Advice for Surviving Year 12 (in style)! January 26, 2009

So, gearing up for Year 12, I’ve been hearing and hearing mountain loads of advice on what to do, what not to do, how to achieve that highest possible glittering gold enter.

So, in sum, I shall collate it here:

MARTY

Study! Study! Study!

Qualification: Just finished Year 12 with an Enter of 93

“dont think of it as a whole year, it feels overwhelming, just look after the current day and it will work out

and do it in the interests of education rather than enter score

so if your enjoying what you do as much you can then it should be a good year”

ESTHER

Qualification: A Camp Leader of mine who has some great advice

“The best thing I did for year 12 was to have coffee with my friends once a week”

“Read all your English books in the summer holidays”

Nicholas Mannering

Qualification: Kwong Dow Lee Young Scholar

“You’ll see the HSC is a test on you as a person, where you are what you want to be and if you’ve got the guts to hang in there.”

Matthras

Qualification: Kwong Dow Lee Young Scholar

“Definitely maintain your social life. I personally think you shouldn’t drastically change it because your brain needs ‘break time’ to take in and process the information you’re studying (which is the same reason why sleep is important). For me, I actually decided to commit myself to an hour’s study a night. However you all know as well as I do that it’s not the hours, it’s how you study.
And if you have a hobby or something, or regularly go out somewhere different every weekend, that’s always a good distractor.”

Xavier Snell

Qualification: Kwong Dow Lee Young Scholar
“Just a couple of tips I found useful last year, and yes keeping in the theme of ‘balance’

Sleep is important and cannot be compensated with caffeine, staying up to 1am may get some homework done, but it will be of poor quality and the next day you will be tired and this will cause your workload and stress to increase.

Find a group of like-minded (ie study orientated) who are doing some of the same subjects, being able to talk with friends is a great help, for you and them, and if you share subjects you can draw paralells between the subjects and study effectively

Use your school’s facilities as much as possible, most teachers are willing to help students who want to learn at lunch time and after school, and the school library (or other areas that are quiet and have resources) is a great place to study, if you feel your not getting study done at home or a friend’s house.

But with that, you need balance. Year 12 is not entirely about studying, you have to take time out to enjoy life, friends, family, a party every now and then, a good book, that isn’t on the text list, or just watching the odd movie or favourite tv show are always great relaxation and stress relievers.

But no matter what you’ve got to remember that it is your year, not your parents’ not your teachers’ or a future uni’s year, you have to find a balance, and how you want to work, and within a few weeks of year 12, the euphoria and excitement of the final year wear off and hopefully you will find your niche and enjoy the year.”

How to Get out of Your Comfort Zone these Holidays January 25, 2009

Summer holidays…perfect for chillaxin’ and sleeping in, but also for stretching yourself beyond the norm…grasp the opportunity of breaking out of the routine these holidays

Here are a few ideas:

• Do something you’ve never done before

This could be taking a different route home, going to a nearby town you’ve never been before, talking to a different person you’ve never talked to before, watch a Sci-fi movie if you usually watch Romantic Comedies…you get the idea. Try the opposite concept – whatever you usually do try the opposite of. You usually stay up late? Try getting up early, really early, to watch the sunset. You usually listen to classical music? Try some heavy metal. Or if you’re usually into rock try some jazz.

My “new” thing this summer was starting this blog! I had always intended to try something like this out and with the extra time needed to set one up, I went for it! And voila, here’s the product.

• Do something crazy

Wear crazy clothes – mismatching fluro colours, top hat, feather boa and blame it on the summer heat. Try eating some wacky foods from other countries. Snails can be quite nice, or even better try cooking it yourself to REALLY extend yourself. Crazy things are always more fun – and get more out of hand with friends so grab a crowd and try speaking in a British accent all day on the trains.

A group of my friends and I started singing the song we were learning at a camp down the street, harmonies, facial expressions and all in the middle of a busy Melbourne street and the reactions of the people around us were hilarious! We even had a bride in dress and all come down and boogie with us.

