Wow. the exams are over. ok, so they've been over for close to a week, and i'm slow in updating. as usual, i'm going to do some predictions:

Physics - A or B
Chem - A
Chem S - Distinction/merit? (i'm hoping against hope here)
Maths - A or B or C
Econs - B or C or D (considering i fell asleep for a short while during the MCQ)
GP - A2 or B3

not as precise as my usual predictions, but well, this isn't a "usual" exam. in fact, i think i'm probably being WAY too optimistic. from these predictions, my best possible result is AAAB A2. hmm. i'd actually quite like that. it's not too shabby. and i'm not even going to work out the worst-case scenario, though anyone with more than 25 IQ points should be able to do it. there's no need to make myself worry, right? but i still can't shake the feeling that i'm setting myself up for a major letdown next year.

still, the A-levels are now a thing of the past (assuming i don't have to retake them). on one hand, i suppose that's a good thing, because it means liberation for me. and yet, it's bad also, because this means that my impending army enlistment date is drawing closer. with regards to when it is exactly, all i'll say is that it's soon. REALLY soon. sooner than i'd have liked, but oh well. can't change it; duty to the nation and all.

so...what have i been doing this past week? 3 words can cover it. they are: slacking, sleeping, gaming. nothing unusual about the first 2, but as for the third, i've finally started online gaming for the first time in my life. call me a late bloomer. as i've mentioned several times before, i'm currently hooked on City of Heroes. at present, i have 4 characters with levels ranging from 3 to 16 out of a possible 50. it's pretty fun, though it does get repetitive playing through the same missions so often.

with that, i think i've covered most of the stuff that's happened between my last paper and now. tomorrow, i have to go shopping for clothes, other random stuff, and get my eyes checked. should be fun.

-random thought of the day: Something still needs to be resolved...-

Physics today had a distinct "WTF, mate!??" quality to it. paper 1 went ok, as far as paper 1s go, but paper 2 was just plain...odd. who asks people to define a radian? and it took me quite a while to realize that that complex-looking circuit was a wheatstone bridge (which i did not read up on, by the way). and until now, i do not understand why/how i gave the definition for fusion when the question asked for fission. my life is *so* brilliant, isn't it?

and wait! it gets better!! the fact that there's chem and econs tomorrow doesn't make me a happy boy. ok, maybe chem will cheer me up a bit, but i have this (probably accurate) feeling that econs will screw it all up. still, must try to remain positive. in 48 hours, the worst will have passed. just 48 little hours. what's 2 days of suffering compared to 2 years of working? just grin and bear with it. it'll pass. it always does. just think of all the stuff i can do later!

it's getting late, and i should really be sleeping soon. after all, i have to be at full mental alertness if i want to make it through tomorrow.

-random thought of the day: Be strong.-

Unbelievable. simply unbelievable.

i think it's kind of screwed up when your parents debate on your subject combination. it's been 2 years already, and they still ask whether i take physics. i mean, it's on my entry proof for a reason, isn't it? why would i not take subjects that are there? and it's not as if they've never seen all my result slips, or met Mr Loh at all the PTMs before (he teaches my class physics, by the way). so...i don't know. to actually hear them asking me that question was akin to hearing someone ask if a proton was positively charged, for lack of a better example.

if i do decide to have kids in the future, i'm sure all these little things will help me be a better parent. that is, once again, if i do decide to have kids. at present, i don't think they fit anywhere into my plans for the future. just imagine. how embarassing would it be for my kids to read this? i don't even want to take a guess. but anyway, if kids do come, i think my personal experiences will help me in being better equipped to tackle any problems that do come up, and appear nice and approachable at the same time.

as mentioned previously, tomorrow brings physics 1 and 2. though it appears manageable, i shouldn't start counting chickens yet. who knows what surprises those people can pull? still, i'm determined to get an A for physics. because my teacher's ability can only be justified by an A, nothing less. after all, he *is* the tai chi master. and my class is the last that he'll teach in CJC. so, we are duty-bound to give him something to remember us by. as such, we must go in there tomorrow and use his DA BIAN TIAN XIA WU DI SHOU skills.

after tomorrow, the worst is over here. econs. arrgh. essay, followed by DRQ/MCQ/CSQ. PAIN!! HORROR!! OTHER UNPLEASANT WORDS!! you get the idea. econs is quickly turning out to be the most bleh of my subjects. in fact, i'm thinking of not turning up for the paper. this predicament sounds familiar, doesn't it? only now, i don't have 3 weeks to chiong the subject in question, as with history at O-level. oh well. i'll make the most of a bad situation i guess.

it's kind of weird. i know deep down that i have 10 days to go until EVERYTHING ends. but subconsciously, i'm telling myself that it's only 5 days (or 3, depending on how tired i'm feeling). it's the wrong attitude, but still, as long as it helps me gain more motivation, i figure it works.

lastly, just a heads-up to f maths and geog students. thanks to our good friend Mr Not-A-President (Bu-Shi Zhong Tong, get it?), your timetable's altered. check the channelnewsasia website for more details. as for me, i think i'm off to get some sleep. i'll need much much endurance and motivation for the coming week.

