So, 1 year on, I join the 'heading to uni' clan. I'm extremely glad I took the gap year cos it's given me time to grow up a bit, and I'll cope with uni a lot better now.
I move to Leeds on sunday. it's very exciting but also a bit scary - its a huge university and i'm going to be meeting people and argh etc. So much to look forward to though.
I cant believe its 15 months since I finished sixth form. I've not even 'just left' anymore! Lucky to still have a page on here I suppose... I should update more often really. I've had a great summer...
Saw Vicky Peck in the doctors waiting room today - not bumped into anyone from 6th form for ages before that!
off to uni
- Thursday, September 16, 2004 at 15:12:26 (EDT)
Hmmmm, looking thru the diaries I see that no ex-Y13s have really updated in the last couple of months... especially sad to see that Hash has ceased to come over this way!
Almost done with the gap year now - 3 weeks to go. More another time!
Where's everyone gone?
- Saturday, July 03, 2004 at 13:42:15 (EDT)
So I’ve been back from Canada for almost a week now, and I’ve been meaning to write a report-type-thing for this page but this is the first chance I’ve had really. So here goes!
Canada was a time of many new experiences for me. First time I’ve been to an English-speaking country other than the UK for a start – you gotta love how Canadians say ‘eh?’ at the end of every sentence. Other little cultural niches were fun too, like Tim Hortons and how everyone’s so addicted to coffee because it’s so cheap.
On to the proper stuff though..! We worked with a church which has existed for 3 years in downtown Toronto, in one of the most multicultural areas, called Regent Park. It’s made up of 1 sq km and about 15000 people. It was Canada’s first council housing project in the 50s, created as a solution to the slums and a place where people would only live for a few years while they got themselves together – but it hasn’t worked out like that, and the area has now become the slums which it was created to replace, with people who have lived there for generations. There’s a high immigrant population.
Also because it’s family housing, 66% of the population is under 16. This means that they work with a huge amount of children – between 150 and 180, every week.
One very challenging thing we encountered. While we were there, a drugs-related murder occurred on the estate. The guy in charge of the church we worked with led the funeral, and we had to go along. We felt out of place; like flies on the wall, and it was the weirdest thing ever. We were surrounded by his friends and family – some were bereaved, some were angry with him for the choices he made that got him to this point, and some were relieved that the emotional rollercoaster he put them through was over. I’d never been to a funeral before and this was some way to experience my first. I’m still trying to work it all out in my head.
We also spent some time with recovering drug addicts, which was another new experience for me and not entirely a comfortable one - that's a good thing, down with comfort zones! lol.
They have a church service on Sunday in the afternoon, at a local community centre. It’s messy, it’s chaotic, and altogether not prim and proper like we British are partial too, yet it’s one of the most beautiful experiences of Church I have witnessed. People treat you as part of their family, even when you’ve just met them – everyone is equal whether you’re a random middle-class person from England or whether you’re a working call-girl on the streets of Toronto. After the service everyone eats together and shares their lives. It’s not hard to see why the most vulnerable people of the district feel totally comfortable attending.
We also spent some time in a men’s shelter in another part of Toronto, seeing what goes on there and helping out for a little while. Most of what we got involved with was just joining in what already goes on, with some exceptions – such as the ‘Gun Play No Way’ event, which was a Police-run venture where children bring along toy guns and trade them in for other toys. Gun crime is a big issue in downtown Toronto so things like this that discourage it are good.
We got to spend some time with 7 people who are on the Ignite programme – the Canadian equivalent of my gap year.. Theirs is the first year and there have been teething problems, whereas mine has been running for about 12 years, so we had a good time chatting about our experiences and I think they were reassured that some of the things that have happened to them are normal, and vice versa! While we were there they jetted off on cross-cultural mission to eastern Germany.
In fact generally over the fortnight one of the highlights was spending time with great people who taught us a lot, just through normal conversations. It was incredible to witness cutting edge urban work, and hopefully it will give us perspectives to bring back and use here – although obviously it’s a very different culture.
At the end of our time we had a couple of days to sightsee, in which we visited the Niagara Falls. That was one of the most amazing trips ever! We went on the Maid of the Mist boat that takes you right into the Canadian Horseshoe falls, you get very wet and it’s the ultimate multi-sensory experience… it’s almost like you’re looking at pure special effects. I took many many photos. It’s the sort of thing you could really stare at in awe all day.
That’s all I can think of for now – quite sufficient for one post I feel!
Canada
- Thursday, June 10, 2004 at 08:45:29 (EDT)
had a fantastic time in Canada, visiting another culture etc. We worked in downtown Toronto with some of the most vunerable people, it was quite something to see what goes on. Not time to write lots about it now but i will do!
Good luck to all kett-ers with your exams..
