On the Battlefield

The title originates from a mishearing of that Jordin Sparks song, 'Battlefield,' which sadly has nothing I could quote for a title, although there is a lot of stuff that could really relate to Battlefield Heroes (examples: 'raise that flag,' an obvious one; and 'I'm not here without a shield,' which is the Gunner's Code.). Because that's what today was for me. A whole heap of going out and shooting up the place. I'll also do a list, for the first time in almost a month.

I woke up at 9 (I know. I don't usually do that.), and I took a while really waking up, as I do. I finally got to do stuff at about 10 (hey, the weekend ain't for rushing. Well, if you've got an assignment, that's different. But I didn't have one, so I didn't rush.), which ended up being blogging about Saturday while watching EJ play PS3. I ended up finishing the post at around 1, which is early for a weekend, but later than usual. If that makes sense. Meanwhile, my brother was continuously pestering me to play Battlefield Heroes, who is a sort of backseat driver for the game. He can't get an account to play, because he's too young, so he tries to get me to play. So I ended up playing for around 4 or 5 hours, improving my k/d ratio and getting myself to Level 11. Sweet. It is really fun being a Gunner, and I'm getting better on a whole heap of things.

I was also periodically checking up the footy scores (I had to do a new paragraph because this one goes on for a bit), and guess what? Apart from the fact that the Demons demolished the Dockers (try saying that five times fast), something more important happened: Carlton beat Port Adelaide. Never mind the fact that it was at AAMI, or that Fevola is now the top goalkicker, or that they won by 9 goals, and so on; it also means that the Blues are a certainty to make the finals. They will play in the finals for the first time since 2001, since I can remember. Call me crazy, but I think they're in with a chance. They won't win the premiership, of course, I know that, but I mean to go further than you might think; they've beaten or at least come close to almost every team in the eight, barring themselves (I think. Could be wrong.). You just watch, too. And over the coming years, they will be kicking ass and taking names. That's what I think, anyway. So after that, I had dinner, and I then went to watch some 'Seinfeld.' I also went in to watch the end if the Saints-Bombers game, and the Bombers won. How the mighty have fallen, with Essendom proving that the undefeatable Saints are not so undefeatable after all. I'm not sure if it's a good result for the Blues or not, but it certainly makes for a very interesting season end. And after the game, I stayed in to watch some of the replay of the Blues game, and then I went to blog. And here I am.

To the list now, with this one being the top 5 most played songs on my iPod, from 5 to 1, and exactly why I like them.
*5: 'End of the World' by Great Big Sea: This is a really good song, of course, because the lyrics are so fast, and the song is so catchy. I love it, and I want to learn all the words so that I can sing along. I can't yet, though.
*4: 'Any Means Necessary' by Hammerfall: With thanks to Victor for introducing me to this song. I mean, it is just so bloody hardcore. I love songs with a good beat, and this one is the epitome of that. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but it makes it to number 4.
*3: 'The Final Countdown' by Europe: The guitar in this song is just epic. I'm not even sure if it is the guitar (I'm pretty sure it is), but whatever instrument is playing at the start of this song, it is awesome.
*2: 'Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)' by The Offspring: OK, this one is sort of weird, because I used to sing this all the time as a kid. I mean, a really young kid. And it's on my iPod, and it is so much fun. It reminds me of me, sort of. It's a great song, but it's just edged out by Number 1.
*1: 'The Elements' by Tom Lehrer: Ah, what else? The nerdiest of all songs, the greatest of all Tom Lehrer songs, and the brilliant science song. I can sing along to this whole song, and it truly earns its place as Number 1. I simply love it.

And that was my day. Sorry about the whole thing where I just went on about AFL, but... why am I apologising? My blog. Eh, just skip over it if you don't like it; I, at least, wanted to say it. Also, listen to every song in my list; they're all worth it.

5 brilliant songs await your listening,
AB

AB, Meet Seinfeld

Seinfeld, meet AB. Yes, today my Dad decided to show me the TV show known as Seinfeld. Which, so far, is pretty good, though I'll have to see a few more episodes. I'll do a so-far review when I get around to it. But yeah, that was pretty much the highlight of my day. Nobody say I'm lame; I know that already. Oh, I did do hapkido, so that might combat some of my lameness. I'll also do a list, as I need to expand this post, and I've been thinking about this one for a while.

I awoke at around 7:30 (yes, I said awoke. I wanted some sort of difference here.), and after getting chores done, I settled down and went on my laptop, and went to watch some TV. After the long day yesterday, I just wanted some rest. About 10, once the DVD we were already watching was up, I went to put on Seinfeld. By 12, we had already watched two discs of it. (Yes, I'm already up to midday. I'm talking about watching TV here.) It seems... I don't know. It seems like it could be a lot better, but it is good. Like I can see how it could be really good, but it just isn't there yet. I expect if I watch a few more episodes, then it will get awesome. I mean, it's considered one of the greatest sitcoms of all time. Right now, it's merely good.

After 12, we just watched TV for a while, and I did some of my Ag assignment. Around 7, I left for hapkido (yes, I know. Those 7 hours were very repetitive and weren't very exciting. Which are both post poisons.). Shay actually did come today, as she wasn't on holidays and she didn't have work (although she isn't coming on Wednesday, due to her work). Grandmaster Geoff was back today, and today we did mostly self-defence: 30 minutes of it. We did all sorts of evasions and defences, and Grandmaster Geoff even showed us some advanced ones. There was one in which you got out of the grab, then twisted their head back. Now I can't look up properly without hurting my neck. It's getting better, but it's still annoying. Hell, in meditation, I had trouble keeping my head up without consciously trying (no, really). After hapkido, I did some blogging, as well as got up to date with Questionable Content. Sort of a mixed blessing there: Yes, I caught up, but I liked reading them. Ah well.

List time! This one is songs that they made a lot worse by changing, in order from best to worst changed songs they are:
*'Let's Get Retarded' by the Black Eyed Peas: This was the first song that I remember that the radio stations changed. I always thought I had imagined the first version. I still did, until this year, actually (yep, weirdness at maximum levels here). Sure, the changed version was good, but it didn't compare to the original after they changed it.
*'Low' by Flo Rida and 'Not Fair' by Lily Allen (tie): Let me get this straight: I understand why they changed those songs. The point is, when they censor those songs, some of the meaning behind the songs is lost. At least they don't entirely change the lyrics by censoring them, like this next one.
*'Don't Trust Me' by 3OH!3: The chorus goes 'Don't trust a ho' 3 times. The censored version goes 'Don't trust a ...' Not even music. Silence. And, they're changing the entire bloody song. And, to make it worse, they only play the changed song late at night. When the people they don't want listening to it (i.e., kids), are in bed. Pointless. And, the biggest thing; this isn't even the worst changed song.
*'Everytime' by Britney Spears: They don't change the lyrics here. They change the music, the tempo. The whole point, the whole meaning behind this song is a slow, remorseful song, in Wikipedia's words, a "tragic ballad." I heard a version where the whole thing is sped up, so it's very 'pop-y.' That defeats the whole point of the song and makes it meaningless. The original is brilliant. The changed version is crappy.

OK, that's that list off my back. Time now for comment replies, or rather, a comment reply.
*Anon: Thanks for the compliment about catching up; I slowed right back down anyway. I didn;t burn myself, thank god. And... You-Know-Who? You're Voldemort! OMNEG, Voldemort is the anonymous aeroplane. (Courtesy of Ian, that acronym there. It's funny. See if you can work it out.)

And that was my day. Sorry, everyone, about the late post, that happens. I could also apologise for padding the post out with lists, but I won't. I like lists. They're fun to write. Although sometimes I'm short of material. Not today.

That list was fun, I like to rant,
AB

Way Too Much Gaming

When you don't get to blog until way too late, you play Battlefield Heroes for the most part of, say, 9 in the morning until 8:30 at night, and you have time to go for an hour on a server with nobody actually playing (there were a few people on the server, it was a pre-game), this means you need to pause for a second and get un-addicted to the game you just found last night. So because this will otherwise be a shortish post, I'll be doing a list. Because, well, why not?

I woke up around 7:45, and promptly went on my laptop. I didn't go on BFH just yet, as you can't pause a live game. So I waited around until after breakfast, and then around 9, I went on. And I played. And played. I levelled up maybe 3 levels in the process, but more importantly, I worked out a lot of the essentials of the game, and I completed a lot of missions. I also got a feel for the maps. I can't pick a favourite; they're all good in really different ways (though I do love to snipe. I once took out 6 Royals from behind a crate up on the Shipwreck in Buccaneer Bay.). I didn't talk to John that much, as he was offline for a bit. But we played regardless. I played until I went to go watch Rove, as it was the season finale. And it was a really good one. Though it was a bit sad as well, as Hughesy and Carrie are leaving. But that happens, hey? At least they're not getting rid of Kevin Rudd PM, possibly the second-greatest parody series ever (the first, of course, is YGOTAS). After the show, I read '1984,' for a bit, and then it was time for bed.

