Honeymoon

Being a teenager, I always liked to explore new things. Friends were very important to me. We spent time together doing many interesting things such as watching movies, hanging out at Mamak stalls, but our favourite was playing video games. We spent hours at cyber café after school, and sometimes even at night.

My parents nagged at me for spending too much time on my leisure activities instead of focusing on studies. They always reminded me about the SPM which was just around the corner. They were worried that I might not be able to perform well in this important exam; hence my future might be affected. However, their words seemed to get in one ear and out the other. I was indifferent to their advice.

I was overconfident. Of course, I scored straight 'A's in my PMR. Receiving endless praises from friends and relatives, I started to feel too proud of myself. Form 4 was a honeymoon period for me and a few of my friends. We were not focusing on studies at school and didn't do our revision at home. Most of our time was spent on enjoying ourselves doing our favourite leisure activities. It was all because we thought that we were very smart.

Teachers were complaining about my performance at school. I always failed to complete my homework, and my test results were also not satisfying. Although I passed the tests, it was not what expected from me. Being a perfect scorer, I was expected to pass with flying colours. The excuse that I always gave to my parents and my teachers was that I had ample time ahead of me. I wanted to enjoy my teenage life first for there were so many interesting things to be done besides studying. I kept saying that I was smart and I knew that when the time comes for me to start preparing for SPM, I would just study smart and not study hard.

However, things turned out to be different from my expectation. I did burn the midnight oil a couple of weeks before the trial exam. I used the same technique that I used when preparing for my PMR which was memorizing all the facts and formulas. I thought I did well in the trial exam. On the contrary, the result was a total disappointment. I was at my wit's end. It worked for my PMR, so why it didn't this time.

I argued with my teachers regarding the marks given to me since I thought I deserved better. Keeping their heads, my teachers tried their best to explain to me that SPM is totally different from PMR. Since I was not focusing on the tips and techniques of answering which the teachers had been trying to teach me in class, my answers didn't meet the requirements of the exam questions.

I was in panic. There was not much time left. My parents gave me their piece of mind everyday. I was under a great stress. I knew that I have to do well in my SPM because my future depends on it. I continued burning the midnight oil, hoping that I could cover everything in time. I should have started earlier. In fact, I should have focused on my studies since I was in form 4. How I wish I had listened to my parents.

My Words:

This essay was written based on a sample SPM question; Write a story that ends with "How I wish I had listened to my parents." Most form 4 students would usually undergo the same experience. They think that it is a honeymoon year for them; a break after struggling hard for their PMR.