The Journey of Crossroads (Or Not)

The period of frantically applying for universities and scholarships is finally over.

My feelings throughout this period probably went like this:
Excited - Depressed - Apathetic - Hopeful - Resigned

Excited

It was the beginning of everything. I had gotten acceptance into a few UK universities (of which I was really keen on Warwick). I got offered the Nanyang Scholarship. I was going for a lot of interviews. Basically, there were many things going on and it felt like anything was possible, even the idea of possibly landing up overseas!

Depressed

However, harsh reality then set in after going for numerous rounds of interviews.

Here were a few that I went for and some of my experience (in case anyone's reading this in order to prep for future scholarship interviews):

CAAS

I only went for the first round. Overall, I thought that this was one of the more fun interviews I had. We were made to discuss certain issues and scenarios in a group. Luckily, I had nice members in my group, making the whole session much like a friend-making session rather than a competitive session. The only thing I could have probably improve was my oral skills. Having not spoken publicly for almost 4 months, it felt really difficult and unnatural for me to immediately get into debates and speeches.

Outcome: Rejected

PSC

Somehow, the entire PSC journey felt the most tiring to me. First, the psychometric test which I encourage everyone to take it as soon as possible; they are basically just MCQ questions.

Next, there was the 3 hour long psychological interview that felt the most torturous to me. If your answer was deemed to be not detailed enough/short, the psychologists would keep probing you. Although I get that they are supposed to probe in order to know you better, I thought the method of probing was rather vague and ended up making me feel frustrated as I tried to find out what exactly is the issue that they wanted me to answer. There were also times when I felt that I had nothing else to add on, but the psychologist continued probing. I was just wondering in my head, 'What else do you want me to add on? That's all there is to it!'

Next was the panel interview. The panel interview asked the weirdest questions. It's not that it's weird, but rather, everything was very hypothetical such that it made answering very difficult. They asked me about the moral values that a public servant should uphold. They also asked me about whether I would still go overseas if I had my own funds - basically, they were trying to insinuate that I might have the consensus that as long as it was government money, I was more willing to spend it without care/concern. They also asked why did I not choose Peking University even though I was from Dunman High.... (this question did annoy me a little) My interview was very short - less than 15 minutes only! This was compared to the person before me who took almost 25 minutes. An advice: please try to last about 20 minutes for panel interviews. Although people say that the duration does not matter as much as the depth of your answer, it does say something if they decide to cut the interview short as they are expected to fully assess where their investments go (aka you).

Outcome: Rejected (which was totally expected considering how my interviews went). Yet, at the end of the day, I did feel like I probably did not deserve it. I did not have a clear objective in mind when I went to the PSC Scholarship interviews. What was I going to do in PSC? Which ministry did I want to go to? Why PSC? Why public service? These are probably questions that everyone applying for PSC should try to answer. If you cannot answer any, then PSC is probably not for you, at least not yet. If that's the case, one should not bother wasting time applying for something you are not even sure about.

SIA

SIA's first round consisted of a series of written tests (time to brush up on your GP skills). There was also an interview in which they, again, asked me very weird questions:

- If you had your own funds (again!) to go overseas, would you still take up a scholarship bond? I replied no, saying that considering the risks (probably the wrong word to use) that I might not like my future job, it would be better to take the choice that avoids uncertainty. The guy interviewing me said that he agreed with my choice, but I think that answer probably left a less favourable impression of me.

- Do you think it's realistic for majority of the youngsters these day to go into their first company with the mindset that they will stay on for 6 years? Again, I said no, which was probably the wrong answer. I answered with the focus being on 'realistic'. No, it wasn't realistic according to statistics etc. However, after reaching home and asking my parents about it, it turns out I should have say something along the lines of: It may be unrealistic, but it's not impossible. As long as the company proves to be one that is willing to invest in the workers and provide opportunities for growth, it is not impossible for the young person to stay on for 6 years. 

Lesson: Always try to add anything negative you say with something positive. They are probably looking for someone optimistic and my reply probably didn't help my cause.

Outcome: Rejected

SMU

I basically went there without knowing it was scholarship interview; I thought it was an admissions interview, which would have been in a group, needing little preparation. I was very ill-prepared and answered questions very badly. Basically, I think it showed that I was practical. 

