The Pursuit of Perfection

Extended Leave

2011-12-20T09:57:00.002+11:00

Looks like I'm going away...

I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! =)

Goodbye! <3

Myopia

2011-12-17T14:46:00.002+11:00

Dat glasses case!

Looks like it was made from one of your back pockets eh?

So I went and got them yesterday along with my new sunnies to discover a cranky optometrist who was buckling under a workload increase of about 400%.

Anyway, he told his assistant to get "the young guy" (with a condescending tone) and the first thing he said to me was that he hated making prescription glasses for those brand of sunnies, when he was the one who suggested we do it...so not sure -_-" I WANTED CONTACTS!! Then, I could've just kept on using my old sunglasses...

Guess I'll have to wait until next year before I can justify the cost of contact lens...

As an aside, people have to actually try to keep their pets off main roads and not just stand there and observe the stopping distances of cars, while the pet goes further up the road - potentially causing accidents. How inconsiderate!

On a slightly happier note, I had a dream yesterday about this blog. I left myself logged in somewhere (can't remember that part) and some of you posted for me until I got to 60 posts. I'm having trouble remember what "you" wrote though...

You mirin'?

2011-12-12T13:36:00.001+11:00

Because I am =)

I just spent the last half hour scouring the net for newly released information about this.

Don't even know why I'm so excited. It's not like any of the stations are more accessible to me and it won't be here for another 10 years or so...

Nevertheless, I still love my M61/610X! Nothing can beat its ruthless efficiency - not even the North West Rail Link. Someone remind me to make my submission to the Transport Master Plan sometime please =)

Education Revolution?

2011-12-09T22:50:00.001+11:00

OK so my cover has been blown, but whatever, we shall keep it up for now anyway.

So back to the National Curriculum and the number of teachers retiring in the next 5-10 years. At my brothers' school, which is a Primary School, the older teachers that make up the majority of the teachers are extremely reluctant to embrace change and a lot of them are taking the opportunity to retire this year as the Principal leaves, to avoid the introduction of the National Curriculum.

Apparently a lot of them are also turning down offers of upgrading their blackboards to smartboards because they don't want to be ridiculed by the students for not being able to use a computer properly. And from what I am hearing, because the rate at which older teachers are leaving is much higher than the rate that new teachers are available, the new teachers are put in the classroom with less experience than would be ideal.

In my opinion, education is an extremely important thing in society and as we see this problem should something not be done to address it? I mean, I am aware that one of the things putting people off being a teacher is the pay because they think it will be difficult to sustain themselves, then there's the union fees that cost quite a bit if I remember correctly from Economics. Apparently, teachers and politicians used to be paid the same before the MPs raised their own salaries and are now using an "independent" board to do that... Not sure...

Although there is a common perception that teachers don't have hours as long as the rest of the workforce, a lot of people seem to miss all the stuff that they have to do after hours. Something needs to be done to encourage the improvement in the educational standards of Australia before we lose our "international competitiveness" and incur other effects of poor education.

Which brings me back to the National Curriculum. Considering that Australia's educational standards aren't extremely high anyway, why are we even considering lowering the standards of NSW and Victoria to "compromise" for the other states. Does that make any sense at all? Should we not instead be trying to improve the standards of the other states? I mean, sure there are other factors involved in this, but the idea they are proposing seems silly to me. Especially when the draft Curriculum has been deemed by the current educational boards as being overloaded and without an overall build up in content.

Something needs to be done... Enough of me ranting - just my two cents anyway. You can cut me down if you wish =)

Barbecuing Like a Boss

2011-12-07T17:44:00.001+11:00

This is what happens when you don't clean the fat/oils accumulating in the tray under your barbecue... Let it be a warning to all of you =)

You're probably thinking that I should've done something about it rather than taking a photo. But there was nothing we could do, so we all just stood there waiting for the fuel to be completely consumed =)

I have had quite a few trips "out west" these couple of weeks and although it's rather difficult to get there (getting to Parra takes longer than it takes for me to get to the City), it offers me time to think - which I guess is a good or bad thing. But yesterday before the fat fire, I was thinking about the National Curriculum and the number of teachers retiring in the next 5-10 years.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Definitely Proud!

2011-12-05T21:23:00.001+11:00

I am now officially the proudest older brother alive!

Just saying =)

They both got academic achievement awards for the first time!!

Take a Bow

2011-12-05T12:17:00.001+11:00

So instead of heading off to Loftus today I went with my brother to his Orientation Day for High School.

As I sat there critiquing the speeches given by the teachers, I was reminded of my Orientation Day all those years ago at Baulko. I didn't know anyone in the grade except Emma, Tammy and Florence. It was the first time I went to a state school. And I remember that Mr Fugaccia was talking to us and then a parent came and asked why there was an orange on the school crest although it had been explained in one of the speeches. Yeah, I remember strange insignificant things...

I also remember thinking that six years was such a long time and now, we have been out on the other side of high school for a while. Must've blinked...or was it time contraction? =P Anyway, I should be seeing most of you Baulko people back at Baulko next Thursday. All the best and we shall see each other soon =)

So after we got back from Orientation, we were to find that our wonderful neighbour got someone to clean their roof of which we were oblivious to, which meant that side of the house is now covered in muck. Extremely considerate. Would be considerate again. I mean, how hard would it have been to tell us beforehand, I mean we live literally next to each other.

But no, they choose to tell you when the job is half done that maybe it would be a good idea to move your clothes and stuff - but only because they realised that you had come home... I didn't even get a 'Hello' when I opened the door - just a "Tell your parents to move the stuff" which we were doing already straight after we got home.

On the other hand, he got me posting...

Well this evening, my brothers are getting awards at their Presentation Night and man, am I a proud big brother! =) As I have tried to tutor them, I have gotten this sense that they feel inadequate as they live in my shadow. Need to try to boost their self-confidence somehow...

And because of the occasion, I get to test out my skills as a caregiver as I chauffeur my brothers from school and cook an early dinner since my parents are busy. Hopefully the stuff is edible =)

Oh look! A long post again. Not to mention my 50th post! Don't know how much longer I can keep this up -_-"

Back to December

2011-12-01T17:05:00.001+11:00

I'm so glad you made time to see me. How's life? Tell me, how's your family. I haven't seen them in a while.

Sorry about the lack of posting recently, I just haven't been in the mood since I got back until now. So what have I been up to? Well, as I've been telling some people, I went and had a look at what my timetable might look like next year and at the moment, it doesn't look every promising. I mean there's a 6pm finish on Monday and a 8am start on Thursday that are basically set in stone...

This thing is only for UNSW and you need the course codes (e.g. MATH1141 and PHYS1131). The link is here. It's not the official timetable thing, but it's good enough to get a rough idea of what you can do with your week. I didn't properly realise how many contact hours engineering students have until now. The minimal amounts of blank spaces is quite daunting...

So another thing I've been doing is getting absorbed into transport stuff again. I was reading the NSW Government's submission to Infrastructure Australia for the North West Rail Link and other transport related submissions (which you can read here) and as you do when thinking about Uni, you think about whether you have your preferences right...

When I mentioned this to Deva, his response was:

"it's obviously where your passions lie

who else would get distracted by an infrastructure submission"

I guess he's right?

Oh, I forgot to mention that community consultation regarding the Transport Master Plan (to be finalised by Nov 2012) has begun and you can have your say here though I have a feeling that most of you won't be bothered.

I've always wanted to do a transport related post and here it is.

I shall return again shortly. And good luck to everyone who still has an interview to endure! On another note, it just occurred to me that there are only 2 weeks until HSC results and the ATAR are released =O

Formally Missing You

2011-11-16T10:51:00.001+11:00

So last night was the last "official" Year 12 Baulko event - the Year 12 Formal. The food was fair, except it would've been better if I sat one spot to the left or right, then I would have had the lasagne and the chocolate dessert, but so be it.

As per usual, I only knew like 0.5% of the songs and because it was really stuffy inside, there were occasional (OK fine, more than occasional) visits outside to breathe some fresh air whilst talking with people, taking photos and a few moments of quiet reflection. It was even more hot upstairs, with the sudden change triggering another nose bleed, so I ended up stuck in the bathroom for five minutes...-_-"

Can you spot the difference between Keith's shirt and mine?

Oh...and I forgot to mention our five car motorcade from Baulkham Hills to Oatlands, which of course had me at the rear since I seem to somehow always be slower than the others...However, I also had my fair share of car trouble for the day. As we approached the end of the driveway of Oatlands House I felt the car starting the splutter a little and vibrate, which usually only happens when the air-conditioning is on, which I had already pre-emptively left off just in case, but luckily it didn't die on me. Because if I did, from where I was, I would have blocked all traffic entering and exiting the venue, which would've been rather embarrassing...

Not to mention that when I was about to leave, all the lights on my dashboard went off and the car wouldn't start. Luckily for me, Hugh and Jimmy were there to keep me calm we considered options. And praise be to God that the security guard-looking people, played with the battery connection a bit and I was able to drive home before anything else could happen. Thanks Hugh if you're reading this for offering me a ride home if my car wouldn't start if you are reading this =)

And now, I am pleased to inform you that I have finished 'Inheritance'! So I should start packing. See you guys soon =)

The Race is On

2011-11-12T21:58:00.001+11:00

I have now officially cleared my novel backlog from the past 2 years after some intensive reading from Wednesday evening and admittedly did include the likes of Alex Rider's 'Crocodile Tears' and 'Scorpia Rising' (This one got me a bit emotional at the end as one of the characters died, but I shall not reveal any spoilers just in case), 'Lord Sunday' (Didn't like the ending very much) and most recently, 'Artemis Fowl and the Atlantis Complex' (Thought the pace of this was a bit slow, so I ended up falling asleep a couple of times).

Yes, and now that leads me to 'Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves' of which I am halfway through at this present moment and is getting better I guess. But the crown jewel is 'Inheritance', with the green colour enticing the rod or cones (can't remember which) in my retina. I am rather tempted to ditch Scarecrow for the time being, but personally, I think that topping of my 'childhood reading' with 'Inheritance' would be better given that the Alex Rider and Keys to the Kingdom Books were also effectively the conclusion to their respective series.

But my mind marks the 'end of my childhood' (which was really in May) as the conclusion of the Formal for some reason, so I have 1000+ pages ahead of me and 3 days to get through them, maybe I'll give myself an extension for until I leave on Thursday...

We shall see, but the race is on!

But first, my Bible study :)

By the way, if it's not too much to ask, PLEASE COMMENT in the cbox when you have time! I don't mind the reader interaction :)

Extremes

2011-11-10T22:44:00.001+11:00

One day I tell myself that I probably won't have the patience to read a novel again, then the next I find myself stuck in a chair unable to stop reading those books that I have been stockpiling since Year 11.

But before that, I went out and bought my copies of "Inheritance" and "Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves". However, to do that I had to navigate peak hour traffic in the rain (don't even know why I didn't go later...), which was the first time I had done so alone and wasn't very comfortable.

