the world is no longer how it used to be. everything is moving so fast. humans are facing so much pressure, striving for excellence. the human race no longer enjoys a slow, relaxed life in the city. even panadol™ has come up with a painkiller, namely Panadol ActivFast to suit the face-paced world.
much of the cause of all these pressures are due to the kiasu syndrome that has crept into the minds of us. being the thick-skin people, we always want to be better than our neighbours, not wanting to be left behind... these result in the big S word, stress.
stress. not something uncommon neither an alien to us. with the push of the people around us to achieve more, we suffer from stress. students nowadays face so much stress til they start getting white hair, sometimes pimples and even dandruff (in jasmine's case). some even suffer from emotional breakdown etc.
we should overcome stress and not let it overcome us. like samuel says, consumeth the crap, but don't let it consume you. stress can lead to alot of other symptoms or disorders like depression, mental disorder, suicidal thoughts and many more. it can also lead to drug addiction and alcohol if the person is not educated well on the dangers of cigarettes, drugs and alcohol.
there are many ways to overcome stress. a time-table will help us. it helps us to divide our time properly and help us to focus on what we are to achieve. having a timetable will help you lead a more systematic life and take one thing at a time.
a good studying habit is vital for us. many people tend to burn midnight oil before exams (wasting the earth's resources.sigh), but that should not be the way. a good night's rest is very important to us as we are in the growing stage. we should study on a regular basis with breaks in between long study hours. do not wait for the last minute.
exercise can reduce stress, according to world-renowned psychologists' reports. therefore, we should inject a zest of sports into our daily life to help us relax. eating habits also affects us. as the saying goes, we are what we eat. we should avoid foods that are junk.
once in a while, we should seek time-out for hobbies, leisure, entertainment and the like. if we keep studying without a break, our mind will not be able to intake everything. other than that, if we cannot take the stress of life any longer, we should seek help from more experience people, namely teachers and counsellors.
we should not look towards drugs to overcome stress. instead, we should use healthy habits to live a stress-free life. say no to stress, say no for a better future.
guided writing. english paper 1 may 2007.
17.6.07
16.6.07
an memorable experience
0431 hours. tossing and turning on my bed, i just can't get my eyes to shut tight and my brain to rest. must be the lousy caffein kicking in at the wrong time. just something in me made me fiddle around with my phone. scrolling through my inbox, i saw a message that had me thinking about the past.
it was half a year ago. i was then a high school sports jock. my school life was all about sports, sports and more sports. studies, that can wait for later, maybe even never. my academic performance was so horrible, it looked like vegetable. ok. maybe not. but it was so bad til i was called to be lectured by the principal. it was that moment then, that my parents were aware of my results and had me enrolled into for tuition. i was forced to take up every subject, including the killer for me, additional maths.
normally, i would go for badminton training before heading of to the centre. the training would go on for a few good hours and would burn me out. tuition was my sleeping place. not to mention the fantastic air-conditioning that allowed me to enjoy the trip to dreamland.
til one day. she had a face of an angel, hair of a sunsilk girl, and a smile so sweet that i knew i caught diabetes. figuratively, that is. the moment she stepped into that room, the whole atmosphere in tuition changed.
like caffein, her presence just knocked out every bit of tiredness inside of me. everytime she asked a question, her voice would melt my heart like an ice cube in a cup of coffee.
my buddy, noticing that i was attracted to her, challenged me to ask her for her phone number. being the usual me, i would not reject dares because of the thick skin on my face. maybe it's about time i get olay regenerist serum. okay, maybe not. we set a deadline, and also prize money.
however, circumstances stood in my way, and many a times i had to see her leave class early without getting to talk to her. sometimes, when it was finally "the chance", i busted it by shying away.
time and tide waits for no man. to prevent me from losing the bet and a good amount of money, i said to myself. today is the day. the day her phone number would be saved in my phonebook.
i went to class early to get her number so even if she went back early, i wouldn't miss the chance.
pacing back and forth in front of the class, my heart pounded at 136 beats per minute. cold sweat broke from my forehead as i glanced at the clock. it's two more minutes. where is she??
