Streess!!!

Sunday evening, I was having dinner with Sheau Maan. It was a happy time; we haven't had such a long chat since last year(?). She mentioned that during exam period, we will hear people screaming every night. "Ya meh?" I express my disbelief.

After I returned to my room, I started doing my lab report that I had to submit the next day. Gosh! The lab report wanted me to write about something I learned little...streeeesss!!!!!!!!!!!! The last time I felt so stressful was the day before UEC Maths. I set aside the lab report and started to do the organic chemistry tutorial on Tuesday...also cannot do...at that time I understood why do people scream...I felt that I wanted to scream too...I decided to go to bed and leave these aside until the next day.

Monday morning, the situation didn't get better. The lab report had to be finished by 1:30 p.m. (my lab class) and I still had no idea about it. With the assistance of a coursemate, I managed to complete the report. But my stress didn't end here. I started thinking and questioning myself; what if I cannot cope with my studies, especially organic chemistry? What if I failed the exam? What if I ended up without a degree? ... I started to question my ability to major in Chemistry...

Finally, I realized that the purpose I come here to NTU; I come here to learn new things, not to expect I had already known everything that is to be learned this four years. I have to manage time properly: not to leave things until the last minute, sleep earlier to avoid sleeping during lectures... I still have four years to go...

P/S: Thanks to JJ for encouraging me during my stress time and Bookworm for letting me to bother him on that morning! Cheers!

Orchard trip

It's been a quite busy week. It's Saturday again, but had a Maths make-up lecture today. Talked about limits...

After 3 hours class, finally got to enjoy weekend!!!! Tammy (my coursemate) asked me to accompany her to shop in Orchard; even though I'm not the shopping type, but I am eager to go to experience Singapore and hanging out with friends (actually I wanted to go there for another purpose too). After all, it's quite boring to stay in hostel when roomie is not around... Ching Hwa (Tammy's neighbour) joined us when we were about to go out.

After a bus ride, we got on MRT. Tammy and Ching Hwa played some lame games, while I blurr blurr... until we reached Orchard; it resembles Bukit Bintang (especially Lucky Plaza, which is the Singapore version of Sungei Wang). We enjoyed window shopping and looking around the area, really destressing after all those limits...

We parted 2 hours for my second purpose there — to attend church Saturday service. Reached church just before service started. The preaching reminded me of God, especially when I am away from home and facing challenges.

After church service over, we rejoined after a silly phone call; Tammy said she is in front of me, and I turned back... still blurr blurr...

After dinner, we went to visit Esplanade and the Merlion; posted for many photos at the same spot for over an hour.

Returned to hostel at 12 o'clock. Saturday is over.

2 years

It is already 2 years. Exactly 2 years since the event that I will never forget in my entire life.

At this exact moment, 2 years ago, my house telephone rang. It was mum. Her voice sounded very odd. She asked me to wait for someone to pick me up and send me to her. The place turned out to be the hospital. "Dad had left us..." this was what my mum said.

This 2 years, I had been motivated by the incident. I was determined to score well in SPM (which was 3 months away from the incident), UEC and enter a Singapore university. And I have done it successfully. I had scored well in both SPM and UEC, and now I am here in NTU. There is still a long way to go; four years in NTU, after graduation...and this event will still serve as the motivation behind me.

P/S: After some thought, I realized that the real motivation behind me is my mum. She works so hard to provide me a home and a good education... must study hard...

独中生与国中生

看了维尼熊的独中生与国中生和碧仪在维尼熊的文章下的留言之后，心里有一点感触。

独中生和国中生之间有一条不大不小的鸿沟，这一点我是十分赞同的，毕竟大家的求学环境、教学方式等等都有一定的差距。独中生，尤其是在实行双轨制教 学的独中求学的，功课一般上比国中生来得繁重。所谓的“双轨制”，就是在上独中课程范围的同时，也要学习国中生所学的东西以应付政府考试如PMR、SPM 和STPM，课本、教学范围和国中一样，唯一不同的是教学媒介语。