Get into the spirit of Summer!

• Learn a new skill

You have all this time, so why not?! Check out a TAFE course or a short course at a university. If you’re a teen or a kid there are plenty of summer programs out there in anything you could possibly want from Jewellery Making to Martial Arts to Waterskiing. Dance is always fun and aerobic. You can meet some great people this way too; people you wouldn’t normally hang out with who add an extra dimension to your life.

I did a Musical Theatre Group at a music summer school this year and made a heap of new friends and improved my vocal technique and stetched myself.

• Stay at a random relatives place

This idea has many upsides to it:

Firstly, it’s free and a chance to see new places and meet new people which goes well with our first step

Secondly, it gives you a chance to connect with people who face it ARE related to you. You can get to hear some great family stories that prehaps you’ve never had the chance to before.

• Volunteer

What better way to spend the summer than to spend it helping other people. There are countless organisations where you can volunteer. you’ll find that although you set out to try and help other people, they end up helping you in deeper ways than you can ever imagine!

Diary of a 12 year old girl Part 2 January 17, 2009

The Story so far…I’ve been getting out those old, shameful diaries and have found them rather interesting and amusing and so have collated the interesting and amusing bits for your reading pleasure (I’ve left original spelling and punctuation, it adds I think):

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23rd October 2002

“Today Danielle wasnt here, so the boys completely ignored us! Outrageous! We’ll just ignore them tomorrow”

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11-12-03 (Scary/Exciting Orientation Day)

“The short boy I was telling you about gave me a squashed, demented Mintie, I dont know why, pity on the crippled?!”

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12th Frday December 2003

“I’m am in highest heaven right now! A new L.M. Montgomery book! ‘Course I had to order it from the bookshop, but it is here now and it’s the completion of the Emily Series. It rasied an interestingpoint about fairies. Cousin Jimmy said, “Well you know, if a fairy was really-truly it wouldnt be a fairy”

So, if fairies were real, (which my common sense implors, ‘their not‘) than they wouldnt be a fairy. I agree. i love the word fairy, its dainty and light and dancing on tip toes; it reeks of imaginations=. Their moonlights of imagination, they’re born by it and grown in sunshine and dew – like plants! They blossom in shadey, mossey dells, hidden by guaridan tree’s in the moonlight which is so silvery ( I love that word as well!) its white, pure light”

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Wednesday 17th December 2003

6:37 “Its a hot air tonight. ‘Hot air’ isnt a very good description I would put ‘Meditteranean air’ but its not that – Meditteranean air has a spice about it.”

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Tuesday 23 December 2003

“This year we have candles (Mum doesn’t like Christmas tree’s), and they look very alluring with their soft glow”

“There was this 14 year old boy, who had this amazing voice! It sounded just like a man’s! It did not suit his body”

“I told Mum, that if I died, she could read my diary, so I should watch what I write I ‘spose. I dont know who’s gonna read this in the end. It could get published! Millions of people could read this word I pen down! Or no one will ever read this, maybe, maybe only God and I will ever know what’s written here, or maybe it’ll get as famous as Anne Franks…Oh rats

I know I’ll read this when I’m 20 or so, and I’ll pass it down to my children, and they’ll pass it down to their children…wow! Actually it’s hardly likely that this’ll get published, unless I survive World War 2 or get cancer or something.

What a relief!. It would give me the heebie jeebies thinking that heaps of people will read this…unless I’m dead, then I wouldnt mind so much”

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Wednesday 24th December 2003

“I have discovered a new thing. When I just can’t get to sleep, when I just cant get comfortable; when I want a change of thoughts; I change over and sleep the other way around! It works pretty well”

‘Christmas is here

Where did it go?

Why did it leave?

I want to know’

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Saturaday 27th December 2003

“There’s two types of cute, boy cute (meaning hot, handsome, good lookin’) and bunny rabbit cute and fluffy.”

