Konbanwa, minna-san!
It's over. It's finally over. Semester One has finally ended!
We made it through the semester, with a lot of blood, sweat and tears. Congratulations, everyone!
Since today was the last day of classes, we had a party in ICS. The funny thing was, no one brought any plates, so we had to substitute napkins for them! It's okay, though.
Mr. Arkin brought in a big, rectangular chocolate cake. It was delicious! There were also chips and chocolate, which I happily snacked on. And, of course, Zarin-dono brought in her yummy cream puffs! (What's a party in ICS without her cream puffs? *smile*)
While we socialized, everyone's Culminating Activities were up so we could walk around and take a look at them. I was acting a bit drunk, yelling out "67 pages in three weeks! We did it!" to anyone who happened to take an interest in my group's manual. Ha... That's okay, ne?
It is also Zarin-dono's birthday today! She got embarassed whenever someone wished her happy birthday - how cute~! Teehee~
I spent the period drawing something for her. I hope she likes it!
In my English and Science classes, we prepared for the exams.
After writing two practice exams in English, I think I'm well-prepared for the actual one on Monday
afternoon. I have no idea how one can study for the English exam - which is basically writing an essay. So, I plan on going over the handout Ms. Fisher gave us regarding compare/contrast essays and review what happened in each of the literary texts we read before the exam.
In Science, we did a quick review of all four units - Chemistry, Ecology, Electricity and Astronomy. Mr. Pourkhatai gave us an idea of what would be the major focus on the exam. I plan on going over all my Science notes vigourously before thursday.
On the other hand, we wrote our listening exam in French. I found it pretty easy, and I'm confident I will get over 95%. Next year, I plan on taking Latin. It'll help me a lot with my writing, plus I've been planning on learning Latin since Grade 5. (I just never got around to doing it. Ha...)
After exams are over, I plan on creating a LJ account to put my fanfics up. I already have one on FF, but the quality or those on LJ are much better; and I hope to join their ranks. I also plan on drawing a lot more! I have art next semester, so that'll be sure to happen.
I want to become a PP editor - preferably for the Literature section. I'm going to dedicate more time to my writing as well.
Anyways!
My exam schedule is as follows:
Monday
- English @ 1 PM in the Caf.
Wednesday
- French @ 9 AM in S2
- ICS @ 1 PM in 105
Thursday
- Science @ 1 PM in the Caf.
I'll be sure to study this weekend, but right now...I'm just going to take a well-earned nap!
Thanks for the great semester, everyone! Now...we just have to tackle the exams!
---
Current Music: Anti-Paradichlorobenzene - Len and Rin Kagamine
(I actually like Len's version better, but this is amazing as well.)
Friday, January 21, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
In which we all breathe a sigh of relief...oh, wait, not yet.
Konbanwa, minna-san!
In case you were wondering, I just spent the last three hours writing an exam review for Science. Why? Well, Mr. Pourkhatai asked us to. Or, well, no, he assigned it for homework. I feel sorry for whoever gets mine. Ha! They'd better appreciate it, because right now, I'm exhausted and can barely keep my eyes open!
Tonight everyone is scrambling to finish their Culminating, including my group. We are basically done; all we have to do is add in the exercises and finalize everything. So far, there have been ten versions of the manual, all of them with major differences.
A few problems we had were the screenshots and the answer keys. It took forever to write the answer keys; probably because no one wanted to take the time to do work that seemed like homework. Well, I ended up writing the answer keys for the quizzes and part of the exercises. As for the screenshots, we had to remake them because the file name was "Unnamed #1". According to Mr. Arkin, it wasn't professional. There was some confusion about that, but I ended up making all of those as well. Hmm.
I think we should modify our page on the VPCA Wiki so that it's more specific as to who did what. Honestly, I can't remember every exact detail, but I'd like to give a guideline so Mr. Arkin will have a clearer idea of how to dole out the marks. Right now, it just says "collaboration" if more than one person worked on it.
Tomorrow is the last day of Semester One. Can you believe it? It all passed so quickly. Exams are next week, and after that, Semester Two will begin. I won't see Mr. Pourkhatai, Ms. Fisher, Mr. Arkin or Mr. Vretranos anymore; and that saddens me. To tell you the truth, I really disliked Mr. Pourkhatai at first, but now, I'm actually okay with him. He's pretty funny! I will miss Mr. Vretranos a lot - he's my favourite teacher at VP (Sorry, Mr. Arkin!). Next year, I plan on taking Latin, so if that works out, I'll get him as a teacher again. Hooray! *smile*
It was a great year--er, semester--with Mr. Arkin. Although Mr. Vretranos is my favourite teacher, ICS is my favourite class because I have so much fun in it! It's where I met Zarin-dono, and we're really good friends now. (By the way, her birthday's tomorrow. I'm going (attempt) to draw a bishie for her. Shhh! It's a surprise!) Mr. Arkin is also pretty funny, and he can teach much better than most of my other teachers. I'll miss him, too.
As I sit here writing this blog entry (and arguing with Andy about whether tea or coffee is better), I'm also reflecting on the past five months. This start to high school has been amazing, and I'll never forget it.
---
Current Music: Nishiki no Mai - Gakupo Kamui and Gakuko
In case you were wondering, I just spent the last three hours writing an exam review for Science. Why? Well, Mr. Pourkhatai asked us to. Or, well, no, he assigned it for homework. I feel sorry for whoever gets mine. Ha! They'd better appreciate it, because right now, I'm exhausted and can barely keep my eyes open!
Tonight everyone is scrambling to finish their Culminating, including my group. We are basically done; all we have to do is add in the exercises and finalize everything. So far, there have been ten versions of the manual, all of them with major differences.
A few problems we had were the screenshots and the answer keys. It took forever to write the answer keys; probably because no one wanted to take the time to do work that seemed like homework. Well, I ended up writing the answer keys for the quizzes and part of the exercises. As for the screenshots, we had to remake them because the file name was "Unnamed #1". According to Mr. Arkin, it wasn't professional. There was some confusion about that, but I ended up making all of those as well. Hmm.
I think we should modify our page on the VPCA Wiki so that it's more specific as to who did what. Honestly, I can't remember every exact detail, but I'd like to give a guideline so Mr. Arkin will have a clearer idea of how to dole out the marks. Right now, it just says "collaboration" if more than one person worked on it.
Tomorrow is the last day of Semester One. Can you believe it? It all passed so quickly. Exams are next week, and after that, Semester Two will begin. I won't see Mr. Pourkhatai, Ms. Fisher, Mr. Arkin or Mr. Vretranos anymore; and that saddens me. To tell you the truth, I really disliked Mr. Pourkhatai at first, but now, I'm actually okay with him. He's pretty funny! I will miss Mr. Vretranos a lot - he's my favourite teacher at VP (Sorry, Mr. Arkin!). Next year, I plan on taking Latin, so if that works out, I'll get him as a teacher again. Hooray! *smile*
It was a great year--er, semester--with Mr. Arkin. Although Mr. Vretranos is my favourite teacher, ICS is my favourite class because I have so much fun in it! It's where I met Zarin-dono, and we're really good friends now. (By the way, her birthday's tomorrow. I'm going (attempt) to draw a bishie for her. Shhh! It's a surprise!) Mr. Arkin is also pretty funny, and he can teach much better than most of my other teachers. I'll miss him, too.
