YES! Today marks the end of Prelims after tediously going for school and taking exams for 3 weeks! Whoo hoo! Time to unwind and get all the screws in me loose. Haha.
Theme song from 'Friends' - I'll be there for you - is a great song for some groovy fun~
I'm starting to understand the radio, it's finally tuning into similar wavelengths as me. Interestingly, its antenna didn't survive my torture ^^"
Brand new day, great days ahead~
August 27, 2008
August 22, 2008
Finally, it's the end of the second week of prelims. Can't help but feel much more relaxed. I've been turning nocturnal recently, sleeping at about 9 to 11 and waking up early in the morning at 3 to 4am. I think some of my friends think me to be insane. Hahas.
After Tuesday's maths paper 2, that'll be the end of all the horribly gross papers that I have to take.
On another note, econs paper 2 today was mildly horrible, but I was at least quite prepared for it. Unlike the chem paper 2 in the morning where I blanked out on, I definitely have more confidence in econs. It feels great to use the brain in exams for once, instead of staring at questions you know are easy but you can't do. Heh.
I'm pondering if I should take up night running, but I absolutely hate to bathe at night unless it's like wee hours in the morning. Oh, why is my bike broken? Hais.
Darn, I just forgot what was the point I wanted to say.
Horrible mood after a quarrel with my obstinate, insistent, and self-centered mom. For goodness sake, it's over a stupid packet of tissues. GEH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
After Tuesday's maths paper 2, that'll be the end of all the horribly gross papers that I have to take.
On another note, econs paper 2 today was mildly horrible, but I was at least quite prepared for it. Unlike the chem paper 2 in the morning where I blanked out on, I definitely have more confidence in econs. It feels great to use the brain in exams for once, instead of staring at questions you know are easy but you can't do. Heh.
I'm pondering if I should take up night running, but I absolutely hate to bathe at night unless it's like wee hours in the morning. Oh, why is my bike broken? Hais.
Darn, I just forgot what was the point I wanted to say.
Horrible mood after a quarrel with my obstinate, insistent, and self-centered mom. For goodness sake, it's over a stupid packet of tissues. GEH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
August 13, 2008
It's has been a horrid day today. Had econs case study paper in the morning and went to JP for lunch at Long John Silvers. On the way back, I felt extremely ill for god knows what reason, and it was making my mood really bad. On the walkway to the lift, I nearly got KO'd by an incoming bicycle. Luckily the auntie stopped just in time, but she fell off and her stuff in the basket were on the floor. Wanted to offer help, but she seemed to be fine, so I just went on my way to take the lift without saying anything. Geh. Can't help but feel guilty now that I didn't help her, I guess tiredness and bad mood weren't good enough reason for myself.
About an hour ago, I was riding my own bicycle in the park nearby to vent off some boredom and frustration. My supposedly enjoyable and relaxing ride was ruined by some guy who refused to give way during a turn. The wheel portion of the bike went by with no problem, but the handlebar of both my bike and his bike crashed and I fell over. Oh joy. Scraped my lower leg on the rough cement ground and had some abrasions, but it wasn't anything serious. Interestingly, one of the pedals on his bike detached and flew off, while my bike only sustained a crooked handlebar. Hm. I'm still feeling indignant because that was the first time I crashed into someone and sustained injuries. BLEH. What's with me and the problem with bicycles today.
Grouchy. Grouchy. Grouchy. It does not help that tomorrow's paper is on pure maths, something that I seriously have dwindling passion about. Ironically, the course I want to take in Uni considers maths as the only specific criteria. Darn.
Horrible. Horrible. Horrible. Vegetable. I. Need. To. Vent. Out. Some. Air.
GAH.
About an hour ago, I was riding my own bicycle in the park nearby to vent off some boredom and frustration. My supposedly enjoyable and relaxing ride was ruined by some guy who refused to give way during a turn. The wheel portion of the bike went by with no problem, but the handlebar of both my bike and his bike crashed and I fell over. Oh joy. Scraped my lower leg on the rough cement ground and had some abrasions, but it wasn't anything serious. Interestingly, one of the pedals on his bike detached and flew off, while my bike only sustained a crooked handlebar. Hm. I'm still feeling indignant because that was the first time I crashed into someone and sustained injuries. BLEH. What's with me and the problem with bicycles today.
Grouchy. Grouchy. Grouchy. It does not help that tomorrow's paper is on pure maths, something that I seriously have dwindling passion about. Ironically, the course I want to take in Uni considers maths as the only specific criteria. Darn.
Horrible. Horrible. Horrible. Vegetable. I. Need. To. Vent. Out. Some. Air.
GAH.
August 11, 2008
Was trying to practise writing GP essay just now... ended up with only the intro before my brain went dead and refused to churn out anything.
TJC Prelims 2007 GP Paper 1 Qns 2
Do you agree that we live in a dangerous world?