“The Aunties do the Aunty thing (hugging, kissing, ‘oh how you’ve grown’ ‘how tall you are!’ ‘I like your clothes/hair/shoes’) while the Uncles stand back fora hug or a hand shake.”

Jarrod (my little cousin) immediately takes my hand (i’m that girl’) to show me his Christmas presents/ He gave me ‘serious’ instructions on how to handle the remote control cars ‘without getting burn’t’.”

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Tuesday 13th January 2004

“[the uniforms] are just like the ones off Home and Away (not that I watch that show – I detest it actually. But heaps of people think that it’s cool – not that that makes t cool but it’s alright! having people think its cool – if you know what I mean) *note…I dont actually!

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18-01-03

“Brain fog – that explains it exactly. A dense cloud covering, that makes it really hard to think or concentrate. I dont know how to get rid of it, usually it disperses but lately it’s just been a drone.

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23-01-04

This day marks a significant stepping stone –

TODAY I SHAVED MY LEGS FOR THE FIRST TIME!

Well, it isnt that significant, nor did I technically shave. I used this hair removal cream which is pain free. My leg hair was atrocious, I really desperately needed it…So Mum lathered the cream (that smelt strongly of plasticy kind of) on the bottom half (below the knee) of my lef. She smoothed it with goo and after five minutes we scraped it off with a scrapey thing and wallah! so smooth legs. But my legs were so hairythat I had to do it twice. But it feels weird now, like plastic. Fake legs.

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27-01-04

“I dont think the icing really went with the chocolate, but if you pull off the icing, eat the cake, then the icing, as I do, it was alright”

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Thursday 29th January 2004

MY FIRST DAY OF HIGH SCHOOL!

on combination locks…”It took me a couple of tries to get it, but Renee and Elizabeth a lot longer! Though, I couldn’t help them because no one is allowed to know the combination lock”

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Sunday 8th Febraury 2004

“I have decided, in my future, I want it to involve God, music and writing. A career along those lines.”

*Note this has not changed

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10-02-04

“(I would have more progress if the telley wasnt on – the killer of all good intentions)

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12-02-04

“It felt very gallant to give up a seat to someone else, like I was some kind of knight in shining armour!”

“Apparently, the lady who is looking after Mum, her husband is the man who Dad occassionally shears for, and at the Prespryterian Concert, her daughter played the keyboard and her sons in Grade 8 and 11 both go to St. Mary’s It is a small world! Isnt it, amazing how people can be connected to us, and we probably dont even know it like, my pen pal, Carmen probably knows 500-1000 people, right, so if I ever meet one of them, we’re connected because they’re the so and so of my Spanish pen pal! So that means that every single person you know, wehter it be the bus driver or best pal, all the friends they make, and the people they know are connected to you also! you could be easily connected to the whole world, actually you are because the cycle keeps on going, like waves rolling into each other. For instance, lets go back to my pen pal, the friend of hers knows eight hundred people, then, all of them know another eight hundred people, then the friends of the friends of the friends of my pen pal know aother thousand people, so in the end; your connected to the world.

My point? I have no idea”

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RELATED POSTS:

• The First ‘Diary of a 12 Year old Girl’
• ‘Goals and Dreams of a 12 Year Old Girl’

Favourite Terry Pratchett Quotes from ‘Making Money’ January 16, 2009

“Hell knows and heaven suspects”

A recommended Novel

———————————————————————

“I’m an Igor, thur. We dont athk quethntionth.’

‘Really? Why not?’

‘I don’t know, thur. I didn’t athk”

——————————————————————–

“Pucci stood ignored and steaming with rage for a while and then flounced out. It was a good flounce, too. She had no idea how to handle people and she tried to make self-esteem do the work of self-respect, but the girl could flounce better than a fat turkey on a trampoline”

——————————————————————-

“‘Just as I thought,’ he said, pocketing the tube. ‘You forgot to take the cap off. It’s the kind of mistake amateurs always make!’

