Sunday, November 28, 2004

plug it in

hi. i have just finished reading up on fifty major economists. and boy do i need all the luck i can for econs S. i realised that my content knowledge is totally lacking, and i wanna get a D. because it is only the elite few who can get a D. and most get M anyway. and xm, u can't fail econs S. u can only get a U. which doesnt say much so u dunno if u failed or not. tmr i shall go hardcore and read til my balls drop. my eyeballs that is.

so the past few days have been quite ok, getting my prom suit. gonna make some alterations to it though cos it probably doesnt fit my eyes right now. ha i will make it a hugo boss suit hahaha.. and playing halo 2, but i totally suck at it. cos its damn hard to control. but maybe after awhile i'd get used to it. anyone on xbox live wanna play though?

anyway its damn late. and when econs S ends, it'd be so sad that i will have no more contact with econs as a subject, at least til i take it in uni. but nvm, the world is econs and econs makes the world go round so as long as i buy stuff everyday, there will be an economic exchange going on, so technically, there is still econs. ha. bull. but now i'm beginning to realise that the economists who have won nobel prizes in the past are kinda boring and repeating the same thing. that's why they don't give the nobel to woman, especially that barbara something, cos she's too extreme and feminist.

anyway, the long-awaited answer to xm's question is finally here. and it's a totally smart answer man.. so the shocking answer is..... "because it's the expo!!!!" hahaahahahahaha ok nvm. that is something which is better left unsaid. why? cos its embarassing man..

anyway thanks zhao and hilda for ur well-wishes, i will treat you to army rations if i get a D.

but that's it for now. bye

mervyn at 11/28/2004 05:48:00 PM

Friday, November 26, 2004

the 90/10 principle

hi. this is something really interesting which i got frm a fren james. maybe its time to put some inspirational messages up here especially for those who have screwed up their a levels and completely lost hope in their a's.

> Discover the 90/10 Principle. It will change your life (at least the way u
> react to situations). What is this principle?
>
> 10% of life is made up of what happens to you. 90% is decided by how you
> react. What does this mean?
>
> We really have no control over 10% of what happens to us. We cannot stop
> the
> car from breaking down; the plane being late in arriving, which throws our
> whole schedule off. A driver may cut us off in traffic. We have no control
> over this 10%. The other 90% is different. You determine the other 90%.
>
> How? By your reaction. You cannot control a red light., but YOU can
control
> how you react. Let's use an example.
>
> You are eating breakfast with your family. Your daughter knocks over a cup
> of coffee onto your business shirt. You have no control over what just
> happened.
>
> What happens next will be determined by how you react.
> You curse.
> You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the cup over.
> She breaks down in tears.
> After scolding her, you turn to your spouse and criticize her for placing
> the cup too close to the edge of the table.
> A short verbal battle follows.
> You storm upstairs and change your shirt.
> Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish
> breakfast and get ready for school.
> She misses the bus.
> Your spouse must leave immediately for work.
> You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school.
> Because you are late, you drive 110 km/h in a 80 km/h speed limit.
> After a 15-minute delay and throwing $300 & some demerit points (traffic
> fine) away, you arrive at school.
> Your daughter runs into the building without saying goodbye.
> You arrive at the office 20 minutes late, because of how you reacted in
the
> morning.
>
> Why did you have a bad day?
>
> A) Did the coffee cause it?
> B) Did your daughter cause it?
> C) Did the policeman cause it ?
> D) Did you cause it?
>
> The answer is obviously D. You had no control over what happened with the
> coffee. How you reacted in those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day.
>
> Here is what could have and should have happened....
>
> Coffee splashes over you.
> Your daughter is about to cry.
> You gently say, "It's ok honey, you just need to be more careful next
> time".
> Grabbing a towel you rush upstairs.
> After grabbing a new shirt and your briefcase, you come back down in time
> to
> look through the window and see your child getting on the bus.
> She turns and waves.
> You and your spouse kiss before you go to work.
> You arrive 5 minutes early and cheerfully greet the staff.
> Your boss comments on how good the day you are having.
>
> Notice the difference? Two different scenarios. Both started the same.
Both
> ended different. Why? Because of how you REACTED . You really do not have
> any control over 10% of what happens. The other 90% was determined by your
> reaction. Here are some ways to apply the 90/10 principle.
>
> If someone says something negative about you, don't be a sponge. Let the
> attack roll off like water on glass. You don't have to let the negative
> comment affect you. React properly and it will not ruin your day.
>
> A wrong reaction could result in losing a friend, being fired, getting
> stressed out etc. How do you react if someone cuts you off in traffic? Do
> you lose your temper? Pound on the steering wheel and hurt your own
> fingers?
> Do you curse? Does your blood pressure rocket? Do you try and bump them?
> WHO
> CARES if you arrive ten seconds later at work? Why let the cars ruin your
> drive?
>
> Remember the 90/10 principle, and do not worry about it.
> You are told you lost your job. Why lose sleep and get irritated? It will
> work out. Use your worrying energy and time into finding another job. The
> plane is late; it is going to mangle your schedule for the day. Why take
> out
> your frustration on the flight attendant? She has no control over what is
> going on. Use your time to study, get to know the other passengers. Why
get
> stressed out? It will just make things worse. Now you know the 90-10
> principle. Apply it and you will be amazed at the results. You will lose
> nothing if you try it.
>
> The 90-10 principle is incredible. It seems simple common-sense but very
> few
> apply this principle! The result? Millions of people are suffering from
> undeserved stress, court trials, problems and heartaches. They never seem
> to
> be a success in life. Bad days follow bad days. Terrible things seem to be
> constantly happening. There is constant stress, lack of joy, and broken
> relationships. Worry consumes time. Anger breaks friendships and life
seems
> dreary and is not enjoyed to the fullest. Friends are lost.
>
> Life is a bore and often seems cruel. Does this describe you? If so, do
not
> be discouraged. You can be different! Understand and apply the 90/10
> principle. It will change your life!

