Year-end coming...

I tried recalling what occurred around this time last year. My memories are vague. Why was last year (2006) rather un-memorable?

Let's adopt another perspective. I've realized that I spent much of 2006 in KMB. In KMB hostel (prison). Now don't get me wrong; it does have its advantages, and the biggest plus is probably its factory-like condition: a factory for academic papers.

Estimation of Pi
Mathematics HL
Type I Task (Portfolio)






Laboratory Reports (about 1 per week)
Chemistry HL
Practicals






Workplace and Workshop

Bagaimanakah Latar Masyarakat digunakan
untuk Menyampaikan Mesej Cerita
menerusi Novel LAGAK WASANGKA dan Novel LORONG MIDAQ?

Malay A1 SL
World Literature Assignment (aka WorldLit)


Nobel prize-winning Lorong Midaq (Midaq Alley) by Naguib Mahfouz








The first one and a half years:

• KMB Glory Days Part I
• KMB Glory Days Part II
• KMB Glory Days Part III

THE LAST SCHOOL WEEK OF 2006

I realized that one of my most unforgettable KMB weeks was just before the year-end break in 2006. On Sunday night - which extended right into early Monday morning - I worked on the first draft for my ToK essay. I managed to write (type) up to 1,300+ words, and submitted it during class hours.
(My anti-sleeping pill was Set Me Free by Planetshakers =)
I slept from 2.30 to 6.30 pm that afternoon. And then began work on my WorldLit. I conjured a new title that Monday, borrowed a few issues of Dewan Sastera from the library, then set to work. The 1st draft (new one...the old one became history...oh, by the way, I never touched the old 1st draft ever since handing it to my Malay language teacher) was done on Tuesday morning. After class, my whole afternoon was, again, devoted to slumber. That night, I did some Bio studying for Wednesday afternoon's standardized test. Was it muscle contraction mechanism that I studied that night? The next day, Bio class (the test was after class) was held in the LRC, where I got the chance to test my memory on what I just crammed.
I got the commented WorldLit on either Wednesday or Thursday. What followed on Thursday night was close to nightmarish. I've got a Paper 1-type question to be answered (Malay subject - it was the supposed "3rd semester exam", which was supposed to have been canceled, and eventually turned into a "homework" after some students' "no-exam petition"). And the WorldLit to be fixed. And last-day DotA games. And I did not fully clean our room yet that night (clearance/clearing).
Surprisingly, I finished the Sajak question first. It was about 3+ pages, in written form. And I had to deny the DotA games (well I did play a couple games, but that was it). I continued work on the WorldLit until the next day. In class, I sat at the front corner (away from our teacher), fixing the essay on my laptop as I jotted notes on Human Biochemistry.
As soon as class ended, I realized that I had a plane to catch. The airport-bound bus was supposed to leave at 3pm. And my WorldLit wasn't 100% done yet! Worse, the LRC was closed. An unprinted WorldLit won't get me any marks. I think I skipped lunch on that Friday (the best menu, unfortunately). In the common room, I turned my laptop on and did the final bits of adjustment/addition for my WorldLit. I prayed to get the best result; that the 20%-weighting assignment won't pull my grade down.
I'm thankful I got some black ink from Shukran, and a compatible printer from Shafiq (it involved a little bit of running around between blocks...but that's nothing compared to my desperation to hand in my Malay assignment!). I printed two copies of the completed World Literature Assignment, bound them with short green strings, then rushed for all my belongings. I bid farewell to my roommate, got my clearance slip from the pissed-off warden ("Hah! Ape ni? Karang baru nak buat assignment?"), then rushed towards the Staff Room. I felt like an Impreza in the redline.
I placed the two copies (each 9 pages) on my teacher's table. Relief. Finally. It was over.
I was soaked in sweat. Ms Loh was there and she gave Jason and me a Christmas card.
I rushed for the bus. I was one of the last.
Three sleepless nights in five days. It was ultra-hectic. But the best part is that it was over.

Now it isn't as un-memorable as I earlier thought... I guess I was just too drenched in busyness, till I forgot what time/month/year it was.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!


May you experience a fresh, new atmosphere of giving as we remember the day on which our Saviour was born - he who gave the greatest gift of all: eternal life.





Credit: http://appraisercentral.com

Theory of Knowledge

If someone claims that both the division of knowledge into disciplines and the division of the world into countries on a map are artificial, what does this mean? What is the nature of the boundaries between Areas of Knowledge, in your view?

In my country’s education system, secondary school classroom hours are commonly divided into subjects such as English Language, Modern Mathematics, Biology, Moral Studies and History.

In fact, I believe many schools practise this system. . .

Yet, there may be persons who claim that such division of knowledge into disciplines and the division of the world into countries on a map are artificial.

