Lost and found

  Hello guys! :) Now, you might be wondering what the topic is about. The title "Lost and Found" isn't much help either - it could refer to practically anything. A lost tissue, a lost pencilbox, a lost correction tape... All of them found. But no; in this post, I'm going to tell you about something much more important... My Student Smartcard.

  Yes, I know that it sounds funny. But this card is the only way I can travel around my country, Singapore, without paying the Adult's fare! Otherwise, for a train ride, I'd have to pay $3 and get only $1 back. Sighs... Singapore really is an expensive country. 

  Using my student smartcard actually lets me travel without cash. I just have to tap the card on the card reader and I can already go inside the train... Simple as that! 

  So imagine if I lost it...

  Yes, I had to survive a week and a day without my card and I had to borrow my aunt's one. But... It had no more top-up value in it, so my dad had to stop and give me $10 for it anyway.

  But after yesterday, I had my card back!!! :) :) :) :) :) Do you know how? I surfed the internet to find a website that could tell me how to replace my smartcard, and I stumbled upon the Transitlink website. It gave me all I needed to know, and I knew that I had to bring my passport and a photo of myself in a school uniform to the station. Once I got there and waited for about five minutes, I would again have a new, shiny card!

  But...

  The downside was that the total cost of the card, $30, ($18 for the card, $5 top up value and $7 for the photo-taking) was paid from my own pocket money. My mom said that I had to learn that money was hard to make and I had to learn to value my own things. So... Yup, I pretty much lost a lot of money from losing the smartcard. But anyway, I'm happy that I went through this. It's a great learning experience! :)

  I'm sorry for the really short post... Nothing new is going on much and I feel sort of sick. I mean literally sick. But don't tell my mom that... She won't let me go ice-skating! Oh! Speaking of that, if I can keep my runny nose from my mom, I'll have something to write about tomorrow! Oh, think about it. Three posts in four days! I can't wait!

                          ~Excitedly,

Kirsten Clare, the founder of Kirsten Clare's Diary.  

CA2 Exam results Part 1

  Hi guys... :( The exam results are dreadful! And you know how Science was my worst subject last term and Maths was my best??? Well... Things have changed. A lot. You'll know how in the next paragraph..

   AAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!! When I received the papers, I nearly dropped my mouth open in the shock. As it turned out, my marks were...

    English: 33 and a half / 40

Maths: 21 and a half/ 25

Science: 18/20

  Yes, folks! My highest mark was for Science!!! :) But... English is my worst. It turns out that I spent so much time worrying about Science that I kind of worked more on Science than any other subject. Well, it really paid off, because I got the highest Science mark in the whole of the Teamwork Level. But I think that I ought to pay attention to my English and Maths now; they really need backing up. If I want to get any awards this year and make my family proud and bring them pride, I need to work hard for the upcoming exams! 

  Oh right - notice how the title has a "Part 1" in it? Yup - actually, in the third term, there are two separate parts of the examination. For example, for English, the part 2 exam is going to be in Week 10. We're supposed to make a presentation for that, and yesterday me and my groupmates finished off the project. The only problem is that my printer is out of ink and I keep forgetting to remind my dad to buy some. I put a note up, but you know me if you read my previous posts; I'm a very quick and not-paying-attention-to-the-details girl. So... I guess that means that I didn't see the note. But I really need to, real quick!

  For maths, the next exam is going to be on this coming... Wait a moment, let me check my handbook... Ah! This coming Friday. And I'm making myself do Math practice papers and I'm checking that I read every question carefully. Most of my mistakes, you see, are careless ones, and I want to take care that I read every part of every single question and don't jump to conclusions.

  The next Science test is a practical one- you know, where you use different apparatus (beakers, test tubes, et cetera) to do an experiment. It's really cool because it's hands-on experience and I feel like a real Scientist. If you read my post about ambitions, you might know that I aspire to become a Scientist or a pediatrician, but I'm torn between both of them. However, I think I'll stick to being a botanist. I love plants a lot... Okay, off the ambition subject! Back to the exams. Well, just to let you know, the Science exam is on the very day we go back to school this coming week - Tuesday. Monday is the celebration of Hari Raya, and so we don't have school... 

   Okay, I think I talked enough! Hmm... To think that I typed this all out in less than 10 minutes is really pretty quick. Do you think I can try out for the Guinness World Records or something??? You know - for the fastest typer. It would be really cool... But anyway, gotta go. I don't have anything on, but I still want to get things done quickly. Bye, and I hope to see you again soon!

   Sorry for the mess... I guess I'm growing up really quickly!

  Sincerely and with the best and warmest of regards,
    Kirsten Clare, founder of Kirsten Clare's Diary.

Exam results!!!

  Hello again guys! I know... I've delayed the subject for so long, but what really matters is that I finally got it out, right? Well, my exam results are out, and I'm sad to say that they weren't quite what I expected. Ready to know the results? Okay...