On another note, I got to drive the Odyssey for the first time in ages today. And yes, it is a silver one just like Amol's.

Koohii wo Nondeimasu Like a Cultured Gent

2011-11-09T23:21:00.000+11:00

So today I woke up at 6:30am from the sunlight pouring into my room (I think) to the sound of my brother's persistent coughing. Poor guy...but I lacked the willpower to immediately pull myself out of bed. Yeah, I'm probably not a very helpful brother...

After that, I went with Hugh to swimming, but I was late because I missed the bus as it zoomed past at 100km/h and I couldn't react sufficiently fast to signal the driver...I hate being late...Both of us realised how unfit we had become, but we still swam 1km (which I consider good enough in the short-term (: )

Sometime later, we got stuck in traffic going into the City due to the truck that got stuck in the Harbour Tunnel, the accident involving a bus and the fainting Bridge Climber. I was dozing off because of swimming and this coffee didn't really help me stay awake though it was quite strong...

And I had the special honour of spending over half an hour in an un-airconditioned train ending up completely drenched like yesterday, but this time it was from sweat...Yes I know, eww...

justIN TIM(E)berlake

2011-11-08T22:51:00.002+11:00

Mr. Divyansh Saxena did explicitly tell me not to play with the movie title, but I just can't help it. Straight after the movie we started "transferring time" with each other and picking up on the lamest connections to the movie in our normal speech

e.g. We've got a lot of time on our hands (though it's really our forearms, but meh)
Ian said, "I don't have enough time" and our response was, "We'll lend you some"

OK fine, maybe it's not that profound. Maybe it's one of those things that just don't work unless you are in the moment. Or perhaps, only I would make such a big deal of something so small...

Anyway, let's rewind time a bit. So in the morning, I went to teach a Scripture class at my brother's school on the person of Timothy and how through him we can see that God gives us the strength to do His work, even though we might think we aren't good enough. Surprisingly, this class was very, very attentive and very, very still. Did I mention that they were Year 4? So yeah, that was quite an interesting experience.

In the afternoon/evening, we were at Parra and watched the aforementioned film before going to PC. Everyone else played for two hours, but Deva, Ian and I had enough after the first hour, so we just chilled and talked and walked back at Westfield.

DINNER! The stuff was quite expensive, so we ended up ordering less with the intention of filling the rest of the tank with fast food only to realise afterwards that everything was closed...

Oh and if you were wondering, the blur is Jono Sieh's hand.

On the way home, I had to interchange buses at Baulko, so as I got on the bus at Parra I asked for a transfer ticket right? A request to which the driver firmly said "NO!" only to look through the options on his screen and hand me a transfer ticket?! What is going on...-_-"

So I got completely drenched just waiting to cross to the other side of Windsor Rd to change buses, only to be uncertain of whether the approaching bus was my bus because I decided that I wanted to pretend that my vision was fine and left my glasses in my bag - resulting in elderly man-like squinting before signalling the bus.

Moral of the story? Don't pretend to be what you aren't! =)

And the time it took to get from Parra to Oakes Rd was surprisingly only 30 mins. I would have put an allusion to the movie here, but I am currently struggling to think of one...

Incomplete

2011-11-07T23:11:00.002+11:00

Empty spaces fill me up with holes...

Oh...so that's what P-type semiconductors sing to electrons =)

Yeah, sorry about that. Something more substantial and less-school related is hopefully coming soon!

Polygonic Nomenclature

2011-11-06T16:19:00.002+11:00

I have told some people this and received mixed reactions. I meant to record this when it actually happened but I've been a bit occupied recently. However, this might be one of the "Cool story bro!" blog posts, but here goes...

So as we were watching TV, something about the Bermuda Triangle was mentioned. Then my younger, younger brother randomly plucked a question about Trafalgar Square (can't exactly remember what) so me being me asked, "Would you like to know about the Pentagon next?" And to my dismay, his response was, "What? Is that a place?"

Looks like I don't really understand him very well.

It feels weird not having to go to school tomorrow, not having to walk across the Quad (Quadrangle or Quadrilateral?!). I mean there is an awesome sense of liberation, but also a sharp jolt of disruption to a routine that has lasted for 13 years.

Next thing you know, there will be a structure with "Dodecahedron" in its name...

Goodbye and Good Riddance (not you, the HSC)

2011-11-05T18:07:00.002+11:00

That feeling of not having to care at all about something is just awesome! As I finished the last word of the last question on the paper yesterday, a great sense of satisfaction washed over me. It was finally over! I couldn't help smiling to myself, so I hope the supervisors didn't see or if they did, that they understood how I felt...

Congratulations to those who have finished and good luck and study hard for all those who still have exams!

It was only yesterday that I realised how much my younger brothers actually missed playing with me, so today I ended up playing Monopoly with them (and yes, I did win (: ) But the first thing I got given when I saw my brothers after my exam yesterday was this:

Apparently, I'm so cool that I'm frozen! But only if I can get Band 7 for my subjects, which is obviously not possible, so guess I'm not cool enough. =)

Farewell Year 12 work, if only it wasn't basically mandatory for us to meet.

I am not looking forward to the prospect of dragging all these books to school on Monday week...

Only the books from Fitzpatrick 4U and down are mine, so if any readers or your friends are interested, give me a heads up or just track me down on 14/11 at Baulko. All the books are in good to immaculate condition, though there is evidence of use on the Success One books, but I guess that's what happens when you use the books...

Blogging definitely takes much less effort than cleaning/reorganising/rearranging my room...

RHPR

2011-10-29T14:48:00.000+11:00

From the people I have talked to so far, the will to continue to study and prepare for the rest of the HSC exams seem to be rather low. Ah well...what can we do about that?

A purpose of this post is to rectify the post numbers for October because that '3' sitting there in the archive list, keeps on bugging me, not to mention the '39'. Yes...I'm not a big fan of odd numbers - in these situations they just don't seem to be right, to fit in, to belong etc...

On that train of thought, if you didn't know already, Belonging as an Area of Study topic has been extended out to 2014 until the introduction of the National Curriculum, so all those poor Class of 2013 and 2014 students who were meant to study another "Buzzword" are now stuck with what many English teachers regard as a horrible, tedious topic.

So now you may be thinking, what does the post title mean? And if you weren't already, you now are =) We're getting there. I remember Mr. Ogle told us when teaching us the motor effect in Physics, that a few years ago apparently a student nearly had their paper cancelled in the HSC because the supervisors were unaware of the 'hand rules' to determine forces, such as Fleming's Rule and the Right Hand Palm Rule, and thought he was signalling multiple choice answers to others.

And so, as I was using the Right Hand Palm Rule the other day, I was quite annoyed that the answers in Success One did not agree with my deduction. Now for all you right-handed people using the RHPR, you would know that to use the rule you have to put down your pen first. Being the absent-minded me, I put my pen down and used my LEFT HAND INSTEAD!! And I remember being proud in class when I figured that because I'm left-handed I didn't need to put my pen down to use the rule...-_-"

Hopefully, that doesn't happen on Friday, after which we can really go 'Partying, partying, yeah!"

Anyway, I should better get back to work. Partying needs to wait a bit.

You're My Favourite Deputy!

2011-10-12T21:17:00.003+11:00

So I'm sure that your inboxes are being filled with emails from educational institutions e.g. Board of Studies, the University of Sydney and the University of New South Wales and though I am aware that you would probably have received this as well, I can say that I did not expect this one...

Looks like I finally get to wear my jersey again after 3 weeks or will it be too hot in the exam centre for it? It takes less time to get the jumper off. Ah well, the decision shall be made later by "future Jono" =)

As an aside, don't you just hate it when all of your pens decide to run out of ink at almost the same time (i.e. when you are in the middle of doing a paper...)

HSC Weight Gain =O

2011-10-10T21:00:00.001+11:00

It's not looking good guys.

All this sitting and writing had made me more conscious of this, though admittedly I haven't actually weighed myself yet - not that I plan to anytime soon

Just think of all the physical activity that needs to be done after the HSC to get it off again. Not to mention, whenever I start sweating (esp. when I'm outside, probably because of grass allergies) that I start to itch all over. Fun, fun, fun.

I also seem to have entered into a state where I don't trust my perception of time anymore. So uh...just to check, the HSC starts next week right? And Paper 1 isn't tomorrow? Let's hope so...

And just in case you're wondering, no, I'm not very panicky or worry-y at the moment. Probably just my mind playing with being in disbelief. Like I thought that I would actually be going back to school today and graduation never happened.

On another note, I think I now have every right to use Susumu's "I haven't seen you in ages!!" without anyone staring at me like I'm weird. Hopefully.

Ah wells, I shall catch you guys around =)

History in the Making

2011-10-05T08:30:00.000+11:00

I had something else that I wanted to post about, but I'll write this one up.

So it has been a week since my last post (though Jaydon thought I had posted that yesterday) and just under a month until the HSC is over - not that we've even started it yet.

Anyway, the other day, I was flicking through my old texts and was reminded of that dust storm 2 years ago that made the sky go red and got grade sport cancelled. That was 23/9/09. And we happened to graduate on that day 2 years later on 23/9/11. "So what?" you may be thinking. Well iono, at the time, it seemed quite profound that these "noteworthy" events occurred on the same date I guess?

The other thing was that on the day of the dust storm, we filmed our Year 10 History Video after school, which is now here. I figured that my role is pointless, but since we were re-enacting an advertisement in history, I guess I still had to be there.

Well apart from that I guess we are still making history now (and the rest of the time as well), but I am really referring to the HSC.

Relax. Don't worry.
(This seemed to be a recurring motif in my Farewell Book - might be a reflection on my character =))

For me, it's something along the lines of:
What if I don't get the scholarship?
Well, I can still pay my Uni Fees. Maybe someone else more worthy or needy got it. And bad luck, but as long as you get into the course you want to it's fine.

What if I don't get into the course I want to?
Let's just assume everyone will get into the course they want to now, and worry about the "What happens if I don't?" after the HSC, because I think it would be better to worry about one thing at a time (unless your backup requires early applications of course)

What if I don't live up to expectations of what I should get?
Well, bad luck. You shouldn't be living up to other people's expectations anyway. Guess for me, this is a bit easier said than done, so if you do see me doing it, just give me a whack over the head (not literally of course). And a few years down the track, no-one is going to care or remember about your ATAR. And ultimately, we are valued by God.

That's my two cents.

To go to Macq tomorrow or not to? That is the question (for today).
Leave your opinion in the cbox if you can see this in time and can be bothered.

Originally, I was going to change the "Let's talk iPhone" to "Let's talk myBlog" and change the Tuesday to Friday and the time from 10:00 to 12:30 to represent the time when I should be back to normal blogging after the HSC, but due to the disappointment associated with the iPhone 4S (and because I don't have the time/am incapable of editing the invite), I'll just put a picture of the invite here =)

I thought I had something else to say. Guess not.