As I sit here writing this blog entry (and arguing with Andy about whether tea or coffee is better), I'm also reflecting on the past five months. This start to high school has been amazing, and I'll never forget it.
---
Current Music: Nishiki no Mai - Gakupo Kamui and Gakuko
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
In which we start to wrap things up
Konbanwa, minna-san.
When you have a bad day....feast on chocolate! Or any other comfort food. For me, it's usually cookies, but I practically ate an entire bag already so I'm resorting to chocolate. And somewhat toned down Vocaloid music. I love the BLAZE music video. At first I was only going to download the song, but then I saw how...*ahem* cool Kaito and Len looked and decided to take the video. I mean, who can resist Len with a shuriken? *fangirls*
Err...yes. Well, today Mr. Arkin taught us how to print and laminate a PDF (or, well, any document, really) at Staples. I don't think my group will have to do that, since Tasfia's father owns a printing company...or something like that.
Speaking of Culminating, we're almost done! I'm finishing the Answer Keys up tonight and will add them in along with the references. The link will be up before everyone gets to class tomorrow. I also have to recreate certain screenshots. Phew! Luckily, I have no other homework.
Which brings me to my next topic. I completely failed my French and Science presentations today! *cries* I messed up some timing in French and in Science, I completely forgot what lines I was supposed to say. I want to apologize, but my friend told me not to apologize so frequently. *wince*
Exams are quickly approaching, and everyone - including I - is scrambling to review everything for each subject they have to write an exam for. I'm almost done my French notes, but I doubt I need to spend so much time on them. I'm most worried about Science and ICS. I will go on an extensive training (studying) regimen once this final Culminating project is handed in.
Wish me luck!
---
Current Music: Child's Garden - Len Kagamine, KAITO Shion, Gakupo Kamui
I'm actually listening to an entire playlist. My favourite Vocaloid songs are (in order):
When you have a bad day....feast on chocolate! Or any other comfort food. For me, it's usually cookies, but I practically ate an entire bag already so I'm resorting to chocolate. And somewhat toned down Vocaloid music. I love the BLAZE music video. At first I was only going to download the song, but then I saw how...*ahem* cool Kaito and Len looked and decided to take the video. I mean, who can resist Len with a shuriken? *fangirls*
Err...yes. Well, today Mr. Arkin taught us how to print and laminate a PDF (or, well, any document, really) at Staples. I don't think my group will have to do that, since Tasfia's father owns a printing company...or something like that.
Speaking of Culminating, we're almost done! I'm finishing the Answer Keys up tonight and will add them in along with the references. The link will be up before everyone gets to class tomorrow. I also have to recreate certain screenshots. Phew! Luckily, I have no other homework.
Which brings me to my next topic. I completely failed my French and Science presentations today! *cries* I messed up some timing in French and in Science, I completely forgot what lines I was supposed to say. I want to apologize, but my friend told me not to apologize so frequently. *wince*
Exams are quickly approaching, and everyone - including I - is scrambling to review everything for each subject they have to write an exam for. I'm almost done my French notes, but I doubt I need to spend so much time on them. I'm most worried about Science and ICS. I will go on an extensive training (studying) regimen once this final Culminating project is handed in.
Wish me luck!
---
Current Music: Child's Garden - Len Kagamine, KAITO Shion, Gakupo Kamui
I'm actually listening to an entire playlist. My favourite Vocaloid songs are (in order):
- Meltdown - Len Kagamine, KAITO Shion (Originally sung by Rin Kagamine)
- Paradichlorobenzene - Len Kagamine
- Romeo and Cinderella - Nodoame (Originally sung by Miku Hatsune)
- Uninstall - KAITO Shion (Originally sung by Chiaki Ishikawa for the anime Bokurano; the lyrics were rewritten for a yandere KAITO)
- Magnet - any couple (Originally sung by Luka Megurine and Miku Hatsune)
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
In which Mr. Arkin gives us advice for the exam
Konbanwa, minna-san.
Oh my. Jenny really got me obsessed with Vocaloid. (Zarin-dono, soon you'll be glomping KAITO and Len too! Yes, I know they don't exist in real life, but has that ever stopped me from loving someone? *cough cough Shizu-chan and Firo cough cough*) I can't stop listening to their songs! And somehow... I think I'm starting to love Len more than KAITO... No!!! Don't worry, KAITO, I'll always love you...
Ahem! Ah, well, sorry about that. I get emotional when it comes to...er...yeah. Anyways! Today Mr. Arkin prepped us for the exam next week. I can't believe three weeks passed so quickly! But it's the harsh reality. Culminating Activities are coming to an end, while teachers are reviewing the semester's curriculum with their classes. In English, Ms. Fisher gave us a practice exam (shortened, of course) in hopes of getting us used to writing essays on the spot. See, the English exam is, in essence, writing an essay. It's sort of hard to study for that - all one can really do is practice! I've also gotten the test format from Mr. Vretranos, my French teacher, and of course, Mr. Arkin. Mr. Pourkhatai, my Science teacher, will give us the exam format around Thursday.
Besides giving us the exam format, Mr. Arkin gave us some exam writing strategies. Like how we should bring a timepiece (I have to get that watch this weekend!) so we don't spend too much time on one question; and how if we can't finish any one question in the allotted time, we should just move on (of course, we should write something down!). Moreover, we should always do the easy questions first.
I'm very grateful to you for doing that, Mr. Arkin! Arigato gozaimasu~!
The people who didn't get their Mosaic Projects yesterday got to see theirs today. I wish my background showed up - I don't know why it didn't! And poor Zarin, too... I'll leave it to her to explain what happened.
Ne, I worry about her. She stresses much more than I do! It's not good to work one's self up like that; especially when exams are coming round next week.
Well, talking and prepping for the exam took up most of the period, so we only got about ten minutes to work on Culminating. It's due on Thursday, so we must wrap everything up tomorrow! I'm working on the Answer Keys to the exercise Shreya made right now, and I plan on finishing everything up tonight. I need to talk to Lisa about proofreading the manual, because I don't want to edit something she already did - it'd be a waste of precious time.
I'm off now!
Oyasumi, minna-san. Mata ashita!
---
Current Music: Child's Garden - Len Kagamine, KAITO Shion, Gakupo Kamui
Oh my. Jenny really got me obsessed with Vocaloid. (Zarin-dono, soon you'll be glomping KAITO and Len too! Yes, I know they don't exist in real life, but has that ever stopped me from loving someone? *cough cough Shizu-chan and Firo cough cough*) I can't stop listening to their songs! And somehow... I think I'm starting to love Len more than KAITO... No!!! Don't worry, KAITO, I'll always love you...
