This Boy Called Wey

(Thanks to William and Connie, who both wrote to tell me that there's only a Geography paper on Friday. Both Math papers are on Monday. My mistake in reading the timetable...)

Wey is writing his first PMR paper today. It'll be Bahasa Malaysia Papers 1 & 2. To brighten up his mood, I'm foregoing a healthy diet and cooking whatever he wants this week. Last night was ox tail stew (the best, so I am not willing to part with the recipe. Yet.). He wants pork tonkatsu tonight. He writes his English and Science papers Thursday, and Math 1 and Geography on Friday. The menu will be decided as and when, he thinks. I am ready to cook him anything, as long as he tries his best this exam! Chinese didn't become nerds these last 50 years. It's in our blood, since thousands of years ago when poor peasant parents sold everything to make way for their sons (girls not allowed) to be given the chance to write the imperial exams in the Chinese capital. If one village turns out a scholar, the whole village rejoices because it means life will be better as the scholar will be given a ministerial post serving the monarch. Education was the key out of their poverty, and this thinking is ingrained into every generation so that studying is now a trait among the Chinese. Since it was almost a life and death thing (as depicted in the movies, the pressure on imperial exam students must be thousands of times worse than what our kids go through. Those who fail either kill themselves or not return home, out of shame), eventually the exams became corrupted with cheating as students were willing to do anything to pass. Also because the exams were so focused on passing rather than learning, the Chi nese became rote learners, memorizing without understanding. I didn't make this up. Apparently, Dr Sun Yat Sun (American-educated, haha) noted this and told the British, to their discomfort, that their education system was modeled after the ancient Chinese imperial exams of passing through rote learning. Much of Asia is still using this system, no thanks to the Chinese. And the colonial British. In fact, now it's not just passing, but how many As you pass the exam with. And to some, it's not how many As you achieve but whether it is straight As.

Wey turns 15 this coming Saturday so it's a present from the Education Dept that no papers are scheduled on that day. Monday will be Math 2 and Sejarah (history) and Tuesday, KH (home skills). And then WE are done for the year! I will update now and then, if I can. You see, Wey isn't the only one writing the PMR. I am too. I have been making him do revision papers. If I'm not seated next to him, he won't do revision. I got up early this morning to make him a good breakfast. He was scuttling around in the dark (there was a heavy downpour and the lights went out) looking for his pens and stuff this morning. Last minute, as usual. And when he had left, we realized he hadn't brought his watch. I hope they have a clock on the wall...And now, excuse me while I go pick up the imperial scholar from school.