One of the interviewers asked me what my plan was. And I stupidly answered that if I got a scholarship from an organisation, I would go overseas. BAD ANSWER. Please, let no one ever make such as silly mistake as me.
Overall, I thought that I 'wasted' this interview because I absolutely had no preparation, both technical (reading up on SMU) or mental. My answers to their questions were mostly what I thought of on the spot, which tended to be very incoherent/ shoddy. Even I could tell I was obviously smoking my way through!

Outcome: No reply (Uni scholarships are a continuous process and they only offer it to the next best person if someone rejects it). But I am probably rejected.

Apathetic

MINDEF DMS

Mindef was probably the scholarship I wanted the most as I was really interested in being part of the organisation and contributing to policy work. 

Mindef's first round of interviews was the last few (it was near the end of April). By this time, I had already gone through so many interviews and rejections that I was feeling apathetic. "Whatever comes my way, shall come." I basically went in with that kind of mindset. Strangely enough, I think it was this mindset that made me perform better at the interview. I was quite calm during the interview and managed to do quite well, I would say. More importantly, they didn't ask questions related to funding (money questions), but questions on their organisation, my experiences etc. They even asked me what I thought about demolishing Lee Kuan Yew's house. This interview was probably one of my best.
Lesson: Stay calm and go in with a neutral mindset. This is probably the hardest lesson to put into practice though O_o

(More shall be continued later)

NUS

I went in with the same mindset as Mindef's first round scholarship. I went in and basically put what I learnt into practice. Be calm. Mention positive things when saying something negative.

I think I did pretty okay for it. They did ask me on what basis/ criteria would I choose between the 3 local unis, so the others might want to watch out for that.

Outcome: No reply

Hopeful

MINDEF DMS (continued)

I got invited to the second and final rounds of interview. This was when I thought that after all those rejections, there was actually a glimmer (?) of hope that I might be able to join MINDEF and go overseas (or even stay local because the idea of going overseas alone seemed scary at this point).

They would probably expand upon what you said in your first interview, along with your answers there and then. They asked me about what I thought regarding the policies towards South China Sea, since I mentioned it in one of my answers. I did think I was slightly more nervous compared to before. 

Outcome: Rejected. I was a definitely disappointed at being rejected even though I knew the chances of getting a MINDEF scholarship was extremely low. Still, the whole experience of going through the Mindef scholarship gave me a good impression and I might still apply for it as a job after graduating :)

Resigned

This is basically what I am feeling this week. 

After all the running back and forth to various locations (especially the West area), I am left with the Nanyang Scholarship (and NTU USP actually). 

There are also personal circumstances around me that changed, forcing me to basically limit my choices. Which I am actually quite upset about because I do not even get to choose amongst my local universities.

However, as a form of duty/obligation (? I have no idea how to even express why I do what I do), I need to choose the option which presents the least burden to the ones around me. I know that my family might not have pressured me in any way, but I am the type of person who cannot help but take certain issues into account. I guess I am left feeling disappointed because no one actually understands how I WANT to at least be given the choice to choose. Others might have felt relief that some of my options are closed, but frankly, that puts me off. 

Either way, even though NTU might not have been my first choice in the beginning, I am still going to enjoy my time there and make full use of the opportunities that my time at NTU would offer: lots of overseas exposure, staying at the newest halls, free tuition fees, USP opportunities and the experience of freedom/independence! 

I just really hope that my appeal to change courses gets through ._. Wish me luck!!!!

An Affair With Expedia

This post shall be about my virgin experience with Expedia and basically, booking online for a trip.

It all started when my friends and I decided to go on an overseas trip. Anyway, long story short, the trip evolved from going to Taiwan to going to Hong Kong.

So, I was on the train one day when I saw one of those hangers (I don't know what you call those) advertising Expedia, which was having an online travel fair. Me being me, I was extremely excited. 

Thus, I immediately went home and searched for some travel deals on Expedia. And... I found that booking a flight and hotel on Expedia was much cheaper than I had thought; my friends and I went to a travel expo fair recently so we kind of knew the market rates. 

I was super excited and encouraged my friends to book using Expedia. 

As events progressed, I ended up calling Expedia to see if they could guarantee us an extra bed for one of the rooms; the no. of people we had on our flights and hotel were different, spawning this complicated booking process. 

However, by this time (several days had already passed since I first checked Expedia out), the flight rates had increased (I HAD NO IDEA HOW AND WHY). But I still decided to check with an Expedia agent. 

Now, the rough estimates of prices I previously calculated using Expedia's online booking was inclusive of 20kg luggage check-in. 

