2 paper, 5 days, not half way yet

If the first two papers are anything to go by, the next one and a half weeks don't look good at all. There seems to be a recurring theme this year in subjects that apparently have little to do with each other i.e. a lack of continuity. This year's papers are nothing like the year before or the year before that, and I was lulled halfway into a state of security by the patterns of questions that ran from 2002 through to 2005. But not this year. Oh no.

Godwin's prediction that he'll have plenty of time in today's paper on account of not knowing enough to stay busy writing answers came true for me. I spent the first 2 hours making up explanations for concepts that I had filed under "Because the lecturer said so" and the last hour worrying about the common sense or lack thereof in my haphazardly spun tales. In the local lingo, I was trying to 'smoke' my way through the paper praying that it wouldn't later be picked out and awarded for sheer stupidity by course's lecturer who, I swear, pleasures in memorising what unfortunate students have offered by way of answers and then using them as very effective teaching examples in his classes. It's always entertaining when it's someone else's mistake.

But the day didn't end all bad. Lester seems to have become Godwin's personal pep squad because the poor guy's taken a beating after this week and isn't accustomed to coming out of an exam feeling like the paper completely bombed, unlike me. So we went out for dinner - which was such a good break. Weng came down and although he's physically here, the rest of him has been swallowed by Garth Nix and his necromantic fantasies - he hasn't put the book down since getting here. I also got Cheryl's mail - the pencil survived (it's so hard to find a good mechanical pencil nowadays) and arrived with a note asking me to bring it home safely because it's only a temporary loan, and a disc with some video clips from church and six episodes of Prison Break.
Thanks to the genius of modern technology, I could share in a 90degree-turned view of Cheryl's baptism, and she's filled my dinner times with hope.

One down

It totally. fully. sucked.

And Action!

So it has begun for so many across England, except for, I think those in Durham who started a week ago (is that right?) and those in Warwick, York, and Southampton who won't be starting for several more weeks at least.

The gravity of the situation struck earlier this morning, having spent most of Easter moseying along in an on-break state of mind, I pulled out the relevant inch or so of notes for the first paper on Wednesday, and it was like what that iceberg did to the Titanic.

It is time to see exactly how much I've accomplished during four weeks of extremely hazy holiday. I fear that these exams will be something akin to running blindfolded across the M25 on a Friday. I take small reassurance from some of the MSN taglines that grace the names of my peers as they sign in and out with the various emotions that the approaching exams stir up, most of which stem from desperation, unpreparedness, or that ball-shrinking, all out fear that you feel when you're standing at the edge of an abyss.

In the scant days before the start of the papers, during which time I'm supposed to be tying up the loose ends across all my subjects, stay tuned for exactly how much of that precious time will be spent panicking right here on 'The Simple Things'.

I think it's time to change the title of my outpourings. 'The Simple Things' is too much like 'The Simple Life'. Which is just so demeaning. Have you seen that show?

I feel better though, thank you for listening.

Santa seeks to encourage favouritism

Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer is a highly unrealistic song besides the fact it's about reindeers. I'm talking about this from a purely behavorial context. The first part of the song tells you that because Rudolph is different, the other reindeer don't want to play with him, then when he saves the day, although I'm still not sure how one light-bulb-like appendage managed to sort out heavy fog, they're suddenly his bestfriends.

Oh wait, I can see how human that is, but surely the song should either mention that they're all hypocritical farts, or just go on to say that their animosity grew even further because they were all upstaged by this, this mutant.

You're right, I've got virtually nothing better to do except study.

I almost forgot.

There is football tonight, and all is well that does not touch exam prep with anything less than a ten foot pole.

For once in my life, "Go Arsenal!"

The exit light's already way behind me, ladies and gentlemen

Are you as surprised as I am? Statistics has relased me from its enthralling grasp for a moment long enough to assure people that they have not heard the last of me yet.

I wonder if convicts lead a more well-rounded life than we have in the last week. The entire building is deathly quiet (a cunning pun there, did you see? Exams, death, haha). Exercise, pah, what exercise? Sunlight? Only hurts my eyes. We are forced to go outside when the food runs out.

As you can see my communication skills have taken quite a hit, as well as my ability to put together complete sentences. That's what a month of note-making does to you. Point form, don't waste words, paper, time. Anyhow, fluid mechanics doesn't talk back, even if it did, it wouldn't be speaking English at any rate.

Artemis Fowl rocks. I want to be like Captain Short!

It's April

It's two weeks into the Easter holiday. Two weeks of slacking and messing around. And now I got two weeks left to do all the work that I had planned for four weeks. I'm just so efficient at cutting my time down.

I just read a blog somewhere, a rather lengthy one and I cringed at the end of it. It felt so superficial and fake, sorta like putting way too much icing on a cake with the aim of making it look tastier but instead ending up with a disaster. Maybe I'm too cynical coupled with the possibility that I'm biased against this person, with the mindset that whatever is written is to be taken with a pinch of salt. Thoughts of immaturity and an over eagerness to impress springs to mind. Makes me shiver just to recall what was written.

Then again, maybe it was all written with sincerity and honesty. Maybe if I didn't know this person I would have been inspired by the writings. Sigh.

Sometimes it's hard to be unjudging of others. Especially if it so happens that you have had a terrible experience with them before. One can try though.

Happy Birthday Kheng

Happy 21st, Kheng, and congratulations that you're finally at the legal drinking age! Not like you're a stranger to alcohol though. Here's wishing you have an awesome party and a great year ahead.

Back in London, reluctantly

This year has officially been an unsuccesful year for presents. The Amazon e-voucher Tish sent me hasn't arrived yet, but the paper version came, only having arrived after it expired. Hsiang, Nat, and Tom (thank you so much, btw) bought me a pair of beautiful boots, unfortunately they were a size too big, and when we tried to go back to get them changed, lucked out and came away with a voucher instead, which I will probably use to get a pair of serious "work" shoes for this summer, far more practical and useful but much less exciting. As you can see though, it's no one's fault, if anything it's made this year so much more memorable. It'll be the year of the 'almost' birthday gifts.

I just got back from Tish's. Every holiday we're here, Tish's is a must do like spring rolls and "chow main" at Chinese Restaurants for angmohs. I realised a lot of things during my stay at Tishen's these couple of days, which are presented below, in a list, because I like lists.

1. It's really hard to leave. Every single time, we resolve to come back to London after 24 hours and end up staying 48.
2. Your old old friends are always going to be old old friends that will laugh hysterically with you at 2am in the morning over Boggle.
3. Tishen's karaoke machine loves Aaron. Even if he doesn't know the song and is making up the tune as he goes along, he'll still chalk up a 97.
4. Young's voice has still stayed so wonderfully musical since the very first day I met her.
5. Tash will always be my oldest, sweetest girlfriend.
6. Cranium initiates an automatic division of labour according to our individual skills, and the girls always win.
7. I do stress analysis questions much better on four and a half hours of sleep.
8. I really needed that break.