Hapkido and Humour

Do I honestly need to explain this one? There was humour, and I did hapkido. So, yeah. No further explanation needed. However, this also means the opening paragraph is a little shorter than I'd like. Although this little bit seems to be working. OK, I'll stick with that, but since I can't think of much else, I'll go into my day now.

Period 1 was Science, and we all went up to the computer rooms with Pitt, in order to graph the results of the height vs armspan measurements that we did a few days ago. And we found a correlation of about 1, which pretty much does mean that they were about the same, on average at least. In actuality, the points were scattered around the line of best fit, which means the measurements in approximate (by which I mean, your armspan will be approximately the same as your height, and vice versa.). We also went on something called WolframAlpha (link of website provided. If you want to know what it is, well, I'm about to tell you, and would have already done so if not for these brackets. So, yeah.), in which you input a question, and it gives you the answer. For example, you put in "Why is the sky blue?" and it tells you that it is Rayleigh scattering. Another example: put "pi to 15 decimal places" and it comes up with 3.141592653589793. That's pretty amazing (and it works to many decimal places of pi.). I recommend you try it. Period 2 was our year assembly, and it was rather funny, for two reasons. One was that Shane and Oscar did a performance that we originally saw in Drama. So while a few of us already knew what was coming, it was still funny. The second was that Mango did a brief stand-up routine, which wasn't entirely original (I'd heard at least one of the jokes before, and not from him.). Still, a lot of people enjoyed it, me included. Recess was talking.

Period 3 was English, and we had a lesson with Arnault for the first time replacing Hancock. We did the 'I Have A Dream' speech by Martin Luther King, which you may not have heard (I hadn't before today, which is slightly shameful), but you at least should have heard of. Having heard it now, I can say it was, and still is, a very good speech, and that you would have to be something other not to agree with him. Period 4 was Maths, and we were doing yet more work on parabolae from sheets. It is fetting rather boring, and Maths seems to be one of the only subjects in which we're doing work on the same level as before it all started to slow down. I'd say that's A1 for you, but other classes are doing it too. Ah well. Lunch was both playing DS and 13, which I somehow managed to juggle. I also got a massage from one of the random Year 7s that hang around with us. Why, I don't know, but it didn't feel too bad. Quite relaxing, actually.

Period 5 was Drama, and we were reading from plays from a play book. They were comedic plays, so we enjoyed it. I certainly did, as I took a role in almost every single play there. There was an absurd one, among others, which Tansy and I read from and a lot of other people didn't seem to get. It was very Monty Python (in that, it intentionally made little real sense), so of course I loved it. Period 6 was Commerce, and we had a substitute, Haracic (who I believe may or may not be a new permanent substitute. I don't think so, but I'm not sure what classes he teaches.), who got us to work from the textbook. Nobody actually did. It was mostly playing with some egg that may not have been an egg (hell, I was there and it didn't make much sense.). Eventually, I got home, and it was soon time for hapkido.

Grandmaster Geoff was here today, as was Shirisha. And I should know, as by a one of life's little coincidences, we were partnered together. I was slightly put to shame, as her kicks are better than mine (and I'm not sure whether that's taking into account belt colours. And no, that is not racism.). It wasn't a bad session; I enjoyed it, at least. And when I got home, I tried to blog, although evidently not quite enough. So here I am.

Thus was my day. It stands now in my blog, a testament to some random day (OK, I'm trying to think of new ways to start this closing paragraph. I actually don't think that that's too bad.). What isn't clear is the late post, of which is this is one. Annoying, I know. I'm trying.

Alliterative titling may be getting a little old,
AB

Bludge Betty

Continuing with titling problems is a rejected title from earlier on, which is a play on the song 'Black Betty.' Not that anybody named Betty appears in my day (in fact, come to think of it, I don't think I've ever really met anybody named Betty. I don't know if this is interesting, though. Hmm.). So, now that this little bit is out of the way, I can get to my day. Right now.

I woke up at around 8, and eventually got into the swing of blogging. To a degree. What in actuality happened was an onset of procrastination (I may be using overly long words here. This is what you get when you read the blog of a nerd. Possible conclusive evidence: I have mentioned superstring theory in my blog at least 5 times now. I rest my case.). So I tried to blog, but got caught up in TV, and MSN, and other things like this where I try to blog, but get caught up in things that don't seem particularly immersive, but really are (for example, I haven't played Battlefield Heroes in a while. You can't blog and play BFH at the same time, at least, not well. If you could, I would be all over it, believe me.). So I tried to do that, but I did not blog as much as I would like in the time provided (no, the post isn't over.).

So, soon, EJ and I had to do the dishwasher (is this important? Relatively, in that it was the most interesting thing that happened in the day, but probably wouldn't be on your standard day where you actually do stuff. Which really doesn't say much, but there you go.). I was at the dishwasher, when EJ came up and tossed a bowl at me. Only one problem: the aim was a little off. It hit my shoulder, ricocheted onto the side of a bench, and shattered on the kitchen floor. There was a moment of silence, which was broken by Mum asking what happened. EJ got in a little bit of trouble, and by a little, I mean he was banned from any and all electronics until further notice. This notice came further on in the day, after he tasted chilli, and a warning (was this worth writing? Depends. I did say this at the start of the paragraph, though. In case you forgot.).

This was my day. Hopefully soon I can get back to the scheduled posting. Also, this post was longer than the last one. This is good. The next few posts should be much longer than this one (I mean, it's only something like just over 400 words. This is insane.). This we hope for.

Late posting: bane of my blogging existence,
AB

Crazy Little Thing Called Bludge

You know, of course, that I love Queen. And that my titling is slightly off, and especially for this one. So, we kill two birds with one stone and I reference Queen while simultaneously titling a post which is somewhat difficult to title in the first place. Welcome to my blogging life. Also, late posting. That's another difficulty. Without further ado now, let us adjourn and see where my day takes me.

I woke up at around 7:30, and once I was done with my chores and so on, I got on my computer, and I attempted to blog. And I got to the point where I was caught up by more than one thing, and blogging was always at the back of my mind (I really, really hate that. I mean, I try to get posts done, but... anyway. Insert rant here.). But mostly I played my DS, as I have been for a while, and specifically, I am caught up with a game called 'Pokemon Mystery Dungeon,' which I picked up again on Wednesday and have been unable to put down for too long (yeah, yeah, call me addicted. It's fun, though, and Eric enjoys it. Not EJ, the other Eric.). So I was doing that for a while, going on my DS and trying to blog. Annoying, yes, but that's the way it was.

Soon, EJ came out and decided to watch '2 and a Half Men,' after we got the third season from Dad (thanks, Dad!), and we began to watch it, and it is quite hilarious. Not as good as some other TV shows (in current TV shows, I think it's quite good. However, when you take into account anything with Rowan Atkinson or John Cleese in it, it gets left in the dust. Sorry, but that's just what I think. British comedy, people. Nothing beats it.). And thus, I continued my day with '2 and a Half Men,' and blogging. Although not quite enough.

And that was... wait, is that it? Nothing else happened in the day? Sadly, yes, my faithful readers (well, you are reading this, after all), as today was a day of doing nothing, as showed in the title. Something else; this post is incredibly short. Well below my usual standard of 500 words. Hell, for today, I'm lucky to get 400. Shame.

Short and late; not one of my better posts,
AB

Mufti and Movies

This is my third alliterative title in as many days. My name is AB, alliterator of alliterators! Look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair (I really couldn't resist. I love that poem. Or, at least, that part of it.). I believe this title is rather straight-forward, so I am not going to bother explaining it. Instead, I'll just skip straight to my day.

Today was a mufti day, ladies and gentlemen, and one that was closer to the school than most. Zoe Diamond is going to Perth to do some big swimming thing (I think it's either a nation or a world thing; either way it's pretty massive.), and we were helping fund her way there, which I think is pretty good. So for the beginning we had Role Call, wherein I played DS, and it was then Assembly, where I continued (OK, I'm a little addicted to that thing. It's fun, though, and that's what matters.). Period 1 was Ag, and the people who were here (which, in our class, numbered not that many), had to clean out the horticulture shed, which basically involved hauling large, heavy sacks from one end of the school down to the other end, to put it in a large garbage bin. We used wheelbarrows, and we got the job done quickly, although Hewie, Alan and I had to clean up a mess we made when a garbage bag split open. Oy vey. Period 2 was Geography, and we watched yet more 'Man vs Wild.' I played my DS. It doesn't really matter (I'm not being a nihilist here, I'm just saying schoolwork is over and done with.). Recess was talking.

Period 3 was Maths, and we were showed something called 'GeoGebra' (as in, geometry and algebra. Nobody said mathematicians were brilliant at creating names. That's not to say the things themselves aren't great, but the names are sometimes hard to come by.). It's a basically free version of 'Geometer's Sketchpad,' and I might get it later. It seems OK. Period 4 was Science, and in this, Robson showed us an experiment we were to do, and which we did (I know that sounds a litte strange. Just, we did an experiment.). What it was was a simple bottle, partially filled with water and attached to a pump. Basically, when you press the pump, you pressurise the bottle, and the air trapped inside. Then, you press a button, and you create a projectile with the bottle, as the water and air is forced out. We were trying it with different volumes of water, and we found something like 300 mL of water was best. It was basically the mass of water versus the velocity it could present. Lunch was the standard.

Period 5 was Commerce, and we went to the library annex to watch a movie on lethal force and the taser. I am personally in favour of it, as I believe it has to be safer than the gun, but I still think more research is needed, just in case (although, being a science nerd, I think more research is always good. So, that's me.). Period 6 was English, and it was our last English period with Hancock, as he has other staffing roles to play, and so Arnault will be taking us for the rest of the term. He's good, I think, but not as good as Hancock. It was also our first real English period without Tiana, who left yesterday, and won't be coming back next year. So, a bit of a nostalgic period, as well as a random one, as we talked about all manner of things (work is overrated.). And when I got home, I blogged a little, and soon we watched a movie, the film version of 'Angels & Demons.' I believe it was good, although it can't really compare with the book. Not many film versions of books really can.

