Curtains, postcards and films

As promised yesterday, here are some photos of my new curtains and postcards:

[edit] I've just updated the photos with clearer ones: I fiddled with the camera a bit and realised they didn't have to be quite so blurry as before.


The curtains.


The detail on the curtains.


My postcard wall.

Right, and the film. Well, it was disappointing when compared with the book, but then few films live up to the book (or radio plays in this case). However, it was better than all the damning reviews made it out to be. And despite Marvin's physical appearance being really really wrong, I liked his voice. And the voice of the computer of the Heart of Gold. And the appearance of the Vogons. Arthur Dent was alright, but I didn't like Zaphod. He was full of himself and smarmy enough, but his heads were all wrong. I mean, there weren't two separate ones! Yes, it would have been difficult to have two completely separate heads, but video trickery and what-have-you these days must be capable of it. And how is one head meant to be able to talk to the other? Or lean on two separate headrests at the Restaurant at the end of the Universe? I liked Stephen Fry (the voice of the Guide) lots, and was thoroughly amused by the singing dolphins. Catchy song, too.

New Curtains!

Excitement of the afternoon is that we put up my new curtains, which are lovely. A photo will follow as soon as I can be bothered to find the digital camera and take one and then put it up on here. But it will. And at the same time maybe I will take a photo of one of my postcard walls, which has new additions. :)

Going to see The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy tonight; my opinions (if it causes any, which I'm sure it will because I already think Marvin looks all wrong) will follow, I'm sure.

Pesach (Passover) is over, which is nice, mainly because of the fact that I can now go out and don't have to take all my food with me, being unable to buy much apart from fruit and some veg. Although I've been eating Pesach biscuits today, as they are rather yummy. And we have a surplus of yummy fruit juice in cans, which is good for the school front. Mmmmm. 8 days of lessons left at school! Scary!

Poetry, discounts and cloudy parks

Yay. Oh how I love student discount days in Borders and Books Etc. 20% off! Yay! Bought some Dylan Thomas, which is good and happifying too. For your information, the student discount days started yesterday and run until tomorrow in nearly all Borders and Books Etc. stores in the UK, which is great.

Went to the park again today, despite the cloud and ate Pesach food there. Funfunfun. :) The ducks were intriguing if not slightly scary when biting each other. I wondered if ducks would find it amusing if humans were biting each other and fighting. Simon thinks not.

Concert last night went well, especially Haydn's Nelson Mass, which sounded so cool. I'm hoping it was recorded, 'cause I want to listen! (Yes, I know one can buy professional recordings, but I want to hear the one I played in!)

Trying to kill time in a double free in the afternoon before our final rehearsal before the concert tonight. Funfunfun. Hence resorting to blogging.

Weather has been changing between horrible thunder and lightning and beautiful sunshine (yay I love sunshine) just within this hour and ten minutes, which is rather odd in itself. Anyway, it's sunny now. The weather must know Naomi and Simon are seeing each other today. :)

Had a deathly boring chemistry lesson this morning, which was much fun. Yes, of course it was. *twiddles fingers*

Anyway, off to orchestra now. Yay! Time killed!

I like the park.

Especially when it's sunny. Yes, that's about it.

Update

Talking to Simon last night, I realised I hadn't blogged for a while. A week now, to be precise. I haven't found any more overly amusing articles in the newspaper (and am annoyed that I didn't get one yesterday *grumble* although I did catch a lift to school, which was the upside to it), but there is a good one about Douglas Adams in today's Indie. (For those who don't understand, I am referring to the newspaper, The Independent. ;))

What's happened in the last week? Hmm. I bought a really pretty pink floor length summer skirt, which made me happy as I've been searching for a long long skirt for a while now. I also went to half a study day on 'The Merchant's Tale' by Chaucer, where the first lecture I heard was half decent and the second one was the randomest thing in the world, and it seemed like she hadn't really prepared it.. or maybe she had, but only the night before. (And still managed to change her mind since preparing it.) I went babysitting last night and Eli actually woke up, and then fell asleep again by the time I returned upstairs with some warm milk. I've seen Simon twice and spoken to him and texted him lots. :D *waves to Simon* My book still hasn't come in at WHSmith (and before you have a go at me, the only reason I ordered it in there is because I was given vouchers and wanted the book and needed to spend the vouchers. I have been wanting the book since at least December) and I don't think much (if anything) of this week's free single on iTunes. They have appointed a new Pope, who is only slightly younger than the deceased Pope if I am correct and so I thought it a bit odd. Election gubbins is well underway everywhere, although I am still not aware of a local Lib Dem candidate leaflet in my house. Whether it was shunted out before I saw it (like nearly happened with the Tory one- oh, sorry Conservative: mustn't call them Tories any more- not that anyone explicitly says who they vote for in our house, oh no) or they just simply haven't got round to putting one through the letter box, I don't know. I have received my polling card, and I've also submitted my student finance forms for next year. I've replied to UCAS to say Manchester firm, Leeds insurance, although I still can't see any possibility of missing Manchester's grades and getting the ones for Leeds, but there you go. We finally finished reading the text of 'The Merchant's Tale' in English and are now having an extra triple lesson every week, and so I am not worrying as much, although I do still worry. I'm currently avoiding maths revision for an M1 mock tomorrow morning and any other revision for general revision-y purposes and summer exams. Awaiting a phonecall and also avoiding the chunks of extra English reading I have planned, but I may go and do very soon.

Well, that's an update, not sure if I've missed stuff out, I no doubt have. If you think of anything, feel free to comment or just respond to my random and rather normal activities.

Deborah Ross

She does write rather wonderfully. :)

Today: "Honesty is the best policy, by all accounts, but dishonesty is said to be considerably less damaging to the ozone layer." The rest of the same article is great too, that was just a rather wonderful quotation.

New look Indie

And it has Su Doku! Naomi is now happy and has even more things to amuse her on the tube, bus and in boring lessons... (no, mum and dad, of course I never do the crossword or the like in a lesson. I pay attention all the time, honest. :))

Shakespearean tragedies are...

"like muesli, they are boring, fruity and full of indigestible roughage." Fintan O'Toole, 'Shakespeare is Hard, but so is Life'.

Been re-reading O'Toole this weekend, thinking it probably worthwhile, considering one of my exams is on 'Othello'. Read that right at the beginning and laughed lots. :) I don't agree fully, but it is a great quotation. :)

I'm rather disappointed with how all the school computers don't show the 'Make Poverty History' white band in the corner of the screen. On any sites with it on. It's really bad. I first thought it may have been on IE, but then I came home and checked and it wasn't, which just indicates that we have really really rubbish computers at school if they don't recognise that or can't show it or... oh I don't know why it wouldn't show, but it wouldn't. It disappointed me rather.

Having just blogged, I realised I hadn't blogged for quite a while before then. Apologies for that, I guess I just never had the impetus to blog. Strange, that. I'm normally happy to babble away, even if it is only at a keyboard and my fingers are doing the babbling.

And now I've got carried away chatting to Malka, so it's actually 22:04 as opposed to 21:29, as the post will claim. How time flies. *whoosh*

The last two weeks have been the Easter break, over which I was supposed to do lots of work and start my revision. Thing is, one never fits in as much as one hopes. Plus, it is difficult to begin revision when one hasn't finished any syllabuses. Mrrrh. I've done lots of work, and finished all due in written at school, I believe. And we had an English note-pooling day, which was rather productive. Similarly to last year, we made lots more notes on 'Othello' than on 'The Merchant's Tale'. (Similar to last year in that last year we made many more notes on 'Hamlet' than 'A Streetcar Named Desire'. The similarity merely lies in making more notes on Shakespeare.) Discussed lots too that I can remember, but didn't write down at the time. (I have a strange incredibly poor short term memory to the extent that I can't remember something someone said 10 seconds ago that I wanted to write down, but I'll remember it when I get home. Nevertheless, I always make notes in lessons. I'm just scared I miss other stuff when writing the notes down. But I would look silly not taking any notes.) Re-reading all my English texts at the moment (have managed two and a half, which isn't too bad, I thought. Still going strong with one and a half more to read. Woo). Done several maths and chemistry past papers, realising how much I hate chemistry essay questions (yes, I know chemistry essay sounds rather oxymoronic. Or at least it does to me). Especially the ones that give you three pages to write an answer on, with extra marks for "quality of written communication" and yet all they ask you for are equations and calculations and the determination of various compounds. How does one make an essay out of that? Grargh.

The two weeks have whizzed by, similarly to time this evening. Much spent watching TV late into the night (Alice is in the final three!) and talking late into the night (5 hours isn't a long time to talk to someone pretty much non-stop...). I've also been to the cinema once, shopping a few times (I don't like to count that one) and done some work (did I mention that one before?).

There was Purim too, and we had the murder mystery (which was fun and we ate yummy shwarma). We found enough drivers and people to act. :)

The Pope also died today. Not that it affects me so much, being a religious Jew, but you know, he was a good man I'm sure. But old and ill and I think it was good that he was left to die at home and not taken to hospital again.

In the two weeks we've also had lots and lots of sun (particularly on Saturdays for some reason beyond my comprehension) and lots of rain (which I don't like so much. I like snow and I like sun, but not rain). Back to school on Monday. Funfunfun. :)

(Oh, and I'm finally finishing the post at 22:59. I am distracted pretty easily.)

Was I cruel?

