|
|
Tuesday, February 1st, 2005
| |
8:14 pm
|
it's finally february! short months are always good, even when they include things like valentine's day...
116 days til i graduate.
i'm majorly procrastinating, but whatever. i've had some vaguely odd occurrences in the last week and do feel like sharing. read on, curious ones...
1) procter and gamble bought gillette
okay, not exactly odd in the general sense of the word. i mean, it was bound to happen given gillette's eensy size and procter and gamble's love of collecting eensy companies. still. i find it highly amusing and a little disconcerting that the very company that my dad quit to move to gillette just bought gillette. and somewhat uncertain as to what will happen next. i mean, p&g has someone in my dad's position...they technically don't need him. this will likely lead to another move. luckily, i will be happily ensconsed in a college by the time this happens. hopefully. there's always the chance my dad could up and leave before the end of the year to a new city and commute until my sister finishes school here. the very word moving creeps me out these days...
2) odd friend occurrences
well. semi-friend anyways. the younger, highly entertaining sister of my old friend *dawson* better known in these parts as he-who-shall-not-be-named. i have a lovely msn picture on my msn...big surprise, i mean that's part of the fun, right? well i was duly admiring hers, shane west, after she so spontaneously messaged me last week. yes, i know i haven't talked to her in months given the highly deteriorated state of my relationship with HIM, but one can always share in the admiration of shane west. apparently i look lovely in my picture...always nice to hear i suppose but i've never been good with the whole compliment thing. when himself tried it, i mocked, teased or generally distracted him so i would avoid the awkwardness of *oh, um, thanks* it's not like i can take any credit on the occasions i look all prettyfied. my mom is quite lovely, it's all the nice genes i inherited. nothing to do with me. in any case, talking to said younger sibling puts me in mind of himself and i miss him. more than the usual dull but not easily forgotten back-of-the-mind ache that is missing him. when does that go away, i'd like to know. it's been so long...and it's not like everything was perfect when we were actually on speaking terms.
i mean, anyway versus anyways? never would have lasted.
but still.
3) school
as usual, the bane of my entire existence. mock exams last week and i've done quite worse than even i expected which is saying a lot. failed math...i did have a pretty good idea of that having only answered 5 questions out of 20. why oh why did anyone let me take higher level? why did i find calculus so entertaining? it's not really. not on an exam where you have 6 minutes per question and have to integrate something that looks like it's made up of the entire alphabet--plus some. and what's with the theta instead of plain old x? are we tired of x? has no one informed me that x is passe? i'm highly offended, especially since i lost a mark for changing the cheeky newcomer into an x for the purposes of calculation and forgot to change it back.
who does that? really.
4) IB
okay, i know this kinda falls under the previous title, but whatever. the entire program is a bad bad thing. it deserves it's own little section where people can throw tomatoes at it. booo! i have two of my real oral exams next week, the icky kind that are recorded and sent off to the IBO where someone i don't even know listens and determines whether i know poetry, or speak french well. i could have told them that without requiring the silly little cassette: an unqualified no. to both. poetry mystifies me. while pretty, what use does it really have? give me a good book any day. and french? forget it! when in the real world will i need to be able to converse on global warming? or write a letter to the editor rebuking his position on child rearing? i don't even do that in english!
5) february
yes, it's only just started and i realize that...but people in my couple infested school are already starting in on the *only two weeks to find someone who will give you a rose as a symbol of what's supposed to be his undying love but really you only break up two weeks later*
okay, they don't say that. but me and my poor bitter baboon so do. let's review: the past few valentine's days have been a real blast (sense the sarcasm dripping from each word)
9th grade...hopelessly in love (or at least infatuated) with the first crush of my life who unfortunately was a bit of a jerk. or a lot of one. turns out his date and i liked the same dress---enough to buy it. quel horror! i spent the dance sidestepping an over friendly junior and feeling somewhat inadequate because i did not know the electric slide. plus, the friend i brought with me outshined me by half. first time i realized valentine's day is not just a day for getting some pretty trinket from the parents, but that girls actually receive what i in my hopelessly romantic state viewed as vital: the whole rose/hallmark/teddy bear thing. who can resist the lure of a teddy bear?
unless it comes from creepy junior boy (see above) in which case i totally could.
10th grade...things seemed like they could change and i would become a bona fide fan of this over commercialized holiday due to my love interest who happily reciprocated said love. sadly, he (actually he-who-shall-not-be-named) decided a girlfriend might be a little more than he could handle, and told me in no uncertain terms that i was wasting my time--and his.
11th grade...had the boyfriend, but he happened to be in italy. for the entire week. and i hadn't seen him in two months. long distance relationships are just fabulous, really.
not.
and finally this year...shall be in dubai which i must say is an improvement over past years, but still no rose. it does figure the one guy who's ever given me a rose didn't mean anything by it. i mean, true that waiting for a flower with thorns no less that lasts about as long as the guy's ardor does is a silly girly thing to do. i honestly get that. but i had hoped that someone who gave me a long stemmed rose would be someone...well, someone i guess.
anyways. that just about sums up the odd occurrences and things that are bugging me and i have efficiently wasted 42 minutes. yay for me!
good things going on (just for you missa!) let's see...i may be coming down with a cold so i can miss school!
just kidding. not about the cold part, but about the yay part.
okay...good things. i have a piano lesson tomorrow which is fun cuz piano is awesome. now all i have to do is find a voice teacher and i'll be all set again. i strained a muscle or something dancing the other night (or something...it's hard to translate and my dance instructor is definitely not of the english language speakers). so i can relax all week hehehe always a good time. and did well on my french exam. and had the house relatively to myself due to the parental units being out of town which allowed me to veg and watch buffy on dvd for hours on end to zone out. oh, and ate whole jar of nutella.
perhaps why i feel sick?
