Tagged

1. Besides your lips, where is the favourite spot to get kissed?
-Depends on the kisser.

2. How did you feel when you woke up this morning?
-Like the dead

3. Who was the last person/people you took a photo with?
-Zhi Hui while in KL.

4. Would you consider yourself spoiled?
-No.

5. Will you ever donate blood?
-Yes. A+ anyone?

6. Have you ever had a best friend who was of the opposite sex?
-Yes.

7. Do you want someone to be dead?
-Peace-loving Homo sapien here.

8. What does your last text message say?
-"Hmm. She din mention."

9. What are you thinking right now?
-How the Education Ministry is dense enough to implement the 7-to-4 schooling system.

1o. Do you want someone to be with you right now?
-Yes.

11. What was the time you went to bed last night?
-12:30 pm.

12. Where did you buy the tee you are wearing now?
-A shirt. It's a hand-me-down.

13. Is someone on your mind right now?
-Perhaps.

14. Who was the last person who text you?
-Nyit Yi

Ten Lucky Person to do this quiz:
1. Chin Hui
2. Ee Xin
3. En Jun
4. Janna
5. Nyit Yi
6. Phui Yan
7. Pui San
8. Vic Qi
9. Sam
10.Jean-li

15. Who is no.2 having a relationship with?
-Single and available!

16. Is no.3 a male or a female?
-[Fe]male.

17. If no.7 and no.1 get together, would it be a good?
-The world is upside-down.

18. What is no.1 studying about?
-Nursing, soon.

19. When was the last time you chatted with them?
-School?

20. Is no.4 single?
-Frankly, I don't know.

21. Say something about no.2?
-My classmate in my first year of secondary school and her final year in school.

22. What do you think about no.3 and no.6 being together?
-What's with these kind of questions? NO. Of course. It'll defy the law of nature.

23. Describe no.9?
-Guitar pro eating all the yummy fish and chips in London!

24. What will you do if no.6 and no.7 fight?
-I would whack them into right mind.

25. Do you like no.8?
-Yeah.

WHY FORM 6 STUDENTS SHOULD GO HOME AT 1 PM.

Edited: Extra point to strengthen my stand.

I believe that most Form 6 students have been fretting about or probably cursing the new Form 6 system. All are not to blame because this so-called wonderful system comprises of several extra tedious hours of school, extending to the late afternoon at 4 pm.

Preposterous, I say.

My caseline stating that Form 6 should NOT be extended till 4 pm are as follows. (And we better hope some big shot up there is reading our grouses and hopefully, take a suitable course of action.)

1. Global warming. As we can see for the past few days, the weather is unbearably erratic - hot and rainy, but mostly hot. Of course, the Education Ministers don't experience this because they are cooped up from 9 to 5 in an air-conditioned room. We, on the other hand, study in open-air classrooms with barely enough fans to ventilate 45 students. Sure, the government can say, "Let's allocate several air-conditioning units per school for Form 6 classes." But, think rationally. Who's going to pay the electricity bills? This poses a problem for semi government-aided schools like ACS. And then, this hefty bill will be pushed to the students (who are still recuperating from buying the overly-priced text books). "RM 1 per month for air-cond!" Utter injustice.

2. It would be safe to assume that most of the people who suggested this ridiculous plan never entered Form 6. So, they would have never known that Form 6 is a mountain of a challenge. If 5 hours of heavy continuous studying in the morning is bad enough to get a elephantine headache, what more in the hot afternoon? STPM is no child's play like SPM. We could actually sleep in Physics class in Form 5 and get a top grade everytime. But, if you do that in Form 6, you might as well quit the rat race now. We still need time to revise and pore over every minute detail after lessons. With longer schooling hours, our revision time is greatly reduced and we would be mentally and physically exhausted. Do the math:

Current system:

12 waking hours - 2 hours for essential daily activities* - 5 normal school hours = 5 hours of individual revision

New system:

12 waking hours - 2 hours for essential daily activities* - 5 normal school hours - 3 extra hours of school = 2 hours of individual revision

* includes meal time, bathing, etc.

3. Extra curricular activities. IPTAs and even foreign universities put extra emphasis on ECA nowadays. They don't just want a booksmart kid who gets hit by balls and nosebleeds every PE lesson. They want all-rounders. Usually ECAs are carried out during after-school hours, but, now, there can be no ECAs for Form 6 students as they'll be sitting in their oven-like classes either a) day-dreaming, b) frying their brains trying to grasp Physics concepts or c) staring out the window watching the Football Club dribbling balls on the green field. So, where on earth, may I ask, can we procure ECA marks? Group all activities on Saturdays? Nonsensical. Here's the math:

Period of Time, t1, for uniformed bodies > 3 hours

Period of Time, t2, for clubs/societies > 2 hours

Period of Time, t3, for sports clubs > 2 hours

Total time, t > 7 hours

We already have no PE classes, give us our playtime too!