Good luck. Don't study too hard =)

Your Generosity Warms My Heart

2011-09-28T22:33:00.003+10:00

Sorry Jimmy, I know this post title sounds familiar, but it has been the only thing coming to my mind for hours.

Anyway, so today my Youth Group (known was Living Stone Youth Celebration or LYC for short) went out as a group to the Samaritan's Purse Warehouse in Kings Park...

...to help out with the Operation Christmas Child program.

On our way there, I was amazed at how many traffic lights were obstructing the T-Way and more interestingly, during the 10-15 minutes we were driving alongside the T-Way, I only saw one bus - the T70. Talk about the full utilisation of resources...

During our day, we got to help out with various things relating to the program - checking shoe boxes, unpacking boxes of toothbrushes, pencils, sharpeners, plush toys, unloading shoe boxes from a trailer that had arrived from Mudgee and wrapping soap in washing cloths.

Following the brief on the seriousness of checking the boxes because if we missed something, the whole shipment could be compromised and the authorities in those countries would no longer allow them to send these gifts to children, Ivan and I decided that we should do everything else but that if we could help it. And we did =)

Ivan also took a panorama shot for you guys, but I don't think it fits very well on this...

Look at these conscientious people bundling coloured pencils =)

Something that added more flavour into the day was the races we had with unpacking pencils, toothbrushes etc, which highlighted how competition can make things that extra bit more fun =) And yes, although it was a whole 6 hours away from studying, I believe it is worth it. How often do you get to do something that could bring joy to so many children around the world, who may actually only be receiving a Christmas gift for the first time?

Throughout today though, I have learnt how we in Australia sometimes overlook how fortunate we are. I mean, if I got a Christmas present containing soap, toothbrushes and coloured pencils, I wouldn't be very jubilant. I would probably be thinking a Jono Sieh "spectacular". But, for the children these are sent to, these are possessions they prize for life and receive with great joy and excitement.

It sort of puts everything into perspective doesn't it?

Hope everyone's having a wonderful holiday =)

8 Letters. 3 Words.

2011-09-25T22:34:00.001+10:00

I...

I...

I...

I miss you...already...

(Yes, it is supposed to be 'love', but 'miss' fits better here)

---

I remember back in the school term, when I might not have seen someone for 3 days and I would've said to Susumu's phrase, "I haven't seen you in ages!" to them, only to get a reply of "notsureifsrs" and a comment about it just being a few days since we last saw each other. But now, it has only been 2 days since we have graduated and I'm missing everyone already. =(

No more seeing Baulko Boiz and Babes crying. No more trolling or being trolled. No more seeing everyone frequently...

I was talking to Jimmy and as I was saying "Good night", I instinctively typed "See you tmrw", then quickly deleted it upon the realisation that we will not actually be seeing people again on a day-to-day basis anymore as we have over the past 13 years.

A recurring theme in the messages in my Farewell Book was that people said they felt privileged to be called my friend. But although this sounds cliched, I believe the privilege is mine. I came into Baulko in Year 7 basically knowing no-one, and I am just overwhelmed by how much people care about me. So thank you guys for all these years and I hope there are many more to come =)

Hmm...my parents have told me that I don't need to proof-read my Co-op Application again. I think that's a sign that I have done so too many times and am letting my "perfectionist" tendencies take over again...

Now, on to more serious business. I am quite saddened by the shutting down of RRR and in fact, I feel quite betrayed. However, I respect their decision and am looking forward to the establishment of Eric and Vincent's respective blogs after the conclusion of the HSC. =)

I think that I might have to similarly reduce post frequencies so that you don't get as distracted from your studying and so that I can concentrate on my "studying". When I can, I will try to blog, but I think the goal of posting every 2 days can go on the back burner for now.

I guess taking some sort of break will also help me to accumulate more thoughts to splatter here after the HSC to provide you with greater intellectual stimulation or just something you would want to read. Sorry if I am removing an avenue of your entertainment, but I think this is the best thing to do for the both of us at this present time.

BUT I WILL BE BACK IN NOVEMBER if not intermittently before then =) I cannot wait until Paper 2 is over. Scratch that. Until the HSC is over!! =)

Baulko 2011 <3

The Only Exception

2011-09-23T23:19:00.002+10:00

When I was younger I thought that I would cry - at our graduation.
However, on that day, it was not really as sad as I thought it to be.
Maybe I've come to see, that it isn't really the end.
Because on October 18th, we'll still meet for English Paper 1.

Coz Baulko 2011, You are the only exception. You are the only exception. You are the only exception. You are the only exception...

---

For some reason, the mood just wasn't quite right. Maybe it was the monotony of the whole ceremony, the sound system's games, the unsuccessful grade attempt at the finale...who knows. However, listening to Secondhand Serenade as I was walking out to the bus stop did draw one tear from each eye.

And I was all emotional until my alter-ego in Yr 11, Mr Jonathan Chan, complained about our sentimental status updates on Facebook and his perceived futility of being forced to attend a graduation ceremony, causing me to become angry, which resulted in my tears' evaporation (not literally of course).

The trip to Bondi also did not go to plan - cold water, strong gusts of wind. But apparently, I have gotten darker. =( I'm dark enough already...and there was hardly any sun. Perhaps my theory of sunscreen protecting you from the sun, but making you darker simultaneously actually holds true.

But Baulko Class of 2011, please don't be too sad because:

We will reunite for English Paper 1 (though admittedly this isn't the best circumstance)
It is not really the end. =) I am sure that we still meet up again - hopefully more frequently than the proposed 10 year reunions
We got a nice key ring from the school to remind us that we will always be BAULKO BOIZ AND BABEZ

Love y'all. =]

Officeworks. Fireworks. Waterworks.

2011-09-22T20:29:00.004+10:00

Officeworks - symbolic of the studying we have done, including the excessive use of pens, pencils, correction fluid/tape, paper, exercise books etc.

Fireworks - going out with a BANG! tomorrow as a grade

Waterworks - the expression of sadness from being torn away from people you have met 5 out of 7 days of the week for 40 out of 52 weeks in a year for the past 6 years, which involves an aqueous solution being emitted by the eyes.

From what I have seen today, the grade has undergone an emotional roller coaster. After 2 hours of water fights, most people settled down and wrote messages in books and on shirts, but for many of us, it seems that 'Goodbye' is definitely not an easy thing to say. However, I must comment on how silly it is that our grade remains so segregated. Oh well, the quote page and the water fight were sort of successful in bringing us all together.

I would upload some photos for this post except I forgot to take photos all day, instead running around for people to write in my book. However, I do plan to take a photo with as many people as I can tomorrow - if my camera permits.

For those of you who still haven't signed in my book and wish to, please do so =) I should be at school from 8:10am...I hope.

After our grade picnic today, some people that I had never imagined would cry did, which made it all the more difficult to hold everything together, but I did. However, there will probably be a different story tomorrow. I'll probably feel like I don't love you guys enough if I don't cry tomorrow - but then all the parents will see me cry...

I know a lot of the people were crying because they came to the realisation that we will probably not be seeing each other as frequently as we have over the past few years, but as the Belonging Reading Tasks have taught us, belonging requires initiative and is probably proportional to the effort you put in. Perhaps we will also still meet up at Uni or at train stations or on an M61/610X back into the Hills.

Once again, I have had to experience a post whilst tearing up. Let's not let the waterworks suppress our fireworks!! =) Sigh...we can't hide behind sunnies tomorrow =(

Thnks Fr Th Mmrs (sic)

2011-09-21T21:15:00.000+10:00

Since Monday, I've been waiting for some sort of realisation, some sort of change, but nothing has really happened. Essentially, it has not sunk in that we have finished with learning anything at school anymore and that we are in fact graduating on Friday. At the rate I'm going, I probably won't be crying on Friday, but then again, that will not be ensured until it actually happens. =)

It has occurred to me that it is probably the time now to share this story. So a casual teacher that I knew was in the photocopying room doing...photocopying!! Anyways, as he looks out the window waiting for the job to be processed, he sees a line of girls from our grade looking in his direction - fixing their hair and makeup - not realising that teachers were looking out from the same window, seeing them do their stuff (probably because it was tinted).

The reason he told me this was because he recognised one of the girls because she goes to our church. And so, to the girls that hangout on the grass between D Block and the courts, it seems that the teachers have been noticing your "pursuit of perfection" for a while now - if you didn't come to realise that already.

Anyway, as most of you know, I have my Farewell Book running around at the moment and as I read through some of them, it was amazing to just experience this flood of memories. This is also what happened when we were talking at the Prefect gathering. Reminiscence/10. Seriously, there aren't that many occasions where you have massive groups of people relishing on the past with you, so cherish it. =)

So back to my Farewell Book. As I was reading through, I was reminded that I had received 20/20 for sewing, according to Jolene, which is something I have entirely no recollection of, but oh well, being a guy and having your sewing skills noted is an achievement in itself. Amy's entry also reminded me of an encounter that had been completely blitzed from my memory, so I guess having the book was definitely a good decision.

However, in some of the messages I found answers to the questions I had regarding our friendship. Some people have suggested that this book makes the messages forced, so perhaps that's why, but despite being renowned for "over-thinking things", I am quite happy to accept that these messages are legitimate. But the strange thing is that some of the messages are answers to questions that I may or may not have asked them in person many years ago and they did not answer, which I find quite remarkable.

On another note, Ms Johnstone has done my School Assessment for the Co-op! I shall be on my way to submitting this application =) =)

I am going to miss you Baulko Class of 2011. Can we please have a 3 month reunion? (Yes, I know that we are still yet to graduate)

Partying, Partying, Yeah!!

2011-09-19T19:59:00.001+10:00

As I waited at the bus stop to go to school early for what was probably the last time, I stood there, hoping that some other people will be joining me on our last trek to Runfit, namely Susumu and Lynette, but I was later informed that they had simply missed the bus. However, this also meant that there were no photo opportunities on the first leg of the last week of our secondary education.

Then, we had a fun session of Runfit, which was probably to my benefit considering that this fun factor meant it was easier, and I would probably not have been able to do it. All was well until we played Bull Rush and Murali was reaching out to tap me and his shoulder dislocated(?) - again. I felt so bad. But I must admit that he was a very manly man, fighting against the pain (and our desperate pleas for him to stay still) and standing up straight again, which magically realigned his shoulder. Like I said, he's amazing!!

Next we had an...interesting...assembly where I thought I should take a photo of those gleaming white letters I was talking about that are capable of making me cry...T_T

Following this was our Chemistry party that most members of our class thought we weren't going to have. But look at this gorgeous cake Ms. Hill got for us:

Note how we also toasted our marshmallows using Bunsen burners in true scientific style.