46 minutes...now i'm starting to feel somewhat guilty and highly panicked. have history notes on the mexican revolution to do, as well as math exam corrections (15 questions, whoo hoo!) and piano practice cuz my lesson was moved from friday to tomorrow. and find an econ article for next commentary due friday.
no worries. honestly.
although if anyone has an econ article lying about on trade, development or macroeconomics do feel free to pass it along.
arrivederci to all :)
current mood:  sick
current music: ronan keating *last thing on my mind*
|
|
(1 comment | comment on this)
|
| Monday, January 24th, 2005
| |
11:42 am
|
hi all those people who have nothing better to do than read my lj :)
and nihao to all friends from far away like california (positively outer space i tell you) who i don't see or talk to very often and therefore must read about me in this
sadly i cannot write much as exams have started [ Error: Irreparable invalid markup ('<gasp!>') in entry. Owner must fix manually. Raw contents below.] hi all those people who have nothing better to do than read my lj :)
and nihao to all friends from far away like california (positively outer space i tell you) who i don't see or talk to very often and therefore must read about me in this
sadly i cannot write much as exams have started <gasp! the horror> and i have two years worth of econ to cram in one night! i love my work ethic, or rather, lack thereof. note to self: do better. and stop writing notes to self.
that all said, must go. will write more when inspired or when i feel i need to procrastinate. which will probably come before having inspiration :)
current mood:  bouncy
current music: *last thing on my mind*
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| Sunday, October 17th, 2004
| |
10:50 pm
|
my idiot computer just deleted what i wrote twice now and I GIVE UP! i hate technology. with a passion. i hate a bad weekend and this evil contraption thinks its funny to further annoy me. i think i should find out how fond the computeris of being chucked out a window. leave me a nice message anyone :) i'm too irritated/annoyed/pissed off to write another long message which the idiot box will only delete...off to watch tv (the nicer idiot box which cannot/does not delete things like my bio labs, world lit paper and college essay) alias, which is my substitute until dawson's creek arrives lol havent watched tv in ages, so might be fun. ciao!
current mood:  pissed off
|
|
(1 comment | comment on this)
|
| Wednesday, October 6th, 2004
| |
7:31 pm - i should be doing homework...
|
i was reading a few other people's livejournals and it just occurred to me how many people put that they're unhappy, or lonely in their profile (including me on occasion). is it just me, or is that strange? how hard is it to be someone's friend? even if you're not crazy about them...for example, there's this girl i really just don't get along with at my school. let's call it a difference of opinions. anyways, i don't really like her, and i know the feeling is mutual. yet, she was crying the other day in a room by herself, and i inadvertently walked in. (whoops) *are you alright?* just popped out before i even thought about who it was that was upset. she talked to me for a little while, maybe 20 minutes or half an hour, and at the end i think we both felt better. i, because sometimes just listening is all i need, and her because she found someone who doesnt really know whats going on and therefore cannot judge. perfect situation, right? she talks, i listen, we dont have to be best friends to do that...but someone asking me how i'm feeling, or actually noticing if i seem exceedingly happy or sad, that's kinda nice. a phone call just to say hi, a msg because someone thought of you...even better. i don't have many people i count as my best friends (apparently i don't *open up* enough to truly be friends with anyone...make of that what you will) but it appears i have a myriad of people who just like to check in. as i said...kinda nice.
anyways, i had tok presentation today which i kinda thought sucked but apparently the teacher liked it which is always a good thing. its an internal assessment grade so i was slightly freaked out (ok a lot) but all went well...plus i got to watch a bunch of alias last night for school! lol my mom came in and asked if i was supposed to be working and i WAS working! had to use a scene from one of the shows in my presentation...funfunfun. english presentation wasnt so bad i spose, i couldnt think of anything intelligent to say on angela vicario's *loss of honor* though. mmm...history test, not so bad. my hand is cramped up permanently i think lol but otherwise, alright. i crammed cuz i worked on my yale app all last night, plus went to the college fair AND worked on other stuff so i knew very few hard facts but i remembered years and in one case months! and i write well enough i think i can cover up my extreme lack of knowledge...on our last exam i completely screwed up the dates and therefore the order of events in my essay and still got a 7...favoritism cant be all bad :-P
off to do college essays...my counselor didnt really like my latest one so its back to brainstorming. any ideas, leave me a msg lol i need them! my app is due monday :-S so i'm on to my eighth draft...ciao!
current mood:  giddy
current music: pieces of me
|
|
(9 comments | comment on this)
|
| Tuesday, October 5th, 2004
| |
8:47 pm
|
wow it's been awhile...busybusy. i keep thinking *just keep swimming...just keep swimming* (lol nemo fans) you know you dont update enough when you get to your page and they've completely changed the layout of the site. scary...
what have i been doing? well...let's see. schoolwork is a big one. whatever happened to senioritis?! i have more work this week than i've had in the last two years...what a joke. senior year is supposed to be easier, not a million times harder. i had a big french oral today which i screwed up...i get so nervous speaking another language in front of my classmates (teenagers tend to judge...myself included) so i sounded all stilted and whatever. AND i have another oral tomorrow that i'm actually not prepared for. its this group project for theory of knowledge...my partner and i decided to do ours on privacy and the ethics of gaining knowledge through invasion of privacy. its a really cool topic but frustrating to try and explain. then i have college apps, not to mention essays that are part of the IB program and finally, CAS projects. ick...my yale app has to be in monday :-S
on a cheerier note lol i went to the college fair tonight at la chat so i could meet some of the representatives...i did get some work done, but i have to say, the guy at the conn college booth was soooo cute lol i'm not normally easily swayed (i've had how many crushes? i think i'm still in the single digits) but he was adorable...just graduated this year which makes him a little old for me, but he lives in london and is funny too yeah lol so that was fun. the guy from yale was a little snippy so i didnt talk to him long and now i;m interested in johns hopkins (yes, yet another school for the list...) i'm going to nyc in a little less than two weeks to look at barnard and union...should be fun :) plus i get to see a friend i havent been able to hang out with in years. pluses all around
in any case, must get back to the tok...i'm really quite embarassed i let my journal go so long lol i wish things in my life would slow down a bit. its not even like i'm busy with a social life. this weekend, i stayed in friday and saturday to hang with my cat and went to church with my dad sunday (first time in almost 2 years) it wasn't so bad...they played a song i love and the priest is this little irish leprechaun-like guy who must be about 100 :) i love meeting interesting people.
i'm off track again...ciao :)
current mood: giggly
current music: head over feet (alanis morissette)
|
|
(1 comment | comment on this)
|
| Thursday, September 9th, 2004
| |
6:54 pm
|
wow it's been forever since i posted...school has me so busy i barely have time for the necessities such as sleep, food, and of course...everwood. although the new series (2) for me has ended and 3 doesn't start til january...or february tragedy...whatever will i do with the extra hour or so every night?!
much to catch up on...so, the friend who basically stopped contacting me in anyway shape or form? let's call him rob, makes things easier lol missa knows what (or who actually) i'm talking about...yeah, he apologized yesterday. which was nice i guess, in a weird way. it's been two weeks since i said anything to him (longest we've gone without talking since october of sophmore year) and i think it was actually easier like that. out of sight out of mind i guess...anyways, i was surprised by the apology. it would have meant more had he called instead of doing it online, but whatever. then i talked to missa and apparently they had a little chat about me earlier. am i wrong to be upset? i mean, if he had apologized cuz he really felt bad, it'd be one thing...but to be guilted into because he knew he was going to see me at some point next week? (mutual friend's 18th birthday)
what else...it's amazing how much a phone call can cheer you up :) i was lying in bed feeling sorry for myself because i feel horrible (some kind of virus i think) i can't swallow without it hurting which is kind of annoying, and forget sleeping for any length of time. then the phone rang...someone i haven't talked to in awhile. and to be honest, i never thought they'd call :) so yay for people like that...i'm all smiley now, despite the icky headache/sore throat.