Walking home from spending the afternoon playing with Eli (the 16-month-old I babysit), a kid (well, probably a 13 year-old, but he looked like a kid and I like referring to him as one. Quite cute looking, blonde, not unattractive, but cute in the young and baby-faced sense) approached me, clutching a whole load of small change and asked if I could go and get him some cigarettes, as the shop wouldn't serve him (by the way, he didn't already smell of smoke, indicating it was the first packet for an hour or two at least I reckon). Anyway, I said no. A few grounds, some to do with religion: a) they were only young (he had a couple of mates hanging around too, who clearly had chipped in with the few pounds clutched in the kid's hand); 2) one isn't supposed to use money on Shabbat (buy or sell things); d) one isn't supposed to carry on Shabbat. I only thought of that third one afterwards, but the first two struck me straight away. The third reason is still valid though. Anyway, I refused. And the kid just walked away, no shouts, explosions, questions, re-asking, mates asking instead or anything. I suppose there are some kids in the area who are reasonable apart from the fact that they smoke. They weren't like the scary ones who hang around on the rape bridge, anyway. (The "rape bridge" is the footbridge at the end of my road leading to the nearest tube station. Not overly safe for a woman to walk over on her own in the dark. Especially when the light isn't working or one can smell fumes. Or see and hear people.)

Shopping and working

We broke up for the Easter break last Friday, and so since I have been (putting off) doing work and shopping in the main. I've done lots of pure maths (both P3 and P6), as I find that maths is a thing that can very much start and stop and doesn't require a long long time to think and then write up, like English does. Although with maths I tend to think that, and then do just a couple of questions, and think, oh that can't have taken too long, and then look at my clock and realise it's about 20 minutes or half an hour (or even an hour with those horrible questions that take forever to go through all the right processes, although they happen to be really obvious and easy. I hate them, just because of the time they take to write out) after I'd started working, and that it was, in fact, much later than I had originally thought. And so maths doesn't take much less time than, say, writing an essay, but writing an essay isn't as conducive to doing in small(er) chunks. Or so (psychologically) it would appear to me. Not that I have many essays to do, and I think I have lots of maths. Although consolidating English notes would be a good move, perhaps whilst re-reading the text too. Maybe I'll dig out my big post-it notes for sticking in the texts when I discover something cool to think and write about. And of course having a pencil with me at all times, but that happens anyway.

Ah yes, the shopping. I went yesterday (briefly) to Harrow; bought a skirt (such a lovely lovely pretty denim skirt, just below knee length), a bag, a book, a CD, and um, a couple of other things. Went to Watford with Laura today and I bought some trousers (linen summer ones), shoes (summer ones again, but I badly need more shoes), a funky hairband for Purim, finger paints, glue sticks and silver card. There may have been other bits and pieces, but I forget. I will update if I remember or can be bothered to. :)

Can anyone help?

I'm running a murder mystery on Saturday night, a kind of belated Purim thing (well, it's motzei Shushan Purim, which will only really mean anything to about half of you I reckon) and I need 5 or 6 people to act as suspects: I think I currently have about 3 people, so I only need a couple more. We may charge you for food (I can promise it's good stuff), and I'll let you know exactly who you are acting as and what's happening. Except no-one will know who the murderer is until the end apart from me (and even I may not know, I haven't quite decided). 8.30 til 10.30 Saturday night, this weekend. Let me know ASAP.

I had my hair cut this afternoon: this time it feels shorter (in the same way that it did last time, when I complained lots, but I don't mind it so much this time) but it doesn't look overly shorter to my eyes, which is strange. It feels short though. And smells yummy. Mmmmmm.

I handed in my chemistry coursework yesterday afternoon (I actually stayed at school in the afternoon to finish it off and hand it in- it had to be handwritten under the supervision of a teacher, don't ask why as I have no idea as thought it ridiculous myself); it was like a weight lifted from my shoulders (although I still have the plan to do over Easter... :S) and now I merely have to worry about the fact that we have not finished a single syllabus yet and we break up tomorrow for Easter. Mrrarrgghh.

New delightful photo of me up on www.totallyjewish.com from Rabbi Black's induction (I was doing a reading in the photo) last Sunday.

Jewish driver in London?
We're looking for as many people as possible to help us deliver 300 michloach manot (food packages) for Purim to poor Jews across the capital (mainly north, north-west and north-east I believe). If you can spare an hour at some point between Monday and Friday next week, or any time to deliver as many or as few of these as you want, contact me and I'll let you know where to go and what to do. They can be picked up from the BA bayit from Monday night, along with maps highlighted as to where to go.

Alternatively, if you don't drive, but want to help package up the mishloach manot, this Sunday, from 11 am in the Kinloss Suite, Kinloss Synagogue. Every pair of hands warmly welcomed.

Rargh *general annoyance*

I dislike the way MS Windows XP thinks itself so clever that it tells me before I have logged in that I have "1 new email message"...when I DON'T. It thinks it is so clever, and yet it can't seem to update itself that I actually read that one email message many weeks ago, and have had numerous since. What's more, I don't particularly care about that email address, as no-one really sends anything to it. (Please note that I don't really check my funkychickens... address very often as I dislike hotmail. If you don't know the full address, this doesn't concern you.)

I also dislike having to write chemistry coursework under timed conditions. Especially when one is not given enough time.

I also dislike it when conductors are supposed to change from beating in four to beating in two don't change and you have to play fiddly bits which are impossible if not being conducted correctly and clearly. Sorry, that was annoying me. I know she's young, and not a professional conductor, yadder yadder, but still!! And then to have a go that it wasn't played correctly... Mrrhgghreohgsndogahbnbeoahhrrhhgghh.

*jumps gleefully*

I got As in my January modules! :D Yay. Which makes straight As at AS in the end, plus I only need a B or a C in my last module of further maths to get an A overall. *is happy**leaps* :D

Frees awaiting results...

Hanging around at school wasting several hours awaiting the collection of January module results at 1.30 in the school library. After: to Starbucks! (Yes, they are world-dominating, but they make good coffee and it's all fairtrade at least. Waste of money too, I know, but hey, I like coffee.)

New mouthpiece

So, I got my new clarinet mouthpiece on Saturday in the post (yes, I bought it through ebay. Yes, I know there are dodgy people on there, but this seller was all sweet and kept emailing me, even after I said I'd received the mouthpiece and gave me advice and stuff... which was nice. :) I also know that ebay can be unreliable, but so far my buys have always been reliably delivered, although this was the first relatively expensive thing (when I say that, nothing has come to over a fiver in the past). Also, I know one is supposed to try out different mouthpieces before buying them, and I did, including the model I bought, which was a Vandoren 5RV lyre (I don't know where to find a lyre symbol, but it is a symbol, not the word)) and the first time I play it it sounds as if there's air leaking out and the tone colour isn't all that great. Which was rahter a dampener on my spirits. So then I play my clarinet lots over the weekend and try out different reeds (and more reeds on Monday night too as I bought a new box of them) and finally find some good tones and colours and sounds, which made me happy, and I continued playing for the joy of playing as opposed to trying to save my clarinet playing as previously. And then there was orchestra today, and when playing my solo bit in 'December' (yes, I know it's March, but we're taking part in the Music for Youth festival tomorrow and for some reason we're playing that piece and I have a solo in the middle section) I kept squeaking. And squeaking just isn't a good sign. I'm going to have to play lots this evening to try and discover the reason for said squeaking and to remove the problem. *hopes to be able to* Hmph.

Ooops

Overslept this morning again. I woke up when my alarm went off, but somehow managed to fall asleep again, and then didn't wake up 'til 9.40ish. Tubes and trains were then treacherous trying to get to orchestra, and so I arrived in Euston around 11.15ish. The fact that I was waiting outside Hillel House (where I have orchestra each Sunday) for about 10/15 minutes until someone actually opened the door is minor. Well, not really. It was rather cold. :S

All rather strange (the oversleeping thing) considering I woke up yesterday really awake, if you know what I mean. Most mornings I just want to go back to sleep, which clearly happened this morning, although I recall no conscious decision to do so. I just think I thought at the time that I had 15-30 minutes to stay resting and not having to get up yet... and then I must have nodded off. *looks guilty* Ah well, I was punished by TfL and Silverlink Metro in return: darn engineering works. (Although it was rather comic sitting at Baker Street this morning waiting for a train: the announcements about engineering works on the tube this morning actually didn't stop. It went straight from engineering works to safety and back without a pause. Normally they wait a minute or two between announcements. I think there were problems on the Metropolitan, Jubilee, District, Circle, Northern, Central and Bakerloo lines as well as Silverlink services. It did make me laugh.)

I found the data for my chemistry coursework in my notes from class a few weeks ago. Doh. Ah well, it's just as well as I can't find any data regarding the order of thiosulphate and HCl in the required reaction in any books or websites... I'll just state the books as my sources, as well as knowledge from school lessons. That way there are no lies, and it isn't my fault that our chemistry teacher told us what our results are supposed to be for our investigation.

Mechanics test didn't happen today, which is always good I suppose. Gives me a little more time to not bother revising and realise that I don't know any maths. (Was tempted to use double negatives, but then got confused. :) They are confusing and shall not be used. :) Nor are they good practice if used.)

It's cold and snowing outside.

It's raining

It's pouring, the old man is snoring. Ooooh, sleep. Mmm. Zzzzzzzzzzzz.

