Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen. I'd like to propose some changes that should be made to the examination system in Singapore, as well as to convince you that these changes are not only useful, but critical to our nation's future and survival in the world.

It is vital to understand why these changes are necessary, or in other words, what is wrong with our current system. Firstly, it has been shown that some students are better at cramming and revising even if they do not consistently do their schoolwork. Current examinations test students in such a way that they must memorise large amounts of information for short periods of time. The World Memory Olympics is a more suitable outlet for such endeavours, I assure you. Rote-learning is encouraged and creativity, flexibility and imagination are ignored. Our government wants entrepeneurs who can rebuild our economy, but without giving people (like Creative's Sim Wong Hoo) who can thing out-of-the-box a chance at a good higher education, we will soon find these entrepeneurs a scarce resource in our nation.

This brings me to my second point that university entrance and employment prospects should not be based on ecamination results to such a large degree. The significance of examinations causes unnecessary pressure that is detrimental to students. The growing levels of breakdowns, suicides and discipline problems among teenagers is testament to this. It can be argued that parents and teachers can help students relax before tests and that students who prepare well should not feel the pressure.However, from personal accounts of students, it can be seen that even the most well-prepared students are susceptible to panic-attacks that can wreck their examinations, and consequently, their futures. To make matters worse, schools often increase the pressure on students by reminding them constantly of the consequences of failure. This should never happen, even if pressure is a fact of working life. Students should be made to handle some pressure constantly rather than intense pressure for short periods of time.

Thirdly, students sit for exams set by an examination board outside of the school, and so, teachers are enslaved by the curriculum. They lose their creativity and initiative and thus, so do their students. This should not happen as students will lose interest in learning. They will feel that the content of the syllabus is irrelevant to them, and this effectively kills their motivation.

To improve the situation and hopefully solve this difficult problem, we must make important decisions and ensure that our plans are implemented well. Cutting the Gordian knot will only make matters worse. I propose that we implement the following in one form or another: Viva-voce (or face-to-face) examinations should be conducted alongside ordinary examinations to assess the understanding of principles and fundamentals. More of the coursework components should be taken into consideration as well. This will significantly reduce the pressure of examinations, as marks will be spread out in such a way that consistent effort and understanding are rewarded. The local boards should work together with the external examinations board to ensure that questions are set where the conclusion one draws has no reward, but the knowledge applied and the clarity of argument do. Those that excel in all fields will deservingly stand out, since an equal chance is given to all to excel in their favoured fields.

Intelligence Quotient (IQ) tests and personality tests (such as the 16PF test) should be implemented as well, as it gives a much broader view of the students abilites and makes decision-making for companies and universities easier. Profiling pupils allows teachers to make necessary adjustments to their teaching styles so that all students benefit. This should not result in segregation and elitist attitudes, I must stress. Although IQ tests have their fair share of doubters, they do give a good estimate of a student's capabilities, and that is how they should be used: as estimates.

The idea is not to abolish examinations altogether, but rather, to improve their evaluation of our students. This would benefit our nation greatly in the long run if it meant that the right people get a chance at seizing the right opportunities. In order to reap these benefits, however, I must point out that the seeds must be sown now.

Thank you.

idle mind:

"nobody chooses to forget. we never had a choice. the day we remember is the day we give in. none of us want you to win. you will, if we honour our dead. nobody had a god-damned choice.

i had a son.

i HAD a god-damn son.

and you sonuvabitches want me to honour him? he died for a cause he didn't believe in. i love my son. my wife loves my son. i bet you'd love him too if you ever met him. that's why we forget. so that everybody else will remember what bastards you all are.

now get the fuck outta my face."

i met rachel teo two days back (the 27th) for a drink at breeks (wisma) and i thoroughly enjoyed her company. we actually met just to exchange christmas presents, but we got to talking and ended up sitting on that oh-so-comfy sofa for close to four hours. we were talking about work, play, religion, ambitions and universities. i haven't laughed that hard for a while. she gave me an awesome pillow which she decorated herself (which means i won't ever use it, so i'll just display it proudly in my room, lest the colour fades or something). i also told her about the dream i had that she was in, along with whole bunch of other people i know. well, it involved me sitting down while everyone else was running around, including her. and i kept calling her 'the teo-ster' in the dream. some kinda weird nickname that's derived from her surname. anyway, i think i'll make it a point to refrain from ever calling her that in real life, lest she thinks that i've nicknamed her after a kitchen appliance. (hearing that made her laugh uncontrollably.)

thank you, rachel, for being yourself. you're a friend for life.