i have a load of work to do tonight in spite of the whole being sick thing...CAS folder is being collected tomorrow, english notes, bio questions, economics reading, history questions, and of course, those pesky college essays. i wish people could just apply minus the essays...after all this work i'm putting in to my yale application, i hope i get in :-P what a waste of time otherwise...i know it's best that i try and that putting in effort is a good thing, but honestly, i'm so burned out on the college thing...i'm all *can i just be there now* so the actual appying is taking a major show of willpower. i hope it's worth all this...
so yes, on to my lovely work. hopefully it won't take long...although i haven't updated my CAS binder since may lol so it may be while :-P
ciao :)
current mood: sick
current music: innocent eyes
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| Saturday, September 4th, 2004
| |
5:39 pm
|
*~ spinning around trying not to look down ~* says:
Basically, there’s an evil baboon...
and he controls who you fall for..and he delights in picking people who will treat you badly or people that logistically, its not a good idea to fall for and he doesn’t go away cuz he sucks
Please? says:
then we could paint his ass blue, he'd never be attractive to the other baboons, not be able to mate and so when he dies, he'd have no offspring to pass along his trade to and we could all live happily ever after
figure the average life span of a baboon is about 10 years, he's been fucking with me for 3 years, which makes him at YOUNGEST 3, giving us a maximum of having to deal with him for another 7 years
at which point it will actually be important for us not to have the baboon fucking with us so that we can get married and live happily ever after
^the baboon theory, as conceived and expanded upon by melissa, kady and taryn
current mood: cranky
current music: the rasmus
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| Friday, September 3rd, 2004
| |
7:27 pm
|
IHDqgbfeoufgv/2'1gufq!@H2g'fq[ c125irh2egb;f ve20[ik
i just wrote a reeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaally long entry that took me 30 minutes and my stupid computer (which will be soaring through a window in about 10 minutes) just decided to delete it and apparently my one attempt to save it did NOTHING. AGH. this is so typical okay, i had school this week, and i'm exhausted from that, i really do not need my computer to hate me. anyways, i'm going out so i'll attempt to recreate my lovely entry again when i get home around 12:30 which means it will make even less sense than before. but whatever. writing helps except when said writing all DISAPPEARS.
i'm okay. really.
ciao pour le moment :) (mixing languages there lol)
current mood: frustrated
current music: *someone like you*
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| Sunday, August 29th, 2004
| |
1:31 am
|
*Look, I'm gonna mess up because that's just what I do. But at least give me a chance to mess up. I mean, I'm capable of such stupidity that you'd be wasting my talent by ending this now.*
sometimes (like now) i feel like that lol it amazes even me what i can do to screw something up...i go to such lengths without even realizing it that i can never figure out how to un-mess it up. why do i do that? it's such a talent, really...i've never met anyone else with such capacity for ruining things with one conversation or one action. anyways...
Amy : Maybe love's like math. You don't get better at it but you just get used to it. Simple equations with the occasional variable.
Ephram : I hope not. I suck at math.
lol i completely identify with ephram here...given my record with love and guys and whatever, it'd make sense if love were like math. well, trig math. calc math is cool. trig sucks and i'm terrible at it...although comparing love to trig is hardly favorable lol oh well...
school starts monday :-P while not as dreaded as it was a few days ago, i'm still not particularly happy about going back. sure, the first day or so is always fun...new notebooks/binders/pencils. fun stuff...hearing about what you'll be doing for the next 9 months of your life, seeing friends that you haven't seen all summer...but beyond that, given a month or so, what's fun about school? certainly not the work (for the most part) or doing college apps or anything like that...i don't know, maybe i'll like it more this year.
i didn't really have anything to write about...not sure why. just felt like writing something lol so random stuff is the result. what will be fun is my class trip to biarritz in 2 weeks. i don;t know how to surf, but i'm sure i will by the end of the trip...it was originally supposed to be paris which would have been great (despite the multitude of french people) cuz paris is gorgeous and romantic...but they changed that for some reason. probably because of costs. doesn;t matter though cuz the seniors are going to london in november! yay! i love london...almost as much as new york city lol we'll see three shows which is pretty much my idea of heaven. we'll also do various other touristy stuff which'll be fun and plus it'll just be seniors as opposed to the class trips where we're stuck with the juniors too lol not really complaining except my sister is in that class...ok i am kinda complaining, but i hate being compared to her which inevitably happens. guess who wins every time? this kinda sounds like a cause for therapy in later years...but it's really not. i love her and we used to be incredibly close. it's just the being compared thing...she's a lot more driven than i am, which means where i put in 100% she puts in 110% which is definitely noticed. plus, she keeps her room clean. i prefer the lived in look...my mom color codes her socks so she's not really a fan of my style.
ok, i need to get some sleep tonight so i have enough energy to finish my work tomorrow lol of couse, being me, i left it until now. told you i was clever...
buena sera :)
current mood:  pensive
current music: everything i do (i do it for you)
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| Friday, August 27th, 2004
| |
1:30 am
|
wanted to see what a bitchy cat looks like lol don't mind me...i've had little sleep, things amuse me when i'm like this.
mrrow
current mood: bitchy
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| |
12:39 am
|
i've decided that people should not let me send emails on a) little or no sleep or b) after midnight...it's just not smart and i usually end up saying a load of rubbish, most of which doesn't matter as much to me as i make it sound like. it's just not smart lol the same goes for arguments after say, 2am...my logic center turns off and my brain decides to make very little sense.
i was thinking back to a debate i had this summer over the US legal system and its death penalty option...some of what i said was partially wrong, so i went and looked it up lol the EU does have the death penalty...however, various other european countries do not. i was right in saying switzerland does not. i decided to copy several laws cause i find them interesting in how they differ from the US...these are the life imprisonment laws:
UK: it does not mean, as one might expect, "imprisonment for life", but a prison sentence of indeterminate length. In many cases the Home Secretary The Secretary of State for the Home Department sets the "tariff", or length of term, for prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment. The average sentence is about 15 years before the first parole hearing, although those convicted for heinious offenses serve their sentences significantly longer, and some receive "whole life tariffs" and die in prison, such as Myra Hindley. Prisoners jailed for life are released on a life licence Life licence is a term used in the British criminal justice system for the conditions under which a prisoner sentenced to life in jail may be released.
