Saturday, September 20, 2008
7:27 AM
The air in school seems fresher than ever, resonating with excitement, than the usual drab, it must be the placebo effect of the nearing promos. Everyone seems to be moaning about how much trouble they are facing. (I admit that I too am guilty!) On a concise thought, I begin to find it silly, weaker people face more pressure. Why try to prove that one is weaker than everyone else?
Feelings of happiness, sorrow, disorientation have come and gone as the lessons progress. Expressions of joy indicating that the promos are nearing an end have comforted pressured hearts, while under the revelry lies a measure of menace. Regret, that one should have studied conscientiously before the exam constantly bludgeons our minds, despite it being irrational, on the other hand afterall, we are human. One arresting reason for disorientation is the lack of comprehension: in the questions and answers we are practicing, quick to tie themselves to regret. Sadly, it reflects on the work had been done during the "rugby games". Despite wrestling with these inner feelings, one still has to confront their impending doom(or victory).
In this critical period, conceding to fate is not an option, fate leads people down the path of least resistance, of which is scattered with flowers in the beginning but cuts abruptly with a steep cliff at the end. Fate is merely a device created by the strong to enslave the weak. It may be tempting to give in once in a while, but never surrender your soul to the devil. Say rather, overcome it, beat the game. It is merely but a sign of weakness to give up, it is downright inappropriate to let one fall into oblivion! The will to power, I will triumph.
Dont despair, hope is in the air..
Saturday, August 30, 2008
2:28 AM
I went for a gathering with my ex-classmates earlier yesterday. Despite arriving late, the meeting was a sluggish and lacklustre one, but it is really great meeting my old friends again.
Unfortunately, it seemed as though nothing has changed, the hallmark of weakness appears ever evident as before. It is a sad sight to behold, foolishly clinging on to naive, unaspiring ideals that distinguishes the lesser and the mighty. Not that it matters much, but it seemed as though I have lost the sense of familiarity with them. Perhaps the habits of old do not seem pertinent as anymore, my mind has progressed farther, away from the insights of the common.
On the brighter side, I was delighted to meet my teachers of old, namely Mrs Wee, Mrs Chong and Mdm Yeo. They were still as before, ever eager and passionate about teaching. We chatted briefly about our future careers. Peers of my age are fretting about what career to do in future, but I have decided on mine, that is research, Physics. No word in my vocabulary can best explain the elegant, subtle yet enigmatic subject which drives my passion and interest. They have high hopes for me, so it is best that I do not let them down.
Ironically, I feel weakness in me, the tendency to procrastinate, to be disinclined just to do homework! These feelings are irrational, yet sadly I remain irrevocably human. The habits of my old lifestyle have not dwindled but inflated! All these vices must go to achieve what I have in mind. Yet despite bearing the might of my will, I too frequently succumb to them, much to my displeasure.
Looking back, I achieved a raw ' O ' Level score of 10 points, far from what I had in mind. I ended up in a jc that has plenty of 'georges' around, though making it to the top 12 in my school, there is a sense of distraught within me, the desire to do better overwhelms me.It is irrational to falter here, not here. The signs of weakness do not deter me, however. I will fight it, and triumph shall be mine to seize.
My dreams have been dark of late...
Saturday, June 7, 2008
9:04 AM
“
Hahas euu beriz funniex!! “ --These are the leeches that infest the pond of prose, sucking the blood of words. Seemingly commonplace amongst the unlearned, one should turn resolutely away from all devices that are popularly believed to indicate style—all mannerisms, tricks, adornments, at least in Singapore’s context.
Writing is, for most, laborious and slow; one should not indulge in sesquipedalian lexicological constructions, for style is an increment in writing. All writers, by the way they use the language, reveal something of their spirits, their habits, their capacities and their biases.
Now compare with the former,“
He did not still feel weak, he was merely luxuriating in that supremely gutful lassitude of convalescence in which time, hurry, doing, did not exist, the accumulating seconds and minutes and hours to which in its well state the body is slave both waking and sleeping, now reversed and time now the lip-server and mendicant to the body’s pleasure instead of the body thrall to time’s headlong course. “
How different are their prose!This is not to disparage the former; for they have great powers, powers to momentarily cause spastic retardation, powers capable of triggering bowel contractions. ‘Rich, ornate’ prose is hard to digest, generally unwholesome, and sometimes nauseating.
Adverbs are easy to build. Take an adjective or a participle, add –ly and behold! You have an adverb. The last time I checked, where credibility is never questioned, mindless addition of letters such as x, s, u and i was never integrated in our lifetime of lingual education! Not only does it corrupt the ever-foolish mindset that it is, at all a cute way of expression, it malfunctions one’s deviant intuitive compass to the art of writing. Always, under any circumstances avoid the elaborate, the pretentious, the coy, and the cute.
What are your elements of style? – That is the question.
Labels: elements of style