This was my day. I apologise for the lateness; I have recently realised just how far behind I am. So there will indeed be a big rush of posts soon, in an attempt to get back up before the big 300. I, personally, am hoping that I won't need to have an inordinate amount of work, while still getting there. Here's hoping.

I am beginning to really detest the late schedule,
AB

Weirdness and Water

OK, I sorta take exception to the word 'wackiness.' It just doesn't fit within the parameters that I want to get across here. But, it was necessary to make the alliterative title work (a better word would be something like 'random,' but that didn't work out with any other relation to water I wanted. Ah well.). So, let us get to my day, shall we, now that that is out of the way.

Period 1 was English, and it was a period of utter randomness. Tan was given his report, as he wasn't here yesterday, and it mentioned the word 'gregarious' on it. A quick check in the dictionary found that it meant something similar to 'travelling and acting in packs.' This made the whole class crack up, as it was a rather sneaky way of Hancock's to say something like that. For the rest of the class, we tried to work out ways of sneaking the word 'gregarious' into ordinary situations, which was rather funny (at least I thought so.). Period 2 was Maths, and we started a new topic (I know, I know, we are still doing work, and it's bloody well annoying. Why are we doing work? Who knows. It's crazy like that.). The topic was parabolae (parabolas? The plural of parabola, anyway, which is basically a curve wherein the basic formula is y equals x squared. Wikipedia can hopefully explain.). Recess was just talking.

Period 3 was Drama, and Kolodziej announced that the whole Michael Jackson tribute thing was to be postponed until February or March, for reasons that were unclear, but accepted (I mean, there were very little people actually writing the script, and not that many who were going to be here on the day of the performance, so postponing it was a good move in my decision. So I spent the period playing DS, and even Kolodziej didn't object (he saw me and just commented that I should be playing 'Guitar Hero' instead.). Period 4 was Commerce, and we got into a discussion about the death penalty, and it seems as if everybody in the class is against it (of course, that's Australia. Take it to America, and they'd be all for it. It goes with their gun laws. Or, lack thereof.). Lunch was the usual.

Periods 5 and 6 were double PE (jees, I haven't written that in a while. Weeks and weeks...), and we did something new: swimming, which we hadn't done in PE for quite a while (not since last year, I don't think, although I could be wrong.). So we got in and got changed, and then we went to put flippers on. I have now concluded that flippers hate me, seeing as the first pair were too big, and the second pair were just right, but fell off anyway. Oy vey. However, soon I was ready, and we started off by having races (I am apparently one of the fastest in the class. Sweet.). We then played water polo, and the team I was in lost. It was still fun, though. When the water polo game was done, we pretty much just mucked around for the rest of the period, although I did have a panic attack at one stage. Damn them. And later, I blogged, although not that much. So here I am.

That was my day. I am trying to post on schedule once more, but it's coming along at a steady pace (which, quite frankly, is not enough.). So, expect a frenzied rush of posting soon, as I try to get back before the 300th post. That tends to happen (or rather, that probably will happen.). Be prepared for it; I'll have to be.

Damn this massive broken schedule,
AB

Recommendations and Removals

The recommendation refers to a sheet we were given in Role Call, which will be explained in the following paragraph, and a little quickly. 'Removals' may refer to quite a few things, including the fact that I was taken out of school to go to the orthodontist. So, let us examine how these two seemingly unrelated (and indeed, almost entirely unrelated) things played their part in my day.

Before school, we had Role Call, and sheets were given out, saying that we were to nominate people for various categories, and the winners of these were to get sashes at the formal. Some examples were best sportsman, most likely become to become Prime Minister and best hair (why, Victor of course.). But, there was one that stuck out for me. Near the bottom, it was, and just two words: Biggest Nerd. Now, as you can guess, this was a big thing for me, and I made a resolution to win it. So in the next period, which was History, most of the class watched 'Man vs Wild,' while I took some spare paper, cut them up into cards, then wrote 'Vote AB for Biggest Nerd' on them (you know what they say: if something's worth doing, it's worth overdoing.). When we got out of History, I promptly started handing out these cards to random people, in the hope that I would win it. In Period 2, in English, we got our report results back from Hancock, and I got, I'm happy to say, all As (as in the plural of 'A,' not the word 'as.'). That should certainly make up for my C in the middle of the year (damn the half-yearly. Damn it.). Recess was taking pictures on my phone (which I believe I am keeping), and trying to get one of a lot of people (Aleksa, a Year 8 or 9 who hangs with us sometimes, was camera-shy for some reason.).

Period 3 was Science, and we had Pitt instead of Robson, even though Robson was here (it was something to do with marking HSCs and Physics classes; I wasn't entirely sure. But, we had him regardless.). In it, we first talked a little about the LHC (when he asked what it was, I wasn't allowed to answer. Mainly because I knew a lot about it already, including a basic understanding of how it works and what it hopes to achieve, with supersymmetry and Higgs bosons and so on.), and then we started doing measurements for height against armspan (are they actually equal? Is it just an old wives' tale? We shall see.). It was then Lunch, where I played DS (yes, I brought it to school.) and messed around with the phone on my camera, where I finally got a snap of Aleksa. It was funny.

When the bell went, I went over to the office, because I had to get checked out in order to go to the orthodontist. I was picked up at around 1:30, and Mum and I promptly got EJ and made our way over to Liverpool. After having a look at some stuff, we went to the orthodontist, and I was ready to have my elastics put in. Or so I thought. Instead, they decided to take my expander out, which involved removing some of the actual braces, scraping the concrete-like stuff that stuck them to my teeth off, then removing the expander, then putting back whatever they had taken out in order to remove the expander (so, the concrete, the braces, and so on.). It took about 30 minutes, and when I got out, I could feel the top of my gums. Later, at around 7:15, we left for hapkido.

Grandmaster Geoff was here, and we were piled 5 to a row all the way down to the back of the dojang, which appears to be what is going to happen more often on Wednesdays (I personally think that they've messed up the system a little, but that's just what I think.). In the actual class, I was partnered with Tim, a white belt whose name I only remember because it was in 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' (that's nothing against the guy, I'm just shocking at remembering names.). I did some work on techniques, and all in all it was a good class. And when I got home, I blogged a little, although quite obviously not enough to catch up.

This was my day. I apologise for the continued lateness, but, believe it or not, I am trying to get it back to normal. Quite frankly, I'm just surprised I can remember it all. Ah, the awesome power of the human brain. Or, something like that.

Goodbye expander, hello gums,
AB

Boats and Goats

OK, this title is what you get when you do very little exceptional things in the day, and so you pretty much just pick some random stuff from periods that rhyme (as opposed to being alliterative. I think 'alliterate' is the verb, although I just made that up. I am apparently right, which is cool.). You'll see what I mean by my title when I get to their respective periods. Now, let us get to my day.

Period 1 was Science, and we were doing something quite strange. Basically, we were given a piece of paper, and we could fold it or cut it however way we liked, as long as it remained in one piece (sounds simple so far). Then, we had to make it float in water (paper boats? They work. Although I wouldn't want to be out at sea in one.). Weights were then put on it, and the person who could find a way to put the most mass on the paper boat wins. There were several designs, but the winner was eventually Oishi, whose design supported 24 25 gram masses, in a total of 600 grams. It was pretty much a plain sheet of paper whose sides had been folded slightly up to stop water from getting in. It was a fun period (I got 14, by the way. My design was a regular sheet of paper, but with the sides curved up. It worked a lot better than I had thought.). Period 2 was Computer Maths, and we were doing something to do with distance-time graphs. Yes, they're back for more, after we were sick of them in Science (that sorta sounds like a Hollywood movie trailer. If you'll indulge me here... 'You witnessed the sheer horror in Science, and now they have returned: in your Maths period. Coming this summer... an Alan Smithee production... Distance Versus Time II: Deathematics.' I'm sorry, I just felt like doing that.). Recess was talking.

Periods 3 and 4 were Agriculture, and we went down to the goat sheds to do some foot paring (like cutting nails, but with goat feet. The hooves basically. Or is it hoofs? Apparently, both. How crazy the English language is.). Now, I've said before how goats hate me, and this was not disproven, as the group I got in (consisting of me, Ebony, Alan, Lana and Shirisha) found the only goat whose hooves were so misshapen that none of us could work out exactly what to cut. Even Schippers was a little confused. But we got through it, by which time it was about halfway through Period 4. So I spent the rest of the time not doing much at all. Standard double Ag stuff, really. Lunch was the same as Recess.

Period 5 was English, and we all got our exam results back (I got mine back yesterday, but still. The rest of the class got theirs today.). It seems the average mark was something like 31 or 32, so I am quite happy with my mark (although just because you get above average doesn't guarantee a good report. Last year, for example, I got slightly above average in the exam for English and got a C, but got slightly below average in History and got an A. Does this make sense? Of course not.). Period 6 was History, in which I read the book that I had started this morning, 'A Prisoner of Birth,' which is a really good book. I recommend it (although, I recommend the majority of Jeffrey Archer books, especially 'As The Crow Flies,' as well as 'Kane & Abel.' I was going to put more here, but I would be going on for a bit.). It was sort of a bludge. And after school, I went home, and I watched Hamish & Andy's yearly Christmas show, which we had taped. Damn, but it's funny.

Comments away, with one from the one person.
*Mango: I would like to remind you that females outnumbered males at the concert in a six-to-one ratio. I rest my case here.

This was my day. As you just saw, I got a comment, for the first time in a while. I do enjoy comments, although I don't require them (there is a difference between want and need. Comments are an example of the former rather than the latter.). Also, it's a little late, but I am trying to deal with that.

I sorta like that title, although I don't really know why,
AB

Everything Back But Work

This being a reference to the song 'Everything Back But You,' as well as referring to the fact that everybody came back to school, and that we barely do any work now. OK, that's that. Now, let us have a look at my day, and soon, for I am running out of things to say in this opening paragraph.