List time! And because I can't get BFH out of my head, this list will be about the best things about being a commando (you will not understand much of this if you don't play):
*Stealth: It is really good just being able to sneak up some behind someone. Or even just being able to not be seen by anyone. Though I still need a lot of practice with my knife.
*Sniper: Again, similar to stealth, it's fun going off to some remote location and shooting a guy from a long way away. Safest way to play, though points-wise it's a bit lacking. You need to work out a good location.
*Troop Trap: Every so often, you put one on the ground. And every so often, someone will blow up. I was once killed by a guy, but my last effort was to put a Troop Trap down. The guy immediately blew up, sending him flying and earning me a post-mortem kill. I love the Troop Trap.

OK, now that I can't think of anything else, it's time for comments. Just the one this time.
*Anon: OK, you're close. Very close. Be a sheep. Incidentally, this also leads me to believe that you are either Ebony or Victor. My guess is Ebony. But it's just a guess. I could be way off.

And that was my Sunday. So long weekend, hello official holidays. Though they start to blur into each other after a while, with Mondays feeling like Sundays and similar. But that's how holidays go. Expect a longer post on Monday, as I do hapkido. Longer on Tuesday, considering we're going to the movies. But, I'm way ahead of myself.

Late posts are not fun and becoming way too much like the norm,
AB

Sweet, Sweet Sundays

Of course, if I hadn't got my English assignment done yesterday I would be ranting about why today has been a day of too much work. But, thanks to my finishing it yesterday, today was a day of relative relaxation. The Drama journal is the only real problem facing my schooling in the next 2 weeks or so. I also have to give the elective sheet in, but I'm pretty sure I know what I'm going to do. Anyway, to my day.

I woke up around 7:30 today, and promptly went on my laptop, and to the TV. Around 10 (yes, it's a time skip. Nothing happened.), we all went to our grandparents' place. On the way out the door, while searching through my DS case, I found a small, green, translucent Gameboy game. Pokemon Emerald was found. As usual, it was in a ridiculous place, hidden within something I'd already searched. But I knew it'd turn up. Everything does. I also have good news: I am going to the Britney Spears concert in November! Words cannot express my enthusiasm. I've been a Britney fan for years now, but she's never done a concert in Australia for years now. But she is, so I'm going. Hooray!! Anyway. At my grandparents' place, I went to Poppa's shed to see what he was doing, which was make a coffee table for Mum and Dad. It's a pretty good one too. Then, after my brother got bored, he dragged me inside, and we watched Blackadder Season 4 for an hour. We'd already seen it, and we have it at home, but he wanted to watch it again. If it were my choice, I'd have picked Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl. But he picked, so we watched that. Ah well. We got home around midday, and I made lunch.

I then went to my laptop, and began to blog. I finished up around 3-ish, and then went on MSN, and talked for a while. Around 6:30 I had dinner, and then I watched 'Merlin' for a bit. I don't watch it avidly like Mum or EJ, but it happens to be on around dinnertime, so I usually end up watching it. Around 7:45, I went to blog, and after 45 minutes of procrastination (it's what I do), I actually started to post. So here I am, blogging.

Now, because I feel like another list, I present: My week ahead (if I've got it right):
*Monday: Hapkido. Shaylee isn't going, but I am. I'll probably do some work on my Drama Journal. Who knows, I may get it to 4 A4 pages. It might take some work, but I think I can. I also have to hand in my English assignment. I think it's pretty good; I'll see what the teachers think. Expect a post around 9:30-ish.
*Tuesday: A Drama period to work on the assessment and... the Social! I'm not sure what I'm going as, but I'm going. The last social was good, and this one promises to be even better. So I'll be there. Considering it finishes at 10, expect a morning post. I'll try to get it done as soon as I can.
*Wednesday: Hapkido and EJ's birthday. Shay is going to hapkido today, and I'll get more signatures. Expect another 9:30-ish post.
*Thursday: Drama assessment due and Dad's birthday. We may or may not be doing our Drama assessment today, but the Drama journal is not due for a while. I'm not 100% if the Drama assessments start today; that remains to be seen.
*Friday: TGIF. Nothing else needs to be said. Except TGIF.

Well, that was my Sunday, which apart from some work on the Drama Journal involved little real work whatsoever. I love days like this. Well, this week'll be a big one; expect long and late posts. I already explained this.

Here comes a week of work,
AB

Bloody Assignments

Yes, you will notice I've been railing on and on about this topic for the past few days. Today it was all about the English assignment. It took me something like 4 hours, but I finally got it done. So expect a shortish post.

I was woken up around 8:30 by my Mum shaking me and saying 'Get up! You have to go to footy!' However, since I didn't want to leave the English assessment until the last minute as usual, I got to stay home, and do some work on it. I started the project around 9. I won't bore people with the details, or even the large stuff, but suffice to say it was still getting done 3 and a half hours later when everyone else got home. I finished the whole thing around 2 or 3-ish. Finally, it was done. Assignments still to go, in order: Drama, History, Ag. I could rant on and on about Drama, but I've already done that. So I won't.

After that I spent some time just relaxing after a long day of doing work. I watched some TV, read a bit, went on my laptop and played some DS. I started to blog about Friday around 6, but with dinner getting in the way (not that I'm complaining), I actually ended up posting around 8:30. And by that time, I couldn't be bothered doing Saturday's post.So here I am on Sunday afternoon, posting.

It was a fairly uneventful day, so that's a short post. And you know what that means... List time! How about... things that I need to get done soon:
*My Drama journal: You've heard my ranting, and I really need to get it done. That will involve, a) actually doing work and b) expanding the hell out of it.
*History assignment: I will get to that; once other things are done.
*Complete the National Dex on Pearl: Assessments and such come first. Unfortunately.
*Get an orange belt in hapkido: Signatures still need to be gotten, classes still need to be taken. This one takes time. Impatience is not a good thing.

To comments, now that the list is out of the way. One, from Ebony.
*Ebony: I will start work on the journal ASAP. I could go on about Conway's Game of Life, but instead just read this. And hooray for my lol-worthy writing! I have no idea why I wanted a rapper name, but why not? I got the email, 'Que?' pretty much sums it up. AB is not.

Well, that was my Saturday. Sunday's post may be slightly longer; we'll see.

I post-procrastinate way too much,
AB

Almost the End

The end of my five-day weekend specifically. And today was the epitome of those 5 days, as it involved a small amount of work, but a large amount of doing nothing. And this is partly post procrastination, extended by other things. See next post.

I woke up around 7, and went and watched some TV, and went on my laptop. After breakfast, around 8, I caused myself a lot of pain. In a long story short, I was pretending to be the Avatar (what? Nobody was watching and I figure powers like that would be awesome.), and 'earth-bending' caused me to whack my finger on a doorknob, thus making a blood blister pop up within 10 seconds and hurting me a lot. I am a very clumsy person. But, I knew that already. Around 9, Mum and I went to partly mow the lawns (I can't say no, or I don't get my magazine subscription renewed.). By 'partly,' I mean we just took the top of the grass off so the rest could dry (not my idea, of course), and we could mow it later. Apparently. As usual, I brought my iPod out, and I listened to some music. I listened to 'So Fresh: The Hits of Spring 2008,' which is quickly becoming a big favourite of mine (I mean, with 'Black & Gold,' 'Disturbia' and 'White Noise' on it, is a no-brainer).

When that was done, I went inside, and then for a while (read: 12 hours), I just played DS, went on my laptop and watched TV (Masterchef, the footy, and so on, obviously not in that order). Then around 9, as we didn't have to go to school on Monday, we all watched Rove. I love that show. Then I read for a while (I read a Bill Bryson book, and those are the funniest you will ever read), and then it was time for bed.

Hmm. I want to do another list. But I have no idea on what to do it. *thinks* Aha! Inspired by my previous paragraph, meet; my favorite authors, in no particular order:
*Bill Bryson: Just to get it out of the way. Funniest author I have ever read; his books are epic. Read them. Read them now.
*Brian Greene: You may not know who he is, but he writes about string theory. Me being a great big (figure of speech!) physics nerd, I love the books, but most others would not.
*Stephenie Meyer: This is one of those 'love-her-or-hate-her' topics. You either love the books (some occasionally worshipping them), or you despise them. I am in the former category; they are good books.
*Matthew Reilly: His books are full of action, they read really quickly, and he's Australian. What more can you ask for (answer: for his new book to be out sooner)?
*Jeffrey Archer: They are really well-written, they're in-depth, and he can write long books without going off-topic. That is the mark of a good author.
*Bryce Courtenay: Similar to Jeffrey Archer, but his books are inspiring as well.

To comments, quickly, I've procrastinated enough:
*Anonymous: Um... OK... you're either Shafi or C3, or both. I have no idea who. Now I'm confused. Anyway.