I love trainee teachers' enthusiasm. Extra notes, typed and ready to be highlighted. :D Except they do at the same time need to learn that when Chaucer is read with an accent that can be understood pretty much as modern English, with the exception of the odd strange word which needs translating, a translation of the three lines that have just been read does not have to be given, nor repeated three times. All the way through, so that whilst we read 130 lines for homework, we only reached about line 80 or 100 in the lesson. Going through what we had just read for homework. Gah. What a contrast to last week's lesson by the same teacher, which wasn't so bad, despite the fact that it was an introduction to the language, which I've experienced before when I read the complete tales. (Or complete up to where Chaucer wrote before he died, anyway.)

Still trying to find the order of thiosulphate and hydrogen ions for chemistry (when they react with each other), as it isn't in any of the 23 or so chemistry text books that I happen to own. (Don't ask why I own quite so many, I don't really understand why myself, but they sit on shelves around the house and I do have them. No-one in my family is a proper chemist or would really have reason to have these books either. Strange.)

Photos

There are now some delightfully awful photos (one could even say pretty ugly- oh I do love that oxymoron) (I'm only referring to photos of me being ugly, I wouldn't insult others in such a way and I did look awful) up from Thursday night, Friday afternoon and motzei Shabbat (Saturday night) on the BAUK website. (BAUK is Bnei Akiva UK, which is my youth group. We had a big thing on Shabbat which rather tired me out if you hadn't already gathered. Photos are now up from said event plus from preparation. Most of the ones of myself are rather awful, as such things always are. My excuse is this: most of the ones taken with me in (if not all) were taken after Shabbat, when I was already tired, but kept going on adrenaline.) www.bauk.org, go to photos and I'm in some of the ones under 'Kenton Shabbat Ha'irgun'. I personally rather like the photo of Raizl sleeping. I'm impressed that Shmu managed to take a photo of her. Well done Shmu. :D

Snow! Again!

Okay, I know it's actually becoming annoying before we've had a proper several-inch-thick snow day, but it's snowing once more on a Monday evening! And this time I am very glad that I did not go out after my leaders' meeting, as the snow had started to settle. I decided to drive home as quickly as possible in high gears and hope it didn't become treacherous before I reached safety. I was fine. :) It had started to settle on the pavement in my road (I live on a road off the top of a hill, so it tends to settle quicker due to being higher up I believe), but fortunately not in the road.

Possibly a snow day tomorrow? We can hope I suppose. It would give me more time to write my first draft of my chemistry coursework. (*grumbles* Why with such little notice and without having really taught us the theory behind it? Eh? Eh? At least it's all mathematical stuff this time and shouldn't be too bad. The hard thing is finding the data to use to predict my results. If anyone finds data on the order of hydrogen ions or thiosulphate ions w.r.t. rates of reaction and initial rate, I would appreciate it greatly.) A snow day would also give me time to do my two English essays for school (one is the one I complained about yesterday, the other isn't quite so bad and is on 'Othello') as well as reading up on other stuff and generally teaching myself organic chemistry again.

Ah well, that's life.

Tired

Rather tired from yesterday. Every year I forget how tired I'll be, and it's not even like I was tired last night after the tochnit ended and we finished clearing up the shul, it's when you wake up the next morning. Ach. I really haven't been feeling like working or doing anything at all apart from lazy (or procrastionatory) things like blogging or checking (and replying to) emails and the like. Not work, anyway. Especially the poem crit with reference to 'Translations'. It's a strange enough poem on its own, never mind having to relate it to a play. I thought up the trivial "both authors are Irish" point, as well as the loss of origins and culture. There are things to write, it just takes the crit to a different level which I can't be particularly bothered to do. (The poem is 'Hercules & Antaeus' by Seamus Heaney. I still hold that I prefer Heaney's essays to his poetry. Strange, I know, but it's my preference.)

I did that mock.

Right, well it did snow and there was snow on the ground on Tuesday, but not enough to make school closed. Apparently lots and lots and lots of snow is forecast for today: all the local councils have been told to grit the roads really really well. Which makes it seem like I won't have to go to my hour and ten lesson and assembly at 8.40, but rather have a day at home. Which will give me plenty of time to prepare for Shabbat Ha'Irgun (a weekend thing at my youth group this weekend) as well as do my essay... which I am still avoiding.

Snow snow snow

It's snowing! And I don't mind it snowing and settling now, as I am safe at home and not about to go out driving (although I was thinking about it this evening, but am glad I didn't as the snow started before the time I would have got home) and there is a possibility of no school tomorrow, which means no chemistry test. Which would be good. One week's reprieve.

Beginning to feel guilty about a certain essay. And reading through all those 'Othello' notes. Or not finishing reading through them, even. But, there are just so many. And so many people make such useless handouts too, that you end up reading pages of prose about total crap, without even any small basic facts worth higlighting. Gah.

But, we did start 'The Merchant's Tale' today in English, which is good. Well, not good in the sense I'm worried we won't finish our texts in time, but good in the variety and change sense and also good in the sense that we're finally moving onto the last text, which means we might finish... or at any rate we are closer to finishing. Not that we've finished 'Othello'. Gah.

But back to happier thoughts... snow snow snow! Settling snow! Pretty big big flakes swirling outside and settling and a white blanket covering the area around.... eeeeee. :D I like snow.

Back to school tomorrow

Brrrr, it's cold this evening. I just hope it doesn't snow overnight. Or if it does, that it doesn't settle. I want to drive to school in the morning, and I'm not going to in the snow! Plus, it'll mean my parents will have difficulty flying back into the country. Which can be taken in different ways, I guess, but I wouldn't wish hassle when travelling on them ever.

But snow is fun. Snow angels and snowmen and snow fights and just it being all beautiful under the smooth white blanket. I love the snow too, I guess. Plus it's a reason to wrap up all warm and cosy and sit by a fire with a warm drink and mmmmm...

I'm beginning to feel rather guilty about the amount of work it would appear I've done over the half term... but one week is so not enough time to do all the extra work that's given and relax. And I don't want to die of stress or anything.

Hmm, well, I'm going to find another jumper to put on on top of the one I'm wearing. Hopefully I might warm up a bit.

I don't like how this thing insists that there is "1 comments". Is it that difficult to have it being able to change between singular and plural dependent on the number in front? Evidently it is.

I did all my chemistry homework from one of my teachers (we have two). (Waits for applause, and then realises that this isn't actually that great a feat. Damn procrastination making it one.) I like chemistry at the moment, as it's possible and doesn't require too much teaching to make sense (well, if they continue it starts to stop making sense, so it's just as well. Although some people consistently don't understand, and so they continue re-teaching it. At which point I usually plug my ears)... well, it's all calculations (for both teachers oddly enough) and I can do maths. So all is good.

I also climbed up shelves and found my sister's old A-level notes on 'Translations' (which we're studying in English at the moment) and discovered some rather handy articles and essay questions and general stuff to note down. Despite the fact that she insists she had awful teaching (which she tries and argues with me was worse than mine), she still has plenty of questions, model plans and articles. Naomi likes articles. :D

Note:

I do not like it when people start up an instant message conversation thingy with me and before I even have the chance to say "hi" (or any form of greeting), they say "g2g, bi". Please note, there are two things I dislike here: (i)why did you bother to start up the conversation if you had to go that second? and (ii)"bi"? Please, at least learn to spell "bye". Not that much more effort is involved: one whole letter more. Come on, I mean I know I'm lazy, but even I bother to write "bye" if that's the salutation I wish to use.

Also, I've discovered I dislike (or just don't overly like) those silly drinks where there's about 5% alcohol and lots of sweet, sugary flavoured stuff, like Archers Aqua and WKD and stuff. You can drink lots and they just have no effect. And you end up wasting more money I'm sure of it. The pure shots in smaller quantities are much better. *nods* And WKD blue tastes of blue ice-pops.

I mean, I have no objection to drinking them when they're on offer or around, but I prefer to have a smaller, stronger shot of something instead I think. They're ever so sweet too. Especially the blue ice-pop flavoured ones.

*growls at public transport*

An hour and forty-five minutes! When it usually takes half an hour, max. forty-five minutes! Grrrrrrrr. Hopped on a tube, to be told I had to get off at Willesden Junction and grab a rail replacement bus... which wasn't coming for another 20 minutes. So I jumped on the first bus that came and got off at the first tube station (White City I think). From there got on the tube, managed to go one stop and then they announce that it was a defective train and so we all had to get off. Waited another five to ten minutes for the next tube, which I then took to Oxford Circus and changed to the Victoria line for Euston. Gah. A journey and a half just to get to orchestra. Coming home was simpler: I decided to take the Metropolitan line rail replacement buses, as they are more frequent than the Silverlink and Bakerloo line ones. Journey was still over an hour in length, but nowhere near as frustrating as the one going in. Ugg, I hate public transport. Especially in London.

Doh.

I went to shul thinking rather positively, "Anthony surely can't accuse me of blanking him this week... I only went to school by public transport on Monday!"... and guess what happens? Yep, apparently I blanked him on the platform at Finchley Road tube on the way home on Monday afternoon. This blanking thing is becoming a rather bad habit. (I've now blanked him twice in not too many weeks. :S) But I was chatting with about four other people from school, so how can I be expected to notice him for sure? The fact that I apparently actually walked round him is another thing... tum ti tum. Maybe I should look out for anyone around any time I'm walking anywhere. But, it's such a bother to do that. Ach.

I had more to blog, but alas! I have forgotten what it was.

Wasted day.