Before school, we talked about the camp, and it appears there were a lot of highlights and lowlights (apparently Mango took his shirt off at the disco. I now use that as a reason for not going to camp, in favour of the Britney Spears concert. I mean, what would you pick: Mango shirtless or Britney Spears?). Period 1 was Geography, and we watched another episode of 'Man vs Wild,' which is becoming a bit of a running joke in our class (there appear to be a few running jokes in the people I talk to, with 'Is it David?' being one example.). I mean, the guy will seemingly eat anything and drink anything out in nature, which would be good, except for the fact that he antagonises snakes (because that's what you want to do if you want to stay alive in the wild. You piss off deadly snakes.). So, take whatever he says with a grain of salt. Period 2 was Science, and we continued to learn about the acceleration due to gravity through pendulum swinging. We got a result of about 9.9, which is very close, if I do say so. Recess was talking.

Period 3 was Ag, and we all went down to look at the potatoes. It looks like they're about ready to be harvested, and from what Schippers said, we may be pulling them out either next week or the week after. After the week off, the weeds have been taking over the beds, and whether or not the bed survived depends on how well you mulched, and a bit of luck. Our bed was relatively unscathed, but the one across from ours had weeds taking over over half of the whole bed. There weren't many potatoes surviving. Period 4 was PE, and we weren't really doing much at all. I mean, it really didn't matter either way, so a lot of people just talked. I didn't do much, personally (a big bludge, it was.). Next was Lunch, and I went down to the English cottage to check my mark, as I had heard good things from people who were here on Friday. I got 35/40, which I believe was second in the grade (so my yearlies went really well. First in Drama and Commerce, and second in Science, PE and English. Quite good.).

Period 5 was Maths, and we were just pretty much doing questions out of the book (yes, we are still doing questions. The Maths staff seems to be doing that; they were doing logarithms in B1, I think. So, it's not just A1. Hell, half of B3 is still going for it. Not sure about C1, though they're probably not doing much.). Period 6 was Drama, and we got into groups to write some of the play about Michael Jackson's life. Eventually, though, our group split up (I was going to say schism, to reference 'A Series of Unfortunate Event,' but it didn't really fit. Ah well.), with Alice, Cameron and me talking and making jokes, and Ebony and Pradeepti actually doing work. At one point, I interrupted Ebony (I think. I don't really know; Ebony can respond to the smallest of things.), and she gave me a big whack across my leg. I had a red handprint on the side of my left knee for about half an hour. Soon I got home, and we left for hapkido at around 7.

Both Grandmaster Geoff and Shirisha were here today, and at one point, Grandmaster mentioned something about if anyone went to the Britney Spears concert. I put up my hand, of course; and was promptly bagged beyond all recognition (I'm exaggerating a little here. But not by much.). I'm lucky he didn't ask about 'New Moon.' In the actual class, we worked on some techniques. Dylan and I were partnered, and we were having issues with one technique (it's supposed to hurt, and I was on the ground and I wasn't feeling any pain.) We figured it out eventually, though. When I got home, I blogged, though not much. So here I am.

This was my Monday. I am aware that this post is rather late, but I shall soon be free of the burden of lateness and be back to a schedule of normality. Soon. I hope it won't be long, but we'll have to see.

May the normality resume soon,
AB

A Trip Up

This play on words inspired by the idiom 'trip up' (I think it's an idiom. I was never good at working out which was which, although hopefully this article will help.). It's a play on words, as we made a trip, and it was up north (actually, north is only considered up because that's where Europe and Western civilisation is. It really doesn't matter; it's an arbitrary thing. Just another thing you learn from Wikipedia. It's amazing what you can learn. Did you know Australians picked Wellington for New Zealand's capital? Neither did I! Anyway.). So, let's get to my day.

We were woken up at around 6:30, which you think I would be used to. But no, I was completely shocked, and I wasn't too cooperative, to say the least. But, we packed up, and we set off by about 7, with neither Uncle Nudge nor Darcie even stirring. We got breakfast at about 8:30, by which time I was rather hungry. I spent the time in the car mostly reading, and as I'd finished the book Shay lent me, I started reading a book that Dad had gotten me on Friday, which was a Bill Bryson book (so, it's gotta be good. And it was.). The long trip was finished by about 9:30, after doing... what exactly in Canberra? Reading, watching TV and being deprived of a decent net connection. Ah well, it wasn't really for me and EJ, it was for Mum and Dad. Anyway.

When we did get home, I promptly got out my laptop, and began to actually blog, and we both put on the TV (I mean, we weren't able to watch stuff besides your free-to-air channels at Canberra. Although I'm not really complaining; they had good stuff on. I'm just saying, we couldn't. Anyway.). I blogged for a while, although I didn't seem to get too far. These things happen, and they are quite annoying, I must say (hence the late posting that has been a severe problem for a while and that seems shall be a problem forevermore. Yes, I said 'forevermore.' Sounds like something out of an Edgar Allen Poe poem, 'The Raven' in particular, for those who don't know). I did this for a fair while, but evidently not as much as I would like. So here I am.

That was essentially what happened during my day (this sentence is getting a bit repetitive. I am fully aware. I am trying to differentiate a little.). I know, I am fully aware that this post was very late, and rather short. It makes for a rather subpar post (although, the title is good. Every cloud has a silver lining, I suppose.). I will really try to do a lot of posts on the one day, definitely by the time the 300th post rolls around. It will be severely annoying if it shows up and I have a backlog of something like four posts. Oy vey.

Damn, that's a short post,
AB

Canberraman

He's a nerd talkin' metal coated Canberraman... OK, I drove to Canberra, and I was just parodying 'Candyman.' By metal coated, I refer to braces, and nerd talkin', well, I tend to use longer words than your average person. Also, have you noticed I explain my titles in almost every post? Would this be because I'm trying to take up space? No. Is this explanation of explanations (and this being an explanation of an explanation of an explanation, ad infinitum) simply to take up space. ...Perhaps.

I got up at around 7:30, and I went to blog. I am trying to catch up, trust me (right now, this means this closing paragraph may be a little strange. Stay posted! No pun intended.). So I blogged a bit, and at about 11 (I know I'm covering a lot in a few lines, but it can all be pretty much condensed to watching TV and going on my laptop. Repetition and uneventfulness are the enemy of interesting posting, as well as longer posting. Brackets partially remedy this. For example: this.). I then went to pack for the trip to Canberra. We were going because Mum and Dad were going to a friend's fortieth birthday party, and it's not exactly like EJ and I could stay home by ourselves (well, I suppose theoretically we could, but it wouldn't be too safe, I'm guessing.). So I packed books and my 'New Scientist' magazine, among other things, into my laptop case (because, of course, I brought my laptop. It would be crazy not to.), and by about 2 or 3, we set off.

I read for about half the trip, maybe a little more. I read mostly from the book Shay lent me, but also from my magazine. For the other part, I essentially did some logic puzzles that I brought, although I got bored of them quickly. I used to love them, but now I'm sorta bored of them, and they're not really that exciting (that feeling isn't that fun. I'm sure most people know what I'm talking about here.). Anyway. When we did eventually get to Canberra, I messed around a little with the phone Dad gave me, which I've started taking a liking to because it can take pictures and video. My other phone can't do that (although it does have some good games on it. This phone doesn't. Ah well. Take some, leave some.). I then went outside and played with EJ a little, and relaxed on the rocking chair, reading. When I get my own place, I will be getting some sort of rocking chair or swing chair or something like that, and read on it frequently. They are really relaxing.

Eventually, Mum and Dad left for the party, and we were left with Uncle Nudge and Darcie (have I honestly not mentioned that yet? Guess not. Well, now you know.). Darcie was soon put to sleep (literally, not the other kind.), and EJ found the Xbox 360, and began to play Monopoly on it (he forgot to take his books and such out of Dad's car before they left. Oy vey.). He seems to enjoy it. Me, I was a bit of a back seat driver on it. Soon, we got dinner, and watched some movies that were on TV. We watched the second half of 'Robots,' (It has Robin Williams in it, which I did not know. However, watching it again, I can hear his voice.) and then 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest' came on (damn, that's a long title.). It's a fun movie, so we watched that. Meanwhile, I was trying to post, but then the dongle (the little thing that gives you wireless internet) stopped working after EJ pulled it out, so I got out a notebook and pencil and started blogging the old fashioned way (not that that's really blogging. Anyway.). I ended up getting to bed at around 11.

That was what happened on my day. There is another excuse for not getting up to date on posting, which has become more and more of a problem. It's getting quite annoying, and I want to get up to date by my 300th post, which is in about two weeks. Jees, I better get to work.

Wow, it's almost 300 posts...,
AB

Just Take It Off

I am fully aware of the double entendre there. In fact, I took the quote from 'I Gotta Feeling,' and I figured I might as well use it. What do I actually mean? I mean I stayed home, I took the day off (see?). And there you go. So, let's have a look at my day.

I woke up at 6 this morning, and in case you're wondering why I said that (I mean, I only say that when I'm not going to school. I'm assuming, of course, you didn't read the opening paragraph, though, as that would sorta spoil it.), it's because I did not go to school today. I did have a reason though, in that it was a closed weekend and everybody got back from camp last night, so not that many people would be going (it turns out only about 15 Year 10s actually went. So, wow, I guessed that one pretty well.). So I stayed home, where I tried to catch up on blogging (I know.). However, Dad bought a movie over Foxtel, which was something called 'Fired Up.' I hadn't seen it before (I hadn't even really heard that much about it, to be honest), but we watched it, and it was pretty good. Sure, it had a lot of cliche stuff in it, but it actually wasn't too bad. After we'd watched the movie, Dad and I then decided to go to Westfields.

While there, we had lunch (Red Rooster), and then we went out to look at books and games. I was trying to find 'Sims 3,' to see if it was any cheaper outside of 'Toys R Us' (result: it doesn't seem to exist outside of 'Toys R Us.' So, going great here.). I then found a game that I could buy EJ for Christmas, which I did, and will not say it yet as a result of it being a surprise. We then left Westfields, and retired to home, escaping to the air conditioned sanctuary (it was over 40 degrees outside, and it was goddamn hot outside.). Now, when there is a clear sky and it's 40 degrees, you would think it would stay that way for some time. Not so. Clouds began to gather, and it thus began to rain. Within the space of about 2 minutes, there was no rain, then some sprinkling, then it started bucketing down. Absolutely pouring. There were ferns down out the back, and all was drenched. Remember, this came out of a relatively clear sky. And of course, it just so happened that while it was pouring, Dad had to go and get EJ, while I stayed inside. By the time they were back, the rain had cleared up and the sun was out. I don't know what that means (I'm no meteorologist), but it at least means you gotta prepare for everything weather-related. I always bring my umbrella to school.

