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This weekend was absolutely boring and terrible. I spent the whole 2 and half days frantically doing my homework. I had seven homework to do for the weekend. I had a mathematics worksheet, a literature tutorial, a Chinese composition, a science mind map, a geography worksheet and a difficult History worksheet which I had no idea to do. I was panicking when I received the homework on Friday. That was a lot of homework for just two days. Everyone was stressed. It seemed impossible to finish, well at least at that point of time. On top of those work I had to complete a PowerPoint presentation by Monday. Almost all of the work needed to be completed by Monday. It was a gruelling task. I have decided to spend the whole weekend completing the work assigned. Friday was not a good day. The moment I had reached home, I started work. I did not want to be the ones who rush to the death to finish the work on Sunday. However, it did not turn out well on Friday. I fell asleep.I was simply too tired at 5pm and I sleep to dinner. I only completed one mathematics worksheet. Perhaps the calculations had gone to my head and realised that I had not made much progress. This was Certainly Marvellous! (Lucky for me, I did work at night)
On Saturday, I went to a friend's house to do the project. I ended up stay there for the whole day from 9 to 5(REALLY) I did the project and completed the history worksheet. That took like 4 hours. We needed to do research and when put 2 perfectionists together we get slow work progress. Well, at least we did the work well (according to our standards) my friend was very helpful but very stressed out too, similarly to me. We completed the work together and much work was completed after the history worksheet. We helped each other a lot. He is a great guy.
Saturday was productive and Sunday was better. At around 4pm, all the work was finally done. I did not go out for the whole weekend with the exception of the trip to my friend's house. However, it was for work too. We did not have fun of any sort. I was frustrated. The whole weekend was gone like that. No fun No play No relax. I guess this is the Secondary 2's life. Never did I think I would get satisfaction from this.
The schooldays had arrived. The day the various homework was to be submitted. You should have seen the situation the class was in. It was chaotic. I arrived at 7am at the classroom. The moment I step into the classroom, I heard" Hey, let me copy”. There were many people in the classroom, most of which were busy doing the homework which was supposed to be done during the weekend. Most of them hurried to do the history worksheet. The deadline for submition was at 7.30am during flag-raising. Some people were panicking, frantically asking other for answers or even worse, simply copying them. People moved from left to right and right to left, begging, requesting or getting answers for the homework. I reckoned that they forgot to do, lazy to do or did not know how to do their homework. I was standing aside "marvelling" at the commotion in the morning. In the midst of the commotion I felt happy. (To make this clear, I am not a sadist) I was happy because I had done my work. I did not copy others answers but did them by myself (of course with the occasional help from friends. I was happy because I was self-disciplined. I took my homework as top priority during the weekend therefore I was not one of those people trying desperately to complete their homework at the eleventh hour. Even though I had complained much about the workload, to be able to complete it gave me a sense of satisfaction.
I have a policy (I set it myself).That policy is that I work first before I play and suffer first before I enjoy. If I cannot finish the work, I do not play. That is how it is. People may say I am a boring person but this policy is helpful to prevent yourself from the humiliation of being reprimanding by the teacher and also trains oneself to be more responsible. I would rather be the one standing aside watching others in the classroom than be the one panicking to finish his work. Do you agree?
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
The Pain of Hunger
Today was an unpleasant day.I did not get scolded or fell down or something like that.I experienced something that I had not experienced in a while,extreme hunger.People may feel hungry but they usually eat before they do or fill their bellies when their stomachs growl.However for me,this time was different.School had become a torture,not because the dread of learning or doing homework,but the hunger I needed to tolerate for the day.
It turned out fine in the morning,I ate a slice of bread(I cannot eat much in the morning)How I regret not to eat more.As it would be the only meal excluding dinner.I had awaken at 6.00 am and ate somewhat around that time.Then I made my way to school.I was actually thinking what to eat during recess and it never occurred to me that I would be forced to sacrifice my recess for the greater good(exaggerating),my schoolwork.Yes,recess had arrived,but I had no time to take it.I had to meet a teacher and it took up 15 minutes of the recess.The rest of the recess was used to finish my Chinese composition given by the Chinese teacher the period before.As everybody could not finish,he extended the deadline till recess was over.Thus,I frantically scrambled to complete the composition while ignoring the annoying growl of the stomach.To comfort myself,I thought I could eat my lunch later in the day.Well,at least I thought I could.
As the lessons went by,I realised it was harder for me to concentrate.When I stood up,I felt weak in the legs. Paying attention was a drag.With the growling stomach,it was worse.The last lesson was Art so we had to make our journey back to the classroom.As the Art teacher let us off about 10 minutes late and the journey back to class was 5 minutes. It only left 15 minutes of lunch time to grab a bite.However,it slipped my mind that my form teacher wanted to handle some administrative matters.And "SNAP" another 10 minutes was gone.A meagre 5 mins was left.I had a workshop at 2.10pm which was only 5 minutes later.The workshop will end at 4.10pm,Therefore,I had skipped recess and lunch in a day.Without eating for 10 hours,more than twice the time taken for food to digest,is definitely not good for the stomach.
