[C'EST MOI]
living paradox. individualist with anarchistic tendencies.
eludes eminence but appreciates subtle recognition.
capricious yet dependable. clandestine and unfathomable.
cynical realist who succumbs to the occasional idealism.
[J'AIME]
music. films. feasting & drinking. team sports.
good company; family, friends and those who share similar interests.
Or maybe not. But it sure feels like it was all a fortunate accident.
The day didn't start out very well. From the second I got up, I could sense a dreariness in my stomach. It was to be a long day. I was going to have a French test and my results are out today. It didn't help that I hadn't completed my revision because I'm really at the point of wearing down.
Not that I'm complaining. I do have a fetish for being occupied and overworked sometimes. Because I believe that you reap what you sow - the greater the effort, the sweeter the fruits of labour and the more valuable the satisfaction.
The morning french lesson was less than enjoyable. I think it's all getting onto us.
The students' attention is increasingly flagging; and Monsieur Nicolas seems to be progressively cantankerous and impatient. I see it as a vicious cycle - they say that people's attitude towards you is actually a reflection of your outlook to them; so basically we are all just shooting negative vibes to each other across the classroom, killing the hell out of any goodness around.
So you can just picture a very sullen teacher whose mind seems to be away at Timbuktu while the rest of us are half-heartedly listening to him and doodling away on our texts. Put simply, it's not a pretty sight for any classroom situation.
Then it was lunch break and I was prepared to live in denial (I refused to check my results because I didn't want my 'test mood' to be disrupted in anyway) but Evon told me that she had just checked hers via SMS (high tech sia!) and that immediately gave me the jitters. 1001 What ifs just couldn't stop bugging me but I had to concentrate on the important thing first - my test.
I'm really fortunate that I have Evon as a studying companion for French. It makes it all more fun and endearing. I remember the days when I was alone in my Japanese class and I was the one who always sat right in front. (I was this super-eager-to-learn student) It was as if the lessons were just between me and my sensei. I did learnt alot then, but it wasn't half as fun as it is now.
Okay back to the story. So we had our french test, and for the VERY FIRST TIME, we had listening. Which is bonkers if you ask me. We NEVER got to practise any of the what, 10 listening exercises in the workbook? Why? Because 60% of the time wasted was when our teacher got TOO carried away with his preaching. The other 40%? His being late.
Thus, for our very virgin french listening exercise, it was to be in a test. Bugger. Which is damn sucky lah. I have no idea why the french must speak so darn fast. At least try to slow down a bit mah, you're doing a tape for beginners in french for goodness sakes. Not an instructional tape for a rapper wannabe.
So we had that sucky listening and the other not-so-sucky questions and then the test was over. But the torture wasn't to be over just yet. We had to wait for him to mark it ON THE SPOT and then return it back to us to show us our marks. Drats. The anticipation, the nerve-wrecking suspense, the buzzing butterflies.
There were only 5 of us left in the room, still waiting and waiting.
Then I heard a loud chuckle.
Monsieur Nicolas was laughing at one script and I was hoping it wasn't mine - that I didn't make some really idiotic mistake in the test. But he called out "JOY." It's my test paper after all.
"Wah!" he exclaimed with a distinct flavour of sarcasm.
"Wah? Is it a good 'wah' or a bad 'wah'?" I asked. I was actually quite annoyed with his teasing.
"Someone got 19/20 ah! Not bad ah..." he said.
That was the pleasant surprise No. 1.
For those who were wondering what the joke was about (why he was laughing at my script), I had merely directly translated BLUES, as in the genre of music, into french 'BLEUS'. He said that BLUES is an english word and is retained in the the french language. Not funny what. Why he laugh until like that. Hey, at least I know how to translate BLUE ok.
So the first burden was lifted.
Then I got home and went to my room, contemplating if I should check my results right away. I didn't.
Instead, I plonked myself in front of the TV and enjoyed the award-winning performance of Maggie Cheung in Clean while munching on chips. I'd better enjoy the good luck while it lasts.
It is a quietly moving film, not the kind that makes you want to bawl because it's so touching, but instead, it touches you in such a subtle way, it's like going through a change inside you subconsciously. The message was simple yet unyielding. I thought it was splendid.
After my little self-indulgence, it was time to face up to reality and check my results. I was also banking on the fatigue that I had accumulated - so if I were to receive a blow, I wouldn't feel it that badly.
So I logged into my student account and let's just say that the 2nd burden is lifted.
[Time of Confession] 8:03 PM 0 Wisecracks for Me
_______________________________________________________________________________________
]>
_______________________________________________________________________________________
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home