mervyn at 11/26/2004 10:50:00 AM

Thursday, November 18, 2004

let me see what spring is like on jupiter and mars.

hi. what's been up? today's an offf day for me. just as in reservist, when we have ON cycles and OFF cycles, so today is an OFF day for me. why? because tomorrow is LIT PAPER 8. and LIT PAPER 8 is a paper where u don't have to study anything, except to meditate and get in touch with the SNAG in you such that you would be able to critically and sensitively grasp the intimates of the poem. besides, i am a cold warrior. i was embroiled in a long war last night. and so i deserve a good rest today. i'm damn sleepy. i think the amount of sleep i've had in this week is less than what i normally have on a saturday. but the war must go on and since this is the last bloody exam in my whole life, i better study til my balls drop otherwise, i will look back and regret missing out on the opportunity to study. what about uni u say? well, balls to uni cos i don't need to study in uni. that happens when you're a natural. muahahahahahaha...


so today was the HISTORY PAPER 3. it was relatifvely ok, at least i knew how to do source based, the origins and vietnam question had the right gist to it and the nuclear arms race, was ok. happens when u sit in mark lo and he drones and the subliminal programming, or the NEURO-LINGUSITIC PROGRAMMING, as is the hot phrase now, happens. u dunno what the hell he's talking about, but in times of absolute crisis, the voice in the head comes and rescue you. with him flexing his bloody biceps, showing you his hard work at the gym. its a wonder why he hasnt gone for reservist in the whole year huh. maybe he's one of those "special" cases.

econs yesterday, well, what can i say. the bloody balls multiplier question was so easy and it was 10 marks that i was totally befuddled and didnt know how to do it, and so i skipped it. although the b part was so good. i mean, it appeared so easy to me that i thought there had to be a trick somewhere whcih i didnt see or notice, but it turns out later that it was meant to be so easy. ok so i did the market failure and the last question, cos both were 25 mark questions and i prefer to do 1 part questions than 2 part questions. less troublesome. and since they were the only 25 mark essays in the paper, i had no choice but to choose them. because i could do every question. u know, in cases like this, its always up to ur own discretion and its really like going to a buffet after downing 20 SUCOSTOP pills. its like you have free rein and u can run wild. but i didnt. i stayed on task and did what was necessary.

so ok, the most part of it is gone, but whilst i am looking to the end, so i am also treading with caution. one must not get too complacent and miss out on every step of the way. its like the suave guy who walks into a posh restaurant with so much attitude and all and falls down at the table, in front of his date. it just screws everything up, nah mean?

oh anyways, that's that and im pretty sad about it all actually, given that i've been to look for mr lo and whitby much these few days. its only at times like this that u realise that u got good teachers, and that you should have skipped mr lo's boring lectures more and paid more attention to the words of substance from mr whitby instead of laughing at his numerous stories and jokes. but that's life, and it's this sort of discovery and moments of epiphany that make life interesting. it would be so boring to go through life everyday thinking that it's a total wonder won't it. there's them days when you just get down in the dumps, and some days where you get high like a fly. and that's life for you.