Just reiterating what Jimmy said about the UMAT. Congratulations to all you amazing people who have done spectacularly well. But for those of you who did not do as well as you wanted, I know you might think I'm trying to belittle your problem, but:

There is still an interview up ahead
Apparently there are some people who have done Med Science in First Year and have been able to transfer =) =) =)
If Medicine is really your passion, you will get there eventually, even if it takes a lot of effort, even if it takes more time than it does already. Don't give up. Continue to try. You don't know what might happen when you do
Perhaps it is a blessing in disguise, helping you to realise that Medicine is really not your thing

Iono, but that's my two cents (I've always wanted to use that expression!!) But no matter what, Baulko Class of 2011, try your best to enjoy the last days we have together at school. =)

Also, thank you for those of you who have already signed my farewell book. If you would like to write something in it (and I know you want to) come find me, or I might come find you, though I'd prefer the former since it will be difficult getting the book to everyone in the next couple of days.

Countdown: 2 school days. 1 grade picnic. 1 graduation ceremony. Then "It's over"!

The End is Nigh

2011-09-16T23:11:00.002+10:00

As most of you know, today was the day where the Prefects devoted their abilities to their buyers all for the worthy cause of Legacy. As you trawl through Facebook, you will find what people have done to their Prefects and a common theme - people like their male Prefects with their shirts off...strange...

So first up we were in B14 waiting anxiously for our buyers. For me, not actually knowing who my buyer was, I was not sure if he was actually going to turn up. But luckily he did, and he paid a massive sum of $75 to "control" me for the school day (later when I realised that he was the only one contributing to the $75, I actually appreciated that it was a "massive sum")

Period 1: Science with Mr Weston.
The joys of being in Year 8. I walked in and fit in quite easily height-wise with the rest of the class. I took notes for my "master" and he was proud to have a lefty Prefect. Then one of his friends shouted across the room saying:

Are you going to let him write? Is his writing legible?

Instinctively I lashed out and said:

Are you diss-ing me?

My master was also quite proud of the fact that I finished writing their notes in half the time that it took half the class and did their science prac for them and even focused the microscope-thing that Mr Weston had trouble with.

Period 2: Scripture with Joe

My master was reluctant to make me carry his bag because he thought that would be mean, but given that he had paid $75 I decided that I should carry his bag anyway. The worst part of this lesson was when Joe put me on the spot and asked some, let's just say, more personal questions. I was also asked how tall I was because I was shorter than my Year 8 master and as usual, I answered with "I don't want to know how short I am, so I don't measure up."

Recess:

They drew in permanent marker all over my face and arms and told me to run around the quad without my shirt =( Luckily I will never have to do that EVER again.

Period 3-4: VA with Ms Berlehner(?)

The class was told to do a perspective drawing and since it was going to be marked, I was not allowed to do it for my guy (though I did help a little - illegally), so I asked if I could eat my lunch then. Nothing special here except I bossed him around a bit telling him to do his work.

Period 5: Maths with Ms Chiem

Ah...wonderful circle geometry. Except they were proving the reasoning, which I had completely no idea about, so I just took notes for the guy again and drew pretty circles and cyclic quads!!

Period 6: French with Ms Bishop

Upon walking in she asked me whether I was "actually a slave or an imposter" to which I responded with "Do I really look that short?" and she was speechless. On the other hand, I was able to complete the worksheet they had before half the class finished, even though I had absolutely no French background. Yes, I got everything correct and yes, I am proud.

Lunch:

I was told to swap my shoes around and tie them together, so I had to revert to a hop around the school - then my arches started to hurt...And for the first time in my life, I bought something from the canteen and man, is it hot in there. Mind you, I was still hopping around the place in there. As my guy was nice, he let me swap my shoes back, but still made me tie them back together, after which I joined the dance fest in the Quad in which the Prefects had been congregated and Mr Nesbitt eventually joined in =)

Period 7: Science with Ms Chin

I was rented out to a certain Vladimir in Year 8 by my master. Here I mainly did his work as he complained about his writing being illegible and he even made me write down every single word that Ms Chin was saying until she came around and asked what it was. She also told him to do his own work and let me rest, because she didn't like people not doing their own work.

Krishna's brother was also there and made some demands I was reluctant to do (maybe my actual master had pampered me too much). However, I did yell out "What a head" in the middle of class though coincidentally someone sneezed, so he wasn't very happy. I was also made to plank, in the stretch manner that killed my abs, and Ms Chin was feeling sorry for me for lying down on the floor in the lab. Eventually, Vladimir got sent out as he kept on telling me what to do. Then, I was able to have a slightly deeper conversation with Krishna's brother - though I must admit, that of the two, I prefer Krishna.

Period 8: History with the Student Teacher

That teacher was not very good. She hands out sheets, then tells everyone to shut up, highlight and answer questions. It was seriously the worst Year 8 class I had ever experienced. So I did all the work for my guy and wrote too much for one for the answers and gained permission to wash all the marker off my face. Although Ms Bowen kindly offered me her soap, it still took quite a few washes to get rid of it.

As there were no paper towels lefts in the toilet, I ducked into my Chem class to ask for some. Here, somehow I ended up telling Ms Hill that I didn't disturb a class because I felt sorry for the teacher and because the teacher was getting angry and Ms Hill was laughing at me, noting that it was probably my only opportunity to disrupt a class.

---

Compared to some of the other Prefects, I feel that I have been spared the wrath of humanity in its vilest form, so yes, I am rather grateful. Also, my master and his friends just added me on Facebook.

I am so tired from my first full 8 period day in a year. =(

Also, I was wondering why he chose to buy me and he was just like, "I was just walking past and you took your jersey off, so I was like, yeah whatever, I'll just buy him, because I obviously didn't know you" Ah wells, at least I got bought and contributed a little to our $2500+ donation to Legacy =) Love y'all Prefects and other readers too =)

VTEC

2011-09-14T16:49:00.001+10:00

So as I was driving home today, crawling through the school zone where everyone was going at 2km/h, I saw a Honda behind me with an Asian looking person inside. Immediately, my mind decided it was Wynston because he was about to leave when I left school and I drive slower than him.

So here I am looking out the back with my rear view mirror, looking for some sort of response. Now that I look back at it, I must've looked so stupid. I had also thought of sticking my hand out the window and waving. Lucky I didn't...because I later realised that it wasn't Wynston, because it was a Civic not an Accord. But surely, I would've thought my eyes were better than this and I was wearing glasses...

Or maybe as the guy was brushing his fringe sideways like how Wynston has it, my brain just decided it was Wynston....

All I can say is, what a head!

Dropping the Ball and Competition

2011-09-13T20:38:00.001+10:00

Yeah sorry guys, I don't think I'll be able to keep up with the posting everyday mantra anymore although I'd love to, but like Eric said before, blogging is rather time consuming. On another note, I believe that I have finally finished my Co-op Application!! It seemed like an ongoing project over the past month after Trials that has finally been completed. It feels good to have some kind of closure.

Also, I get to go to school late because of study periods for the first time ever in my life!! I am so excited about rocking up to school at 10 rather than the usual 7:40 for morning class =) =) =)

Given that we are drawing closer and closer to the last week of school, I thought I should make a confession. Though, admittedly, this probably isn't very profound to you guys. I am a competitive person. That's essentially what I wanted to say and also that I am slightly hypocritical in that I get annoyed by overly competitive people.

Obviously I'm not talking about the race leaders here (i.e. Miss Corrigan, Mr Wilkinson and Miss Bell) because seriously, there is no way that I can even come close to matching them. I mean, look at this:

And though someone from the cbox has told me not to say this, I must say that I "mire" their achievements. But also for those who are yelling at their screen right now, hurtling insults towards me, I am content with my marks. Just coz I'm miring, doesn't mean I'm not content.

Over the past few years, I must admit that I've been quite a competitive, uh...let's just say, guy, within my "peloton". I remember that with a certain person in class I would occasionally sneak a look over their shoulder to see what they might've gotten down from what the teacher was saying that I didn't. Or I would scheme, or in modern day terms "snake", and try get them to work with me.

Or I would constantly annoying them for marks and feel sad if I lost out. And yes, I have to agree that people need to have a life because marks do not define you and yes, I am progressing on from this horrid fascination. I would like to thank that person for their patience, though not identifying you is probably not very sincere...

However, I caught myself the other day peeking over someone's shoulder again, secretly wanting their ranks but knowing that I shouldn't ask and realised, "What is wrong with me?" Iono if the person I am talking about can identify who they are, or whether other people can tell, but I do not plan to confirm nor deny anything.

In effect, I wanted to say sorry to everyone for being such an annoying individual over the past few years. But I hope you guys won't mind sticking out with me over the next couple of weeks and into the future =)

Completely unrelated, I just found the Media Release that has named the Sydney Electronic Ticketing system 'Opal'. I AM EXCITED!! =D I don't even know why...

Dry

2011-09-11T17:10:00.001+10:00

Perhaps that is a word you use to describe this blog, or perhaps you find it spectacularly engaging to gain insight into my thought processes. This word can also be used to describe my weekend as I have basically rewritten my Co-op application after my parents had a look at it. But really, all I was doing was pointing out the fact that now that it's spring, the air is getting really dry. Even though I drink a cup of water before I sleep, I wake up to find my mouth parched and my throat yearning for moisture - it is quite annoying.

And yes, I do breathe through my mouth because the rate of airflow through my nose is not sufficient to ensure that I do not faint. On another note, today at a friend's party, Henry and I met the renowned Stacey Law in person and man was she modest and humble. I also let slip that she is very much revered by members of our grade, though I did not tell her your name. *ahem* Anthony Liang *ahem*

Also, you know my brother's $500+ bike that I posted about earlier? Well, his birthday is actually on the 19th, but he's already wrecked his bike in less than a week. By wreck I mean scratches everywhere though it can be made functional again after the bend in the disc for the braking mechanism gets fixed, otherwise it gets jammed with every 2 pi revolutions.

Maybe I should've locked it away to keep it safe as I had the urge to do - I knew he would do something to it sooner or later, but seriously, no-one thought he was going to do something to it so soon... At least he is OK, but I did tell him not to bump around off the edge of the curbs...And man, did he look scared when he came back. Poor guy.

Bursting of the Baulko Bubble

2011-09-09T23:12:00.001+10:00

Did you like my use of plosives? Well I did anyway. Perhaps a realisation that I have had over the past couple of months is that my bubble is starting to break and soon enough I will be left to face the issues of society without the influence of this protective environment. It feel like that over the past 6 years we had been living in an alternate reality, a microcosm, a world within a world, mostly ignorant to how thing really roll in the world - well that's how I felt like before anyway...

As most of you know, last night was Variety Night - my first and last (unless I go back next year) - and I found it quite enjoyable and captivating. The thrill of having multiple dances in quick succession and actually being able to do a dance choreographed by some of the best dancers in our grade is quite amazing. In the end, I found that the hardest bit to learn in the dance turned out to be my favourite part because it looks quite awesome!! =) =) =)

Not only that, everyone looked spectacular in their respective dances, it's a shame that so many of them had hidden their talents for so long and we didn't get to see their performances live because we were stuck backstage. =( The only other downside of the whole thing was that I had trouble waking up for morning class today...