实行双轨制，无非是让学生有机会考多一张文凭，因为独中统考文凭不受政府承认。独中生考完了统考，不能进国立大学，出国多数选择台湾或新加坡，留在 国内的就得进入私立大学、学院继续升学。很多独中生读完高二、考完SPM之后就到学院求学，剩下的留在学校读高三、考统考。有一小部分留在学校的学生选择 进入学校特别开设的“先修班”两年，第一年除了要应付统考，也上一些STPM的东西，第二年则专攻STPM。不过往往到了第二年，统考成绩出炉后，班上一 大半人会选择到别处去升学（我就是其中一位）。

在课外活动方面，我一向来认为国中生的课外活动比独中生来得多，因为我就读的独中限定每人只能参加一个学会，直到去年才允许学生参加两个。在我学 校，课外活动分数是计算入成绩册上的总平均的。国中生没有如此的限制，而且分数也没有纳入总平均的计算。在表达能力和独立方面，我认为国中生比独中生来得 强，而且我也很欣赏国中生这两方面的能力。

来到NTU，真的感受到国中生和独中生的差距。独中生一般上会比国中生小一岁，而我本身因为小三跳小五就是“小中之小”了。每当他们问起我的年龄时，他们都会羡慕我们独中生比他们早进大学。

不管是独中生，还是国中生，无论差距多大，我们都是马来西亚的子民，今年我们将欢庆国家独立50年。

以上只是我的肺腑之言，得罪者请多多见谅！

First times

These few days marked a number of "first times" to me. First blog, first time spending weekend in NTU, first time playing games on my lappie, first time going to church since coming to Singapore...

This afternoon was my first lab class in NTU. Today's experiment was potentiometric titration (titrate acid with base using a pH meter instead of an indicator). I got paired up with a Singaporean guy. The whole experiment was mainly done by him and I did little to help him. Felt a little guilty about this...

Today also marked the first time I had dinner with my roomie, Philip. We went to Canteen 2 (perhaps the busiest NTU canteen at night) to have dinner with Philip's friends.

Tomorrow will be my first tutorial class...

Hope tomorrow will have more fun, excitement, surprises and "first times" too...

First weekend at NTU

SMSed my cousin last night if he could come here to fetch me. No reply. This mean I have to spend the weekend in campus.

Some friends from Johor went back today after they got their student passes. Even though I got my pass earlier, I have to wait until September to go back to KL...

It was raining in the morning, so didn't have breakfast. Had my lunch at Canteen 9 (the next block from my room). It has 3 stalls plus 1 drinks stall, but usually only the rice with vegetables and meat (杂饭) stall is open and manned. The food is cheap ($2) and ordinary, but is edible and can fill up my stomach.

After lunch, played games on my lappie and watched TV. Fell asleep in the afternoon. When I woke up, it was about 7 p.m.

7:30 p.m. went down to Canteen 9 for dinner. I went to the same stall — the same dishes as lunch. I decided to go to Canteen 2 although it is crowded. Met some friends there and chit chatted with them while having dinner.

Back to room at 9 p.m. Chatted with friends on MSN and wrote this blog.

Sunday is coming; hope it will be a better day tomorrow.

My first blog

I had always been hesitant about creating a blog. After so much thought, I finally have the determination to write this. No sure whether will regularly write here.

Just started my uni life at NTU, Singapore. My first lecture was on Wednesday.

It's a silent and lonely midnight here. Previously I had a temporary roommate from China who happened to be my coursemate (I am an NTU Chemistry and Biological Chemistry student; yeah, the course name is really that long). Since he moved to another room nearby last Monday, I almost always had a single deluxe room. I have no idea of my roomie (a Singaporean) until last Friday. Even though he put his things here, he had only spent a night here. My roomie probably uses this place as his arrival place in NTU, coming here in the morning and back home again at night. His home is not that near too; he lives on the east coast of the island (NTU is on the west; an MRT ride from here to there takes about an hour, not to mention bus rides to and from MRT stations).

Today is special; it may be the 1st time I spend my weekend here in NTU. For the last 2 weekends, I moved out of campus and stayed at my uncle's house.

Still have no idea whether my uncle will come tomorrow. At least I got my roomie's TV to use...