A Level Results + Some Thoughts

Despite the looming CA, I felt really compelled to write this long post just to jot down some of my thoughts.

A Level results were released today, and I'm really happy for my sister who is very satisfied with her grades. Since a few weeks ago she had been very nervous and anxious about the big day. At one point she was rather worried about her future options. Her predicament vaguely reminded me of the similar feelings and experience I went through two years ago, though circumstances back then were quite different from today's. I remember reporting for work as usual on the day my results were released, only leaving after lunch - I was working in High School where a 15 minutes walk would take me to College. I recall the calm and relief feeling after receiving my results - somehow the happy mood only came on much later.

My sister had been mentally preparing herself for the worst as she did not feel exactly confident about her performance during the exam. "Keep faith in yourself", we always told her. Thankfully, her results were better than her own expectation. Perhaps most shockingly, she achieved the unimaginable feat of getting an 'A' for one of her worst subjects. A great sense of relief and a little element of disbelief - that probably summed up her feelings when I called her. At this moment, grades and results and whatever else seem to be secondary; what truly matters most is the fact that she is happy.

Somehow this afternoon I was not the only one feeling nervous in class. The nervousness was clearly written on the faces of at least 4 people I know of, who hardly paid attention to the lecture as our mental function had been diminished by our over-active amygdala. We were obviously concerned about our siblings whose results were released today. At one point during the lecture, I missed the lecturer's explanation for one of the diagrams, and I turned over to my friend sitting next to me, only to hear both of us saying "what did the lecturer say ah" at the same time. -_-" Haha I am sure he was as nervous as me at that time.

On an unrelated matter, I think life in university calls for greater adaptability from me compared to any other point in my life so far. Models that guaranteed me success in the past are no longer applicable in the current context. To survive, it starts with having the will to adapt. It has to be a self-motivated process, with an unwavering source of fighting spirit that comes within myself, to give me the stamina I need to last through the long journey ahead. But having the will is not enough - you must have the means, the plan, the strategy. Continuously observe, learn from other people's strengths and weaknesses, regularly self-evaluate to improve are some of my current methods. They call for me to be on my toes all the time, to be ready to accept the next challenge and overcome it. My methods may be lousy, but I believe that even the lousiest method beats doing nothing, and I am ready to commit the extra effort needed to catch up with others with superior, more efficient methods.

Nobody can be at the top forever. 强中自有强中手 - an old wisdom that always hold true. Also, 失败乃成功之母 - failure is a PREREQUISITE of success. “不经一番寒彻骨，焉得梅花扑鼻香”，又道“十年寒窗无人问，一举成名天下知”- without going through the hardships, success will never come.