2008 GCE O-Level Results – Advent Children

Monday two o’clock came and went.

The Temple ema hung limp from the The Temple walls, as if holding a collective breath for the fates of the wishes scribbled upon them by their adopted masters many months ago.

Their little masters who, after successful expeditions to locate their school badges and having their hair grudgingly dyed black again, should be standing before the White Gates of Salvation by now, provided their principals’ cheong hei speeches have ended.

Those, as she recalled, who were left abandoned by faceless schools/teachers/tutors like unwanted babies outside the Temple Gates on black starless nights …

*Beep beep*

Do you want to know my results? It’s super bad …

The first SMS came from an emo F9 case, prone to bouts of forgetfulness and 胡思乱想-ness whenever stressed, whose confidence has been shattered by her school’s “killer” papers when she first arrived.

… I got A2 for both emath and amath

… came the anti-climatic reply upon Miss Loi’s anxious probing.

*Beep beep*

Amath and emath A2! Yes! dun believe i bring my report slip and show you! Thanks for all your help and your *patient and guidance!really appreciate it!

This time, it was the talkative vocal one who had never pass her maths in the last two years – the hardcore 大東 fan and the hardcore Mathematics anti-fan, who once vowed to compose and perform on TV a song called Last-Minute Buddha Foot Hugging Syndrome.

*P.S. Should be patience in the SMS right? Miss Loi is not a nurse!

*Ring ring …*

She picked up the phone to sobbing sounds from the very tall D7 case, who has the habit of whipping herself into a state of panic before every test/exam (and subsequently freeze in it) even though she can do all the questions in class.

What happened to you?

Nothing … just too happy I got A1 and A2.

*Beep beep …*

It was the guy with the horrible, horrible handwriting that Miss Loi could never read, who’d originally planned to drop A-Maths but decided not to only because “it doesn’t seem so competitive now after all my classmates have dropped it”. The one who hated math workings and thought that they were stupid/useless but nonetheless assured her that he’ll “write properly in exam”. The one who always complained when being forced by her to do his most hated topics in class.

A1 for emaths, A2 for amaths, but please don’t ask my L1R5 😛

*silent prayer to thank the heavens for letting the examiners understand his handwriting*

*Beep beep*

My husband so happy with her maths result n ask me tell u tat u really are Super Tutor 🙂 … Two B3s … Ya. But we very happy already. She fail maths all the time. We were so worried cos most course needs math

Astonishing news from the mom of The One who was the absolute last in class, who scored >40 points in prelims, who’d never passed before, who had friends writing long letters imploring her to buck up, and could seldom take a proper picture of herself in her Facebook account.

Meanwhile, news began coming in from other chambers of The Temple …

Hi Mr Loi 🙂 thanks you you! I managed my A1s for both maths 🙂

So said the C5 case who arrived only in July, who was a walking epitome of careless mistakes, who was forced against her will made by Mr Loi (yes he’s the other tutor helping out Miss Loi in the class schedules page) to practise her most-hated Number Sequences continuously throughout the days leading up to the E-Maths Paper 2.

Mr Loi i passed my maths. I got B3!!!

said the apparently “hopeless” one who had never passed math before.

The messages were coming in thick and fast now, including those from that notorious band of single Maths brothers and sisters who frequently gave Miss Loi heart attacks were among the last of the Last-Minute Buddha Foot Huggers, those with the “poorest of the poor grades” who only reached the Temple Gates after June this year, some of whom had absolutely no idea what simultaneous equations were or thought that TOA CAH SOH was really some old lady with a big foot …

Hi, ms loi. Thanks for ur guidance. I managed to get an A2 for math:)

said the Normal(A) one who had finally managed to prove her school wrong.

I got B3!!!!

said the private candidate retaking for the 3rd time, and who’d confessed to hating all her previous 12 maths teachers. *shudders*

Mr Loi, I passed my maths! the class with band 1 my fren in band 1 got D7, I in band 3 got C6! I will introduce my fren to you one, don’t worry!

said the one who … umm … basically Sec 1-3 like never study before.

At this point, she was beginning to worry about her phone bill this month …

MS LOI!!! I got A1 for e maths, and OMG, A2 FOR A MATHS!! thanks ms loi 🙂

said the D7 case who had been demoralized by her school’s “killer” papers, and who always come to The Temple with a packet of fast food.

… A2 for maths!

said another D7 case whose primary need for tuition was to ensure her entry into a certain JC because … umm … the guys there are cute and he is there -_-

Miss loi do you teach timothy ho? … my classmate thought he was in your class but he lied. i think.

said someone … umm … WHO ARE YOU???

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The last message came and went.

A sudden breeze whiffed through The Temple‘s corridor, and the ema swayed briefly in unison as if their burdens had been lifted from them by their elated little masters – the Children of The Temple who had fulfilled their destinies and emerged with the promised tears of joy, who finally come of age.

The High Priestess closed her eyes in a moment of reflection:

The Temple has seen many, many more Mathematical refugees this year, and in keeping to her personal motto, has turned away countless straight As students posing as chronic LMBFH Syndrome sufferers.

But against the odds, she is once again SUPER PROUD of all of them whom, through THEIR OWN EFFORTS, 100% managed to attain improvement in their grades.

For those who took double Maths, 79% first arrived at The Temple with a failing grade (F9/E8/D7) in AMaths, and an amazing 87% of them made the jump to at least a B3. Overall, 77% and 70% achieved distinctions in E-Maths and A-Maths respectively.

GCE O-Level 2008 Double Maths Grades
Bs included as proof of realism

And for the supposedly “weaker” single Maths students (yes, like last year we don’t just promote the best students and make the rest “disappear”), umm … 100% *shakes head* first arrived at The Temple with a failing grade (F9/E8/D7), and now 73% of them has made the leap to at least a B4.

GCE O-Level 2008 Single Maths Grades

Deep inside, however, she knows that she is no miracle worker.

But as certain as tomorrow’s sunrise, miracle workers do exist, for one resides within each and every one of you, dying to reach out and shepherd you, like a guardian angel would, through all challenges in life – but have too often found your door closed by you as you get distracted and undermined by day-to-day-to-day stuff like SMS/MSN/computer games etc. and (unfortunately ofttimes) by those around you.

So a big CONGRATULATIONS to all who’ve achieved your goals, and to those of you who’re losing hair over this, use this period to recognize and improve on your weaknesses so that you can do well in your NEXT TERTIARY EXAM – which is always more important than your previous one.

Because, like all the Children of the Temple, once you’ve unlocked your door for that little personal miracle worker of yours to come in and work his magic …

P.S. Make sure you watch till the end of the video.

頑張って!!!

Miss Loi