    Maths (strangely highest): 94/100

English: 88/100

Science: 78/100

  Sighs... See? I didn't get all above 90! I am soooo doomed. What if I don't get best in anything this year? Or what if I don't get into the top two classes because of my Science? I know it's useless to be worried when something is already over, but... Well, the best thing I could do is to study really hard for the upcoming terms. Don't you agree?

  Well, guys, I know that this is really short, but never mind. I can't really make long posts nowadays... I guess it's because I'm just too lazy. I'm so sorry...

  Sadly,

Kirsten Clare, founder of Kirsten Clare's Diary.

End of exams!

  Hey guys! Guess what? Exams are over!!! :) I'm so happy to be relieved of the stress of studying. The friends whom I had interviewed on their views on the end of exams gave these answers:
  Friend A : Now I can watch TV for as long as I like without studying and play Facebook... Oh yeah! And Pet Society too! :) (Guess who this friend is... Her name starts with a T.)
  Friend B : <Sighs> I'm so relieved that the exams are over. I can finally sit back and relax!
  Friend C : Yipee! I can't believe exams are over so quickly!

    I agree with all of my friends' views on the end of the exams, but mostly I see the end of the exams as a warm - up to what's coming next - the release of results. My teacher, Mdm H., has finished marking the Math and English exam papers and she says that the results would come pouring out next week. I was so excited! My friends and I crowded around her and asked her desperately for the top scorers in each subject. Mdm H made us all very excited and nervous when she said that she forgot the top scorers, but remembered the highest mark in class - 90+. I was disappointed. Not 95 +? I suddenly felt a cold chill run down my spine. It was so... Sad to think that maybe you got a Band 2 (marks from 84 and a half to 70). Band 2s were bad... And I sure hoped that I at least scored a Band 1 for all my subjects. If I did not, I would become so sad that I would pout for a week! Well, figuratively anyway. I can't pout while I congratulate the top scorer for his or her excellence, can I?

    Uh oh... It's time for dinner. I have to go now because the food is waiting, and I can't keep food waiting for me! So long, fellow readers... I'll see you again in the next blog post! :)

      ~ With sincere and best regards,
Kirsten Clare, founder of Kirsten Clare's diary.

What happened to my hair?

  Hi again guys! I wrote this directly after writing my... err... previous article. I hope that you will enjoy this post as much as you have enjoyed my previous post.

    Anyway, you should know from the title that this article is about my hair. And yes, you should have known by now that something has happened to my hair. Do you know what change took place? Well... I cut it short! The hairdresser did anyway. I went to Parlour 33, or something like that, on one fine Sunday, on either the 22nd or the 15th of April, and my mother requested for my 33 - inch long hair to be cut by 5 - or - so inches in a U - shape style. When I turned my head in alarm at the mention of the U - shaped cut, my mother just explained that it would look nicer on me. I knew that my mom knew what was best, so I just stayed put and made faces at the barber when he did something weird to my hair, e.g. use a long clip to keep it in place at the side of my face. Soon enough, when the barber had gone to take a kind of gel that smelled of "the parlour" to me, I looked down and gasped. What long strands of hair I had lost! I had no idea that my hair was so long. I looked at my mother in despair. Now that the barber had cut my eyebrow - length fringe and made it shorter than its usual length, I looked totally weird and I regretted the cut. For some reason, I felt like I should complain, but I firmly told myself that, no matter how much I complained, not a single strand of hair would come back to me and the only thing that I would gain from complaining is one very sore throat. Trying not to look downcast, I walked out of the parlour. Seeing that I did not like my new hairstyle, my mother and I, along with my brother, headed to the "Lollipop Shop". In it, my mother and I spent about half an hour to find some headbands and banana clips to accessorize my hair and cheer me up. After deciding that I wanted a purple - and - black headband, a blue one for school and an extra one that was pink and polka - dotted with white, my mom and I purchased all of the items and headed out of the store, where my slightly impatient brother was waiting.

    After we reached the house, I kept on silently fussing over my new hair. I thought lots of negative things - from 'My fringe is too short...' to 'I wonder what my classmates will say!' However, surprisingly, I soon got used to the new hairstyle and grew oblivious to it. (Sorry if I misused the word "oblivious"!) I began to see things on a happier edge, and I forgot about the changes. In the end, I was pretty happy with the shorter cut as it was lighter and bouncier.
  Although I was fine with the cut, I still couldn't get over the fact that I looked totally different when my hair was tied up. I decided to put up with it, as my classmates couldn't really bother... And they didn't! :)

    Anyway, I'm sorry for not going into the deeper details of my night, but I have to get my mind off the computer and focus on trying to ace my exam... I think that you'll find more details in a previous post. In the meantime, keep reading and writing, and always remember that you can do anything if you persevere!:)

    Sincerely and with the warmest regards,
Kirsten Clare, the founder of Kirsten Clare's diary.

