To ask… Or not to ask

I was really touched by what Macky shared during campus night. So Macky and his friend started a life group in his school with only 4 people, that grew to more than 20 people. Along the way, a few friends were saved and he was really touched by it.

If you know me personally, you’d know I’m not someone who talks about religion much, which might be also why some close friends are my close friends. Sometimes, they would complain to me about some other friends who keep talking about the gospel and try to bring them to Christ. While I also want all my friends, especially close ones, to experience the goodness of God, (who has really been wonderful and gracious to me. This deserves another post on it’s own.) I’ve never picked up the courage to talk to them about God. Partly because I don’t want our friendship to be ruined. The most I have ever done was to invite one or two to church, but after I failed I never tried again.

So I woke up this morning, thinking and asking God who I can invite for the next campus night or campus event. A few names popped up in my head, but I was still wondering how am I supposed to invite them, without them feeling threatened or obliged to go. I mean there’s no point forcing a friend to church if she really doesn’t want to.

What I like about exams

Secondary Four has been generally more tiring and exhausting as compared to Secondary Three. With Timed Practice almost every day and Science Clinic sessions on Fridays, lessons end pretty late. By the time I reach the hostel it’s around 6pm. Take a bath, have dinner and take a rest and BAM there’s not much time left to sit down and really start revising properly. Teachers bombard us with worksheets and prelim papers after papers until a point where we can’t be bothered to complete them anymore. I’ve been looking forward to weekends more than I have ever had in my life.

While it’s more tiring to be in Sec Four, I’ve been enjoying my year with my wonderful classmates and it saddens me that I’m going to leave the school so soon. I’ve really enjoyed my time with my classmates, especially BPDay’14 and our class Barbeque Party. With prelims ending in a few more days, it hit me that we are leaving each other very very soon. While one part of me can’t wait for O levels to be over, another part of me doesn’t want the time I have together with my classmates to end.

Class BBQ party!

Since many of us Sec Fours are tired of studying and are complaining about school, I thought it’d be nice to write about some positive things. Perhaps school life would be slightly better and bearable if we view it in a different light.

Well, most students hate dislike exams. I can’t say I love exams, but there are a few things about exams that are really worth liking:

No homework

Exam periods are the only time where we don’t have to worry about homework. It’s a good time to revise whatever we have learnt over the years and catch up so that we do not lag behind.

We go home early!

Teachers always allow us to go home early during exams, so that we will have more time to study! This also means all extra lessons / remedial / timed practice are cancelled! I really dislike going home late as I feel worn out and wouldn’t feel like studying or doing anything else anymore. I always rejoice when we are released early because it means more time for myself!

Not only extra lessons are cancelled, we are released right after our papers are over! This means school may end as early as 10.30am, depending on the exam schedule! Some lucky ones may not even need to go to school on some days!

Time to reflect what went wrong

While preparing for exams, it’s inevitable that we find ourselves struggling with some topics, sometimes even wondering if we have ever learnt it. It’s a good time to reflect why it is so and try to prevent such instances from happening again.

While some topics may be a bore, there are topics that are really interesting and worth our time revising. If we study only for the sake of exams, we would certainly find studying a total bore and may even think it’s a waste of time. I’m glad to have a friend who always reminds me to study to understand things better instead of just memorizing stuff for the sake of regurgitating it during exams. Trust me, it has been effective in enabling me to study better.

A gauge on where we stand

I totally agree that exams shouldn’t be the sole factor that determines how well one does or how smart one is or how successful one is. However, it’s undeniable that exams do match you up against your peers and show you where you stand.

While everyone wants to ace all exams, there are always people who get first and people who come in last. It doesn’t matter where you stand, as long as you learn your mistake and try not to repeat it again! If you didn’t do as well as you wanted to, then it’s time to work harder and smarter to achieve your goals. If you surpassed your expectations, then congratulations! Continue to work harder and you may be surprised by how well you can do!

Time to bond with your friends

Many people I know tend to form study groups with their friends during exams. I’m sure study groups strengthen bonds between friends.

Personally, I enjoy studying alone; but my friends and I ask each other questions through Whatsapp, or when we meet each other in school. Though it may seem unlikely that this can help us build relationships with others, I have a few friends where our friendships started because of them asking me questions, or the other way around. I have gotten closer to some of my classmates because of this, and a certain level of respect is even built as they never fail to take their time to explain until I totally understand what they mean. (I am may be a little slow at comprehending things.) So shoutout to ZQ NF KL Keef and everyone else for always responding when I need help!

So that’s it! While exams may be a pain for some, it’s something all of us have to face in life. So why not take out all the negativity and embrace it in a positive manner? Exams may be more bearable if we focus on the nice things about exams. Well, at least it has worked for me! 😉