(there's some headswell for you. haha)

first things first:
i came across this very disturbing article written for some christian group. is it just me, or do you find these people disturbing too?

from watching soccer on the telly, i've come across some real gems from the presenters and the commentators.
some are meant to be funny or unique:
"the goalkeeper was the only member of the 'wide-awake club' there."
"if this continues any longer, they'll have to rename the stadium 'the stadium of no-light'." (before a birmingham-arsenal match that kicked-off late due to floodlight failure. sunderland, another premiership team, plays at 'the stadium of light.')
"attention: this is not a rugby match. it is a soccer match. yes, that is the scoreline." (during a high-scoring game.)

some aren't meant to be either, but are:
"the crowd think that scholes handled the ball... they must've seen something nobody else did."
"he's limping off now with a bad gash on his forehead."
"if history's gonna repeat itself, i think we can expect the same thing all over again."
"it's headed away by the defender, using his head."
"so what're you gonna do when you leave football, jack? are you gonna stay in football?"

a local contribution to the list:
"he's trying to kip the cheeper." (what he meant was, he's trying to chip the keeper. tiger cup singapore-thailand match commentator)

and for all the philosophers out there, here's one from the infallible paul gascoigne to ponder over:
"i never make predictions and i never will."

i took my basic theory test yesterday. not sure if they gave me the question booklet or answer booklet. it wasn't an easy test that even a blind person with a paper bag over his/her head could do, but someone had conveniently put a tick next to all the correct answers using a blue pen. i didn't use these 'answers', but checking back, we both had the same answers for everything. anyway, the traffic police tried to be real smart and put ticks next to the other answers so that we wouldn't be able to tell which is which, but sadly, the blokes used a black pen.

lucky me.

don't get any ideas. i'm perfectly fine. i just write out of context very often.

contemplating suicide.

that last vodka shot didn't go down so well
the body shudders, hesitates and the stomach swells
in slo-mo, it's a gorgeous warm-yellow fireball
it leaps from my mouth to the pavement by the wall
the very wall which i am now standing upon
it goes forty floors up; a long way down for the falling forlorn
i admire my work calmly; but the fear begins to surface
my drunken daze gives me courage; my resolve gives me purpose
to forget my troubles is a fate worse than death
memory deserts me now with this alcohol in my breath
i'd rather fall now. and not by any immortal's grace, i shall survive.
as a memory. as a tragedy. as a lesson to those who cry.

joy of joys. the old comments box is here to stay!

years from now, i picture myself lying awake at night. my back feels sore. i've spent the whole day bearing the burdens of life: work, family and boredom. we look at each day that passes with wonder, joy, dismay or disappointment. the intensity and impact of these feelings mean all the world to us. for a moment. the other 364 or 365 days collectively, we ignore as a mere statistic. it's no wonder it creeps up on you without raising any alarms. arthiritis. insurance. bonuses. education. mortgage. slipped discs. last will and testament. sex. migraines. loans. credit cards. investment. ethics. relatives. pain. pollution. temptation. politics. crime. wrinkles.

it makes me wonder if growing old is a fate worse than death.

i went to see the anglo-chinese production of dead poets' society yesterday night at the fairly new barker campus. the place has a very collegiate feel to it with the fancy decor and the eye-catching layout. very nice. very nice, indeed.

the play was very well done. the acoustics in the auditorium were a bit weird and the actors sometimes talked away from the audience, so some of the stuff was inaudible, but the acting was top rate. jared was excellent. nabil was vulgar and uncouth (which he does ever so well) and neil's father (whoever that was) was very good as well. jared's acting was really brill. kudos to him. the guy who played keating did a good job, but i felt that they needed someone a bit more charismatic and definitely more charming. there. i've tried my hand at being a critic. it's not my kind of thing. not at all.