When EJ got home, he went out to the kitchen; and found what I had got him, as I had forgotten to put it in my room (in other words; crap.). It was 'Medieval II: Total War,' which I figured was something EJ would definitely love (he's gonna pay me back.). Only problem was that it wasn't installing on EJ's computer, and, at the time of posting, still isn't. So, sorta dodged a bullet that it didn't happen on Christmas Day. Anyway. Later, we sat down to watch comedy routines of both Eddie Murphy and Robin Williams. They are both hilarious, and I urge you all to see them (as well as 'Monty Python.' Not that Murphy or Williams are in that, but I just like to put that in there from time to time.).

This was my Friday. I should probably intensely apologise (intensely is not the right word here, but, who cares. Substitute a word of your choice here.) about late posting, but it's been done. Ditto for short posting, and even complaining about not being able to say those things. What has my closing paragraph become?

Self-reference, apparently,
AB

Official Duty

As in, I did Office Duty. OK, this play on words is not all that great. While things did happen in the day, the problem is that they didn't make for the best titles. I hate when that happens. Ah well. So, to my day, where I did more than just Office Duty (if I can make that clear).

When the bell went, I went on the computers, of course, and Kevin and I tried to go straight into Warcraft III. However, someone had to do Office Duty, and as I hadn't done it, I was chosen, along with Jackie. So, with a heavy heart (I mean, we could have played Warcraft III. I like that game, although I suck against the computer.), I got my bag, and made my way to the office, where I promptly read. When I'd finished the book I was reading (and of course, I'd taken my other book, the one I was going to read, out of my bag just this morning), I promptly got bored, and started thinking of things I could do to pass the time. After some pondering, I hit upon an idea: chess! But how to do it, I wondered. What I originally planned was drawing the pieces on a piece of paper, and then rubbing them out and drawing them somewhere else (I would, of course, use pencil.). I told this to Jackie (or rather, I suggested we play chess), who then had a better idea. He then left the office and came back with a chess set and board (presumably from the library), and we began to play. We played throughout Recess, with me winning a game, him winning a game, and me again pulling off a spectacular stalemate (I was almost dead, too. I'm surprised I could force a draw; he had two rooks left.). We also attempted to play checkers, with pawns being the regular pieces and the other pieces being the kings. We had little idea how to play, but we worked around that.

At Lunch, though, I actually met up with Kevin, and found out what he had been doing in the Library while Jackie and I had been running errands (answer: very little. It was apparently very boring.). We then watched the entire Abridged movie on my iPod (yes, the guy abridged the whole movie. It goes for over half an hour. And damn, it's funny.). I was surprised it didn't run out of charge, but there you go. After Lunch, Jackie and I went back, and tried to play some more checkers, but we were interrupted, and we went down to the hall to set up for some assembly thing for parents (I think Year 12s had something to do with it, but I'm not too sure.). I got a Mars Bar for doing it (mmm, chocolate...). Then, when the bell went, I made my way home, where Dad handed me his phone, after he bought an iPhone (he really likes technology. You should see our TV. Any wider and we would need to seriously reconfigure the lounge room. Seriously. Dad has a thing for big TVs.). So I was told to trial his phone for a week, and I was a little reluctant (I'm proud of my almost 6-year-old phone. Just for the fact that it is old.). And then I went to the movies.

I'm sorry, that may have come out of nowhere. But pretty much Shaylee invited me to watch 'New Moon,' and we brought along EJ and Lachlan, who both enjoy it (although, I'm guessing they only like it for the vampires. And the werewolves. I'm not going to explain what 'New Moon' is, because that's pretty sad if you don't know it.). Within an hour in, the phone broke, which was, as you can probably guess, a major detractor in the possibility of me deciding to use the phone (do I have to use long words like that? Well, I only do it to try to express what I'm saying in as little words as possible.). However, Shay got it to work, and we soon watched the movie. The movie itself was good, although it is not fun listening to half of the girls in the audience screaming for Edward, and the other half for Jacob. After the movie, I got dinner, thanks to Jo, and I went to blog.

This was what happened on this particular Thursday. I know this post is incredibly late, but, well, it's a self-perpetuating cycle of late posts, where one leads to another. Don't worry, though, I am working towards getting them back up on time. I am.

I did enjoy the movie,
AB

Combat and Computers

The second part of this title (third if you're counting the 'and') is simple, for I went on the computers. But, I played CounterStrike on it, and I did hapkido, both forms of combat (double meaning! ...sort of.). So, yeah. There's titles explained. With that out of the way, let us have a look at my day (hooray for unintentional rhyming!).

Before school, I went up to the Library, to see who was there and to talk to people. It was then Role Call, and we finally found out exactly how many people weren't going to camp, but also weren't going to school (the answer? Over 30 people were jigging both camp and school, although from what I heard beforehand, more than a few had good reasons.). We then went on the computers, when the bell went, where Kevin showed me where CounterStrike (a first person shooter, although explaining it would be like explaining Pokemon, in that you probably should have heard of it.) could be found, and we played a few games. Me, I had little to no idea of the strategy for the game, so I was winging it when I was picking guns (some worked out really well, some not so much. I just picked anything, really.). We played that for a while, against the computer and with each other, and we then went to see if we could find Warcraft III on the school's computer, as we knew it had to be around somewhere (although not without good reason; we had seen people play it.). However, try as we might, we could not find it in any folders. However, at Recess, we asked Andy, as we had seen him playing it, who gave us a username and a password (this is beginning to sound more and more like a bad movie, isn't it?) that contained the game.

When the bell went, we went back up to the computers, where we got on to the profile after much experimenting with passwords (we had remembered the pattern but forgotten the actual password) and last names (easy to say, slightly harder to spell), and we started to play. We did so for only a few minutes, because someone else needed to use the computers, and we had to actually do some work. Or, rather, Kevin and I watched Abridged on my iPod. It's fun to do that. Then, when the bell went for Lunch, we continued our watching of Abridged. Damn, that's some funny stuff. We also went to the PE staffroom to find out what Kevin and I would be doing for sport, considering Year 10 School Sport would be a bit undercrowded (that is, we were the only ones.). We thus were given the option to join the Year 9s.

Which, when the bell went, we followed up on, as we knew Andy would be doing it, and we wanted to be with somebody we knew, as opposed to Boot Camp, the other option (it didn't sound too great.). We went to play soccer, and I promptly managed somehow to kick the ball into my own face (how I did this is an utter mystery, but it happened. Soccer is not my thing.). I soon managed to sneak around and ended up again on my iPod, watching Abridged. We even got seen by a teacher, and got let off (although, it was McCord, who is rather lenient, in most regards.). So we sat around and watched my iPod. And when the bell went, I went home (although not straight away. That would be a major hassle for my brother. As well as impossible as per relativity. But, that's another story.). And around 7:15, we left for hapkido.

This session was absolutely packed. How packed, you ask (well, you might not. But I've got to segue this some way or another.)? Well, there were people backed all the way until the edge of the mats, and (get this) there were 5 people per row. To make pairing up both convenient and possible, the middle row had to alternatively face back and forward, so the outside two rows faced each other (so, the far left row faced the row on its right, and vice versa), while the middle row faced itself (more or less). I was paired with Tara, and of course Shirisha wasn't there, considering she was on camp (it would be quite a feat if she was there). I saw some yellow belt techniques in this class, and they were pretty cool. And when I got home, I blogged, although evidently not enough. So here I am.

This was my Wednesday. Insert rant about late post here (yes, it's getting to the point where I can't be bothered thinking about how else to phrase something about late posts. I will get up to date soon.). Also, I believe I may make some longer posts soon. Though we'll see.

Being outside of camp has proven to be fun,
AB

Spacers and Shoppers

Me, I was the shopper! As well as my Mum. We also went to the orthodontist, and put spacers in. So, explanation there. I tried thinking of plays on words and other alliterative titles, but there's not a lot you can do with the word 'orthodontist' (I did consider 'or the dontist,' but it didn't work out too well.). Anyway. Let's have a look at my day, as I really try to get really back on schedule.

I woke up at around 7:15, as I wasn't going to school today and so didn't have to wake up early. It wasn't because we weren't doing anything at school and so why bother, nor was it to do with me going to the concert (the awesome concert, mind you) yesterday, but rather that I had an appointment at the orthodontist (so, the other two reasons were related, but not directly. The appointment was when it was because I would be otherwise going to school and do nothing because I wasn't going to school and do nothing because I wasn't going to camp because of the concert. Just wanted to get that out of the way.). So I got my stuff, and Mum and I soon headed over to Liverpool shops.

We first went and dropped Mum's car off for a service, and then walked to Westfields, where we wandered around the shops. We first stopped by 'Toys R Us' (and I would have made a backwards R there if I could, but I can't, at least without an inordinate amount of effort. Yes, I use the word 'inordinate.') to find stuff that we could get for various Christmas presents (I know, we've started to think about that already, and there is over a month to go. But, jees, the year goes quickly. I mean, it's already halfway through November.). We had a look at the computer games (for want of a better classification. DS games and PS3 games and such.) and looked amongst the board games, and around some other toys and games (did you know they still make Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokemon cards? I saw them in the shops and I was somewhat shocked.). After that, we both went to the orthodontist for my appointment.

I got in, and watched the TV for a few minutes before I was called in for the actual appointment. I laid down on the bed, awaiting whatever it was they were going to do. 30 seconds later, they said they'd finished. Blink and you would have missed it. Turns out they only put spacers in (very similar to the ones from this post, although I'm assuming they won't hurt as much, due to my jaw already being partially used to them. Hopefully.). It was very quick (that's what she said!), and I have to come back on Wednesday (not tomorrow, a week from tomorrow), I think to put elastics on. But don't quote me.