A prisoner who has served their tariff (minimum sentence) becomes eligible for parole. If the parole board agrees to release a prisoner who was sentenced to life, he or she is released on a life licence. Prisoners who break the conditions of their release, or who are found to be a danger to the public, can be immediately re-incarcerated under the terms of this licence.
In Greece, a "life term" lasts for 25-years, and one can apply for parole in 16 years. If sentenced to more than one life term, a person must serve at least 20 years before being eligible for parole. Other sentences will run concurrently, with 25-year terms being the maximum and with parole possible after three-fifths of this term are served.
In Germany , the minimum time to be served for a sentence of life imprisonment is 15 years after which the prisoner can apply for parole. If the verdict in the original trial includes an explicite finding of "exceptional gravity of guilt" (in German: "Besondere Schwere der Schuld") then the possibility of parole after 15 years is excluded and the prisoner can apply for the first time after 18 years. After about 10 years of imprisonment, a specialised chamber (technical term in German: "Strafvollstreckungskammer") of the criminal court which is responsible for the case sets a recommended minimum term to be served depending on the individual characteristics of the crime, in other words, a minimum time which is deemed just and appropriate for the gravity of the crime. Release of a prisoner on parole requires (1) that this minimum time is served and (2) that a psychological expert opinion finds no further dangerousness for this prisoner and a positive social prognosis. In reality, a finding of "exceptional gravity of guilt" drastically increases the time before parole is granted. The average time served for a life sentence in Germany is around 20 years. Around 20% of all people serving life imprisonment stay in prison until their natural death.
In Poland, the prisoner sentenced to life imprisonment must serve at least 25 years in order to be eligible to parole. Moreover, during sentencing, the court may set higher minimum term than above. Since the introduction of life imprisonment in 1997 1997 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar), and was designated the International Year of the Reef.
poland is as close to the US as it gets in terms of what constitutes life imprisonment...none of the EU countries have the death penalty. neither does switzerland...but in the case of swiss law, neither do they have what we would term life imprisonment. a referendum was held this winter to determine whether life imprisonment should be implemented in cases of repeat sex offenders and violent criminals...more than 50% backed it i think, but only one of switzerland's four parties...i'm not sure what i think. on one hand, the fact that the death penalty does not exist is a good thing...but at the same time the life sentencing laws aren't very strict, and the opportunity for parole is generally available...
enough of that...i was wrong about several points, so i'm admitting it :) lol i was right on the leniency of life sentencing though. that bothers me slightly...oh well.
i really didn't do anything today except start to get stressed over the schoolwork i should have done a month ago...problem is, my mom won't let me catch up on sleep cuz she wants me to be able to get up for school. however, i can't work when i'm this exhausted all the time. it just doesn't work like that unfortunately...i have a feeling my first week back is going to be rather a shock. this friend, the one i talked about before, not having a clue as to how friendship works...yeah, haven't heard from them. i spose it's no big loss but still...feels a little weird. same person i talked to for hours and hours every night last year and now what? maybe once every few weeks. i've decided i'm more of a status quo person...i don't think i like change. everytime something's changed recently it hasn't been for a choice i liked better. maybe it's me that needs to change?
tomorrow i have lunch and various other activities to get to...hope i have money lol that would make lunch rather awkward. the new girl in our school will be there. hopefully she's nice (and interested in theater and newspaper lol i could use the help)
i tried sleeping earlier, but i have so much trouble falling asleep and it feels like i can't breathe (which happens every time something stresses me out) and then it's pointless because i wake up a couple of hours later still exhausted :-P that said, i should probably go lay down so i don't pass out walking up from the train station. i really need to get my license here.
goodnight all :)
current mood: cold
current music: tanaka rie
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| Wednesday, August 25th, 2004
| |
10:22 pm
|
friendship...pretty important, right? i think so. i depend most on my friends, not my family. why, i'm not sure...maybe cause it feels like they understand me better. but it's not a one person thing. a friendship can't exist if it's completely one sided, am i right? i mean, i want someone to tell me if i'm expecting too much if i want someone to call me for a change, instead of me always calling them (this is a specific someone, by the way). maybe if they'd bother to contact be at all over the summer, it wouldn't be so awkward now. maybe if they'd tried to make any effort, i wouldn't feel like trying to resuscitate this relationship is pointless. how does someone go from being your best friend to barely being in your life at all? no matter what happens between you, you're supposed to be able to get through it, to stick by the other person even when it's hard. i'm aware i wasn't the easiest person to deal with this spring, but i wouldn't have thought it was cause to disappear from my life...
just wanted to say :-P but other than that...someone asked me how my summer went, and i thought for only a second before saying great :-D i met some amazing people and actually did something other than sit at home and read. i got to go back to the one place that feels like home and see all of my friends...i learned how to drive :) didn't do much work lol but then, i rarely do during the summer. crunch time now, agh! let's see...two history essays, a journal of economic commentaries and of course, the dreaded extended essay. oh, and did i mention a math worksheet? trying to remember all of the stuff i learned before summer will be the best part lol but strangely enough, going back to school doesn't sound so terrible. maybe cuz it is my last year, or because i have projects to do, like my newspaper and my play. by the way, anyone who has experience in directing...help!!!! the drama department is so bad at my school that last year i just decided to do my own play. well that was fine until my co-director found out she was moving to virginia...and teachers forbid me to have it during year 11 exams. which, i'm sorry, was ridiculous because their exams went on for a month! and then mine started, the ones that will be the basis of my predicted grades. so that was rather silly...and about half of my cast moved during the summer. lol this won't be hard at all :-P i like challenges though, which is perhaps why i'm still doing despite all of these reasons.
i'm kinda worried about the newspaper...too many people did it just to get CAS hours, but it's not like i can be picky and pick good and/or motivated writers...i only had a staff of ten, and the layout staff was two: me and my co-editor (who, incidentally, is the same girl who moved to virginia). anyone with ideas on how to design a paper for a low cost (publishing here costs a LOT) post advice...it'd be most welcome. also, ideas for editorials...that would help too.
only four days left til school starts...at least i'm not the new kid anymore :-D that's a title i gladly relinquish. i'm hoping my friend mel gets back from spain before i go back to school...she starts thursday, but not til 1 :-P so not only does she go back days after me, but her first day is registration. i know which school i'd rather be at right now lol
current mood:  lazy
current music: leave (get out)
|
|
(1 comment | comment on this)
|
| |
2:15 pm - more quotes...
|
these amuse me :) and i have no life, so allow me the small pleasures without mocking
Dr. Brown: I have a modest proposal Doctor.
Dr. Abbott: You’re donating your body to science to further the medical understanding of the North American dimwit.