. . . There are adequate arguments supporting either case, and in my opinion, it eventually becomes a matter of personal judgment.

. . . If I were the head engineer of a team responsible to build a spacecraft, my compartmentalised knowledge would probably do me no good on its own.

I would need to put my knowledge of physics to work, integrate it with my artistic sense for the aircraft’s design and at the same time communicate with my team members synergistically for the work to proceed, all without consciously realising that I have utilised knowledge from the natural sciences, arts and human sciences in the process.

© IBO 2007.

Credit to: http://sspps.govoffice.com

Now what on earth is Theory of Knowledge (ToK), you might ask? Good question.
Briefly speaking, it is a "Theory about Knowledge" (epistemology).
Reading the above excerpt might give you some hints on what is covered within ToK.
ToK includes learning about the Knower (persons), Ways of Knowing and Areas of Knowledge, among other things.
I'd like to quote Howard Gardner (Harvard psychology professor) who mentioned the "Disciplined Mind" as one of the "Five Minds for the 21st century". "Disciplined mind" meaning two things: literally (being disciplined), as well as understanding how different disciplines involve different approaches in learning.
ToK is like an outside view of things; it's like seeing a picture of our whole solar system with all the planets and satellites and comets. Each subject (the "hard" stuff) is like a study on each planet/comet/etc, and it is quite a restricted view. ToK gives a bird's eye-view and binds the whole thing together.
Now, you might not agree. But that's exactly what ToK aims to develop: a sense of awareness (of knowledge issues) and logical reasoning.

Observe...Nature 2

A few more of my photography products. All captured using a VGA-camera phone (except the last one).

Fountain: This is in KML.

Aqua: The fish tank in KMB.

Dusk: Taken from Bt Padang.

Dawn: From the astaka in KMB,
on my last morning there
(20th May 2007).

Rain Clouds: Along the
Putatan-Tg Aru road.


OK, I'll be honest. The last image is photoshopped to make the horizon horizontal. But it is a real image, taken from inside a moving car. You can see the camera's reflection near the top-right portion.


The First: Observe...Nature

A Day of Tests...

Friday, 2nd of March, 2007.

8.00 am - 9.00 am (1 hour)
ITGS SL Paper 1 [40 marks]

10.00 am - 12.00 pm (2 hours)
ITGS SL Paper 2 [60 marks]

3.00 pm - 6.00 pm (3 hours)
ISAT [100 questions]

It was the first day of the 3rd-semester "pre-IRP" test, 6 subjects done in 6 days.

And the most memorable of all is undoubtedly the ISAT. It was almost an intellectually stressful, agonizing torture.

Dedicated to God,
CR 182/200, QR 199/200, OR 191/200
CR 94th %ile, QR 100th %ile, OR 99th %ile

ITGS SL = Information Technology in a Global Society, Standard Level
ISAT = International Student Admissions Test
IRP = Intensive Revision Group


More:
Official ISAT page (ACER website)


The ISAT contains 100 questions, 50 requiring "critical reasoning" (language, prose, literature, etc.), 50 requiring "quantitative reasoning" (numbers, math, counting, science, graphs, etc.). I had a can of Nescafe before the test. Pn Sharifah was at one end of the new class block, wishing all of us luck. About 50 of us sat for the exam. I took a seat next to the left wall, somewhere left-middle, and ensured that the desk was not shaky. I still remember the instructor/administrator getting angry at a few of my friends who were late at the exam hall, saying "This is an exam! You're supposed to be inside 5 minutes earlier!" After the formalities and form-filling, I said my words of prayer, gave my all to God, and began reading the test questions.
They were hard. No doubt. I skipped a few really confusing, language-type questions. It was just around 4.30 when I finished question number 50. And I was speeding. My energy and focus drained quickly. After the first half, I practically had to whisper and vocalize (silently) the questions to make sense of what they were asking. I had just enough time to answer all questions.
I felt a sense of triumph at the end of the test. And sure enough, when the test results came out some 3 months later, I saw the 'triumphant' result. It was a victory. Dedicated to God.

A Sense of Accomplishment

Overdue stuffs pile up... Planned projects overlap... Deadlines rush towards you... Time runs out...


Will it ever be over?


It's been 4 weeks since my last entry - proudly mentioned as 4 "fully occupied" weeks. And my stuffs did overlap during that (dire?) period... Two STPM subjects (=4 papers, 12 total hours), followed by a Youth Camp where I was scheduled to speak in a 1.25-hour slot, and again followed by a Christmas Drama with children.

The level of "hecticness" almost equaled what I went through during those IB days. But now it's a different environment: I don't have a roommate (classmate...schoolmate...) bearing the same burden. I turned to God, just like I did many times in KMB. It goes without saying that I let out my words of disappointment, apology, anger, frustration, etc. (You know those stuff.)