After we got out of the orthodontist's, we went back into Westfields, where we went to get my suit for the formal (buying it is apparently cheaper than hiring it, even just for one night, which makes no sense but there you go). I had some choice in the matter, in that the attendant and Mum picked various suits, shirts and ties, and I said yes or no. Probably for the best, as otherwise it wouldn't turn out too well, which it eventually did. We then went down to the bus stop, and rode the bus home, getting to home at about 12:30. And so, for essentially the rest of the day, I went on 'Fantastic Contraptions' and blogged.

And that was my day. Sorry for the late post, I am really trying to get back up, believe me. It's annoying me like hell, but I persevere. I swear I will get back up to date soon. Maybe on a weekend where I'm doing absolutely nothing.

The saga of my teeth continues,
AB

Circus: Tour '09

Yes, that's right, it's the big day today! The concert I've been waiting for in spirit for about a decade (I've been a Britney Spears fan since then), and actually been waiting for since I found out about it in maybe February (I mentioned it in passing when I talked about the Veronicas concert. Jees, has it been that long?). The first time she's been to Australia, and I went to the first concert in Sydney. So, I'm going to talk about my day, and then go on about the concert. So probably expect a post of epic proportions.

When I got to school, it seemed somewhat deserted, as there was nobody at our table (with the Year 10s and 12s gone, the school seems a lot emptier.). So I took a guess and headed up to the library where, sure enough, I found Kevin watching Andy play on his PSP. I also saw Alice and Rhoda, so there were good signs as to how many people would show up. When the bell went, we stayed at the library, as we were staying there. 5 people showed up, and I'm including the people I already said, the last one being a guy called Jackie (Andy is in Year 9, for those who don't know). We were given a booklet to start off with, which was packed full of mindless, repetitive work that really wasn't all that exciting. Luckily, the boredom was punctured by a teacher asking Kevin, Jackie and me (Alice and Rhoda were doing office duty) to show a family around Hurlstone for a tour, as they weren't going to be at Orientation Day. The kid (I think her name was Rahini, or something.) came from the same school as EJ, so they knew him. I showed them all around, from the hall to the cows to the uniform shed. When I was done, it was pretty much the end of Recess, and so we then went back to the library.

At the library, I surfed the net a little, and I discovered that you could download Scratch on the school's computer, and I promptly did (I'm surprised; I thought something blocked that on the computers. But, there isn't, so, cool.). I then surfed the net and found that you can get two player chess online (learning something new about these computers.). I thus promptly played with Kevin, with both of us winning one game. We also surfed the net. Lunch was showing Kevin some Abridged on my iPod.

Next, I went on the computers, and Kevin introduced me to a little thing called 'Fantastic Contraptions.' What it is is a website wherein you get a lot of gears and that type of thing, and get an object into an area (I assure you, it sounds much less fun than it actually is. It is very fun, and you can play it on the website, appropriately called 'Fantastic Contraption.'). I was playing that for quite a while, struggling with some of the levels, which involved (in some cases) moving stuff around while still trying to keep a vehicle upright. It was a bit difficult, but I managed to pull it off eventually. When the bell went, I went home, and I then prepared for the big concert.

We (Shay and I, she's going too) got to Acer Arena for the Britney Spears concert (I never get tired of saying that) at around 6:30, and I got some merchandise (I got a program and a keyring. I would have gotten a hat, but they were a bit expensive. Ah well.). It was here I found one thing: there were seemingly no other guys here except me and the security guards (I have since found out that females outnumbered men by a six-to-one ratio. Quite frankly, I'm surprised it wasn't more than that.) So we went into the arena, where Shay and I bought dinner, which was mostly chips and drinks, although I also had fish. We finished our dinner and went into the concert by about 7:30.

It was gigantic. If you've never been to Acer Arena, imagine a big stadium, sort of like Telstra Stadium or the SCG or something like that (and if you've never been there, shame.), then put a small stage there, right in the centre. We found our seats, which were truly excellent seats, by the way (they were close enough so you could really see the stage, in all its detail. We were about level with the stage, and about 50 m away, although I'm not the greatest when it comes to judging distance. Close, is what I'm trying to say here.). At 8, the curtain rose; to see a DJ, who it turns out was a woman called Havana Brown (I've never heard of her, tell you truth, but she was quite good, and not that bad looking.). From the back, she looked a little like Britney, but when she turned around, I was slightly confused. I mean, I sort of expected Britney to be there, but she wasn't (not that I noticed straight away. I was thick there. But I suspected it once I saw her face.). She went off the stage at 9, and we then had a countdown to when she would come out. And at 9:30, the stars came out. Or, rather, the one star: Britney Spears (I'm sorry, as soon as I thought of it, it had to be said.).

Now, I'm sure that, unless you've been living under a rock, you've heard that Britney was going to lip-sync in concerts. Now, she started off with 'Circus,' and while I knew she was going to lip-sync, she could have fooled me. She was very good, and the dancing was really good. It was way better than the Veronicas concert, and even Shay agreed with me. Britney did a lot of dancing (she looked pretty good too), and she sang, throughout the night, basically every great Britney Spears song under the sun, except for two: 'My Prerogative' and 'Oops!... I Did It Again.' She did everything from '...Baby One More Time' to 'Toxic' to 'Womanizer,' but she did not do 'Oops!... I Did It Again,' which is probably my favourite Britney Spears song. She did sing one song live (although I could have sworn she sung others live, she did not), and it was 'Everytime.' If you have ever heard 'Everytime,' you will most likely love it, and she sang it live. There was only one problem: because of a coincidence of lighting, I could barely see anything as Britney was blocked out by a spotlight. I only managed to see her by covering the spotlight with my program and closing one eye (it was difficult. Still, it was good.). She finished the concert by about 10:30, after 'Womanizer,' and confetti rained down. I could say that it was the best concert I've ever been to, but my experience is limited. It was very good though. I ended up getting home and falling asleep by about 12:15 (what, in the morning?).

That was my day, which was a great one. I'd like to take this time out, to apologise for posts that are late, and posts that haven't occurred yet (yes, I am quoting Akon shamelessly. I should know that song, I made a parody of it. Which was sort of a success. Then I sang it, which was a bit of a failure. My singing is not all that great.). Seriously though, I know this post is spectacularly late, and I'm working towards it. But, until then, we're gonna have to grin and bear it. Anyway. Today was brilliant, and I fully loved the concert.

That's one life goal fulfilled,
AB

Cutting and Cooking

In cutting, I mean I did mowing of the lawn (I needed a thesaurus for that one; I was having difficulty), and by cooking, I really mean helping my Dad out with a barbecue. I also did other things, but working that into the title might be pushing it. Anyway. So, yeah, let's get to my day, shall we?

I got up at about 7:30, as we were going to our grandparents' place for morning tea (well, not all of our grandparents. EJ's and my grandparents, Mum's parents... Nanny and Poppa, OK?). We went because Poppa's birthday was on Wednesday, and we came over to celebrate that. I ended up bringing my cards. So we got to Nanny and Poppa's, and we (everyone except EJ) all talked about Christmas and birthday presents and that type of thing, for quite a while. We also talked about my electives, and my exams and so on. By this time, of course, EJ was bored out of his brain, with there being nobody around to play anything with (Dad and EJ are the type of people who need others around to have fun. Mum and I are the opposite, as we can entertain ourselves without company. That's not to say we don't prefer company, but... anyway.). However, soon I figured it was time to go play with EJ, who promptly beat me at chess (I'm not the greatest at chess, I'm the first to admit.). I then made up for it by beating him at cards a few times. Everything works out in the end.

When we were finished up at Nanny and Poppa's, we went shopping, or rather, I sat in the car while Mum and Dad went into Bunnings to pick up some stuff for the lawns. When we eventually did get home, we briefly got some lunch, and then we went straight into doing the lawns, as we hadn't finished from last time. So I got my iPod out, as I do almost all the time when I'm doing the lawns, and after a few hours of listening to random songs from my iPod and occasional whipper-snipper problems (aren't there always problems with that whipper-snipper? Or, with all of them. This one kept having problems with the cutting cord, of which I still have no idea as to its actual name. 'Cutting cord' is probably going to stay.), it had been done. The lawn was done, the whipper-snippering was completed; at least for another few weeks.

When that was done, it was something like 4, and I adjourned to my laptop for the first actual time for the day (isn't that crazy? First real time was at 4... Another reason for the late posting.), and soon, I had to go out and help Dad cook a barbecue. Is it hard? I wouldn't say so, although the occasional rather large tongues of fire that leapt up as a result of the fat dripping off the sausages made me somewhat nervous. Other than that, it wasn't too hard (can I just now express my love of kebabs, which was something else we also cooked. Also tacos, although that has little to do with barbecuing.). And when we had dinner and so on, I tried to post back, but it was a problem. Ah well.

And that was my day. I am trying to get back, but after the revelation that there will be more late nights (especially tomorrow; the big night, the Britney Spears concert! To say that I am excited is an understatement.), well, let's say it may be a while, though I am trying. Also, can I point out one more thing: I made it to 200,000 words. Wow. Just, wow.

Can't wait for tomorrow,
AB

Guests and Gaming

So it's come to this: another alliterative title. But, in all fairness, it has been really hard to title, and I've also been struggling with that most dreadful of problems with my posting. Not titling, not short posts, but late ones. And how. Mainly because there's been me staying up late, doing other stuff. and then combine all that with the fact that I was already off schedule. So, yeah. Anyway. With that in mind, let's get to my day.

I was woken up at about 7, mainly because I was the only one not up and I had to get breakfast (otherwise I could have been in bed for quite a while. I don't like getting up early on weekends. Who does?). So after I got breakfast and I did my chores, I went on my laptop, where I originally tried to blog, but got gradually more and more distracted until I was making user levels on this game called 'N' (it's an odd game to explain, but pretty straightforward in the playing of it. I hope Wikipedia can explain it better then I can). I was making the level for about 2 and a half hours, which amounted to little. It was only really something to do (although, in retrospect, I really should have blogged, or at least made that Monopoly game on Scratch. Ah well.). Around 12:45, when everyone was done with cricket, we had lunch.