4. Tuition. Most Malaysian students (due to the inadequacy in the education system), attend tuition classes and I am one of them too. We have meticulously arranged tuition classes to suit our schooling time, ECAs and other commitments eg. religious events, family duties. This system will throw all our careful planning into a complete mess and what a hassle it will be for tuition centres and tuition teachers.

5. Put yourselves in teachers' shoes too, MOHE. Imagine dealing with a bunch of hooligans every single day, not only in the sense of teaching but also disciplining. All the experienced and excellent old-school teachers might just bail out on you guys by a) opting out early or b) not extending their services till they're 58.

6. Canteen food sucks. No offence, ACS-ians who actually think that the canteen food is great. Wait till you try MGS - 13 stalls. Extra expenses will be incurred on students daily as we'll have to eat the expensive food twice a day - mid-morning recess and lunch. Usually, we get to cut costs, moms cook, we eat. Besides, there's a higher chance of getting a mass food poisoning case. ^^

7. It is incorrect to say that Form 6 is the cheapest option of pre-university studies because unfortunately, it is not. If calculated, books, school fees, contributions to school development funds, food, stationery, uniforms, class fund and other expenses will total up to approximately RM 30, 000 for the entire period of one and a half years. With the new 4 o' clock system, extra expenses have to be included in the expenditure list. For example, food and not to mention, the extra compulsory air-conditioning fee. Money does not grow from trees. I do realise that there are many students even in the first class from families of 5 that rely on RM 800 from a sole breadwinner or just on a minimal pension. How unfair it is to throw a whole family which is struggling to just get food on the table into a mudhole.

8. WE ARE EXTREMELY FED UP OF BEING GUINEA PIGS. I think that this generation of students is a guinea pig generation. Let's see what tests have we been subjected to so far:

Experiment 1: To ensure no more leaping from Standard 3 to Standard 5.

Method: Cancel the obsolete PTS test.

Results: Probably worthwhile.

Experiment 2: To produce better and more competitive graduates in the global field.

Method: Indroduce Science and Math in English.

Results: A good step, but poor planning. And now they want to revert to Malay again?!

Experiment 3: To alleviate STPM results, probably.

Method: Lengthen schooling hours for Form 6 students till 4 pm.

Enough is enough. We're here to study and are not subject to political winds and your whims and fancies. We're human too. We need time for play, rest, family time, personal time. If you are thinking that this is just a mere grouse of a lazy and emotion-driven teenager, come over and see what we experience everyday. Come and taste the life of Form 6. Rethink your plans, Minister of Higher Education, sir. I dare say that this is a futile effort to alleviate the nation's STPM results. You want better grades in STPM, upgrade the secondary education to a higher level. If India's education system is such that 13-year-olds study Biology, Chemistry and Physics, why can't Malaysia do so too? I stand firm that the schooling hours should not be lengthened, because it's just a waste of effort, energy and resources. Just stick to 1 pm, please.

Yours truly,

Guinea Pig.

Change. Yes We Can!

Dear all fellow Form 6 bloggers who share the same sentiment as I,

Are we just going to sit still and be quiet? For me, I think that I am unable to do so. Let's stand up for ourselves. It's time to put your writing skills to use, bloggers! Write to the papers, be vocal about this.

"Change" - the word of the year. Do you believe in it?

I know I do.

What about you?

Yours truly,

Guinea Pig on Fire.

A Japanese Weekend

It was a great big Japanese weekend for me. Monbukagakusho exams and late lunch at Sakae in 1 Utama again!

On the exams, it was relatively okay except for Mathematics because I couldn't understand anything! Biology was fine but there were a lot of things that we've never learnt before - presumptive fate, presumptive neural region, gastrulas. No idea. Hotate Kimuchi was wonderfully delectable. Great to say that Zhi Hui was there too. Unfortunately, one of the first things she said to me was, "I can't believe you're the last schoolmate I'll be seeing before I leave tomorrow." Malacca.

I balked.

So soon? Unfortunately, yes.

However, I'm really thankful for being able to spend more time with a different group of friends this year, and this really drew Zhi Hui and I closer together. I enjoyed the intense laughing sessions all the way to Chemistry tuition and back and even those in school and tuition. ACS is certainly much quieter without you! We're gonna miss your jovial nature. Enjoy Malacca!

I had a great lunch with Ee Xin, Yee San and deskmate Sok Wai today. Thumbs up. With lots of scary elements! :)

WARNING!

