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.

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.

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):

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?

Prayers and Thanksgiving

Prelude: I wrote this "Exam Letter" and put it up on one of the boards in the concourse just as the May 2007 papers commenced. Guess it's not the best time to put it up here, huh?

Ahh, it's up anyway. Happy reading...

Prayers and Thanksgiving

I think almost all of us are already familiar with prayers and thanksgiving.

As reflection during this exam season, here are 10 items that would go into my prayer and thanksgiving list:

I’m deeply thankful for:

1. Our teachers, for all the lessons they taught, whether academic or not

2. Friends, because the gift of friendship is free of charge yet priceless

3. Our parents, for the unconditional love and support they have shown

4. Everyone else here in KMB, for making KMB “KMB” (a place like no other)

5. God, for opening my eyes to see “Opportunity” when I see “Poor Little Puny” (Where did the ‘L’ go? It’s invisible; I no longer see the Loser in me.)

And I sincerely pray for:

6. Maximized mental prowess and intellectual capacity, for all of us, to tackle the IB exam (without getting a yellow/red card)

7. Tip-top health, to bring out the best in us (because the exam is like an examiner test-driving a car…and we’re like cars)

8. Calmness, just like the calm before the storm; there are tsunamis (extreme potential) in us!

9. Humility, because all that we’ve got is an entrustment from a higher power

10. Smiling faces, because the IB exam is just another pit stop in our life; it’s not the end.

:)

Creski

03 May 2007