Yes. That's about it. Slept lots (which was probably good for me), haven't (yet) done any chemistry revision (bad, bad Naomi), met Sara for lunch, bought a couple of papers, a book ('Down and Out in Paris and London', Orwell), a CD (ooh plus another CD on the 'net, but that hasn't arrived yet, and it wasn't in the shopping trip), a pink v-necked jumper from H&M (the kinda boring one. I would put up a photo, but my parents are in another country with the digital camera), some general stuff (cleansing wipes, etc) and a couple of presents (which I'm not listing in case the recipients read this here blog).

Umm, went to Sainsbury's this evening with my sister to do grocery shopping, etc. Bought a red nose at the same time. They come with stickers! and red hair gel! and face paints! I do like red noses. I think I have every one since I was about 6. If not before, since I have many of my brother's old ones I think. And I want to buy the pin too. I still have the 2003 one on my smart coat, so it's about time I changed it, I think, and it does look nice. We also drove a round-trip to my sister's office, to check I do know how to get there for tomorrow afternoon (I'm picking Sara up so that she gets home in time for Shabbat).

Well, I should probably go and do some chemistry revision. *sighs*

No school tomorrow!

Woo! Ms. Gooriah said she wouldn't be in, and since my only lesson on a Thursday is maths first thing, sounds like no school for Naomi. :D Plus we were told on Monday that assembly is only for year 12s. Haha. Excellent. Time to go and buy a birthday present for Saturday and perhaps some clothes too. They would be rather useful. And socks. I need new socks.

Freedom of house and car and page limits

Parents have landed in the Holy Land... they texted us to let us know. :) Just Sara and I for the next 13 days (I think... odd number to go away for, I know). :) Means I can drive to school (Sara walks to work and would have to pay to park) and life is just a tad more relaxed at home.

Just spent the last couple of hours writing up my chemistry coursework. And then writing it up again. Stupid limit of a maximum of two sides of A4 handwritten. Some of us have large handwriting! The writing just doesn't look like mine now, that's all. Last time I squished my handwriting to fit a set number of pages for a handwritten task, I remember commenting when handing it in that "it doesn't look like my handwriting", to which I was asked, "did you write it?" and when I replied that yes, I did, I was told "then it's your handwriting, isn't it?".

In the absence of MSN (yes, I have other IM media, but few others use it and so the absence is noted. Also, I do not use MSN, but trillian, so that I can use lots of IM media on the same interface), people have turned to emails, which means my inbox has a lower spam: not spam ratio... always a good thing I guess.

*avoids the mound of chemistry that needs to be done*

*blows nose*

I got through an entire box of tissues during the school day. *sniffs and sneezes once more* Ugh. I hate colds. Someone managed to laugh at the number of tissues I used in each of my lessons too (different person in each lesson, too). Ugh. *blows nose*

Other news: UCL decided that they don't want me to study there next year, which means that Manchester is (almost) definitely my first choice, although I'm still not sure if it was my first choice all along... in some ways it was, I guess (the whole maths/English liking both thing).

We're doing all mathematical theory stuff in chemistry at the moment, with both teachers, which is good, 'cause I can do maths. If measuring the rate of change, is it not common sense to measure the initial rate and then subsequent ones? Surely it is. Our teacher actually spent ten minutes (if not more) explaining that you had to measure the initial rate. *rolls eyes*

As expected...

Full blown cold. :( Head somewhat dizzy and almost floating but feeling heavy at the same time. Sleep would probably be rather good. :)

Bah

Cold worsening with regular coughing and sneezing, not to mention relatively frequent nose-blowing.

Other news: almost blanked someone (again), this time at the tube station this morning. Heard someone saying relatively loudly "now I know what Anthony means about Naomi blanking people" at which point I turned around. Doh. I really should take more notice of the world around me... :S

Chemistry practical assessment today: melting point determination (if that means anything to anyone). I managed to get consistent results, and I think it was only one degree out, although we haven't yet been told what the melting point should have been. Need to write up results, no more than two side of A4 handwritten. I think that is unfair, considering I have large handwriting. Maybe I'll just have to try to write smaller for this. Hm.

On the topic of writing, I should go and write some articles... tum ti tum.

Cold... again?

In fear of the oncoming cold I think I 'm getting (sore throat, general feeling lousy and being cold when I'm normally hot and vice versa make me conclude this) I have just made myself (and drunk) a hot honey and lemon... which was rather yummy. I didn't put too much honey in, and the lemon was prominent, but not overpowering. All good as far as I can see. Plus the vitamins should help ward off whatever not-good-health that is trying to make itself noticed. Throat still feeling sore, which I originally thought (or on Sunday and Monday I thought) was due to singing and shouting and talking too much on Friday and Saturday, but apparently not. Ah well, I hopefully will cope. *must remember to put new pack of tissues in bag for tomorrow*

I was actually feeling like playing my clarinet before... I didn't overly mind what, I was thinking of just random music that I could find lying about my room, but I then remembered that my clarinet was at school. Bah. And I was in the mood for practice. Pooh. I also want a viola. Not that that is at all connected to intended clarinet practice, apart from the music side I guess. And I would rather a new (or second hand but new for me) wooden clarinet... preferably two, one in A and one in Bb than a viola. Hmm... I should hunt out Saffer and find out about her Bb that she's trying to sell.

Forgetting earlier blogs

I came in this evening and my mum asked me how bungee jumping was, which rather confused and scared me, not to mention spooking me out. I had completely forgotten that I'd blogged earlier during my frees. It wasn't the fact that my mum reads my blog. I knew about that one. *waves to mum* Take heed: temporary memory blocks can be scary at times.

Frees *joy*

Oh the joy of frees with nothing to do in them. Lalilalilalilalilaa. Laura's just suggested going for (i) a run or (ii) a bungee jump from the school clock tower. I went for option (ii) but have told her that she has to jump first. ;) And she thinks I don't know how to get up there. Hahahahaha.

Was half an hour late for orchestra this morning (overslept and missed the second train, so went a longer way starting on a train that left sooner) but it didn't matter as we were locked out of Hillel. Again.

The shabbaton was good, if not slightly dizzying. (Why thank you for hitting me so many times on the head during our duel, Ben.) Inflatables last night were brilliant. :D There was a disco dome/bouncy castle thing (which I didn't get into), sumo suits (ditto), and that gladiator duelling thingy where you fall onto bouncy stuff (whereby I received much dizziness). Burgers and ice-pops were gooood. I haven't had ice-pops for aaaaages. :D

Grrrr

Even though I've passed my test, my parents won't let me out driving alone for the first time in the dark and the rain. Mrrgghhhrraagghh. Why are they so protective? I want to drive places already!

I hate Microsoft...

... for many things. The current thing that is annoying me is the restrictions they put on anyone using any other web browser when using hotmail in particular. Now, I don't use hotmail apart from to read the odd three emails I receive on that address now (the spam has magically stopped) and Hotmail sent me one telling me about inserting photos into emails, which you can't do on any browser apart from IE. Or so it would seem.

Oooooh and I have a new blue headboard on my bed. It was there when I arrived home this afternoon.

And I had a clarinet lesson today with a new clarinet teacher. She seems a bit mad... in that we're doing Mozart's clarinet quintet (which is normally a solo clarinet and a string quartet) as a five clarinet clarinet quintet, which is really weird. I'm playing the first violin part. I did offer my bass clarinet skills, and she did say that there was a bass part, but that I was the only one she knew who would probably be able to play the first violin part. But she seemed nice. :)

Underestimations

Haha. 30 people turned up. Good article (though a little long), and I was right in my fortnightly suspicions, it would appear. :) Strange that that many did turn up, but then, the Guardian does have a large enough readership. Plus online readers, and I swear he didn't take that into account when he did those strange calculations. Although I don't know if any of them were online readers. I doubt it.

Naomi's happy today. :D

Poetry competitions and Levi's ads

I was informed last night about a poetry competition for English (or perhaps British) sixth formers. Free entry and monetary prizes, so I don't see why I shouldn't enter if I can write a suitable poem. Still think gravity is rather a strange theme, but will write (and have written some already; am writing as much as comes through random midnight musings and inspiration and will see what I like best... or what others like best) anyway. It gives me something to do (as if I don't have enough already. ;)).

Haha, this was funny. The bit entitled 'Sell, sell, sell' then 'The prince of Primark'. Apparently Levi's models will be reciting Shakespeare in the latest series of adverts. I liked their re-writing of 'Hamlet'. It made me laugh lots when I read it. :)

Have the Tories not always been jingoists? (http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,1397647,00.html)

Is it not worrying when that woman practically has an orgasm washing her hair with Herbal Essence rubbish? I mean, not only does the stuff stink terribly (sorry, I'm not the greatest fan) but I can't see how it can do that to her. I mean, come on.

Hair

I had my hair cut on Monday afternoon and it now feels all short. I mean, it isn't really short at all, still probably long in most people's eyes, but it feels short when I run my fingers through it and it seems short and oh! I don't know, it's just that strange shortness that hair always feels after it's been cut. I suppose because when it is cut, it's made shorter. (Yes, obvious I know, but it just still feels short three days later. It's not even like it looks short to me. Just feels it.)

The really strange thing is that I've just washed my hair (no, that isn't the strange bit, it'll come in a moment) and yet it still smells of the stuff they put in it on Monday at the hairdresser. I'm not complaining, it's a yummy delicious smell, but I just thought it weird that it had stayed despite the fact that I washed my hair really thoroughly. Hmm.

