Wearing a different set of glasses
#27 - exams done, exams coming up
Hi there
I’d love to blame the clocks going forward, and my watch which is frustratingly confusing to change the time on, for my tardiness in delivering this week’s newsletter. Alas, I can’t.
My habitual Sunday night scribble was interrupted by a worthy visit to the cinema after more than 2 years, owing to (summoning from a previous post) The One That Must Not Be Named or Had. It was to watch RRR, a film heavily hyped up by a film-loving friend at school, and directed by one of the grandest directors in all of the gigantic Indian film world, with an impressive biography. It had his name written all over it with colourful & vivid pictures, lots of flashbacks &special effects and a captivating plotline.
It formed part of a relaxing weekend where
I watched my favourite Indian (Cricket) Premier League’s 15th edition start up, only for my favourite team Chennai to lose the opening game - a poor batting performance, albeit my favourite MS Dhoni scored a fifty (speaking of cricket, it’s starting to reappear from its hibernation!)
I cleared a whole lot of emails that needed replying. Doesn’t sound like everyone’s favourite Saturday morning activity but I find it stress-relieving.
And other things I choose not to bore you with. The highlight of the week of course was getting my 2nd set of mocks out of the way. In all, they were a useful experience, leading into the real exams, both from an exam-experience point of view and an ‘assessment’ of our knowledge (and areas to concentrate on as the days tick by) angle.
These mocks have been seen by many as a nuisance. The argument against having another set of (govt-mandated) mocks now is that it disrupts people’s overall revision plan, it’s not going to count towards anything and it means they would have been in heavy revision for longer than they would in a ‘normal’ year.
These points are all valid, and I subscribe to the first one - as much as I tried to ensure I didn’t let the content not featuring in these mocks fade away, the last 2 weeks before the exams became (as you’d expect) ‘all hands on deck’ for the mocks. But for me, it was a nice opportunity to practice what I do the day before an exam, what the Adi before an exam needs and so what I should do to help future Adi in 50 days’ time etc. E.g. I realised that the “ambitious vocabulary” that the examiners call for isn’t going to fully come naturally and that I’ll have to research and then practise, deliberately, using fancy words like extravagant or tranquil (peaceful).
However, throughout the week, I found myself thinking about how many more there were to go, grunting “Only 2 more to go” and “Halfway there” to people I saw, as if they are something that we can’t stand to do too much and want to stay away from them (“…well yeah….do you love exams!?!”). But, I endeavoured to have a positive frame on them. What are the good things about these exams?
Apart from the above, specific to this exam season, examinations are an opportunity to show off your skill, to demonstrate what an exemplary economist, wondrous writer or masterful mathematician you are 😉. Or, if your exams don’t go so well, you may *choose* (it needs to be a conscious effort to alter your perspective) to see them as an opportunity to see where and how you can improve and throw it into the fire of motivation, fuelling a burning drive and determination, that you’ve been lacking. I know it sounds cringy, silly or even dumb but I encourage you to look for the positive in everything. Although this can be difficult at times, especially when the whole world appears to be doomed and drearily devastating (I really do need to stop with the alliteration…again, blame English Language. Or maybe it’s a good thing?)
But I’d argue, there’s still room to find positive about world issues like inflation or the Ukraine crisis. This can take the form of gratitude - I’m grateful for not having to decide between heating and food; I’m grateful for not having my education shattered, my home demolished and without a place to go; when you do think about it, your life is so very rich.
Book of the week 📖
Made a bit more progress on Cashflow Quadrant
Podcast of the week🎙️
How To Break Through Limitations - Bobby Seagull On Council Estate To Celebrity Mastermind
You may not have heard of Bobby Seagull before - a bright mathematician, famous around Britain, who went to the prestigious Eton School. Even if you have, you wouldn’t have heard of the backstory - a deeply absorbing one. Thanks.
Article of the week📰
The practical ways to reduce your carbon footprint (that actually work)
Something I’ve been thinking about recently, influenced by us recently having a smart meter fits in that gives you a sharp sense of guilt every time you turn on the electricity-devouring kettle and microwave.
Quote of the week💬
“Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.” - Charles Dickens
Hope you enjoy the longer sunshine (in the UK) and the heightening temperatures abroad!
Adi
P.S. another example I was going to give was me telling my mum to cheer up about her bitten plant. I said, “Well, think of it as you’ve given the chance to give life and food to another animal…” She wasn’t buying it…I don’t think I would either, in her shoes.