I then did some blogging, as I am, quite obviously, dramatically behind (I am really trying to get back up to date, but, well, the next few posts should explain it, especially Monday's.). After that, I played cards with EJ, and we played several games (I won the majority of them. That's not to say I won all of them, far from it, but I did win most of them.). Eventually though, I got a little bored, and I went on my computer. After doing a little blogging (and eventual downloading of a parody Abridged song, which is really good if you watch the series, and can be found here if you want to listen to it.).

Around 6, Shaylee came over, along with Michael and Jo (Lachlan was at a party on a beach with a friend, I think. I'm not entirely sure.). I gave her the present that I bought at Borders a few days back, as it was the first time I'd seen her since then, and for a while before that, come to think of it. So I gave her that, and she showed me what she had gotten so far, which included 'Sims 3.' She let me have a go at it, and I have to say it is a damn good game. I have played the occasional 'Sims' game before, and this one is pretty good. So for a lot of the night, we watched TV, Shay read the book I got her, I played Sims 3 and went on my laptop, and at one point, we had dinner, where we had my Mum's delicious homemade lasagna (it is pretty brilliant.). That was done (not the dinner part, but the other parts) for most of the night, and when they all left, I finished up blogging.

And that was my day. I'm not going to bring up... OK, I am going to bring up the late post again, if only to reassure that I'm trying to get back. Now that that's out of the way, let me say that I'm gonna love Monday so much, as I'm going to the Britney Spears concert. And it is going to be great.

I hate to post late,
AB

Bludge & Gold

OK, I'm having slight titling difficulties. This one is a reference to the song 'Black & Gold.' So, yeah. I know my titling is a problem, I am trying to fix it. Some things are unavoidable though. Ah well. I better get to my day, which was quite good.

I was driven to school, after a stuff-up I made with packing my bag, and so I got to school early. At school, I talked to people, and I somehow started going nuts with puns, shoehorning everybody's names into puns (or, at least, I tried. I got most people though.). Throughout Role Call, which was first, I tried to think of a pun to go with Victor's last name (he said I couldn't do it. I got into the mindset that there had to be one, and I was going to find it.). We then had Assembly, and I told Victor and Ebony (who was with him, of course) what I had come up with, which was not something to write home about, but acceptable. In the Assembly itself, we had one guy who finally explained the signs that were up around the school about calling something 'gay' (it's hard to really explain, but he was pretty much saying that calling something 'gay' was wrong, comparing it to calling someone Asian or Christian, and to pick something else, which I fully agree with.). Most people I talked to were all behind him, some people were against him, and at least one person entirely missed the point, calling him 'gay.' Oy vey.

Period 1 was Geography, where we watched more of that 'Man vs. Wild' thing, with the guy this time going to Belize, where he told viewers to stay clear of a boa constrictor; and then promptly attacking it. I mean, he did kill it (and eat it), but if you don't get to kill it, then you could be in a bit of a fix. He also ate spider-scorpions (a sort of cross between the two, found in a cave. I forget the actual name, though.), and went after a rat. Period 2 was Science, in which we finished the experiment on pendulums (in the plural, I refer you to yesterday's post.). I think we mostly got an accelerator due to gravity of about 9.6, which is pretty damn close for a Year 10 experiment, I must say. Recess was me up at the office trying to pay for raffle tickets and return unsold ones, which took up a bit and I didn't get finished.

Period 3 was Ag, and we all went down to the farm to check our potatoes. We mostly spent the period weeding and mulching, and I of course listened to my iPod. The various groups and classes are all having different levels of successes with weeds, with some being almost free of them, and some being packed so close to the potato plants that you can't see the beds properly and pulling them out would be a significant hassle. It's pretty surprising (we are going pretty well, by the way.). Period 4 was PE, and we got our exams back. It seems a lot of people messed up, with the highest mark I saw being something like 85%. I actually got second in the class, which I'm pretty satisfied with (I really want to mention something here, although it's a little braggy, but here goes. I have had at least 4 top two results in exams in my class, not counting the Trial SCs that don't count, so to speak, with those being Commerce, Drama, Science and PE. I don't want to seem like I'm showing off, but that's damn good, if I do say so myself.). Lunch was the raffle tickets, doing a brief 'Bohemian Rhapsody' thing with Victor (at least four people in the group know a lot of the words to it: John, Ebony, Victor and me.), and talking about a burn that Ian did to Matt. I wasn't there, but I was told what happened by separate people, and suffice to say that it was the most epic burn I have ever heard, with little exaggeration. And coming from Ian... anyway.

Period 5 was Maths, and we were going to do probability before I brought up my School Certificate last question (the one about the sum of the cubes.). Rawson then got the class and him to work it out mathematically, which I didn't do in the exam. And for good reason, as it took quite a bit of the class (I got it right, by the way. Oh, yeah.). You have to work it out by mathematical induction (I'm not entirely sure what it is, but the Wikipedia article explains it pretty well.). Period 6 was Drama, and we had a pretty fun, sort of bludgy lesson wherein we talked about the play we are doing in a few weeks, the Michael Jackson tribute one. At one point, though, in the midst of discussing a lot of random stuff, Kolodziej came out with 'I wish there were more kid like Alex.' To which I responded with an confused and surprised look. It was jut something to do with doing well in class and doing what Kolodziej says, but still, it threw me quite a bit. We also talked about the Britney Spears concert, which I'm going to on Monday in place of camp (jees, I can't wait. It's gonna be great.). When I got home, I blogged some, and then we as a family watched a movie, which was 'The Boat That Rocked.' It was a pretty good movie; I sure enjoyed it.

That was my Friday. I'll really try to get back up when it comes to the ways of the on time posting, but we'll have to see. I'm just lucky my memory has improved slightly and I can remember in some detail about what I did on the days. Anyway.

So ends a week of exams,
AB

Slow and Steady

That's right, we're going slow now that all the exams are done. And, erm, I couldn't really think of any better title. Sorry. Just ain't working out between me and titles for the moment. Ah well. Hopefully soon it'll all be patched up. Anyway. To my day, away!

Period 1 was Science, and we did an experiment, following up on yesterday's results of the assignment. We did work on pendulums (is it pendulums? It seems a bit off, it sounding Latin. Pendula would work, but it too just doesn't seem right. ...OK, I did some brief research on the subject, which can be found here. From now on, I'll just say pendulums. Ah, how crazy the English language is.), and the working out of the acceleration due to gravity of the Earth (do I find this interesting? Yes, I do.). Period 2 was Geography, in which we had a bit of a bludgy period watching a DVD (I know, I'm as shocked as you are) on some show called 'Man vs. Wild,' which was one of those nature survival shows, although it was a little different. A little different in that the guy (whose name is 'Bear,' which doesn't bode well) drinks his urine in the first 15 minutes, eats a spider (which he claims was only a little poisonous), then uses a snake as a necklace as he carries it across a river for some bizarre reason (what makes it worse is that the snake was territorial.). I'm sure it all made sense to him, but we were more than a little confused by the end. Recess was talking.

Period 3 was English, where we looked at a poem by Keats, called 'La Belle Dame Sans Merci.' That may not ring a bell to many, but I still remember looking at the poem from Year 6. I don't remember what I thought of it, but it must have been good for me to remember it from so long ago (it's a bit like 'Lily the Pink,' from which I can still remember some from the one playing of it by a teacher in Year 3. The lyrics are here, if you want to have a look; it's quite catchy.). I enjoyed it. Period 4 was Maths, and our teacher never showed up, and half the class were at their Computer Skills thing. So we all went to A2, and Eric, Kevin and I all watched Abridged on my iPod, and did puzzles and that type of thing. Lunch was talking, and going down to the music room.

Period 5 was Drama, and we all made parody plays on soap operas (you know, the overdramatic, tangled web of relationships show. I'm guessing about half of the people in the plays were gay. It just added to the drama.). Our group didn't get to finish when the bell went, which sucked because I didn't get to do much, but we were improvising most of it anyway. Six of one, half a dozen of the other, really (damn, I love that expression. No idea why though.). Period 6 was Commerce, in which we all watched a video on businesses (it sounds bad, but that's because explaining it would take a long while. It was good, trust me). We also got our results back, and I got 95%, which I believe was top of the class. So, pretty good, I must say. These Yearlies have been good to me (although I haven't got English back...), with the exception of Geography. And when I got home, I struggled with a capped internet, or at least, I think it's capped. I honestly don't know. Still, I'd prefer it if it wasn't of course.

Let's have a look at the comments, one from Shafi.
*Anon: I can tell it's Shafi because (and this needs some explanation) I asked him for a song that he had. However, it's not 'Can't Touch This,' so I have absolutely no idea where that last line comes in (it was 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams.').

And that was what happened in my day. I officially apologise for gradually later posting, but I am having real difficulties keeping up. Soon, soon, soon I'll get back up and I'll be posting in the same day. But not now. Just wait, though, it'll be coming soon.

Hooray for no exams!,
AB

School Certificate: Computer Skills

Well, this is it, folks: the last exam of the School Certificate, and the last exam of the year. We've come a long way for this one (I'm talking about exams, not this particular one), and it is finally the day where we can officially relax. So, with that in mind, why don't we have a look at what happened in the day, the day of the last exam.

Before school, we had Role Call, where I read, and where a lot of people were asking around to see if anybody actually knew where the exam was being held, and not that many people did (a pretty big oversight not to be told where a bloody School Certificate exam is being held, don't you think? I mean, we need it to complete Year 10, and people don't know where... anyway. I think I've made my point.). A few people did, though, which was enough, as we just followed them. Once we knew, we made our way down to Room 42 (insert 'Hitchhiker's Guide' joke here; I certainly did, not that many people noticed or even understood.), and we eventually got into the room.