(This is also to point out to most people (please note most, this includes family members who have seen me since Monday, but this does not mean all) that I have actually had my hair cut. There is less of it. Yes, some was chopped off. No, I didn't have a fight with the scissors. Yes, well, just to point out that it is a bit shorter and different. And thank you to those who did notice. :))

I wonder...

... how many turned up for that pizza? I hope he writes about it in his next slot. :) It is bemusing.

Scrabble crosswords

I forgot to mention my new latest obsession. Well, it isn't exactly new, as it's to do with cryptic crosswords, but it kept me amused on Friday night.

The JC has a cryptic crossword that instead of filling in on paper you fill in on a scrabble board, using scrabble tiles, and when finished you should have used up all the tiles. It's great and kept me muchly amused on Friday night. :D

Except you can't find the said crossword on the site, I've just noticed. Ah well, that is the site to the newspaper and it did provide much amusement for me on Friday night.

I've just discovered personalised post-it notes, which have made me all happy and bouncy and excited. They are a bit expensive though. Butbutbut yellow! And personalised! So cooool and exciting.

Musing..

Anybody for pizza? I wonder how many will turn up. And if the predictions as to who goes will be true. Are plumbers like year 7s in that they move around in big groups?

Interview and other things

Interview wasn't too bad, I guess. Had a good chat about 'Paradise Lost', 'Frankenstein' and Prometheus and them all relating to each other: was asked if I thought Shelley sympathised with God or Satan in 'Paradise Lost'... I said both in the same way it had been said about Milton, as can be seen through sympathies created for different characters in her novel. Realised I really really need to revise Keats more for tomorrow, as I couldn't remember 'Ode to a Nightingale' which they asked me about. :S I said it was a long time since we'd studied it, but still.... :S Gah. Practical criticism wasn't too bad. 'The Road Not Taken' by Robert Frost (although they don't tell you who the poem is by when you do it). Rather an easy poem to understand I thought, I probably could have written more and better than I did, but then they only gave us 45 minutes and hmmm... :s

Other news: just read about Joe Gordon, who was sacked from Waterstone's for writing about it in his blog. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/weblogs/story/0,14024,1388466,00.html) In slight disbelief that they would actually do such a thing, what with their freedom of speech thingy. Almost bought a book on (both) my way to and from UCL (they have a huuuuuuge Waterstone's literally opposite Malet Place, which is where the English department is). Oh, Dylan Thomas's collected works, or similar. I don't remember the exact title. It costs £8.99 and I decided that I would wait 'til the student discount days in Books Etc. or at least wait a bit, as I couldn't easily survive on £1.01 for the rest of the week, and I only had a £10 note.

Rather enjoying the Guardian's student 20p Guardian thingy. :) Saves me quite a bit. :) (http://www.guardian.co.uk/studentvouchers)

One down...

Right, well, P4 is over and done with. (Unless I retake it in the summer, which is possible but hopefully I won't. *crosses fingers*) The exam wasn't too bad: some of the earlier questionstook quite a while, which is rather strange, as they are supposed to get harder as you go along. *shrugs* Oh well, I still finished with some time to spare, even if it wasn't that much. Had some strange answers too, but it would appear Aki and Khushbu did too, so I'm not as overly worried about that. (And the answers match, and we all thought them strange.) Found graphic calculator relatively handy, just for reassuring myself that my sketch was half decent... I don't like sketching graphs. :S

On to reading lots... up to scene 3 of 'Streetcar' (I know, I know, I should be further but pleeeease.. *shudders in dislike*), have read some Keats and I intend to look over some Milton before Wednesday, as well as possibly a literary essay or two. Does anyone know what to do when analysing prose? What's different to how you analyse poetry? *worries and hopes for poetry*

Exams. *joy*

I've realised that I have strangely few lessons this week at school, due to exams and interviews. Only Tuesday and Friday it would appear. Gah! Exam tomorrow! Still don't quite know what is in the formula booklet and what isn't as Mrs. Khan had run out of ones that she could give out (mrrrrrrh), although Aki has assured me that there are only two things to learn: integrating factors for first order differential equations and something else that I've forgotten. Oh yes, the summation formula for n. Easy that. Except I don't think they give us the t=tan½x substitutions and I don't know them properly. :S I can use them. Just don't know them off by heart. :S

Still wondering what on Earth you do for practical criticism of prose just in case for my UCL interview. Hmmm. Will try and work it out. It can't be that different to verse, I guess. *hopes gets verse*

*Still need to re-read 'Streetcar' and lots more Keats* :S

Gah 6 days notice!

Today's news: I received a letter from UCL inviting me to interview next Wednesday. :) Happy, but incredibly short notice! Especially considering the fact that I know people who have theirs (for example) around the 16th (after mine anyway) and they've known since the beginning of December. Humph. Ah well. *should start preparing*

Happy New Year!

Yes, well that's about it. Not the most exciting new year of my life, I can say that for sure.

Went round to the Jacobs' house this afternoon to meet cute 1-year-old Eli. Babysitting him tomorrow night. He is rather gorgeous, even if he was rather tired this afternoon. Ah well, he should be asleep tomorrow. :)

In continuation...

I thought the film was really well handled, with the introductiona as to how Jews were treated then, and, yes, of course Shylock appeared the alien (there's that great line that actually refers to him as an alien) and of course there is an element of anti-Semitism in the play, but I think that was reduced through the way Michael Radford handled it. Anyway, I thought it was an excellent production. Thoroughly recommend it.

I'm not very happy with the lack of local tube services. To be fair, the Silverlink (national rail line) and Bakerloo lines are running from Kenton, but there's no Metropolitan line between Harrow-on-the-Hill and Aldgate and no Jubilee between Stanmore and Neasden. There are rail replacement buses, but I hate sitting on them through all the traffic and they're often icky buses and you don't know how regularly they'll come. I don't mind taking them to get home, but I don't like having to rely on them to get anywhere... you can't guarantee getting there on time unless you leave ages to get there.

Hmmm. Slowly procrastinating more and more. *doesn't like Streetcar* Grrr. I like Keats. Although I haven't necessarily been reading the set poems... :S Hmm. Maybe I should. But P4 is so much lovelier to go and just do. Especially now that Daniel's lent me his graphic calculator (which are allowed in exams and are oh-so-brilliant when you have to sketch graphs). :D But I should go and write a Streetcar essay and then do some P4 methinks. And then some Keats after that. Yes. That's right. Don't procrastinate longer doing other time-wasting things like chatting and tidying my room and playing with the graphic calculator trying to work out how to use it and the like. Nonononono. Work. Work. Hmm.

Orange Wednesday

Woo, I love Orange Wednesdays. There's a strange sense of satisfaction when you get in to the cinema for £2.90, and it's a good film. Went to see 'The Merchant of Venice'; was very impressed. Prolly the best film adaptation of a Shakespeare play that I've seen in a long time. Normally I hate film adaptations. Theatre is much better (well, obviously when they're plays to start with, as that is the intention, but even with novels: I still find the theatre much more preferable: your imagination still has to work hard. An interesting article on said concept, written by Philip Pullman, http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/features/story/0,,1358066,00.html, yes, I'm a Grauniad reader.) and normally I can't stand most of what they do to films these days. It just doesn't usually work. But this time. Wow. It did. And Al Pacino didn't sound overly American either. He made an excellent Shylock.

Right. More tomorrow morning when I'm not being whispered at that I shouldn't be on the internet so late at night. (It's now 00.30, and no it doesn't take me 50 minutes to type that. I procrastinate lots. And multitask (I am a woman after all). And no, it's not late for me, but my father thinks it is.)

Finished the cryptic!

I finished the Grauniad cryptic crossword... and on the right day! First time I've managed that. Grauniad is usually really hard... hm. Either they've made them easier because it's a Bank Holiday, or I'm actually getting better at them. Mind you, I do usually find Rufus somewhat easier than the others. (Today's was written by Rufus.) Proof that I managed it:



Google update: I now get two results for phrstomnicalisms on both IE and Firefox. Whether that has anything to do with the fact that I emailed google about it, I have no idea.

This googles!

Woo! My blog is indexed on google! Actually, can I ask a favour of y'all? Search phrstomnicalisms on google in whichever browser you have, and let me know how many results are listed, and which browser you used. For some absurd reason I'm getting a different number of results dependent on which browser I use. For me, there are three results in IE, whilst only two in firefox. I promise I'm not getting you to do this to increase google ratings or whatever it is when lots of people google search a site. I don't care about that. (Although of course I am happy it now comes up when googled.) I'm just curious about the difference.

Hmmm. Haven't blogged for a while. Don't really know why, seeing as it's the holidays, and I would have thought I would blog more then, since I would have more time to waste. I suppose I haven't had anything blog-inspiring, or, invariably, whenever blog inspiration hits, the computer is in use by another family member. *sighs* Ah well, blogging now.