Ahem! Ah, well, sorry about that. I get emotional when it comes to...er...yeah. Anyways! Today Mr. Arkin prepped us for the exam next week. I can't believe three weeks passed so quickly! But it's the harsh reality. Culminating Activities are coming to an end, while teachers are reviewing the semester's curriculum with their classes. In English, Ms. Fisher gave us a practice exam (shortened, of course) in hopes of getting us used to writing essays on the spot. See, the English exam is, in essence, writing an essay. It's sort of hard to study for that - all one can really do is practice! I've also gotten the test format from Mr. Vretranos, my French teacher, and of course, Mr. Arkin. Mr. Pourkhatai, my Science teacher, will give us the exam format around Thursday.
Besides giving us the exam format, Mr. Arkin gave us some exam writing strategies. Like how we should bring a timepiece (I have to get that watch this weekend!) so we don't spend too much time on one question; and how if we can't finish any one question in the allotted time, we should just move on (of course, we should write something down!). Moreover, we should always do the easy questions first.
I'm very grateful to you for doing that, Mr. Arkin! Arigato gozaimasu~!
The people who didn't get their Mosaic Projects yesterday got to see theirs today. I wish my background showed up - I don't know why it didn't! And poor Zarin, too... I'll leave it to her to explain what happened.
Ne, I worry about her. She stresses much more than I do! It's not good to work one's self up like that; especially when exams are coming round next week.
Well, talking and prepping for the exam took up most of the period, so we only got about ten minutes to work on Culminating. It's due on Thursday, so we must wrap everything up tomorrow! I'm working on the Answer Keys to the exercise Shreya made right now, and I plan on finishing everything up tonight. I need to talk to Lisa about proofreading the manual, because I don't want to edit something she already did - it'd be a waste of precious time.
I'm off now!
Oyasumi, minna-san. Mata ashita!
---
Current Music: Child's Garden - Len Kagamine, KAITO Shion, Gakupo Kamui
Monday, January 17, 2011
In which Pearl looks through her (almost empty) wallet
Konbanwa, minna-san!
I've wasted an hour watching Vocaloid MVs. (Ha! Zarin-dono, you'd better listen to that song I sent you the link for. You'll get enchanted by Nodoame's awesome voice! *fangirls*) There's not enough songs where KAITO and Len duet. *pouts* They're my two favourite Vocaloids, though. I realize now that I should've chosen Vocaloid as my topic for the Mosaic Project. I would've had so much more fun (and an excuse to listen to KAITO's voice for hours on end). Hee.
Anyways, today we had ICS first period. Luckily, Mr. Arkin was back (you see, on Friday he was out sick), so we were able to ask him any questions.
We also got our Mosaic Projects today (the laminated version, I mean). Well, no, that's not completely true. Everyone who made theirs letter or ledger size got theirs; while the legal people had to wait. Apparently, Staples hadn't done those yet. We hoped that they'd get to the school before Silent Reading ended, but they didn't. Guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow.
Nevertheless, I still had to pay - everyone did. That's another $3.40 out of my pocket. Sigh.
As for Culminating, my group has narrowed it down to about four or five things left to do. Lisa and I will proofread the entire manual over the next two days. Shreya has been assigned the exercises for both the CD and the manual. I'm glad - she didn't have much else to do, especially because she joined the group later.
I feel like I'm not doing enough. Then again, I always feel like this and then I end up doing more than half of the work. And I'm still not satisfied...until I realize how much I've taken over. Grah. Then I feel guilty. *cries* I hope I'm not doing that now.
There's literally only a week before exams start. I'm starting to stress out, because I haven't started to really focus on studying yet. Culminating has been taking up all my time. I've talked to some of my classmates, and they're just like me. Grahh... Next year, I'm going to start studying over Winter Break!
I have to leave soon, so I'm going to leave the Vocaloid songs playing in the background while I proofread. I already started to do so during class, but I only got to...about page four.
---
Current Music: Romeo and Cinderella (ロミオとシンデレラ) - Len Kagamine & KAITO Shion
^Nodoame and Usa's version is better, but hey, KaiLen is my favourite pairing so...
I've wasted an hour watching Vocaloid MVs. (Ha! Zarin-dono, you'd better listen to that song I sent you the link for. You'll get enchanted by Nodoame's awesome voice! *fangirls*) There's not enough songs where KAITO and Len duet. *pouts* They're my two favourite Vocaloids, though. I realize now that I should've chosen Vocaloid as my topic for the Mosaic Project. I would've had so much more fun (and an excuse to listen to KAITO's voice for hours on end). Hee.
Anyways, today we had ICS first period. Luckily, Mr. Arkin was back (you see, on Friday he was out sick), so we were able to ask him any questions.
We also got our Mosaic Projects today (the laminated version, I mean). Well, no, that's not completely true. Everyone who made theirs letter or ledger size got theirs; while the legal people had to wait. Apparently, Staples hadn't done those yet. We hoped that they'd get to the school before Silent Reading ended, but they didn't. Guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow.
Nevertheless, I still had to pay - everyone did. That's another $3.40 out of my pocket. Sigh.
As for Culminating, my group has narrowed it down to about four or five things left to do. Lisa and I will proofread the entire manual over the next two days. Shreya has been assigned the exercises for both the CD and the manual. I'm glad - she didn't have much else to do, especially because she joined the group later.
I feel like I'm not doing enough. Then again, I always feel like this and then I end up doing more than half of the work. And I'm still not satisfied...until I realize how much I've taken over. Grah. Then I feel guilty. *cries* I hope I'm not doing that now.
There's literally only a week before exams start. I'm starting to stress out, because I haven't started to really focus on studying yet. Culminating has been taking up all my time. I've talked to some of my classmates, and they're just like me. Grahh... Next year, I'm going to start studying over Winter Break!
I have to leave soon, so I'm going to leave the Vocaloid songs playing in the background while I proofread. I already started to do so during class, but I only got to...about page four.
---
Current Music: Romeo and Cinderella (ロミオとシンデレラ) - Len Kagamine & KAITO Shion
^Nodoame and Usa's version is better, but hey, KaiLen is my favourite pairing so...
Friday, January 14, 2011
In which Pearl works hard to finish the CA!
Konbanwa, minna-san!
I'm pretty tired today, but that's alright. It's Friday, so I'll have time to catch up on my sleep over the weekend. Hopefully.
Today Mr. Arkin was away because he wasn't feeling well. Zarin-dono and I were chosen to be the Student Hosts - what fun! Actually, I was pretty nervous at first because I wasn't exactly sure how I should take on the task. Nevertheless, Zarin-dono was very brave and took the lead. Ha.
I feel like class is getting shorter and shorter. I was working on the Glossary today, and soon enough, it was time to back up and get ready for the next class. I'm almost done - I just have a few more definitions to write out. I need to finish by tonight, so Tasfia can put everything together over the weekend. Then, Lisa and I will proofread and edit the entire manual by Wednesday. That's the plan.
Things are coming together quite nicely. There's only a few more sections that need to be finished.