Dr. Abbott: Newsflash! You’re not here to save the world, Dr. Brown. Just to annoy it.
There's nothing in the world like being young and in love. It gives you the power to do things you would never have had the courage to do otherwise. It inspires you to make yourself vulnerable, put your heart on the line...To give more than you can give. To speak heart-felt sentiments you thought only existed in old books and flowery poetry. And it can make you forget everything except love itself. That one thing that makes life worth living. The object of your affection...Inspired by love, we can move mountains, make great changes, do great things. But we can also become so blinded by it that we forget everything, everyone. Even ourselves.
Ephram: What? What is it? Are you moving us to Zimbabwe or something? What?
Andy: No no no, it’s nothing like that, I’m just thinking about something. It’s funny actually. Well it’s not so much funny "ha ha" is...you see...the thing is, I don’t know whether or not you've ever had sex.
Ephram: And you never will.
Andy: Ok then. Good talking to you.
Ephram: We have Travel Boggle, Travel Checkers, Travel Scrabble...and...Clue.
Amy: No travel sized Clue?
Ephram: Well, Professor Plum didn't think he'd look this cool all squashed down and travel sized.
Andy: Up for a quick game of Travel Scrabble?
Ephram: There's no way I'm playing you in Scrabble. You've been published in Scientific American. But, I will kick your butt in Clue.
Andy: Oh, I think not, Professor Plum. Hmm...Clue doesn't come travel sized?
Ephram: One of the world's greater atrocities.
and of course, mustn't forget gilmore girls...
RORY: Oh yeah. I like Spanish. Biology on the other hand . . .
RICHARD: Oh, I'm still waiting for the day when my knowledge of the inner workings of a frog's intestinal system can be applied to my work in the insurance industry.
RORY: Perhaps if you were insuring the frog.
RICHARD: Ah.
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| |
1:22 pm - quotes
|
|
i actually have to go clean out my closet (by decree of grand poohbah in this house...my mother) so this'll be short...i just watched more everwood (i think i'm getting addicted) and a lot of the narrator's quotes at the beginning and end of each episode seem to cover a lot of relevant things. i picked my favorites...and the essay on ephram's flaw? that would make a great college essay i need to work on those...too bad my writing skills are nonexistant. adios :)
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| |
1:15 pm - memorable everwood moments
|
***A heart is a fragile thing. That's why we protect them so vigorously, give them away so rarely, and why it means so much when we do. Some hearts are more fragile than others. Purer, somehow. Like crystal in a world of glass, even the way they shatter is beautiful.
The best thing about snow, other than snowballs, is that it has an equalizing effect. Snow can take any object or situation and make it pretty just the same. Couldn't care less what's underneath...It's not just that snow makes the world pretty. Snow gives us all a second chance. Snow cleanses. Hiding the sins of all with no prejudices, favor or blame. Everything gets to be pure again. If only for a little while. Which might be all you need.
Michelangelo said the best way to judge the essential elements of a sculpture is to throw it down a hill and the unimportant pieces will break away. Sometimes life is like that. It tosses us down a hill. But when we reach the bottom and only the important things are left, that's when our vision clears. That's when we hold on tight to what we know, while hope stirs inside us. It's all a matter of perspective.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. I'm not sure who the first person was who said that. Probably Shakespeare. Or maybe Sting. But at the moment, it's the sentence that best explains my tragic flaw: my inability to change.
I don't think I'm alone in this. The more I get to know other people, the more I realize it's kind of everyone's flaw. Staying exactly the same for as long as possible, standing perfectly still... It feels better somehow. And if you are suffering, at least the pain is familiar. Because if you took that leap of faith, went outside the box, did something unexpected... Who knows what other pain might be waiting out there. Chances are it could be even worse.
So you maintain the status quo. Choose the road already traveled and it doesn't seem that bad. Not as far as flaws go. You're not a drug addict. You're not killing anyone... Except maybe yourself a little.
When we finally do change, I don't think it happens like an earthquake or an explosion, where all of a sudden we're like this different person. I think it's smaller than that. The kind of thing most people wouldn't even notice unless they looked at us really, really close. Which, thank God, they never do. But you notice it. Inside you that change feels like a world of difference. And you hope this is it. This is the person you get to be forever... that you'll never have to change again.***
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| |
3:22 am - i think i'm nocturnal...maybe i'd do better as an owl or something?
|
i've noticed that when i'm jet lagged, i update a lot more often. probably cuz no one else is awake at this hour to call. i much prefer phones to internet...i can actually tell what people are saying on the phone. usually. i have moments where i'm just as clueless, phone or internet. and some people, well, i never know what they're talking about. ever. but in any case, phone's are nice cuz you can, for the most part, tell what kind of mood someone's in. you can hear the difference between teasing and serious, whereas online, there's no such distinction available. i generally guess the wrong way and end up with people mad at me :-O so in lieu of actual in person meeting, i prefer phones.
however, i loathe voicemail. hate is not a strong enough word...any sane thoughts flee my head immediately upon realizing i will have to leave a message on someone's phone. it's just unfair, people should try and answer their phones. seriously...i do. usually. i like getting voicemails, it's just leaving them that's the problem. not only am i completely inarticulate, i also sound about 4 or 5, given the time of day. seeing as i will be 18 in november, this does not please me in the slightest. so there you have it: voicemail=bad.
also bad? the fact that no one is online right now...i have friends on three continents, in about a million cities and is anyone on right now? no. not even given the various time differences. either that or people are avoiding me :) entirely possible at this hour of the night (or morning to some) i'm always a little wonky after about 2. then again, i do my best work after that so perhaps i should get some schoolwork done. riiiiight, that'll happen.
my mom volunteered me to babysit friday night :-P which would be alright except for the not asking part. i could have had plans. which i didn't...but i could have. i did get invited out for lunch though, so it appears my social life is improving slightly. my sister is on executive student council this year...scary, but that's why i'm babysitting instead of her. these kids (three of em) adore my sister. i'm never going to measure up lol i used to babysit all the time up until this year when weekends were the only time i could see my boyfriend or best friend. being an hour away from them didn't do anything for my wallet :-P but anyways, that's why i'm babysitting.
i did some thinking after i talked to a friend today (yes, most of my inspiration comes from conversations...) they yelled at me (in the nicest way possible of course) that i never let anyone help me. which is not true...but i thought about it some more after we talked and i decided she could have a point. the thing is, i don't like having people rescue me, not because i'm so independant i'd rather do it myself, but because i like being rescued. i love putting my problems on someone else to solve, or depending on someone else. that's so not healthy...which is why i usually don't let people help at all, i don't want to depend on them and have them disappear.
