying stuff. Then I found this J2001 question. It started as follows:
'In 1999, genetically modified maize was widely grown in the maize-growing areas of the USA.'
(aii) of the question: 'Why farmers in the USA grow maize carrying the Bt gene?'
(Yeah broken English too.)
Second section of the question:
'In the USA, milkweed frequently grows around the edge of maize fields are is fed upon by caterpillars of the Monarch butterfly.'
Next part of the question:
'In the USA, 50% of the summer population of Monarch butteflies...'
c) 'Using only information given in the question, predict, with reasons, the effect of continued cultivation of Bt maize in the USA on the population of Monarch butterflies.'
LOOK, even if you want to make the point that this phenomenon happens 'IN THE USA', you don't have to mention it in every part of the question because it's just irrelevant to my answer, which is Biology-related and I really don't care where this thing happens, right? Yes, there you have it - The Cambridge Biology GMO-bias.
SERAPHICERA | 9:37 PM |
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Head Over Heels
Believe it or not, this is the new hairstyle. And it's only half of it. My mom calls me Egyptian princess when it's let down so you can imagine what it's like.
In other words, nearly if not all even-cut, very Hairspray 'Welcome to the Sixties' style. It's a one-off style though; I'm definitely growing it back. Cut it to let the horrible complexion (from hair over face) heal.
(Call me egoistic or narcissistic but I cut this myself. Certain people eg. Edwin have no appreciation at all for old-school hairstyles but face it, not everyone can pull off a 60s hairstyle. Similarly, not many are daring enough to spot a blunt-cut fringe all the way to the sides, for fear of being ridiculed. I'm proud of myself! :P For duh, I implied earlier that people who laugh at this just lack appreciation of the classic look.)
In other news, Biology Applications plus a nearly irresistible urge to learn the piano run of ABBA's Head over Heels. Constant reminder that prelims aren't over, and neither are A'levels, though Grade 7 (though rusty) piano should get me somewhere in a pretty quick duration.
SERAPHICERA | 12:56 AM |
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Miss Universe National Costumes
Monday, August 24, 2009
The national costume segment of the annual beauty pageant has always fascinated me and served to expand my horizons, of insight, knowledge and imagination alike. Despite missing yesterday night's pageant due to prelim studying, I logged on to the official site after the Chem paper today and spent a bit of time looking at the costumes.
I have to admit that overall, this year's costumes are on the slightly lesser side in comparison to other years. However, the prestigious Miss Universe pageant never fails to deliver, and I've still got my fair share of favourites and costumes which I'm very impressed by. Listed below are those I like best.
[The list is naturally biased in terms of region - not country, but region. This means that the bias is created not by me searching for those countries I like and therefore claim that I like the costume, but the costumes (and well, women who wear them) I like happen to be from certain distinctive parts of the world. Now you are not to label me as racist or having an inability to see beyond narrow standards of beauty, because as I mentioned above, these are only the favourites. There are other costumes I am very impressed by, and I recognise that as beautiful from other perspectives and nothing close to ugly in mine - just that my taste isn't particularly inclined to those.]
My favourite Miss Universe National Costumes 2009:Turkey
What I love about this costume is the exotic aura it captures. The slightly Persian design adds an attractive, domineering touch to the elegance of the fabric.
Switzerland
A modified ball gown in classic black and white.
Russia
This is one of the more unique Russian national costumes, deviating from the usual modified 19th-20th c. court dress to a 17th century traditional Imperial era-inspired dress. Very interesting fusion with a marching band look (Nutcracker Suite?) too. What I love most about the Russian costumes showcased in the pageants are the aristocratic/noble theme they usually go by. This is much unlike many of the other European countries which showcase mainly folk dresses.
Other Miss Russia costumes, both modified from the Russian court dress:
Well, continuing the list...
Romania
Very beautiful pure look of a goddess. The headpiece complements her golden hair perfectly and yet is a nice twist to the costume.
Lebanon
I was captivated by this the first moment I saw it. The silvery-white costume, pale skin and brownish hair together create very professional and polished look. I don't know much about Lebanese tradition but somehow Lebanese national costumes are very beautiful overall. So are the contestants. In fact, I think Lebanon has sent in the most beautiful girls into Miss Universe.