Beware! Sexual pervert on the prowl!

Fellow Ipoh-ites, expecially young girls in school uniforms, be alert at all times in public areas. I was unfortunate enough to encounter this mentally-distorted pervert in our very own Kinta City!

After school, I headed alone to Jusco to purchase my (expensive) Form 6 books from POPULAR. I saw a shelf full of dictionaries and naturally, I was drawn to it because I saw "Learn Japanese" and the Monbusho exam is this weekend. While browsing through the (expensive) language books, a Chinese man approached me from behind and started talking to me.

He is shorter than me. I'm about 1.68 metres in height and he's probably a good 5 to 10 centimetres shorter. He has a dark complexion for a Chinese - brown - with a weathered, deep-wrinkled face. I cannot exactly remember his facial features but I think he had a heart-shaped face. He's probably in his 40s or 50s and has a scruffy and unclean look. He wears a white T-shirt, shorts and slippers; all of which do not look clean. Unfortunately, I can produce no composite picture, so do keep these physical characteristics in mind.

At first, I could not understand him as he spoke in Chinese. It sounded like Cantonese, but Hakka at the same time. Mind you, my Chinese is bad and I've heard only Shao Wen speaking Hakka. He kept doing sniffing actions and I thought he was asking me to buy and sniff glue. But, when I heard the word "underwear", only did I realise what a scumbag he was. Beware, he steals underwear. The rest of his perverse "speech" is too 18-SX to tell here but, while you are reading this, I can see a thought cloud above your head, piecing the details together.

It is easy to say, "If I were you, I'd throw the dictionaries at him" or "I'll scream or kick him there.". Truth to be told, when you're in such a situation which you never thought would happen to you, you can't process the information methodically. To add to that, he was speaking in Chinese which totally disorientated me. So, always be on your guard. You never know when things like these happen.

I truly thank God for keeping me away from stupidity from following him (he asked me to) and that he never managed to lay a filthy finger on me. Thank God, I can't understand Chinese. It spared me from listening to some of his disgusting activities.

Wushu, Drums and The Art of Persuasion

Alright. I'm almost comfortable in ACS especially in the company of wonderful friends! We were streamed into classes and I'm currently in the first Physics class 6RB, which is a giant of 46 students but a dwarf of a classroom and with a towering monitor. But we fit. :)

Today, after the Teachers' Day organising committee discussion in the library, something beyond peculiar occured. Ms Mindy and Ms Chang were at the counter when Ms Mindy's eyes popped wide open upon seeing me. This was the exchange of words:

Ms Mindy: Mei Wen!

Me: Morning, teacher. It's Yi Wen.

Ms Mindy: Ah, yeah, Yi Wen. I dreamt of you last night. See, this intuition!

Me: ... *nervous laughter*

Ms Mindy: I dreamt that I told you not to play drums and be too involved in MADSoc because I wanted you to concentrate on your studies. And now, today, I see you here. Intuition!

Then...

Ms Chang: Girl, you play drums? Come here, come here.

Me: Yeah. *totters over with my school bag*

Ms Chang: We are forming a drum team under the Wushu Club. Would you like to join?

Me: Er. I just play rock but not things like that.

Ms Chang: Nevermind. Can already. It's the 24 inch drum. You know?

Me: *weird laughter*

Ms Chang: The government considered it as a warisan thing already and if a girl plays the drums, fuh! Come for practice today and you can perform on Teachers' Day! So you consider and I'll keep you in mind!

Ms Mindy: Welcome to ACS!

When I said eccentric in my previous post, I wasn't kidding. Maybe it's a "prophecy" to tell that I should not join MADSoc. Haha. (Btw, we were entertained by Nigel and Inuk's gay proposal during orientation!)

Well, I'm considering Ms Chang's invitation. It'll be quite cool, learning something new. But once again, STPM, STPM. And with Balakavitha and Beh trying to persuade us in applying for the prefectorial board, temptations, temptations that come with commitments!

"Buat Sehabis Baik"

During my early years in MGS, the most frequently asked question directed to me by seniors was, "Why are you a girl guide while you sister is in Girls' Brigade?"

I was an active Cub Scout in my primary school days. Surprised? However, I was completely disappointed at the inactive state of the Girl Guides which made me just slip out of the scene after a while.

I was looking through my Scout log books and boy, I've missed all those years of fun and adventure. I was undecided between Scouting and the Red Crescent Society. But Dad, being a former Scout, persuaded me to take this path that I'll never regret.

My first camp to obtain my Bronze Dagger Badge was a challenge with boy scouts raiding my tent for childish revenge, missing belongings and terribly cold mornings. But, from there, it made me a tougher kid with a passion for Scouting.