Birthday (my 18th, on the 21st, Tuesday) was good and enjoyable; although we only managed to open the champagne we were going to open on the day last night, but what the heck, it was still a good day, and the bubbly was still lovely. Mmmmmmm. Been joking with my mum that I'll take her to the pub... 'cept all she'll want is a coffee. *rolls eyes* Received rather a lot of yellow, smiley and colourful stuff, which, of course, made me happy. :D I like yellow, smiley and multicoloured stuff. :D

Today was an interesting Shabbat. Didn't have to get to shul 'til a bit later than usual, as there wasn't a youth service until mussaf (additional service for Shabbat), as opposed to the usual 9.30 stint (which I need to improve on... I've been leaving it a little late of late). Went to the Finesilvers' for lunch, which was rather nice. 'Cept it's a good half an hour walk to them from shul, and it was cold. And then a bit less to get home. But goinghome didn't seem too bad. Strangely, rather a lot of shops on Preston Road were open, including a barber (and there were actually customers in there too). We finished lunch about half an hour before Shabbat went out, which gave us time to walk home with two minutes to spare before havdala. Spent some of the evening watching TV with my parents (Harry Potter, which my mum managed to be confused by and I found the music incredibly annoying... never mind the characters and predictable story line, and Vicar of Dibley, which was predictably very funny).

Passed my grade 8!

Wooooo! I passed my grade 8! Only just, mind you; 104 when you need 100 to pass. But who cares? I passed!! Considering I thought I'd fail until I did it, when I thought I'd passed, but not that well. Eeeee. :D Naomi's happy.

I got a birthday card in the post today from Brent Council telling me that I'm old enough to vote, encouraging me to vote, etc. Bit random but still... first birthday card. :D (If you've sent one, don't worry, my mother has probably hidden it. She's good at that.) Birthday tomorrow (no hinting, honest). :D

Went shopping today and bought...a jumper (£6) and shoes (£7!), as well as books (cheap books in MVC! Two Kerouacs, 'Vernon God Little' and 'The Man in the High Castle'), a newspaper (Grauniad, of course), two things of mousse, new shampoo (I'm trying out different blonde hair cheap costing ones at the moment- if you know any good ones let me know. And not dyed hair ones. Blonde hair ones) and some mint poppets (mmmmmm).

Oh, and I managed to hand in my coursework. :) Whether the last third of it was the best I could do, I don't know. It was late by the time I was checking that bit.

*do coursework*
*do coursework*
*do coursework*
*do coursework*
*do coursework*

No. It's not working. Gahhhhh!

Today's papers

Having read today's Grauniad (yes, I read it late in the day, and I know I was supposed to be doing my coursework, but I wasn't in the mood and didn't overly have the time before our guests arrived for dinner) I actually can't believe they are thinking of "sidelining" or even banning plays like 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' in some states in America. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/features/story/0,11710,1369643,00.html) I mean, you can't sideline or ban modern supposedly "pro-homosexual" (I believe that is the term used) drama, and yet leave Shakespeare. Not that they should ban Shakespeare. Nonononononononono. Nothing should be banned. Is America not the "land of the free"? At least, I thought it was. Mind you, I've just remembered that I'm talking about a country where there are states that have banned 'Catcher in the Rye', 'Of Mice and Men' and 'The Handmaid's Tale'. Not to mention 'Harry Potter' and all Judy Blume books. Hmm.

Coursework

I have only just realised that I think I have been subconsciously avoiding rewriting (or *correcting and improving*) my English coursework. Hmmm. Maybe I should get a little further than I have done. But it's oh so much more preferable to do my other English work and read poetry and do lots of shiny differential equations and integration and differentiation. Oh so much more preferable. You can see I'm not the biggest fan of my coursework. ;) Deadline for the final draft is last thing Wednesday. I'm hoping to do something to mine by Monday, so that I can go through it with Ms Fink then and perfect it further for Wednesday. Hmmm. And Sunday is definitely not going to happen, since it's the JYO concert in the afternoon, rehearsals in the morning and family are coming around in the evening for a "chanuka tea". Or something like that. Hmmmm. Maybe I should do some tonight. At least sort out my awful (I don't know how I could write some of the stuff I did... I can't have been the most wide awake of people at the time I guess) sentences, tighten it all up and make it more focused; figure out what needs cutting, moving and added. Hmmm. Right, so I better be off to do some of that. Or, at any rate, I'll do some maths otherwise. Work, nonetheless. :)

Pretty necklace

The necklace I was wearing today. I think it's pretty and wanted to share it with you all. :)



(I'm not the best at self photography yet. ;))

Apple chupa chups!!

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! :D Naomi is very happy to discover apple flavoured chupa chups. I love apple flavour. :D Happy birthday to Braunold, and thanks for the apple flavoured chupa chup. :)

Numb thumb

Gah. All day JYO rehearsal translates into strained right thumb, which suffered from nins and peedles for quite a while whilst playing. Mrrrrrrh. And it's not like I could just *not* play for a bit and take a break, seeing as we were doing the pieces I have solos in at the end, when my thumb was hurting. :( Mewww. And the rehearsal ended at 4pm, and my thumb still hurts now. :( Naomi is not the happiest of bunnies. :(

Gunky hair

The only problem with putting mousse in one's hair is that the hair ends up rather gunky by the third day. Especially if more mousse had to be put in to keep it nice. Hmm. My hair needs washing: there's much too much gunk in there.

Played the moo game at BA this afternoon, and there was a girl who kept saying "so shall I moo by myself now then?".... despite not knowing what happens in the game. She was so enthusiastic and wanting to moo! It was quite funny. And cute. Went and ran 'Psychiatrist' with the boys during mincha (there were a group of them who had already davened, and so needed entertaining (as such), and as a girl (and therefore not obligated to pray) I was asked to go and run something for the duration), and the "psychiatrist" just didin't understand what was going on, never mind what kind of questions to ask and the like. Not to mention the fact that some of the other boys just randomly said "psychiatrist" when what had been said was true. Doh. Ah well, it was still fun. I like taking big groups. :D It's much much better than small groups. Damn Kenton being such a small sviva and having low numbers and small groups each week. Mrrrrh.

Plans for tonight have fallen through due to the lack of tubes locally (damn this no Metropolitan or Jubilee lines at the weekend thing), and so inability to get to Highbury, and other people cancelling. Would have gone to the cinema with Sara, but there were no showings at decent times that we wanted to go to.

Curly hair day

I couldn't be bothered to blow-dry my hair last night, so in went lots of mousse. :) Ergo, hair is curly. :) (Plus the addition of more mousse this morning.)

Unfortunately my cold is persistent as it has remained today, and (going by my last cold) will be with me for much longer (hopefully not quite as long as the last one, which lasted a record 7 weeks I think). *sniffs* I need to go and get a tissue. (Here return the days when I have a packet of tissues with me wherever I go.)

Grade 8 out the way...

Woo. :D And it went well. Or at least, I think it did, especially considering how awful I thought it would be. I actually knew the scales she asked me (she asked me for D major twice! Admittedly in different forms: once ordinary and once in thirds, but still... twice!), the sight reading felt funky and modern, and wasn't too tricky (I can't promise I kept to all dynamics and I'm not sure my staccati were quite staccato, but anyway), Mrs Roden said that it was my best performance of my pieces that she's heard me done before... the worst bit was the aural (and I'm never quite confident of that. Especially sight singing with a cold, when my ears are a little up the creek). Anyway, I'm sure I passed, which was my main concern (before I went I really didn't think I would). Yay. :D Naomi is smiley. :D (Not that I'm ever that un-smiley. Frowny, I guess the word is.)

Less manic reading

Right. And reading is now much less manic, but of course continuing. As is discussion with random people. :)

Silly UCAS for some reason know that Manchester made me an offer, but don't know the conditions, which is rather strange. :S

Off to practise some scales, methinks. *hums*

I don't like telling off my peers, really I don't...

But I just can't help it. I mean, if fellow madrichim (leaders, sorry, I'm talking about at my local youth group here) are just leaving everything to one person to do, and I don't just mean planning, I mean on the Shabbat (Saturday) afternoon as well, and when something is handed over to them, they try and rebound it off onto another, it's just not right. I mean, if we are supposed to be informally educating (and we are; no, it isn't indoctrinating, despite what some people think. If you want to hear my argument why, speak up), then the madrichim should be expected to know what they are about to give over... even if we are doing it in an informal setting and through playing games. They should plan their meetings properly, aimed at the number of chanichim (participants) they think they will have, as well as their respective ages, and know exactly why they play each game, so that they can link it all together at the end. I understand that I've had more hadracha (leadership) experience, having been a madricha both locally last year and at summer machane (camp), and so maybe can find/transform games to link in with a theme; but that doesn't mean they have to wait for me to come up with ideas. And general enthusiasm... it's just lacking. I mean, I try and play the 'energy ball' type game, where you have to be loud and mad and not mind acting like a monkey, and they just stand there like the chanichim, instead of enthusing them. I mean, come on. Gah.

I want to hear from Oxford!

Why can't they put me out of my misery and let me know whether I am being called for interview? I think it is just pure evil that they give less than a week's notice before the terrifying ordeal. I mean, I'm reading lots anyway, but it would be (more or less) manic if I knew whether (or not) I was to actually have an interview. And before you start commenting "everyone gets an interview," no, they don't. Mrrrggrrgghhh.

I got an offer to Manchester though. :) ABB with an A in maths, which is lovely (or for me anyway). Would write lots about the interview, but I'm too tired and have written in too many other places about it. It's enough to say that everyone called for interview was made an offer, and that the interview was good. :)

Today saw me at an 'Othello' study day, which surprisingly had more good lectures than bad. Admittedly only one lecturer managed to keep to the title of his lecture, but that doesn't detract from the good qualities of the others. :) I will no doubt discover my (in)ability to take comprehendable notes tomorrow, when I am supposedly reporting them back to the rest of my English class. Hm.