As for other CAs, I've gotten my English one over with. The only thing that's left to do is write an in-class reflection, and that will be done on Monday. In French, we're making presentations about environmental issues. My group is talking about deforestation in British Columbia. There's no Science culminating, but Mr. Pourkhatai is giving us a big project related to Astronomy. Sigh.
I feel like there's no time to study. If I have spare time, I plan on finally getting to typing up my French and English notes and hopefully start on either Science or ICS.
Below is a video (courtesy of YouTube) of a new song from JASMINE. She's a Japanese singer. I really like her style. Ever since I heard the radio rip a couple of weeks ago on the rotation site I use, I've been wanting to get the song. The official release date is February 2nd. I can't wait!
ONE - JASMINE
Thursday, January 13, 2011
In which Pearl feels as slow as a turtle
Kon'ichiwa, minna-san!
Metaphors are awesome. Let's just make that clear.
Anyways! Today I got to wear my grade eight graduation dress and my new blouse as a costume for English. I played Yulia, the Ninny. And today, I realized that my dress could be considered goth-loli. Ha! So that website was right - H&M does sell clothes that can pass as goth-loli! I should shop there more often. *grin*
Although... I kept getting asked "Why are you wearing that?" Sigh.
ICS was second period, so I didn't forget about it and go to my locker. Ha! Take that, stupid short-term memory! But really... I keep forgetting whether or not I wrote my blog post the day before and start panicking. Then I see "Last post on [date here]" and I scramble to remember the current date.
Many people will and have already said "You're hopeless". That's okay, right?
For some reason, I feel like I didn't get a lot of work done. I started writing the Test, and Zarin pretty much finished it off. I will revise it and add some more questions as soon as I finish writing this blog post, then post it up on our Wiki so that everyone can access it. The good copy will be done tonight. Now all we have to do, concerning tests, is finalize them and create corresponding answer keys.
Lisa finished merging the two parts of the introduction, so I will also go over that for any errors or inconsistencies. Then I'll post the final Dropbox link up on our Wiki.
In class, I started to revise the glossary. I need to finish that as well.
Phew! There's a lot to do tonight. So, I'm off to work now.
Mata ashita, minna-san!
---
Current Music: Meltdown - Len Kagamine & Kaito Shion (Duet)
^I'm obsessed with this song. If you have time, you should listen to it!
Metaphors are awesome. Let's just make that clear.
Anyways! Today I got to wear my grade eight graduation dress and my new blouse as a costume for English. I played Yulia, the Ninny. And today, I realized that my dress could be considered goth-loli. Ha! So that website was right - H&M does sell clothes that can pass as goth-loli! I should shop there more often. *grin*
Although... I kept getting asked "Why are you wearing that?" Sigh.
ICS was second period, so I didn't forget about it and go to my locker. Ha! Take that, stupid short-term memory! But really... I keep forgetting whether or not I wrote my blog post the day before and start panicking. Then I see "Last post on [date here]" and I scramble to remember the current date.
Many people will and have already said "You're hopeless". That's okay, right?
For some reason, I feel like I didn't get a lot of work done. I started writing the Test, and Zarin pretty much finished it off. I will revise it and add some more questions as soon as I finish writing this blog post, then post it up on our Wiki so that everyone can access it. The good copy will be done tonight. Now all we have to do, concerning tests, is finalize them and create corresponding answer keys.
Lisa finished merging the two parts of the introduction, so I will also go over that for any errors or inconsistencies. Then I'll post the final Dropbox link up on our Wiki.
In class, I started to revise the glossary. I need to finish that as well.
Phew! There's a lot to do tonight. So, I'm off to work now.
Mata ashita, minna-san!
---
Current Music: Meltdown - Len Kagamine & Kaito Shion (Duet)
^I'm obsessed with this song. If you have time, you should listen to it!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
In which Pearl starts to feel the pressure
Kon'ichiwa, minna-san.
I came home this afternoon to find my mom lying on the couch, reading newspapers. What a scare. I had completely forgotten that she said she might take a day off because of the excessive amount of snow.
Which reminds me. This morning I was fifteen minutes late because of the traffic jam on Victoria Park caused by the snowstorm last night/this morning. It took...forty-five minutes to get to school by car; whereas on a normal day, if I left at the same time, it would only take twenty to twenty-five minutes. The funny thing is, I got there a few minutes after my teacher, Ms. Fisher. And I wasn't even the last one to get to school in my class.
I didn't really have a great day. I only got six hours of sleep (which, strangely enough, is actually more than I usually get these days) and spent three quarters of an hour in the morning in traffic, so...please excuse my irritability. I almost forgot that I hadn't already attended ICS earlier, and mistook my Period D class (French) as the last class of the day. Imagine my surprise when I didn't see anyone else at their lockers.
ICS seems to get shorter and shorter. I don't feel like I'm getting a sufficient amount of work done. Nevertheless, last night I typed up the good copy of the About the Authors page and helped Lisa finish part of Test One. I have also been asked to edit half of the Glossary terms (the definitions) and edit the If Statements Lesson. I still have to complete a few more flow charts.
Suddenly, I feel like a world of work has been piled on me.
I want to do as much ICS as I can tonight, but I have to allow time to practice for my English CA. My group is presenting tomorrow; and I don't want to be the one to bring our marks down. So I have decided to finish my Science first (as it's due tomorrow), then work on ICS until eight- or nine-ish, and finally, spend a few hours practicing my lines for English.
Hopefully I stick to this schedule.
Wish me luck, minna-san!
---
Current Music: Meltdown - Len Kagamine & Kaito Shion
I came home this afternoon to find my mom lying on the couch, reading newspapers. What a scare. I had completely forgotten that she said she might take a day off because of the excessive amount of snow.
Which reminds me. This morning I was fifteen minutes late because of the traffic jam on Victoria Park caused by the snowstorm last night/this morning. It took...forty-five minutes to get to school by car; whereas on a normal day, if I left at the same time, it would only take twenty to twenty-five minutes. The funny thing is, I got there a few minutes after my teacher, Ms. Fisher. And I wasn't even the last one to get to school in my class.
I didn't really have a great day. I only got six hours of sleep (which, strangely enough, is actually more than I usually get these days) and spent three quarters of an hour in the morning in traffic, so...please excuse my irritability. I almost forgot that I hadn't already attended ICS earlier, and mistook my Period D class (French) as the last class of the day. Imagine my surprise when I didn't see anyone else at their lockers.
ICS seems to get shorter and shorter. I don't feel like I'm getting a sufficient amount of work done. Nevertheless, last night I typed up the good copy of the About the Authors page and helped Lisa finish part of Test One. I have also been asked to edit half of the Glossary terms (the definitions) and edit the If Statements Lesson. I still have to complete a few more flow charts.
Suddenly, I feel like a world of work has been piled on me.
I want to do as much ICS as I can tonight, but I have to allow time to practice for my English CA. My group is presenting tomorrow; and I don't want to be the one to bring our marks down. So I have decided to finish my Science first (as it's due tomorrow), then work on ICS until eight- or nine-ish, and finally, spend a few hours practicing my lines for English.
Hopefully I stick to this schedule.
Wish me luck, minna-san!