Be not afraid of greatness.
Some are born great,
some achieve greatness,
and some have greatness thrust upon 'em.
  --  William Shakespeare

thus, be not afraid of me.
=)
bye!

mervyn at 11/18/2004 01:59:00 PM

Monday, November 15, 2004

i am god.

i seem to live on the conviction that i'm god. today is monday, econs in on wednesday. its less than 48 hours. and guess what?? i haven't even started on econs. but u know, people like me, we never need to start on econs. but let's not get too cocky here. we shall just get our A and shut the hell out of the UCLES people. let's hope they give all the 25 mark questions and woo hoo we'll be in high heaven. i'll do 6 questions for them. wooo hooo...

ANALYSIS ANALYSIS ANALYSIS
CONTINUITY CORRECTION CONTINUITY CORRECTION CONTINUITY CORRECTION

mervyn at 11/15/2004 01:14:00 PM

Friday, November 12, 2004

superstylin'

wassap wassap mates, its been long. since we got here. after an arduous journey through the perils of JC life, we're finally here. the long-awaited stretch of As. whilst people are looking towards the end of the As, i choose to look at the journey THROUGH the A's. don't wanna get myself too distracted with what's happening after the As and lose focus of what i should do during the A's themselves.

TOPIC SENTENCE TOPIC SENTENCES TOPIC SENTENCES
ok that was to remind myself.

anyways, today was a prolific day. why do i say so? because i headed down to school, and any library-goer worth their salt would know that to see me in school was akin to finding platinum on the streets. once in a lifetime kinda thing. well, actually some streets have platinum deposits cos platinum is used in catalytic converters and the exhausts pile up and eventually a very minute amount of platinum deposits can be found on the roads. but that's besides the point. i made the pilgrimage to school. for what purposes u may ask, well, i went to school to find dorothy chua, who was too busy to sit down and talk to me so we stood outside the stuffy spot at the front door of the teachers room when walking to a chair wouldnt have taken up 1 minute. and then i went to look for bounderby's brother, whitby, and our all-beloved pride brudda marxism lo. well, what can i say, it was alright i guess. chua told me some things was missing (as usual) and blablabla. she's a favouritist teacher man. what can i say. mark lo was being himself, going thru the sbs. which i didnt do properly. but ok, iim trying to do it properly, but today he was dressed like a gymboy, with his perky pecs bursting through his tight tee. makes us wonder what he does in the cubicle. oh, and i spotted 1 bearbrick and 2 lego catalogues and 1 lego model in his cubicle. how cute.... shows u the boyish streak in him don't it.

then the interview with whiteby. now now, tell me. how many times have u heard the word formulaic in the past few weeks? many, i hear? and where have u most often heard it? on singapore idol from the singapore idol judges? right on. so this word was tossed around like a hot french croissant throughout our encounter. he told me not to be formulaic. i felt like maia, standing there being scrutinised and saying that im formulaic. then the florence lian in him came out and he told me its ok i do very well without being formulaic, and the douglas o in him started to become very blur and we didnt understand each othe.r then in his mysterious fit, ken lim emerged. and he wrote down a formula on a piece of paper and told me to stick to it. and get a C. i was horrified. i said in no less absolute terms. no. im getting an A. and he said, very well then, stick to what you do. and then we bantered on about how i was lucky etc, etc. and i was enlightened.
it was a rare moment of epiphany. sitting there in the conference room. stumbling on the secret to writing well. it's got to be personal. there's no fixed formula for good writing. the moment its personal, a flair emerges. and it becomes enjoyable to read. hell, i didnt even think my prelims essay was personal. all i thought was how the hell am i gonna pass this. but ok he said if i managed to do somethng like that it would be fine. so there. they call me mr personality, because im personal. now, don't quote that because you're so ugly song to me, or i'll be forced to get personal.

going to school is like going to church. you meet with your pastors (teachers) and have to put on fake smiles and do fellowship with your fellow hysterical followers who are trying to cram all that knowledge from the gods(UCLES) into their thick skulls, so that they can go to LSE. (read : heaven.) and don't them morning assemblies resemble worship services? and all the councils here and councils there. hell, we can pray at home, but we go to church. similiarly, we can study at home, but we go to school. my point is that, hell, its all crap.

u know recently i've been thinking.
yea, i've been thinking alot.
and now i think.
i should go offline.
ok byebye.

oh and daphne's out. i'm very sad. now there are only 3 guys left in the competition. so much for the hype about the winner being a girl during the auditions. guess guys can improve. girls can.t

mervyn at 11/12/2004 06:51:00 PM

Tuesday, November 09, 2004

blame it on the boogie.

hi bloggie, im here once again after a long absence. im here because im waiting for my monopoly game to end and then i can go and study more. study study study. i like to study. but this fella playing monpoly with me is damn slow. probably cos he dun wanna lose so fast. all these sore losers. like james. cheater.