Well, that's my post. I apologise for the really late post, Monday's will hopefully be on time. In any case, I'll get back into the posting rhythm when school starts. I was a bit lax on the long weekend (but then again, isn't everyone?).

Sorry again for the really late post,
AB

Always AFL on Saturdays

Don't question it; it just seems to happen that way in our house. You can guarantee on any given Saturday my brother will play at least one game of footy, and we will watch at least one game of AFL. Unless of course it's summer, in which we play cricket. Though our family is more AFL-obsessed than cricket. And it's another post procrastination, I know. I know.

I woke up around 7, and I found that my brother was on the lounge. It turns out he was up since 3 in the morning, sick. So around 8:30, after breakfast and so on, we left for the doctor's. IT turns out that he has (maybe had) a 'raging ear infection.' And when a doctor refers to something as raging, that's always a problem. We probably should have gone home, but since a) it was Gala Day and b) my Dad's my Dad, we went to the footy. We got there about 9-ish, and EJ starting playing his games. I'm not all that excited by watching 11 year olds running around playing AFL (adults, yes. Kids, no. Not even that much when I was playing.), so I played my DS. A few hours later when it ran out of power (I forgot to charge it overnight), I scrounged around for things to do. I watched a small amount of EJ's game, and when that got boring (considering he was almost completely out of it, being sick and all, it wasn't too surprising), I started reading the book Mum brought with her, which thankfully was 'New Moon.' I read a bit of that, and Danni Bell also massaged my head for reasons unknown. I don't know why, but I'm not complaining. It was refreshing. Everything also looked blue for a time afterwards.

When we left around 2, and after I got home, I finished off Friday's post, and then went on MSN for a while. Then around 5:30, a few friends came over. Specifically, Paul, Debbie, Alan (EJ's coach) and Ethan (Alan's son). Then we all watched the Blues-Lions game, though EJ fell asleep a bit into the game, and Ethan fell asleep towards the end. I also talked with Debbie about my electives. She should be a politician; she made a persuasive argument, but I can't for the life of me remember what it was. Huh. Anyway. I might do what she said, but then again, I might not. I went to bed around 10, and here I am, blogging around 2-ish on Sunday.

Time for a list, I think. This one is Bad Lyrics in Good Songs (I thought of it while mowing the lawn on Sunday. All to be explained next post):
*'One Step at a Time' by Jordin Sparks: Bad Lyric: 'It's like learning to fly... It's gonna happen.' Nobody learns to fly; it is not going to happen. Have you ever seen someone fly? No, you have not. It is not going to happen, Jordin Sparks.
*'Just a Song About Ping Pong' by Operator Please: Bad Lyric: 'Just a Song About Ping Pong.' I loved this song when it was on the radio, and I was singing along (badly) to 'Just a Song About People!' I loved that part. When I found out what it was actually about, it changed from good and catchy to retarded and catchy. It's friggin' Ping Pong, Operator Please, and there is no reason to sing a song about it for no apparent reason.
*'Shine On, You Crazy Diamond' by Pink Floyd: Bad Lyric: Silence. Seriously, there is just music for over half the song. I remember listening and going, 'When are people going to start singing?' I get that some songs are made just for music (like classical), but in that case there should be no singing. Not going halfway like Pink Floyd does, and only singing for the last 5 minutes in a 13 minute song (no, really).

Now to comments, 1 from 1 person:
*Anonymous: My guess is Shafi (so I will refer to you in this comment as such). I thought C3 was you, but I wasn't certain. I love my humour as well, though it's rare that others do. Thank you! And thanks also for the compliments, and I'll try not to post too late.

Well, that was my Saturday. Sunday's post may or may not be a long one; we'll see.

Saturdays are fun,
AB

Just Call Me Jaws: Part 2

In reference to this post, of course. I say it because today I got a day off school; but not for nothing. I had to go to the orthodontist to get the rest of my braces. Then tonight I went to the Year 11 Subject Selection Evening. So the late post is not really my fault. Or that's how I claim it.

I woke up at 6:30, and we all left for Shay's place around 7:45-ish. We dropped EJ off, and then we took Shay onboard. We dropped her off at school, and then we made our way to the orthodontist. As soon as I sat down, they called me up. They started by taking out the top spacers, and then I brushed my teeth. That's twice (including after breakfast). They then put the expander in, and the top wire. I left around 9:00 with my metal mouth completed, and attempted to talk. Attempted being the operative word. 'She sells seashells by the seashore' now turns out like 'She sells sisells by th'see saw.' Then, after going window shopping for a while (I was with Mum), we went to Wattle Grove Shops, and Mum made me get a haircut. I also had a donut; and found eating is also a problem. I've become everything I've ever hated!

When I got home around 12, I had lunch (with some difficulties), and then played some DS for a while. When my Dad got home, he saw my braces, and started freaking out. A lot. The conversation went something like this: 'Let's see... Oh my god!' 'Dad, relax.' He's worse than Mum when it comes to the towbar in my mouth (yes, I call it that. I've also heard the Terminator, train tracks, metalmouth, Jaws, and so on and so forth. I love the second and the fourth ones.). Then, while Dad and EJ went to training, Mum and I left for Subway so that I could eat before the Subject Selection Evening.

Eating at Subway was as all eating is now: long, drawn-out, and sadly difficult. Ah well. These things happen. When we got to Hurlstone, I talked to Eric, Mango and Shafi, and when we got inside, we all sat down together. Later Victor came, and he sat next to us as well. They told us about ranking, scaling, and stuff like that. What I expect to put down:
*English: I'm going to be talking to my teachers on what I should do. They'll pick for me; I'm not sure which I should do.
*Maths 2 Unit: Definitely not General. I will do 2 Unit; maybe extension. I'm still considering it.
Now, the electives, in order:
*Physics: This one is an obvious one. I love physics. Two of the electives for Physics are 'Astrophysics' and 'From Quantum to Quarks.' My nerdy sense is tingling!
*Economics: Money = good. I also did pretty well in Commerce last year (maybe this year, I'm not sure), so I think Economics is good for me.
*Chemistry: Atoms, the Periodic Table, so on and so forth. I'll enjoy Chemistry (though it will never, never be as good as Physics. Never.)
*Legal Studies: Law pays well, and I'm considering that. I'd prefer Science, but Law is a bit of a 'fallback.' I also have to read a lot.
And my reserves:
*Business Studies: It seems like an extension of Economics, so I'll probably do that. It's my main reserve.
*_______: I have no idea what my 6th elective is. I was thinking Senior Science, but I might get stuck with 6 units of Science. Maybe IPT, I'm still thinking about it. Engineering Studies is also a possibility.
After the Subject Selection Evening, I went home and wound down. I watched some TV and played some DS. I tried to blog, but I didn't get to finish. And here I am, Friday arvo, blogging.

Again, no comments, so this paragraph is the last. The next few posts may be short ones, so I might beef them up with lists. We'll see.

What to choose, what to choose,
AB

Here We Go Again

Here we go again with exams. We've had our 4 day break in the middle, now comes the exam I dread most of all, my worst subject, in my opinion: Ag. We also have Maths and Science, but I'm fairly confident about them. It's Ag that concerns me most of all (though Drama is up there). But, I'll cram, and hopefully I'll do well. But, I'm off topic. To my Sunday, which was less relaxing than Saturday, but still pretty good.

I woke up around 7:30, and went out and put the TV on, while getting on my laptop. I started on the rest of my blog, and later, around 8:30, while my Mum got ready for going to the gym, Dad and I went down to Wattle Grove Shops for breakfast. I had, from Gloria Jean's, a ham and cheese croissant and a large white iced chocolate. I love white iced chocolates. While I was there, I saw EJ and Lachlan getting coffee, presumably for Jo or Michael. They came over for about 30 seconds, with EJ bragging about how he can do this, then left. My Dad and I got home around 9, and I promptly finished off my post from yesterday, while watching more 3rd Rock from the Sun. That is an awesome show; everybody see it. It's not as good, as say, Monty Python, but it is pretty good.

Then from around 9 until 3, I basically just went on my laptop and DS, and watched TV. Around 3 though, everything seemd to just go 'enough relaxing!,' and I was pulled aside for several things. One, for example, was trying to clean the ceiling while standing on a kitchen desktop (I'm not kidding, though I wish I was). For dinner, around 6, we had burritos (mmm, burritos...), which I can eat, unlike tacos (mmm, tac- oh, goddamn!). Then, after the dishwasher, I went back on MSN, where I've been for a while. So here I am, blogging, MSN-ing and listening to music.

I feel like another random list. Here we go! Things I will do and enjoy doing when the half-yearlies are finished:
*Not studying: This is pretty much a given. I hate studying.
*Reading: I want to read, and I want to read soon. 'The Three Musketeers' is calling me. I will be with you, Dumas book!
*Computerising my book: In case I lose the notebook. I haven't gotten around to it, but I should after exams. Or at least after Ag. Here's hoping.

