The other side and letting go.

This is a long post so the tl:dr version is: I talk about giving up subjects, some I’m happy to get rid of, others I get sentimental about.

On Friday 21st June, 15:00 I finished the source material exam for critical thinking and finished my last exam.

And now I declare my hiatus over, I just hope everyone else remembers about it, they should! XD I am on the other side exams now! 😀 Just have to wait until results day on the 22nd August (i’m not going to count my chickens).
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No more Critical Thinking (doesn’t mean I can’t be cynical though XD).

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No more Biology (meh it was alright, but I won’t miss it).

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No more Spanish (I got bored after 4 years of doing it in primary school and 5 years of doing it high school).
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No more Latin.
Awwwww Yeahhhh. 
See when I signed up to do Latin GCSE I did not not know that there would be literature, which is half of the course, so I signed up being pretty good at language, bu when literature came along it was such a sucker punch (as my lack of skills in English carried over into a lack of skills in Latin literature).
First there was the prose. The story of Sagae Thessalae (The Witches Of Thessaly) by Apuleius, which in general was not too bad, as the Latin was not too complex, but I struggled with the style questions and also Regulus, which was written by Pliny The Younger, the Latin may have been a little tougher, but the section was tiny at only 25 lines and as it was so small the language focus wasn’t too bad. The stories themselves were fairly boring however.

Then we have the verse…
For our verse we had to do an extract from Virgil’s Aeneid XII, the last 160 lines or so of it (so the final duel between Aeneas and Turnus). My word was this difficult. The Latin was notorious difficult to translate at times, whether it was due to very complex word order, extended similes that make sentences last for 7 lines sometimes, making it very easy to get lost and sometimes just completely new vocab, which you would have never had to use before. 
Now I’m coming on to the language focus. Personally I found this much more difficult than the prose language focus and I found that rather difficult. As this time we had to worry about word order, sound, rhythm and position of words as well as just meaning and other stylistic features. At least in the exam I managed to use alliteration three times on the Virgil paper, which I don’t care if it is repetitive and basic, they were sound points, which will help me get a higher band answer in the style questions.

SO NOW I CAN BURN ALL MY LATIN STUFF 😀 (apart from the textbooks which I have to hand back into school or get someone else to do it for me).  
okay, chances are I won’t be able to burn it, I’ll probably have to recycle it and put it in the paper recycling bin, 
for the rest of this post burning=recycling, so I can at least simulate the joy of burning all the paper even though in reality I won’t

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No more Drama. 

This is a shame, as I enjoyed drama, but to be honest I’m not the best actor (I’m not awful but I was definitely the worst in my class of 8). 
I won’t miss having to spend lunchtimes and what were supposed to be days off having to do extra rehearsals. Not at all. XD
However, I’ll miss working with my class, well mostly my group. There were 2 groups of 4 in our class, you had the ‘Jew’ group (named that since all 4 of them were Jewish, it’s as simple as that) and my group. Greg, Mo, Matt and myself. We were the much more hard working group and we’re all good friends now,except Matt is going to a different collage, but at least I’ll still be in touch with Greg and Mo, but I will miss the banter of it all. ~sniffle~
I hope I have done well, I did put all my effort into drama, so I deserve a good grade, but I’ll be happy with whatever I get.
Plus I might do some co-curricular drama next year, but I’ll have a busy year next school year.
As for my drama work, well I’ll guess I’ll just recycle all my stuff, as I won’t need it, but I don’t really want to throw it away- then again it is clogging my bedroom up, so I’m going to get rid of it anyways. 😛

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No more English Language and English Literature. 
What have I not already said multiple times about these subjects?
English is my worst subject. 
Language I always somehow fuck up one way or another. The exams didn’t seem too bad, but if I remember correctly I finished one of them with loads of time left, so I’ve probably messed it up.
I’ll be happy with an A, I may not even get too annoyed if I get a B. (Elitist MGS standards.)
English Literature I found difficult for the same reason I found Latin Literature difficult, I’m rather poor wen it comes to Language focus.
In the set text exam I had to completely compromise my plan for the exam when I looked at the questions, but I think I managed to make some okay essays.
The unseen literature was the worst exam of my life so far, even worse than the English entrance exam for MGS about 5 and half years ago, in which I did burst out in tears as I was incapable then (I was only 10 at the time and it was very important as it basically determined whether I had a decent chance in life).
In this exam I couldn’t really understand the verse nor the prose, I went for verse in the end as I’m generally a little better in verse (in English), but it was horrible.
I won’t be surprised if I get a B, which is the equivalent of like a D or an E for most people. 
Again sorry for being elitist.