And guess what? Once again, I was looking at those gleaming white letters of the school name during the night, but I didn't tear up. Maybe that's a sign that I'm not actually gonna cry at grad. I remember chuckling in front of a guy last year because he was crying at grad - how much I regret that now. Am I talking too much about grad and crying?

I'll Ride a Bike to Uni Once the M2 Upgrade Is Finished

2011-09-07T22:37:00.000+10:00

Well of course those are just empty words. Do you really expect me to be even capable to cycling that far? And even if I did get to Kensington on 2 wheels, by the time I got there, it would be time to go home again. Although the main problems would be that cycling next to cars going at 100km/h isn't the best idea and that cyclists can't use the LCT - they have to use the undulating Epping Road. I am also under the impression that cyclists have to pay to ride on the M2...Oh well, the M2 Busway beats any kind of travel into the city any day.

So why all this talk on bicycles? Am I just lagging a long long long way behind with regard to the Tour de France? Well, no. When I got home today, I was hijacked to go pick up my bro's new $500+ bike for his birthday. My first thoughts when the cost was mentioned was "That's nearly an iPad you have here...", but I guess this contraption is more conducive to physical activity, which is not a forte of my family.

As I was the one picking the bike up with my mother, I had the honour of the first ride! (Y) And seriously, I have never ridden a better bicycle (though there have to be better ones out there), but when was the last time a nearly 12 year old gets a bike with an aluminium alloy frame, disc brakes and 24 gear combinations. I'm jelli. Though I'd have to admit, I have been endowed with more assets than my brothers.

But the sleek metallic frame and perfect new-ness makes me want to protect the bike and lock it away to ensure it doesn't get scratched, which would defeat the purpose of getting the bike in the place. However, I have had a similar experience with a white bag I had been given. In my endeavour to keep it pristine, I decided that I shouldn't use it, which resulted in it wasting away in my room for 2 years.

And I must agree with RRR that the Facebook Quote Page is quite amazing. I'm sure that most of us are having great difficulty trying to stay off it.

For Sentimental Value and/or Otherwise...

2011-09-06T22:02:00.003+10:00

Sorry about that. I just remembered what it was like being in Mr. Van Loon's class just then, including how Vrushank was counting every single et cetera he was saying, whilst I was struggling to hear even one (See...I am quite capable of putting filters on my ears. Haha.)

Anyway, the real stars of today are the Baulko Prefects 2012. I'm pretty sure that none of you read this, but whatever, congratulations anyway. All the best! And I know you will do an awesome job. But I must say the assembly was quite hilarious - especially with Mr. Jimmy Huang's stylish runaway hug for Jaewoo. Poor Jimmy. Haha. However, when I talked to Jaewoo, he was mostly unaware of this occurrence, thinking that he had been hugged to completion.

I probably should stop recollecting these anecdotes, but if I don't record them here, these memories will be "lost like tears in the rain". As Jimmy was throwing his foam cup into the bin, one of the Year 11 Prefects saw him splatter what he thought to be 'bin juice' on his blazer, which Jimmy later clarified to have been his coffee. Guess today wasn't your best day eh?

And from here, the Jimmy anecdotes will cease. But instead, we have an awesome situation involving William. So I rush to Physics after the Jimmy encounters and find William playing with Martin's orange UNSW watch (same as my one a few posts down). Upon noticing my UNSW watch, William asked an amazing question:

W: Where did you get the left-handed [watch]?
J: (Confused) Uh...I just put it on the other wrist...
W: Oh. Haha. Strong dud!

For those of you who don't understand this/did not read my first post, I am left-handed, so I wear watches on my right wrist rather than left wrist as normal people do. Yes, I am not a normal person. I would've thought you would've realised by now...

Well since my mind is going in circles, we are now back at the Prefect Induction Ceremony. This morning I walked into Roll Call and picked up Alex's badge. Upon closer inspection (as I had to ensure his badge had no defect), I found "Perfection Badges" printed on the back. Guess I didn't have to check after all. Haha. I tried taking a photo of it, but you couldn't see the letters anyway.

Now, during the band's performance, I found myself fixated on the gleaming white lettering that spells out the school name, but since it is quite long, I was lingering more on the "HILLS". With each section change in the music, I was reminded of my past 6 years at Baulko - especially the first time I ever walked into the gym and stared at those 4 gleaming white words.

Time has gone by so quickly and everyone has changed so much since Year 7. During the piece, my eyes felt like they wanted to go, but fortunately they didn't. But come on, this is the Prefect Induction, not graduation...What's gonna happen there?

Daniel Zhu reported to me that a lot of people reckon I will cry at grad. Perhaps I will. I mean I'm sorta fighting back tears now as I'm writing this. But seriously, Class of 2011, I am going to miss you guys so much. You are probably sick of me saying this. But still, it is true. And that's why you should go to UNSW!! (but also remember what I said about my bias). Hmm...I just realised I'll be sitting next to Ed and Steph. Ed will be laughing his head off at me if I cry...

Should I keep on going? Why not! I've been at this for 20 mins or so. So in Chem, Ms. Kwan asked me how I did in UMAT and eventually we came to me doing Engineering. She then tells me that it'd probably be a good idea to combine with commerce which one of her family friend's son does. I've been struggling about this one for a while. I've talked to my parents about it. I've prayed about it. I've read up about it. But the way I currently see it is that I'll be wasting 1.5 years doing a BCom, which I don't really like, while I could be in the job I want or doing postgrad study.

However, there is also the possibility that I would want to venture into the business world, though it is unlikely from my short term goals, but would I be able to get there doing a postgrad degree instead if I wanted to? I'd be happy for any sorta input, but I guess the Co-op wins out if I can get it...

Tik Tok

2011-09-05T22:25:00.002+10:00

As you were probably aware, the Prefect Auction started today and surprisingly we are actually staying above the $80 reserve target price =) Looking back, it does not seem like a whole year has passed does it? Surely it wasn't that long ago that we started doing belonging. But these skewed perceptions of time were readily rectified by the Prefect Induction rehearsal. Was it not just only a couple of months ago that Axel gave me my badge? And now it's my turn to give Alex his one. Role reversal...

It was also this time last year when the Year 12s were scabbing for merits that I sneakily negotiated my Chem class swap deal to which the second party was greatly interested in. It is amazing how much time has passed already, how close we are to the HSC, how close we are to freedom!! This epiphany arose from practicing the 'Tik Tok' dance, whilst earlier this year we had been to 'Single Ladies' dance for Tri-School.

Reminiscence is over 9000!!

It is at this time that once again I come to see that in another year possibly some of you will forget who I am or not cross paths with me again. What will it be like? Will it be possible to stay tight with you guys? Will you guys like to join me at Church? (Just had to chuck that in xD)

We shall see won't we? =)

Also this was in the magazine we got today at school.

Dedication to Mr. Giorgio Darbani, Prince of Persia and Posture =) I opened straight to it. Haha.

Why So Serious?

2011-09-04T21:46:00.002+10:00

Today my grandparents came over for Father's Day and as you'd expect, we were speaking in Canto. During the dinner my brother said both Chinese 'Thank You's, which reminded me of myself when I was younger. One of the 'Thank You's apply when you don't ask for something and someone gives it to you, while the other is used when you ask for something and they give it to you, which I used to get confused over a lot. Nowadays, I just say 'Thank You' in English for simplicity even though I'm pretty sure I know which one is the correct one to use, but they understand English anyway. =)

Well back to yesterday, the reason I didn't blog was mainly because I was way too tired after a whole day out. So first thing we did was go to UNSW. The M61 was packed. The line for the free bus to UNSW stretched 80% of the length of Eddy Ave. And we had to run to our first lectures at 9:30. Then, I had back to back lectures until 1:30 and missed out on the free lunch =(

Now, I have come across criticism of UNSW with the buildings being described as "Lego Blocks" of the "dullest colours imaginable" and the "endless flights of stairs". But look, what's wrong with Lego blocks? And regardless, Lego blocks with defined edges beat severely weathered buildings anyday. Even Daniel Zhu said that UNSW was more organised and had a greater sense of cohesion. Haha.

As you probably know, I am looking to study Engineering. I have been approached by many regarding whether I'll be studying at USyd, and my answer was "One look at the USyd Engineering building and nup, unless I get below 91." Just stepping onto the campus at UNSW gives me this desire and energy to learn that was completely absent as I walked through the PNR building at USyd that resembled a certain high school...

With regard to the stairs, well obviously they're there to ensure you remain physically fit given your studies and keep your heart working well (or the land just wasn't flat), but there are ramps down the side if you prefer those, but surely, a couple of flights of stairs should not really affect your Uni choice. The irony of this all is that only 2 weeks ago, the individual who made that comment was adamant on doing BCom/BEco at UNSW.

Although it would be ideal for all of you to go to UNSW with me, I understand that certain degrees are more prestigious at other Universities, just like UNSW is the best in Australia at Engineering. But I will miss you guys (since I'll be having ~20 hours of Uni a week) and I'd have to take a long trek across the City to find you guys. However, if I actually wanted to see you I'd probably do it anyway.

Through these Open Days, I have realised that only a couple of my close friends are planning on doing the degree that I will be doing, which makes me a little sad, but also triggered thought patterns about whether I am actually being a dud...Hopefully I'm not, because I really want to fix stuff using Engineering. Perhaps one of the things cheering me up at the moment is the watch they gave us yesterday that uses the word "Hello" as a second hand, which you probably can't see in the photo.

Then later at the Soul Purpose Farewell dinner, I was waiting for ages to get some Sushi from the Sushi Train at the Buffet and Brendan was with me, it was only after we'd been there for like 7 minutes I realised that he didn't actually want any Sushi and that he had only stayed to talk to me. That's some dedication. And sorry William for not being able to make your dinner. Hope you had a great night though! =)

Now, I am also a supporter of the blog critic Mr. Divyansh Saxena starting a blog that reviews the Big 5 Blogs (if I am allowed to label us in this manner). I'm sure it will add more flavour and interaction to the blogging realm. Also, you guys are welcome to post in the cbox, don't be shy - I like talking to people, even if it is through text =)

Also, I would upload my notes, but they still need to be revised and updated or is the pursuit of perfection futile? =O Iono, we shall see.

COME TO UNSW! Although you really should be disregarding what I say and go ahead with what YOU actually want to do. As I have told many people, I have a bias, so don't listen to me, even though the stuff I say may be very enticing (unless of course they are the facts) ;)

Coming Soon...

2011-09-04T20:05:00.001+10:00

Hey Blog Buddies,

It is not that I have forgotten about you. It is just that old age has been catching up with me and also, I have to ensure I do some work so I don't pull your school marks down. If all goes to plan, I will have a proper post up within the next couple of hours. So please don't be angry with me, please don't think I'm neglecting you, I actually really care about you guys =)

I promise I'll be back again within the next 24 hours =)
jChan

Futility

2011-09-02T23:23:00.000+10:00

It is only now that I have really come to terms with how difficult it actually is to get a 99.90 ATAR because it is actually quite hard. But of course, despite this realisation, there is nothing stopping the sense of futility regarding the HSC that is tugging away at me and also seems to be permeating the whole grade.

