12 September 2012:
Today forecast: happy with a dash of weird.
Chemistry paper was today. Last night I stayed till around 2330 to read through the textbook. Because there were 27 chapters (if you follow the school's textbook), it was simply too many so I took a risk and skipped the topics I felt I was okay at.When I first opened the paper I saw the 'standard' question asking you to identify substances based on their properties. That calmed me down a little. Cos I know that out of the 5 (?) marks, I should at least get 3.
The two marks? Yeah, that was the one that I always have a problem answering. Whenever it comes to Particulate Model of Matter, I just can't memorise and remember the fixed phrases to use.
As for the rest of the paper, it was alright. Some occasional difficult ones here and there. But one 1-mark question gave me a small problem.
Looks familiar? (It's supposed to if you did chemistry just now.) The paper represented the benzene ring with another convention, the one with a ring inside. I was a little confused at first, cos I was quite sure that it was benzene.
I tried drawing it as above, but cos I forgot the C=C bonds were alternate, I drew everything as C=C and gave up. In the end I just C-C everything with the circle in it. I was still so worried that it was wrong or something like that. Luckily it was just different conventions.
~
It's history exam tomorrow! Can you sense the excitement in my voice? I'm not really sarcastic this time. I rather like history, especially when you contrast it to my utter dislike of geography.
We have 8 chapters that can be examinable. I've decided to only study chapters 3 to 5 and 8 to 9. I really hope tomorrow's SEQ would not be crazy and come out as chapter 2, 6 and 7.
Compared to studying for SS, history is more enjoyable and easier to handle. I realised that every chapter in history has a main event or highlight. For chapter 8 for example, it is about how Cold War started.
From there, you look back: why did Cold War start? Also, you look ahead: what happened after Cold War started? Here onwards, it's mainly breaking down into factors and cause & effects.
I really like studying Cold War. It is the last two chapters on our syllabus. Yet, I feel that it is the epitome of modern world history. Mr Y said that he studied Cold War too during JC, but in his time, it just ended. Can you imagine that ...?
According to him, Cold War will be taken out of the syllabus for JC history. The people at MOE think it's too difficult. LOL no! The case study of Japan is way more difficult (unless you just want to memorise blindly then everything's easy), and the lousy way the textbook lays out the content doesn't help.
I really wished they used China as the case study instead of Japan. It's more interesting and relateable. (Okay sorry to non-Chinese Singaporeans taking history too.) And at least the factors presented in the old-syllabus textbook is clearer for China.
Oh well, nothing to whine about. The syllabus is changing next year or next next, and I'd be chafed if China was placed back. Anyway.
Tonight I shall continue doing history. I just need to complete chapter 4 and 5 (and brush up 9 since I think it's important). Chapter 3 was completed just now; chapter 8 is more or less done. I really hope that tomorrow's history paper can be uneventful. Please give me a topic that I studied.
I wonder what will come out for SBQ. Unlike SS where local social issues can be used, history's SBQ is fixed. So it's either War in Europe, Korean War, Cuban Missile Crsis, Stalin's Russia or Hitler's Germany. KW and CMC were frequently practised before, so it's getting boring. Hopefully Russia comes out for SBQ.
TTFN.
To JQ: Yup it's 'nought', but not 'its'. #analme. Okay anyway I hope 令堂 is alright after the operation. And don't worry, you're still shorter than him. ;)