Merry Christmas everyone! It has been a long time since I last posted an entry. After a busy month of exercises and tests, finally, there is some time to unwind and loosen up. For some, Christmas may be a golden opportunity to rest and relax. To me, however, Christmas (and all other holidays) is a chimera. As much as I dream to lie in bed and do nothing, there are loads of important tasks that I have to deal with in reality.
I must not lose the fight against our biggest enemy: inertia. It is sheer human nature to be lazy, especially under the holiday mood. But apart from relaxing, I have got to pull myself together and study for the open exams in March, which is barely three months from now. No, I can hardly afford to waste any minute not preparing for my exams; yet frankly speaking, it seems an utmost killjoy to work in such a festive atmosphere.
Seeing everyone else holding their hands up high and celebrating on the streets makes me feel envious. But sitting cozily by the study desk and holding a mug of hot tea is, somehow, another way to live the holiday spirit. After all, working during Christmas isn’t that bad. In order to comfort myself, I am making myself take all the work as Christmas presents: the more, the better. That’s certainly making me feel better.
So, checking my Christmas wish list, I’ve got: piles of homework to do, stacks of textbooks to revise, and class after class of tutorials to attend. Even on Christmas day I must forbid myself from being too lazy. My goal for the day is to thoroughly go through my History text books, all three of them, then join a family gathering, and after that, probably a couple of math questions before going to bed.
Well, okay, I’m just hoping to accomplish all these by the end of the day. I might very well turn out finishing hardly half of the work I’ve planned. But a plan is a plan. Even though there’s a chance that I’m not going to complete everything on the list, planning is still essential in the sense that it gives me motivation to work, and most of all, a direction to follow. Of course, it is also important to try my best to finish my planned work of the day, or else why would I need a list?
Having fun, on the other hand, is important for Christmas too. Everyone can recite ‘Work hard, play hard’ backwards. Other than work, adding a fun activity or two to my plan is definitely crucial. This Christmas, I’ll be hanging out with some friends, which I’m excitingly anticipating since it has been a very long time since I last visited a friend’s home. I’ll probably watch some movies too. There are many hits for the holiday. Movies are always great fun.
The holiday has just started, and there is so much to expect. What will you be doing this Christmas? Putting your noses in your textbooks or spending quality time with family and friends? No matter what, remember to have an enjoyable and fruitful Christmas holiday!
2011年12月24日 星期六
2011年12月5日 星期一
Autumn, a Season of Interviews
My friend was grinning from ear to ear, ‘I’ve got an interview this Thursday! The university said that they’d send someone from the UK
Indeed. Autumn is a season of interviews. Everyone at school is discussing this. People are sharing interview skills, exchanging interview experiences, and even trying to create a list of interview do-and-don’ts. ‘Casual attire is definitely a no-no.’ ‘Speak with confidence.’ ‘Make eye-contact with the interviewer.’
Interview preparation is vital. It is very important to be always completely prepared. As a Chinese proverb goes, “Opportunities are only for the prepared minds.” In high spirits, I sat on my bed and pondered what I can do to prepare for my upcoming interview.
Read the prospectus, that’s a must. Prepare answers for common questions, of course. Practice in front of a mirror? That might work as well. I’ve even been googling ‘university interview skills’ and asking my friends who’ve been to university interviews for advice. Here is a list of do-and-don’ts I’ve summarized from all the research I’ve done:
Before the interview:
DO read the prospectus and find out recent news and information about the university DO prepare and print out a copy of your CV DO think of a brief introduction of yourself and make a list of your skills and abilities DO ask your parents, teachers and friends for advice DO check the Internet for interview tips and experience sharing DO find out in what form the interview is going to be DO go on a pre-trip to the venue
DON'T lack preparation or seriousness DON'T sleep late on the interview day
DON'T be late!
DON'T be distracted by anything. Stay focused at all times
DON'T panic. Just try to be yourself and relax
DON'T try to bluff any questions
Glancing through the list I’ve created, I somehow feel more secure and have some sense of self-fulfillment. I truly hope that the above list is going to further equip me well for my upcoming interview, and hopefully for yours too!