Here is an example: This is Jason's Maths Book after their class competition on a James Ruse Paper. It appears that this is what happens when HSC stress gets to people.

Jks. He was actually just being unco when he tried to rip a maths problem out of his book to hand in. =) Guess there isn't much else for you to write in it anyway.

However, there seems to be one thing that sums up these sentiments. That's right! An English question, which William excitedly showed me in Physics.

Need I say more? Haha

Anyway, UNSW Open Day tomorrow! See you there!

Accolades - Are You Proud?

2011-09-01T17:06:00.000+10:00

Upon getting ready to blog yesterday, I realised that it was quite late already, so I decided to defer the post, but then at 10:34pm Eric skyped me with "Blog". Then I thought, "Oh he wants me to blog", but then he clarified himself with "as in read ours" and I found this:

So thank you Eric for your recognition and also all the others in the Baulko blogging community and of course, to you, my readers for putting up with what I write. However, when I saw this post over at RRR, I thought that it sorta tied in well with the post that was formulating in my mind.

Yesterday, I had gone and handed in my merits, expecting some sort of sense of satisfaction or closure, but instead, it was much less than that - especially after the appropriate boxes were ticked and the merits that I had worked for over the past 6 years were all just dumped in the trash can. This, of course, got me thinking...

What is with our obsession with getting this and that award? Fine, receiving something other than the graduation certificate and not sounding dud is a fair reason, but then, who really remembers how many awards you got at your Year 12 Graduation. Within a few months, they will just be another piece of paper labelled with your name that gets filed away somewhere. Same thing goes for the ATAR - after you get into Uni, no-one really cares what you got (though I must admit this point is rather hypocritical).

Nevertheless, I still feel indignant regarding people scabbing all their merits over the past 2 days to get their awards. Like I'm fine with people maybe scabbing for 1 or 2 Silver's worth of merits, but when they get 100+ within 2 days, whilst I had to work hard at it for 6 years, it sorta annoys you. But as Roger remarked, "Life is unfair." and like I said before, it's just another piece of paper, another few seconds of sound after your name, so really I shouldn't really be bothered by this at all.

This is just what I think - you are quite welcome to flame me if you wish. However, I know there are some out there (me included) who may be focusing too much on the potential of recognition rather than the actual process of learning at school, but I find that the harder you try to achieve that, the more stressed out you become and you miss out on enjoying your education with those around you. As Jimmy said on his blog I think, "What more can I do but try my best?"

According to the B14 Graduation countdown we only have 15 more days of school to go (excluding the day we graduate), so make the most of it. And one thing that I've learnt this year is that staying calm and collected is important, but don't panic about relaxing as I have done before =). Try to relax as people usually perform better when they do and perhaps one of the ways to do that is to be prepared - but admittedly, probably no-one is really in the mood to study very much at the moment.

I also had a bus driver anecdote to share, but maybe next time!

Excuse Me, Who's Not Answering the Question Now?

2011-08-30T20:27:00.001+10:00

The first thing I noticed on my Mod C Essay after the mark was a rather strange comment.

If you look closely, the comment says "Concentrate more on this aspect" and points towards History and Memory. Uh...excuse me, I'm doing Ted Hughes, which is Conflicting Perspectives. Maybe that's why I'm not really answering the other topic that much. And they were telling us to make sure we read the question. But although my English mark wasn't one of the top ones, I was quite happy with it anyway. Probably because I finally realised it's not possible for me to do much better. Haha.

Wait...I just realised the arrow could have just been pointing to that whole rubric idea, but then they could've drawn the arrow in a different manner and they did change the head of the arrow to specifically point at 'History and Memory'. Sigh...stupid conflicting perspectives and over-analysing everything from different viewpoints.

Well anyway, I saw this on my bus stop and was like, "Uh...isn't it obvious that if you can't have a look at Unis in person that you jump online, if going online isn't what you do first already." What message is Macquarie Uni trying to send? o.O

Look...Who Do You Think You Are?

2011-08-29T17:53:00.003+10:00

So today was pretty ordinary until recess when Keith approached and talked to me, with this being along the lines of what we said:

K: Jonny Chan, apparently we are somehow related.
J: What? How?
K: You know those people who visited you last week, they were my cousins.
J: Oh really?! Wait...how did you know they visited me?
K: They showed me the photo they took and I was like, "Hey, that's Jono Chan."
J: So how exactly are we related?
K: Well, my uncle's wife's cousin is your mum. So yeah, we're not blood related.

Sorry if my recollection of the conversation was not engaging enough for you, but essentially I discovered that Keith is my third cousin (I think...) and we've known each other for about 6 years and we didn't know that - not that it's gonna make a lot of difference.

However, you guys potentially do not understand the significance of this to me. Among all my family and family friends, I had always been the only one who was around my age - there would be cousins who were already working and others who were still yet to start primary school. Except for my only first cousin who is my age (about 7 months younger), but the problem is he hates me. Probably because our grandparents compare us too much and he got sick of me from that...

So yeah, I have one first cousin, then quite a few second cousins who I've only met like once and they're nowhere near my age and today I find out that I've had a third cousin going to the same school as me. I am mind-blown.

Everything just clicked when Keith told me. They were driving a Mazda Tribute. Keith has one. They were going back to the Blacktown area. Keith lives in that area. They said the family taking care of them worked at a restaurant and from my sources, Keith does. They even mentioned that their son was doing the HSC and might've mentioned Keith's name but I didn't notice.

Perhaps I'm making a big deal out of nothing again. But I have been quite happy following this discovery - at least until Mr. Sieh decided to bar me for the rest of the day. But given, the awe I've had from this discovery, I cannot imagine what it would feel like for people to meet their parents for the first time after they've lost contact for a long time.

But when Keith said "Welcome to the family", I felt like I truly belonged ;D Haha.

Apparently My Brothers Are in Uni Already

2011-08-28T20:57:00.004+10:00

So today I was driving my brothers to church and on the road, Tammy's family was behind us. Then at the traffic light, her father stopped 5 metres behind me and when we were moving he left a 5 car length gap and the only thing that came to mind was, "Wow, this is so insulting..."

Anyways, back to my main story. So as I was looking through the USyd Undergraduate Guide yesterday, I came across William Chan's profile, and jokingly, I suggested that he was also one of my 'brothers' (explanation is below). But when I showed it to other people, they said he looked like me, so when I saw him in person, I had this urge to get his autograph, but I decided it was better if I didn't. Hmm...I just realised that he has thick-ish eyebrows like me. Guess it's not really something to be proud of.

For those of you who don't know the brother story, this is sorta how it goes. One day, Rohan and Keith were going through the UNSW Undergraduate Law Guide and saw an entry for Jowa Chan and somehow, they convinced Betty that he was my older brother. Well, fine, it's not that hard to convince her of something. Rohan also told her that my other brother was called Mohombi and she believed him. And on top of all this, she convinced herself with no intervention from others that one of my brothers were called Alfred. So once again, notsureifsrs.

Oh and yesterday, I was meant to post the Jono photos with my formal photo rant, but I forgot to, so I thought I'd put it here. I bags the middle for this year's one. Haha. Jks. Don't we all look cool. ;D And you know, belonging etc.

(Year 10)

(Year 11)

(Year 12)

If you're still confused over the brothers thing, I actually only have 2 younger brothers who are still in Primary School.

Also, as you probably know, a lot of my posts are just brain dumps or just random thoughts that hit me while I'm doing something, so I don't usually have photos ready to accompany the post if it's an event that's over already. So, sorry anon, but I guess it's just the way I blog. This feels so weird. It would be better if I actually knew who you were... Alternatively, you could always sponsor me a phone with a better camera and maybe then I'll be more inclined to take photos of everything =)

And I was looking through my posts and I seem to end with a smile a lot =)

I Don't Know. You Tell Me.

2011-08-27T18:18:00.006+10:00

Well as most of you know, today was USyd and UTS Open Days and surprisingly they have offered quite a lot of blog material. Hmm...I only realised the lack of chalking at the Camperdown Campus just then... As usual, I'll try stick with chronological order so bear with me because the funnier bits (by my standards) are more towards the end.

But first, bus stop contemplation!! As it suggests, I was thinking about stuff at the bus stop as I looked blankly into the morning fog, waiting for the trusty 610X to arrive. For some reason, my mind was cast to the Year 12 Formal and then Formal Photos and how I had been desperate to get photos with some people at previous Formals. Then it occurred to me, "Do the photos even matter? How much do I actually look at them? It is just not a number on Facebook? I get to see them most of the time in real life anyway...

Just before I got on the bus, I remembered what Ms. Pigram said about returning bus passes and stuff, then it occurred to me that apart from having to pay to get home after signing out, but over the 3 month break we'll have to probably pay the full fare because they would've collected the concession card back off us. And that's supposed to be the time when we go out the most and driving ain't very cheap either.

So it turned out that about 6 of us were on the 610X and we walked over to have the Baulko Business Breakfast. Ask anyone and they would tell you that in the hall, a third were easily Baulkos. After that we went around to lectures - I went with Niro, Vibhav, Bryan, Kalana, Jono Sieh and Martin to some engineering ones - and I must say that the Engineering building at USyd is rather...let's just say unattractive.

But another thought struck me. This was sorta like what's going to be happening next year. Everyone will be diversifying, doing their chosen course and there's a possibility that me and some of my friends will grow further apart as we study on different campuses and, even if the same campus but different courses. Sigh...stupid sentimental side. I'm starting to miss them already =( and I still go to school with them...

The next part of our journey was to UTS, which I found to resemble a shopping mall with no air conditioning. I went to the Law Lecture there, coz there was nothing else to do, but later figured that I should've probably just stayed outside because other people who actually wanted to listen to the Lecture had to sit on the floor. As Jimmy said in his post, some classic lines from the Dean included:

We have a new law building too!!
We know that most of you will put UTS after USyd and UNSW. *pause* You were supposed to laugh *nervous laughter*

She also kept on pushing the argument that UTS was just as good as the other Unis, sounding like she was trying desperately to get some students, which, from my conversation with other people interested in law, actually put people off.

Then we tagged along in the Law Building tour. But before we got there, Betty was under the impression that an apartment block was the UTS Law Building. Yes, if you get a distinction average, you can rent out a balcony too. Notsureifsrs.

During the tour, the guide made a specific effort to highlight the Law Office thing where you hand in your assignments and emphasised that the bin was not one of the holes to submit your work into. Look...common sense. And they also showed us the computer room, which in Deva's words as he came back out, "They're just computers." Finally, they told us that Market City was right next door, pointing to the massive sign saying 'Market City' and that Chinatown was just around the corner, literally...

Despite the stating of the obvious, UTS provided me with all the laughter I need for the next month, but yeah, all in all it was a great day out with everyone who went, which was why I went in the first place.

