Archive: My life

A Reflection on VCE, and some advice

So here we are, and I wish I could say that we’ve come to the end of the road.

But it has all just begun.

Thirteen years… Thirteen years of schooling narrowed down to one score. And I’m not sure what to say.

I am caught between a world of apprehension and indifference. I know I stopped trying at some point, but I never lost direction – never lost sight of where I wanted to be. And where I still want to be. With uni interviews over and finding out my ATAR just around the corner, let’s see what I’ve had piled on my plate thus far.

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On Changing the VCE System – Year 12 English Oral

So I don’t post as often as I’d like to because there is a big fat rhinoceros in my way. That rhinoceros is VCE and I am going to punch it in the gut with my good friend Sir Ken Robinson.

This is a copy of a speech I have to present for English on the 3rd of March *scared/proundface*. I don’t care about publishing it here because I am pretty sure nobody has the same speaking style or interest in education issues as I. Really, nobody seems to give a single shit.

Anyway, so my speech is on this topic because I like being graded on why the system is awful as a part of the system. Quiet rebellion to stroke my grades.

I will break the post up with images, to go easy on the eyes. It was almost 2000 words and I only had 10 minutes max, so I cut out about 500 words. This isn’t the original post, but it is shorter and more refined.

Topic: The Education System – VCE is easier said than done.

Issue: The VCE system needs to be reshaped in order for there to be greater functionality and fairness to students

Now, with the recent debate over the proposed National curriculum, attention has also been brought to the VCE system and its major flaws. VCE is a system in desperate need of change – a shifting of paradigms. The inconsistent, unfair, inadequate and irrelevant content and means of grading need to be reshaped. They call the VCE ‘post-compulsory’, but it is clear that the qualification is a must for many courses. They call the system of scaling ‘fair’, a ruse of the VCAA to promote something which just blatantly isn’t. As a student currently in year 12, the issue of reformation in the system has become a big part of my life – if not only for me, for the future of this nation. Read more

VCE is ridiculous – An update

Life is crazy.

Have some graphs, the fruits of my painful life.

The first diagram - Why Weetbix are Crap

The work I do in English is demonstrated in this

VCE - A graph

I have no idea why they came out pixellated from a high def camera.
Suck it up, princess.

Outies;  Cinnah.x

CTCV and a proper update for once – Part one

Hello loyal blog readers, it’s been a while, so here goes an actual proper blog post!
We will begin with a rant on street art appreciation.

During an English class about how to construct reply articles to newspapers this article was examined. I’d really just like to get this out of the way.
Street art IS beautiful, some is not up to the standards of fine art, I admit, but it’s still raw. There’s emotion and drive and meaning there. From the beautiful murals to the filthy, clumsy, three second tags, I can appreciate the work put into the preparation and skill needed. There is so much that goes into a lot of this work behind the scenes, I only wish it could be recognized more freely, opposed to the sneering at tags of juveniles. I doubt the journalist of the article could cite the works of Shakespeare in their first few years of primary school.

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Book Trailer

The idea of book trailers is to kind of work like movie trailers – to advertise a book.

However, one needs to try guess the well known book before the trailer is over.
Within the wording and graphics of the trailer there are hints, see if you can guess it :p

This was made for my school’s Literacy week celebrations, in which I have been asked to contribute much to. Read more

I has a smexy quarantine mask. Envy me.

Aaah, my children, back so soon?
Grab a seat beside the fire, gather ’round.
Tales are to be told,
Pandemics are to be circulated.

Before I begin, I’d like to apologise to Mr Mangan.
{See post titled “Opening the Linguistic Envelope”}
There are MUCH more clueless people than you. Mainly, Americans.
Such stupiditiy can only be rewarded with bad soap operas, but it looks like someone got the job done before I could get around to it. I can’t seem to source the original page but it mentioned something about teens chatting eachother up via abbreviation, and how awful it was because for some reasons teenagers have never, in the history of the world, ever, been interested in getting into one another’s pants without their parents finding out.
Honestly. I’d also like to point out that a lot of these probably didn’t source from teenagers themselves but those of former generations looking for a way to ‘fit in comfortably’ with the youth if-ya-know-what-I-mean.

Melbourne's Inner-Northern Suburbs: Pre-flu

So, they said when pigs fly… and bird flu.
The general majority of Australians I’d encountered didn’t seem to bother giving a damn or even being informed about swine flu until it reached our youth, clawing out their immunes in the form of headaches, and you guessed it, general FLU symptoms. People didn’t know much about the progress of the illness (note: not disease)  so a huge panic started when it actually reached our shores. Congratulations to general consensus again, for not giving a flying pigs arse about anyone but yourself. Leave it up to the Mexicans, you said. Well, we did. They taught the flu how to illegaly cross borders. Now look where we at, foo’. Read more

An update to combat all updates, about updating.

Hello my minions, how have we been?
I’ve gotten slack, due to lack of inspiration, time, and concentration.
My teachers should be thanked, without their help, there wouldn’t be homework this is helping procrastinate against.

So , what’s the topic for today you ask? That is a mighty fine question indeed, grasshopper.

The thing is, I have been trying for so long to figure out what to blog about, there’s just too much to say. Too few people who will care. Too many who will take offence in it. There are so many thoughts going through my head at once that I can’t just pick a topic and go for it. Nothing has been inspiring me to write like mad. So I’ve decided, while the next post gets prepared, this one shall contain all it is I’ve thought of on my way to getting to this next post. (topic withheld)

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Opening the “Linguistic envelope”

This article is an open response to this article and its accompaning illustration (to be found later in this post). The article was found in “The Age” newspaper, issue 1/2/2009. Enjoy, kids.

To begin, I am generally more of a “Herald Sun” reader.  The age is generally too upper-crust for a inner-city teenage simpleton like myself.  When I am not busily pushing envelopes I do enjoy making fun of things. You could call it a hobby. A sick, mean, and yet hillarious hobby. Mr Mangan, please do not take this personally. Take this on behalf of your generation (and, to some degree – my generation for misleading you). Read more

To begin our saga:

In the beginning, there was darkness. The good Lord came down and said LET THERE BE BLOG!
And, it was done. The Lord looked upon it and said “Aw, Shit. Not AGAIN!”

Daniel: You should get a blog
Me: Why? No one would read it.
Daniel: I’D read it.
Me: 1.  You  can see me any time, you can listen to my rants any time.
Daniel: I like your rants…
Me: 2. I have nothing to say.
*Daniel gives me a look, and I know what he means*
Me: OKAY, I have nothing WORTH saying.

And then it clicked. I have nothing worth saying, and so too, I joined the blogging universe.  Why else would a blog exist except for pictures of cuppycakes and/or rants? I OBVIOUSLY needed a blog. Why didn’t I ALREADY have a blog? I now yearned to talk to the world, but talk AT the world.

I have nothing clever to say. I have nothing witty to say. I occasionally make a pun. I can bake cupcakes, sometimes. I’m the exact thing the world doesn’t need. Another uniform blogger.

Hello world, it’s me, the child you left behind.
And so begins our long journey together, dear blog.
Nothing around but you, me, and everyone else.