Last night, I was kinda bored, so I went around searching and reading blogs of some of my classmates. During which, I found out that some of them were not too happy about the cheating going on in school during our tests and examinations. I found it a rather intriguing topic as they expressed how helpless they felt when the test marks did not accurately reflect the capability of certain students and how unfair it was for those who really wanted to use the test as a gauge of how good they are.

In any case, since when was life fair? I believe many of you have learnt at an early age that life is never fair and in the end, it is what you make out of your life that really matters. I confess, that initially, I was pissed off with the rampant cheating. I have studied so hard for the subject and another person who cheats can get good marks too. What is the point? Well, the point is, does it really matter so much who gets the same marks as you as long as you have done your best and have achieved your set target for the test? Its easy to be discouraged by all the negativity surrounding you, but what matters most is whether you have actually done all that you could to excel in the subject matter.

In any case, I admit that I do participate in these cheating sessions. However, cheating, usually composes of 2 types of people: The ones who copy and the ones who they copy from. As long as I fall into Category number 2, I'm personally not too concerned about the cheating. They can copy from me if they so wish, I studied for the test, I possess the information, I don't mind sharing it. Simple, end of story. In the end, the diploma certificate that is given is still printed using the same type of paper and the same type of ink. The value behind it, however, is something that only you can determine for yourself.

In the end, there is no point bitching or moaning about things like this, cuz everybody cheats, sooner or later. Thats why there are office politics. In a competitive society such as ours, results is all that matters. Thats why they like to parade the top scholars every year like some sort of trophy. Thats why schools are even ranked, in accordance to their performance at the O's or the A levels. A group of people will always have the upper hand. They may have the ability to take away your fruits of labour, but they cannot take away your spirit.

I was talking to Sean on MSN last night and he too, was feeling jaded about the opportunities we have here in this country. He is going into NS next Saturday and he is considering signing on with the army, because armed with a diploma alone, he will probably not be able to find a stable job that pays you the wages which you deserve.

I have to say that I agree with his views. Just look at how difficult it is for poly grads to get into a local University in Singapore. We can never compete with the A level students on the same platform. Why? Because A level students can't go to work with just a A level certificate whereas we diploma holders can. Therefore, they need to give more chances to the A level students. In essence, we have signed our death warrants the moment we decided to sign up with a polytechnic. Should we decide to go to work instead of furthering our studies, we'll still end up below the JC turned University grads on the corporate ladder without the necessary paper qualifications. As I say, there are always exceptions, but how many? I'm bitter about this, because as I get closer to graduation, I can distinctively smell the pungent odour of discrimination in the workplace emanating. During my attachment at an undisclosed local company, we worked together with Uni students. However if anything goes missing, blame it on the poly students. If we're a little too noisy in their opinion, complain about the poly students. Now that is our life. Fairness? An idealistic concept which is used as a benchmark for commoners to find out how fucked up their life really are.

Its hard to keep the depressing thoughts out of my head when I'm living in this kind of environment. Yeah, I know that the discrimination may be 10 times worse in other places and that Singapore is still the best place to live, according to some people. Sometimes I just wonder how many chances are there for people who chose to take an alternate route to go through life. Its astonishing how brand concious people can be. Even academic institutions have brands! When I told them that I was from SCGS, 9 out of 10 people thought that I am definitely the smart type. When I tell them now that I'm from SP, 9 out of 10 people thought, "Oh, just another poly student." So what if you had 266 for PSLE and 18 Distinctions for your polytechnic? Same calibre of results, but brand still matters.

If you were an employer or an interviewer, compare a person who has been through "RGS-RJC" and compare it to "Neighbourhood school-Polytechnic", which of the two would you think is more successful? I think the answer is obvious, even for me, because thats the way it has been brainwashed into our minds since we were wee little kids and thats the way its going to stay. Life is just a farce, so just do your best for yourself. You can do everything in your power to prove it to everyone that you're not a pushover, but ultimately, you are only accountable to yourself.

;I CREATED A SHEEP!
11:32 AM