To comments, 3 from 3 people. Specifically, the usual two and anonymous.
*Ebony: Those are the only really good hands I can think of. And there should be a rule; I like comments. And 42 > 3 AND 9, even when multiplied together. Take that, random numbers!
*Victor: No! No strike! Comment!
*Anon: Say it isn't so! If you are who I think you are, Shafi, ask me at school. Not now. I don't want to embarrass you on my blog. Let's just say Monty Python is the greatest comedy show ever created.

Well, I'd best finish up. I must depart. Blogging tomorrow will be delayed due to hapkido-related difficulties. Comment, don't boycott AB: A Blog. ABC: A Blog, Comments. See, it works!

Must Monday come?,
AB

Just Relaxing

This is what I meant by a relaxing day. Just watching TV on the lounge, with my laptop and DS next to me, occasionally getting up for breakfast. If more days were like this, life would be a whole lot awesomer. But, anyway. To my sweet, sweet Saturday. And yes, it's a late post, and yes, it was entirely my fault. From now on, I start blogging around 4 or 5. This way I get to blog before I go to sleep.

I woke up around 8, and went on my laptop, of course. I started blogging for Friday (like right now I'm blogging for Saturday), and when EJ and Mum left for football around 10:30 (it was a slow few hours), after my Dad did before I got up, I studied for Ag, as well as TV, laptop and DS. I did that basically up until 5, when my brother left for Shay's place, and I put on 3rd Rock from the Sun. Then, for the next 5 hours or so, I went on my laptop, just basically surfing the net and talking to Ebony and Victor on MSN. I also played DS, and watched TV. It was a repetitive, fun day.

And because I just summed up 15 hours in something just over 100 words, it's time for random lists. Hooray!

Books, movies and TV shows that I want to get to soon:
*'The Three Musketeers' by Alexandre Dumas: I have it, it's in my bookcase, I just have to get around to reading it. I'll probably get to it after the half-yearlies. I haven't had much time to read at all since the half-yearlies began.
*'Flatland' by Edwin Abbott: It's been mentioned so many times in Brian Greene books and Circle Versus Square (it's a webcomic) that I have to read it.
*'Seven Pounds' with Will Smith: It looks like a great movie, and I really want to watch it. I will rent it as soon as I have the chance or remember to.
*'Monty Python's Flying Circus': I've seen two episodes of it, a skit or two on Youtube and two movies. But there's still a whole world of Monty Python to explore. I want to watch it as soon as I can. I want the DVD.

My best hands in 13, with links to their respective posts and in order:
*3 to King, a 6 and a 2: I had that in the last week of school, last year. It was the 3 of spades as well. It was awesome (I think I won).
*Four 2s, 6 to King and a Queen: I definitely won that one. I owned that hand.
*Double 3, double 8, double Jack, triple 5, triple 7, 10: But this one I owned better. I played all cards in one go. Double 3, everybody passed. I was hoping someone would play a double 2, so I could double bomb it. But it was my free, so I double bombed. Then I finished on a 10. All my cards, gone in one go. Best hand ever.

To comments now, 2 from the usual 2 people. Hooray for you two!
*Victor: Only people who have braces are my 'shiny metal brothers,' except of course, girls, who would be my 'shiny metal sisters.' If someone had braces, they are my 'rusty metal brothers/sisters.' (I didn't make that up.) I think Shafi said Firstings first, but I'm not sure.
*Ebony: Don't stop talking, I enjoy your humour (and I'm sure it stops the voices). Kolodziej just fails. Let's just hope he doesn't fail us. And don't stop commenting, please. Nobody likes no commenting. It's a rule, we all comment on each other's blogs. And 42 is a multiple of 3. Mathematically, it's 14 times better.

Well, I'll sum up now. I should really stop posting so late. Again, I will really try not to do it anymore. I will try.

Another day, another late post,
AB

Work, Work

If I had to say that, it would be like the peons in Warcraft III (and if you don't know how they sound, shame on you). But, yeah, it's just been work, work today [yesterday. Saturday. Standard drill.].

I woke up around 8-ish, and then ate breakfast (the pain of the spacers is wearing off). After a bit of watching TV, my Mum had to leave for my brother's footy, and I stayed home to get some stuff done. First I did Friday's post, which took a bit, and then I started cleaning my room, while listening to music (specifically, the song stuck in my head, which is 'Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)' by The Offspring'). My room, after something like 2.5 hours of cleaning, now looks fairly clean (my room is never completely clean, but I'm fine with that. I think that even my parents accept it now, though if Michael came by I'd be in some difficulty). I also did some Ag studying, which I think I need more than anything. When my Mum got home, it was more work, with a delivery of 2 bookcases and a TV stand, thus requiring us to start moving stuff like crazy. When my Dad got home, he helped as well, and we all worked until around 5:30, moving books, trophies, and everything else until the house didn't look like John McClane had had to collect cupboards from around the house to protect himself from gunfire (that was a Die Hard reference, for anyone who didn't understand that. Again, if you haven't seen Die Hard, shame on you.). When we finished: the table in front of our lounge had gone; the DVDs and games had been put into the TV case; all books were in shelves with room to spare; the printer was in my room and my room was organised; and several other changes. Then after dinner, I went on my laptop, where I was fir the rest of the night. I also didn't post, as I was watching TV. My fault.

Now, because I feel like it, it's time for a random list; Things I have to get to:
*Work on my book and put some of it on the computer: I'll still do most of the work in the book, but I still have to put it on the computer, just in case.
*Study: Mostly for Ag, History, Geography, English, Drama... OK, everything. Cramming will also be utilised, heavily. If it got me through Japanese, it can get me through anything.
*Finish watching the rest of the movie I watched last night: If I play it without my brother watching, I might have to use hapkido, and I'm not sure how proficient I am.
*Read 'The Three Musketeers': I've been meaning to get around to this for ages. I'll do it eventually (at the end! 'Fawlty Towers' quote, same old drill: shame on you.).

To comments now: 2 from 2 people.
*Shafi: Actually, I don't have a Wii, my friend Shay does. I probably should have made that clearer. And that bloody English assignment, it haunts me still. When that's finished, I'll have Ag left. Here we go...
*Victor: No, Ebony loves VeGeMite. Search your feelings, Ebony, you know it to be true (now tell me you've seen Star Wars, people!). And indeed you were, but still, Shafi beat you to comment. This shall never change. Never!

Well, I'd best wrap up; there's stuff to be done. Yes, I know, a short-ish post: it wasn't the most eventful day.

No half-yearlies please,
AB

Too Long a Day

It was a long day today, full of randomness, work, no work, luckiness, unluckiness.... you get the picture. Prepare for a post of epic proportions, including one list.

Before school, I talked to Victor and Ebony about random topics. As usual. Period 1 was Ag, which went for an hour (as did Periods 2, 3 and 4. Blame NAPLAN.). We did procedures on foot paring in our book, and I did a bit of work on my book (I'm trying to get some characters going. I'm finding a bit hard to focus, what with half-yearlies coming up, and the bloody Geo assessment, and so on.). Then came Geo, which was just working on some skills for mapping, like topographic mapping and the positions of continents. Simple stuff, really. Recess was 13, with John, Andy, Eric and Kevin.

Period 3 was Maths, which was doing more work on factorisation and expansion and so on. Just revision. That seems to be the theme of schoolwork today; revision. Pretty NTR stuff, really. Next was Science, which was even more revision, as well as work on Ohm's Law. Robson had lost his voice, but he was pretty loud for someone who had. It comes and goes, I think. Lunch was 13 with (get this): John, Andy, Eric, Kevin, Ebony, Victor and me. We played a 'one in, one out' rule (Ebony's idea), which worked pretty well. I didn't get out the whole game. I also got the best hand in my entire life, no exaggeration. I got four 2s, 6 to King, and an extra Queen. The game went something like this: John plays three 3s, I play three 2s. I play 6 to King, my free. I play my Queen, then finish on my two. Best hand ever, hands down (no pun intended).

Then when the bell went for Period 5, the universe decided to balance out my luck, of course. I was sitting on the Science staircase, and when the bell went, I started to Room 10. While going up the stairs, I thought to myself: 'Hang on. Where am I going?' So I went all the way back to Room 30, which was all of 10 steps from where I was originally. But it didn't stop there. When I got there, Miss Fox-Coleman said we were actually at Room 11. Which is right next to the room I was originally going to. Oy vey. This is what I get. Commerce was doing more work on the capital punishment Powerpoint in-class project (Commerce teachers seem to love Powerpoints for in-class projects. or maybe it's just Kearney). That period was 35 minutes. The last 30 minutes was English, which was just people not thinking. Three things that stand out: Tiana's putting her hand up to answer a question. When Hancock called on her, she straightened up, opened her mouth; and said nothing. She'd completely forgotten what she was about to say (at least I don't do that in front of the class). The second thing was Hancock making fun of Ben (as he does, but it's not malicious). Barahona is sitting next to him. Hancock: 'I can see outside through your ears.' Barahona: 'Really?' These are our English lessons: full of randomness and unintentional comedy. When the bell went, and after I got home, I went into my Geo assessment (I've now one page left, and that's Question 3. It seems fairly easy. But still a lot of work.). Once I'd done a bit, I talked on MSN, and ended up making my own 'Dinosaur Comics' comic using a website (basically, in Dinosaur Comics, everything is the same except the text. It has to be read to be understood.) that randomises the strips. Here's my own 'Dinosaur Remix,' as they call it. I just shortened it, and made a new one. It's a lot funnier, in my opinion (but, then again, I'm weird). And here I am, blogging, as well as trying to think of a last name that suits a character I'm thinking of.

