Possibly the reason I have had the inspiration to use such a title for the piece or to even think of writing this piece should obviously be traced right back to the historical context which I find myself in (this possibly was a self-explanatory and unnecessary introduction) which is the never-ending exam period.
While reluctantly recognising their fundamental importance as a necessary method of testing the quality and level of knowledge that a student should attain, I do have to stop myself (unsuccessfully) saying: what a load of shit!
Thankfully not having had to take any form of examination last year except the annual trip to the optician for him to ‘examine’ that I can still see those weird but always fascinating tiny letters on his wall, I happened to forget how dreadful exams are in every way.
Coming to think of it, when one takes a look at how the system of moving on from secondary education into university, especially in this country, people are not really asked to show their potential or their intelligence or abilities, they are simply asked: “How well can you pass an exam?”.
While I am not doubting the obvious proportional relationship between 'intelligent' people or people with great potential with their ability to score high grades in their exams, this is not always the case. Quite a few people do get into exams instead of others simply because of their ability in getting higher grades in a series of exams.
However much we like to underestimate their importance in order to make us feel more relaxed, i.e. I don't remember myself going into an exam saying to myself "Come on, this is make or break, the future course your life will take may depend on this piece of paper right here", there is no doubting how important they are. But just think of how many people missed out on let's say admittance to a leading university on a minor thing or just luck, not whether or not they were academically better than someone else who made the grade.
Yes, I know the dividing line between success or failure is thin in a 21st century post-modern world driven by the internal struggle of competition among individuals and bla bla bla, but sometimes I do think that a better way must exist of testing knowledge, applying skills, intelligence, coping under pressure and all the abilities that an exam is supposed to be testing.
I understand that the ideal end to this piece would be to give my wonderful solution to this issue, but I am afraid it is not happening tonight, I just wanted a good confidence-boosting 3.30 am whinge after having wasted a day of my life trying to no avail to identify whether common and civil law systems in Europe are converging or diverging.
-NS-
Monday, 28 April 2008
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Frogs and storks
Following an idea from some crazy cypriot called Nassos, this blogg has risen from the depths of the unknown in order to conquer your world and take over your desktop! Straight from the streets of London, we bring you the beautiful, the ugly and the random! Don't stop to blink, read on.
In these hard times of stressful examinations and successful procrastination, you may think that writing posts destined to an obscure,yet attractive, blogg is self-destructive idiocy or, if you are one of those, escapatory genius; but the truth of the matter is that it is destiny. Yes it is destiny, and destiny it is that has brought you here to partake in the ritual mingling of the minds in the world-wide web of creativity that is "only" a couple clicks away.
Do you feel that your opinions and ideas serve no purpose other than to wear off the letters painted on your keyboard buttons? Are your 'delete' and 'backspace' buttons the only ones you hit without miss, every time around? Has life served you its share of hardship, leaving you eager to get your own and bite back? Do you have a sudden urge to leap onto the desk and challenge the muhammad ali poster hanging on your wall to a fight to the death?
If so, then you are standing in the right place. Simply take a step back, make a left turn, and run straight out the door, down the stairs, up past the picket fence and accross the river down near the old paper mill until you hit Main Street. Once you make it to Green Street, follow the white rabbit to the post office and send in your article to afromonkey.productions@gmail.com
If not, then simply mail your article, poem, picture, song, video, cake(?), essay or love letters to the address in the blogg's profile and it will do just as well.
This is your last moment of delusional freedom; from here on out, I work for you as you worked so long for him, but it's the they that we must worry about now. And so I propose a toast... to her, and to us! The blogg is now up, let's give this a try!
As Martin Luther said so well: "The world is too wicked to deserve princes much wiser and more just than this. Frogs must have storks."
-APG-
In these hard times of stressful examinations and successful procrastination, you may think that writing posts destined to an obscure,yet attractive, blogg is self-destructive idiocy or, if you are one of those, escapatory genius; but the truth of the matter is that it is destiny. Yes it is destiny, and destiny it is that has brought you here to partake in the ritual mingling of the minds in the world-wide web of creativity that is "only" a couple clicks away.
Do you feel that your opinions and ideas serve no purpose other than to wear off the letters painted on your keyboard buttons? Are your 'delete' and 'backspace' buttons the only ones you hit without miss, every time around? Has life served you its share of hardship, leaving you eager to get your own and bite back? Do you have a sudden urge to leap onto the desk and challenge the muhammad ali poster hanging on your wall to a fight to the death?
If so, then you are standing in the right place. Simply take a step back, make a left turn, and run straight out the door, down the stairs, up past the picket fence and accross the river down near the old paper mill until you hit Main Street. Once you make it to Green Street, follow the white rabbit to the post office and send in your article to afromonkey.productions@gmail.com
If not, then simply mail your article, poem, picture, song, video, cake(?), essay or love letters to the address in the blogg's profile and it will do just as well.
This is your last moment of delusional freedom; from here on out, I work for you as you worked so long for him, but it's the they that we must worry about now. And so I propose a toast... to her, and to us! The blogg is now up, let's give this a try!
As Martin Luther said so well: "The world is too wicked to deserve princes much wiser and more just than this. Frogs must have storks."
-APG-
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