Well there you go, another long rant from me =)

The Rational Rationale

2011-08-26T21:06:00.001+10:00

Sorry guys for neglecting and therefore, upsetting some of you yesterday =( But moving on, recently, I've been inundated (note the use of hyperbole) with questions regarding my motivation to study/do well, especially when I don't actually need a flashy ATAR to do the course I want to. And after deep contemplation, I have arrived at a three pronged conclusion.

Firstly, there are the scholarships/Co-ops/whatever else there is out there that demands my attention. I mean, I might as well try to get these?

Secondly, although I can do rather poorly and still get into the course I want to, if I actually did that I would end up dragging all your marks down if you do the same courses as me, and I wouldn't want that to happen. And I don't want you guys or the school to be hating on me for the rest of my life.

Lastly, I just can't? You all know that guilty feeling when you should be doing some work and you're not, possibly like how you're reading this blog instead of studying? I just can't get over that. If I actually did that, I could potentially be hating on myself for the rest of my life and that's just weird...

Obviously, these reasons do not hold much weight individually, but when considered together, they are more than enough to keep me motivated to do something, like how this post, which could be offering some of you a break from your hard-core studying and helping you to relax =)

And I'll see those of you going to the USyd Business Brekkie nice and early tomorrow!

As t approaches September 23

2011-08-24T16:08:00.001+10:00

Initially, I wasn't planning to blog today, but I thought that given all the "end of Year 12" sheets we've been handed out today, it'd be fitting to have a talk about this. When I think of graduation, a shower of questions run across my mind: Will I cry? Will people laugh at me if I cry? Will I just get a graduation certificate? Will her address talk about people who left the school in Year 8 as she has done in previous years? Will Olly and Harleen's speeches be funny? Or will they be so emotionally moved that they cry as well? What analogies will they be using? How many people will I be seeing again after graduation? Does anyone out of the 194 of them want to see me again after graduation? Haha.

So many questions that will be answered when t > 23/9. Others of you may be thinking, why bother being all sentimental about this (esp. after the camp controversy), which I can empathise with to a certain extent given that I also have had enough of school.

But still, we have been together for 6 years, seeing each other 5 out of 7 days a week, 40 weeks a year, so even if there is no emotional attachment to the school, surely you will (at least) miss the people around you I hope.

Which brings me to my farewell card ideas that I have shared with some people, but they ended up laughing at me... My first idea was to buy cards for every person that I want to write to, but there is so much space on cards and I like that space filled completely and it could potentially be quite expensive. My second idea was to decorate Post It notes or print off a template and write my message on that, but this was the idea that got shot down by fits of laughter.

Then I came up with the idea of possibly writing a general message on a Post It note for everyone, then include a link to jonochan.blogspot.com and the more deep and meaningful message I would type up here. But that would be a very, very, very long post and it wouldn't be something that people can keep like a card.

Hmm...what to do? Guess I'll just cherish the last few weeks I have with Class of 2011 first! =)

Who, Me?

2011-08-23T20:35:00.006+10:00

So today is Baulko Kid's Birthday so Happy Birthday Daniel! Contrary to expectations, he has been rather normal today. Haha. Anyway, when he arrived at morning class, he saw the massive box, that I had wrapped (in the previous post), on my desk and said, "Who's that for?". Then, I'm like "You, of course." and slid it over to him. And man, was his facial expression priceless. Don't really know how to describe it, but it reminded me of him back in Year 7 somehow...

Which abruptly brings me to stuff that happened yesterday. So 5 of us were at Towers after school and we were in some sort of huddle and I must've been talking because this guy walked past and afterwards the other guys were like, "Do you know that guy? Coz he was saying your name" and "Wow...so rude. Ignoring people." So I look at the guy trying to work out who he was.

After a while, the guy walked back past us and if I remember correctly, everyone was looking at him. Then Jono Sieh nudges me and says, "Are you sure you don't know him?" and I'm like "Yeah..." Then, he starts a conversation with the guy and afterwards I ask, "Wait..so you do know him?" and he says his trademark, "Well I wouldn't know. You tell me". No, he didn't actually. What he actually did was say "Now, hmm...where do I know him from?" Mhmm...Awkward...but I must admit, the way he did it was quite smooth.

Yeah, so standing next to someone with the same name as you can cause confusion - if you didn't know that already =)

You'll Be Surprised At What Can Happen in One Day

2011-08-22T20:57:00.008+10:00

I was catching the bus to school as usual, with Mr. Wilkinson and stuck in traffic on the M2 - not as usual. And after talking to some of my readers, I realised that I had no blog material for today - and no, this is not a blog post about having nothing to blog about.

So, the first blog-worthy event that I came across today was in Chemistry, with my lovely Chem buddies - Jimmy and Benny. I guess I should've started off with Robin carrying on about stuff that happened yesterday. Anyway, this was what happened to our beaker when we were heating something in a water bath. Yes, we have rather good practical skills.

Next in Maths, Tina ducked into our classroom to ask for our class average for Ext 1 and was quite shocked, so as Mr McFadden walked back through to their classroom, their encounter sounded something like this.

Tina: Do you know their class average is 69?

McF: Uh...um...hmm...yeah...

Tina: But ours is 38!

After a while

McF: Well they're a 4 unit class. That's what they should be getting.

Then Gatsby and them just went off with the "Ohhh..." thing, if you know what I mean. If you don't, ask me when you see me and I'll try show you. And if you didn't find what I wrote profound, I guess all I have to say is that, as you should know, things always sound better in the moment, or perhaps I'm just a horrible story teller.

After school, we went shopping for Daniel Zhu's present. (I think he doesn't read my blog - yet) and since no other wrapping paper was big enough, and he's really just a big child, this is how it turned out. Also, I realised how difficult it is to wrap a hexagonal shape.

And on the news regarding BlueScope Steel's offshoring, some government representative said, "The Government is committed to job losses. Wait, no!", which I found pretty hilarious.

Therefore, I came to the realisation that all these experiences in a day can become inspiration for the anecdotes I share here, so hopefully I don't run out of stuff to blog about as I had feared. Hmm...this blog seems to be turning into more of a public diary than a blog...

Too Reliant On Your Calculator?

2011-08-21T16:36:00.004+10:00

Well yesterday, I went to RICE (which was why I didn't get the opportunity to Blog), so figured that some of you might want to know what happened, so here goes. There we met some Christian artists, including Ponder and Amelia Jae, who was of particular interest to Jason and Josh ;D. Then, we got to sing some songs (but no moshing this year - it appears that this is what old age does to you D= ) of which my favourite was "Lost in Wonder" and we also got complimentary RICE tattoos, with 3 of them conveniently ending up on Jason's face.

If you think I'm off topic, just keep on reading, I'm getting there, just trying to keep the story in chronological order. So Sam Chan was the speaker, but before he spoke, he lost a rigged competition and had his leg shaved by the RICE troll - San Choi Bao. And yes...that is quite uh...disturbing?

But his talk was about Knowing Jesus. Loving Jesus and experiencing Jesus (Hence the topic: Know. Love. Experience =D ) because it's all about the relationship you have with Christ that stems from knowing and loving Him, which should lead to a change in the way you live - the way you experience life - and the case study he used was Zacchaeus. Yeah, so I had an awesome night out with the 12 of us Year 12 Baulkos.

Afterwards, since we were hungry as you'd expect, we went to Mamak because the line outside was shorter than usually, but we still waited for like 20 minutes. So when the waitress came outside to see how many of us there were, being a genius I counted, "Two. Four. Six. Eight. Seven. Yep, there are seven of us." Then, Jeffrey counts and he gets nine and Jono Sieh gives me that trademark look. So yes, I am an awesome 4 unit student who can count!

When we were paying the bill, Anna and Emma were splitting half-half for their $5.50 meal and they both came to the conclusion that they each had to pay $2.50, and so somehow, they were 50c short. Once again, good 4 unit students. Haha. I guess this goes to show the detrimental effect of the Trials on us all.

As I was waiting for the bus home, I ran into a Girra girl I'd bumped into a few times at my bus stop and her brother, who goes to Baulko and catches my bus. All this time I had thought he hated me and it turned out that I had just not talked to him before. I'll blame this on having morning classes 3/5 days of the school week.

But luckily for me, I was able to count correctly this time and give the correct fare to the driver. Or maybe he just kept my change...Hmm...Oh well. And Happy Birthday to Edmund and Murali!! Have a great time tonight =)

A Post Every Few Days Keeps My Boredom Away

2011-08-19T16:18:00.001+10:00

It is a common theme in this post-Trial period to see Year 12s talking about their sudden sense of boredom because they do not have to/do not want to study for a while yet. I was talking to Jimmy and Taylor in our "Study Period" and was reminded that now was probably a good time to start looking for a job, if not getting one, so beat the sudden influx of seasonal unemployment following the conclusion of the HSC.

Anyway, when I came across Matthew Wong today at school, I was reminded of a certain experience that I had planned to blog ages ago. I can't remember exactly which exam it was now, but I think it was Maths (Ext 2). So before the exam, I was heading to the Houliston Centre and saw Matthew Wong at the corner of F-Block and did the usual thing and said "Hi!".

And then after the exam, I was going down to Carver Crescent from the Quad and as I was walking past the corner of F-Block again, guess what happened. Yes, I saw Matthew Wong again and said "Hi!", then I turned around (since I had walked past him) and we were like "Deja Vu!". Obviously, I am quite proud of this awesome story.

I was also playing with the ATAR calculator yesterday and "the dancer" thing and tests your brain dominance was there and I found it turning clockwise. When I scrolled it down, I saw a slow motion one of the dancer going anticlockwise, but when I went back up again, the first figure was now turning anticlockwise. Then I looked quickly at the slow motion dancer going clockwise further down and scrolled back up to the main one again, and it was turning clockwise again!!

Maybe that happens to everyone. I don't know. But I got rather fascinated with it and was scrolling up and down the page for like 5 minutes, seeing the figure change direction. And that probably highlights how bored I have become.

Applications! Applications! Applications!

2011-08-18T15:44:00.000+10:00

According to my Mod B notes, the technique for the emphatic repetition of a word is called "epizeuxis". Doesn't it sound cool? =) But really, the only time I've seen this used is in Othello where Cassio says "Reputation, reputation, reputation! O! I have lost my reputation!". And all these exclamations lead me to mention the common perception of excitement regarding the use of factorial notation!!

Now, to what I actually wanted to say. Now that Trials are over, it has become the time for applications for Co-ops, Med, UAC and whatever else there is out there. But I must say the questions that they ask are quite irritating because they require the critical examination of oneself (or they are just annoying questions), but more so because of their ridiculous 200 word limits or 1000 character limits (including spaces).

As you have probably deduced from my previous posts, being succinct is not one of my strengths (But I'm not putting that as an "area for improvement" in the application. Haha), so yes, I am struggling with this application thing.

Hopefully you guys are faring better than me =)

Why 425005?