BURN ALL THE ENGLISH STUFF, IN FACT NO INCINERATE IT ALL! (wait would that mean super recycle in my post’s rules?)

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No more German.
I really wanted to take German to A-Level, sometimes even more so than physics. German is the language that I studied for the shortest amount of time, yet was much more fluent and much better when it came to writing German.
I had to drop it, because in order to be able to do the options and the volunteering at A-Level I could only take 4 subjects, which I need as at the moment my co-curricular for my Curriculum Vitae (how ironic I’ve written the Latin) and there was no way I wasn’t doing physics, chemistry, maths and further maths.
German is definitely not the best sounding language, but I still liked it and it would be nice to have been able to study a language to the level at which you’re fluent. 
Who knows, maybe I’ll be able to become fluent in German one without being taught it at school and I suppose the same goes for Spanish.
Well my German stuff does clutter a lot, so I’m going to get rid of it, but losing the language is a shame.

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And that’s it.
This was a long post I think. (You don’t say Jawkins :P)
My advice is that, when you finally get to be rid of something that’s been somewhat of a burden then you can be happy- although I’m talking about more materialistic things here, the same shouldn’t be said for people.

~Back from exams, congratulating you if you had the patience to read this all, Jawkins 🙂

Procrastination

Ah, that infamous and yet all pervasive character trait that most likely dwells in all of us has struck me down again. I blog rarely despite the pleasure it can bring and that gave to me the idea for this post. It got me wondering about how many tasks I have left unfinished and how many hours hours I have wasted on entertaining yet unproductive sites like tumblr and deviant art- countless it seems. What achievements could I have accomplished with that time? It turned out to be a quite depressing thought in the end. So as a finish to this ramble through my thoughts I can only beseech you to use your every second in a way that I never use mine, go on stop reading and go do something important!

Today.

Today was my best friend’s birthday.

We bought the cheapest bottle of wine we could find, heels I can hardly walk in, and bright red hair dye.

A rebellion is almost expected at 16.

Webcomics

Webcomics. They are absolutely nothing like your run of the mill everyday comic. Deadpool and spider-man have storylines and plots to follow but webcomics being free internet comics (hence the name) have almost infinitely more freedom.

I’d like to apologize for the ‘downtime’ but until I’m done with the blessed IGCSE exams, my free time is almost non existent.

Anyway

I read quite a lot of webcomics so I’m going to attempt to show off my nerdy knowledge in the next few hundred words.

First comic, and the one I started reading most recently is Spinnerette which is pretty much a nerdy rule 63 spin-off of spiderman. It’s nothing like any other webcomic I’ve ever read because it emulates the style of a normal comic rather than following the traditional 4 panel storylineless laugh-hunting tear-inducing happiness-creating  format that we’ve all come to know and love. Not only is it a good read but the artwork is outstanding by anyone’s standards.

Second comic, and probably the internet’s favourite is on of said 4 panel story-lineless laugh-hunting tear-inducing happiness-creating webcomics. Cyanide and Happiness. It’s crazy and stupid and dark at times but I love it nonetheless. Feel free to take a gander at one of my favourites.

Comic number three. Narcolepsy inc. I stumbled across it while I was researching symptoms of narcolepsy (which now I realize is a stupid task because falling asleep randomly which is what narcolepsy is, happens to be the biggest, and only major symptom.), and despite it not being as ‘forcefully funny’ as C&H I learned to love it equally.

The fourth comic is the nerd’s favourite and possibly the nerdiest one in existence. None other than XKCD. It’s just full of science and awesomeness and I love it. On the plus side, being able to enjoy something so intensely intellectual gives me a feeling of superiority that feeds my narcissism.

Having said that, my example wasn’t nearly as nerdy as some of the other comics.