another thing that came out of conversation: (and this was not the nicest way possible) me not spending enough time with certain people. i'm sorry...but it's not like i have all this spare time that i specifically do not spend with them. the problem with moving not very far away is that you end up balancing two groups of people, and most of the time you have to choose between them when it comes to spending time with friends...this past year, i chose my old friends and now that they're not around so much, i'm having trouble with people where i now live. if i could go back and change that...i might of.
okay, one way to know you should probably get some sleep or maybe even see a therapist? (aleeeeeeeeeeeex!!) when you listen to a voicemail message three times in a row and then save it for later...that's just pathetic, even if it is amusing or you like their voice. i think i shall go find alex's phone number (therapist from last year haha thanks!! oh, the mcdonald's sessions...) of course, parents might be less than amused if i call at 4am. just a thought. failing talking to alex...nah i don't feel like sleeping. i am in defiance of all those people who claim i do not stay up late. also, severely jet lagged. it's only 10pm body clock time. i'll just be exhausted tomorrow, that's all.
i am, however, done rambling on...perhaps someone should tell me something interesting or at least start an argument. then i could write about something other than my many neroses (i think i spelled that wrong, agh...)i shall go listen to music or watch a movie or something until someone remotely interesting comes online...erin brokovich is a good movie, if i can find it (have sneaking suspicion spelled that wrong too...not so good for my perfectionist tendencies) ciao bellas!
current mood:  awake
current music: vonda shepard
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| |
1:29 am - lyrics
|
I've been waiting all day for ya babe
So won't cha come and sit and talk to me
And tell me how we're gonna be together always
Hope you know that when it's late at night
I Hold on to my pillow tight
And think of how you promised me forever
(I never thought that anyone)
Could make me feel this way
(Now that you're here boy all I want)
Is just a chance to say
[Chorus]
Get Out, (leave) right now,
It's the end of you and me
It's too late (now) and I can't wait for you to be gone
'Cause I know about her (who) and I wonder (why) how I bought all the lies
You said that you would treat me right but you was just a waste of time (waste of time)
Tell me why you're looking so confused
When I'm the one who didn't know the truth
How could you ever be so cold
To go behind my back and call my friend
Boy you must have gone and bumped your head
Because you left her number on your phone
(So now after all is said and done)
Maybe I'm the one to blame but
(To think that you could be the one)
Well it didn't work out that way
[Chorus]
I wanted you right here with me but I have no choice you've gotta leave
Because my heart is breakin'
With every word I'm sayin'
I gave up everything I had
On something that just wouldn't last
But I refuse to cry
No tears will fall from these
Eyes
Ooooh, ooooh
Get out
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| |
1:27 am - thanks again tony lol these are fun at 1am amazingly enough...
|
this could get rather repetitive due to the survey i already filled out, but i'm bored. deal with it. or don't read if you don't want to know anything else about me :)
LAYER ONE:
-- Name:: taryn
-- Birth date: 11/14/86
-- Birthplace: albany, new york
-- Current Location: lausanne, switzerland
-- Eye Color: mmm there's some debate to this...i'd say blue, but i've also gotten grey or green, depending on the day
-- Hair Color: think mouse...brownish, although thanks to summer, i have blond streaks :-P i feel so glamorous
-- Height: still growing haha 5'8 last i checked
-- Righty or Lefty: righty...my left hand is useless. seriously
-- Zodiac Sign: scorpio...possesive, secretive, loyal...that's me :)
LAYER TWO:
-- Your heritage: irish on my dad's side, italian/norwegian on mom's
-- The shoes you wore today: none :) i dislike shoes...plus i slept all day
-- Your weakness: painfully shy...or jealousy, that's right up there
-- Your fears: heights is a big one...being alone (i don't like that. people are good :) ) snakes have the whole ick thing going on, they're slimey and they slither
-- Goal you'd like to achieve: lots...big one right now is getting through this year
LAYER THREE:
-- Your most overused phrase on AIM: lol i find everything amusing :)
-- Your thoughts first waking up: *Usually involve destroying whatever woke me up in some horrible, horrible way* (i'm with tony...i'm really just not a morning person and people would do well to remember this...i've broken many alarm clocks)
-- Your best physical feature: i wouldn't know, i'm not overly fond of any of them
-- Your bedtime: when i'm tired...or finished working so school year between 1 and 2 (loads of work) and summer, anywhere up til 8am lol or not at all one or two cases
-- Your most missed memory: that's phrased weirdly (is weirdly a word?) anyways...probably brown :) playing cards in the hallway at 4am
LAYER FOUR:
-- Pepsi or Coke: coke...diet preferably, pepsi and regular coke are too sweet blagh
-- McDonald's or Burger King: Wendy's...hah! i disapprove of limited choices plus mcdonalds stops serving most things after 11 while wendy's is open til 1 so there! :-P
-- Single or group dates: single...not that i've actually been on a date lol ever. i don't like groups
-- Adidas or Nike: Adidas...
-- Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: haha nestea does wonky things to me...like being drunk only minus the whole alcohol thing. it's scary, my friends won't let me have more than one bottle :(
-- Chocolate or vanilla: Vanilla...sweet and simple
-- Cappuccino or coffee: coffee. black. how else do i get up in the morning? i don't like being up on the am side of noon unless i haven't gone to sleep the night before
LAYER FIVE:
-- Smoke: i grew up with my mom smoking...if i never see another cigarette again, i'll be ecstatic
-- Cuss: if i hurt myself or am particularly frustrated, but not on a regular basis. in fact, when i do i shock people. it's rather amusing
-- Sing: always :) room, car, street...doesn't matter. it's relaxing
-- Take a shower everyday: yep :) i like smelling pretty
-- Have a crush(es): usually but they last ages
-- Do you think you've been in love: yes
-- Want to go to college: course...away from the parents? sign me up...not that they're bad. but some freedom would be nice
-- Like(d) high school: freshman and sophmore years yes...junior year definitely not.
-- Want to get married: yes
-- Believe in yourself: on a good day, yeah
-- Think you're attractive: again (wow this is repetitive lol) i think i look too young and too...something but when i'm all *dolled up* as my family puts it, i'm not too bad
-- Think you're a health freak: hah no...i'm more of a eat what i like, exercise when i want to person
-- Get along with your parent(s): always with my dad, usually with my mom
-- Like thunderstorms: if i'm not alone yes and if they're not in any way connected to a tornado...i had a bad experience with a tornado in cincy lol when i was little
-- Play an instrument: piano, but badly
LAYER SIX:
In the past month...
-- Drank alcohol: nope
-- Smoked: No.
-- Done a drug: No.