I finished my last STPM paper (Further Mathematics T, paper 2) on a rather high note. I was confident with at least 70% of my answer. That's significantly more than paper 1. The next night was the last few hours I had to prepare for my YC-sharing slot. I said "no" to caroling, and I spent the night (late night) preparing my slides. I was glad I made that decision. My sharing was indeed God-inspired - he said "I have put my words in your mouth" (Jer 1:9). Blessed be your name, Lord God!

My paper ended on a Tuesday evening. My journey to the campsite began shortly after, early on Thursday morning. My slot was on Friday afternoon. The theme was "Shining in Academic Excellence for God's Glory"...not explicitly mentioned during my sharing, but you get the picture. I can call it a subset of the Youth Camp's theme: Light.

The camp ended on Sunday night and I was back home on Monday. The sofa was a great relief for my sleep-deprived mind and body. That same night, I was back in action for the drama practice. The last practice (ever) was on that Thursday afternoon. At the same time, more overlaps occurred: caroling and work (tuition classes).

I guess life never actually stops. It probably has some pauses, if we want to look at it that way. What's more, after a period of high-intensity activities, the "sunshine after the rain" - did I just coin that expression? - gives tremendous relief.

A sense of accomplishment.

I must say, "Thank you, God."

1 message received

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Go into the exam with a clear n positive mindset tmrw. Be confident n know that u r ready 2 face 2ur challenge. May god bless n guide u thro all ur papers. Good luck my little warrior. Just give ur best.

Sent: 19:51:18, 03/05/2007

Sent by one of my closest teachers in KMB.


(It was just one day before my IB final exam started. Come to think of it, I feel the need for some words of encouragement for my 2 upcoming subjects too (in the next 2 weeks)... Psychological conditioning, though probably a minor player in determining academic success, is still an essential component. It relights whatever is left of the human "fighting spirit" - that which refuses to give up even in the most dire circumstances.)

Ghoti

Ever encountered this word before?


It was one of the things in our ToK (Theory of Knowledge) handbook.
Now, how do you pronounce ghoti?
Try looking at the ceiling for a moment. And think about it.

You get the clue by pronouncing these words:
1. Rough
2. Women
3. Nation

(Look up a dictionary if you need to.)

Again: rough, women, nation.

That's right!

It's FISH!
(Click and drag to shade the word)

KMB Graphics

Mentor-mentee cooking activity

Sleepers (12:15pm, Monday, 05 Feb '07)
Hey, the girls sleep too. Just not caught at this time.

These are worth around 10k, at least

Phoowd!

You might not want to see this.

Dobby
The only thing I like in the laundry is the dryer, and the only time I like it is when I take out my heated clothes myself. No pressing/ironing/smoothening needed.
;-)

Now what's this kid doing?!

A human touch. Maybe that’s what I’m longing for from you. It’s hard to express in words, much less typed words. I’m still waiting for you, in case you’ve ever wondered. Only you can give meaning to my heartfelt feelings for you. You might not want me now, but I want you anyway, and even if there is the slightest chance that you’re going to want me in times to come, I’m going to cling on to it unendingly.

I’m persistent? I guess I am, at least for a limited scope. Thus far, it seems that my faith – belief in the unseen – remains the strongest indicator of my persistence. And I can’t help but allow it to go on. I can’t help housing you in my thoughts.



Nah. Tambah sikit for my "jiwang" category. Actually I'm just trying out the black font. =)

Reading Mathematics

Taking a break from my "study mode"...

2k+1
∑ i = (k+1)(2k+1)
i = 1

"When you add consecutive numbers starting with 1, and the number of numbers you add is odd, the result is equal to the product of the middle number among them times the last number."

All right, I didn't come up with something as ingenious as this (that would be attributed to Levi Ben Gershon, back in the 13th century). The notation (the way the equation is written) is modern though.

Crash course
What's ∑? The big bent E is pronounced "sigma" (Greek equivalent of "S"), and means - mathematically - "summation" or "addition".

Summation of what? Generally, it's the summation of a list of terms.

{0, 1, 2, 3, ...} is a list.

{3, 9, 12, 15, ...} is also a list.

For the above example, the list is {1, 2, 3, ...}. See that little i below the ∑? It tells us where to start. So we start at i=1.

If we have a starting point, then we should also have an ending point, right? That's what 2k+1 tells us: where to stop. For notations like these, k generally means a positive integer, e.g. 2, 21, 865, etc. (Well, 2k+1 is used when we want to say "an odd number". Try it out with k=4 and k=9.)

Crash course ends
Oops, so I didn't explain why the list is {1, 2, 3, ...}, did I? Hmmm... to put it simply, well, it's because the formula is ∑i. If it had been ∑3i , we would have {3, 6, 9, ...}. I think that paints a rough picture.