I went for another one the following year to attain my Silver Dagger Badge. We had a chance to stay at a brand new school in Buntong - complete with rubberized tennis courts. The same year, I received the Gold Dagger Badge.

The third and final camp for the Cub Scout Lanyard was a state level camp at Ulu Chepor, Chemor and I remember being the only Chinese girl in the whole camp! We raced against time to complete our log books so that we would be able to pass the exams for the highest title for a cub. It constantly rained at the waterfall and we were made to build tripods with coarse wood and rope slathered with wet sand from the rain. It was painful but every knot had to be tight because our tripods would be tested for strength (a big fat guy would stand on the tripod. If it collapsed, you'd have to rebuild). I also fell sick that time, enabling me to head home for the night, then return. It was hard, but, a priceless experience.

My 5 thick log books.

Kinta Troop 123 memorabilia.

I've kept all my merit badges except one which I've lost - house keeping. Haha.

Scouting was an integral part of my childhood. It kept me away from being a softie of a girl. The harsh scolding, sweltering heat, terrible food - these were just minor bits that made up the big experience and knowledge. I still remember the Scout promise and the 10 laws.

Trusty. Self dignity.

Loyal to the King, country, superiors and those beneath you.

Useful and helpful

Friend to all states, race or religion.

Courteous.

Kind.

Obedient, without questioning.

Patient and smiles during difficulty.

Thrifty.

Clean and pure in thoughts, words and actions.

I believe that all these laws apply to everyone - scout or no scout. It's a sound and right way of living. I do think that everyone should have such a rewarding experience regardless of gender. I certainly am thankful to God and Dad for this and I miss Scouting a lot!

~Once a Scout, always a Scout. (But I'll be joining BB in ACS!)

ACS and Singing in Harmony

London Bridge is falling down,
Falling down, falling down.
London Bridge is falling down,
My fair lady!

Build it up with silver and gold,
Silver and gold, silver and gold.
Build it up with silver and gold,
My fair lady!

Gold and silver I’ve not got,
I’ve not got, I’ve not got.
Gold and silver I’ve not got,
My fair lady!

No London bridges for me to build anymore. Or even in Australia or New Zealand. No JPA. No cash. :( Lesson learnt: Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Off to Form 6!

On a brighter note, I received a letter from the Monbukagakusho scholarship body. So, I'll be heading to KL for the exams. Got to squish a lil' bit of Japanese into my fist-sized brain in the next 2 weeks for added advantage! If that is possible..

Form 6 Orientation has been so far, a great bore. But I must say that ACS teachers are eccentric - not in a negative way, but rather, entertaining. It's really hot here unlike the airy MGS where the buildings are positioned to face the wind. The wind never does seem to blow here. And nothing can ever compare to the wonderful MGS canteen. Also, it feels peculiar to be scrutinized by the prefects when I've been doing that for 4 years! I've already decided what extra-curricular activities to partake in, namely, Boys' Brigade, Badminton Club, Christian Fellowship and the Voyager, but not MADSoc. Sorry, Nigel, you can't persuade me. :) I've barely settled in and I've got responsibilities on my shoulders already! Teachers' Day is on Monday and together with Sum, we're leading a team of organising committee! Two days only. But, the great part is, I CAN SKIP ORIENTATION TOMORROW! We'll be streamed into classes and I do hope to get the first Physics class. Gotta get to work on partial fractions and ionization energy vs. proton number graphs!

Matane!

I'm never one to get affected by farewells. But now, it's different as people close to me are leaving in droves. We just had a farewell for Jason, Di-yan and Adelyn. It was also an advanced birthday celebration for Adelyn too.

There were many loops and errors here and there or the outing (my bad), but we managed to have a sumptious dinner at MP and as expected, we were the last to leave. We celebrated the trio under the night sky in Polo Ground. It was really nice, to me.

Girlfriend! Di-yan and I had many so-called girl talks after MYF and they were so enjoyable. You're one dependable guy who always notices when something's amiss. I guess that's your speciality and that's why you attract the girls! Haha. It's a joy to have you around and have a great time in TAR!

Jason! I got pretty close to him this year. Cherating brought out the considerate and caring side of him and I really enjoyed our Kampar eating trips too. I'll always enjoy the time when both of us were competing furiously with one another to obtain our driver's license first. Call it a big joke, we ended up having the same test dates, tester, and even getting our licenses on the same day! All the best in KL!

And Adelyn - one of the closest of my girl friends. I totally cherish the amount innumerable hours we spent together and although you're just going to be around on weekends, I hope busyness will not trap us in totallyseparate lives. I'm still waiting for you to be my driver! :)

Night out in Ipoh Padang.