Owlswick hesitated, and then said, ‘You mean there’s people who commit suicide professionally'”

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“Professionals have their pride. There had to be some people you wouldn’t rob, some things you didn’t teal. and you had to have style. If you didn’t have style, you’d never fly”

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“Stand still and your mistakes catch up with you”

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‘THE CABINENT CLOSES IN THREE MINUTES, GENTLEMEN. ALL RESEARCHERS INSIDE THE AFETY AREA NOW, PLEASE. BE THERE OR BE SQUARE!’

‘Be there or be square?’ said Moist, as Ponder lowered the megaphone.

‘Oh a couple of years ago someone ignored the warning and, um, when the Cabinent folded up he temporaily became a curiosity’.

‘You mean he ended up inside a fourteen-inch cube?’ said Moist, horrified.

——————————————————————

‘You’re not going to tell me they built fifty-foot high killer golems, are you?’

‘Only a man would think of that.’

‘It’s our job,’ said Moist. ‘If you don’t think of fifty-foot high killer golems first, someone else will.’

——————————————————————

TO SUM UP THE STORY

‘So…’ said Adora Belle, ‘a mad old lady – all right, a very astute mad old lady – died and gave you her dog, which sort of wears this bank on it’s collar, and you’ve told everyone that gold is worth less than potatoes, and you broke a darstardly criminal out of your actual Death Row, he’s in the cellar designing “banknotes” for you, you’ve upset the nastiest family in the city, people are queueing to join the bank because you make them laugh…what have I missed?’

SOME OTHER REVEIWS ON MAKING MONEY

http://thevoidstuff.wordpress.com/2007/09/06/book-making-money-terry-pratchett/

http://www.kreativrauschen.com/blog/2008/02/03/making-money-%E2%80%93-the-36th-discworld-novel-by-terry-pratchett-book-review/

http://icantstopreading.wordpress.com/2008/07/02/making-money-by-terry-pratchett/

Best Summer Song January 15, 2009

My Summer Anthem for ’09 is Jack Johnson’s ‘BubbleToes’

From the Album 'Brushfire Fairytales'

It’s so quirky and you know what I’d like to pretend I was that girl in the song, “Beauty will follows wherever she goes”

I like the line “Move like a Jellyfish, rhythm means nothing you go with the flow dont stop”

Plus it’s so funky and danceable which a summer song should be, with a kicking rhythm part and funky guitar riff bordering on a Latin vibe.

Mmmm that’s summer for me!

Goals and dreams of a 12 year old girl

I was reading my old diaries – which prompted this series cos I just got to share the funny and interesting things I’m discovering in it.

Writing in my diary as a youngster

Anyway these were my goals for 2004 as a totally innocent 12 year old girl (I find them quite inspiring and a little amusing)

RELATIONSHIP GOALS

– Parents

• Try to avoid fighting. Usually their way is right
• To be a loving daughter and responsible daughter

– Austin (my bro)

• To avoid fighting. Remember he is very sensitive
• To encourage and build him up
• To spend wholsome time with him

– Friends

• To witness in lifestyle and choices
• To be encouraging, to help them achieve their best
• Don’t be selfish or jealous
• Dont strive to be popular but just to appreciate the friends I have
• For correspondence friends reply in good time

VIOLIN/MUSIC

• Take grade five exam and hopefully get good results (got an A!)
• To be in Davis at Border Music Camp (thats the top orchestra and i believe I did!)
• To Give music
• Practice at least every second day (Note – now im like “practice for two hours a day!)
• Guitar 0 to practice quicker chord changes (Note -Now im like learn how to go 9’s and 11’s)
• Singing – work on staying in tune and projection

WRITING GOALS

• To write regularly in this diary
• To work on poems and stories
• Enter competitions (who nkows what could happen!) *Note I did and won a short story comp that year

OTHER

• Stop picking sores (*note I achieved this)
• Stop biting nails (*note, I havent quite achieved this)
• Dont chew on hair (ewwww!) *note YES I HAVE STOPPED THIS LONG AGO!!

