• How are you feeling right now?
  • I am not stressed about the final exams or anything else in my life, but I am full of thoughts about my later life and things post-IGCSE finals. I think that I have a good revision schedule that I stick to, in order to maximise my efficiency in revision, hence I am somewhat confident about my performance during the final exams. However, I am worried about certain aspects of the exam, subject-wise; specifically, English, Music and Economics as there is a wider range of content I need to revise and cover before the Spring Break. Over the spring break, I would like to touch upon my weak areas and thoroughly develop my understanding across most if not all units across all my subjects
• What elements of the map do you feel you are good at?
  • I feel that I am good at managing my sleep and stress, as I know that I will stress myself if I don’t sleep more than 7-8 hours a day. This is because I need to be fully energised for a school day, so I can absorb all the information and process it efficiently, without wasting time. Therefore, I have sacrificed certain aspects of my physical health such as exercise, which is definitely an area of improvement that I must take into account. I think that my mental health is relatively stable right now, but my physical health can be better, therefore I need to eat healthier and exercise more frequently.
• What do you want to keep in mind as you move into preparation for your iGCSE exams? 
  • I think I am in a good place now, with a sustainable and appropriate revision schedule. I am able to balance my homework and revision with my activities, hence maintaining wholesome wellbeing. I think that starting new activities/sports at this time wouldn’t be beneficial, as finals are nearing and if I simply continue my revision I will be satisfied in the end. Therefore, I would like to commence new activities and exercise plans AFTER my IGCSE exams, during the holidays and hence carrying over to my IB years.

I am clueless about how it will be like after I graduate. All I know is I want it to be good. I try to work hard now so that I can be satisfied with my belief that later on, it will be better. I’ve always felt like it’s unfair, how the mark out of 45 decides your fate. Yes, there are other factors but mostly, if one wants to get into a good university it’s almost always the grades that they look at. I’m going to move away from that today and talk about who I am. I truly don’t know what it will be like graduating from high school and moving on from college, but I know that I will miss my friends. Throughout my life, I have been exposed to and tried various different activities and participating in multiple services. At this age, due to my confusion, I want to explore more things and find out what’s good for me, so I might be able to revisit them sooner or later. This brings me onto my activities, services and past experiences section.

Two activities that I have stuck on to since I was young is playing the piano and karate. I am not an easy-quitter, and my parents have told me that I am a fast learner. I started piano when I was only 3 years old, I can see now that experience really talks. What I mean by that is, I can progress faster when learning piano pieces, show up to regular competitions/concerts, and attend private/group lessons whenever I can. I have had countless experiences by just playing the piano, and many more by listening to others. The best examples I can give, when I was only 6 years old I performed in front of a large audience on a grand piano. I vaguely remember doing that but if I had to do it now, there would be much more pressure on me due to various factors. Another example is going to a Star Wars Concert, where an orchestra played the Star Wars music throughout the ENTIRE movie. How fascinating is that! Yes, I’m talking about the entire 2h 7min (The Empire Strikes Back). Karate, I also started very young, around when I was in Grade 1. At this time, I was in Japan and Karate was recommended throughout my academic and school program as well. My mom put me in, and I only achieved a blue belt before we had to move to Singapore. Sadly, even though I continued karate in Singapore, UWC supported a different type of Karate (kyokushin instead of shotokan). Therefore, I had to start all over from a white belt, but it was indeed a very good exercise and building of discipline that I did twice a week. As of now, I am not in part of any sports team (school or outside) but I am in the SEAMC (South East Asia Mathematics Competition) team and as I have mentioned earlier, participated in numerous activities over the course of many years. When it comes to service, I’m not a big enthusiast however I know that it is necessary for us to learn because we are doing a good deed. Every year I do at least one service and this year I signed up for S3, S4 Hougang Fitness Centre. Sadly, due to the COVID-19 pandemic starting exactly around S3, we never got to visit the centre and we are now conducting remote service every Tuesdays, to update blogs and send videos at home.