---
Current Music: Meltdown - Len Kagamine & Kaito Shion
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
In which Pearl questions her sanity
(Or, in which Pearl's brain becomes so fried that she can't act sane.)
Konbanwa, minna-san!
Well, I'm certainly quite a bit more upbeat than I was the week before Winter Break. I feel like I shouldn't be, considering Culminating Activity deadlines and the ever-terrifying exams are quickly approaching. Then again, this might just be my way of keeping myself sane. Yes...acting crazy to keep myself sane...what a reasonable explanation.
I wonder why people stare at me strangely when I say "This is so interesting!" about a crime fiction/mystery novel. Or a show where something - doesn't matter what: vehicles, trains, airplanes, houses, barren fields, etc. - blows up. Or a chase scene. Or a gunfight scene. Is it strange to like that?
Meh. Castle always says (and yes, this is part of the introduction to each episode) "There are two kinds of people who spend their lives thinking of ways to murder people. Psychopaths...and mystery writers."
I relish in that kind of stuff.
Anyways, before I completely forget what we did in ICS this morning, let me write it down here.
Today was basically another work period for the Culminating Activity. (Why do I capitalize that? Is it simply an example of how much it towers over me; an example of how much of our mark this is weighted on?) Yes, er, well. I made some necessary edits to the About the Authors page, since Shreya joined our group. Lisa had asked for it to flow better (see, before I had tried to follow the model of a short About the Author[s] blurb in the back of a fiction book), so I had to change a few things.
Last night, Shreya sent me the glossary terms she wrote. I put those up on the Wiki. Looking over them, I feel like we'll have to do some editing. The language is not exactly professional, but that's okay. At least she has the basic idea. Don't get me wrong - I'm very glad she's so eager to contribute to our project. But...the grammar Nazi I am, I just...I'm picky about these things.
Which reminds me, as soon as exams are over, I need to reply to my pen pal (sort of) on FF. I still remember the days when we sent several messages back and forth on the same day.
So, for tonight I have to finish the flow chart about Tutoring Turing and the edits to the AtA page. Lisa will (hopefully) send me the rest of the introduction so I can put the two parts together.
I can't feel the pressure. Is that a bad thing?
Nevertheless, we're making good progress. Hm. That's probably why.
I'm feeling wistful now. Mm.
I think I'll go talk to my friend on MSN for a bit. He's always fun to talk to.
Mata ashita!
---
Current Music: Victory Korea - Super Junior
[Zarin-dono, you'll be happy to know I've gotten somewhat addicted to their songs. And Amy, too, if you're still reading my blog.]
Konbanwa, minna-san!
Well, I'm certainly quite a bit more upbeat than I was the week before Winter Break. I feel like I shouldn't be, considering Culminating Activity deadlines and the ever-terrifying exams are quickly approaching. Then again, this might just be my way of keeping myself sane. Yes...acting crazy to keep myself sane...what a reasonable explanation.
I wonder why people stare at me strangely when I say "This is so interesting!" about a crime fiction/mystery novel. Or a show where something - doesn't matter what: vehicles, trains, airplanes, houses, barren fields, etc. - blows up. Or a chase scene. Or a gunfight scene. Is it strange to like that?
Meh. Castle always says (and yes, this is part of the introduction to each episode) "There are two kinds of people who spend their lives thinking of ways to murder people. Psychopaths...and mystery writers."
I relish in that kind of stuff.
Anyways, before I completely forget what we did in ICS this morning, let me write it down here.
Today was basically another work period for the Culminating Activity. (Why do I capitalize that? Is it simply an example of how much it towers over me; an example of how much of our mark this is weighted on?) Yes, er, well. I made some necessary edits to the About the Authors page, since Shreya joined our group. Lisa had asked for it to flow better (see, before I had tried to follow the model of a short About the Author[s] blurb in the back of a fiction book), so I had to change a few things.
Last night, Shreya sent me the glossary terms she wrote. I put those up on the Wiki. Looking over them, I feel like we'll have to do some editing. The language is not exactly professional, but that's okay. At least she has the basic idea. Don't get me wrong - I'm very glad she's so eager to contribute to our project. But...the grammar Nazi I am, I just...I'm picky about these things.
Which reminds me, as soon as exams are over, I need to reply to my pen pal (sort of) on FF. I still remember the days when we sent several messages back and forth on the same day.
So, for tonight I have to finish the flow chart about Tutoring Turing and the edits to the AtA page. Lisa will (hopefully) send me the rest of the introduction so I can put the two parts together.
I can't feel the pressure. Is that a bad thing?
Nevertheless, we're making good progress. Hm. That's probably why.
I'm feeling wistful now. Mm.
I think I'll go talk to my friend on MSN for a bit. He's always fun to talk to.
Mata ashita!
---
Current Music: Victory Korea - Super Junior
[Zarin-dono, you'll be happy to know I've gotten somewhat addicted to their songs. And Amy, too, if you're still reading my blog.]
Monday, January 10, 2011
In which our CA group gets a new member!
Konichiwa, minna-san!
Even as I type this, I'm creating flow charts for our ICS Culminating. Oh, the month of January is so busy! With exams coming up in two weeks, and Culminating Activities to finish, I'm as busy as a bee. Some people are stressing out, but not me! No, my mind has already blown up! I just get really hyper and then sporadically change energy levels and get depressed. Then I get hyper again. Yes...if you see me acting drunk, you know what happened.
"Mi-mi-mikuru, mi-mikurun-run!"
You might hear me singing that. Three cheers for Mikuru and all the people who act like her in real life (a.k.a. me)!
Yup. That's how far I've gone.
Well, today we got a new addition to our ICS Culminating group! I'd like to extend a welcome to Shreya, from Class A. She will be taking care of the glossary - not exactly an easy feat.
As for my tasks, all I have to do is edit the About the Authors page and the first part of the Introduction. Then I'm going to help Zarin-dono with the Case Statements lesson, and I have offered to help Shreya with the Glossary. Then, I will get to work thinking up test questions.
Ah, but before that, I have to finish creating the flow charts that were requested. It's pretty easy, and everyone else is doing so much; so I want to contribute as much as I can in any way possible.
Then I must memorize my lines for English CA; and do research for French CA, which is more about science (environmental problems). If I may, I'd like to voice my anger at Naeem for basically forcing our group to do Climate Change - something he's been obsessed with for the past two years (at least).
It's shameful.
Ah, well, there's no time to blow up at anyone. Besides, my brain is already fried.
"Koi no magiku, mi-mi-ku-run-run!"
Mata ashita, minna-san!
---
Current Music: Koi no Mikuru Densetsu - Yuko Gotou (Mikuru Asahina from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)
Even as I type this, I'm creating flow charts for our ICS Culminating. Oh, the month of January is so busy! With exams coming up in two weeks, and Culminating Activities to finish, I'm as busy as a bee. Some people are stressing out, but not me! No, my mind has already blown up! I just get really hyper and then sporadically change energy levels and get depressed. Then I get hyper again. Yes...if you see me acting drunk, you know what happened.