Interview tomorrow!

Gah.

Butbutbut

I did get a fitted shirt, which *fits*. :D Such an achievement, and Naomi is happy about it. Although I got measured at the same time, and was a seriously different and *scary* size according to them. But then, the shirt did fit better afterwards. Hm.

Interview on Thursday! Rarrrgh. Slightly scary, as I still don't know how much maths and how much English they may ask me. Humph. Why did I apply for such a rare and strange course again? Methinks I will still be reading 'Fermat's Last Theorem' on the car journey up there too, but then, surely that isn't the end of the world?

Hmmm... considering the other amounts of reading I also have to do... not to mention lots of chemistry and maths, most of which I don't understand. Humph. Why do teachers set homework on stuff they are yet to teach us? Or alternatively, stuff they think they have taught us, but not a single person in the class understands?

Rararggghargghaaghraghrammmragrhgar. Oooh, that's good.
Rararggghargghaaghraghrammmragrhgar. I like. :)
Rararggghargghaaghraghrammmragrhgar. Quite therapeutic too. (You have to understand, I actually think and speak half of what I type. It's strange. Like when I write :P, I actually stick my tongue out.)

Right... back to work and reading, methinks.

Busy busy busy

Busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy.

Get the message? It feels as if I don't even have enough time to blog properly. And yet I still manage to waste ever so much time doing I don't even know what.

Grrarrghghggghhh!

Gah

I think I have handed in a few to many cruddy essays this year. :S And I only do the one essay subject. Possibly due to the lack of argument in the majority of said essays, and the lack of enthusiasm to write said essays. And the temptation of procrastination. Poemmmmmmmmms....mmmmm. And I have good excuse to be playing the clarinet lots and lots and lots and lots over the next two or three weeks. (Arrrrgggggghhhhhhh!!!!!!! Grade 8 is way too soon and I don't know any scales!! Gahhhhhhhhhh.)

Naomi's sleepy. *yawns*

Haven't posted for a while...

...and so will now. :)

The week so far (and the few weeks coming up) have (and are expected to be) rather hectic, which isn't so great, especially when it's weeks on end. Ah well, it's Friday afternoon sleep time of year now, which makes it slightly more bearable.

Sunday saw me spending the day in Hillel House in Euston, in the morning for orchestra, and the afternoon for an aj6 Oxbridge interview preparation type thing. I didn't mind that: the day was enjoyable; it was getting home. There's no met line between Harrow on the Hill and Aldgate at the weekend at the moment, plus no Jubilee line between Neasden and Stanmore. For anyone who doesn't know, I live on the Met line and the Jubilee is pretty close too. To get to Euston I can also take the Silerlink, but when we finished on Sunday I went to Euston Station, and I would have had to have waited for half an hour for the next train to Kenton, which I wasn't really up for. So I went and took the tube, taking the Jubilee line to Willesden Green, and then taking a rail replacement to Northwick Park. This was all fine and dandy, until walking home from the tube station...which took twenty-five minutes! (This walk normally takes eight, so twenty-five is quite a bit longer.) It was dark, and there were scary drug gangs on the rape bridge, so I walked the long way home. But it took a long time and I got wet and cold. :(

Monday I went to the dentist in the morning (my teeth are fine :)), and then went on to school, and in the afternoon I went straight from school to Raleigh Close shul for Andrew and Rosa's sheva brachot. Which were wonderful, except there was something up with the PA system, which meant we did a much much shorter set than planned (although how they expected to quite fit in the full set, I have no idea). I liked all the balloons and party poppers and bubbles!! I love bubbles. :) (Little things please little minds.)

Hmmm... Tuesday. I went in late, did the maths challenge, went and had chemistry explained by Mr. Dawson (our new head of science, who knows what is in the syllabus, unlike my other chemistry teacher) and had English and orchestra in the afternoon. It just seemed busy, despite the late start. (Possibly due to not returning home until about 6.15pm.)

Today I don't overly remember, apart from having further maths and maths, but no other lessons. And I don't seem to have done enough work tonight either. Gah. Damn having four essays for the same subject at the same time. *silly teachers*

Responses to the American election.

The front cover of today's G2.
I rather liked this. The Guardian didn't do anything overly impressive with their headlines in the main newspaper, unlike the Independent, which had a cool spread of war photos, etc. with a black background and the words "FOUR MORE YEARS" between each row of photos, but I thought the cover of G2 was even better. Especially since they did so little with their headline of the main paper. All I can say is, at least Bush won legally and with the popularity vote this time. Better than the last. That doesn't mean I'm happy he won, just happy that he won slightly more fairly than last time. (Although I've heard so much about their campaign, which was sneaky.)

Second offer!!

*jumps up and down*
*jumps again*
I've received my second offer! *jumps and squees* This one is for Birmingham and I need to get the grades AAB with an A in English literature. A bit scary, but then, it is an excellent university. :D I'm very happy about that one, as you can probably tell. ;)

Oooh, and I received a letter yesterday inviting me to interview at Manchester. :) The only scary thing about that is that I now have to prepare for a maths interview. (I've applied for joint honours in maths and English at Manchester, straight English everywhere else.) I'm borrowing the maths university interview folder from school tomorrow and checking out what it has inside. ;) Still a little scary.

*dances* I have another offer! *dances and jumps* *grins*

Late night poetry writing, photos and stuff...

Poem first, methinks. (I wrote this last night, or maybe on Saturday night.)

Words
Fabricated fecundity
Impressing the reeling eyes and the seeing mind,
Not sure where
or why
or how
or who
Its meaning both clear and confusing
At once understood and uncomprehended.
Intending one thing,
Meaning another
The author's ideas confounded
And compounded by the reader's interpretations.

Why each particular word,
Each sy-lla-ble,
Each l-e-t-t-e-r,
All significant:
nothing doesn't have a reason.

And yet, wade in too deep
And you'll be lost,
Lost in a world of analysis,
Unable to see the wood for the trees.

If you just take a step back,
Not a mile,
Not a kilometre,
Not a metre,
Just a single step,
Look at what's in front,
what's behind,
and where you're standing,
The whole picture, the overall meaning,
How the colours blend to make the masterpiece
The notes to make the symphony
Then you might just realise
That there's no poınt at all.

Second: photo news. In August I blogged from Israel, on Torani machane: one day we went to Tel Azeka, and I whined that I had forgotten my camera and requested a copy of the group photo from there from anyone reading this with a digital copy. Well, Jonny Lipczer (*waves to Jonny*) "stumbled upon" my blog, read my plea and sent me the photo! Here it is:

(For those who have forgotten, Tel Azeka is where the Biblical story of David and Goliath happened. David was up where we took the photo, Goliath down by the road which you can't see in the photo.)

And other stuff...
I'm currently trying to find two essays that are vaguely decent and I don't mind talking about at interview to send off to Oxford (they sent me a letter asking for essays on Shabbat, as well as a separate letter with college allocations).

I'm rather annoyed that I didn't go to Limmud tonight (one-to-one Jewish learning), but I thought it best to appease my father. The only thing is, is that there is no Limmud next week, as it is sheva brachot (a big meal (party in this case) in the week after a wedding where the seven blessings from the wedding ceremony are repeated at Grace after Meals)- where I'm playing in the band. :D Lots of fun.

My grade 8 is scarily soon (within the month) although I still don't know the exact date, as they gave me a Saturday (grrr) so I'm going for cancellations and there haven't been any I could do so far.

Hmmm... I think that's about it. I'm sure there's other stuff that I've forgotten, but then I keep forgetting things of late.

Painting late at night

I painted this late last night, in celebration of finishing the first draft of my coursework, and just for some relaxation too. As with all my paintings, I'm not sure which way round it looks best. If you rotate it 90 degrees clockwise, that's the way round I painted it, but then, it doesn't always look best that way.


This is another photo of the same. I used acrylic paint.

'Hecuba' was good yesterday. :D I was rather shocked that one of the bodies in a body bag was an actual child as opposed to a manikin, and it was rather gruesome, but then that's Greek tragedy for you, I guess. Unfortunately when we got there they only had standing tickets left, so we stood for an hour and twenty minutes watching the play, which wasn't as bad as i thought it would be. And it was an excellent excuse to go and sit and have coffee for a long time afterwards. (I am beginning to worry that I'm addicted to coffee. I needed a drink the other evening and had some of my parents' decaffeinated coffee, and it just didn't do the trick. I had to have another drink afterwards. :S) And I finished the first draft of my coursework. :D

Procrastinating.... again

To the extent that I am actually writing this at 11.34pm, not 11.04 when I supposedly started writing this. Now that's procrastinating procrastination, which I think is pretty impressive.

Darn English coursework. It isn't that I don't like the text, but I don't like the essay. It just isn't nice. I mean, I reckon it is the better of two evils and I actually couldn't think up my own question or subject to write about, or else I would have, but still.... mrrgrhhrahhggh. (And no, I don't know what that sounds like, apart from like mrrgrhhrahhggh.) I've written almost 1600 words and I know there's more to write, but it feels so bitty and mrrgrhhrahhggh. I like that word. Mrrgrhhrahhggh. Mrrgrhhrahhggh. Mrrgrhhrahhggh. That felt good. And I want to paint some silk, except I don't have any plain silk in the house and I can't be bothered to go all the way to Greenford just to buy some silk. And I have lots of work still to do. A poem critique, maths and oodles upon oodles of further maths (an entire chapter of exercises on something I vaguely understand and then I have to teach myself another chapter, which is supposedly "easy". Yeah right. If it's easy, then I'm a Dutchman).
Not to mention the coursework. (Wha..? Did I mention something there?)