I guess it's a joy to see beautiful Lebanese girls in pageantry because after all, Lebanon, Israel and Egypt are the only countries from their region who participate in Miss Universe. Well, social and religious customs are restrictions but in the case that the Middle Easterners participate in Miss Universe, another dimension of 'beauty' will definitely be added to internation pageantry.
For some sentiment, take a look at Miss Arab World - the Arab version of beauty pageants. Less enticing to some people, perhaps but pay attention to the costumes and the facial features perhaps - you find that Miss Universe is now missing something.
Also, I never did think about this but isn't Miss Palestine so beautiful? And the Lebanese and Egyptians have the best of both worlds, I just found out they're also in Miss Arab World.
Maybe the Middle Eastern world should be incorporated into Miss Universe, except without the swimsuit section and more conservative gowns. Given certain worldwide perceptions of 'women' though, conservative dressing would be a disadvantage. Oh well, I guess that's why there's Miss Arab World. Or maybe the Arab World contestants should be given a showcase in the Miss Universe national costume segment, just to make the segment more complete. Hmm.
Back to the Miss Lebanon thing, let's all be thankful that Lebanon is a country from the under-represented region in the pageant. For it wasn't easy for some Miss Lebanon contestants; on a few occasions the women got withdrawn because they were fighting with Israel and forbid Miss Lebanon to make friends with Miss Israel. In 2001 I think Miss Egypt said that it was sad because 'politics should be separated from the pageant.' Apparently that time the Lebanese girl didn't wanna compete against Israel in Miss Universe, so she dropped out.
Why win Miss Lebanon then? Because it's the only national beauty contest which offers more than half a million USD to it's winners!
Next...
Kosovo
Simple cut yet elaborate patterns equals to poise and a confident look.
Germany
Like Lebanon's, I was very quickly impressed by Germany's costume. European costumes this year, as I mentioned are less interesting to me because they're more folk than royal or aristocratic. Germany revitalises the princess in pageantry. A very classic image, fusing the Roman and Greek (Hercules?) with German.
One question though - How did she get those bars behind her? (Since I didn't watch the pageant) Herculean task indeed.
Egypt
Miss Egypt's costumes too never disappoint. Blame it on their deep-eyed, jet black-haired beauties or their rich ancient civilisation, but the iconic Nile River turquoise against golden sandy fabric is truly goddesslike. All hail Cleopatra! Complete with the ankh. What's interesting about ancient Egyptian civilisation which probably also elevates their costume's power-element is that men and women were regarded on equal social status. Quite unlike many other cultures.
Another Miss Egypt costume from another year:
Dominican Republic
Simple but I like the white, virtuous look. (:
Czech Republic
Well, nothing much to say about one but I like the patterns and the manner in which it flows while she walks.
Great Britain
Last but not least, Britain showcases an adequate combination of the past and present - put together so nicely that it defines a new look altogether. The crown, fur, gloves and sceptre are symbolic of English traditional monarchy, complete with a gold train to finish the royal look. The boots are vaguely representative of London fashion, with the chains being a fusion of past and present. We get a cross between the Royalty and Lady Sovereign (with her pose), very nice indeed.
Well, that ends the string of favourites. Now for other costumes worth looking at, mainly because of their creativity and incorporated resourcefulness:
Spain
Flamenco dancer.
Peru
Paraguay
I like this! It makes a warrior out of a woman.
Panama
This won best National Costume, by the way.
Netherlands
I think this is interesting because they managed to make a windmill (complete with grass) beautiful. (:
Italy
Hmm Italy. I think it's symbolic of the Opera? Can't decide if I appreciate the pose, though.
France
Very fashionable.
El Salvador
China
This has got to be one of China's more interesting costumes. Crafted as an assassin decked in futuristic-themed garb, sporting a twist to the Oriental look.
Bulgaria
Bolivia
This has got to be the best headdress ever.
Belgium
Alright, thus ends it. I wanted to talk about Singapore's national costume but I think that will come later.
So, which is your favourite?
SERAPHICERA | 1:19 PM |
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Dove si va se non c'e
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Supposed to be studying Chem...
Chemistry then Biology later in the week.
