being caught in the midst of assessments is far from fun. while questions like what is sleep? start to arise from my fellow classmates, i find myself sleeping more and being lazier than ever. is it just me? the feeling is basically wow, i have so much work to do i don't know what to do first so i'm just going to, uh, sleep. or eat. or do tutor homework so i feel productive without actually being so. then, come the night before the exam and i'm cursing at myself for not working harder. then the "promising to self" to do better next time. and it happens all over again. it's a vicious cycle that i would really like to break. 

i guess with me, if i'm doing well in something, i will work hard to maintain that level. if i'm doing bad, it's that "who cares" mentality that kicks in and takes over and swallows me. so to some extent, i guess the saying the rich gets richer and the poor gets poorer applies as i continue to excel at my best subjects, leaving all the other ones straggling behind i.e. mathematics and chemistry. sorry guys, you know i love you. oh well, not really. last weekend, before the english assessment on monday, i was frantically doing 40 minute blocks of writing out my essay, resting for 10-30 then starting again. not going to lie, i really want to come first in a subject this year and it seems like my only hope is english advanced or extension. after battling it out with kabir who sat on 1st place throughout the whole year in prelims, the 1% or so between our marks, and thus our ranks, stayed like that. i guess if i dont achieve my goal, i'll just pull out another saying from my tissue-filled-as-a-result-of-this-weather-and-everybody-getting-sick pocket and yell, "first the worst, second the best!"

travelling in and out of english classes to give our end of year celebrations presentation proved to be a lot easier than anticipated. a big thankyou to hahs class of 2012 for being so understanding...and for not throwing tomatoes at us. i've been feeling guilty for a long time, given that i was put in this position to represent the views of my cohort and it seems like i'm not exactly doing so. never fear, though. your six prefect executives will not let you down. don't panic. stay tuned.

for those who have not realised or walked past in absolute shock, yes, my group has our own kettle...which we christened the "group kettle". fancy, huh? it's like high tea every lunch and recess, i tell ya. we figured that paying $1 at the canteen everytime we wanted to bring noodles was a hassle. not only was it an absolute rip off, but waiting in line just to retrieve our lunch as it fades from steaming hot to lukewarm to cold, well, no. i ain't payin' a buck for that. so our group decided to chip in 50c each to buy an $8 kettle from kmart and have infinite water! well...the school's water. and electricity. you can catch us on the verandah outside the hall of honour near the english cottage. come say hi. 50c if you want hot water. get in quick! while stocks last! *as seen on tv*

 i like driving to school. besides the "holy crap what the you drive that car? hell no" conversations i find myself in, it's actually really good brain exercising. especially in the mornings. whenever i catch the train, i tend to become more tired. and when christie eats, i stare at her food and become hungry. whereas, if i'm driving, i'm focussing and concentrating and decision making and being kind and letting people cross the road. pumping up my cognitives for intellectual work and doing good deeds. two birds one stone.

my sister listens to taylor swift all day, every day. the tracks, the live performances, the covers by other people. i made the mistake of getting her the speak now album for christmas. taylor swift is a beautiful person but gosh, she whines a lot. i have a lot of problems with her song actually:

1. "you belong with me": basically, the vibe i get from this song is that the guy she likes is with another girl but she wants him. uh? this is a prime example of conflicting perspectives. (related text but sadly bos/det frowns upon songs as a text type for analysis.) society does not generally accept being 'the third person' but when the third person is taylor swift, it's all fine and dandy, isnt it? the guy's girlfriend has a right to be bitchy, taylor's been "standing by and waiting at [his] back door". practically stealing him right out from her arms. it doesn't matter how bad their relationship is, it's their relationship. not impressed, t-swizzle, not impressed.

2. "speak now": a guy's getting married and she wants to run away with him. i dont really know if it the end it happens because she's imagining it at the beginning but it seems like it does as it switches from her point of view, to his when he declares "i'll meet you when i'm out of the tux at the back door". taylor, you're beautiful but don't "sneak in" to a wedding you weren't invited to and then complain about "her snotty little family, all dressed in pastel". if the bride wants a dress shaped like a pastry, then she can wear it. it's her wedding day. you don't even go here, taylor.

3. "innocent": this is the epitome of whiny. she does have the right to tell kanye off because of the whole interruption thing but 1. we all know beyonce deserved that award...taylor swift's video was nothing compared to it and 2. is the slow ballad really necessary? she makes it sound like he killed her family. she tells kanye "it's alright, just wait and see" because "[his] string of lights is still bright to [her]" shaped by the hook line "you're still an innocent". she claims he "lost [his] balance on a tight rope" but "it's never too late to get it back"..... ..... 

i actually do enjoy some of her less angsty songs. this is just my subconscious whenever my sister plays one of these songs. it's just an immature vibe i'm getting. maybe it's just me. of course, i do respect her, she's won like a kajillion awards. just waiting for the day when she becomes a woman and sings about finding someone like youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu, wishing nothing but the best for youuuuu toooooo

a few bits and bobs that i am truly and utterly in love with. but don't deserve. assessment results really do stay on my mind forever:

nietta chainmail stone necklace, red jittery heels, stephanie broderie shirt

on tuesday, nurse sent me home from school because i was feeling as sick as a dog. on wednesday, first thing mr dillon does when he sees me throughout math corridor is say, "how are you, wendy? you looked terrible yesterday." while one half of me wanted to say, "stop checking me out, sir" i didnt want to borderline any legal outlines...it'd be too weird, anyway. moral of the story: try your best to not get sick!

i hope everybody has a fantastic weekend, studying it up for maths! eat healthily, sleep adequately and remember to shower... winter is not an excuse to smell bad. thanks for reading fellow munchkins :-)