Theatre tomorrow. :D
(I like this font.)

A photo

Sara (my sister) and I at Nanny's 70th birthday party. (Nanny is my grandma. She turned 70 on the 20th September this year. Belated online birthday wishes.)

Going to see 'Hecuba'... anyone want to join us?

Kajal and I are planning to go to see 'Hecuba' at the Donmar Warehouse on Thursday ; we're planning on the matinée at the moment (it starts at 2.30pm). If anyone would like to join us, please let one of us know by Wednesday night. We'll let you know where we're meeting if we're meeting before or anything like that, but it should be good and has had some good reviews. For the Donmar's website, click here.

Oooh, I'm also planning on going to see 'The Tempest' at the Bloomsbury Theatre next week if anyone wants to come to that with me. I think the Saturday night is the only night with tickets left at the moment that I can make (it's only running for three nights, Thursday has sold out online I think and I can't do Friday night), and it starts at 7.30pm. Less is likely to come of going to see 'The Tempest' than 'Hecuba', as Kajal and I are definitely going to see that on Thursday. Let me know if you want to come to any. :)

New shoes!

I went shopping and I bought...

Smiley all over :D

I received my first offer today. :D:D:D Well, a letter informing me that I will be receiving through UCAS the offer of a place to study English at Leeds and inviting me to an open afternoon. :) So I'm incredibly happy and smiley, even though Leeds isn't my first preference, just because I've heard from somewhere and I've received my first offer. :) Despite not knowing what the conditions of the offer are, and silly UCAS don't know about it or haven't updated their site yet. *sends vibes to either Leeds to inform UCAS or UCAS to update their site*

Poemmmmmmmmms

The poetry I ordered on Amazon arrived on Friday. And that's two weeks early, which makes me much much happier and grinning all the time. Except it arrived on Friday morning (and my mum was lovely and texted me to let me know the good news) and then I didn't actually go home until Saturday night, which was rather upsetting as I wanted to read my new stuff! (Roger McGough's 'Collected Poems', by the way. As wonderful as expected.)

Yes, shiny new books. :) (I bought 'Titus Andronicus' too, but that is less exciting in comparison to the poetry. But it is also very good.)

Schoolwork. Lots of.

Don't you love how you have no work for ages, and then all of a sudden nearly every lesson is a test of some sort and you are set hours upon hours of work each night? And this always happen to coincide with consultation evening? Well, at least, I do. Chemistry, maths, further maths and English. Lots of work from each. With an essay set last week just 3 days after our coursework was set, and the essay (or at least my essay) approached 3000 words in length. Plus all the other stuff. And I'm convinced it's due to the fact that it's consultation evening tomorrow. Funnnnn. Humph.

Ill

Ugg. Damn doing too much in so little time it makes you ill.
I hate colds.

It always rains in London on Succot

Whatever one says about English weather (or whatever I say), however supposedly unpredictable it is (for example having blazing heat forecast and then it snowing- and that did happen), it always always always always rains on Succot. Always. And nearly always on the Succah crawl. (Although I am amazed that Jon managed to play 'captain's coming' in my garden, on the grass, in the rain, with little kids slipping over. But he did, and well done to him.)

Unfortunately, the roof of the rabbi's succah collapsed or fell in or broke on the second day of Succot, which managed to *slightly* change our plans, since we had an oneg (a programme thing) planned for the youth there (which was relocated to the Coopers') as well as all the groups going there on the Succah crawl (we sorted something out. More groups went to each of the succot we were already using). (Think pub crawl, similar but going round succot (the strange leaf-roof hut/tent things we build this time of year) and instead of getting drunk (we wouldn't provide alcohol to minors now, would we?) eating sweets, playing a game or few and possibly trying to teach them something. <- a Succah, except it's meant to have walls too. And there's a cute model one here.

But mrrrh, there's going to be lots of work to catch up. And I keep forgetting what I want to say. Hmph.

Ah, Hebrewisms.

Haha. I was searching the net for a movement shirt (the shirt I wear as a leader of my youth movement), thinking perhaps if I ordered it myself from Israel it would be cheaper, and came across an advert for בלוגים- transliterated to 'blogim'- which when I clicked on appeared to be a whole load of Hebrew blogs. Oh I do love how they use an English word (not even a proper word! A shortened word!) and then add the Israeli ending. Haha. :) *muses* I wonder what the plural of telephone and fax are in Hebrew. Hm. Anyone know? And how do they know if the word is masculine or feminine if it is stolen from another language?

New year, in more ways than one.

Not only have we just begun a new school year, but the Jewish year 5765 started 10 days ago, which translates into much missed school for Naomi and a 25 hour fast today. Funnnnn. The missing school aspect of Jewish festivals is definitely the con, due to the large amounts of catching up of work that needs to be done. It wouldn't be so bad, had I not chosen to go on a Spectroscopy day at UCL on Tuesday as well, and the fact that many classmates conveniently forgot to bring in their notes from the days when I was away, despite having 'phoned them the night before to remind them to bring them in. Ah well. I think I have notes to try to digest from all my missed lessons now. I even understand some of them. Now that's something.

Today was good. I even managed to refrain from reading anything secular for 25 hours this year, which is quite an achievement, I thought. I stuck to reading R' Aryeh Kaplan (z"l) last night before I went to sleep, and another of his books during the services, when admittedly I should have been praying, but there's so much, I mean, it's all day. I arrived at shul this morning at 9.30, and didn't leave the building 'til 8pm. And I didn't eat or drink. And anyway, reading some Aryeh Kaplan is better than reading say, 'Lord of the Rings', when you are supposed to be focusing on religion and getting close to God and stuff all day. Especially when the book is about finding God, and why He created the world, and why everything we do is for Him.

I went to the Rabbi's question and answer session during the break (our services don't quite take all day, so we had about an hour's break. It was supposed to be longer, but the services overran a bit) and there was the annual "why don't we wear leather shoes on Yom Kippur? And can we wear leather on any other part of our body?" question, along with a few other questions, including one about "Shabbat lifts" whereby there are some hotels (or high rise buildings) which have lifts that either (i) go up and down on their own, stopping at every floor, or (ii) have someone inside pressing the button, and is it okay to use them? (For anyone who doesn't know, we are not supposed to use electricity on Shabbat, and that includes pressing the button in the lift.)

Hmm. Well, I'm tired, so I'm heading bed-wards. Night. x

Woo! Home early. :)

General studies this afternoon is only for those who chose to do UAP last year, which meant I could leave at 10.20. :D Had a rather surprised Shirley at the door just now, who couldn't understand why I was home. (Haha. Her boys went to Habs, and apparently they weren't allowed home if they finished early, which I think is cruel.) She delivered some very nice flowers for my parents though. :) It's their pearl wedding anniversary tomorrow. And my dad retires (for the first time, as he keeps saying) today, so we are having a kiddush on Shabbat, which should be nice, if not just because my brother and sister-in-law are coming to Kenton for Shabbat, and so I can see them. :)

Anyway, off to enjoy my unexpected freedom for the rest of the day (it's sunnyyyyy).

School

We've been back at school now for... *goes to find diary so can count the days*... 5 days, with 2 being pointless time-wasters, one of which I could have spent much more productively making chicken soup and banana crumble (don't ask. Just never put cinnamon in, it ruins it) for 50 peopleand 3 days were lesson filled.

In true HBS style, they've been decorating and refurbishing through the holidays and have managed to not finish by the time everybody returns for the new term. Oh, I do love my school. Having said that, the drama department is now the bright zingy yellow that I wanted for my bedroom and was never allowed, and now having seen it on walls, it only confirms in my mind that that was the colour I wanted in my room. I would be able to jump out of bed in the morning with the strength of a lion (Shulchan Aruch) and would not be able to remain depressed for long. Also, yellow has that positive energy thing. You know, the thing which is shown through the fact that football teams that have a yellow strip often do well. (Not all though, I think. I'm not much of a football expert, I just remember reading the yellow thing somewhere and that being used as an example. I think Brazil are an example of this.) The common room (sorry, the blue room in the loft) is a lovely blue colour, a bit nicer than the one in the room I'm sitting in now. (The 'study' or Daniel's old room, as it is otherwise known.) Further examples of typical HBS-isms are the way in which some rooms now have interactive whiteboards. Which would be great, were there the electric sockets for them to be plugged in and a working computer system would help too. All forms of electronic registration are apparently down, and so we have had to resort to signing in to little blue books.

Work-wise Naomi is feeling alright at the moment. I actually did the English summer work over the summer, and so don't have to rush to finish it in time now (I finished all of my thingies, as opposed to just the first one, which is what we had to have finished) and so far we haven't been set any more, which is rather nice. (Although of course reading is going on... just no set written work or anything.) Maths hasn't been too bad: we've been given work to do, but not too much, which is always kind on the body. Further maths felt really intense: we had just three of us in the class- almost like a private school! Chemistry has become rather scary with quite a bit of work (or in comparison to my other subjects, anyway ;)), with a big table of ions to learn (although I know lots of them already :)) and a whole chapter worth of questions (which is quite a bit, as you have to bother to read the chapter to be able to do the questions).

Anyway, to bed with me. I'm leaving my personal statement for the day.