And since it's a summation, it means 1+2+3+...+(2k+1).

Crash course really ends

I was finding out more about one particular lecturer when I bumped into his online article on How to Read Mathematics. Here's a spoon-sized bite of the article:

Reader: That's interesting. I wouldn't have guessed that. You mean that in my class with 30 students, there's a pretty good chance that at least 2 students have the same birthday?

Professional: You might want to take bets before you ask everyone their birthday. Most people don't think that a duplicate will occur. That's why some authors call this the birthday paradox.

This formula:

2k+1
∑ i = (k+1)(2k+1)
i = 1

is also taken from the article. And I couldn't help agreeing with the author: "You should take as much time in unraveling the 2-inch version as the 2-sentence version."

So the next time you're going nuts over your Math textbook/notes, try slowing down.


Interested for more?
It's here: How to Read Mathematics (by Shai Simonson and Fernando Gouvea)

Di S'tiap Napasku

By True Worshippers Youth
Credits to the blog Beautiful, http://sistasi.blogspot.com/.


I couldn't hold my tears as I sang the chorus together with a congregation of youth in a worship service in church (about 2 months back).

God's presence was just so... real.

And the lyrics are just so... sincere.

Lyrics

Aku milik-Mu
Kuberserah kepada-Mu
Seluruh hidupku
Kau genggam dalam tangan-Mu

Ini hatiku, hanya untuk-Mu
Ini jiwaku, hanya bagi-Mu

Tuhan Kau Allahku
Bapa dan Rajaku
Tak henti di s'tiap nafasku
Ku 'kan menyembah-Mu s'lalu

Kubawa hidupku
Ke atas mezbah-Mu
Tak henti di s'tiap langkahku
Ku 'kan mengikuti-Mu
Selamanya

This song came to my mind twice lately. Once last Wednesday - during our prayer and fasting back in kampung - and once just now, as I played the chords to this song on my guitar. (To google it, type "Tuhan Kau Allahku", with the quotation marks.) The moment I saw the video, I immediately wanted to share it. The song is substantially Christian, but that doesn't mean that non-Christians get nothing from listening to/viewing/experiencing it (Try it).

Phenomena

I just realized that the song is fun to listen to...and to sing along with.

This is from LyricsBox, the first search result for "Phenomena Lyrics Planetshakers" in google (some parts edited).

PHENOMENA

by Planet Shakers

Album: Phenomena (2001),
So Amazing (2001)

I searched the sky for something,
That I can't see,
What lies beyond the naked eye, captivates me..
The truth is there, there's no denying in,
It lies beyond the realms of where we live... (Yeah!!)

It's a phenomena
It's a phenomena
It's a peculiar interventian of the very hand of God
It's a phenomena
It's a phenomena
It's an invisible encounter with the very hand of God

Some things we can't explain now,
Natures free..
Is it coincidence or conspiracy?
The truth is there there's no denying in,
It lies beyond the realms of where we live...

It's a phenomena
It's a phenomena
It's a peculiar interventian of the very hand of God
It's a phenomena
It's a phenomena
It's an invisible encounter with the very hand of God

The truth is there, there's no denying in,
It lies beyond the realms of where we live...

Eyeaeyeah... yeah...
It's a phenomena
It's a phenomena
It's a peculiar interventian of the very hand of God
It's a phenomena
It's a phenomena
It's an invisible encounter with the very hand of God
It's a phenomena
It's a phenomena
It's a phenomena
It's a phenomena of GOD!!

Organic Chemistry

I keep typing it several times as "organix"...


Here's a view of the white board after Chemistry tuition class:

Alkanes, Alkenes, Alcohols, Carboxylic Acids,
and Esters (SPM level)

A closer look

And here's a digital version of IB/Form 6/A-Level Organic reaction pathways (Microsoft PowerPoint presentation, animated):

IQ

Ever seen one of those "How high is your IQ?" or similar questions on the Net? Ever done one? After which, upon completing the multiple-choice questions in the test, you'd get what is termed as an "IQ score"?
Of course.

Tickle provides a free "PhD-certified IQ Test", containing about 40 questions. And this is how a sample result would show up:

So what does a 136 mean? What's the full mark?
There's no perfect score here, buddy. No such thing as a full mark.

What?!
That's right. Each person usually gets a score between 55 and 145 (lower and higher scores are possible too). If you are familiar with a normal distribution, then IQ score is one example of such a distribution. The average is 100 while the standard deviation (s.d.) varies, but is usually 15, 16 or 24.

...(Blurry)...
This diagram might help visualize it.

And the diagram says?
...That very low and very high IQ scores are rarer - in fact, much, much rarer - than scores near the average.

