Note to self:

Please kindly remember to bring a pen to your next exam paper. If you haven't noticed by now, despite it being the umpteenth time in close to four years, invigilators do not enjoy scampering around the exam hall looking for a spare pen for an idiot who remembered to bring a ruler (for who knows what purpose in an essay-based paper), but not a pen to write his answers with.

The next time you raise your hand at the very begining of a paper, it had better be to compliment the invigilator on the nice pair of shoes he or she has on.

End of note.