But who am I to complain.There are thousands or in fact millions who are worse off than me.These people have perhaps less than a bowl of rice in three days.Then again,they may not have the privilege to eat rice at all.They struggle everyday with starvation as they barely make ends meet.If they could eat and survive,,they are contented.Yes,they are the children and adults in Africa.My hunger is nothing compared to theirs.They have suffered so much more than any of us combined.They really deserve our sympathy and yet people of today still waste food when there are people out there dying of hunger.
Today,I learnt that to be able to eat is a luxury while to bear hunger is a torture.We should not take food for granted as others are contented with the little food they have.Hunger makes you weak and unable to focus.In this fast-paced society,it is common for people to skip meals.However,it is highly recommended not to.As I say once again, to eat is a privilege so we must treasure it.
It turned out fine in the morning,I ate a slice of bread(I cannot eat much in the morning)How I regret not to eat more.As it would be the only meal excluding dinner.I had awaken at 6.00 am and ate somewhat around that time.Then I made my way to school.I was actually thinking what to eat during recess and it never occurred to me that I would be forced to sacrifice my recess for the greater good(exaggerating),my schoolwork.Yes,recess had arrived,but I had no time to take it.I had to meet a teacher and it took up 15 minutes of the recess.The rest of the recess was used to finish my Chinese composition given by the Chinese teacher the period before.As everybody could not finish,he extended the deadline till recess was over.Thus,I frantically scrambled to complete the composition while ignoring the annoying growl of the stomach.To comfort myself,I thought I could eat my lunch later in the day.Well,at least I thought I could.
As the lessons went by,I realised it was harder for me to concentrate.When I stood up,I felt weak in the legs. Paying attention was a drag.With the growling stomach,it was worse.The last lesson was Art so we had to make our journey back to the classroom.As the Art teacher let us off about 10 minutes late and the journey back to class was 5 minutes. It only left 15 minutes of lunch time to grab a bite.However,it slipped my mind that my form teacher wanted to handle some administrative matters.And "SNAP" another 10 minutes was gone.A meagre 5 mins was left.I had a workshop at 2.10pm which was only 5 minutes later.The workshop will end at 4.10pm,Therefore,I had skipped recess and lunch in a day.Without eating for 10 hours,more than twice the time taken for food to digest,is definitely not good for the stomach.
But who am I to complain.There are thousands or in fact millions who are worse off than me.These people have perhaps less than a bowl of rice in three days.Then again,they may not have the privilege to eat rice at all.They struggle everyday with starvation as they barely make ends meet.If they could eat and survive,,they are contented.Yes,they are the children and adults in Africa.My hunger is nothing compared to theirs.They have suffered so much more than any of us combined.They really deserve our sympathy and yet people of today still waste food when there are people out there dying of hunger.
Today,I learnt that to be able to eat is a luxury while to bear hunger is a torture.We should not take food for granted as others are contented with the little food they have.Hunger makes you weak and unable to focus.In this fast-paced society,it is common for people to skip meals.However,it is highly recommended not to.As I say once again, to eat is a privilege so we must treasure it.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Changes,changes and more changes
Whew, finally the year 2009 has gone and past.Now,a new chapter of my life has unfolded,that is a Secondary 2 life. It is amazing to think back on all the good times and HORRIBLE times in the past year. Just when you regain your "consciousness", you realise how time has passed so fast. 2009 had been a good year in a new school. It had been a very eventful one.With CCA,project work and academic studies,one can really lose track of time.
The past few days were not very eventful, as expected.The first few days of school is to allow teachers to do some administrative work like introducing themselves. I thought this year would be the same as the last.I was soon corrected.
My school has introduced to us a new type of teaching called Just In Time Teaching. Students are supposed to read the materials given by the teacher beforehand.Students are expected to read them the day before and ask questions to clarify on the next. I know this type of teaching is supposed to stimulate critical thinking and makes you an independent learner but one cannot help but feel insecure.Though the teacher can still answer your questions,I am not sure whether it will be effective as the previous system.With this independent style of learning, I wonder how those people would are lazier will catch up with the teacher.Everything goes at a much faster pace.In this first year of the new system i am certain many people have not adapted to this style. I wonder why the school or the government changes the educational system so frequently.
It feels like to me that every single year there is a change in the system. During Sec 1,it was hard to adapt to the school's system.Now,when we are comfortable with the system,the system changes. I guess that ,yes, school have to change the system to catch up with the time but isn't changing too much put students at a disadvantage. Students grades may drop due to changes. I too feel very nervous about this year as the new system has brought about new challenges. I just hope I can adapt to it.