(It's funny how Physics and Lit prelims haven't even started and my prelims are nearly over and science papers = non-stressful papers. (: )
My fringe has also been gaining length at the expense of my complexion. I am also sick of my messy hair. Well, not anymore. I now have a 1960s haircut complete with eyebrow length bangs (all the way to the side) and one-length hair (couple of inches below the shoulder). Gonna get sick of it soon but by the end of prelims the bangs will once again be irritating my eyes so no worries there - my hair grows at an immense speed. (: No more hair fall too!!! White hair still needs constant dyeing though.
SERAPHICERA | 10:22 PM |
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We didn't start the fire
Friday, August 21, 2009
I remember watching this (video of We Didn't Start The Fire - Billy Joel) in Sec 3 and trying and failing at deciphering the video.
Before the History exam on Thursday...
Edna: I'm going to relax. Should listen to music. *switches on MP3*
Me: You should listen to We Didn't Start The Fire...
Edna: YES! That's what I'm gonna do!
Me: Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnny Ray...
Then we started singing it for 2min or something.
Speaking of Edna, this morning she came to me screaming that she's gonna die for Math and I told her that I know zilch of Sampling and Hypothesis Testing.
Math paper stands at a slightly risky A, even though I threw quite a few marks. Oh by the way, the paper had some sense of weird humour.
'A family of five wanted to go to their favourite restautant. They hopped into their family car...'
I don't know if I was in need of some light-heartnedness but I found the phrase 'hopped into their family car' quite amusing.
'Peter Piper the Pickle Packer' HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. What's worse is, the question was something about him packing pickles and rejecting them if they were below 8cm, or above 10.5cm (cos the bottle can't fit) and somehow pickles, lengths and Peter Piper don't go too well.
Oh I would really like to kill the makers of the video in the morning, which played Amy Adams' Enchanted OST 'How Do You Know (She Loves You)' because for 1.5 hours of my lovely 3-hour Math paper I had that annoying song playing in my head. When I was drawing my loci circle I really wanted to tell the voice in my head to shut up but obviously I was trying to find the complex numbers.
Aiya I'll get an overall B for Math because honestly I didn't study it a lot. Relied on intuition and June preparation (well thankfully I completed the Pure syllabus in June) and some consistent practice on Pure Math over the two years. Stats was the problem because I hadn't been consistently doing it and the last time before Prelims I did my Stats was er, the recent Math test. And my interests lie in pure (though no Peter Piper or Singapore Rovers vs. Singapore United), not exactly applied. I mocked myself by even forgetting if the GC required standard deviation or variance to be keyed in for the Normal Distribution, so like a rookie I resorted to Catalog Help. Sigh. Shamefully threw nearly all Sampling and Hypothesis Testing marks too because I never got down to even learning that chapter properly.
I guess another factor is, my exam timetable's limitations. The most important lesson this strenous week has taught me is that I've got absolutely no time to study for papers inbetween, or even reinforce any information. I guess plenty of people do History and Math together and plenty do BCM, so there is no excuse for 3h papers killing me, but the combination of the two groups can be extremely draining. So I was questioning myself, why should I be so tired after the History paper if plenty of History students have to do Math the next day anyway? And I realised that many had the Wednesday (Chem 3, Bio 2) holiday (after a hell tiring Tuesday afternoon Math paper). Then the BCM people had the Thursday holiday. I think what got me all jittery (and wanting to kill some people) was reportage that the liberated days were used for things other than studying! I mean yeah, I have no right to dictate peoples' lives but on Tuesday I got angry that people had Wednesday to study History (resulting in me boycotting Chem to join the History bandwagon and on Wednesday I walked into the LT looking stupid mugging the wrong subject before Chem essay paper) and on Thursday I was cursing at my fate that plenty of non-Bio people had half of a Wednesday, an entire Thursday and plenty of stamina to do Math (which as you know, needs an undisturbed mind/duration).
Obviously we shouldn't be trying to save our skins between papers but I guess few have completed everything by prelims. I'm thankful though, for this experience because as the above paragraph tells you, I've got to consolidate all my work, ready for activation any time and without much reinforcement (in Bio terms: mRNA in the cytoplasm and in Econs terms, liquidity). I got some inkling of this during the Chem paper; how did I survive it without even touching it the day before, or even on Monday for that matter? Largely depended on the studying I did the week before. Same goes for Pure Math. But again, isn't this what education is? By being able to tap on what you've learnt at any time, it goes to show that you haven't been memorising but truly understanding and absorbing it as part of your system, and not as something which binds temporarily to your brain.