Indeed. Autumn is a season of interviews. Everyone at school is discussing this. People are sharing interview skills, exchanging interview experiences, and even trying to create a list of interview do-and-don’ts. ‘Casual attire is definitely a no-no.’ ‘Speak with confidence.’ ‘Make eye-contact with the interviewer.’
Interview preparation is vital. It is very important to be always completely prepared. As a Chinese proverb goes, “Opportunities are only for the prepared minds.” In high spirits, I sat on my bed and pondered what I can do to prepare for my upcoming interview.
Read the prospectus, that’s a must. Prepare answers for common questions, of course. Practice in front of a mirror? That might work as well. I’ve even been googling ‘university interview skills’ and asking my friends who’ve been to university interviews for advice. Here is a list of do-and-don’ts I’ve summarized from all the research I’ve done:
Before the interview:
On the day:
DO bring a copy of your CV
DO arrive at least 15 minutes early
DO make eye-contact with the interviewer(s)
DO look confident (even if you are not) and be enthusiastic
DO give full and elaborated answers
DO ask questions to show your interest in the subject and the university
DO turn off your mobile phoneDON'T be late!
DON'T be distracted by anything. Stay focused at all times
DON'T panic. Just try to be yourself and relax
DON'T try to bluff any questions
Glancing through the list I’ve created, I somehow feel more secure and have some sense of self-fulfillment. I truly hope that the above list is going to further equip me well for my upcoming interview, and hopefully for yours too!
2011年11月28日 星期一
Why Waiting Hurts…And What Does That Mean
Jingle bells, Santa displays and fake plastic mistletoe decorate the shops and streets of Hong Kong . With mixed feelings I become aware that December is already approaching at a hundred miles an hour. Which also means it’s been nearly three months since school started. Time flies, I think to myself. Sometimes it seems to me that the summer vacation was just yesterday, but now I’m so close to completing my UCAS application form.
Time flies. But it also drags.
Upon submitting my UCAS application form there will be nothing more left for me to do for my application process in a few months. No more personal statement to write, no more forms to fill, no more UCAS “to-do-lists” to complete. And quite frankly, I can see that I will miss that just a little.
Waiting for a reply from universities that I’ve applied for is, well, not easy. We’re born to be impatient, especially when it’s about issues which really matter a lot. Waiting hurts. It really does. Sometimes I so get nervous I am briefly incapacitated when I think about the long, long time to wait.
This is also my first time experiencing this kind of “waiting marathon”. At home, and even though I know it’s not a big deal, when the Internet Explorer’s loading 20 per cent slower than it usually does, I get miffed. At school, I get to know my test and exam results within weeks. But now we’re talking about four months…
But then on second thoughts, the art of “waiting” is in fact a lifelong lesson I’m now learning. Waiting 101: I’ve to learn to be patient despite being nervous about the UCAS application. Impatience is like quicksand: keep telling oneself how bad it is to wait and one only keeps sinking deeper and deeper into the abyss of impatience. Therefore I always remind myself that I should shift my focus from pondering and worrying about the application to concentrating on my studies to best prepare for my public exams in March.
As long as I learn to cope with them, my worries can actually turn into some kind of excitement. Think about the good side: this time next year I might be spending my Christmas in the UK!
2011年11月14日 星期一
Running...Out of Time
The other day I went to the cinema to watch In Time. One common goal that Will Salas, the protagonist of the film, and I grudgingly share is: Can I have more time? The clock of UCAS application keeps ticking and ticking but I have not submitted by UCAS application. University choices? Check. Personal Statement? Check. Required English Tests, at least for those of us who need them? Check. So what exactly am I waiting for?
If you still haven’t submitted your UCAS application like me, here’s one quick suggestion: it may be helpful to leave yourself with a cooling-off period so that you can reconsider and re-evaluate your decisions before the ultimate, finalized application. Let’s admit it: at times we are rather impulsive when making decisions. We come up with silly and reckless ideas that we might regret or reject with clearer thinking.
The cooling-off period is probably a good time to have deep(er) conversations and seek final advice, especially from parents and possibly from professionals. It could actually be surprisingly helpful. I’m lucky to have at school teachers who offer concrete and useful advice for my university choices and provide various solutions for any of my enquiries.
Thanks to the “mentor programme” of my school, I have been assigned a mentor who is a journalist, just as one day I hope to be. And of course, I’ve been constantly asking my parents and friends for their opinions. Googling the most updated information about universities helps a lot too. Most of my friends have been glued to their computers, going through every single article related to tertiary studies both locally and overseas.