Number five! it’s the Daily Odd Compliment. Yes I know, technically it’s not a webcomic and not even a comic in fact, but it’s a fun thing to read when you’re bored and I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t seriously considered of plagiarizing it to make a compliment even more complimentary.
And yes, that was a complete guess as to whether or not the word complimentary would fit, but saying ‘compliment-ish’ or ‘compliment-ey’ seemed like a highly ridiculous idea.

I’d like to take a moment out, to say that tumblr is the worst, and yet arguably the best thing to ever happen to the internet. Feel free to ponder this at your leisure.

Number six!
Or at least I hope it’s five. To be honest I’m supposed to be in bed so I’m  trying very hard to type silently, and with this new wave of exerted effort has come a gargantuan wave of laziness that prevents me from scrolling up even if it would have been easier than typing this.

Ah yes, so number five. THE OATMEAL. It’s just so. I don’t even. I can’t describe how much I love it. I love it so much that I’v seriously considered kidnapping it’s creator Matthew Inman and shipping him off to an alien planet where he’d be forced to work non stop to ensure maximum productivity and awesome comics to read.

Something something Space Jam.

Unfortunately his comics, however skillfully crafted and entertaining, are HUGE so I couldn’t post one here without flooding the blog’s home page more than I already am. I recommend reading all of his comics in quick succession, and here’s one of his greetings cards which I find highly hilarious.

Nember Seven.
Oglaf. It started out as an attempt to write/draw pornography and quickly evolved into a webcomic allbeit one that’s increadibly sexual in nature. It’s incredibly NSFW in places and I’m ashamed to say that innocent little Tunda got bored a few months ago and read them ALL and I thought they were hilarious. Here’s one that’s completely SFW.

Number eight!

Well I’m sorry, but there isn’t really a number eight. I’ve used all of the webcomics that I read regularly. But the list continues with the ones I’m planning on starting to read.

8. Dear Toadington

9. Endless Origami

And finally Abstruse goose

With a good simple drawing style plus nerdiness and pop culture I think this may have been the best webcomic ever.

SURPRISE BONUS!!
and no it’s not just the one I forgot before…

SATURDAY MORNING BREAKFAST CERIAL

Also there are funny quotes from the LOL tribunal at The Summoner’s Code
And beautiful reactions to excellent displays of pure stupidity at Dear Girls Above Me

Thank you for reading.
You’re most welcome for this, and indeed every post.
All your home page are belong to us.
And finally, goodnight.
Jotunda– the guy you’re not awesome enough to be.

Endings

I wrote this carefully enough so that there aren’t any spoilers.
Recommend these in a heartbeat.

A Voice of Reason

(Don’t worry, no spoilers in the post, may be some in the comments)

The Hunger Games. My favourite series. When I originally read the final installment, I was consumed for weeks. I couldn’t even look at the damned book for a few days. I don’t know why it has such an impact, perhaps it’s the immense journey undertaken by the characters, and as a result, their development. The constant twists that force you to read on and the numerous decisions taken by each character, which makes you ask, “what if…?”.
I understand that it isn’t a literary masterpiece, but I would say it’s a powerful series of books.

I know a lot of people didn’t like the ending of the Hunger Games trilogy.
They say she (Collins) rushed the ending. I sort of agree. They may also dislike the whole of the last book, as Collins tried to expand the…

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Faith in Humanity… Slightly Restored!

As a follow on post from my previous link, hacking group, Anonymous, have posted an audio message to the members of the EDL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uG-01A_Yfdg

These are the people who can change the world.

We are Anonymous.
We are Legion.
We do not forgive.
We do not forget. 
Expect us.

For those who don’t know, the English Defence League is a group of right-wing extremists, who are often criticised for their Nazi salutes. In the UK, they have been inciting racial hatred after the murder of a British soldier by two Muslims on the streets.

With this, yesterday’s news showed an article about how a Mosque offered tea to EDL protesters, and afterwards even played a game of football. They did this to people who despise their way of life, their religion and their heritage. In the words of Charles Ramsey, they’ve “got some big testicles to pull this off.”