Well I must say that I'm still far from a wholesome appreciation of this, but the prelims has got my fragmented, upstarting revision on a proper track. In some ways my timetable is kinda suited to my working too because I actually don't believe in studying during the examination week. What I fancy is comprehensive revision resulting in a sense of immense preparedness; and then the exam week consists of being aware of everything you write, knowing that it makes sense and handing all papers in with a sense of satisfaction which empowers, rather than drains you. The reason the timetable didn't work well for me this time, is because I lacked revision momentum before and the ability to run 'comprehensive revision' in the first place requires well, the focus and stamina to revise properly. Some people are going to arrow me at this and say that it's not as if I haven't been studying. Yeah, but my view of serious revision seems to be one which is all-encompassing and complete, the kind which people who get mainly As (or Bs) for raw prelims subject themselves to.
Back to the timetable - packed week and then pretty long breaks. Such is my nature, I love dramatic things and escapades, meaning either the power than comes with the storm or the other extreme - the serenity in a hideaway from the world. More of the dramatic part, I guess. There are just periods where I find the need for me-time and I therefore tend to shut out the world. Now you know why the airport is my favourite study hangout. 1. Away from the city centre, 2. It is a building with advanced facilities, as opposed to your other hideaways where you're cut off from technology or something. (Yes knowing myself, despite needing getaways my getaways are always in the city because I cannot survive a day even in, Woodlands or something.) 3. Foreign guys. HAHA. Ok well this is very much an unimportant reason.
Well well, with 3 holidays next week I should be able to memorise fully two chapters of Applications (Bio) in order to get myself full marks for Paper 3 on Thursday. :P
Overall, a very tiring week but somehow, I'm starting to like this. (:
SERAPHICERA | 3:23 PM |
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Exam structural screwups
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Sometimes I get a bit silly... at the most crucial times.
1. Math paper 1: Forgot to bring entire pencil box. My pencil box includes my pencil, eraser, protractor, ruler, 2 pens, I/C (yea I put it in for exams), WATCH (because the MPH clock is totally invisible from the back), well basically that. When did I realise this folly of mine? Ten minutes before the paper. In an erratic frenzy I borrowed a pen and protractor from Edwin, found another pen in my bag, pencil and sharpener from Mitchell. Stupidest thing ever = no eraser. The graph question was full of cancellations because I couldn't erase my pencil-drawn graph. Oh, I used the EZ-link card (with the horrible photo) for the I/C.
2. Chem paper 3: I thought the paper ended at 10am, instead of 10.16am. (Oh yeah can anyone answer this? Why was the paper from 8.15 to 10.16???) When I was happily finishing my first essay (happy because I knew all organic and was happily filling up the foolscap paper), I looked up at the clock and to my disgust it was 9.50am. That means 1h 10min for 3 more essays, dang (and at the rate I do Chem I will never finish). Went into a panic frenzy, did half of question 2 (more of this later), panicked at lack of time and got impatient at my slowness in figuring out the synthesis of (what was that? er) LYSINE from chloromethane. Skipped question 3, couldn't be bothered to read errata notice (qn 4) so I went on to 5. Finished that in a pretty slipshot manner. Went back to question 2 and decided it was such a bother, so I proceeded to grab seven marks by figuring question 3 out. Yay, did it. Then it was 9.30 I think. Or 9.40. Rushed the rest of Q3 (not too bad, thankfully) and tried to fill some question 2 in to get some marks, at least. Then it was nearing 10 and I was frantically writing. And then after calming down a bit (at finishing the paper) I wondered why there was no announcement at '15 minutes left' and why the room was still so quiet. So I DECIDED to look at the board in front and there it stared at me, '10:16' and I was like, 'Am I SURE????'
Well, 10.16 alright. Refined some of my answers, grabbed more marks, yeah. Folly no. 2: I should have done question 4 instead of question 2. 2 was a huge mistake. O.K. I read that errata notice AFTER THE PAPER and I saw 13 marks of elucidation. First part was solubility product, not really very familiar with that but I studied it!!! And I would have done a lot better with 13m of elucidation than some... ...Group II Group VII nonsense! ARGH. Note to self: CHOOSE QUESTIONS PROPERLY!!!! (Even though it's 5C4 and you probably choose the one you don't wanna do and you don't have enough time anyway - unless you were unaware of the duration, like me.)