Exams tomorrow! :(

  Hi again guys! I'm extremely scared for tomorrow... And guess what's up? Yep, you're right... EXAMS!!! :(( I'm really anxious, but I just hope that I will remember everything that my teacher has taught me. I'm having my Maths exam tomorrow, and I had my English exam today. On Friday, I'm going to have my Science exam... And I'm super nervous because of two main reasons: I really want to score well because I'm aiming for getting a Band 1 in all my subjects to achieve the top spot in my class or even in the whole level, and all the exams are in one week! :'(

  I know that I need to really drill for tomorrow's exam because I'm not super sure that I'll score a *perfect* score in English. I've been doing Maths Drills, and so far I've been doing OK. My only problems are my calculation and my careless mistakes. For example, we are given 2 people, Veronica and Harley. They want to know how much Harley has... But I give them how much Veronica has! That's one of the reasons for my careless mistakes. I really hope that tomorrow I will be more alert and less prone to these kinds of mistakes. 

    Are you having exams too? Now, in Singapore, it's exam time. However, the bonus is that, when our exam ends, it's H - O - L - I - D - A - Y time!!! This is the time that students really crave. You know the bonuses - getting to wake up late is one of them.

  Anyway, if you are having exams, remember to drill yourself hard! I'm sure that if you work hard enough, your hard work will pay off. Just persevere, and you can do anything. Remember that! :D

      Thanks for reading my post! :)

           Sincerely and with regards,

    Kirsten Clare, founder of Kirsten Clare's Diary :D

Hi Y'all! (Also contains "My First Day Of School Part 1")

  Hi again guys! :) I'm sorry for not writing since my last entry on the 7th of December. I just was too caught up in school to remember the blog, but after rereading my Timeline on Facebook, I realised that I had one post about the blog (made in 2011) and I felt unhappy about "abandoning" it for such a long time.
    Anyway, I'm back with more news for the school year. First, let's start with the first day of school...

  The first day of school for grade 4 made me extremely nervous, and I had fits the night before just thinking about it. New classmates, new BFFs, maybe a new teacher... I was going to have to get used to being in such new surroundings.
  As my mother shook my shoulder, I snapped awake. Blinking sleepily at my mum, I tried to understand why I had to get up so early. I was used to waking up late in the December holidays, and I couldn't figure out why my mom was looming over me and telling me to take a bath. Then, suddenly, my mind snapped into 'alert mode'. I sat up immediately after my mum had left the room and rubbed my eyes hurriedly. Glancing at my watch, I gasped. It was already 6.05?! Oh man, I was going to be sooooo late! Jumping out of my bed awkwardly as if I had been bitten by a black widow, I ran out of the room and turned on the lights of my bathroom. After I had changed into my school uniform, I half - ran - and - half - walked to the dining table. Eating my breakfast as quickly as I could, I glanced at the white clock on the wall. 6.45! I shot up and figuratively ran to the kitchen, placing my plate in the sink. I couldn't be late! Hurrying, I rushed out of the door with my brother, who had gotten ready for school with me. As I continuously jabbed the lift button, my brother poked his head slightly out of the corridor and examined the students who were scurrying about in the lift lobby below. Finally, the lift arrived and I heaved a sigh of relief.
  Upon reaching school, I quickly sat down in my class' line (my class is T1) and pulled out a story book to read. I tried reading the book, but, unlike the previous days where this book was entirely engulfing and interesting to me, I wasn't paying any attention to it at all. I kept on looking around nervously to see if I could spot my form - class teacher. However, with the many teachers sitting around and chatting happily, I couldn't tell one apart from the other. So, I just decided to see if any of my new classmates were ones that I knew... And I could spot a few! They were Lok Yan (she was in my CCA group last year but quit after finding it too difficult), Edmund (he was in my class since Primary 2), Leroy (he lives on the ninth floor on my block), Trixie (she was in my class since Primary 2 as well), Jon (she was in my class in Primary 2), Akshaya (I barely knew her, but Trixie introduced me to her last year), Sarah (she's very popular), Dao Yong (he was in my class last year), Geraint (he was in my class since Primary 2), Angeline (she was in my class since Primary 2) and Clement (he was in my class last year). Wow! I knew so many of them! I couldn't believe that I thought I was going to be lonely in the first place. Trembling with anxiety and excitement, I quietly greeted all my friends and turned back to my book. I always heard one of my classmates' voices behind, and I couldn't concentrate... It was then that I knew that this year was going to be tough. I could only focus on my book when I knew every single person in my class... And doing that in the first day was not going to be an easy task.



    Okay... That's it for part 1. I hope that I will be able to publish part 2 as soon as possible, but for now, I think that my post is long enough. I really am glad that you still check my blog for entries... And be warned that, in - between the different "parts" of "My First Day Of School", I will be entering some more entries based on my daily life. I think that i can't really catch up with you on the rest of the year, and I regret that very much... But hey, you can't turn back time... right? :) I've got to accept what I already have and work on with it form there.

    Best Regards,
Kirsten Clare.

    P.S. Happy reading! :D