2011-08-17T12:46:00.002+10:00

As I was filling out my UAC application yesterday, I realised how much my preferences have changed over time and how with each change I discovered a little bit of myself. From what I am aware of, a large proportion of people are still yet to decide what area their preferences will come from, so I thought maybe you'll like to follow me on my journey to my choice now - 425005 Bachelor of Engineering at UNSW (And that's why you should go to UNSW. Haha)

Perhaps one of the first things I can remember is Year 10 Subject Selection where everyone was ensuring that they kept all doors open for possible future careers. I remember Gatsby, Jimmy and I had essentially the same subjects down because that combination allowed for the "popular" careers, namely Medicine, Law and I'm pretty sure there was another one I said to Mr. Ribbans, who interviewed me, but I seem to have forgotten.

Eventually, the attractiveness of Med diminished, 1) Because I'd be really really old by the time I could actually do anything 2) Unrealistically high ATAR 3) I am rather squeamish at the sight of blood. Like the other night on the news they were just showing a dialysis machine thing with the blood flowing through tubes and a shiver already went down my spine. Not to mention the time we were having quail and were ripping it apart and I felt so bad that I didn't want to eat it anymore, because I thought it was cruel to it although it was dead already.

The way I found out was however, rather stupid. I said to myself, let's go to a pathology for Work Experience (with Gatsby) and confirm to myself that I don't want to do Med. It was a complete waste of an opportunity. Oh well. And thus, I did not do UMAT if any of you are still wondering why. Haha.

Next, I convinced myself that I wanted to do Commerce/Law. A possible rationale behind this was to "maximise the use of my ATAR". But I realised later that I had only wanted to do it, because some of my close friends were doing it. It was only when they changed their minds to International Studies/Law that I was like, "Wait a moment. I don't actually want to do this." And yes, there's another silly story to go with this change of heart. I read the majority of the HSC Legal Textbook to "see if I had an interest in Law".

And now, here we are at Engineering. From a few years ago, I found myself scouring the internet for information of Sydney's Public Transport System and just transit in general in Sydney including motorways, and I sort of realised that maybe this is my interest, so I career here might be pretty good. I even read a 500+ page Transport Inquiry last year - just for the sake of it.

Remember the psychometric testing we did in Year 10? I came across that as I was cleaning my room and found that "Civil Engineer" itself does not fall into my list, but if you consider "Civil Engineer Technologist" to count then it does. But who cares, people change over time, interests change over time. And this Co-op application is annoying me. -_-"

That's my story so far. How're yours going?

Sigh. I'm really horrible at being to the point. =(

---

On another note, Soul Purpose is back this Friday and you guys are welcome to join my Year 12 group if you would like to. I think we're going to be in B-Block, though I'm not exactly sure what's going on since we've been on Trials.

Hope to see you there =)

Me, Expectations and Sylvia Plath

2011-08-16T14:17:00.004+10:00

Who's Sylvia Plath? Well, she was the wife of British Poet Laureate, Ted Hughes, and is the addressee in his suite of poems, "Birthday Letters", which happens to be my Mod C text. What's she doing in my post? You see, in the week preceding Trials, as I was writing my essay, I found some similarities between me and Plath. No, I'm not suicidal...I am talking about her expectations, her perfectionism and how that affected her psyche.

I remember UMAT day when every second person would be like, "Why aren't you doing UMAT?!" and I'll be like "Uh...I'm not doing anything med-related?". Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the esteem and respect that people have for me, but sometimes these expectations can be quite taxing. For example, other people may expect someone to get a really astronomically high ATAR and then they don't want to disappoint their teachers, friends and parents and get really stressed out.

As most of you know, I have previously been very panicky before exams and have been mirin' all those people who can keep their cool. Then I realised, "Hey, why am I even trying to hard? I only need a 91.00 ATAR." I was talking to a person during the Trial period, trying to calm them down (coz surely I'm the best person around to do that haha) and I said to them, "Think about your required ATAR. Think about how much this really counts and think about whether the ego boost from getting good is all that important." Admittedly, I could've been a little more tactful, but it got them thinking.

Even for me, I consider my over inflated ego was a major, if not the major, contributor to my exam stress. Well I guess there's also the 99.9 ATAR $10 000 Scholarship at UNSW, but I don't think that's contributing to any stress at the moment. I guess I wanted to live up to everyone's expectations of me and obviously, it wasn't the right way to go. And surprisingly, all this was articulated in my belonging essay. "...individuals undergo self actualisation by rejecting expectations" so people discover their true identity by eschewing perceptions of what they should be like.

Thinking back, I find myself quite lucky to have gotten through High School (up until now anyway) unscathed. It is truly only by the grace of God and from the help of my supportive friends that I've made it through. Given the expectations I had been putting on myself, and the spiral of pessimism that accompanied the "not achieving 90%+ in every subject", it is a wonder that I am still here, getting ready to sit the HSC. It is a pity that I made this realisation so late, but then again, I probably have been too lax about this set of exams.

For those doing Med or Law. If you aren't already, it's probably a good idea to stay calm and collected because most people do better when they are relaxed and in a stress-free and panic-free state of mind. And look at it this way, there are various other ways to get to where you're going so you'll get there eventually - if it is actually what you want to do.

So thank you Roger for reminding me to "de-stress" and to not "let my perfectionist tag burden me" over the past 2 weeks. And also, it would be great if you guys could keep me accountable, so I don't end up stressing out, burning out and dying. =)

tl;dr? JUST CHILL!!

Hmm...I thought I had another point to raise, but it seems that I've lost my train of thought. This post sounded better in my head -_-"

Oh well. Good luck to the people who still have exams to sit!

Shoot for the Moon, So Even If You Miss, You'll Land Among the Stars

2011-08-15T16:03:00.001+10:00

Yes, I really should be studying something like Stellar Evolution at the moment, but because some readers have expressed their disappointment at my period of silence, I believe it is time to get this keyboard working again. I must say it was quite difficult making myself not post over the past two days. -_-"

As I writing one of the previous posts, I remember smelling a distinct scent that permeated my room that distracted me from the all important task of blogging. Immediately, I could recognise it. The smell of hygiene. The smell of cleanliness. The beautiful smell of Dettol!! I mean it "kills 99.9% of germs" - who doesn't want that? Haha.

Just thought you would like to meet my obsessive side. But my mind is already formulating something that is, let's say, "more worth reading", which I will hopefully have up tomorrow.

And Werther's Originals are quite nice to have when studying.

Double Post!!

2011-08-12T22:22:00.001+10:00

So I just got back from Youth Group where there was a talk on Justification and how through Jesus we can be justified before God. Then afterwards, forgetting about the technology called 3G, I told them the link to this and some of them started reading it out to me. Perhaps they're still reading it now. But what I have noticed is that what I type sounds better when read in your head rather than out loud. Out loud, I sound so childish - or maybe I actually am quite childish and I don't want to admit it?

Anyway, in addition to that, next Saturday (20/8) is an event called RICE. We were supposed to tell you this before trials, but we sort of forgot. Sorry about the late notice. But if you are interested in going, message me somehow and you can either get a ticket yourself from the RICE website or I'll organise one for you. It goes from 4:30-9:30pm approx at the Sydney Entertainment Centre and a ticket costs $20. For more info, the RICE website link is here.

And yes, someone reminded me that I am posting this on the internet after all, so enjoy your reading, hope I'm keeping you engaged and that you're not laughing at me too much =)

Old Age and Brains Like Sieves

2011-08-12T17:31:00.002+10:00

Firstly on the topic of age. Happy Birthday Eric! And just for a change to what I usually say to people on their birthdays, why are you so young for? Haha. You make me feel so old.

I do realise that many of you do not suffer as much from old age as I do, but don't you just hate it when you have something exciting (or important) to say to someone, then you wait for the perfect moment to say it (e.g. when they've stopped talking or the first moment you see them the next day) and it's on the tip of your tongue, but then you forget and it's lost among the other electrical impulses in your brain?

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, I'll give you an example. Can't remember when and why, but I was stuck mid-sentence trying to recall the word "appease" - I knew what I meant, I knew what the word meant, but I just couldn't articulate anything or even define it.

I was under the impression that the word I was looking for started with a "C" for some reason, and I told the person, hoping that they would know what I was talking about. It was only when I got home that I realised how wrong I was. And so, when I told them the next day, I must've looked like a complete idiot.

Moral of the Story? Stop getting older (Y)

Humble Origins

2011-08-11T11:58:00.006+10:00

I was just sitting here yesterday - trying to do some Physics, having occasional thoughts of questions I think I've done wrong in the papers so far, blogwalking - when I thought, "Where did all this "perfect", "perfectionist" stuff come from?"

My mind cast itself a few years back and reminded me of an MSN convo with Jimmy back in the first few months that I had gotten MSN...I think...Anyway, he told me that I had made it into a post on RRR, which back then I had no idea about (Sorry guys). So I clicked on the link and that brought me here, which lists quite a few of you guys too. But there you have it: "Mr Perfect: Jono Chan".

The scene changed and I was now talking to Vinny about jersey names (which should've been early 2010) and he came up with the suggestion of "Mr Nobody". Why? Coz nobody's perfect, which admittedly is less crude than just putting Mr Perfect on my back. But what would people on the street be thinking?

Next, I found myself in Chem and Vicky was complaining about my Prac Book being too neat and me being such a perfectionist. Then, somehow she gave me the idea of perfeCHANist for my jersey name - probably when she was trying to mock me.

So by then, being a perfectionist seemed to be ingrained in my identity. I know some of you have probably been like "But you are a perfectionist!!", whilst reading this post. Maybe you're right. Or maybe it's social conditioning. But pssh...it doesn't really matter.

Which brings me to "The Pursuit of Perfection". I was thinking of a title. My jersey name flickers in my mind. The phrase "The Pursuit of Perfection" comes to mind. Thought it sounded quite catchy and familiar. Googled it and found Lexus. Haha. Yes, I know. It is quite a cool story. But now that there's traffic on this site, I'm having second thoughts about the title...

But there you go. I should try being more succinct. Maybe next time.

The Awkward Moment When It's Wednesday and You're Already Wishing People a Good Weekend

2011-08-10T14:21:00.004+10:00

First week of Trials are over, so finally I can post something guilt-free! Yes, it is actually me. Yes, I have a blog, but of course, this will not rival those awesome blogs out there already. And I know some of you who know me well, may think that it's potentially hazardous, given my personality, but we'll see how it goes.

If I had to choose one thing that is the worst about being left-handed, it's definitely having this smear of ink on your hand after writing essays. =(

Also, staying on the topic of exams (sort of), this is what happens when you annoy me when I'm trying to concentrate. That WAS a fly. And no, I'm not mad.

On another note, look what I found on my phone. All three of us ended up dropping out of that Chem class. Good times. (That's a model of a Buckyball - an allotrope of carbon - we're holding, just in case you were wondering)

GOOD LUCK WITH TRIALS!!