that anticipation and suspense was broken as a person opened the door. she stepped inside of the class and i duly followed her. why? because the "she" was my tuition teacher. sigh. "why?" my heart screamed out. why isn't she her? why can't the person that walked through that door be her? why must it be the teacher?? throughout class, my mind was all about her. nothing else. could barely hear a word the teacher spoke, let alone understand it.
after class, i inquired of her whereabouts from the clerk in charge. yes, the most beautiful thing in the world just had to happen. she stopped tuition. my heart skipped a beat or two as i slumped into the chair behind me, nearly breaking it under my weight. to think that she actually passed me by. for a moment or two, i swear i could have torn my hair off.
that was half a year ago. about a month ago, i managed to meet her again at a shopping mall. this time, i made sure there were no banana peels on my pathway, that is, no slip-ups. and as they say, the rest is his story. oops. history.
0734 hours the clock reads. come to think of it, i already miss her sweet voice although it's only a week i haven't met her.
am i obsessed? we'll find out. i hit the call button and we had a good 4 hour chat.
(687 words)
dedicated to him. in case you thought i sounded like a desperado, this is not my creation. the main idea is done by my friend for his english exam and a little snipping here and there and poof, it became koko krunch.
it was half a year ago. i was then a high school sports jock. my school life was all about sports, sports and more sports. studies, that can wait for later, maybe even never. my academic performance was so horrible, it looked like vegetable. ok. maybe not. but it was so bad til i was called to be lectured by the principal. it was that moment then, that my parents were aware of my results and had me enrolled into for tuition. i was forced to take up every subject, including the killer for me, additional maths.
normally, i would go for badminton training before heading of to the centre. the training would go on for a few good hours and would burn me out. tuition was my sleeping place. not to mention the fantastic air-conditioning that allowed me to enjoy the trip to dreamland.
til one day. she had a face of an angel, hair of a sunsilk girl, and a smile so sweet that i knew i caught diabetes. figuratively, that is. the moment she stepped into that room, the whole atmosphere in tuition changed.
like caffein, her presence just knocked out every bit of tiredness inside of me. everytime she asked a question, her voice would melt my heart like an ice cube in a cup of coffee.
my buddy, noticing that i was attracted to her, challenged me to ask her for her phone number. being the usual me, i would not reject dares because of the thick skin on my face. maybe it's about time i get olay regenerist serum. okay, maybe not. we set a deadline, and also prize money.
however, circumstances stood in my way, and many a times i had to see her leave class early without getting to talk to her. sometimes, when it was finally "the chance", i busted it by shying away.
time and tide waits for no man. to prevent me from losing the bet and a good amount of money, i said to myself. today is the day. the day her phone number would be saved in my phonebook.
i went to class early to get her number so even if she went back early, i wouldn't miss the chance.
pacing back and forth in front of the class, my heart pounded at 136 beats per minute. cold sweat broke from my forehead as i glanced at the clock. it's two more minutes. where is she??
that anticipation and suspense was broken as a person opened the door. she stepped inside of the class and i duly followed her. why? because the "she" was my tuition teacher. sigh. "why?" my heart screamed out. why isn't she her? why can't the person that walked through that door be her? why must it be the teacher?? throughout class, my mind was all about her. nothing else. could barely hear a word the teacher spoke, let alone understand it.
after class, i inquired of her whereabouts from the clerk in charge. yes, the most beautiful thing in the world just had to happen. she stopped tuition. my heart skipped a beat or two as i slumped into the chair behind me, nearly breaking it under my weight. to think that she actually passed me by. for a moment or two, i swear i could have torn my hair off.
that was half a year ago. about a month ago, i managed to meet her again at a shopping mall. this time, i made sure there were no banana peels on my pathway, that is, no slip-ups. and as they say, the rest is his story. oops. history.
0734 hours the clock reads. come to think of it, i already miss her sweet voice although it's only a week i haven't met her.
am i obsessed? we'll find out. i hit the call button and we had a good 4 hour chat.
(687 words)
dedicated to him. in case you thought i sounded like a desperado, this is not my creation. the main idea is done by my friend for his english exam and a little snipping here and there and poof, it became koko krunch.