The blue area looks biggest...
Precisely. About 68% of IQ scores fall in the blue area, that is, between 85 and 115 (within 1 s.d. from the mean).

Well, I for one used to overemphasize the importance of a high IQ about a year ago. While researching for my extended essay, which was on short-term memory, I came upon the topic of psychometrics (within which intelligence testing falls). Since then, I was reading every readable material on Mensa, TOPS, etc., up until Mega society and Giga society, where even an IQ of 150 (more than three s.d.'s above the mean) doesn't qualify entry. I pondered what this group of people - commonly labeled "gifted" in intelligence terms - had in their minds as they went on their daily tasks... Are they all 3-step thinkers (3 next steps and their implication, e.g. in chess)?

At one point, I even considered the possibility of raising one's IQ score by being very acquainted with test questions. I think some questions/solutions can be practiced, and will lead to up to a 10-point increase in the IQ score. A futile increase though. While very good intelligence questions can't be practiced at all.

So is it nature or nurture? I take a rather balanced stand. But I don't think it's 50-50. It's more like 60-40 or 70-30, with the greater weight on nature (a.k.a. genes).

And what now? IQ is a scale. Similar to height and weight. Only less absolute. That means, if my IQ score is reported as 112 and my brother's as 110, I'm not absolutely 2 points more intelligent than he is. This scale gives some knowledge on mental ability (again, not absolute knowledge), and this knowledge could help me decide 'where to go' and 'how to go' there.

But it's just another scale. 'Where to go' - direction in life - is influenced by so many other factors. There's passion, interests, discipline, calling... just to name a few. IQ can't predict those.



More:
IQ and Real-life Functioning (Paul Cooijmans)
A Legacy of Logical Art (Jonathan Wai)

Credits:
http://web.tickle.com/tests/uiq/paidresult.jsp
http://library.thinkquest.org/C005704/media/iqtest_dist_small.gif

Phenomenon

Caught this on camera on Thursday, 11 October '07.

E.V. set to -2.0, otherwise it's like photographing a white cloth

This is as full as the picture could get.

There actually is a bigger, fainter second rainbow outside the main halo.

Month-end approaching

A review of what the month has been...


Well, actually I'm quite exhausted right now; we just had a church bazaar today (which happened to be at the end of a rather tiring week for me). I'm definitely in need of some extra sleep.

Now on to the agenda: what have I been doing this month? Back in primary school, I remember writing down Scientist, Doctor and Teacher in the "ambition" space of my report document. It seems that I'm getting all three, except for the doctor part (the closest thing is an unconditional offer from the School of Medicine, The University of Melbourne, received by e-mail about 10 days ago). This month, I've taught 25 tuition class sessions in a variety of locations, and at various levels: Form 1, Form 3, Form 4, Form 5 and Upper 6. I'd describe the work satisfaction level as "all right up to a year", because staying on and on and on for a single subject at a single level - well, at least to me - eventually exhausts my interest fuel. Or maybe it's just me being impatient to wait for all my students to "hit the ceiling" in those subjects. I myself didn't hit any ceiling back then. Which means that it's quite a challenging undertaking.

On the Scientist part, I'd relate that to me self-studying my two STPM subjects: Mathematics T and Further Mathematics T (me, the scholar of Maths). Now a few questions repeatedly arise here. Why Math? Because I like it? "I'm born for this!"? 'Coz I'll be leaving it? Why STPM Math? Reputedly hard international exam? Self-satisfaction? Academic craze? Filling extra time?

I don't have official mark schemes for those questions, but those surely are some ideas which compel me to take this up as my academic hurdle for now. Exam is coming in roughly 8 weeks' time. And just a short word on these two brain "dishes", Math T is quite easily understandable (I just need to learn a few extra problem-solving techniques which I didn't learn in IB Math HL). Further Math T is harder. I mean, it really is hard (I think I've got the feel of what it's like to not know anything about what's coming out in the exam, 2 months before it comes!).

And in the last few nights, I'm always tired... This is bad. I don't like it. Perhaps I need some timing restructuring. And not just the usual lie-down-on-the-floor-whenever-my-head-feels-heavy treatment.

That's all for now. Will be back soon.

Worth fighting for?

A case of personal internal conflict...

Perhaps no mature person finds this a foreign thought.

Here's the scenario: It's about 30 minutes before the public exam result is out. A promising student, just back from a 14-day camp, waits anxiously. He took up 11 disciplines, and has high hopes of scoring straight distinctions in all of them. He silently says his prayers (again). He greets his fellow schoolmates as they arrived in the building. Then a teacher - one of his closest - approached and asked, "Nervous?" With a wide grin, he replied "Yes, a little", but deep in his heart something unstable was definitely stirring. Not long after, a media reporter arrived, asking for him. He was surprised but nevertheless pleased; being sought by a reporter is history indeed!
The moment of truth came: He was listed in the state top 15, but it was more a heartbreak than happiness. He had one A2.

