(something like) Spelling Bee in My English Exam

So if you guys follow me on Twitter/@sylvdoanx, you should have seen my public breakdown over my then impending grade 8 piano exam.

I know it’s not a school exam or something, but let me tell you, piano exam is much much worse than school exam. Because unlike in written exam when you can try hard to access your memory, practical piano exam is a one-off, now-or-never thing. Once you slip when doing something – that’s it. That is it. From passing with distinction to passing with merit in just one slip.

A little more technical here, one thing I hated the most (because I’m no good at it – simple, right?) was the 6th apart scale. Just for you laymen, basically you have to play a scale (something like doremifasolatido-dotilasofamiredo), but your hands/fingers start on different notes (6 steps apart). And you have to play it 4 octaves up and down (simply saying, you play it 4 times continuously).

Wait, what? So difficult?

Oh, yes, apparently. Now, I understand the importance of playing scales in order to play piano well – it’s all about balancing the power and making the lines as smooth as possible (if you don’t get this, don’t worry, not important), yet I don’t understand making it compulsory to test these freaking scales on piano exam. At the end of the day, playing these scales requires more brain-teasing work instead of paying close attention to how I play my piano correctly. It’s more like they’re trying to test my brain, or muscle memory, instead of my musicality.

As per my title, it’s just like they ask you to do a spelling bee or a tongue twister and you’ll be graded for it in your English exam. It’s not how you can use English or how you can play piano anymore!

I know, I know. Maybe I’m just bitter coz I didn’t do well on my 6th apart (and my 3rd apart) scales. Whatever. I hope the examiner is nice enough not to let me repeat this hellish grade 8 exam. Ugh.

Image by myself! Press on Deviantart

Exam finished Year 3 Term 2 (08/09)

Haha. Yes. This is the mandatory “exams are over” blog post. Plus reviews and reflections if any.

Surprisingly, I don’t feel that ecstatic. Perhaps because I’m down with flu. I ALWAYS get down with flu around exam time. Sigh. According to the Psychology textbook, it’s called something like somatoform disorder. Your body becomes sick because of your psychological distress. (and if I’m wrong in referencing this, you guys can guess my exam grade then)

Not a lot has happened this term. This term just zoomed by. Architectural Analysis was deep and fluffy at the same time, Advanced Data Management was hard and complicated, Science Exploration and Society was…… unexplainable. Lab sessions were interesting and we (my group project) did a skit for our final presentation. Haha. I took Introduction to Psychology this term and I think it was fascinating. Heavy reading with plenty to remember (90 MCQ Exam!!) but really interesting. It changed the way I think and look at humans and urged me to be skeptical and critical about many things (no, it’s not a bad thing). Negotiation Skills for Business was useful. I can say that with pleasure, because so far, honestly, I haven’t found a course that I find useful. Perhaps enriching, or rather dreading, but never useful. Negotiation Skills for Business taught me, well, negotiations. But I think the most important thing is how to do it well. And that I should prepare before negotiation, and negotiate well.

For SMU students’ reference, here are the course codes.

Architectural Analysis – IS303
Advanced Data Management – IS410
Science, Exploration, and Society – STEC207
Introduction to Psychology – PSYC001
Negotiation Skills for Business – OBHR.218 

Oh I also got accepted (I think, I can’t fully confirm yet actually) for internship this summer. And of course, after that, Russia trip beckons! WOOHOO!