3. Bio paper 2: This was good but I'll keep happy stuff to later. The folly here - I thought we had to do two essay questions. Actually it's 2C1. I freaked out when GOVAB (TWENTY MARKS OF GOVAB) came out because I didn't study that chapter at all, and in an essay you have NOTHING to save you! I panicked finding the instruction for 'DO ONE QUESTION' or something like that but somehow I was cock-eyed and couldn't find any. Tried finishing more of the structured questions first and decided to turn to the back again after a while. THEN I saw it. 'ANSWER
ONE QUESTION'. You don't know how relieved I was. Once again, I have escaped studying GOVAB. No but not for A'Levels, GOVAB is a fifty-page very major (or is OPEG worse?) chapter and I better not risk it.
Speaking of OPEG & DNA, the bulk of Bio was on that and the most concentrated studying on Bio for me was, OPEG and DNA!!! (:
Now calls for the switch from OPEG (Organisation of the Prokaryotic & Eukaryotic Genome) to OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries) by the single-base substitution of Guanine to Cytosine (with 3 hydrogen bonds between, yes Bio folks did everyone get Segment 1 in the paper?)
SERAPHICERA | 6:14 PM |
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The battle commences
Sunday, August 16, 2009
So I admit that I'm not the most prepared. Nevertheless, Preliminary Examinations 2009, you're not going down without a fight.
8806/01 General Paper H1 I Essay
8806/02 General Paper H1 II Comprehension
9731/02 History H2 II Southeast Asia9740/01 Mathematics H2 I Pure
9746/03 Chemistry H2 III Essay
9747/02 Biology H2 II Core
9731/01 History H2 I International
9740/02 Mathematics H2 II Pure & Stats
9746/02 Chemistry H2 II Structured
9747/03 Biology H2 III Application
9746/01 Chemistry H2 I Multiple-Choice
9747/01 Biology H2 I Multiple Choice
Everybody wants to rule the world.
SERAPHICERA | 10:00 PM |
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Periodicity
Friday, August 14, 2009
Last 3 topics needing a lot of help: Group 2, Group 7, Chemical Periodicity.
So you, inventor of the Periodic table who just happens to be Russian (and a rah-rah-rasputin lookalike), you have the weekend to save my life.
Must I add that your name sounds similar to Dmitry Medvedev and (Gregor) Mendel; one's the current President of your (at your time) future land and the other is a scientist in your time, like you.
Gregor Mendel, 'Father of Genetics', please do not kill me for I have not started on 'Genetic Basis for Variation' in my Biology syllabus, though I appreciate you a lot for founding my favourite aspect of Biology.
SERAPHICERA | 8:26 AM |
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Studying woes
Thursday, August 13, 2009
In periods like this, there is a fine line between striving on and giving up. The more you study, the more your mind lapses into this 'make or break' thing. It is the battle of being sick of the strenuous routine versus charging all the way even if it kills you.
In my case, the worrying thing is that it's going to be a lot worse next week. About three weeks ago I made a pact not to complain and I think this is the greatest test of all. I guess I'm upholding my promise but there's always this little voice rattling at my skull: People have hollow days next week to mug for papers and get some rest; while I have 'eight papers in five consecutive days'. I think this phrase has gotten perpetually stuck in my mind and it isn't just a matter of 'no time to study' (because I reckon we all shouldn't be last minute mugging) but the problem of the mental stamina. At least, here's what I picture for Monday and Tuesday:
I reach home at 7 after GP I, GP 2 and History II (and peak hour public transport) possibly forgetting to get dinner or being too tired to eat, even. I then realise that I have not cleared up little misunderstandings in Math. With blurry vision and fatigue I sit down weary under white light, attempting to do a few sums. I lose patience at reading questions and I think that I can't solve them anyway. I get frustrated. My mother/father/brother comes in talking to me and I scream at them to get out. I get angry and demoralised at my life and my inability to do simple Math, so I shut myself restlessly asleep. The next morning I panic and go all jittery, forgetting my formulas and enter a screwed homeostatic cycle of freaking out vs. calming down (for exam strategy).