And, here for the first time in a while, is a random list. Applause please. Today's topic: things about myself that annoy me:
*I can't type 'touche' without misspelling it at least once: I have no idea why. I just can't. I usually just write: Tocuhe. I just tried typing it quickly 5 times in succession, and 4 times I wrote 'Tocuhe.' (The other one was 'ocuhe.' *sigh*)
*I can almost never do the Tetris theme and the Mario theme in succession: Why? It's a very good question. But for weeks, if I remembered one, I forgot the other one. I only just got it today (I'll see if I can remember it in the morning.).
*My very bad memory: Example: I was going to put something else here. But I forgot what it was. So I did this. Yes, I know. I am incredibly weird. But you can't spell abnormal without AB!

Comments: 2 from 2 people. If Rosa hadn't commented, I would have done a very long rant. But she did, so I didn't.
*Shafi: 'Firstings?' What? From now on everybody, if you want to say you are first, actually have something else to say. Like Ebony. She is never going to let up about this, but: she is awesome that way (Oh god, what have I done?).
*Rosa: I did? Oh crap, I did! How did I miss that? Bugger. And I'm actually looking forward to Drama performance day as well, as I love Drama. It's fun. My bet is that the one with Jayson, Oscar, and presumably Shane as well will be the funniest. By a mile.

I'll finish up now. Wednesday will be a long post, and probably late, because I'm going to the orthodontist to get an extender or widener or something along those lines (it's metal, it goes on my teeth, and it looks weird) almost as soon as I get home, and then it'll be pretty much time for hapkido. Oh boy. And Wednesday week is my hundredth post (wow, that was quick), and I can't wait. (Oh, where has AC gone? They left one day and never came back. If you still read my blog, you might as well just say who you are. Or at least comment.)

I can't wait for Friday already,
AB

Work and No Work

Yes, I know it's a weird title. It will all make sense once I talk about my day (also I couldn't think of another title.). Now. To my Thursday.

Period 1 was Science, which was doing an experiment on Ohm's Law, which involved work but very little thinking. I enjoy periods like that. After the bell went (long after the bell went. We can't hear it in our Science room.), I went to Maths, which was finally Computer Maths. The first half of that period was waiting for my computer to shut down, and watch Mango do the work we were supposed to be doing (but I couldn't), and when I finally logged in, all the work had been done already. So I messed around on Geometer's Sketchpad (boredom + Maths + computers) for the rest of the period. Bludging is fun. Recess was 13 and 31 with John, Andy and Kevin. 31 seems to be ever so gradually taking over 13. 13 forever! The next two periods were Ag prac, which was going down to foot pare the goats (essentially clipping what passes as their toenails with hedge clippers). I was in a group with Tan, Alan, Nancy, Oishi and Ebony, and we fell into a pattern. Alan and I held the goats, Tan foot pared them, Nancy and Oishi held them sometimes, and Ebony talked to them and later fed them. Yeah. We got through 2.5 goats (one ran away before we finished) before we called it quits. I then talked to Tan, and listened to my iPod while playing Solitaire. Thank god for iPod Solitaire. When we got back to class, we just had time to get our bags, and then it was Lunch.

I played 13 with Eric, John, Kevin and Andy, while Ian, Ebony and Mango watched. Ebony didn't want to play (because she doesn't want to be beaten by non-Asians. I assured her she'd beat me.), so that's who we had. I didn't have very good hands today; I even got a quad Queen and came third, I think. Yeah. Period 5 was English, which was modernising one of Macbeth's soliloquies (it's harder than it seems.). Hancock also called me Ben. That makes something like 7 teachers (Hancock, Robson, Ejsak, Contado, Young, Rawson, Faulds). My name is Alex. Please get it right. (Though, maybe AB could stand for Alex Ben. It doesn't, but it could save time.) Last was History, which was getting a 3 page essay which is due next Friday (not tomorrow, thank god.). Which is just ridiculous, really. However, all the answers are in our textbook, so it's more a lot of work than thinking. Still, very annoying. I also didn't get a chance to work on my book. Tomorrow afternoon, or something like that I will. After getting home around 3:30-ish, thanks to me planning to catch the bus, getting called and then going home by car, and an accident that forced my friend Charlotte's bus to drop them all off at the station and so making my Mum wait around to make sure she gets home safe. And here I am, after work, TV, MSN, and so on, blogging and listening to music.

OK, a brief list. Things that I have to or want to do over the foreseeable future, in no particular order:
*More of my book: I've got a basic idea of plot in my head, but I need to put that to paper, and also work out character details. I also have to put it all on my computer, just in case.
*Geography essay: Of course. Hopefully I'll get it done quickly. Hopefully.
*Half-yearlies: They start Monday week, and go across two weeks. Oy vey. But, more time to study, I suppose.
*Get braces: Two weeks from today, on Thursday the 21st, I get them on. I take a day off school.
*Make a playlist on iTunes: Just something I want to do, so I'm not manually flipping to the same songs all the time.

Comments: 3 from 2 people. Well, let's reply; I need to post quickly.
*Karen: Yes, you are!
*Karen: That's OK; these things happen. You don't have to comment if you don't want to/don't feel like it. And don't apologise; I get it.
*Ebony: Ooh boy, that's another mini-post in my comments section. You make up for everybody else who doesn't comment. And yes, I thought 'My Place' was an awesome name as well; I liked it. I don't want to ask why you name inanimate objects, I'll just let it go. OK, I had a spelling fail, I'm not infallible. And I should probably have picked that 'no comment' thing up. And enough on my paragraphing.

I'll finish up now. The rest of my night will be spent relaxing, as it should. I really need to 'peace out.' But I don't see that happening until after the half-yearlies, because the weekends will be full of studying and exams and so on and so forth. Ah well.

Way too much work is coming up way too fast,
AB

A Long Day of Doing Nothing

That's basically been my day. A long day of doing nothing. A good kind of nothing, though (I love stealing from myself.). So I'm going to do another list (incredibly random). But anyway. To my day.

I woke up around 8:15 (thank god), and watched TV for a while. Then after breakfast, we had to clean the house. Then, once that was finished, I got onto my computer, for a while. Then we had to go up the shops, to pick up some stuff, and for my brother to get a haircut. I will get to that. We went to Casula Shops, and specifically to K-Mart. I was looking in the books section (of course), and I came across 2 editions of 'Angels and Demons': One normal, and one of those 'movie edition' books, as the movie of 'Angels and Demons' is coming out (which I will be going to.). The normal one was $19.99, and the other was $21.99. Which makes you wonder why they'd stock both editions, next to each other, no less. It just seemed really stupid. Anyway. Then I got dropped off at home, while my Mum and my brother went out so he could get a haircut. After about an hour of MSN, surfing the net and listening to the song stuck in my head repeatedly ('The Final Countdown' by Europe. There was a band called 'Europe.' I've never understood why. It's just asking for misunderstanding. But, I'm off topic.). When they got back, I looked at my brother, and flinched. Seriously, flinched. He had hair down to his neck; now it's like mine. It's freaky. I'm still not used to it. Then for basically the rest of the day, I went on my laptop. Surfing the net, for want of something else to do. Not many people are on MSN. I talked to Ebony, Leeza and Victor. I'm still talking to Leeza and Victor. And I'm blogging of course. But that's it.

Now the random list. This is a bit of a specific one, so I'll explain. I was Googling "AB: A Blog", for some reason, and near the bottom was a title that read: 'blogging >> Blog Archive >> AB: A Blog: Too Much Too Quickly.' I clicked on the link, but the blog had apparently been deleted. But Google had cached it, so here it is. It looked like one of my posts had been translated in and out of English, then put onto some random person's blog. I don't why or how they got it, but they did. And now, without further ado: The strangest phrases from the strange post of my post.
*Another epoch of ictus: That sounds randomly awesome. It's one of those things that are so bad it's good. I feel like just renaming my blog that. Cross-checking with the actual post (which i did with the other phrases) and I got 'Another day of stress.' It was funny.
*Which means I own to fill old-fashioned both ends convene modish ones in a minute: Now what the hell was that? I can't even begin to understand that. It's like something from a really bad dub. I think it came from 'Which means I have to get new ones soon,' which sort of makes sense, but it's still way off.
*My uncle is a grievous perforate in it, I over (which I due coordinate old-fashioned apropos today): I give up. I think they just picked random words out of the dictionary. Although, it would be awesome in a ridiculous-and-faintly-disturbing sort of way if my whole blog was done like that. But, I digress. It seems to have come from 'My uncle is a black belt in it, I think (which I just found out about today).' They seem to love the word 'old-fashioned,' as it's scattered all throughout the 'translation.' I think it comes from the word 'out,' although how is beyond me.

