MUET

The school made it compulsory for us to take MUET test at the end of the year. Speaking always comes first, because it takes time to sort everything out. After arrangement, only 9 out of 200+ students had to sit for the speaking test on 22/10, few days later than the other students. So sad.

22/10. Mine was the first group, together with TCL, TSK and TZX. Before that, 11 of us (including 2 who had left the school) had to gather at an isolation room so that any leakage could be prevented. Before the test commences, 11 of us made quite a noise in the room. That makes me wonder: could we possibly be the only group that is relaxed enough to make so much noise? Lolll.

Anyway, my group went in first. I'm Candidate D. Problem here is that I realised questions for Candidate D is always the toughest. And when I see the questions, my worst fear was realised: my question was indeed tough.

So here's the question (rephrased):
Newspapers play an important role in our lives.
You think that newspapers advertise goods and services.

That's for Candidate D.
And here are the questions for Candidate A, B and C:

Newspapers
report current events;
impart knowledge;
enhance language ability

See how tough my question is, if compared to others?

Anyway, it went quite smoothly. I tried not to circle around the same point but found it very hard not to do so. The points were scarce and weak, but seriously how could you expect me to give good points when I do not even agree with it to begin with?

Task A was fine. What's there to talk about when you simply pour all lies out?

Task B was where all the fun are. Discussion is engaging and what's great is you do not need to worry you've got no points to say. Once a person pioneers the discussion, the rest could either agree or disagree, and with addition of some either relevant or irrelevant points, the discussion could last longer than 10 minutes.

Anyway, it was quite fun. But I certainly do not wish to sit for it again.

Badminton

I said I have passion for it, but I realised I never know it well. I do not know the rules and the techniques. But yet it doesn't falter my passion. The fact that I do not know the rules, or that I do not even care to know about the rules, is probably due to my inner personality, one that is very disturbing and yet one that I would never ever going to get over with - refusal to abide by rules, or feeling uncomfortable having my wings clipped. That's why you'll never see my participating in any competitions. Rules make me uncomfortable, although I agree its existence is essential.

Anyway, since the group I've recently joined emphasise much on the rules and are pro players, I guess I've got to brush up myself to be on par with them. Problem is.....my health seems to restrict me a little, what should I do?  

Busy

Life's been busy for me. The imminent STPM is coming and it's rendering me listless everyday. Going to school is tiring, and now I've always been sleeping in the class, an action that I've never done before when I was in lower form. Form 6 life is tough, and very tiring.

Anyway, there are some interesting issues transpired that I wish to share for. But due to the scarcity of time and the tiredness in me, I've got to share it later. Sorry.

Starwalk

This is the first time I participated in this major event. I'll begin with the very first.

I went to Penang by a school bus arranged by my school. But here's a problem: the company that was supposed to arrange everything for us did it last minute, and hence the situation was totally chaotic. We were supposed to leave latest at 5.15am, but there was still one bus missing when it was 5.30. We were already late and the reporting time for the competition participants were already closing. Having no choice left, a teacher told us to embark other buses.

I reached there slightly late, thanks to the stupid bus company, and couldn't find the reporting centre. Luckily mine was non-competition, or else I could have cried to death. I finally found it at 6.40am, 5 minutes before it closed. The queue was so long, but there was only 4 or 5 counters. There was almost no movements within the few minutes I queued there, and when there were finally movements enough for me to walk at least 4 steps, I was literally "squeezed" out of it and was at lost at finding the counter.

I spent some time searching for the counter to get the wrist band and lucky draw coupon, only to find it late and almost closed. When I was there I got no wrist band, probably due to lack of stock, and got only a coupon. I went to the starting line realising I was very late. I didn't know how late I started, but when I phoned my friend, he was at Prangin Mall and I was at Komtar. Very far, right?

Anyway, I couldn't see my friends anywhere, so I walked quickly trying to locate any of my friends. The problem with non-competition is that majority of participants were there to saunter, they didn't want to walk fast. I wanted to walk fast, so I moved zig-zag. While doing so I had lost count on how many shoes I had stepped on or how many people I had accidentally knocked on. I'm sorry for that.

After walking for a distance, I finally met - technically, she found me - a friend of mine, who initially chided me for being slow because she was far ahead of me - and she told me the others had gone far. I walked faster than, met more friends, but still not the ones I went in search of. Finally, after walking for one hour, I reached the finishing point and met them. LOLL meeting friends at the finishing point!

Anyway, it was then I realised I started very late. They all started at 7am, and I started approximately 20 minutes later (if I wasn't mistaken, the time I started was 7.18am).