This year, my class is a future class.Sounds weird? It is actually a class that relies more on technology.We used computers more often to get answers and do work.Thus,people are highly encouraged to bring their own laptop to school( Now my bag pack weighs 2 kg more)This is yet another CHANGE.This change has been well received by my classmates not because they have the Internet to learn from but the games they can play during recess.This is actually not allowed but with the convenience of the computer,some just cannot resist the temptation to play.That is one of the cons about the system.We are supposed to have the discipline not to play computer games.As the teacher cannot check on the students so often,it is up to the students to exercise self-control.This convenience is a privilege and should not be taken for granted.The Internet allows the students more free space and perhaps learning "outside the box" during school time and not to amuse yourselves as it may distract us.
Another change is that I am not the chairman anymore.After 3 whole terms of the post,this responsibility has been lifted off my shoulders. During the election,I was nominated and voted as chairman again.However,after much deliberations,I have declined it.It was pretty nice of Mr Lau to understand my decision. After 3 terms of work,it is time to have some new "blood"(more enthusiastic than me) joined the class committee.Up to now,I questioned myself,did I make the right decision.Was it right to decline the post?I do not know.Perhaps one side of me does not want to take up so much responsibility. Being the Chairman is a leadership opportunity and a good experience, but a heavy responsibility.The class always count on you. When I declined the post,I wonder if I had disappointed others like the teacher.After a new person was elected, I felt that actually a part of my identity in school was erased. I was known as the chairman of class 1O1. I am happy that the term is over yet not as happy as I thought I would be.This is bittersweet.This is ironic.When you have something,you want to get rid of it.When you get rid of it,you don't feel as happy as you thought you will be.Weird?
Having said so much,I realise there is only one thing that is certain. That is change. As we grow up,we meet with many changes. The question is whether we can adapt to them .
The past few days were not very eventful, as expected.The first few days of school is to allow teachers to do some administrative work like introducing themselves. I thought this year would be the same as the last.I was soon corrected.
My school has introduced to us a new type of teaching called Just In Time Teaching. Students are supposed to read the materials given by the teacher beforehand.Students are expected to read them the day before and ask questions to clarify on the next. I know this type of teaching is supposed to stimulate critical thinking and makes you an independent learner but one cannot help but feel insecure.Though the teacher can still answer your questions,I am not sure whether it will be effective as the previous system.With this independent style of learning, I wonder how those people would are lazier will catch up with the teacher.Everything goes at a much faster pace.In this first year of the new system i am certain many people have not adapted to this style. I wonder why the school or the government changes the educational system so frequently.
It feels like to me that every single year there is a change in the system. During Sec 1,it was hard to adapt to the school's system.Now,when we are comfortable with the system,the system changes. I guess that ,yes, school have to change the system to catch up with the time but isn't changing too much put students at a disadvantage. Students grades may drop due to changes. I too feel very nervous about this year as the new system has brought about new challenges. I just hope I can adapt to it.
This year, my class is a future class.Sounds weird? It is actually a class that relies more on technology.We used computers more often to get answers and do work.Thus,people are highly encouraged to bring their own laptop to school( Now my bag pack weighs 2 kg more)This is yet another CHANGE.This change has been well received by my classmates not because they have the Internet to learn from but the games they can play during recess.This is actually not allowed but with the convenience of the computer,some just cannot resist the temptation to play.That is one of the cons about the system.We are supposed to have the discipline not to play computer games.As the teacher cannot check on the students so often,it is up to the students to exercise self-control.This convenience is a privilege and should not be taken for granted.The Internet allows the students more free space and perhaps learning "outside the box" during school time and not to amuse yourselves as it may distract us.
Another change is that I am not the chairman anymore.After 3 whole terms of the post,this responsibility has been lifted off my shoulders. During the election,I was nominated and voted as chairman again.However,after much deliberations,I have declined it.It was pretty nice of Mr Lau to understand my decision. After 3 terms of work,it is time to have some new "blood"(more enthusiastic than me) joined the class committee.Up to now,I questioned myself,did I make the right decision.Was it right to decline the post?I do not know.Perhaps one side of me does not want to take up so much responsibility. Being the Chairman is a leadership opportunity and a good experience, but a heavy responsibility.The class always count on you. When I declined the post,I wonder if I had disappointed others like the teacher.After a new person was elected, I felt that actually a part of my identity in school was erased. I was known as the chairman of class 1O1. I am happy that the term is over yet not as happy as I thought I would be.This is bittersweet.This is ironic.When you have something,you want to get rid of it.When you get rid of it,you don't feel as happy as you thought you will be.Weird?
Having said so much,I realise there is only one thing that is certain. That is change. As we grow up,we meet with many changes. The question is whether we can adapt to them .
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