OK. Moving on from that strange thing, comments. 8, from 5 people. Which is pretty good.
*Victor: I don't know why you'd be afraid to be first. I'm fine with comments that actually mean something, and are first. First for the sake of first is too much.
*Karen: That's fine, my blog is not the be-all and end-all. And yes, 6:45 is ridiculous. But 1:10 pm is just as out there. And don't remind me about the rapidly disappearing holidays. Please.
*Victor: He's right.
*Mango: Okay...
*Mango: Now we have another paragraphing stickler. And 'Disagree with AB' Day would surely be a a failure. As soon as I recognise that that is the day, everybody would say it isn't.
*Mango: I am.
*Ebony: Every new idea. That is what I'm doing. But the ideas go on forever. And stop complaining about Stephenie Meyer. She is awesome. Yes, there is a lot of hype. But for a good reason. Again: I'll shut up about paragraphs if you stop bagging Meyer.
*Rosa: I love NSW too, but if I had to move, it'd be to Canberra. And maybe she's overrated, but I think she's good. (See Ebony? We have a reasonable person here.)

Going to finish up now. Tomorrow I think I'm going out for dinner, so the blog will either be really early or really late. So a heads up there.

There's that day of relaxation (finally),
AB

Nothing All Day

Yes, I've been doing essentially nothing all day. I also can't think of any better title. I think I need a day to work on my book. One solid day. If I had thought of that this morning, I would be a lot better off. But anyway, to my day. And because I did nothing, I'm also going to do a random list. Because they're awesome.

I woke up at 7:30 (I could have sworn it was later), and went on my laptop for an hour and a half. It was annoying, in a way, because my entire web history has spontaneously deleted. Why? I don't know. Anyway. Then after breakfast and so on, I went on my laptop again, and promptly spent up until lunch in my brother's room (I don't even know how. I tried to go back to my room, but I couldn't be bothered getting up.) I went on MSN and Spore. I wish I could say I did more than that. Well, I played Solitaire, though I think that goes without saying. I was asking a day of relaxation: not any more. That was boring! Now I'm asking for a day of work, but my own work. So working on my book, or something like that. OK. Then it was time for lunch, and we (my Dad, my brother and I) all went down to Red Rooster, in which the service was fortunately uneventful (or unfortunately, it made for a great anecdote). Then after we got home, I went back on my laptop, of which the time on it was basically only interspersed with some brief chores and dinner. Now I'm on MSN, listening to 'Gold Digger' by Kanye West, the song stuck in my head today, over and over again (which I tend to do a lot when there is a song stuck in my head), and blogging, naturally.

OK, so my day wasn't that exciting. Or event-filled. Tomorrow will be very different though, I'm going to the Carlton-Sydney match at the SCG. I want Carlton to win, and looking at the ladder, you would easily predict Carlton would win, but there's a big problem: The last time Carlton beat Sydney was in 2000, and the last time they beat them in Sydney was in 1993. Before I was even born. So if they win, I'll be ecstatic. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah: the list. Today's one: Things I should pp doing.
*Stop playing Solitaire so much: This really seems to be an obsession for me. I've already played it twice since I've started writing this. Even when I'm bored at school sometimes, I get out my cards and play it. Maybe because I'm always playing it on my iPod, and it's on my laptop as well. That or I've been too long away from 13 and I need cards. Probably both.
*Repeatedly listening to songs: I've been listening to 'Gold Digger' over and over. But the thing is, I don't mind it. I end up accidentally memorising the song, then singing it. I have a knack for memorising songs, or parts of them, and a habit of singing them. Fun for me, but nobody else in earshot.
*Putting stuff off: On any timescale, really. I will get lunch... in about half an hour. I will blog.... in about an hour. I will start my book... tomorrow. Though I won't be able to do it tomorrow, because I'll be at the footy. Maybe when I've got a while alone or my brain starts working. I figure once I start the book, it'll be easier to keep going.

OK, that's enough of my rant/list. To comments. 6, from 4 or 5. That 'or' is there because I think comments 1 and 2 are by the same person. And, here we go:
*Anonymous: I reckon, I've been wanting to write a book for ages.
*Dad: I'll have to have a look at that. Thanks, Dad!
*John: It took something like 45 minutes. They were pretty efficient. That 'me' and 'I' thing wasn't my idea, but I wish it was. And thanks for the praise, Philosophy King! (lol.)
*Shafi: It seems everybody collects really arbitrary stuff. My brother collects rocks, and anything with a skull on it. Maybe someday I'll have a look at all of my currency collection (ah, 'someday'. The cry of the serial procrastinator.).
*Karen: Halfway through the holidays already? Half-yearlies? Why is it holidays go so quickly but school just seems to go so slowly? And if you want philosophy like that, just read John's blog: he's the master in that area. Don't worry, I never feel like cleaning my room. If I know where everything is and you can still see the floor, then it does not need cleaning. That's what I think anyway.
*Karen: Halfway through the holi... wait a minute. Déjà vu... Nah, it's fine. These things happen. More comments, hey! Lol.

That concludes today's post. Longer than I thought it would be, considering what happened or today (nothing). Tomorrow should be a fairly long one, and the next few days after that, I'll be in Canberra, I think. So if I post weirdly, that's why.

I will start my book before the end of the holidays,
AB

Holidays Are Not For Work

Holidays are meant for laptops, TV, and just basically doing nothing. So when you're doing a lot of work... you know what, I'll get to this.

I woke up at 8:30, and it would have been later, but I was woken up. If you ask me, you shouldn't be woken up in the holidays; just sleep. You can't do it on school days, so why not do it in the holidays? Anyway. Then, after breakfast and so on, my parents got me to do the folding. And then my brother and I had to clear the entire house of books that we (my brother and I)owned that we didn't want anymore. Which took about 2 and a half hours. We have a lot of books. Then, finally, around noon, I went on my laptop again. Then at 2, I had to go walk the dog. Until 3. Bloody hell. Luckily I brought my iPod, so I could play Solitaire as well. As I love doing. After I walked the dog though, work was thankfully finished for the day, so I went on MSN and talked to Victor and Ebony. For a while. Then our family played 13 (just 1 game. They didn't know how to play, and didn't seem to want to), and President & Asshole, which is the game our family plays when we want to play cards. It's similar to 13, except without bombs, straights or suits. So, not as good. In my opinion. Right now I'm on an Abridged marathon, blogging, and talking to Victor on MSN all at the same time. In fact, all on the same screen. With more success than I would have thought.

I'm in the mood for a random list. So I'll say how 13 is better than President & Asshole:
*No bombs: So once someone plays a 2, it's their free. You can't beat a 2 once it is played. There's another way in 13, but it doesn't work in P&A because of...
*No suits: So you can't play a 3 of clubs on a 3 of spades. Only a 4. Which is very annoying.
*No straights: Oh, come on! You can only play singles, pairs, triples and quadruples. Straights add so much strategy.
*Once you lose, you keep losing: In P&A, the Asshole must give their 2 best cards to the President. The Asshole lost the last round, and the President won it. So the winner gets good cards. And the reverse. Gets frustrating if you lose.
*President starts: 3 of spades seems fair. Not much of an annoyance, but if you have a 3 of spades, it doesn't seem fair.

OK, I'm bored of that list. Now to the comments: 6 from 4 people. AC, unfortunately, didn't comment. Bugger. Anyway.
*Victor: The new Mango, only saying a few words, and putting first. Or maybe Mango is the new you. Anyway.
*Ebony: My bad. Your reading comment owned me. That's all that needs to be said. And I got it wrong (I'm on a great streak here). I'm just surprised I remember that much. I've seen some of John's Powerpoints; they are awesome, hands down. And title for yesterday: I fail again. I'm just giving up now.
*Shafi: More shameless advertising! Mango would be proud.
*Shafi: Anonymous comments account: Victor's next comment says it better than I ever could.
*Victor: Made my day too. Mine is, in fact, an exception, as AC comments anonymously.
*Rosa: My bad, OK, stop pointing it out! Lol. And the perfect married couple indeed.

Such was the first day of holidays. Hopefully tomorrow will be the first with no work whatsoever. Hopefully.

Sleep is good,
AB

Too Much Too Quickly

What that title means is that everything just seems to be piling on. Before my comment replies, I'll talk about that. And before my day, I'll talk about hapkido. So I expect this post to be a very long one. Good that I'm posting this one early (-ish) then.