From a young age, I’ve always wanted to become a surgeon, and quite specifically a neurosurgeon. The reason for this is the brain had always fascinated me (still today). Throughout my life, looking at multiple examples of people and role models that have achieved something big in their life, I’ve always wanted to be one of them. To me, it seemed like everything was invented already and the only thing that people couldn’t grasp their minds around was the brain and space. Learning about space has also been one of my biggest passions, I remember spending days researching and learning about the deep unknown and how much more there is to discover. What made me choose neurosurgeon over astrophysicist was a rather silly factor. My entire family is composed of engineers, and when I was young I vowed to never become one of them. I just wanted to break the chain, and experiencing the poverty of my home country, India, really shook me in terms of health, medicine and basic hygiene. Millions in India didn’t have access to freshwater, and many more couldn’t afford surgery to save their loved ones. Watching multiple movies about hero doctors and lifesavers that put life over money, inspired me to become one of them. That’s when I decided to become a neurosurgeon, and sort of attempt to save the world in my own way. I would want to participate in a charity, by lowering fees to a minimum and giving free surgeries to the needy. Of course, this is all after I get the position of a neurosurgeon, which thinking about it now would take years of dedicated hard work. “If you want to shine like the sun, first you have to burn like it” – Abdul Kalam.

In conclusion, I feel that right now I have to continue studying in order to achieve my goals. Being a successful doctor or a successful scientist will take time and I have to start now. So far, I haven’t prepared in any sort of way, but I have taken multiple courses in Math and Science including enrolling in edX Harvard and Brilliant courses as well. I think that I just have to continue finding things that drive my passion to become what I want to become. In the future, I am still not certain what I will do after graduating from high school, by that I mean what I will do at university. I do have some expectations to maybe graduate at a high-end IV college or medical college of some sort, but I still have multiple other passions in my mind that I cannot ignore at this point. My parents are there to support me (except “unreasonable” professions such as becoming a streamer/gamer) and they also tell me that it is fine to not be sure at this age. On a final note, I will most likely pursue my medical passion and participate in some internship/profession in that field.

How important relationships are. I have spent much more time talking with my grandparents and relatives in India, and even with my parents. It’s clear that normally we are so busy with our daily lives; office and school that we don’t make enough time to maintain our relationships. Of course, it is a big loss for me, that I cannot regularly meet with my friends and I am not able to see them every day, but the lockdown has taught me the value of time more than anything. Even though I am bored, I feel that I am constantly wasting my time and can do something better and more beneficial to myself and others. An increased amount of existential crises have been coming to me and I can’t help thinking but what is the future of our world. At this rate, will a bio-war (WW3?) really occur? Going back on topic, I spend way more time with family but also more time on electronic devices. This lockdown has taught me many things, the main thing is that we must value our relationships while they last. I am truly grateful for having food and shelter during these times and more than I need whenever I want something. I have two fine parents and a house that I can live in during these times, whereas many do not have the same privilege. The lockdown has made me think more about the future of technology and AI, and if certain movies like “The Matrix” and “The Hunger Games” could actually occur in the next few centuries.

EPISODE SIXTEEN:

I found myself agreeing with a lot of the things the high school students brought up. Firstly, I do find myself reading more than usual, but personally, it’s not a silver lining because I feel like I’m still staying at home, and I hate feeling lazy and want to get outside. I also agree on a lot with (I think) Oliver, sometimes I struggle to stay focused, it’s not like a classroom with your friends and its less of an interactive experience. The tests did give the feel back, and I feel that the teachers are also doing their best to support our learning during these times. I also agree with the statement that he made about some people not taking it as seriously as they should. Personally, I don’t have too many online issues but being honest it is really easy to get off task as you are at home. I really feel bad for the grade 11s and 12s because they miss out on their biggest tests, that apparently they have already started preparing for. They also miss all the big celebrations and even the prom, which is a major loss.