This ends my goals for 2004. Work on them, strive for them, achieve them.

Maybe things haven’t changed much since then (except the chewing on the hair part), it’s interesting msot of the things i was striving for then I am still striving for today. Have I come far on the jounrey? I’m certain that I have…

If you want to read some more from my diary as a 12 year old you can read these posts:

* Diary of a Twelve Year Old Girl

Diary of a 12 year Old January 14, 2009

I have been keeping an extensive and inseparable diary for years – ever since I was eleven. Seven years on, hundreds of words and 37 diaries later I am still writing in my diaries as much as ever.

Anyway, last night I was perusing my old diary – the one I called ‘Rosa De Moverly’ (back in my Anne of Green Gables obsessed days) and it was pretty much the funniest thing I have read in a long time

So here I shall publish the funny and interesting excerpts from the diary of a 12 year old book and boy obsessed girl (and wonder whether I have changed all that much!)

Oh and I’m keeping the original spelling and grammar

* Saturday 26th October 2003 (After breaking my leg doing long jump at the school sports)

The Young Diary Writer - very impressionable!

“It’s kind of dumb how people say, ‘are you alright?’ when your there, tears pouring down your face combining with sand and snot. I suppose it’s also a sign they care.”

* Sunday 27st October 2003 (as part of a story I wrote)

“His face was a hopeless, barren desert when you are slowley dying of thirst and a terrorist holds you at gun point deciding whether or not to blow your brains to bits while he drinks the last few drops you have, then spits it in your face”

“Lucille cried out like an eagle having its wings hacked”

* Friday 7th November 2003 (the days of the Primary school romance. I find the shock and outrage of this excerpt quite funny)

“But not as obssesed as Danielle is about Brad – you should see her! She writes his name everywhere, over and over again. Yesterday she gave him her first proper kiss – on the lips! They’ve pecked before (4 times) but not on the lips. Shhhhh….dont tell anyone.”

* Monday 10th November 2003 (about our school camp to Canberra)

“On the seat beside me was Danielle and Bradley – two loverbirds . They held hands passionately near the end for a long time! It made me want to puke and I kept on giving Danielle “looks” to convey my message.”

* 24th Monday November 2003 (you can see the beginnings of my feminist thinking here yet still boy obsessed)

“I like to have muscles, to not cry much, to not be girlish and gigglish, to like cars and leggo and footey.”

“Back to transition. Sorry I get off the subject  a lot, my train of thought you see, but who really cares, I dont think this will be published; and even if it is no one will care because they’ll be too engrossed in all my interesting stuff I have to say…where was I?”

* Sunday 30th November 2003

“…but he had nice eyes. Usually nice eyes is a saving grace to a male who usually would look, well, pretty ordinary.”

* 6-01-04

“There are lots of curious things in this world, things that are fun to speculate, but can give you a headache if you dwell on them too long”

“(I think we will be pinching pennies – but pinching hurts so much!)”

* 7-01-04

“The easiest way to fake tears, is to think of something realy sad like when Matthew dies in Anne of Green Gables and what his last words were (that always gets me in tears)

“If I couldnt read (or write) I dont know what I’d do. I’d just be existing, flavour would go out of life making it blonde. But I can, no fear (by the way, the same definitely applies to music)”

9-01-04

“(I’m very fond of brackets, and semi-colons; but mostly brackets)”

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Renee-isms January 13, 2009

My best friend Renee is a classic, she’s not blonde (red hair) but she says the most hilarious things without meaning to, and so this will be an ever growing list of those things…

“I’m not insulting you, I am merely bagging you out”

“He spoke well English”

“Erin, don’t worry, you’re just deficient”

“I do enjoy eating food” (as opposed to….?)