-random thought of the day: There are many mosquito bites on my legs...I wonder why.-

Cambridge examiners are screwed up. actually, that's like saying absolute zero is chilly, which is a gross understatement.

so far, another 2 papers have been completed since the last update, namely chem 1 and maths 2. both were pretty unremarkable. for some odd reason, i think i'm affected by exam stress to a greater degree than i was 2 years ago. i made some dumb errors, and thoughts didn't seem to flow smoothly in the exam hall. the stupid thing is, after leaving the hall, i could do most of the questions that stunned me in a minute or less, like that hydrocarbons one for chem. and drawing a probability tree never occured to me while doing stats. amazing. well, as it stands now, i'm predicting either a B or C for maths. it's still too early to say for the other subjects, as i haven't sat for some of them yet.

just 5 more days of exams, and i'm free. thing is, these 5 days are spread over 12 days. it's very...frustrating. next week is going to be the most taxing. three papers in one day isn't really good for health. and i really need to save my econs. now that i've screwed maths up, i can't take any chances with the other subjects.

physics 1 and 2 are next on my list. i suppose it's a bit of a slack subject for me. but i shouldn't get carried away just because of my prelim results. if my AABD were to drop a grade each *touches an entire rainforest's worth of wood*, that would really be quite sucky. so, i won't let that happen.

-random thought of the day: If I get an A for maths, I'll donate $100 to a randomly chosen charity organization. Serious.-

I absolutely loathe maths.

i don't know why, but i was panicking in school before the paper. i guess it's the lack of confidence. it felt way worse than the prelims did, which probably means i'll get below 60 marks for this. that means if i get full marks for paper 2, i just may be able to see my A around the corner. riiight. oh well. who knows? miracles just may happen, as long as my willpower is strong enough.

if there's one thing i need to learn, it's not to dwell on what has already passed. really important skill, that one. i'm still struggling to perfect it. i think i let the negative feeling during and after the maths paper last too long, which is why i'm trying to get rid of it through blogging, and this helps me save many many $$ in therapy bills. yay blogging!

chem tomorrow. i really should be sleeping now, or at least reading up for my option, but i figured it's better to vent a little before that. it clears the head. you know, i think i may want to reconsider teaching as a backup plan. somehow, i get worried for my students. that's not a bad thing in itself, but i tend to get too worried, especially when they can't give me the answers i'm looking for. worst thing is, i'm not even getting paid for tutoring them, so imagine if i was. i think they'd end up hating me for all the stuff i'd put them through.

anyway, back on the topic of chem. i'm actually feeling less confident than usual. but hey, this is the biggest exam of my life to date after all, so i suppose that's natural...sort of. my environment option appears to be totally shot, so i'm not placing my hopes too high on it. just a pass there would be nice. as for the rest, i think there are just a few more kinks that need to be ironed out, especially in transition metals. it's mainly describing trends that gets me. i tend to be better at applying stuff, instead of memorizing it. ah well. at least i can take comfort in the fact that the subject head thinks highly of my ability, and that i was taught by one of the best teachers ever, though that was quite long ago. even now, i remember one recommendation letter he wrote for me. reading it gives me such a tremendous morale boost, it's amazing.

just another 2 weeks. that's all. i can survive this. why? because i'm pro. simple as that. right? of course. as you can see, self-affirmation is the key here. we all need encouragement once in a while, no?

oh. i just remembered. those geniuses at creative have run out of stock for a silver zen micro. so that means my player (which, incidentally, malfunctioned again) is not coming back for a while. damn. just when i need it for studying music. bad things happen at the most opportune time. that's murphy's law. after having 2 zen micros die on me, i'm now convinced that apple>creative. so next time my mp3 player screws up, it's an ipod for me. heck, i may even just sell the replacement zen micro on ebay straight away. to hell with creative. i'd love to support local brands, it's just that they don't give me a good enough reason to.

man, it does feel good to be able to rant on and on without a care in the world. but, i think that's enough for now. i really need to sleep soon, and take my mind off things. i'm becoming too high-strung. i should try to calm down more, like O-level days. then again, as i've recently taken to saying, "the theory part's easy, but the practical isn't."

-random thought of the day: Ketones do not react with Tollen's reagent.-

To celebrate the end of A-levels umm...GP, i was considering starting this post with typical ah beng/lian typing. you know, like all the "lahzxzzzzzx", "miiieeee" and other assorted stuff like that, but i couldn't bring myself to do that. even i draw the line somewhere. in fact, just typing those 2 words already gave me the chills, so i quickly scrapped that idea. still, it's good to know that i don't have to go out of my way to catch myself on every un-grammatical thought or phrase that pops into my head any more.

as for the paper, it was generally ok, except for some time management issues. seems like practically the whole world (in the science stream, at least) did the science question. i, on the other hand, did the common language question. call me nonconformist. heh. i actually felt that it was still manageable. but the comprehension was a little tricky, especially the summary and AQ, which i did not have sufficient time to plan for. all in all, i think a B grade is within reach, though an A would be a nice surprise.

you know, i absolutely hate it when people move my notes. i know i've said this before, but people don't get the idea. it's dangerous to make a stressed guy angry, and the A-levels are a constant source of stress. so, the next time my notes or books are moved without my premission (at least before the 22nd), i'm going to track down the one who's responsible and rip that particular person a new...orfice. they will then be able to take a crap in 2 places at once. but seriously. i've just about had it with people trying to "organize" my stuff unnecessarily. next time this happens, the effects won't be pleasant.

-random thought of the day: 13 more papers to go!-

My mind is as still as a lake...

or not. actually, i'm in a whole lot of distress right about now. the A-levels start tomorrow, with GP leading the assault. despite my A1 in O-level english, i'm actually quite worried this time round. it's a big leap from O to AO standard, and and even bigger one from O to A level. hopefully i get an A2 minimum, though i'm not objecting to another A1.

well, 2 years of work will be justified here. time to give the nice folks across the world an impression of how much (or how little) effort has been put in during this time. this is truly the beginning of the end. all the best to all my friends, classmates, teammates, and any others whose acquaintance i've made in the past 18 years of my life.

-random thought of the day: 20 more days until it all ends.-