We all took up our separate computers, and logged in. Now, what happened was that there was a separate program on all of the computers, which, after clicked on, got us to do a computer exam. And the thing was, it would have worked perfectly well off computers (of course, they could have set it up so that if you can't do the exam, then you automatically fail. Aha! That's it! Those sneaky buggers...). So I did the 100 questions, and checked over them twice (it was rather boring when you complete them with about half the time yet to go. I seem to be doing this lately. I don't know whether that means I'm doing it really right or really wrong.). I then settled down to having a close to a rest as you can, before realising that most of the class had finished, and were in fact sitting directly behind me. Oy vey. So I clicked 'I'm Finished,' and went to go listen to my iPod. Eventually, the bell went.

When I went to Recess, I saw a set of speakers (you know, the big speakers) playing music (it seemed like real life had just got its own soundtrack). However, when Recess finished, it transpired why they were there; it was the Remembrance Day service. That went for most of the period, and the majority of the people were respectful (I saw the occasional person talking through it, which I think is a disgrace.). When the service ended, we went to Science, where we briefly talked about our assignments, which we got back (I got 20/25, which was apparently pretty good.). We're also going to be doing some work on experiments, as a lot of people messed up parts of the assignment. Lunch was some Abridged with Kevin.

We then went to School Sport, which was a choice between soccer and netball, which promptly evolved into a choice between netball and netball (it was a difficult decision.). Our team kept winning, so Kevin and I, being in the same team, were stuck playing for ages. However, like many sessions of School Sport, we all went for a drinks break, and the majority of people didn't get up to play sport again (only the people who actually wanted to play, which numbered a few people, but didn't include me.). So I read, and did more Abridged on my iPod with Kevin. I also, eventually, got into a conversation with Alex Bui (the other AB), Kelvin (not Kevin) and Lana about everything from string theory and extra dimensions to the formal and what we're all doing on the holidays (it seems more people than you'd expect are going to Europe.). And when Sport was done, I went and got picked up by Dad, after which we picked EJ up, swung by the local shops, and went home. At around 7;15, we left for hapkido.

Grandmaster Geoff was, oddly enough, not here again (I don't know where he is), but Shirisha was. In the lesson, almost the whole dojang was taken up by people, as they do mixed lessons on Wednesday (as in, with black belts.). It was a rather tiring class, although an enjoyable one. That seems to happen a lot. In it, I tried out some techniques (messing up on more than one occasion, although I am still learning some of the orange belt stuff), and we got taught some stuff about actual fighting, such as how to use the length of your arms and legs (which is not a problem for me). I got home at about 7:45, and we watched 'FlashForward,' although I didn't catch up on posting. So here I am.

And that was my day. Well, there it is, the last exam of the year, and thus about the point where we can stop stressing and just take it easy for the rest of the year (hopefully). Anyway. I'll try to catch up soon, but we'll see when.

5 down, and not a one to go for quite a while,
AB

School Certificate: Mathematics and HSIE

You know, if I had taken the full title, I would have gotten 'School Certificate: Mathematics and History, Geography, Civics and Citizenship.' I have no idea why it is so long. I think 'HSIE' works better anyway: it's more succinct, and it's actually one word (well, acronym, but let's not get technical here.). So, let us have a look at my day.

Before school, I went to the bus stop, and briefly told some guys who were lost where they were (they said that they were trying to get to northern Sydney. No idea how they stuffed up that badly.). When I did get to school, I talked, and suddenly went into a panic: I needed a protractor. I asked Cam, but then everybody laughed. Turned out that about 4 other people in the group had asked him already, and Eric was the lucky one that got it. So I rushed to the Maths staffroom, as I knew that they were lending people stuff for the exam. However, it seemed everybody needed a protractor, and so a lot of people were there. They then told us that we had to get it from our teacher, which was very annoying. What made it worse was that the bell went and neither Rawson nor Faulds had arrived (and knowing how late they get to class, I wasn't too hopeful). Luckily, Crancher gave me one, which was good, because, well, I needed it for the exam, or at the very least, I may have needed it.

We got into the exam, and we, after reading time, put our calculators and part of the exam into an envelope, as they were trying to prevent cheating in the non-calculator test (which makes sense. Just seemed a little odd.). So I did the non-calculator test, and after checking, only had 5 or 10 minutes left. Doing the actual test was much longer, and I only had about 10 or 20 minutes left. The last question was something to do with working out the formula of 1 cubed plus 2 cubed plus... n cubed (or something similar to that). I eventually worked it out, although I may have put too much work into it (it was an exam designated for the average person, and a lot of the kids in our school had trouble with it.). When the exam was finished, we went for a break.

In the break, we went to have a look at our electives, and it doesn't seem like I'll be doing many electives with the people in the group (I mean, a lot of us are still doing Physics and Chemistry and such, but in different time slots. Ah well.). We also tried to do some study for HSIE, but the same thing happened as what happened yesterday; we tried not to stress out. I actually talked about the different names for the book that I'm perpetually trying to write (Soon I'll get around to it, but I won't say when.). I also got my Geography Yearly back and, well, the less said about that the better (I mean, I didn't fail, but I got something like 67%. Not entirely sure how, but anyway.). However, the bell had to go some time, and when it did, we made our way down to the hall.

The last big exam for the year came, and it was HSIE (yes, there is Computer Skills tomorrow, but I'm not particularly concerned. I mean, it's computer skills. What am I using right now to write this post? Exactly.). I did say the full title in the opening paragraph, so I'm not going to repeat myself, but suffice to say that HSIE is not the official title. Anyway. So I went through that, and I don't think it was really hard. I mean, there was a lot of work, and some of it we didn't really study for, or even cover, in class (Luckily, you could do a good answer with a little common sense. Or at least, that's what I'm hoping.). And when the bell went, I wandered over to the uniform shop, listening to my iPod, of course, to get a new blazer for next year (I also found out that EJ is getting a bomber jacket, just as I have and have had since Year 7, as I don't like the jumper. Neither does he.), as Mum was there. So we got that, and when we got home, I studied for the computer skills test. And by studied, I mean I just went on my computer. I blogged, of course, but not enough, unfortunately.

To comments now, two from two people this time. It's a far cry from the good old days of four or five individual commenters, but that's OK.
*Anon: OK, I'll run through them, as I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic or not (I honestly have no clue). 'Tautology' means unnecessary repetition; having a 'penchant' for something means you have a liking for it; and 'ambivalent' pretty much means you're on the fence (metaphorically speaking).
*Mango: Yeah, I think it was, now that I think of it... Well, if you want to know what it means in more detail, just have a look on an online dictionary (here's the one I usually use. Probably because the URL is easy to remember.).

And that was my day. I'd probably apologise or complain about the late post, but really, it would be no use. Just know, as I've said many times before. I am trying. I really am. I just have a sort of packed schedule, though it should really slow down soon. Anyway.

4 down, 1 to go,
AB

School Certificate: English and Science

Here it is, the start of the big tests for Year 10 students across the whole of New South Wales: the School Certificate. This one was English and Science, as evident from the title, and so, without further ado, we must have a look at my day, so that we can see what happened (bit of a tautology, really. Yes, I use words like 'tautology,' OK? Although, if you read my blog, you know that I have a bit of a penchant for semi-obscure words like that. ...that was proof, right there. I rest my case.), and see how my exams went.

When I got to school, and after the bell went, I went down to the hall with the rest of the people in the group, and waited for them to mark the roles. However, nobody came, so I started to worry a bit. So I went to class, or what would have been class in Period 1 today, and waited. It then became clear that in the time I was up at class (with the rest of the class, I might add), the teachers and everyone in the other classes who had the idea to go to Period 1 first had gone down to the hall. Just my luck. However, it was sorted out in time (although it did involve going around a lot), and soon, we went inside to do the examination.

We got in (holy crap, did I just do a whole paragraph for just before school? I think I did. This may or may not be the case for the next few days.), and we sat down at our respective tables, as we were in approximate alphabetical order (there were a few mistakes, but pobody's nerfect. ...that was intentional.). The multiple choice was somewhat easy, although there was the occasional question that was really weird, and didn't seem to have a good answer, though there was an answer that was most right (I have checked around, and it wasn't just me for some of those questions. So, a sigh of relief there.). There were then two extended response parts: writing a short speech and a short story. I enjoyed writing the short story bit (it was all about a guy in a casino playing an unidentified game; like a lot of books, it makes much more sense if you read it), but the speech thing was weird. It was a response to a presentation, but here's the tricky bit: we weren't told the presentation. So we had to respond to a presentation we make up ourselves, and refer to bits in the presentation. Jees, but that threw me off, although I think I did some good quick thinking (the environmental organisation I put was 'Leaf the Forests Alone.' I think this is hilarious, especially considering I made it up on the spot in an exam.).

When we got out, we went up to the table, and then to the office, where I got a copy of a letter we got on Friday talking about the School Certificate and what-not. I'm just lucky I remembered some of the important parts before today, otherwise I would be in a bit of a sticky situation for the exams, and what to study for. In the break, the whole group pretty much talked about our short stories. No point stressing about them (then you make mistakes), and I figure that cramming in the last few minutes before an exam just stresses you out a bit more (studying in the morning is different. Cramming in the last hour or so is what gets you, although you might as well if you're really stuck.). We then went down to the hall when the bell went, to do the Science School Certificate exam.

We sat back down, and the exam soon began. And there was something about the multiple choice: there were a lot of strings. By which I mean, stuff like 4 As in a row, later two sets of 3 Ds, that type of thing. It really worries you, because you think that that can't be right, not without some significant stuff-up. But checking it confirmed it, and I soon finished the multiple choice. Then there were a lot of sheets about everything from evolution to environmentalism and onwards, for the extended response. I finished with about 40 minutes to go, and then I hit upon a problem: I was not going to be able to make the train, and therefore the bus, and so what would EJ do, and so on and so forth. I managed though, to find a solution, which was get one of the examiners to pass a note onto Mum over the phone so that she could work something out. So that was good.