anyway, watching the play makes me want to watch the movie all over again. one of robin williams' finest performances, along with 'good morning vietnam (1988)' and 'good will hunting (1997).' now that makes me want to watch those movies too. and to do this:

movie: memento, yamakasi, ocean's eleven
actor: clooney
actress: claire forlani
quote: "Why shouldn't I work for the N.S.A.? That's a tough one, but I'll give it a shot. Say I'm working at N.S.A. Somebody puts a code on my desk, something nobody else can break. So I take a shot at it and maybe I break it. And I'm real happy with myself, 'cause I did my job well. But maybe that code was the location of some rebel army in North Africa or the Middle East. Once they have that location, they bomb the village where the rebels were hiding and fifteen hundred people I never had a problem with get killed. Now the politicians are sayin', "Send in the marines to secure the area" 'cause they don't give a shit. It won't be their kid over there, gettin' shot. Just like it wasn't them when their number was called, 'cause they were pullin' a tour in the National Guard. It'll be some guy from Southie takin' shrapnel in the ass. And he comes home to find that the plant he used to work at got exported to the country he just got back from. And the guy who put the shrapnel in his ass got his old job, 'cause he'll work for fifteen cents a day and no bathroom breaks. Meanwhile my buddy from Southie realizes the only reason he was over there was so we could install a government that would sell us oil at a good price. And of course the oil companies used the skirmish to scare up oil prices so they could turn a quick buck. A cute little ancillary benefit for them but it ain't helping my buddy at two-fifty a gallon. And naturally they're takin' their sweet time bringin' the oil back and maybe even took the liberty of hiring an alcoholic skipper who likes to drink martinis and play slalom with the icebergs and it ain't too long 'til he hits one, spills the oil and kills all the sea life in the North Atlantic. So my buddy's out of work and he can't afford to drive, so he's got to walk to the job interviews, which sucks 'cause the schrapnel in his ass is givin' him chronic hemorroids. And meanwhile he's starvin' 'cause every time he tries to get a bite to eat the only blue plate special they're servin' is North Atlantic scrod with Quaker State. So what do I think? I'm holdin' out for somethin' better. Why not just shoot my buddy, take his job and give it to his sworn enemy, hike up gas prices, bomb a village, club a baby seal, hit the hash pipe and join the National Guard? I could be elected president." - Will Hunting (Matt Damon), Good Will Hunting

i don't get to update or check often because:
a) my own computer can't recognise that there is such a thing as the "internet"
b) my brother has managed to horde every other computer in his room, for reasons unknown
c) he is either sleeping or using his computer when i'm at home, both of which require him to somehow use all these computers simultaneously

i'll just finish up my other two sections (or rather, get started on them) before i do anything else.

oh.. and for the time being, i'm afraid that you can no longer get jiggy with it. i'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience.

and don't mind the phrase 'pwetty little things,' by the way. i find it disturbing too.

i had to change the commenting system because enetation isn't working so well with the new layout. when i figure out how to make it work again, i'll put it back. for the time being, this one'll have to do. normal posting service resumes tomorrow morning.

right.

so whaddya think, people? does this rock or what?

gaurav: phew, it's finally done. thank you so much for your encouragement, you LAZY SLOB i mean my loving little brother. oh, and YO MOMMA IS SO FAT SHE... oh hey wait. those insults won't work when we share a common mother. crap.

i've got a whole new look for this blog in the works. the design i've got here is really good. i'm hap- work faster, you indolent fool! ..as i was saying, i'm happy with the new design and this blog's gonna have lots more stuff o- there, you wretched slave! i said put it THERE!.. where was i? oh yeah. it's gonna have lots of new stuff on it. and it'll be alright as soon as my sla-.. i mean, brother is done working on it. i'm really glad he didn't put up a strug-.. i mean, he was really willing to help me out. yeah. so credit and kudos to him. it'll be done when it's done, people. i'm sick of purple already.

who am i?
what is a human being?
is there life after death?
where does the world come from?
is there any will or meaning behind what happens?
how ought we to live?
how can we answer these questions?
why does our faculty of wonder diminish as we grow?
what is the universe?
is there a basic substance that everything else is made of?
can water turn into wine?


choose a question and think about it. anything you think of is your first step into the world of philosophy. go ahead and write down your answers in the comment box. anything is accepted with the possible exceptions being 'all your base are belong to us' and something to do with strongbad. though i'd love to ask him for answers just for kicks.

the dvd list updated:
snatch
gangs of new york
catch me if you can
spider-man
road to perdition
the bourne identity

i'm in kuala lumpur now. arrived yesterday afternoon. staying at kenneth sui's place. we're having lots of fun, ben, justin, sui and i. we're goin to sunway lagoon tomorrow and right now we're figuring out the best way to bring back all the games, dvds and vcds we've bought. speaking of which, don't expect me to leave my home for the week or two after i get back on sunday. we're coming back by train, overnight.

dvds i've bought:
full metal jacket
apocalypse now redux
memento
and more..
i'll update later. gotta run. that's life in kl.