EPISODE SEVENTEEN:

I agree that everyone knows that Singapore established the circuit breaker for our own safety, even though that means we have to stay home. I believe the same, we should be grateful that we can stay at home with food and shelter, unlike many. Singapore is doing really well, handling this situation better than most countries, so again we should be grateful. However, I’ll have to be somewhat selfish if I said that I’m bored at home because I don’t have many things to do. I know that this is lowering the cases and it is better in the long run but in the short run I simply can’t handle it. I think we have to acknowledge the existence of many workers that live in the dormitories because they are working so hard yet they have the worst living conditions in comparison to ours. It is great that Singapore is trying their best to protect us from the virus, and overall I think that maintaining a positive outlook for the future is necessary and will be beneficial for our health.

This is the 4th and the final speaker I attended to. Christopher Newman, a.k.a. “Crispy” is our school’s head of outdoor education. His story is about how he got there, and how his life was not as easy as some people might think it was. He was born and brought up in the UK, with his parents and grandparents. His family was quite well off, and therefore had many exotic sports equipment and a yard. Throughout his life, he has struggled multiple times with academics, (Bs and Cs) but always found himself occupied and engaged in outdoor activities.

His message is clear; persevere and you can do anything! Enjoy the journey, it matters more than the destination. And finally, the quote that was his favourite because it made the most sense to him. “A ship in harbour is safe – but that is not what ships are built for.” – John A. Shedd. Despite these being said, he only took risks when required, and by that, I mean that he was conscious and he critically thought upon it. Therefore, I feel that the real lesson is; never make risks erratically and recklessly, it will always result in your demise.

The second and final day, first speaker; Jabiz Raisdana. Mr.Raisdana is a middle school teacher and he loves his family and exploring the world. One vacation, he and his family went to “Koh Phi Phi”, an island part of Thailand for sailing. One day, they started sailing and were slowly distancing themselves from shore. Suddenly, there was a “weird and peculiar” change in tide, such that the water was being pulled away from the shore rapidly. It wasn’t the usual intake from the ocean, but much more. Mr.Raisdana and his family were already quite far away when this happened, but it was noticeable as more than 30 meters of wet sand (that was previously underwater) was exposed! In front of them, there was what seemed to be a gigantic wave building up… which somehow harmlessly went under them, leaving the sailboat bobbing up and down, ever so slightly. After this, the growth multiplied rapidly, increasing and increasing until the wave was so large that it crashed down with so much pressure that it overflowed into the city. It was a tsunami! The scary thing about all of this was, NO ONE EXPECTED IT. There were no alarms, no predictions (via weather forecast) and it just all happened too suddenly.

After the waves calmed down, it was safe for them to return to the island. Mr.Raisdana couldn’t believe his eyes. The hotel that they stayed in… was rubble! There was a building which was IMPALED by a sailboat, ON THE 4TH STORY. Without going into too much detail, Mr.Raisdana observed devastating destruction that the island had withstood that day, and 2 days later officials were informed and the population was to be taken care of. Sadly, there were around 3600 deaths and this was soon to be confirmed as one of the (if not the) worst natural disasters of Thailand history!

How did this event affect Mr.Raisdana?

Being a survivor, he learned that being grateful is very important in life and even though he lost almost about everything (his passport, luggage, money etc.) due to the tsunami’s damage, he still had his life and his family. He was extremely lucky to have survived such a disaster (which was actually broadcasted worldwide at that time on about every news channel), especially while BEING IN THE WATER. He recalls that the whole incident was extremely awkward and weird, however, they did help a lot of the population by handling rations and medication when required. Obviously, their flight tickets had to be cancelled, and all the tourists were given a free flight to their home country. I’m not sure how this worked out for the Thailand economy, but I’m pretty sure the market had a recession shortly after the tsunami.