"Mi-mi-mikuru, mi-mikurun-run!"
You might hear me singing that. Three cheers for Mikuru and all the people who act like her in real life (a.k.a. me)!
Yup. That's how far I've gone.
Well, today we got a new addition to our ICS Culminating group! I'd like to extend a welcome to Shreya, from Class A. She will be taking care of the glossary - not exactly an easy feat.
As for my tasks, all I have to do is edit the About the Authors page and the first part of the Introduction. Then I'm going to help Zarin-dono with the Case Statements lesson, and I have offered to help Shreya with the Glossary. Then, I will get to work thinking up test questions.
Ah, but before that, I have to finish creating the flow charts that were requested. It's pretty easy, and everyone else is doing so much; so I want to contribute as much as I can in any way possible.
Then I must memorize my lines for English CA; and do research for French CA, which is more about science (environmental problems). If I may, I'd like to voice my anger at Naeem for basically forcing our group to do Climate Change - something he's been obsessed with for the past two years (at least).
It's shameful.
Ah, well, there's no time to blow up at anyone. Besides, my brain is already fried.
"Koi no magiku, mi-mi-ku-run-run!"
Mata ashita, minna-san!
---
Current Music: Koi no Mikuru Densetsu - Yuko Gotou (Mikuru Asahina from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)
Friday, January 7, 2011
In which the first signs of exhaustion appear
Konbanwa, minna-san.
I'm scared. Very scared. The lack of sleep resulting in drifting off at certain times in class is getting out of control again. Today, when walking home, I only had to climb two very short hills and it got me wheezing. Moreover, those incessant, painful headaches I get are annoying me. These are the same things that happened last year, before I went into my period of exhaustion. Now, this wouldn't terrify me as much if it wasn't January; that is, exam month. I absolutely cannot afford to get sick now. Besides, exhaustion is frightening in itself.
Today Mr. Arkin asked us to send him the link to our PDF files (for the Mosaic Project). There were a few problems with most of them, so we were asked to resend them. Ah. I should go do that now, before I forget.
Done! *smiles wryly*
That project has caused me a lot of pain.
Now, my main focus will be on Culminating. Luckily (in a way), there is no CA for Science, so I won't have to worry about that. And the French CA appears to be much simpler than the ones for English and this class, ICS.
Zarin-dono and I edited and improved our group's proposal in class today. Strangely enough, that took the entire period. Huh.
As I have mentioned before, we are writing a manual (similar to the Topic for Dummies series) teaching the reader about Selection.
I have been assigned the Introduction to the book, the About the Authors blurbs and the Glossary definitions. Writing out a lesson for one of the components of Selection would've been fun to do, but oh well. I'll take what I get.
I plan on finishing the Introduction tonight so I can send it Tasfia. She'll edit it into the manual.
Over the next two days, I plan to do as much as I can between the About the Authors blurbs and the Glossary. I want to finish at least one blurb, but am aiming for all of them to be done.
I'd also like to edit the book. I love editing others' work. But after my meeting with Mr. Arkin a few days ago, I wonder if my corrections are, well, correct. I hope so. It would make me feel really guilty if they weren't.
On another note, we got our exam schedules today. My ICS exam is on the same day as my French one. Luckily, I have my Science exam last - more time to study!
I'm off to work now.
It's back to class on Monday!
---
Current Music: Motteke! Sailor Fuku (Lucky Star OP) - Aya Hirano, Emiri Kato, Kaori Fukuhara and Aya Endo
^I can do the dance, too. Except for the high kick. I'm not flexible.
I'm scared. Very scared. The lack of sleep resulting in drifting off at certain times in class is getting out of control again. Today, when walking home, I only had to climb two very short hills and it got me wheezing. Moreover, those incessant, painful headaches I get are annoying me. These are the same things that happened last year, before I went into my period of exhaustion. Now, this wouldn't terrify me as much if it wasn't January; that is, exam month. I absolutely cannot afford to get sick now. Besides, exhaustion is frightening in itself.
Today Mr. Arkin asked us to send him the link to our PDF files (for the Mosaic Project). There were a few problems with most of them, so we were asked to resend them. Ah. I should go do that now, before I forget.
Done! *smiles wryly*
That project has caused me a lot of pain.
Now, my main focus will be on Culminating. Luckily (in a way), there is no CA for Science, so I won't have to worry about that. And the French CA appears to be much simpler than the ones for English and this class, ICS.
Zarin-dono and I edited and improved our group's proposal in class today. Strangely enough, that took the entire period. Huh.
As I have mentioned before, we are writing a manual (similar to the Topic for Dummies series) teaching the reader about Selection.
I have been assigned the Introduction to the book, the About the Authors blurbs and the Glossary definitions. Writing out a lesson for one of the components of Selection would've been fun to do, but oh well. I'll take what I get.
I plan on finishing the Introduction tonight so I can send it Tasfia. She'll edit it into the manual.
Over the next two days, I plan to do as much as I can between the About the Authors blurbs and the Glossary. I want to finish at least one blurb, but am aiming for all of them to be done.
I'd also like to edit the book. I love editing others' work. But after my meeting with Mr. Arkin a few days ago, I wonder if my corrections are, well, correct. I hope so. It would make me feel really guilty if they weren't.
On another note, we got our exam schedules today. My ICS exam is on the same day as my French one. Luckily, I have my Science exam last - more time to study!
I'm off to work now.
It's back to class on Monday!
---
Current Music: Motteke! Sailor Fuku (Lucky Star OP) - Aya Hirano, Emiri Kato, Kaori Fukuhara and Aya Endo
^I can do the dance, too. Except for the high kick. I'm not flexible.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
In which Pearl blows up at her computer
Konbanwa, minna-san!
I'm taking this opportunity to relax a little since I finished all my homework, and all that's left to do is write this blog and make some progress on Culminating (for ICS). Of course, I do plan on working on that, but I need a break first. However, I plan on going to sleep by midnight at the latest tonight. I've only gotten seven hours of sleep in the past two days!
Today Mr. Arkin introduced us to CutePDF, a program which allows an user to convert web pages into PDF files. It's very easy!
Nevertheless, I had some problems when I tried to convert my Mosaic Project's web page into a PDF file. In the PDF file and the print preview, the text got pushed down, and there was a vast amount of blank space to the left of my image. This annoyed me to no end because no matter what I tried, I couldn't get the layout to be the same as my web page. So I posted up my question on the Discussion forum in the class Wiki.
Since no replies had been posted, and I wanted to finish this trivial task quickly, I asked Zarin-dono to take a look at the print preview for my web page, to see if it looked the same for her. Surprisingly...it didn't. Later, when Mounir (thank you so much!) answered my question, he said the same thing. It still shows up strangely on my computer, so I guess there must be something wrong on mine. I'm not sure what, though, but if I remember, I'd like to ask Mr. Arkin tomorrow.
Now, I can officially say that the mosaic project is over! From tomorrow on, I will be focusing solely on the Culminating Activity. As I said before, my group is writing a manual. It's an interesting process, and we even set up a Wiki so we can plan and communicate with each other.