Using online calling, I asked an Expedia agent if he could guarantee an extra bed. And what was the difference in rates if we booked the flight and hotel separately versus together.

To cut the long story short, the Expedia agent promised me a rate of $800+ for flight, saying it was inclusive of luggage check-in. I decided it was cheaper so I proceeded to ask him to book the flight (this was after approximately 1.5h of talking and waiting on the phone). 

It was only after booking the flight and hotel, then did he tell me that there "seems to be a bit of a problem". I was just thinking to myself, WHAT KIND OF PROBLEM.

Turns out, he booked the flight wrongly. The dates were correct but he didn't include check-in luggage. IMAGINE MY HORROR because this would mean the actual cost of the trip would have an additional $200+ in total. 

The agent didn't even apologise to me, and made it seem like it was due to a sudden rise in flight prices. When in actual fact, it was he who gave the wrong quote and booked the flight wrongly. He then transferred me to the Customer Support team, where no one picked up and the call got terminated.

I was very frustrated given that this happened at around 11pm at night (my stress levels tend to go up at night haha). I called the Customer Support team and they directed me to the flight team (they said for this case, we had to directly coordinate with the airline) and the call terminated again. I was very unhappy and irritated, especially since I was the one who pressed my friends to book via Expedia; we initially had other back-up plans to book cheap flights in order to lower costs. I felt as if the rise in costs for my friends was partially my fault.

The next day (which was the day of my PSC interview), I called Expedia again and they said I had to coordinate with the airline directly again. I was basically angry because the issue was with their booking, not the airline. They also did not have any form of back-up plan should the agent book wrongly.

Anyway, I proceeded to email both Expedia and TigerAir, asking for a cancellation of flight.

The complication comes in because TigerAir is a non-refundable airline, so I could not cancel my flight to change to a cheaper one.

TigerAir replied by saying the booking was made by Expedia, not them, so any changes should be made to Expedia. They could not offer me a fully refunded cancellation. This part kind of made sense, though I could not help but feel annoyed at their strict non-refund policy.

Expedia replied 5 days later; frankly, I was surprised that they would even reply me. 

They said that they had passed on this case to the relevant department and that I should expect a reply in 3-5 working days. 

So, I waited. After 5 working days passed with no updates, I emailed the person again, changing my stance from wanting a cancellation of flight to wanting a complimentary top-up of check-in baggage for all passengers. That way, the quote that the agent offered me (flight + baggage = $800+) would still hold. The person replied by saying the case has already been passed on and that I should called Customer support to check out what the progress was. After calling, a woman picked up. She proceeded to help me check out the case.

She initially said that they could not find the call log with my booking. I was shocked. All calls are supposed to be recorded right??? But apparently, there might have been a technical glitch. (Wow, what a coincidence.) I think she could tell I sounded disappointed in the phone call. She then proceeded to provide 2 options. I could:

1) Wait for the case to be approved by Management before I add on luggage

2) Add-on luggage first then wait for approval from Management to reimburse

I obviously chose option 1 because my friends and I were considering the option of sharing the check-in luggage to lower cost, should we not be able to get a complimentary top-up. 

She then told me to call back after 3 working days to check on the progress of the case. I was a little disappointed about the case still being unsolved, but I said okay.

3 working days later (on my birthday!), I called Expedia. A guy picked up this time. As usual, he read up on the case. He then proceeded to talk to the Management to find out the outcome.

And.....

They said that they would be willing to refund me the amount for the baggage check-in. 

I WAS ECSTATIC. (I mean, who wouldn't be?)

After so many days of waiting and going back and forth, I finally managed to get a complimentary baggage top-up. Frankly, I thought that I was never going to get it because I assumed that they would try to defend themselves and refuse to give any form of compensation. I was truly surprised and really happy (especially since this was my birthday). 

Even though my booking experience was initially less than satisfactory, the outcome made up for it. There were obviously many areas for improvement but I think that I would really have to thank those individuals within Expedia who helped me to forward this case and put it up for escalation.

That being said, I have learnt my lesson not to make bookings over phone calls because it is very hard to verify that the agent has booked the correct thing for you.

Overall, I think that I was really lucky for this issue to have been resolved with the outcome that I wanted :)

With lessons learnt from my first booking experience, hopefully my next one will be one without any problems.

