The Leaving

Ah I had so many good intentions once upon a time (And by that I mean about two weeks ago). I was going to review all those chemistry chapters that confused and frustrated me so that they would finally click, and then when we went over them after the mocks, my teacher wouldn’t look me with those disappointed and pitying eyes that suggested science at university level really wasn’t my thing. I was going to read Kavanagh’s poetry and accompanying notes and then write a profound and compelling essay which would out shine every other essay in my class, despite the fact that they had a teacher helping them through this section while I was on my own. I was also going to some maths and stuff, but yeah, you get the idea: I was going to study, I was going to be the most amazing student ever and teachers and students alike would fall to their knees before me in jealous awe. But instead I spent the Christmas break working my way through the House of Night books, watching Naruto online, and playing Mario Kart on my brother’s Nintendo DS. Bow before my work ethic mere mortals!
Yeah...
And I’m not going to get anything done over the next few days either since I’ve got a rescheduled ice skating trip to attend to, and I can hardly be expected to work on New Year’s Eve, and I have a sneaking suspicious I may not be up for much on New Year’s day either.
As much as I’d like to say I hope the rest of you are making more progress than me, I’d be lying: I hope you’re all time wasting, wasters like me.

Peace!

P.S. Check out the new countdown clock, just incase you weren't stressed enough ;)

... And we'll all get fat!

(Not the traditional rhyme, I know, but who eats goose anymore anyway?)

Anyway, we did the traditional 6th year sketch in our schools' Christmas concert last Friday, it was good, considering we only started to organise it the day before!! Then, for a bit of relaxation (and a Christmas party) I hit the town on Saturday night. I have to say it was great to forget about school and work and just dance away with my friends. Surprisingly, loads of 6th years were out too. Is it just our alcoholic year or do many 6th years around the country turn to alcohol as a release? Saying that, I found myself talking to a guy I know in NUIG about courses, points and accommodation. Does it ever stop?

I find myself looking forward to next Friday, but also slightly dreading all the work I know I'll have to do over the holidays. I have to try fit in work and study around relaxation, my job, going ice-skating and going out. Maybe I can just sleep for 2 weeks then take another 2 weeks off?

Well, I'm not sure if I'll be on before Christmas (busiest time for butchers!), so Merry Christmas everyone, enjoy it! (I know I will ;) )

Kate

Hello, I'm Jack and I'll be giving my opinion on this whole leaving cert lark as it unfolds in front of me. I'm 17 and from Cork.

The subjects I do are English, Irish, Maths, French, DCG, History and Physics. I do all except Irish at higher level.
This year hasn't been the best for me so far. I've been in and out of hospital with a persistent eye problem. It seems to have affected me badly for my Christmas tests. Hopefully the same won't be said in June. I am hoping to study Computer Science next year. UL and UCC have caught my eye but I'm still unsure about where exactly I would like to go. Comp. Sci. is 300 points and since I'm capable of far more than that I'm confident that I will get a place in whatever course I choose. I'd love to become a successful programmer in the future.

I LOVE music. The only genres I dislike are dance, rap and R n' B. I play the guitar and I used to play the violin (I probably still can a bit). I love sport too and I'm an avid Liverpool supporter.


So, that's it really. Just a short introduction. I look forward to blogging and reading what Lawliet, Kate and Crow92 have to say also.

Jack.

I seriously can't believe it's time for the Christmas holidays already. It could have been last week that I went down to my old school to discuss repeating with the vice-principal. Everyone told me this year would fly but I always had a sneaking suspicion that they were just telling me that to make me feel a bit better about the whole situation.
I don't mean for my first post to be a total downer, but honestly my decision to repeat was wrought with misery. It probably wouldn't have been so bad if I wasn't sure I'd gotten my course. When I got my results last August I was de-lighted. I was sick a lot last year, and somewhere between all the sick days and regular hospital visits, the whole studying lark got left to the way side. The only serious study took place a couple of weeks before the exams started. No one was expecting me to do particular well, least of all me. I had tentatively aimed for 300 points, and when I realized I'd gotten 360 I spent the rest of the day grinning like an idiot. I wanted science at UCD, the points for which were 300 in 2008. 360 had to get me straight in, right?
I was obviously very wrong, the points for that particular course went up to 385. I spent a few days in denial thinking that I might have a chance of getting a second round offer before finally accepting that this was unlikely, and starting weighing up my options. After a pep talk from my older brother I decided against taking the offer of some random biochemistry course I'd only put down to fill the form, and then I swallowed my pride and rang my old school.
It was highly depressing going back and being treated like a kid again; I never thought I'd have to put up with being given out to about the state of my uniform again, or being made to stand up for being late for class. I mean honestly! I just turned nineteen, this is slightly ridiculous!
It's not all bad bad though. I do have a friend back repeating with me who shares my pain, and joins me whenever I want to rant about how stupid this year is compared to our old year (I'm just talking about sixth years at my school specifically, I'm sure the rest of you are very intelligent. Seriously though, some of these kids are so thick, this girl in my chemistry class once asked how much carbon human bodies produce. Words fail me.)
It can be a good laugh though and generally teachers seem to like repeats because we, like, know things(!) and apparently we're oh so mature now for making the tough decision to repeat. Four months in now and I can honestly say I don't regret going back, I'm learning a lot more this year than I did in the previous one and I've had time to reassess my first choice and decide that the course at TCD might be a better fit.

So anyway, I've got one full day of school left and that's it for 2009! Got an ice-skating trip planned for Tuesday and I've got some serious gift buying to do! I'll probably post again before the New Year but in case I don't enjoy your holidays everyone!

Since I'm going to be blogging to the world for the next few months, I thought I might tell ye a bit about myself

My name is Caitlin, I'm 17 and live in Tipp. I do English, Irish and Maths, along with German, Art, History and Home Ec. Next year I'll hopefully be in Galway, doing the BA Connect in Theatre and Performance, with English, History and Irish. I'm looking at about 500 odd points though, so be prepared for major panic attacks on this thing!

I go to an all-girls convent Catholic school, about 600 students, and one of only three secondary schools in the area. In the school itself I'm on the student council (PR Team), Grad Committee, Yearbook Committee and at the moment I'm organising our traditional 6th year Christmas sketch, we started on Wednesday and we're putting it on tomorrow- stress! But, we're nearly there!! I'm doing Honors in everything except Maths, and OMG pass maths is a godsend! How did we live without it?

I like most types of music, it'd be shorter to tell ye what I don't like, which is heavy metal, chipmunk dance shit, rap and not too much classical. Everything else I have on my iPod.... I love reading (my ultimate fav is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, we did it for Jr Cert and I fell in love!), listening to music, shopping and (of course) going out.

I'm prone to using bogger phrases, being from Tipp, and I'm told I talk like a townie. I have 2 dogs, both small little ones, and I have a teeny bit of an obsession with "Glee". I love musicals, plays and hope to someday be an actress (fingers crossed) but of not, I wouldn't mind maybe teaching or maybe PR for a company? I don't know though, ideas are always bouncing around my head!

So, thats me, I look forward to future blogging :)

love,
Kate

Wow, a whole blog up and created in less than an hour, amazing what technology can do these days!

Hoping to have more up soon,

love,
Kate