景界录

So, result is out, for my Year 2 in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus.
Average is 82.4%, with 1st class cut at 70%.
Obviously, I get to progress to Year 3.
Ranking? As titled. Period.

Should I be happy about it?
My first reaction in knowing the results... well, let me be long-winded and be a story-teller la..
don't want me be a story teller? A narrator then..

Okay, so I got waken up by my politely gentle message tone of my phone. A friendly notice from my friend that result is out! Tried to access OWA mail (the medium we use to receive results) from my phone but both my Nokia browser and Opera Mini failed deliberately for some reason.. So, I was forced to switch on my laptop, let it load. My feeling at that moment? Rather calm, I know result is coming. I know I did all I could on it. I just want to know my result. I just want to know, nothing else.

I smiled, when the pdf file encrypting my result finally loaded and appears. The ranking, a joke?
Do I expect something like that to happen? Well, I think I thought of it before, some days before the exam ended (when there's like 2 papers left I think). I laughed on myself that I have become someone who doesn't care about ranking, only until the end of exam I started to think about the possibility of claiming the top positions. Back in primary school, no. 1 is a must, anything but that is a failure. Well, I clinched it 4 times out of the maximum possible 6 times though. Secondary school? Oh well, the almighty James Ang left no chance, and no mercy. My SAM time? Oh well, why is there a March intake which takes in someone who has gotten a better TER than me? (I don't care about the JPA.. ok?) Well, whatever. And my Year 1? Being someone who joins the course halfway, I don't have rights to talk about racing on the ranks, since I will be completing my studies 1 semester later than the majorities. Nonetheless, the small league of Jan intake, I claim a comfortable and secure no. 2, and never think of what would happen on today!

Am I bragging? Maybe. Does getting the position I have now earn bragging rights? My mum asked me if she could go and tell anyone. I know she's proud of me. My dad, too. Am I proud of myself? Well, if this happens few years ago, maybe. I'll tell the whole world about my achievement. Now? I can let you know if you want to, but it doesn't seem that I need to tell you, because probably you hear it from someone else already.

Is it things really come when you least expect it? I play a game called MouseHunt on the facebook platform, and it's a game of chances. You could get it on your next try, or on your next 100th try, or you may not get it. Everytime when I made a huge achievement, it's when I least expect it. Whenever I anticipate for it to happen, it doesn't. Of course, there are ways to improve the chances, but in the end, it is really up to luck to decide if you get it. Or it's destiny who decides instead.

Okay, end the philosophy. What to do now? What else I could do? Just live my life as it is now. Nothing changes. Only update in my life is that, I got my result, I feel surprised and satisfied and my parents are proud of it. Period. Next year is going to be tough and all I could do is to work hard, keep my coolness, run on my own pace, and keep myself happy and satisfied.

A short tip if you want to know how I study.
"Study when you feel like you want to. If you are serious about your studies, you know when will you feel to study. If you don't, don't bother study. It's not your cup of tea."
"Keeping yourself happy is the most important. It prevents sleep debt, which in turn increase your accuracy in your exam, leveling up your performance, which could be vital in hitting (over) your expectations."
"Questions can be tough. If it's optional, skip it. If it's isn't? Blow whatever water you have on it."
"When an exam/a paper is over, it's over. Thinking back, feeling depressed of your mistake, is a waste of time. The time could be better used to distress yourself, either for celebrating the end of the exam, or keeping up your form for the next paper."
"Last but not least, the most important, support Spain in the World Cup!"

It has been 9 years since I last clinched the title. It came back to me finally, when I do not care about it anymore. In exams, what I care is the enjoyment of attempting questions, the accomplishment when I solve one, and the anxiety when I feel insecure about my answers. Exams never torture, it's your mind that thinks exam is torturing, or perhaps, it's my mind that thinks exam doesn't torture.

Brain is not big, but it's enough to keep yourself motivated.