“Ethan, why do have a washing machine out here that’s just WEIRD!” (it was a drinks fridge)

later that night, me (in panicked tone): “where’s the fridge gone?!!!” (I was sitting on it)

and my own Renee-ism “If I was me I’d be scared of me”

Yeah we’re two of a kind

Two fo a kind

How to Get your Butt off Facebook and Stop Wasting Time January 12, 2009

Alright I basically wrote this for myself cos I let Facebook eat up way too much of my waking hours that could be spent in some other way. And judging from what i see of my friends, they do too. So I write this for all of us, sharing advice that hopefully I will make myself follow one of these days!

….New Years Resolutions anyone?

From what I can see it’s a cycle, I feel I have to check it at least once a day to stay in the circle of gossip but then realise that most of the ‘friends’ I am reading up about are people I met years ago who I’m not actually all that interested whose contact should have been naturally died ages ago.

That’s not to say I dont love facebook but it’s just so time consuming and doesn’t really bring much in return, only shreds of lukewarm gossip.

And so I’m thinking less time on the darstardly thing will be a good idea

So, here are some strategies:

Limits!

Set yourself a limit to how much time you ARE going to waste on the thing cos cold turkey is so hard.

So set a timer i.e. ten minutes and stick to it

And limit yourself to checking it once a day or whatever, this helps wean your dependance from it

Focus!

When you go on the computer, or on facebook I find that I am most productive and less time-wasting if I have a clear idea of what I’m doing.

So, if need be write down exactly the tasks you hope to achieve e.g. “send comment to Elisa”, “send gift to Hugh for birthday”, “check mail” or at least have a clear idea in your head what you want to do and STICK WITH IT and DONT GET DISTRACTED and GET OUT OF THERE as soon as it’s all done

Do something Else!

There are countless other things to do. turn the computer off. Go outside for a walk. Call up a friend. Read a book (go Terry Pratchett!!) Get ideas.

As one of my favourite posts of all time from Alex the girl says,

“Please go out there and do. Live. Don’t be the same as yesterday. Don’t live vicariously online. Don’t use language that has no meaning or talk ideas you don’t really live. Don’t hide. Don’t copy others or live their ideas or life. Don’t fear doing your thing. Don’t fear doing. Instead of reading a decorating magazine, paint that room. Instead of thinking of baking, do up a cake. Run, walk, bike. Put that self help book down and pick up yourself.” (read the whole thing at alexthegirl.com it’s excellent!)

So I go now, and I’m going to try not to be a hypocrite and so I’ll follow my advice and go and DO something!

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Advice for Teens Getting Their Wisdom Teeth Out January 8, 2009

As spoken from experience because I’m actually experiencing it right now wrapped up in some groovy icepack thing

Help this little feller on his way to recovery

Anyways, here’s some tips

1) DONT PANIC

…as the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Advises. You only make it worse. Oh sure, everytime you mention your upcoming operation you get gasps, sympathetic looks, winces and horror stories and I myself was starting to freak out after experiencing these sorts of reactions EVERYTIME I TOLD SOMEONE! But it isn’t all that bad and countless people go through it and come through to the other end unscarred. Mine was only a half hour procedure. So relax.

2) Stock up on Icecream, Jelly, Yoghurt and Chocoalte Mousse

..this is the best excuse in the world to indulge and NO ONE is going to begrude you. Side’s icecream is my favourite because it slips down with minimal chewing (which is a good thing), tastes good and cools the insides of the mouth.

3) REST!

…ok so you’re up to the eyes with painkillers and you’re not feeling sick at all…but trust me this is only an illusion. Dont do what I did and get all excited and start doing stuff and then collapse in a mess as a weakling for the rest of the day. Just lie down on the couch surrounded by movies, books, ipods, kittens and whatever else takes your fancy andwhittle away the time nicely.