Goodbye, Lee Kuan Yew

23 March 2015 marks a significant day in Singapore's history.

No matter what others say about his iron-fist rule, there is no denying the contributions that this man had done to develop Singapore into what she is today.

He will always have my respect.

Goodbye, Mr Lee Kuan Yew. And thank you for all that you have done.

Stay-at-home Moms

I refer to these article: 
Unfair to subsidise childcare for mums who opt not to work
Nothing for stay-at-home mothers in govt Budgets
2 nights ago, there was a discussion on whether stay-at-home moms (SAHMs for ease of typing) should get paid. Although I did not listen in on the discussion (as I was busy watching Let It Go on Channel U), I have a rough gauge on what the discussion was pertaining to (after searching the net as well).

Should families with SAHMs be subsidised for kindergarten/ childcare? (And wait, there's a difference between kindergarten and childcare?!)
Do SAHMs deserve the same subsidies on childcare as working mums?
Under what circumstances should SAHMs be compensated? And in what ways?

Now, for the first question: should families with SAHMs be subsidised for kindergarten/ childcare? Do they deserve the same subsidies as working mums?
First off, the difference between a kindergarten and childcare is:

• Childcare: FULL day care for your children, with meals
• Kindergarten: HALF day care for your child

So, working mums would typically belong in the child care category given that they are probably working all day. This explains the government subsidies on childcare for working mums only.

Now, let's look at the agenda behind the government subsidies for childcare for WORKING mums: the government wants to make it easier for working adults to start families. Furthermore, it is a kind of 'reward' for the mother who has decided to sacrifice time with her children in order to work. Hence, the government's aim is to basically encourage adults to work and have children at the same time. The reason is quite clear in that Singapore does not have much resource other than manpower, which is also tightening due to recent foreign labour policies.

In that case, if SAHMs are given subsidies for childcare (which would be weird, because didn't SAHM stay at home precisely because they wanted to take care of their kids?!), it would definitely discount the working mums who chose to sacrifice her own free time to work and pay taxes, which SAHMs do not.

In the article Nothing for stay-at-home mothers in govt Budgets, a SAHM Faith A Tan wrote, "... all these years, the annual Budget has had nothing for stay-at-home mothers. This is disheartening, as we are contributing to raising the next generation."

While she has certainly made a valid point about SAHMs raising the next generation, this applies to working mums as well. Are they not raising the next generation as well? In fact, if I may add, they are not only raising the next generation, but also contributing to the workforce. 

If you term 'raising' in other terms, such as character, then I would like to ask for one not to be too quick to judge. Just because one is raising her child at home personally does not mean that the child would grow up to be one of great character, wholesome growth... etc (you get the point). A child's character gets shaped in different ways. A child who goes to childcare might learn to make friends and be sociable. A child who sees the mom working hard during the day might learn the importance of being independent in order not to be a burden to her. Some of these skills might not be learnt with a SAHM.

Beside, being a SAHM is mostly one of personal choice. If that's the path that one, as a mother, has chosen, then one would have to be prepared for the circumstances ahead. Asking for financial assistance while being an SAHM who chooses family over work is not being fair to the working moms who chose to sacrifice family time to lighten the family's financial burden.

Furthermore, quantifying how much a mother gets paid for looking after her own child would just be weird. Looking after one's child is a duty, an obligation. If one simply chooses to spend more time with her child, does that mean should one get paid more?

That being said, there are of course extraordinary circumstances where a SAHM should be entitled to some form of help, but these can be filed under other types of assistance schemes, not one specially for SAHM.
Older SAHMs who have a divorce - alimony would usually be given by their husbands. Or if the husband is unable to afford it, the state should step in. In this case as well, the payment should only last for a few years to help offset any difficulties that the woman may face in finding employment after so many years staying at home. Afterwards, it would be unfair to force the husband to continue paying alimony, especially if the divorce was something they mutually agreed on.
SAHMs who have no choice - the child/family members has a serious illness (e.g. Down syndrome) and requires an immediate caretaker. For such cases, financial help should fall under help given to families with disabled members. Not sure if MSF has any assistance schemes for this. Either way, help given to such SAHMs should fall under a broader category, rather than a special category just for SAHMs.

Anyway, while I understand the dedication and trade-offs that SAHMs may face, let's not exaggerate and excessively glorify their sacrifices. Being a SAHM is still ultimately a personal choice with personal consequences, and it should stay like that.