Exams are coming up, too, so I need to start gathering my notes and summarizing them. I plan to type out all my notes for all my classes so that I have a neater, shortened copy that is easier to study from.
So! Until tomorrow, minna-san!
---
Current Music: Bleed it Out - Linkin Park
(Suggested by one of my very close friends. Unfortunately, the latter part scares me quite a bit.)
I'm taking this opportunity to relax a little since I finished all my homework, and all that's left to do is write this blog and make some progress on Culminating (for ICS). Of course, I do plan on working on that, but I need a break first. However, I plan on going to sleep by midnight at the latest tonight. I've only gotten seven hours of sleep in the past two days!
Today Mr. Arkin introduced us to CutePDF, a program which allows an user to convert web pages into PDF files. It's very easy!
Nevertheless, I had some problems when I tried to convert my Mosaic Project's web page into a PDF file. In the PDF file and the print preview, the text got pushed down, and there was a vast amount of blank space to the left of my image. This annoyed me to no end because no matter what I tried, I couldn't get the layout to be the same as my web page. So I posted up my question on the Discussion forum in the class Wiki.
Since no replies had been posted, and I wanted to finish this trivial task quickly, I asked Zarin-dono to take a look at the print preview for my web page, to see if it looked the same for her. Surprisingly...it didn't. Later, when Mounir (thank you so much!) answered my question, he said the same thing. It still shows up strangely on my computer, so I guess there must be something wrong on mine. I'm not sure what, though, but if I remember, I'd like to ask Mr. Arkin tomorrow.
Now, I can officially say that the mosaic project is over! From tomorrow on, I will be focusing solely on the Culminating Activity. As I said before, my group is writing a manual. It's an interesting process, and we even set up a Wiki so we can plan and communicate with each other.
Exams are coming up, too, so I need to start gathering my notes and summarizing them. I plan to type out all my notes for all my classes so that I have a neater, shortened copy that is easier to study from.
So! Until tomorrow, minna-san!
---
Current Music: Bleed it Out - Linkin Park
(Suggested by one of my very close friends. Unfortunately, the latter part scares me quite a bit.)
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
In which Pearl's pride takes a blow
Konbanwa, minna-san!
Last night I slept at 2:30, seeing as I wanted to finish a rough draft of my Mosaic Project so I could clean it up today, and I had to read some pages in my Science textbook. Then I had to get up early so I could meet my French group to practise for the presentation today. However! Although majorly sleep-deprived, I have finally managed to complete my Mosaic Project! So, I'm in quite the good mood right now.
Remote Access Trojans are very interesting. To me, at least. I was always fascinated by how the Greeks defeated the Trojans by hiding in a wooden horse. Actually, I even learned something new from this - did you know that this legend is actually a myth? Like Miria says, "Sugoi~!".
I'd like to give a big thanks to Mr. Arkin and Zarin-dono for editing my work and helping me think up an idea for a conclusion respectively. It really helped!
Ah, now this is where the title plays in. As most of you know, I'm very confident in my English skills. Mr. Arkin found grammatical errors that I didn't even know existed in my writing, so my pride took a blow. Like he said, "You look like I just ran over your cat with a steam roller". Ah, well, that made me laugh. *smile* This incident hasn't dimmed my love for the English language, and I will strive to get better and understand what I have done wrong and why, so my writing will improve!
After I finish my French and study a while for my Science test, I will devote my time to the Culminating Activity. My group members - it's been finalized - are Zarin-dono (Class C), Lisa (Class A) and Tasfia (Class A). We're going to write a manual on Selection. Everyone is brimming with ideas, and eager to contribute, so everything's going great! I feel so lucky to be in such a motivated group.
Because we are all working on our Mosaic Project tonight, the real work will most likely start tomorrow.
On that note, I'm off to study now. Or, at least, try to study.
---
Current Music: Shut Up! - Simple Plan
---
Translation Notes:
Sugoi [sue-go-ee]: An expression of amazement: awesome; amazing; wow.
Last night I slept at 2:30, seeing as I wanted to finish a rough draft of my Mosaic Project so I could clean it up today, and I had to read some pages in my Science textbook. Then I had to get up early so I could meet my French group to practise for the presentation today. However! Although majorly sleep-deprived, I have finally managed to complete my Mosaic Project! So, I'm in quite the good mood right now.
Remote Access Trojans are very interesting. To me, at least. I was always fascinated by how the Greeks defeated the Trojans by hiding in a wooden horse. Actually, I even learned something new from this - did you know that this legend is actually a myth? Like Miria says, "Sugoi~!".
I'd like to give a big thanks to Mr. Arkin and Zarin-dono for editing my work and helping me think up an idea for a conclusion respectively. It really helped!
Ah, now this is where the title plays in. As most of you know, I'm very confident in my English skills. Mr. Arkin found grammatical errors that I didn't even know existed in my writing, so my pride took a blow. Like he said, "You look like I just ran over your cat with a steam roller". Ah, well, that made me laugh. *smile* This incident hasn't dimmed my love for the English language, and I will strive to get better and understand what I have done wrong and why, so my writing will improve!
After I finish my French and study a while for my Science test, I will devote my time to the Culminating Activity. My group members - it's been finalized - are Zarin-dono (Class C), Lisa (Class A) and Tasfia (Class A). We're going to write a manual on Selection. Everyone is brimming with ideas, and eager to contribute, so everything's going great! I feel so lucky to be in such a motivated group.
Because we are all working on our Mosaic Project tonight, the real work will most likely start tomorrow.
On that note, I'm off to study now. Or, at least, try to study.
---
Current Music: Shut Up! - Simple Plan
---
Translation Notes:
Sugoi [sue-go-ee]: An expression of amazement: awesome; amazing; wow.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
In which Pearl starts to stress out...again.
Kon'ichiwa, minna-san.
With Culminating Activities to do and Exams coming up, I'm just as stressed as I was before Winter Break. Coupled with a painful feeling of nostalgia, I'm in a very...fragile...state right now.
Today in ICS we were assigned the main part of our Culminating Activity. Mr. Arkin gave us a large spectrum of choices, as well as the advantage of getting into groups.
Of course, I'm not a very social person, so the very thought of working with others scares me. As it seems, there's a conflict between who is in which group. I hope that we can work this out tonight (the sooner the better), but if not, I'd like to finalize things by tomorrow.
The calendars in my room, in my agenda and in my locker are constant reminders of the extremely short amount of time we have to complete this. Three weeks may seem like a lot, but days pass by so quickly. Time flies.
I mean, it's already exam time - Semester 1 is over in a mere three, four weeks. Allow me the pleasure of being depressing for a minute: I feel like I haven't accomplished anything, and I'm missing the luxury of middle school where I felt more at home more and more each day. Have I mentioned that I keep seeing people from my last school in the halls, then realizing that I don't know them at all?
Anyways, the project I plan on doing is the Education one, where you teach any concept (selection, repetition, animation, etc.) to another in a media form. My "group" is planning to write a small instruction manual.
