GEORGE TOWN: Bhuvenraj Ganesh, 18, is not your average kind of guy.
Despite scoring 9A+ in the 2022 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination, many may not know that he is an ardent fan of South Korean girl group BlackPink.
"I find solace in watching my favourite K-pop group whenever I am stressed.
"My study routine is fixed, either in the afternoon or at night. Unlike others, I don't study late into the night or get up early morning to do so.
"What I do is to look at past years' questions to understand the technique of answering as well as tips to score and help me in High-Level Thinking Skills (KBAT). That really helped me a lot.
"And in between, I will entertain myself watching and dancing to BlackPink's songs," Bhuvenraj said when met at his alma mater Penang Free School (PFS) here after receiving his results from state Education Department director Abdul Rashid Abdul Samad.
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Bhuvenraj, who was accompanied by his engineer father, K. Ganesh, 51, and part-time lecturer mother R. Sunitha, 49, said his only issue was in studying Biology.
"I don't like subjects which I need to read or memorise a lot. I especially enjoy Mathematics.
"In fact, I did not expect to get straight As," said the only child.
Bhuvenraj will pursue an A-Level programme at a private college before deciding further on what to do.
The active individual is looking to pursue a career in Mathematics. He even has his own YouTube channel, which he started after completing his SPM examination, where he helps others with Mathematics.
Bhuvenraj scored A+ in Bahasa Melayu, English, Moral Studies, History, Mathematics, Additional Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology.
Meanwhile, Sunitha said she quit her job as a full-time lecturer to focus on her son during his growing up years.
"Since young, he has had a set routine, which he follows until this day.
"I never need to ask him to study. He just knows what to do and has been scoring excellent results from the very beginning.
"Even while sitting for his SPM examination, he would dance to his favourite K-pop tunes. I never stopped him as I knew that it was his way of relieving stress," she added.
Speaking at a press conference to announce the state's achievements in the 2022 SPM earlier, Abdul Rashid said a total of 19,499 students sat for the examination in the state.
Of the number, 15,479 students are eligible to receive the full SPM certificate.
The criterion to obtain a full certificate is a pass in Bahasa Melayu and History.
Penang recorded a Grade Point Average (GPN) of 4.67 compared to 4.77 the previous year.
"Based on the 14 main subjects, the percentage of passes for Bahasa Melayu is 96.07 per cent while History is 90.99 per cent.
"A total of 24 schools have scored 100 per cent passes. Nineteen students in the state scored straight A+ while five students with special needs also scored well in the examination," he added.
Abdul Rashid also announced that SMKA Al-Irshad emerged as the best school in the state.