Danger is a term familiar to Man, as it is to all other living creatures on Earth. To label something as a danger, it must first threaten life. To live, in itself, is to challenge danger and risk. The need for competition is inborn in all humans and life, and because competition is present, there will always be insecurities which would subsequently lead to risk and danger when people try to be rid of these insecurities. Danger need not necessarily be direct, such as mortal danger; it can be indirect. A needle dipped in lethal poison and isolated from people is not dangerous, but it certainly has the potential to kill. That needle is thereby considered a danger to others. Since there is life on Earth, and humans are alive, we would forever live in a dangerous world.
TJC Prelims 2007 GP Paper 1 Qns 2
Do you agree that we live in a dangerous world?
Danger is a term familiar to Man, as it is to all other living creatures on Earth. To label something as a danger, it must first threaten life. To live, in itself, is to challenge danger and risk. The need for competition is inborn in all humans and life, and because competition is present, there will always be insecurities which would subsequently lead to risk and danger when people try to be rid of these insecurities. Danger need not necessarily be direct, such as mortal danger; it can be indirect. A needle dipped in lethal poison and isolated from people is not dangerous, but it certainly has the potential to kill. That needle is thereby considered a danger to others. Since there is life on Earth, and humans are alive, we would forever live in a dangerous world.
August 9, 2008
Here lies the debris of my experiment in GP essay writing (graded by Ms Lim, and improved upon by me). It's a tad philosophical.
"Only in their dreams can Man be truly free." Comment.
Freedom is a desire that is innate in Man. Ask anyone on the streets, whether they like the feeling of stress, or having to shoulder responsibility, or feeling as if they were bound to time - a slave - helpless to the ticking of the watch, facing a brand new day. Ask again, if anyone would want a life with lesser restrictions, and the choice to not account for their actions. Ask a child, if he would prefer to play or to study; if only he had a choice. Ask an inhabitant of the Great Sahara, if he ever thought of living in a less harsh environment. This is how freedom is expressed unknowingly or explicitly, through a person's thoughts and actions.
The concept of freedom itself may not be actually real. In fact, freedom is an ideal that cannot be exemplified or realised in reality. It is an ideal because people put their faith in it, and wish for it incessantly, even though they themselves may not be aware. It is an ideal because there is no such thing as being truly free; having not to account for your actions and the impact of your actions on others, or not being restricted by any rule regardless whether these decisions are moral or not. It is an ideal also because a hermit living in complete isolation from others cannot claim that his actions in the way he lives does not impact or affect anyone, simply because he exists. Freedom is an ideal, albeit one that seems to manifest in certain societies because it is so sought after, true freedom cannot exist in reality. As such, Man can only hope to be truly free in their dreams.
Your parents first gave you a name, and your country gave you an identification number on your birth certificate when you were born. When you grow up, you are judged based on your merits and demerits - your strengths, intelligence, obedience, jail records - and your success in life is often determined by such factors. Labels. The onslaught of labels slapped onto you since the day you exist contribute to one reason why true freedom does not exist. Each label we accumulate represents accountability. For example, an university graduate who holds a degree in law is expected to be well-versed in the study, and his performance as a lawyer reflects on the credibility and ability of his university to churn out good students. Therefore, he is indirectly accountable for his actions to the university. Such accountability infringes on one's freedom, for he is no longer able to act like he wants to, but is bound by expectations and labels.
When we think of freedom and of a country, the first thing in mind that comes to us is often the United States of America. For Americans, they have long hankered after freedom. Americans are allowed to wield guns, they are allowed the privilege of free speech; but have they attained true freedom? I highly doubt so. Just like any other country, America has a hierarchy system which ranks the President at top and the common citizens at the bottom of the ladder. At each rung of the social ladder Americans have their duties and roles to play for the nation. Although small, the behaviour of one citizen can amass an effect large enough to impact the nation. Due to this effect, laws governing the nation are crucial to survival, and these restrictions (although beneficial to the country and its people) are nevertheless a barrier to Man's desire of being truly free in reality.
Imagine, when you retreat from reality and into your own world of dreams and imagination. You are free to make up stories of knights in shining armour and villains who kill for the fun of it. You see someone you have a crush on in your dreams and you manoeuvre yourself in the position to love that person. You see your nemesis, or the person who caused your parent's death and you kill him there. In your dreams, there are no restrictions, no one dictating that what you do is wrong, that you have failed. Man sees what he wants to, do as he pleases - to many, that is being truly free.