The Mosaic Project, as small as it is, is most likely due tomorrow. I have a lot to do. I shouldn't have volunteered to work on my English script (for Culminating) tonight. Wish me luck!
---
Current Music: Welcome to my Life - Simple Plan
With Culminating Activities to do and Exams coming up, I'm just as stressed as I was before Winter Break. Coupled with a painful feeling of nostalgia, I'm in a very...fragile...state right now.
Today in ICS we were assigned the main part of our Culminating Activity. Mr. Arkin gave us a large spectrum of choices, as well as the advantage of getting into groups.
Of course, I'm not a very social person, so the very thought of working with others scares me. As it seems, there's a conflict between who is in which group. I hope that we can work this out tonight (the sooner the better), but if not, I'd like to finalize things by tomorrow.
The calendars in my room, in my agenda and in my locker are constant reminders of the extremely short amount of time we have to complete this. Three weeks may seem like a lot, but days pass by so quickly. Time flies.
I mean, it's already exam time - Semester 1 is over in a mere three, four weeks. Allow me the pleasure of being depressing for a minute: I feel like I haven't accomplished anything, and I'm missing the luxury of middle school where I felt more at home more and more each day. Have I mentioned that I keep seeing people from my last school in the halls, then realizing that I don't know them at all?
Anyways, the project I plan on doing is the Education one, where you teach any concept (selection, repetition, animation, etc.) to another in a media form. My "group" is planning to write a small instruction manual.
The Mosaic Project, as small as it is, is most likely due tomorrow. I have a lot to do. I shouldn't have volunteered to work on my English script (for Culminating) tonight. Wish me luck!
---
Current Music: Welcome to my Life - Simple Plan
Monday, January 3, 2011
In which we return to school
Happy New Year!!!
I hope everyone had a safe, enjoyable holiday.
Today was the first day back to school after a long, two-week break. The truth is...I had...a very small breakdown the night before, because I was so nervous. But! I recovered! And I'm honestly glad to see everyone again.
In ICS, we got the first part of our Culminating Activity - the Mosaic Project. It's not so much a mosaic as a...puzzle, sort of. Each of us must write a professional article on some aspect of computers (there was a list of possible topics given). I chose to do Trojan Horses in general at first, because the actual idea is genial! I give credit to the Greeks for thinking it up. Of course, Trojans can do a lot of damage to your computer, as well as your privacy! Moreover, I had, for some reason (most likely because I watched too many crime shows) an affinity to the technological side of solving crimes. So! This was, without a doubt, the perfect topic for me!
In the end, I narrowed it down to Remote Access Trojans (RAT), which gives the creator of the Trojan access to your computer. All the information saved on your computer will be available to him or her - which, as you know, is a blatant breach of privacy.
This is a very interesting topic, though I have qualms about finding a suitable picture.
Nevertheless, I look forward to it!
---This next part is about my Winter Break, so you don't have to read it. It's just me rambling on about how great RF2, Durarara!!, and Baccano! are, really.---
Speaking for myself, I didn't get to finish my notes. It's my own fault, though. I had held off playing video games for so long I couldn't help myself, so I took advantage of the break to catch up on those long five video-game-less months. It was fun, because I was playing Rune Factory 2, a JRPG about living a life on the farm in a world with caves filled with monsters. It has a four-month calendar, and - surprise, surprise - I was nearing the end of "Fall". With "Winter" quickly approaching, I set a goal to celebrate New Year's Eve and New Year's Day in the game on the corresponding days in real life! With a lot of non-stop gaming, I managed to do it! Yes!
 |
| Natsume makes the best games! RF2 is my favourite game, and RF3 came out in English last January. I have yet to play it, though. I'm planning to start either during March Break or Summer Vacation. |
 |
| Durarara!! (c) Ryohgo Narita This is a pretty good cast picture - the best one I could find, actually. |
Anyways, I was so completely enchanted by Durarara!! that I decided to watch another anime that was originally a light novel written by Narita-san: Baccano! This one is about a "Cure-All Elixir", a potion that grants the drinker immortality. Most of the characters aren't on the side of the law, but very likable. For example, Jacuzzi Splotz, a petty thief, who pulled on a large amount of courage to rescue the passengers of The Flying Pussyfoot (a train). Then there was Chane Laforet, the woman who would do anything - even kill - to protect her only family, Huey Laforet. And finally, we come to my favourite characters (in order): Firo Prochainezo and Luck Gandor. They are part of different mafia families situated in New York, but they're also childhood friends, so the families are on good terms. Firo is so innocent, loyal, kind and amiable; but he can be very dangerous when he needs to. Luck is also sort of tsundere (not really). I can't very much elaborate on his personality, though, because he wasn't featured much in the anime.
 |
| Firo Prochainezo is at the very bottom right, in the green suit. Beside him, with the reddish-orange hair, is Ennis, a homunculi. In the middle, with the sword tattoo on his face, is Jacuzzi Splotz. In front of him, the little boy in the brown suit, is Csezlaw Meyer. To his left, the woman with the blond hair, is Nice Hollystone. The woman in the black dress beside Nice is Chane Laforet. On the top, starting from the left: Miria Harvent, Isaac Dian, Vino, Lua Klein, Ladd Russo Baccano! (c) Ryohgo Narita |
Baccano! was so amazing that I cried at the end, because it had, well, ended. It's unfortunate that the anime only had thirteen episodes, plus an extra three episodes for the OVA. Aw, man, now I'm sad again.
I can't say which one is better - Durarara!! or Baccano! I just know that they are both very good stories. I even compiled a playlist of all the openings and endings of these two animes. If anyone's interested, here it is:
- ROOKiEZ is PUNK'D - Complication [DRRR!! OP2]
- Yuuya Matsushita - Trust Me [DRRR!! OP1]
- Theatre Brook - Uragiri no Yuuyake [DRRR!! ED1]
- On/Off - Butterfly [DRRR!! ED2]
- Kaori Oda - Calling [Baccano! ED]
- Paradise Lunch - Guns & Roses [Baccano! OP]
Guns & Roses is a really nice song, even though there are no words to accompany the instruments. Calling is a beautiful, slow song. It's very lovely, and I do recommend it to anyone who's interested. The others are addictive, but they're more on the rock/pop side.
I plan to read the entire DRRR!! and Baccano! light novel series. There's over fifteen books, but I'm commited to it. Seriously. This is why I love Baka-Tsuki.
On another note, I finally found time to reply to my good friend on FF. I also started a Kuroshitsuji fic for Zarin-dono. I've turned Sebastian into an assasin and Ciel into the second-in-command of a mafia family. Please don't kill me.
Ah! Well, that was the longest blog post I've ever written, I think. I'll shut up now. *sweat*
Good luck with culminating, minna-san!
Mata ne!
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Translation Notes:
tsundere [t-soon-dae-ray]: A term used to describe a person who acts tough, but is actually very kind on the inside.
yandere [yahn-dae-ray]: The opposite of tsundere. A term used to describe a person who acts nice, but is actually very mean. An example of this is Yuno Gasai from Future Diary (Mirai Nikki).
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