I got to hapkido, and I ran inside to get my watch. It had run out of power, but it's all better now. Before the actual session started, I talked to some of the kids who do hapkido with me. Specifically, Tara, who is a yellow belt and is in Shaylee's grade in her school (and who though we were brother and sister. That was awkward.); Nick, who is a white belt, my age and shorter than my brother (seriously. And my brother is 10.); and Amadeus (that is actually his name. Rock me Amadeus!), who seemed a bit standoffish. Though that could just be me. We did a lot of fighting, and I got hit a few times. I can also do a forward roll. It's not brilliant, but I can do it. The first time I did it, I was exhilarated. I still am! We ran a bit overtime, but it was all worth it. I learnt some new rules (some of them the hard way), and I did what was possibly the best exercise session I've had in years. And I enjoyed it too! I love hapkido.

I got driven to school, in the rain of course (hopefully it'll clear up tomorrow). Period 1 was Geography, which was doing 2 questions, which took longer than expected. I got a chance to read though. Next was Science, in which Robson wasn't there, so we had this new teacher who I've never seen before (I think he's replacing Robson. I hope he hasn't left yet.). We didn't get told his name. I finished 'Eclipse' in class, and went on to 'Breaking Dawn,' which at this rate should be finished by Saturday. Recess was playing 13, as usual. I had the worst luck today. Anyway. Period 3 was Ag, which like all Ag theory lessons was writing in our book, and enjoying the many English slip-ups, including 'How do you spell dying?' by Schippers, and Rhys mangling some of the longer words (but in all fairness, they were pretty difficult. I got what I thought was an easy one wrong.) My favourite: oestrous being pronounced 'oh-steer-ee-ous.' Next was PE, which was watching a documentary on party drugs. That was really spooky. Lunch was more 13. Cameron also claimed that me playing 13 stemmed from me being depressed that he kicked me out of the band. That was retarded. Talking with Victor, Eric plays 13 because he's depressed that he kicked me out of the band, Kevin plays 13 because he's depressed that Eric's depressed that he kicked me out of the band, and Andy plays 13 because he's depressed that Kevin's depressed that Eric's depressed that... oh, you get the picture.

Period 5 was Maths, which was doing a lot of algebra involving quadratic simultaneous equations, and hence way too much work. But, it actually wasn't bad, since I haven't had much of a brain workout in a while (did I just type that?). Last was Drama, in which we were supposed to get our marks, but Kolodziej said 'legal paperwork' got in the way. Seemed a bit fishy to me. Anyway. Another day of stress. In the actual lesson we re-enacted Shakespeare dramatically. His poems I mean. On the train home, someone took my seat, so I had to sit a few seats up (that has nothing to do with anything. I just wanted to mention that.). On Holsworthy station, I talked to Ashna, and I got home, where I went on MSN, listened to music, surfed the net, commented on blogs, etc. Speaking of blogs, Victor got a blog; and proceeded to get something like 27 comments from 4 people in 1 day. I am officially upstaged. And such was my day.

Now to everything that seems to be happening at once or should be:
* I have a Commerce assessment due in a week, which I only started today. Thankfully it's not much work, but it's still annoying.
* My laptop has to be on charge at all times since the battery is on life support (ie the charger), which sorta rules out the point of a laptop. Ah well.
* My glasses aren't sitting on my face properly ever since Shay hit me in the side of my head in hapkido (my fault, I didn't duck in time), as well as the fact that I'm squinting a bit more. Which means I have to get new ones soon.
* My bad nail is playing up on me (ie it's getting caught on stuff and causing pain), so I will probably have to ask my parents to go to a dermatologist.
* I'm writing a heap more than I used to, with commenting and longer posts. Much longer. But that's a good thing, so I'm not complaining about that.

Now to my comment replies. I got 7 yesterday, which is not as good as the 12 on Tuesday, but still pretty good.
* Victor: Yes, you are good at this. If only I was as good as commenting first on your blog. Curse you, Ebony for being first the other times, and being +6 while I am only +1! (LOL.)
* Victor: Point made, and I'm not going to go there (to /b/), which from your comments seems to be the smart thing.
* Shafi: Not everything was by AC. I think it was actually by Mango, in hindsight. And yes, hapkido is a martial art, South Korean if I'm not mistaken. My uncle is a black belt in it, I think (which I just found out about today). And 13 is an awesome game. There is no argument.
* ?: I assume that's an April Fools' joke. I don't know who it is, and quite frankly I don't want to know.
* Ebony: I don't know what it is with rain, I don't like it. Water is bad for books. And I'm not too keen on getting my marks back (though seeing yours, I know why you are.).
* Presumably Mango: Yes. Yes it was.
* AC: My teachers are actually pretty awesome, all of them (with the exception of Kearney). And with me blogging earlier, I just can't seem to do it. I have time later so dammit, I'll post later (that and since I'm always on MSN or having dinner, it takes me over an hour to write this, on and off.). And you're welcome about me not guessing, I figure that there are some things I am not meant to know, like the workings of a girl's head and anything Art-related.

And with that, I'll end. A long post, but a pretty good one in my opinion. Tomorrow's Friday, so chances are I'll be posting later. Maybe. I'll end with a quote by Douglas Adams, since I realised I haven't mentioned him in ages. I think it really suits my blogging timing, though I'm trying to stop.

I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by,
AB

Post the Fiftieth

Celebrate good times, come on! That's right, it's post number 50! If it wasn't the 50th, the post would probably have been something like 'Rants and Revelations.' But it is. I'm blogging early, first because I'm going to be writing a lot, and second because I have hapkido today, and that's going to start around 8-ish. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. OK, so today is going to be split into 2 parts, the day itself, and the celebration.

I got up, did everything, and watched 'Rove,' which is what I do every Monday, as we tape it from Sunday. When I got to school, not many people were there. I later found out there was this big IPT thing. Luckily I do Commerce. Part of my watch also broke (a strap-holder, nothing important), Period 1 was English, with Arnault again, which was doing a brief amount of work on a story which was utterly pointless. Eh. Period 2 was Maths, which was doing work on something like completing the square to solve quadratic equations (and yes, I am reading from the textbook). It was just that type of work that made you want to hit your head with a large wooden plank until you lose consciousness (possibly while chanting 'Pie Jesu Domine, Dona Eis Requiem.' Please tell me someone has seen 'Holy Grail.'). Recess involved playing handball with Eric, John, Shafi and Andy. With Eric, as usual, kicking everybody's ass. Period 3 was Drama, which was watching more Drama assessments. We get our marks back on Wednesday. *sigh* Of course. When everyone finished, I put my iPod in and started listening to Queen (which, almost inevitably, I started singing along to. Hopefully nobody noticed. Well, nobody was clutching their ears and shrieking.). Next was Commerce, which was mindless, repetitive tasks. Of course. Lunch was spent playing a brief amount of handball, as well as talking to Patrick, Justin, Hunaiza (I hope I spelt that right) and Rhoda, since most of the group was doing IPT. The last two periods were PE, although before we started, I said hello to Mrs. Young who was walking past, who replied 'Hi Ben.' *hits head* Maybe I should just change my name legally to Ben, that would save a lot of time. We played netball (not ballroom dancing as I heard was going to happen.). I actually did pretty well, surprising everyone, not least myself. I guess I just have l33t n3tb4ll 5k1ll5 (note to self: never do that again.). After it finished, but before the bell went, I was talking to Rhys about my 50th blog post, and Tiana overheard, and responded with a 'We read your blog at camp!' What? Long story short, there was a Year 7 camp about 2 weeks ago, and the Year 10 'Creating Connections' people were there, and the girls found my blog apparently. Those girls are included, but not limited to: Tiana, Ebony, Corinne and Lauren. Which widens my search for AC from about 10 to god knows who many. But, the upside is that I got another commenter on my blog, Ebony, which I hope keep commenting as I love hearing what people think of my blog (Tiana says it was funny. Just saying.). So I got home, after the train was delayed, but not enough so I missed my bus (I almost mistyped 'missed my bus' as 'kissed my bus.' I had to say that, that was hilarious.). And here I am. I'm also starting hapkido today, which is a Korean martial art and which I am bragging about to everybody (that means you, whoever is reading this.). I also got my New Scientist, and on the front cover it says 'Quantum Fractals.' I held the mag to my chest and said 'Two of my favourite words!' Yes, I am a nerd, and yes, I love it.