B ut at the same time, I’ve got to keep in mind that other people’s advice is merely helping me with the finalization of my application. I’m trying to take the good and reasonable advice, but when it comes to my aspirations, I know I need to stand firm in what I’m passionate about doing and not be daunted by conflicting opinions. I’m going to stay true to myself and believe in myself. I hope you will too!
Notwithstanding it’s still two months from the official UCAS application deadline, I must bear in mind that there isn’t much time for lingering without making any actual progress. I hope to make up my final decisions and submit my UCAS application within one week or two. How about you?
If you still haven’t submitted your UCAS application like me, here’s one quick suggestion: it may be helpful to leave yourself with a cooling-off period so that you can reconsider and re-evaluate your decisions before the ultimate, finalized application. Let’s admit it: at times we are rather impulsive when making decisions. We come up with silly and reckless ideas that we might regret or reject with clearer thinking.
The cooling-off period is probably a good time to have deep(er) conversations and seek final advice, especially from parents and possibly from professionals. It could actually be surprisingly helpful. I’m lucky to have at school teachers who offer concrete and useful advice for my university choices and provide various solutions for any of my enquiries.
Thanks to the “mentor programme” of my school, I have been assigned a mentor who is a journalist, just as one day I hope to be. And of course, I’ve been constantly asking my parents and friends for their opinions. Googling the most updated information about universities helps a lot too. Most of my friends have been glued to their computers, going through every single article related to tertiary studies both locally and overseas.
Notwithstanding it’s still two months from the official UCAS application deadline, I must bear in mind that there isn’t much time for lingering without making any actual progress. I hope to make up my final decisions and submit my UCAS application within one week or two. How about you?
2011年11月6日 星期日
A Long Way to Go
‘NO.’ Simple and clear. That’s what my dad said when I raised the question of pursuing my tertiary education in the UK. It was a money issue.
For the next few months I tried every possible way to persuade him to change his mind. I nagged. I coaxed. I listed out the all the pros and cons of studying in the UK. I talked about I how much love British culture. I explained how I hoped to learn in an English-speaking environment. Under the seemingly endless son-to-dad “pressure”, well, he agreed to give me a chance under the condition that the university is good enough.
Studying in the UK, regardless of the depreciation of the British pound, is still more of less a luxurious good for a student in Asia. The cost of living in the UK is high by anyone’s standards. And on top of that, the tuition fee is another concern for my middle-income family. After all, studying abroad is not something that everyone could afford.
But at the same time, studying in the UK is an absolutely invaluable lifetime experience for me as an international student. Not to mention it would be a whole new environment, but the UK also has some of the world’s finest universities. What’s more is that I truly enjoy British culture. So much so that I’ve been trying very hard but failing to imitate Daniel Craig’s James Bond accent.
Now I have the chance of applying for universities in the UK. However, despite a clear goal, there’s still a long way to go until I get to study in the UK. My brain is twisted and tangled as I am typing this piece, deciding on which five university choices I should fill in my UCAS application.
For the next few months I tried every possible way to persuade him to change his mind. I nagged. I coaxed. I listed out the all the pros and cons of studying in the UK. I talked about I how much love British culture. I explained how I hoped to learn in an English-speaking environment. Under the seemingly endless son-to-dad “pressure”, well, he agreed to give me a chance under the condition that the university is good enough.
Studying in the UK, regardless of the depreciation of the British pound, is still more of less a luxurious good for a student in Asia. The cost of living in the UK is high by anyone’s standards. And on top of that, the tuition fee is another concern for my middle-income family. After all, studying abroad is not something that everyone could afford.
But at the same time, studying in the UK is an absolutely invaluable lifetime experience for me as an international student. Not to mention it would be a whole new environment, but the UK also has some of the world’s finest universities. What’s more is that I truly enjoy British culture. So much so that I’ve been trying very hard but failing to imitate Daniel Craig’s James Bond accent.
Now I have the chance of applying for universities in the UK. However, despite a clear goal, there’s still a long way to go until I get to study in the UK. My brain is twisted and tangled as I am typing this piece, deciding on which five university choices I should fill in my UCAS application.
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