The second and final speaker for the day, was Melanie Ron, a survivor of a variation of multiple sclerosis. Ms.Ron worked in a major Australian bank as a professional lawyer. I learned a lot about loss and fear upon hearing her story. It started when her family and herself travelled to the gold coast for a vacation/holiday trip. During her talk, she was recalling the events that had occurred to her, and the first thing that she remembered was her hand. A series of events resulted in her losing control of her entire right side of her body. We learned that anything could happen to us anytime, and being prepared for the cold winter is the best thing we can do.

Overall, I learned that when confronted by a shocking discovery, especially life-deciding, we have to remain calm and hope for the best. She had family support, financial support and medical support, what more could she have needed? Even with this though, there was a possibility that she might have not survived the disease. It was a neural disorder, and she was majorly affected. She moved to Singapore 5 months after this, and she was fascinated about the brain’s potential. During her phase of being affected by TDMS, she simply couldn’t control/move the right side of her body. She was not only scared but frustrated. She is very lucky, and we should all be grateful for what she had and we have.

My first writer’s fortnight speaker was Martin Suarez. He is an IB physics teacher, however a former worker in maximum-security prisons in Argentina, his home country. His story was how he had a very memorable time with two of the prisoners. Gaby and German, two middle-aged men who were criminalized for their actions. Gaby was a married man with a daughter, and he was caught driving a stolen car. German was a happy, middle-class man living with his family, however, one day he was caught dealing drugs. They both spent around 11 years of their lives in the Argentinian prison, where Mr.Suarez worked. Now, Mr.Suarez wanted to teach and learn with the inmates, and give them a better life. The jail cells were unbearable, “worse than the movies”, a horrible stench accompanied by a 2 by 1 meter-sized cell with a bunk bed.

Mr.Suarez spent years helping them outgrow their bad deeds in the past, and taught them multiple things. German was into law, and he was pretty well educated. He managed to work really hard in prison, and passed as a lawyer after his time in jail! Once Gaby was discharged from prison, he still was into theft and working for bad people. He was caught working for a drug lord and is now currently running away from the police.

In summary, Mr.Suarez felt a deep connection and pity for both the prisoners and therefore decided to educate both of them with his classes. He wanted justice more than equality. He personally taught law and science to multiple convicts, however, specially recognized Gaby and German. The moral of this story and the lesson that he has learnt is that education is more important than anything if you want to survive in the real world (especially today.)

I would like to be remembered as a person that doesn’t make it hard for other people. I want to be remembered as a funny, smart and supportive remembered. I try to maintain a healthy relationship with all my classmates in most if not all my subjects, and I wish that people think the same of me. I rarely have disagreements or conflicts with others, and always try to maintain a positive attitude with other groups of people. Even though I am part of a clique in the grade, I have no trouble socialising with other acquaintances and even people I have never met before/new people. I don’t want to be remembered as a person who had too big of an ego, even though I can act as I do sometimes. I want to be perceived as knowledgeable and simply, a nice person. In my life I want to accomplish many things for the benefit of society, giving another way that I want to be remembered. I would like to be remembered as a person who has done more good things for the community, rather than a person who has caused more public inconvenience than they are “supposed to”.

My Strengths & My Weaknesses

* How can these strengths make you an effective member of the community?

Since humour and love of learning are the two of my best strengths, I can help others in terms of academics and cheer them up when needed. I am good at telling jokes and bringing smiles to other people. In the community, I can be known as a knowledgeable yet funny guy.

* Think about the last few weeks: how have you recently played to those strengths.

Humour has always been part of me and I have always shown it throughout in my character. I am also very curious, and for the past few weeks since school just started I’ve been asking a numerous amount of questions.

* How can you work to bring out your own strengths more? Look for opportunities to use these strengths (especially to help others) to increase wellbeing.

Honestly, I’ve had similar strengths for my whole life so keeping it up isn’t too hard. I just have to be myself and I recommend others to do so as well.

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