"He" happens to be me.

I immediately thought of re-marking my Moral Studies. Don't bother the fee! That morning itself, my mom and I went to Education Dept office. I filled the form for re-marking. The counter people looked puzzled...I was very likely the first student to do that for this session.

What an extent it is! Just for the sake of straight A1's! But honestly, I had hoped and prayed for perfect results since the beginning of that year. I treated myself as a perfect-scorer. And my biggest nightmare wasn't really not getting full A's, but rather a "so close, yet so far" situation with the most minor of flaws. Realistically speaking, what harm does an A2 for Moral actually do? (I couldn't get to swallow that rock-hard fact until about 3 days have passed.)

Are things worth fighting for?

My Sem 1 result was a 39/42. It must have been among the top 39 because I've got a 79% for Biology. Pn Asima clearly stated that she doesn't give free marks away. None. Zero. Zilch. My 2 days of begging ended with unchanged results.

In DotA, persistence wins in very-late-games. My roommate told me of a game nearly 120 minutes long, where finally their side won using hit-and-run tactics to push to the inner towers.

Earlier this year, my Taekwondo development was reaching its zenith (or a zenith). 1st Dan was within reach. It would be much more costly overseas - not to mention no student-coach bond - and I'm not likely to continue in KK. Doing 1st Dan meant sandwiching my studying/revising time, web-surfing time, entertainment time, cooling down time, and even sleeping time. More than once, I felt like fainting in the oxygen-deprived hall.

Worth fighting for?

Around March this year, I was already definitely Aussie-bound. The points requirements for Melbourne were as high as that of Cambridge's (except for the 7,7,7 HL's). My internal exam score was 39, 38, 38 (or was it 37?) - none even touched the cut-off. And what could I expect out of my last-minute big essays? I hoped for a 1 minimum bonus, and hoped my subjects score didn't fall below thirty-nine. The exam time itself was the real, dirty, fighting ground. It was definitely the most intense I've had in my lifetime. I stayed till about 3am for Chemistry. About 4am for Biology. And 5am for Malay. My sleeping schedule was an absolute mess. The caffeine I've had probably intoxicated me during the last days. I pushed to the limit for ITGS. No games, no sleep, no distraction till about 2am. It was the last paper, and I had to make up for the sleep debt. I thank God I had no headache or fever. It was quite a victorious ending.

Worth fighting for?

Fun in the Bio Labs

Practical: Rat's Anatomy

Before.
Codename: Stuart
Sex: Female
Mass: About 40 g
Status: Alive







After.
The skin is opened.
The heart beated faintly.
The gut is then opened and stretched to form a 40-centimetre organic hose.
The skull prised open to reveal the rat brain.






Practical: The Excretory System
Urine. After drinking 300 ml of 40% sucrose solution.










Practical: Blood Cells
Blood. Muni on the background. Natural expression.

Running out of Time?!

I realized that lately, I've been gasping for air every so often.

My "5 months of freedom" don't really feel like freedom anymore. I work both at home and on the roads. I've got an exam to sit for. There's ministry in church to be committed in. And a few developmental books (including Nelson Mandela's autobiography) lie around, waiting to be read. And then there's this blog.

In a way, I like the constant "waste-no-time" feeling I'm having right now - it reminds me of KMB. Only with a little less stress. But I do have my dissatisfactions and rants. Thank God I haven't really reached the point where I'd simply explode. That wouldn't be nice.

My work? In big words, 'academic motivational speaker' and 'legal firm process server'. In everyday terms, tuition teacher, and postman. And of course, a student (scholar of Mathematics, school-of-self).


I thank God that at least I'm pouring my time into some stuff (as opposed to no stuff). And what I really cherish is the time that I have with the buddies in ministry; as I've never had this much of a chance back when I was in La Salle and KMB.


P/S: The title up there is actually a (expressive) line from our Form 2 choral speaking script (winning script, that is).

KMB Glory Days Part III

...Fading glory...
(Prelude: The songs in the player were my "working" songs... they kept my brain running as I struggled for my World Lit and ToK. By the way, the "pause" button is there if you really want it.)

- CUT -
If were to summarize this post into two words, they'd be:
"busyness" and "flying".
- UN-CUT -

The pictures, from top to bottom, are:
1. Math Standardized Test - Topic: Differentiation/Integration?
(18 Sept)
2. My exhausted roommate, on a typical Friday afternoon
(8 Sept)
3. Waiting for a bus at the simpang, to send a bunch of seniors at KLIA
(12 Sept)
4. Immediately after school reopens - Raya Aidilfitri celebration
(6 Nov)
5. In an English class - Topic: Love
(8 Nov)
(All in 2006)

And read on if you want to.