However, there is a question we should ask ourselves; do we not break out in cold sweat after we imagine ourselves killing someone, or feel happy after we had a good dream? My point here, simply, is that while we are free to dream about what we want, reality still hinges upon us in our dreams. Ever since we were young, reality had shaped our mindsets and our morals. Our reactions towards our dreams reflects who we are intrinsically. The shame, happiness, guilt and sorrow we experience after a dream happen because we are bound by reality. Even in dreams we often do not imagine ourselves doing something people term as 'crazy' - like running nude around a city. According to experts, the absence or presence of desires in our dreams often reflect what we want in real life, and since what we had experienced in real life is so hopelessly interwoven by labels and expectations and boundaries and socialised into us, we cannot say that we are truly free even in our dreams because we are eventually accountable to ourselves and what life has ingrained in us. Our heart, and drilled-in morality since young restricts us and prevent people from relishing in their freedom while in the state of dreaming.
The concept of freedom being an ideal, it is therefore impossible for Man to embrace it regardless whether he does so in reality or the dream world. Man is eventually accountable to himself and restricted by his own birth and his innate nature; he cannot be truly free.
"Only in their dreams can Man be truly free." Comment.
Freedom is a desire that is innate in Man. Ask anyone on the streets, whether they like the feeling of stress, or having to shoulder responsibility, or feeling as if they were bound to time - a slave - helpless to the ticking of the watch, facing a brand new day. Ask again, if anyone would want a life with lesser restrictions, and the choice to not account for their actions. Ask a child, if he would prefer to play or to study; if only he had a choice. Ask an inhabitant of the Great Sahara, if he ever thought of living in a less harsh environment. This is how freedom is expressed unknowingly or explicitly, through a person's thoughts and actions.
The concept of freedom itself may not be actually real. In fact, freedom is an ideal that cannot be exemplified or realised in reality. It is an ideal because people put their faith in it, and wish for it incessantly, even though they themselves may not be aware. It is an ideal because there is no such thing as being truly free; having not to account for your actions and the impact of your actions on others, or not being restricted by any rule regardless whether these decisions are moral or not. It is an ideal also because a hermit living in complete isolation from others cannot claim that his actions in the way he lives does not impact or affect anyone, simply because he exists. Freedom is an ideal, albeit one that seems to manifest in certain societies because it is so sought after, true freedom cannot exist in reality. As such, Man can only hope to be truly free in their dreams.
Your parents first gave you a name, and your country gave you an identification number on your birth certificate when you were born. When you grow up, you are judged based on your merits and demerits - your strengths, intelligence, obedience, jail records - and your success in life is often determined by such factors. Labels. The onslaught of labels slapped onto you since the day you exist contribute to one reason why true freedom does not exist. Each label we accumulate represents accountability. For example, an university graduate who holds a degree in law is expected to be well-versed in the study, and his performance as a lawyer reflects on the credibility and ability of his university to churn out good students. Therefore, he is indirectly accountable for his actions to the university. Such accountability infringes on one's freedom, for he is no longer able to act like he wants to, but is bound by expectations and labels.
When we think of freedom and of a country, the first thing in mind that comes to us is often the United States of America. For Americans, they have long hankered after freedom. Americans are allowed to wield guns, they are allowed the privilege of free speech; but have they attained true freedom? I highly doubt so. Just like any other country, America has a hierarchy system which ranks the President at top and the common citizens at the bottom of the ladder. At each rung of the social ladder Americans have their duties and roles to play for the nation. Although small, the behaviour of one citizen can amass an effect large enough to impact the nation. Due to this effect, laws governing the nation are crucial to survival, and these restrictions (although beneficial to the country and its people) are nevertheless a barrier to Man's desire of being truly free in reality.
Imagine, when you retreat from reality and into your own world of dreams and imagination. You are free to make up stories of knights in shining armour and villains who kill for the fun of it. You see someone you have a crush on in your dreams and you manoeuvre yourself in the position to love that person. You see your nemesis, or the person who caused your parent's death and you kill him there. In your dreams, there are no restrictions, no one dictating that what you do is wrong, that you have failed. Man sees what he wants to, do as he pleases - to many, that is being truly free.
However, there is a question we should ask ourselves; do we not break out in cold sweat after we imagine ourselves killing someone, or feel happy after we had a good dream? My point here, simply, is that while we are free to dream about what we want, reality still hinges upon us in our dreams. Ever since we were young, reality had shaped our mindsets and our morals. Our reactions towards our dreams reflects who we are intrinsically. The shame, happiness, guilt and sorrow we experience after a dream happen because we are bound by reality. Even in dreams we often do not imagine ourselves doing something people term as 'crazy' - like running nude around a city. According to experts, the absence or presence of desires in our dreams often reflect what we want in real life, and since what we had experienced in real life is so hopelessly interwoven by labels and expectations and boundaries and socialised into us, we cannot say that we are truly free even in our dreams because we are eventually accountable to ourselves and what life has ingrained in us. Our heart, and drilled-in morality since young restricts us and prevent people from relishing in their freedom while in the state of dreaming.
The concept of freedom being an ideal, it is therefore impossible for Man to embrace it regardless whether he does so in reality or the dream world. Man is eventually accountable to himself and restricted by his own birth and his innate nature; he cannot be truly free.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)