Because I walked fast (trying to find my friends), I didn't focus on the buildings around me. I had lost the golden opportunity to view the heritage buildings in Penang, but I guess it didn't matter much now.

I finished the walk in one hour (a few minutes plus) and got the certificate of participation which will grant me 14 ko-k marks. After that I was so famished, I had to eat breakfast. I first met YK, and both of us later went into Penang Times Squares which were crowded.

Words

You see, what you say or write matters a lot. It has an impact enormous enough to completely alter a person's impression on you.

A friend of mine has just got embroiled in this problem. The problem is probably because he's too bold to say it out, or perhaps he's too cynical when it comes to studying. His expressing is bad. He uses a word that isn't appropriate and many people felt patronised or insulted. This creates an uproar, and various comics are drawn and photoshopped using his pictures to put him in a bad light.

Then there comes a second sentence he writes. It's also true, but yet it's insulting, especially if we know who he refers to.

This tells us something: language is a very powerful tool. Using it wrong or inappropriately can have a very dire result.

Some things, or truths, are not meant to be expressed. They are meant to be only felt, or concealed if expressing it can negatively harm anyone. It is true most of us are quite happy most of the time, or are already extremely ebullient when we managed to scrape through only one exam, but this isn't because we are stupid - this is because we simply have lower expectation for our achievements, contrary to what you believe, because you obviously have a very high expectation and ergo, feel stress.

Life is full of joy, and it's up to you to enjoy it. There are lots of fun scattered out there, and it's up to you to find it, enjoy it, or ignore it. Having too high an expectation is harmful, because then if you don't achieve it, you get disappointed, and depression follows. Why make yourself so unhappy?

Life is full of joy. Try to enjoy it and try to lead your life a different way, then maybe you'll realise why we are so happy even though our results ain't very optimistic.

Certain things require patience and time. Trying to get hold of something on first try is pretty greedy and is not going to work. Try to be patient and take things slowly, then perhaps you'll understand why most of us do not seem to be very stressed.

Stigmatisation

Many people are stigmatised. Minorities in a group are always stigmatised. There's no denying that anything that stood out like a sore thumb in a sea of stuffs would catch your attention and, if found to be out of ordinary, treated differently. Anything odd, especially human, is stigmatised. The only difference is to what extent.

This might sound crazy, but the issues of LGBT has just caught my attention (mind you, I'm not saying I'm homo). It has been hotly debated in US and just recently, Singapore, and it's pretty hard to turn a deaf ear towards a debate like this. 

It's a sensitive issue here in my country, but like everybody else in every countries, I just hope these gays can be treated fairly. Some are homo because of hormones that they have no control over. It's biology, not psychology. Ya, I admit, some are psychology, although I don't know how, but majority sounds like biologically triggered - correct me if I'm wrong though, I've not done enough research of LGBT. 

I'm not proposing any countries in the world to legalise same sex marriage or anything concerning the priviliges of the gays, I'm just hoping every persons in the world - no matter gay, straight, bi, lesbian, retarded, deformed, mentally unsound, paralysed, mute, blind or whatnot - can be treated fairly. Stigmatisation should be eradicated. Unless they are pestilential or bestial, shunning them from our lives simply isn't fair to them. Physical or biological handicap should not distinguish a person from another.

But you may argue - life isn't fair.

Jit Sin Form 6 Closed

Due to the new policy, Jit Sin is closing down its Form 6. All lower 6 students will be sent to Junior College Seberang Perai (SMK Permatang Rawa) for a totally different system. Change of school, change of teachers, change of system. I f*cking hate this!!!!!

I'm sick of becoming a white mouse. Why does it have to be so sudden? At least allow our batch to finish in our school, would ya?

Updates
According to the latest unofficial news, we'll not be moving to Junior College next year. I'm not sure about schools in areas outside Perai Tengah, but here's how it is there: Beginning next year, SMK Permatang Rawa will stop accepting form one students. Form two students next year will be allowed to complete their studies in their schools, which means they'll graduate in the school they went in. Then, in the year 2015, all form 6 students from the area will move to the newly named Junior College. So, students of lower 6 2012 and 2013 will complete their form six lives in their respective secondary schools. If you're studying in Jit Sin, you'll finish your studies in Jit Sin. If you're studying in SMK Bukit Mertajam, you'll end your form 6 life there. That's how it works, at least that's how they unofficially state it. Lower 6 students in 2014 will probably have to move to the Junior College in 2015. But we shall wait and see, for many changes can be made in that short time.