When the exam finished, I went down to the station, and talked to Ebony, Shirisha and Kale, among others, who all catch the same train, and we talked about the exam, music, and how my iPod headphones just broke (One of the earpieces has fallen apart. Goddamn, that is annoying.). I still claim that Queen is better than the Monkees. Ebony disagrees, and Shirisha is ambivalent (note to self: try to stop using long words.). When I got home, I did some study for HSIE tomorrow, and so I decided not to go to hapkido. I need to study. Later, I watched 'FlashForward' with Mum and Dad; and there are a lot more twists now. I mean, more than already was. Anyway. I also blogged, although scheduling was not repaired.

To comments now, one from the guy who did last time. If you don't know who, it's the next word after this sentence ends.
*Mango (see?): Yeah, I'm guessing we will eventually get those seasons, but we're still in the first one. Very funny, it is, but we'll watch the rest of what we got first.

That was the first day of the exam. Holy crap, this post is over 1000 words (funnily enough, the number '1000' there marked the 1000th word. I enjoy coincidences.), which is the first time that's happened in a while. It's the magic of the exam, I'm guessing.

2 down, 3 to go,
AB

It's The Lawn

Do you enjoy bad puns? Then you'll love this one (even I think this one was terrible.). Basically, I'm referring to 'It's the law.' I was considering 'Taking the Lawn Into My Own Hands,' but that was a bit long. I didn't really feel that I wanted it. Good pun, bad title. Anyway. Let's have a look at what happened in my day. Cue the non-existent theme music!

I woke up at around 8, and played some cards with EJ, as he really wanted to play (I didn't want to disappoint him that much. I mean, I didn't mind playing.). After doing a lot of chores, I then sat down to watch a little TV, and play some more cards. Around 10, though, we were sent out to do the lawns, after a misunderstanding that we had in the game (that always seems to happen. It's probably due to the rules; they do get a bit contentious. Or, more likely, EJ and I are both equally as stubborn and absolutely sure that we are right. You know, it's probably that last one.). So I went out, getting my iPod, of course (when you're doing repetitive work that doesn't involve that much higher thinking, it's really good, if only to keep you occupied on something. Hell, I've listened to my iPod when brushing my teeth on at least one occasion. Note: attempting to sing while brushing your teeth does not work.), and I went to whipper-snipper the front lawn. And then we got onto the back lawn, which we were supposed to do next weekend, but we did it anyway. It saves us doing it later. Halfway through, though, the whipper-snipper ran out of wire to cut with, so Dad just went up to the shops to get new ones, so I finished off the actual mowing. Then it started raining (it sorta seemed like that type of day).

At that point, though, I had finished the mowing, and when Dad got back, he pretty much said that because it was raining, we were done. And so, seeing that we were done, I figured I could finally get some study for the School Certificate in. Of course, you can't study too well for English (you have to be good at writing and comprehension and so on, not actually know stuff. It's even more skills-based than Maths.), so I did study for Science, going over all the Year 9 stuff. I think I am ready for the exam. So, when I was done, I watched a new series that Dad had just bought the first two seasons of, 'Two and a Half Men.' May I say that it is hilarious? I think I can. It is very funny. I then blogged, although I didn't catch up. Damn. Ah well. So, here I am.

Let us now reply to comments, with one by Mango, who has been commenting a bit recently. Thanks, Mango!
*Mango: Yeah, yeah, I know. I really gotta charge it more often. I tend to let it run out of battery first; I'm not entirely sure why.

That was my Sunday. Trying to catch up, and failing. Trust me here, I'm giving it a shot. It just doesn't seem to be working. Soon though, soon. Anyway. Tomorrow is the English and Science School Certificate tests, and whether or not they count for anything, I'm still gonna try to get good in them. Well, obviously.

Bring on the School Certificate,
AB

Borders Patrol

OK, I'm back in the realm of titling with plays on words. This one is referring to the fact that I went to Borders, the great two level book store in Macarthur Square that holds a number of magnificent books at prices at Dymocks level (that's not to say that they don't have, in my view, overpriced books. But so do Dymocks. Average price is what I'm saying here.). So, yes, I went to Borders. Anyway. Onward to my day!

I woke up at around 7:30, and I eventually, after messing around and doing chores, did some Science study. Mostly Year 9 stuff, as I need to know that and there are questions where you have to remember the facts, not like in Maths, for example, where you can work it out, or some other exams, where you can guess it pretty well, as the answer is fairly straight-forward (like PE, where you may only know a few facts, and use common sense to get the rest. How well you get usually depends on how well you guess.). Around 11, we left for Macarthur Square.

We went to Borders first, and there was a reason (we weren't just going in for no particular reason. We should actually do that more often.). You see, it was Shaylee's birthday about a week ago (November 2, to be precise), and I hadn't had a chance to get anything for her. So I looked around the shop, and I ended up finding a book for her (I haven't read it before, but it looks pretty good). Mum got her something too, and so with that done, I went to the lower level to check out the physics book. I ended up finding another book on string theory, which is surprising as this one isn't by Brian Greene. I got it of course; it wasn't too expensive, as some physics books are (I saw a book for $40! And not one of those gigantic, hardcover, A4 sized books, either; a regularly sized paperback. Jesus, that's a rip.). I also found something for Dad for Christmas, or, rather, Mum found it and I got it. I think he'll like it. We then wandered around the shops for a while, and at around 12:30, we left for home.

When I got home, I blogged for a bit, and played cards with EJ. For dinner, we went to Moorebank Sports Clubs, with the family of one of Dad's friends from cricket. Unfortunately, the oldest kid is EJ's age, so I was feeling a little bit left out. Dinner was good, though, as I had a bacon and beef burger (it didn't have any cheese on it, which is something that could have made it much, much better.). And for dessert, I had ice-cream with chocolate topping. I think it can be safely said that it was a good dinner, although I didn't have much to do. On the car ride to Club Italia and back (we had to drop Dad off to a meeting), I listened to my iPod, which promptly ran out of charge. In all fairness, I haven't charged it in a while. And when I got home, I blogged, but not enough. So here I am.

I shall now go on to comment replies, with two from the one person.
*Mango: ...that makes sense. Thanks for that!
*Mango: I rarely actually use that calculator, and I have never had reason to check the modes. So, there.

And that was my day. I'm trying to get back up to schedule, trust me, but there's been study for exams getting in the way, and a lot of other stuff coming up (did I expect to go to that dinner? No.). So I'm guessing after exams. And I know I'm procrastinating, but what do you expect?

I do enjoy book shopping,
AB

The Answer

I thought the title should be a bit reflective of the last one. Basically, this just seemed to follow on, and I didn't want to do something like a play on words for something that's a little serious like the answer to the first time I've actually asked a girl out (this just in: AB has a blinding case of perspective). So, without further ado, let's have a look at my day, and the results of yesterday's big event.

Before school, Ebony and the girl I asked came up, who I can reveal was Shirisha (cue the dramatic theme music! Seriously, though, I asked her because she was nice, she was a girl that I talked to, and there weren't that many, and she went to hapkido with me. I asked her just as friends.). She said to me that she didn't want to go to the formal with a guy, which I accepted. I mean, I can't pretend that I wasn't a little disappointed, but I asked, and she said what she said. I was just proud of myself for actually plucking up the courage and asking. We then, afterwards, went to Role Call, where I read (Role Call on Fridays? It's a thing that goes on when the HSC is on. No idea why though.). It was then Assembly, where we has teachers talk for 10 minutes, after which we talked about electives (Cam is up in arms about the fact that they cancelled Multimedia. Me, I'm fine, as I got all of my electives; I found out yesterday. They also cancelled Art, which makes it really unfortunate for Victor, who I think picked Art and Multimedia. Damn.)

Period 1 was Science, and we got our results back. A lot of people messed up the exam, and nobody got over 90 (the highest mark, I think, was 89. It was out of 100.). I got 87, which was pretty good. A lot of the stuff I pretty much just guessed (not blind guesses, but logical guesses. But guesses nonetheless.) I got right, which was pretty good. Period 2 was Computer Maths, and we did some more studying for the Maths exam. Not that much of us in A1 need it, quite frankly (apart from one person who lost 20 marks because they actually missed a section. I mean, wow. I get missing a question, but missing a whole section... Anyway.). I also found out that the calculator that comes with Windows can become a scientific calculator. I was rather amazed. Recess was more talking.

Periods 3 and 4 were Ag, and we all went down to the sheep yards to do some vaccinating and ear tagging. And by ear tagging, I mean piercing the sheep's ear and putting a tag there. I mean, there's a solid reason (they have to keep track of them, disease and what not), but I couldn't do it. However, I went into the mentality of 'I could at least vaccinate the lambs,' but after I actually heard the ear tagging, I lost all hope of doing it. So for the two periods, I played Solitaire on my iPod and listened to Billy Joel. They were very bludgy periods, and they were good. Lunch was the usual (which is now talking instead of cards. I mean, I still bring them, but we don't play them that much any more. Maybe after exams.).

Period 5 was English, in which we all got our speeches and short stories back (the ones we did for the Trial School Certificate). I actually did pretty well, getting 28/30 combined for the section, which gives me hope for the School Certificate, and the Yearly (I hope I did well, to make up for the Half-Yearly. Damn that exam.). I also read a lot of other people's stories, and they were all really different. And a lot of them, I think, were better than mine, disregarding the fact that a lot of them got the same mark as me. Exam marking is fickle like that. It was then Period 6, which was History. In it, we got a lot of our exams back (Are you seeing a pattern here? Then again, considering it's the Friday before the School Certificate, we probably need them.). I got my History mark, which was 88% (not bad), and a bit of my Geography mark, but only a bit. When I got home, I blogged, although not enough, of course. So here I am.

To comments now, 1 from Mango:
*Mango: Please don't mention late posting. Believe me, I am trying to catch up, but what with studying and a lot of other stuff that keeps cropping up at the last moment, I'm struggling. Sorry, but that is what's happening, I'm afraid.

Now, you see, I would usually put here some complaint about the post. I can't even do that now, though, without being repetitively repetitive, because I put it in the comment reply. So I want to do a little reflection here, on what has happened over the past two days. I think I have taken a step up socially, and I think that if I were to ask someone again, I would be better capable of doing it. And that is good, regardless of what she said. Will I ask anyone else? Probably not, but you never can rule it out.

I am glad that I did ask,
AB