The Big 4 haunted every one of us, on every single night. The heaviest of assignments in my experience so far. I mean, I've pulled an all-nighter for a few Form 4/5 folios, but what on earth is it that I'm tackling if even 2 sleepless nights gets less than 50% of my stuff done? I vividly remember my EE supervisor, Puan Bahariah, politely asking, "If possible, give it [1st draft] before the Raya break." And I did give her what I choose to call a half-draft. (22 pages. No kidding. And about 1,200 words.)


It was very much a call for disaster. And all the while, I was actually calling for even more disaster. DotA continued to be my staple weekend dish, occasionally with other custom maps such as RO and Dragon Ball. And a craze in the Block C computer fellas was the Insaniquarium. I even let my computer run several nights just to collect shells! And even under my desk, in class! (On battery power, with LCD closed, and "Low" CPU speed.) To top it all off, I spent 80% of my holiday time on NamelessRO. Very crazy indeed.

I went to KLIA about 3 times in total (George, Qing Xi and gang group, Meryl's solo departure, and Melvyn, Zi Dong and gang group). Perhaps it was supposed to ignite the fading fire within us who were then in IB year 2. What it did ignite was the desire to get out of KMB immediately! (Oh well... maybe it also helped in some other ways during the process.)



Our Uni applications were also underway. UKCAT, BMAT, PS, Mock Interview, etc... UK fellas were the busiest, followed by Ireland folks (And hey, I wonder why can't we apply to both UK and Ireland? Pleasing more people? But never mind...as if I bother). For me, it was the decision point. I talked to my dad on one morning, telling him that I was not going to take the UKCAT. It means no passport to a UK medical school. It also means I was roughly turning myself into an academic machine whose target is an absolute minimum score of forty points. My Melbourne craze heightened since then. So did my Aussie-support group, consisting mainly of Nad, Missa and Paw.

It was quite an anticlimax when the college decided to give us standardized tests in the final week (in the afternoons!). The decision was met with negative responses from students, with the most dramatic complaint/petition against our Malay A1 paper--it was eventually turned into a 3-day (or so--) homework. Our juniors, on the other hand, seemed very eager to have themselves tested, just like most of us a year ago.


More:
KMB Glory Days Part I
KMB Glory Days Part II

Observe...Nature

When each picture is (probably) worth more than a thousand words...

Horizon: Taken during the Homestay Programme, just after collecting "kerang".

Island & Mainland: From an aircraft, not long after taking off.

Sea: Jetty view.
(Kuala Penyu)

Sunset: One of my favourite pictures.
Sky. Sea. Sun. Shore. Silhouette.
(Pulau Tiga)

Sunrise: The 'dream halo' effect.
Nostalgic.


More: Observe...Nature 2

An Unspoken Reflection

Fragile life...

I wonder...







How does it feel to know that I have 2.5 minutes left to live?

How does it feel not to know it?

How do I know it, anyway?

And...

How does it feel to be snapped during those final moments?

How does nature play its part?

How about fate?

How do I matter in the whole working of this grand world?

How true is the butterfly effect?

How will my end be the start of something new?



This is based on a true story about a millipede (a rather big one, measuring about 20 cm). It was found at a roadside in a highland, on the new Papar-Keningau road. It managed to cross up to the middle of the road unharmed. As it continued along, it met its end shortly (cause: road accident).


Of course I had the intention to help it by pushing/kicking/transporting it to the other side, but it was my dad who mentioned: "Just leave it on its own." On second thought, I could have saved it and boasted the tagline: "It made a difference to this one." But oh well, I was curious to see nature at work anyway.

P/S: Do not click the images unless you really want to.

Word of the day: Grateful

Just when you thought life is so predictable...


I should be grateful for the latest turn of events recently. An invitation to a wedding reception - by a ministry leader, since the bride and groom gave one 10-person table to him - might seem like nothing much at first thought. But that's just the starting point of what I consider to be 'fun with friends'.

-Commercial break-

You see, when you have about 5 really free months ahead of you - free from work, school, kids, etc - and have spent the 3 previous really free months on nothing but catching up with buddies, you'd start pondering on the significance of every little thing that you do with every single second that you're given. You'd start being...rather critical and analytical, knowing that such a long period of freedom won't come by in the near future, and it therefore must be spent in as fruitful a way as possible.

Or maybe it's just me. I don't know.

-Alright, commercial's over-

In the function, I of course got to congratulate the new couple. It was kind of weird to wish the groom - who's my age - but oh well, it's indeed happening. And it's nice to see him again after many months.

It was also a chance to meet up with a few other fellas whom I haven't seen in quite a while (so there goes more of my "catching up" activity, but it's fun, you know).