I pray that I am not a very good fortune teller and even if I am, I am determined to fight that paragraph up above even as I was typing it. Again though, I can't help thinking that it'll only get worse after Tuesday when the bomb of Biology, Chemistry and History I threatens itself upon me. I foresee Wednesday and Thursday being nothing but killing papers, crashing at home, waking up, killing papers... before the (hopefully) more peaceful (not) Math paper on Friday.
Anyway, next week aside; the studying for now is increasingly problematic. When you first start out you're always full of confidence, planning timetables and telling yourself that you can succeed (because it says so on paper). Midway through the week though, you find yourself faltering because of attention span problems, or frustration, or difficulty of revision... or competition. Competition from twitter, or blogs, or people around you reporting nuts about their study regimes, opening you to the daylight of how inefficient/backward you are. Here is the crossroad: Strive on or give up (because it's no use, you'll never catch up).
The most worrying thing: Chemistry. For sure. I have not started serious revision on that, not because I don't want to but because I'm too busy with other subjects (Bio and History because they're mug-heavy and Math because practice is time consuming) and because my fear of Chemistry still deters me. I guess the second point shouldn't really be an issue after I half-proved that I could conquer the subject through the Mid Years. Actually, I always knew that I could do Chemistry and I have proven this more than once, so my sentiments are that the lack of interest (seriously, nearly zilch interest in Chem; I only liked Organic because my flexibility in it invigorates me) is the stumbling block. Obviously now, it's practicality over interest anytime... but if you've got three other subjects which you've not finished mugging for, vs. Chemistry... it's also practical to sharpen your skills in those for at least proportion of nice grades, aye?
I think, the issue is; I'm looking at 'practicality' from a pretty narrow perspective - that of individual subjects and individual grades. Seeing the prelims as a whole I acknowledge the fact that Chemistry has to be studied if I'm not going to cry over a fail at the end of the day. Well, let's be honest. The target grades for prelims, by me are AABC, GP B. The four content-based H2 subjects are arranged in no particular order. There is always this impulse (or not?) in me to raise it to AABB, but again I don't know. The prospect of 2 As has been driving my revision crazy, but it has also been driving me nuts.
You see, when I first set the targets, it was after I did about 2 ACJC Prelim Math papers? I figured I could handle them with just a bit more practice. Somehow through the practice though, I find so many loopholes in my understanding of the subject and these loopholes are magnified because of the A target. It just stresses me out more but my mentality has always been to treat the Math grade as a package of perfect treasure I am capable of attaining, and I will take no imperfection. Besides, I feel the utmost satisfaction and inner personal confidence and power by doing Math well. To some extent this characterises me. So you see, the dilemma of whether to aim higher, or not. Higher targets push me to work harder, but stress me out more and I therefore feel more like giving up. Especially with weaker subjects.
I have started the 'Final Solution' for Bio revision and progress in terms of chapters covered is kinda on par, but effectiveness is another question. There is again, another fine line between covering ground to avoid worry and frustration (by indoctrinating yourself that quantity beats quality) and effectiveness but displeasure at your slow speed and therefore being discouraged (that everyone else is staying 'til 2am and covering ground but you can't because to be effective the next morning you jolly well sleep before 12am).
The most crucial thing for me now is self control. Relative to my entire life, it is at its peak, but it's clearly not enough. Self control to suppress the cloud of worry and frustration, to be unaffected by other peoples' progress. I guess it's natural to be affected and to react to things around you but ever since I acquired this drive towards total independence, I find myself getting increasingly intolerant of this volatile aspect of human nature.
I still have little faith in Chemistry.
No matter what, fight on, fight on. What I'm hoping is that by the end of this week I'll have the confidence to raise targets to AABB+B.
SERAPHICERA | 9:10 PM |
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Random
Sunday, August 09, 2009
ACS(I) Dance FOA on Friday:
National Day 2007 (HAHA):
I wasn't lying when I said that mistakes made (cutting my hair) over the years were plenty.
Actually why is Aletheia wearing white up there when everyone's in red? :P
and thingy I took in 2007.
Happy National Day, remember to say the Pledge at 8.22pm later.
Eight days to prelims.
Even when you sleep
We will find you acting on your best behaviour
Turn your back on Mother Nature
Everybody wants to rule the world
SERAPHICERA | 3:41 PM |
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