so today was math; i found it quite easy. some said it was hard, some said it was easy. well, it certainly was a breeze, after having done so many NJ perverted papers, the a levels were like a primary school exam. ok that's a gross underestimation and overexaggeration, but seriously, i could do like everything except the complex numbers, which is surprising actually. but when one looks at the stack of papers containing the workings of the math papers of 2003-94, one might realise that all this is not pure luck, but pure hard work, with a bit of luck of course. one can never have too much luck in situations like this. well, i have to buck up for paper 2 and hopefully i can get an A in math. but, lets hope that we could possess much luck in similar situations, for lit, econs, and erm..... history.. notice that i have started to use the royal pronoun, we. and this is because, i am royalty.

anyway my lit is getting on my nerves cos i spend so much time on it. and i havent even started on econs. not tt i really need to, i could probably get a B if i dun study and take the exam. but that's not my priority. i want to get an A. BECAUSE even an A is an insult to my econs. i deserve an AAAAAAA. yes. we are so cocky. we are so arrogant. we are so boisterous it hurts to even read this. but no, we shall not falter from our stand. we are the ultimate econs god. we rule the world. all you money-worshippers shall bow down before us and our will shall be your fate and your fate will be to serve our will. and we will dominate the world. and that one small step to achieving that end, is to get an A in econs.

and an A in lit. and an A in history. and then a D IN econs S. and we shall rule the world. but first, we must make it through the imperial system of the A levels. and then, through the hallowed halls of BMTC. and then, we shall waltz through the winding walls of OCS. and we shall reach that most blessed temple of all. the LSE. and we'll get high on LSD.

ok when i start talking nonsense, u know its time for me to like, get out of here. and that bloody dick im playing monopoly with still hasnt made a move. screwbals. but im awaiting thursday. that's when i see my dearest daphne again. but she's gonna be out this week. let's hope the layetie dun vote for taufik instead. yes. taufik shall be the sacred sacrifice of the week.

and i shall go off. and leave the dick in his monopoly madness.
byebye.

mervyn at 11/09/2004 05:07:00 PM

Monday, November 01, 2004

jangan tension la brrrruder

hi. today, whilst on the bus, i had a sudden moment of epiphany. i realised how to write good essays. and now, i shall reveal it, free of charge. (i'm gonna charge next time.) and the secret is... confidence. not just plain ol` confidence, but the kinda confidence which makes u believe that you are the best in the world and the foremost authority on the topic of discourse. that will make for the best essays in the world. trust me, it works! i mean, have u ever heard a king of bullshit talk? or for that matter, insurance agents. they're like yada yada yada and u're like wow they're so logical and they speak total sense and u're like "damn, why didnt i think of that" and then u realise that u didnt think of that simply because its nonsense, total crap. but what made them so convincing in the first place was the way they delivered their nonsense. much the same way as preachers do deliver their sermons. they're like yadayada and you're like amen amen amen. and then u fork out money into the little sock which probably pays for the blue mountain coffee they drink. well, if i offended any religious sentimentalist here, i'm sorry, but there's the little X on the top, cos it's gonna get worse!

and then these religions proclaim, oh its all about faith, u gotta have faith and take the first step before god forgives u cos u know, god is like omnipotent and all-knowing. then in the first place why dun he eradicate all alternative religions and make u believe in the one, supreme religion? funny huh. and matthew, luke, john whatever, which one of u is really telling the truth huh? the gospel according to XX YY ZZ, which is the real one?!?1 utterly confusing. that said, religion is the opium of the masses, and it might result in the opium war. so it is a touchy subject, but no subject is ever too touch for ME!!!

anyway today i went to school, and got dua-ed by viggy-nesh, who complained that she was very busy because us students are so mean for giving her so many essays last minute. then she complained she wanted to die if we're all like that.. damn.. and whilst talking to her i got my pants wet cos the rain was falling and i was standing partly in the heavy downpour but i didnt have the brains to move away cos i was totally so enthralled by her. yeah. right. and then the barrage of muggers in the library.. was surprised to see so many muggers.. but anyway. who cares. then i saw ahlam then proceeded to waste some time before coming home to the dungeon they call home.

ah okie, think i'll complete the rest of my math later on whilst watching whose line is it anyway. its such a witty show i wonder how those people manage to come up with all these witty lines day in day out. well, god's fair and u know, it kinda explains why they look so funny. that said, i'm off. ok byebye.

support my theory of self-belief! i will write a book soon. muahahahaa and it will be the bestseller and soon i will dominate the world. muahahahahahahaha
MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA
im mad.

mervyn at 11/01/2004 05:57:00 PM