Apathetic Avenger

Why Are You Even Here?

Last fake update for a long long time.

I promise.

Blogged @ 10:25 PM

Thankful

Thank heavens for the rain.

It calms me, the murmur of water droplets easing the strain of my heart.

And thank the stars for the sporadic streaks of lightning that accompany it.

They force me to log off the computer, lest it explodes into splinters of flaming shrapnel from a massive surge of electricity.

Back to studying for stupid exams I go.

Labels: Musings

Blogged @ 10:02 AM

A Surprise

Since when have I been this terrible at math?

But every cloud has a silver lining, no?

I'm happy the way things are turning out.

Blogged @ 2:27 AM

An Exercise In Self-Indulgence

Based on all the self-initiated hype, one would expect ACJC's Open House to be the social event of the season. From what I'd heard, I conjured up images of the school overflowing with boys and girls, throngs of crowds at even the most secluded places, and other general instances of noise and excitement.

This was not to be.

Perhaps it is partially my fault. We were told to help the college advertise, by spreading word that ACJC was cool and that everyone should go and have a look-see. I didn't do that. To be honest, it was because I was lazy, AND because most of my friends are in my age group.

When you're 17, and you say your friends are in your age group, it means they are at the same level of education as you. I don't have that many younger friends, or friends who were retained last year and made to do their O Levels again.

Anyway, the preparations actually began the day before, the various CCAs were setting up their booths, tour guides were being trained, and signs were put up in all the walkways. Noticeboards which had been neglected for an entire year were cleaned up, made suitable for the viewing of the general public.

I was involved in the assembling of goody-bags. Why would I volunteer myself for such a cause? Why, CIP hours of course. There were quite a number of us who were enticed by the offer of satisfaction gained from community improvement, but we had to pack 1500 bags to achieve it.

It wasn't very difficult, but it was extremely tedious and dull work. I wonder how people can tolerate working in assembly lines. I guess money is a better incentive than CIP. Each one of the bags contained lots of random crap, in addition to a good amount of our sweat (Literally. Gross, I know.) and toil.

I have a newfound respect for those involved in the NDP.

On the actual day of Open House, I had three duties. The first was to be an usher. I was given a tag and made to tuck my t-shirt in. Essentially, I was a goody-bag dispenser. I was also an information counter. Once again, it was for CIP. My second duty was to demonstrate for the track and field showcase. I was afraid some secondary school thrower would come and completely humiliate me, but fortunately, it had rained rather heavily in the morning, and the field was flooded. My final duty was to sit at the track and field booth. I sat there for one hour. No one came to talk to me.

Open House seems, to me at least, to be quite a pointless exercise. First of all, I don't think that many people came. At least 1500 people came, because at the end of the day, all the goody bags were gone. However, the 1500 include parents and younger siblings, people from other JCs who were bored and had nothing better to do, and J2s who were also bored and had nothing better to do than come here dressed in their secondary school uniforms. Everywhere I went, I saw huge crowds of students wearing ACJC t-shirts. The performances (choir, chinese orchestra, band, etc.) gained the loudest applause and cheers from our own people.

I don't really see how much one can learn from visiting Open House. Unless one is interested in specialised ACJC programmes, such as the English Language subject that will be taught here in the future, there isn't very much to see or inquire about. The CCA booths don't really have much information for visitors. Students who want to apply through DSA have already done so. I can't imagine someone coming to a school just based on the fact that they would like to join a certain CCA. Everywhere I turned, I saw bored students sitting behind their booths, staring blankly into space. However, I think the guided tours were probably the most useful, giving people the chance to see what facilities our school has to offer.

Finally, it is difficult to get a good impression of what ACJC, let alone what a JC education, is even like in such a short timespan. After visiting the school, having some random guy give you a goody-bag, listening to the choir sing, and walking around the CCA booths for 10 minutes, honestly, how much can you actually learn? To be frank, the JCs are probably more alike than they are different, though I'm sure people who think ACJC is much better than some other JCs would be quick to disagree with me.

In the end, it was pretty much an exhibition that we put up for ourselves.

Labels: Musings

Blogged @ 9:54 PM

O Brave New World

Some of you may find this post to be very dull.

I recently read Aldous Huxley's Brave New World.

I am not a Lit student. I read it voluntarily. Much to my literature-studying friend's surprise (wow this is a really complicated sentence), I found it interesting and very thought-provoking. I didn't exactly like it, but this is the sort of book that is, for the lack of a better expression, too screwed up for anyone to really like.

There are many ideas in this book (no wonder it was chosen as a literature text), but the one that spoke the most to me was the one regarding the conflict between happiness and truth.

Perhaps I should give a quick synopsis. The book is set in the distant future. People live in what appears to be a utopian society. They are all cared for, no one suffers from diseases, there are no wars, everyone is happy.

However, drastic steps have been taken in order to achieve this stability. People are given different ratings based on their intelligence levels, which were decided before birth by basically being given different amounts of nutrients. (Sort of like Primary School Streaming... TO THE EXTREME.) This way, everyone has their own place in society. Some are born roadsweepers, others destined for greatness.

Another measure taken to ensure that society doesn't collapse was to have everyone socially conditioned. Essentially, people are brainwashed into believing ideas that are beneficial to their society, such as solitude being bad, that everyone belongs to everyone, and class-specific lessons which ensured the separation of the various classes. You can't have an Alpha Plus mixing with an Epsilon Semi-Moron, can you? Strict censorship has also been put in place, and any ideas considered old, are deemed unfit for the general public. Religion is prohibited.

Despite all these restrictions, people are generally very happy. If they're feeling depressed, people are given soma, which is rather like marijuana in tablet form, which will make them feel happy and relaxed. They are allowed to have sex with as many partners as they can, in fact it is encouraged. (I know of some people who wouldn't mind that.) Those who have been condemned to do the worst jobs are glad with what they have been given, because it is all that they know. No one suffers.

However, many sacrifices have been made to achieve this happiness. It is almost as if humanity had been taken away from the humans. There is no such thing as passion or love, because these sort of feelings make us feel strongly about those around us, which lead to a sense of loss when they are taken from us. Indeed, we suffer for our love, and there is no more need for suffering. The people that live are happy, true, but what exactly is the point of their existence? Their lives have been virtually mapped out from the day they were born to the day they perish. To me it seems as though they exist purely for the sake of existing. There is no such thing as nobility or heroism. After all, in a perfect society, what need do the people have for heroes? There is no evil tyrant to overthrow. Happiness is never grand, but then again, everyone is happy. However, is it true happiness? Isn't it true that the bitterness of tears only makes the taste of joy that much sweeter?

This was the main argument between Mustapha Mond, the World Controller for Western Europe, and the Savage, who had only been thrust into the society recently. I found both arguments very compelling.

In the end, the Savage claimed the right to be unhappy, tried to escape from society, and ended up killing himself.

How much are you willing to sacrifice for happiness?

Labels: Musings

Blogged @ 10:07 PM