And I must admit that our table rocks! Kind of a "happening" table - if you want to put it that way. We joked like real youngsters. No "kontrol ayu or macho". No need for those. Having fun really meant having fun at that moment. As mentioned by one sister, "Itu waiters suka kita punya meja ni...berebut diurang mau serve kita."

Oh, I should also mention about the kids. Maybe I can't really recall what were wedding functions like back when I was little, but the sight just now was simply typical. The children would go in the lift (elevator), press the next floor up, then exit just before the door closes. So it would be like a "hantu" using it to those upstairs. I have two words to describe them: imaginative and noisy. And when I join them up, some would cuddle me at the waist, in their little arms. Cute.
=)

Post-function

The function ended at 10.30 pm, but our ministry team went on to celebrate a member's birthday (in a surprise). We arranged to meet at McDonald's. I drove with three friends, and went to take the birthday cake from another member who was at the university hall.

It was a night drive through the heart of KK city - with a short stop at 7-eleven for a friend's phone top-up - to the university (with the prize-giving ceremony for a Battle of the Bands going on), and to the fast food outlet.

One friend was about to leave for Peninsular tomorrow, so she covered up the motive by mentioning about her departure. Then the whole group - 12 people in all - prayed together for her.

It was pretty much an act of concealing the real deal. Just seconds after we finished our prayer, we sang Selamat Hari Jadi as the birthday cake was taken in. What an unexpected present for our birthday girl!

---What touches me the most is the brotherly (sisterly?) love that binds all the members of our ministry together. Love as in being selfless. As in not being reluctant to spend some time for friends. As in sharing happiness together. It is truly amazing. It must be God-given---

And finally, as we bid our farewells and goodnights, I had the chance to do one last favour for 5 of those friends: by taking them home.

Above all, I thank God for this wonderful opportunity he has given me.

All in 23,400 seconds (it doesn't even take one day to be touched by our mighty creator).

Flashback

I think that-----------moment was
quite an epitome of my------‘weird’ romantic feelings…
You know what I recall? Your---smile. I stared and smiled at you
(you were quite a distance from me), our eyes locked for a moment,
and then your expression showed a pleasant response with that
sweet smile – and lovely eyes – drawn on your beautiful face.
I was sitting on the floor, in front of the TV, looking
at you, seated on some kind of sofa. Then I
ceased my stare and looked elsewhere…
a responsive smile from you
was sweetness
enough.

Canto della Terra

Canto della Terra by Andrea Bocelli

This Italian song translates roughly to "Song of the Earth" (don't be afraid to correct me).

Update (5th Aug 09): I'm not sure why, but feedjit tells me that this is the most visited page on my blog. Maybe people think that this is an Italian blog? Maybe not? Or maybe you guys can tell me what's interesting about this page?

For those of you who know my interest in music and vocals, well, this song was one of the first where I listened to how a Tenor B sounds like (just a semitone lower than the tenor "high C").

I've actually got another version too, which is a duet by Rinaldo Viana and Liriel, found here (Highest note for soprano is an E, for tenor a B).


And for those of you who want to sing along:

Si lo so
Amore che io e te
Forse stiamo insieme
Solo qualche instante
Zitti stiamo
Ad ascoltare
Il cielo
Alla finestra
Questo mondo che
Si sveglia e la notte e
Gia cosi lontana
Gia lontana

Guarda questa terra che
Che gira insieme a noi
Anche quando e buio
Guarda questa terra che
Che gira anche per noi
A darci un po di
Sole, sole, sole

My love che sei lamore mio
Sento la tua voce
E ascolto il mare
Sembra davvero il tuo respiro
Lamore che mi dai
Questo amore che
Sta li nascosto
In mezzo alle sue onde
A tutte le sue onde
Come una barca che

Guarda questa terra che
Che gira insieme a noi
A darce un po di sole
Mighty sun
Mighty sun

In English:
Yes I know
My love, that you and i
Are together briefly
For just a few moments
In silence
As we look out of our windows
And listen
To the sky
And to a world
Thats awakening
And the night is already far away
Already, far away

Look at this world
Spinning with us
Even in the dark
Look at this world
Spinning for us
Giving us hope and some
Sun, sun sun

My love, you are you my love
I hear your voice,
And I listen to the sea.
It sounds just like your breathing
And all the love you want to give me
This love
That is there, hidden
Hidden among the waves
All the waves in the world
Just like a boat that....

Look at this world
Spinning with us
Giving us some sun,
Mighty sun
Mighty sun


Credits:
www.youtube.com
www.lyricsfreak.com


P/S: All lyrics are copied and pasted from the Web. I apologize for any errors. Especially if you try to audition/perform this song. And I think the English version is merely a literal translation. So don't rely too much on it.
:)