Lotteries.
Watch out for lottery scams. If you receive an email from a
lottery you did not enter, it is a scam.
In most cases the email accounts in
the email are free email accounts and the phone number is a mobile phone.
NEVER send any money to the criminals behind these scams. If you do, they
will just invent a new fee you have to pay, and if you pay that, they invent a
new fee, etc etc until you give up or run out of money.

Recently I have received quite a few of "lottery scam" emails, one's about microsoft lucky draw and the other is PEUGEOT AUTOMOBILE LOTTERY. I never believed in such things, I rmb that when I was very very young, I have already formed my own opinion on people who buy toto or 4D or things like these. I never believed in lucky draws, I always think that one has to depend on himself. We make a promising and good future out of our own hands, how can we always hope for things brought by luck? if luck struck you by coincidence, then may be it is okay, but if we buy lottery, 4D and things as such, we are really counting on our luck. I don't find any meaning in such a life, we only deserve what we have worked for and what these harwork yielded, any unexpected, extra stuff that we received out of luck is a kind of bonus which we should never hope for and be greedy about, even if one day, we happen to have the luck, we should use them wisely. If I ever win some money out of sheer luck (highly impossible, 1. I never will buy 4D or toto or even the soccer thingy lah, 2. I seldom have lucky falling on me...how sad), I will prefer to donate the rewards to people who need them much more than me, and probably, who lived through a life without being lucky, not even for once...

anyway.. MOE requires us to do a performance during the award presentation ceremony, but the instructions given are a little vague, I am unsure if the performance has to be performed by all scholars together or we are being split into groups. But I have to come out with 3 initial ideas on the performance. Every scholar has to produce 3 ideas, I am quite at a lost of what to do. Besides, the words of appreciation is due soon, the word limit is so...ark...I find that there's no way for me to be able to thank all those whom I want to thank and still keep within the word limit...arkk...dilemma...

For the first time, what Mr Low had confronted me with bothered me so much, because all other times, no matter how disagreeing he may be, I could always feel that he is still behind me, giving me all his support, but not this time, though he repeated that "we are his joy and pride" and he will always be behind me.

I felt that my conscience is clear, i do not need to explain to others about how and why I choose my Universities. He does not agree with my way of choosing schools, i do not know if he meant that he does not like my way of choosing schools according to their world rankings or he does not like the fact that i prefer US universities and schools with double degrees.

I know many people think that I am very ambitious and practical and even, superficial, I do admit that I am ambitious, and I don't think there's anything wrong with it because we need to have dreams, and we need to aim high in order to achieve wonders. I rmb someone once said "Aim for th the moon, even if you fail, you will land among the stars", so it is perfectly okay to be ambitious as long as one does not make use of unscrupulous methods to perfect their ambition.

He thinks that I should not take things for granted or depend on a school or a system too much. If I need a system or a school to be the motivation behind, it is meaningless as i have to have my own reasons and inspirations to push myself forward. But he does not understand that my way of choosing a sch is a result of my own believes, not very much about me feeling insecured. Yes, I want to do both political studies and fine art, not that I envy the idea of a double degree that much, I really do love both. Since last sept, when I have to choose uk uni and courses, I have been asking myself the same qn over and over again, do i want political studies more or do I want art more, I couldn't find an answer until recently, I finally came to terms with myself, I love both equally. Giving up either UCL or LSE is as if giving up one of my lifelong interest and childhood dream. It is a true reflection of my interests, just like in jc, I did 2 H3s one in art and the other in geopolitics. I never seriously considered about my academic interests until this year, when I have to choose between art and political studies due to the British system which rarely allows double degree or double major albeit its so called 'flexible curriculum palnning'. But other ppl simply take it as i want to do a back up degree in case art does not work out, actually, i never really felt like explaining because i really don't care about how other ppl feel about my choices as long as my own conscience is clear, but now, it's hard to keep everything in my heart because now it is mr low, someone whom i respect so much, so much, i respect him more than anyone else, more than my own father, really, it's hurting, though I know he said all those for my own good, it's just the fact that even he does not understand me, makes me feel really lousier than usual.

Besides all these, I have to live up to my parent's expectations, i do have my own difficulties, I can't say I like art and there i go and choose an unknown art school and settle my University life. No matter how much i say about I can't be bothered about what my parents' think, i still have to know the limits. Afterall, they are already unhappy about the art course, besides, all their colleagues' children are either in Beijing Uni, or Qingshua Uni, there are ppl in Harvard even, I cant possibly ignore all these, i have to find a delicate balance between meeting my parents' expectations and allowing myself to do what I really like.

And I agree that a good school does not necessarily mean that everyone who goes inside there will emerge as genious, one has to depend on himself in order to succeed; but I do believe that there's a reason why people keeps the ranking and a good school will certainly enhance my learning and help me in various ways, just like how DHS and NJC helped me in the past. I am not totally depending on the name of the school however, I do feel more secured being inside a better one. I really believe in my own choice. So Mr Low, I rest my case now.