Singapore's housing and planning

I read this news on todayonline titled "Siting flats further from city ‘may widen S’pore’s social divide’". The basic argument here is this:

"There is a risk that relegating new HDB estates to the outlying areas of Singapore, while planning a glittering array of architectural gems, luxurious residences and material offerings for the well-heeled in the city centre, could alienate a large part of the population,” - Wu Wei Neng

I think that what Mr Wu is suggesting is already happening. The government's tendency to build HDB housing in outlying areas means that there is already a segregation between the heartlands and the city area. Already, when one thinks of people who stay in Orchard, there is this perception of the upper-class who are rich. This possibly not only applies to the areas in the city, but also areas like Bukit Timah, which is also valued for its high land prices and good schools.

Other than the social divide, another implication is the stress on transport networks as everyone heads to the same place for work. I have already written on how I think decentralisation is the way to go here. Basically, with decentralisation, there will hopefully be no cases where an area is designated as 'special' for its economic value. Each area is also supposed to have good mix of private and public housing. In a way, each area is like a mini town (as if Singapore as a city is already not mini enough).

Yet, I admit that Singapore might have already gone too far down the path to turn back on some of its policies. Furthermore, I admit the concentration of certain industries would have what we call external economies of scale. Decentralisation also possibly poses its own set of challenges (such as divides between different areas, similar to the subtle East-West divide in Singapore).

Ultimately, for a sustainable development that can withstand the load for 7 million people, some form of decentralisation is needed, whether the government does so through the avenue of housing or work (as in the development of the Marina Bay Financial Centre).

On a side note, I find this Creative Craftsman thing really interesting!! The fact that a minimum salary is guaranteed for the carpenters is praise-worthy as well :)

A-levels

Since this blog does function as some kind of diary of mine, I thought I should just dedicate a blogpost to one of my life's important milestones.

I finally got back my A-level results on 3 Mar 2015, Monday.

It was a little nostalgic to be back in school after all those time (actually, it has only been 3 months).

Anyway, after all that tension and waiting, I finally got my results and it was the best that I could have hoped for. I got 6 distinctions!! (I got a B for Higher Chinese - a lasting mark on my results that was made 2 years ago) I was obviously very happy and relieved, seeing how I was nervous a few hours before, wondering if I unknowingly screwed up somewhere in my papers.

Ultimately, there were definitely some people who were happy and some who were sad.

Yet, the A-level journey has finally had its official closure and is over.

In the future, we will probably look back and realise that this episode of our life was no more than a mere episode. However, both you and I know that at this moment, it is more probably the biggest thing in our lives. So, I think it's fine if anyone want to brawl their eyes out now. Because you deserve the right to do so. Just remember that while this is most definitely a milestone, there are still many more to come.

Which also leads me to my next note to self: there are many more milestones; you cannot start slacking off now.

And now... off to write applications for scholarships and universities!

Making the most out of time

It has already been 2 months into the holidays since my A-levels ended. Amidst the Chinese New Year fervor, I have been reflecting upon what I have been doing the past few months.

I still remember the huge list of things that I wanted to get done during the A-levels. Funny how not much on that list has been accomplished. This happens for various reasons, with the most common being:

1) I am not free (since work has pretty taken up all my weekdays)

2) I have no money (which explains why I have to work)

3) I am simply too lazy

Reason no. 3 was the most surprisingly, and yet, predictable reason that I could have seen myself giving during A-levels actually. Ironic though. One gets so excited for something; yet, when the time comes to really do it, all that steam seems to have blown off, leaving one simply too lazy to move our butts off.

After chatting with Zixin, she told me that I had to plan things properly and really set out to do them, or else, this chance/ time will simply go by without one noticing. Kudos to Zixin for always giving me advice that shakes me up/ gets me moving. After thinking it through, I realised she was right. In a flash, 2 months had already gone by. I needed to stop being caught up in the drone of the working life. 

Which is why, I forced myself to commit to things which I have always been putting off. I started running/jogging. I am now telling myself to do it twice a week. 

AND I STILL HATE JOGGING. However, with the bus fares so high for adults, jogging simply is the cheapest form of exercise one can find.

I have also signed up for Chinese painting classes. I actually thought the classes for NAFA were quite interesting but apparently, I missed the sign up date for the Jan intake :( So, I am currently attending classes from Vision Art Studio at Clarke Quay. Today's going to be my first lesson and I hope it goes well!

After all that's said, something else that I really want to do is TRAVEL.