Now I start celebrating. It's been a long 50 posts: Over 31,000 words typed in only 7 weeks. My number of readers has skyrocketed, from 1 or 2 in the first few weeks to I'm not sure how many (see Creating Connections thing a few lines up). Comments have also gone up too, with about 2 in the first month to 9 in the last 3 days. Now I'll talk about my readers. Well, a few in particular.
* Victor: First commenter, and one of the first readers. I know that you don't like blogging (you have had two blogs, both deleted, so far.), but thanks for reading.
* John: You actually have a blog (which is awesome, by the way), and you also read my blog a lot. You and Victor (and now maybe Shafi) are the only people in our group who actually read my blog frequently, and I thank you for it.
* My Dad: Didn't expect that? Well, Dad, thanks for reading, it's nice to know my blog is useful, considering you work in Canberra, and you don't usually know about my day in that much detail.
* AC: Whoever you are, you add a bit of mystery into my blog, and that's awesome. My theory is that you are me from a parallel universe (eg: you like Queen, you correct my grammar, and you end your comments like me.).
* Indra, from this blog: I happy to have you read my blog too, and I happy with you too. Thank you for one-time visiting my blog. I will look you up if I ever go to Palembang, Indonesian Countries. (When Babelfish Fails.)
* And to all my newest readers (or, new as in that I just heard about today): I hope you enjoyed my blog. I sure do.

Well, I'm going to sum up now. To everyone, thanks for reading, and please comment, if only to see how many I get (lol).

I can't wait for the next 50,
AB

Cricket and the Case of the Curious Commenter

Apart from the alliteration in the title (of which I seem to do a lot now), today was, in fact, all about a cricket match and a quest for the identity of AC.

I woke up at 5:30 today, a bit like yesterday, and when I realised it was 5:30, I promptly went straight back to sleep. I was woken up at 7:30, as my Dad had to go off to cricket, for his final, and we were scheduled to be there. I first went on my laptop and talked to Victor on trying to work out who AC is. We're still pretty much stumped. But we trawled through comments (a bit like yesterday, but more in detail), to see if we can find anything. We have a few ideas, but not many. Anyway. At around 10:30, we went down to my Dad's cricket game, with me bringing my iPod, 'Twilight,' and 'City of Glass.' Once I finished Twilight, I put my iPod in, and I put on my favourite songs and bands: Queen, 'White Noise,' 'Electric Feel,' the usual. I also played Solitaire on my iPod for a while, and I was on a really good winning streak. Still am, come to think of it. I also got through about halfway of 'City of Glass,' and I can't wait to finish it. That went until around 3, when my Dad got out and it was time to go. He was in for several hours, and that means he's a much better batsman than me. Of course, that's not saying much. Anyway. As I was leaving, I did that peace sign (where I tapped my chest twice with my fist, and do the peace sign.). That is becoming almost habit now. It's still awesome though. When I got home, I did the usual, went on MSN, surfed the net, and now I'm on Skype with John and Victor. We're also discussing who AC is. I have one or two hunches, but again, nothing nearing 100%. However, I really like how I'm finally getting comments, and the fact it's anonymous really is awesome. I sort of want to know, but, as I've said, I sort of don't.

Well, that was short. How about more random lists? Things I like, but shouldn't:
* Funny insults about me. For example, a few days back, Michael (Shay's dad) was talking about how much I listen to Queen, and he said 'Too much Mercury will kill you.' As in Freddie Mercury. That was funny. I probably shouldn't laugh, because it's a joke at my expense, but as I've said before, if you can't laugh at yourself, you can't laugh at anyone.
* Singing to myself. I love it, because I love music, but I shouldn't, because my singing isn't that great (read: horrifyingly bad). But, still, I do it, simply because I can't help myself.

Things I love doing, but people look at me weird about:
* Philosophising. Sometimes I get really deep unintentionally, and at that point I find it best to put on some music and stop thinking, because when I hate overthinking. Luckily, there are some other people who think like I do, like Victor, and John, whose blog is all about that type of thing. Which I think is awesome.
* Writing down the Periodic Table from memory. Which I love doing, but people just look at like I'm some sort of robot. Which sucks, because then people ask me about everything in Science.

Well, I'm going to end today's blog, because my brain is beginning to stop working. After 9:00, thinking is barely allowed. As usual, I welcome any comments, particularly those of AC, because I wouldn't want to lose my only regular commenter. Tomorrow's my 50th post (I know I said Tuesday. Mental malfunction. Hmm... nice ring to it.), and it is going to be great.

Can't wait for Monday (wow, that sounded odd),
AB

A Very Merry Arbitrary Day

After a while trying to think of a title, I came up with this. I love this title. I would give you a rundown of rejected titles, but there were none. Today is also going to be my rant, so let's see what happened.

Period 1 was Maths, which was doing basically no work at all. I love Fridays. Ditto for Drama, which was watching people doing their Drama assessments. After watching a few, I felt less good about mine, especially with Amy's, Rutherford's and Mei-Wei's, to name a few. Even Oscar's was awesome. Then we had Assembly, in which we got to the pool lawn, as Year 12s were using the Hall. We tried to sing the school song, but with no music everyone was singing it at different times, so it wasn't great. Then a new teacher (I think his name is Wenban. Or Winban. Or something.) spoke for 5 minutes inaudibly. Then someone spoke about interact, inaudibly. (There are no microphones here on the pool lawn.). Next we sang the national anthem, with the same problems as the school song. For a selective school, they aren't too bright. Recess was, as always, playing 13, with Victor, John, Andy, Kevin and me. We introduced 2 rules, one of which was scrapped for Lunch, and one of which is here to stay. They are, first, the machine-gun rule, in which one of the bombs is an Ace, King, 4 and 7; or an AK-47. We only played one game with that before the bell went, and in that game Kevin got all of the 7s. The second rule is the flip rule, in which the last card dealt to everybody is flipped face-up. We usually say that that card describes your hand, so it was really funny to see Andy cry out when faced with a 3 of Spades, and frustrating when John got the 2 of Hearts. Then, after all that, it was Commerce, in which we got an assessment task (just when you think they're out, they pull you right back in), and I was called out by Hackett to tell me I'm in something called the Mathematics Enrichment Program, of which I'm a little hazy on the details, but of which I am sure of two things: Only 4 people in Year 10 were invited (me, Mango, Zul and Lana), and it's probably going to be on a Monday. Which is an impossibility for me, as I have to catch the bus home, and I start hapkido next Monday (it's a Korean martial art. I'm really looking forward to it.). I'll have to see what I can do about that. Period 4 was Science, in which I discovered that Robson was leaving (just as Yates before him. Why are all the good teachers leaving?). Bugger.

Lunch was, again, 13, with Eric included too, and Ian here to watch. Ah, cards. What would I do without you? Period 5 was English, which was Hancock reading from a short story (of which I remember little except that it could have been written much better). Finally, it was History, which involved watching a video, and confirming forms saying that, yes, that is my name, and yes, I was in fact born then. As well as getting a research task. It just never ends. But, it's due after the holidays, so that was a load off after a brief panic. I got home (and my New Scientist wasn't there), and watched TV, went on MSN, the usual. And again, here I am, blogging and watching the footy, Geelong v. Hawthorn in the Grand Final rematch. And it seems the game is panning out just like the Grand Final: Geelong leading in the first quarter, but not making the most of it, and Hawthorn coming back in the second quarter seemingly easily. Hmm.

Now my brief rant, again put in the form of a list, as it's a lot easier to write (and think) in the form of lists. More things that annoy me:
* Little kids. I mean, sometimes I'm happy to play Tip or whatever with them, but when I'm trying to get some peace, it's very annoying.
* Made-up compound words that mean exactly the same as their components. Two examples are 'guesstimate' and 'chillax.' Use guess, use estimate. Pick one. Not both.
* People ridiculing the books I read, or even the fact I read. 'Twilight' is awesome and there is no way I'm changing my mind on that.
* When I type my posts, and it screws up on me. Like, when it starts on Overtype mode, or when I press Enter and it skips two lines.

Things that I would like to know:
* The lyrics to every Queen song on 'Greatest Hits I.' I can sing a fair bit of most of them, and almost all of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and 'Bicycle Race,' which was coincidentally the song stuck in my head today.
* The identities of my anonymous commenters. These comments can be found here, here, here, here and here. Some are obvious. Some are not.
* If a girl likes someone. However, I shall resign myself to the fact that there is no way to know how a girl works. I'd still like to know though.

Things I would like other people to know:
* 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail.' Cameron has apparently never seen the movie. I stared at him (or the closest you can come over MSN), like there was something severely wrong with him. If you've never seen it, there's something wrong with you.
* My blog. Because, while I don't blog for other people, I would still like people to see my blog. Show them that I'm not just that kid who reads all the time.
* That I do not know everything. Believe me, I am not the source of all knowledge. Don't come to me with a Science question that your textbook can answer. I am not a textbook.
* Queen. I have been saying this for a long time (in fact, thanks to my blog, I can count it back: I first mentioned Queen on the 15th of February.), but I stick by it: Queen is one of the greatest bands of all time.

Well, I'm gonna wrap this post up. Today was a very fun day, and I wanted to do a rant for a while, I just didn't have the time. On Tuesday, if I continue my unspoken vow of at least one post a day (which is not so unspoken any more), it will be my 50th post. I can't wait. That will be a blog of dedication and remembrance.

I Heart Random Rants,
AB