-- Had Sex: no (i'm starting to see a pattern here)
-- Made Out: yet again...no
-- Gone on a date: never been on a date, much less in the past month :(
-- Gone to the mall?: yeah many times lol providence place and kenwood or tricounty in cincy...shopping for my london trip :-D
-- Eaten an entire box of Oreos: yes...but i innocently informed my mother that the dog had some part in that, shhh
-- Eaten sushi: does a bite count? the idea of eating raw fish is repulsive but the actual thing wasn't terrible as long as i didn't think about it
-- Been on stage: no :( give me another month
-- Been dumped: I'd have to be dating...
-- Gone skating: No.
-- Made homemade cookies: lol trust me, you do not want me making cookies.
-- Gone skinny dipping: not in the past month ;)
-- Dyed your hair: no but i wanted to lol it was the threat of no phone/computer or outings that convinced me i'd be smart to stick with my own color
-- Stolen anything:: nope (we're back to the repeptitive no's...darn)
LAYER SEVEN:
Ever...
-- Played a game that required removal of clothing: lol once...pididdle. luckily, shoes counted
-- If so, was it mixed company: yep
-- Been trashed or extremely intoxicated:: no and not planning on it
-- Been caught "doing something": nope
-- Been called a tease: not that i know of
-- Gotten beaten up in kindergarten: no, people liked me :)
-- Shoplifted: nope
-- Changed who you were to fit in: not that i remember...if people don't like me, then deal with it. not my problem...made this year hard, but luckily reading can be a substitute for friends for a short amount of time
LAYER EIGHT:
-- Age you hope to be married: when i meet the right guy
-- Number of Children: i really wouldn't know, i'm only 17!
-- Describe your Dream Wedding: small, friends/family, romantic, lots of candles...you get the idea. nothing to frou-frou or fancy
-- How do you want to die: morbid much? i don't know...when i'm old preferably
-- Where you want to go to college: yale, but i'm not sure i'll get in...if not, brown or barnard
-- What do you want to be when you grow up: not sure...either a lawyer or if i can actually earn a living, an actress
-- What country would you most like to visit: right now? australia
LAYER NINE
In a guy/girl..
*warning...any and all of these questions are of so little significance that NONE of them are ANYTHING of a determning factor*
-- Best eye color?: brown or hazel
-- Best hair color?: brown
-- Short or long hair: a little longish
-- Height: taller than me, hopefully over 6 feet :-D
-- Best weight: i don't know lol bigger than me
-- Best articles of clothing: whatever they feel comfortable in i guess...i'm not picky
-- Best first date location: NOT a movie...somewhere you can actually talk and get to know each other
-- Best first kiss location: doesn't really matter
LAYER TEN:
-- Number of tattoos: lol none
-- Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper?: a couple, for plays or school stuff i guess. once cuz my dad was in the paper
-- Number of scars on my body: many on my knees, too lazy to count and a few others
-- Number of things in my past that I regret: 56762974927498237... not that i keep count
-- Number of drugs taken illegally: none
-- Number of people I could trust with my life: 2
current mood:  mellow
current music: jojo *leave (get out)
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| |
12:25 am - chinesefood
|
hmm mariel disappeared before she answered me...what do pirates use for goodbye?
current mood: amused
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| Tuesday, August 24th, 2004
| |
11:25 pm
|
*Another turning point
A fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist
Directs you where to go
So make the best of this test
And don’t ask why
It’s not a question
But a lesson learned in time
It’s something unpredictable
But in the end is right
I hope you had the time of your life
So take the photographs
And still frames in your mind
Hang it on a shelf of
Good health and good time
Tattoos of memories
And dead skin on trial
For what it’s worth
It was worth all the while
It’s something unpredictable
But in the end is right
I hope you had the time of your life*
good song :) liz and i decided that's the theme song for our three weeks at brown...anyways, i was just listening to it and decided to add it to my journal.
i'm in so much trouble for school :-P major jet leg. i slept all day and i bet i'll be up all night again. while normally i wouldn't have a problem with this (i prefer night) i have a feeling sleeping through my classes might cause some controversy. oh well...i only have 5 days left of summer. and it technically doesn't count as summer cuz i still have all my work left to do :-S
my latest pet peeve: drinking. i have never been a big fan, don't get me wrong, but recently i've had to listen to various arguments as to its merits. let me just say, it has none that i can see. what's the point? i've watched people go out and drink for the sole purpose of getting drunk as quickly as possible. they spend all their money buying hard liquer like tequila or vodka because those work the fastest even though they don't actually like either beverage. i guess i could understand drinking if you like the taste...i'm practically addicted to iced tea for the taste. but just to get drunk? no...most don't even remember what happened when they were drunk and wake up with a hell of hangover.
i've never actually been drunk...tipsy? yes. i was so upset at the time...over a lot of things i guess. anyways, i went out with a group of friends and had one drink. i didn't count on the effect it would have on an empty stomach, not to mention it being my first drink. i didn't even suffer any of the usual consequences of drinking because i hadn't had enough to give me a hangover and my friends made sure i didn't do anything stupid...but i was still disgusted with myself. i see how tempting it is, cuz it numbs feeling, or at least, it dulled what i was feeling. but the cost, in my opinion, is a lot higher than any benefit. so, that's basically my rant on drinking with the sole purpose of getting drunk...unfortunately for me i live in a country where 16 is the legal drinking age, but no one enforces even that. it has therefore become the largest social pastime. i've been out twice, both times with friends, and watched what happened to them when they were drunk...sure, they became more outgoing and less inhibited. but i did wonder if they'd remember that in the morning...or if the hangover would be worth the night before. i lost a little respect...or a lot, just because of how stupid they could be. a group of generally smart people sitting on a balcony railing while intoxicated? messing around by train tracks? i can't imagine how much they would have had to drink in order to turn off their common sense like that.