Lastly, on to Russia. The political situation in Syria is obviously disastrous, to put it mildly. After the EU decided to lift the embargo of arms to Syria, many were outraged that the UK’s foreign secretary, William Hague, wants to support the rebels. The same rebels who released a viral video showing one rebel cutting our the heart of a Syrian soldier and taking a bite. This is not our war, don’t turn it into Afghanistan. Russia did this to stop intervention, and I applaud them for this.

I’m not Muslim, BTW, it’s just that current affairs interests me.

Why wasn’t Woolwich just “another terrorist attack”?

via Why wasn’t Woolwich just “another terrorist attack”?.

I thought this is a really insightful piece of writing about a sensitive topic.

Melody Part 5: New Wallpaper

Finally a new part, enjoy!

Quentin came over a few days later, with a roll of wallpaper under his arm.

‘Hey, I got this for you.’ He said.’I think you’re going to like it.’

He unrolled the paper to reveal the pattern. The paper was covered in beautiful flowers and birds perched on trees, the looked like blue jays. The paper had a rustic look with a bumpy texture. My fingers ran over it, it was thick – good quality.

‘Isn’t this really expensive?’ I whispered.

‘Don’t worry about it.’ said Quentin.

I looked up at him, a little surprised. He was staring straight into my eyes. That’s when I had a feeling. I’m not talking about all that falling in love bullshit, I just mean that I felt something and that’s precious. It’s a lonely thing to be human, to have a solitary consciousness in your head that can’t seem to connect with other people. But sometimes it happens, just for a second, when you look into someone’s eyes and have a feeling.

Tiffany walked in just then. She had bags under her eyes and she was still staggering a little.

‘Oooh, this is nice.’ she said as her fingers topped with chipped nails stroked the paper.

‘Do you want to help put it up?’ asked Quentin.

‘I’ll just make a mess out of it.’ I replied.

‘Oh come on Mel, we can do this together.’ said Tiffany, she touched my hand  and whispered ‘Please.’

That was the closest it was going to get to an apology for what she had said a few nights ago, so I accepted her offer. Quentin played some music out loud whilst Tiffany and I got into some old clothes. Quentin first had to teach us how to hang the wallpaper on the wall, he demonstrated great patience whilst the two of us flailed with the paper. We then spent the next few hours hanging the paper in the hallway.

To my surprise Tiffany took a backseat and watched Quentin and I decorate the hall. She watched us intently, a shy smile occasionally appearing on her face. Quentin and I were singing along to the radio whist hanging the last few sheets, his presence was uplifting. The house felt alive again with him and my sister there. We finally finished and Quentin soon left.

‘You were awfully quiet, what were you smiling about?’ I asked Tiffany.

‘You seem happier now…with him.’ she said.

I rolled my eyes. ‘Shut up Tiff, you’re seeing something where there’s nothing.’ I said.

‘Why can’t there be something?’ She said. Her hands grasped my shoulders and she looked at me. Her eyes were teary but had a sense of hope. ‘Why won’t you let there be something good in your life?’

‘Why would he wan’t me anyway, why would anyone want me?’ I said back, my voice quivering.’My life is empty, I waste my time in here because I’m too scared to live. I wake every day and I have nothing. Why would anyone want that? Why would anyone want to share their life with someone who doesn’t have one?’

‘You’re seeing nothing where there’s something.’ murmured Tiffany.

Change is coming…

I changed my address….

 

….. in case anyone cares.

Teachers, Exams and Riots

Hurray for reblogs!

A Voice of Reason

Revising for exams now, not much time to write so I put in a couple of links instead.

Although on the subject of exams, it’s probably a good time to fit in a quote during my hours of totally-revising-and-not-procrastinating: 

“When students cheat on exams it’s because our school system values grades more than students value learning.”

– Neil deGrasse Tyson

http://www.guardian.co.uk/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2013/may/11/secret-teacher-teaching-climate-fear-ofsted

I would say that this is quite relevant to the UK, and that the education system is now just Michael Gove’s (minister for education – in case you didn’t know) plaything.

There is a reason why the UK is in downturn, and it will continue in the future. The youth are being disregarded, even though we are the country’s future. Whilst David Cameron is making statements like this, proving that it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-13173505

The obvious disregard for anyone else other than his rich…

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