I want to go to Japan, but no one is willing/ has the money to go with me D:

Honestly, I wouldn't mind going by myself haha, but being adventurous still has its limits, especially in a place I have never been to before. I really hope that by hook or by crook, I will be able to get into Japan to experience the culture etc!

On a side note, work is the same. Although, I do get to learn a few things, such as the time frame for applying for a work permit. Seeing how people react in a workplace is quite interesting as well; though I would rather be left out of some of the politics going on as well haha.

...A-level results are going to be out in around 2 weeks. *nervous*

I want to be with people my age

After starting work, being constantly surrounded by people older than me, I am starting to feel a little lonely and out of place.

I remember once reading an article that talked about why teenagers of this generation are narcissistic and other horrible adjectives. It said something along the lines of, how can one expect a teen who constantly surrounds oneself with people of his/her own age to mature without listening to viewpoints from adults? I remember myself nodding my head in slight agreement when reading that particular comment.

And yet now, I dearly miss the companionship of people my age who, according to the author, probably talk about stupid/ irrelevant things.

I think that it is hard not to feel out of place with adults surrounding a young person. There is just something about the age difference that makes it inherently difficult to relate on certain issues. I mean, the 10s and the 20s have A LOT of difference, even when I am 19, just one year shy from 20.

People in their teens: Studying, probably obsessing over music/ fashion/ idols

People in their 20s: Start dating (seriously), working (permanently), finding a house, having kids (?!)

While the author is probably right in talking about how I would probably mature more from talking to adults, I would like to confine that interaction to a certain time period, kind of like how I get a sneak peek into the adult world without fully plunging myself into it (that can wait till I am in my mid-20s).

At the end of the day, my main point is: I WANNA HANG OUT WITH FRIENDS MY AGE AND NOT HAVE TO CARE ABOUT WHAT I TALK ABOUT.

And..... I am going to do just that! I've got a dinner date with Huiyi, Dion and Shermaine tomorrow night. Can't wait to start acting all teenager-ish.

the future

I just had a gathering with a group of close friends yesterday. Though there were probably some incidents along the way, overall, I had a lot of fun. We had steamboat (we bought too much food) and talked about random stuff. While chatting, somehow the topic of our future love interests kept coming. Though it will probably be something that all of us with interact sometime, it still feels very distant and alien to someone like me who has zero dating / falling in love experience. 

We predicted what characteristics our future boyfriends would possess and questioned a lot of possible scenarios that may happen. It was a lot of fun, but it also made me feel weird, because everything just still seems so far-fetched. I think it is the effect of being in the same school for 6 years; somehow, I feel as if time is standing still and that I have not grown up to be an 'adult' yet. (Speaking of which, I really hate adult fare prices for public transport.) The idea of going to school is still very familiar to me. Frankly, it is also the thought of the familiar that makes me afraid of the thought of the unknown - university, new friends, workplaces, colleagues. Somehow, I do feel like I want to be stuck in this continuum forever.

Which also leads me to talk about my applications for universities and scholarships. There is a scholarship which I am really interested in and I really hope that I will be able to get in for it. Yet, the fear of disappointment always looms (not that it stops me from trying). Somehow, previous disappointments still hang around in my mind and I have always had some inclination towards pessimism ever since then.

I can only do my best and hope that everything goes well.

And that my friends will always be a constant :)

A-levels

I am currently in the midst of A-levels... which probably means this is a bad time to post, but whatever~~

Preparing for A-levels the past 2 months has been excruciating because it seems like a very prolonged process with no end in sight. Yet, lo and behold, I am right in the middle of it and am left with about 20 days to the end of it! WOW.

Hmm.. even while I am in the midst of it, I do feel strangely... 'not-as-stressed-as-I-thought-I-would-be'. I wonder why. Yet I know that at this very moment, there will be people panicking.

This papers which I definitely very afraid of are my Humanities subjects though - Economics and History. Somehow, these two feel like bombs waiting to drop on me...

Ah well, since it's come to this point, there is not much I can do.

Meanwhile, I have started reading Gintama (I can already hear people reading this going like WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING SUEQIN). And I am really liking this character called Tsukuyo (I am basically just skipping chapters to read parts with her.)

ANYWAY, I HOPE THAT A-LEVELS WOULD PASS BY PEACEFULLY AND THAT GOOD NEWS WOULD FALL UPON US COME MARCH NEXT YEAR. WOOHOO.