okay, done with that now...what ehlse did i want to write about? hmm...someone i was talking to yesterday told me he hates being alone. i would have to agree with him...i hate it too, most of the time. i don't think human beings were meant to be alone. sometimes the solitude is nice, if i want to get away from a crowd of people, but generally i prefer to spend time one on one, with someone i genuinely like, whose company i enjoy. my best memories are of times like that, when it's just me and someone else...i'm not great in big crowds cuz i'm shy, i don't speak up very often and when i do, it's usually quietly lol but with one other person i have an easier time. unless it's someone i like and then my conversational skills decide to desert me. but i'm working on that :)
speaking of crushes...the other day my mom was talking to someone about mine and my sister's trips to brown. she went for three weeks in the beginning of the summer for a course on introduction to medicine and i went the next three weeks for a legal course. cara, of course, managed to find several guys to spend time with. this past year, she's gotten to be quite a magnet for boys. as an older sister, that's a little weird for me, especially when several of said guys are my friends kinda gross. anyways, most of the people she's stayed in touch with are of the male persuasion...which inclined my mother to laugh and talk about it. cara met some guy this summer whom she liked enough to induce her to end a previous 4 month relationship. while i approve of the not-cheating thing, even though in order for that to happen the breakup was via email, our mother finds it vastly amusing. her joke was this: cara loves for a few weeks, maybe months, very strongly and then moves on without a backwards glance. i found this quite funny until she decided to point out the details of my romantic life...apparently i love for life :-P which irritated me cuz that's not necessarily true. i do tend to have stronger feelings i think, or ones less easily dismissed as is evidence by my romantic attachments, but my problem is not how long i like them for, but rather, who i fall for lol i have horrible judgement. you know the saying *look before you leap*? yeah...i don't do that. my mom had great fun in discussing me with her friends, and didn't even give me a chance to point out various factors. i still find cara's more amusing though. since she started being truly interested, as in actually doing something about her crushes, she's had 5...i don't know what you'd call them. crushes is the wrong word because with all of them something happened, not necessarily hooking up or anything, but they liked her too i guess would be the best way of putting it. and that's been 5 or 6 months. i started getting crushes 4 years ago and i've liked 4 guys...1 of which had feelings for me in return, at least for a year or so :-P my track record isn't so great lol something that gives my friends great pleasure to tease me about.
i'm not sure why i thought of that...i'm listening to my usual sappy songs so that might be it lol i should probably be getting some work done though. i have quite a lot to do. for most people reading this lj, i'm guessing you don't know much about the IB program cuz that would mean you have aim...most people in europe use msn. allow me to quickly explain:
the program is made up of three basic parts: the classes, CAS, and tok/extended essay. for classes, you have 6 divisions: math, language a1 (mother tongue), language a2 (foreign), humanities, lab science, and an elective. you take three of these classes higher level, which means you have more in your syllabus and meet more often during the week. standard level therefore has less to cover and meets less often. i take four highers because i didn't realize how much work it would be lol also because my four highers are classes i really enjoy so i don't mind the work so much. i have:
math: math HL (so we do calc and more trig than standard...i don't think standard does any calc actually, but i could be wrong)
a1: english HL (obviously lol i'm not fluent enough in any other language)
a2: french SL (been doing it for 6 years, might as well continue...i'm intermediate here, in between beginners and fluent)
humanities: economics HL (the choce was geography or eco...easy choice)
science: bio SL (the other option was physics, at my school, chem counts as an elective)
elective: history HL (favorite course, easily, other choices were spanish, chem and art)
second part is CAS...which stands for creative/action/service. it's a program set up to ensure extracurriculars i guess, the *well rounded* student. you need at least 50 of each catagory to graduate. so, my creative hours come from newspaper, action from dancing, and service from directing a play and working in a shelter while i'm in florida. my french is not good enough to volunteer here, unfortunately. we also have CAS as a class because in addition to getting the hours, we have to keep a binder of them. we have a page *all about me* (fun, right? that took me forever to write lol) lots of log sheets where our supervisors sign off on our hours, and what our coordinator calls *reflections*. we do pre, mid, and post reflections on every activity...basically stating goals and being all introspective on how your projects are making you feel. we also have to have fun stuff in there, so i put in a program from my dance performances and copies of the paper.
last part is combination tok and extended essay. tok stands for theory of knowledge...it's basically a philosophy course that can be pretty interesting. so far we've done areas of knowledge, ways of knowing, problems of knowledge, what is truth, public vs private truth, ethics and we've started going into the subjects. we've done knowledge in science and art so far, started language and math. tok is supposed to tie all 6 divisions together or something like that. extended essay is a 4000 word research/thesis paper. you have to come up with a theory in one of your 6 subjects, and then prove it in about 4000 words, using research and common sense. it's basically the bane of every year 13's existance. year 13 are the seniors, by the way...year 12 are juniors and so on. international schools generally call kindergarten year 1 and move up from there.
so that's basically the IB program itself...then, at the end of year 13, in about may, you have exams covering both years of the curriculum, years 12 and 13. scary exams. HL exams are longer, like the economics one has three papers. paper 1 is an hour long essay, paper 2 is three essays in an hour, and paper 3 is a databased question. you get an eco article and you have to define terms, dram diagrams and analyze content. that's about an hour i think. HL exams are harder because they cover more, therefore you have more time...my english exam will have two papers, one a 2 hour essay either analyzing a poem or an extract from a novel. the second is a comparative essay on two books that are part of the IB curriculum. i'm good the poety analysis, i'm not sure why cuz i hate it, and i'm terrible at writing comparative essays :-P
also, exams aren't the only part of your final IB score. there's a maximum score of 7 on each exam (IB grading scale is 1-7, 1,2, and 3 being failing grades and 4 being the equivalent of a C, 5 is a B, 6 is an A, and 7 is like an A+, almost impossible) they're scaled...for example, last year, a 70% on the higher level math exams would get you a 7. so a perfect score would be one where you missed 30% of the exam...scary lol you take 6 exams for your diploma (some people take a 7th subject and get a certificate) so that's a max score of 42. then, 3 bonus points are possible through your tok essay and extended essay. if they're both considered excellent, you get the 3 points, so a max score in the IB is a 45. that's almost impossible though. one girl in my school did it this year...my predicted score will probably be about 41 or 42. i hope :) they base it on end of junior year exams and classwork (predicted scores are what's sent to US colleges cuz actual IB scores don't come in til july after you graduate, too late for applications).
also included in exam scores: orals. :-P i hate those...french, english, eco and tok all have important orals. also, we have things called internal and external assessments. the exams and the external assessments are graded by the IB board. the internal assessments are graded by your teacher...i have a few so far. in math we have portfolio, which are basically essays in math :-P writing to prove or disprove a theory or something to that effect. not fun. english we've done an oral and we have two world lit papers to write (comparing novels that have been translated into english). eco we have commentaries...every few weeks we have to pull an article from a news source and analyze its economic content. i'm not so good at that lol
that was my little explanation of the IB program because no one ever know what i'm talking about when they ask me what classes i'm taking. anyways, my first draft of my extended essay is due in september and i'm not looking forward to the amount of work i'll have this year :-P i doubt anyone is for that matter lol summer went too fast.
okay, i'm off after that looong entry (well, long for me) i'm sure i'll be back later for further procrastinating. while my essay is not due right away, i haven't done my history essays or my economics articles. oops. lol perhaps i should have done those earlier...oh and a math exercise. i'm screwed...luckily everyone else is equally lazy. i'm not alone in this :-D i'll write more later, a bientot!
current mood: stressed
current music: green day
|
|
(comment on this)
|
|
|
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
swiss_tazza's journal