Canada
- Monday, June 07, 2004 at 11:55:12 (EDT)
In 6 days time I fly to Canada! As part of the gap year we do a cross-cultural thing and this will be it. I'm over there for 2 weeks, the majority of which will be spent in Toronto, visiting a project that works in the most needy areas of the city with crack addicts and prostitutes etc. It's gonna be a very eye-opening and challenging experience I expect... in fact it could be very impacting!
It's going to be quite an adventure too since I've never left Europe before.. and i found out Toronto is near Niagra falls so might get to visit there! w00t!
Canada!
- Thursday, May 13, 2004 at 04:23:17 (EDT)
I'm home for a week at the moment which is cool. It's nice to catch up with all the people that I don't get to see often. I'm going out with some ex-6th form people tomorrow who i haven't seen since the summer so i'm looking forward to that.
I've changed a lot since 6th form I think. I was thinking about it the other day. Probably something to do with breaking free from an environment where in terms of the 'school social structure' i'd always been near the bottom, and that never makes you feel good. And obviously things like living with people other than your family have a big influence. I think i've had to grow up in order to cope with that without letting everyone drive me round the bend.
Also I'm more confident and less shy than i used to be, which i'm pleased about cos my shyness always annoyed me. I surprise myself sometimes actually..
Meanwhile i'm trying to figure out what to do with my summer. I have 7 weeks inbetween the end of my gap year and start of Uni, and i'm only away for one of those wks. Maybe i'll go to a music festival or to the Soul Survivor festival...
home for easter
- Tuesday, April 13, 2004 at 15:58:34 (EDT)
"times are fierce then times are fine. yeah it goes that way" O the wisdom of Turin Brakes.
Things are great here in Nottingham. And yet things are the hardest they've ever been.
I love the work; varied between schools work and building websites and all kinds of stuff (check out my latest effort - www.arnoldarmy.org/242). Yet one of my housemates is often hard to get on with because we're such different people. Almost every little thing she does annoys me - and I know that she probably feels the same way about me because like I said it's because we're so different. Sigh.
Then it's great to be working with inspirational people and learning such a lot, but sometimes i'm not sure if i can do it. Argh.
But anyway don't read into all this too much. I'm pretty much fine. I still have more than the average amount of limbs and most of the world has bigger problems than me.
Yay me.
life is hard
- Wednesday, March 24, 2004 at 11:19:08 (EST)
Thought it was time to update here because last night I was thinking, and for a split second I missed school … only for a split second but it was certainly there. Why on earth’s that then? Well I guess I enjoyed 6th form really – it was a lot of fun in places. And I even grew to love Sociology by the end, horror of all horrors. Good job really since I’ve got 3 years of it to look forward to in the not-too-distant future!
I’m still here in Nottingham on my gap year. Since Christmas we’ve started doing some different schools work – 2 half days a week helping in a primary school, mostly listening to kids read and classroom assistance; and one half day a week in a special needs school, which is very challenging but I’m learning a lot through it in many different ways. I thought it would be really daunting but at the moment I’m just grateful for the experience. Teaching isn’t a direction that I’m thinking of going in but I still think that the experience can’t be a bad thing. Schools aren’t all we’re doing anyway. Our team works a lot with the young people of the Salvation Army church here as well. I’m involved in the music stuff too, I play electric guitar in the group that leads worship in the Sunday services which is much fun.
Got an accommodation guide for Leeds uni in the post the other day which reminded me what’s on the way after this year! I’ve been getting quite excited about it all really, though I wanna make the most of this year as well. Uni’s gonna be a great experience. I’m glad I took a gap year, I think I’ll be much more equipped for Uni now and the break from study has probably done me good cos I’ll want to study much more then, hopefully. It is all a little scary though… but a lot of the scaryness is taken away cos I’ve done the whole leaving home and living away thing already this year, so I’ve conquered that. Though uni will be very different!
long time no speak
- Wednesday, February 04, 2004 at 09:27:23 (EST)
oh yeah... there was one curiousity... i couldnt make it to the awards but was sent a curious certificate telling me I'm a "norfolk county scholar"... now what on earth does that mean?
...
- Friday, December 26, 2003 at 05:39:29 (EST)
I'm back in Norwich at the moment, just for 2 weeks before returning to Nottingham. Have had an alright Christmastime so far but it's all passed me by a little. Life's so different now that I think I found it a strange shock that Christmas was still the same, etc. The whole family gig.
Since I've been home I've been doing a lot of thinking, about whether who I am is what everyone else thinks I am or not. Sometimes I wonder if it's worth thinking that stuff through or not, cos I'm never quite sure what there is to do about it. *shuts up*
Off to spend the day with Grandparents & aunties & uncles & cousins etc today, as is Christmas tradition around here.
Don't think I do this diary a particularly good service- never quite sure what to write, about what i'm up to these days or memories of 6th form or whatever. http://www.livejournal.com/~carls_grotto for more general life ramblings, and I shall be here again when I think of stuff to say.
Christmas
- Friday, December 26, 2003 at 05:32:14 (EST)
hello all, happy birthday to me, i'm 19 today. yay. and I'm home in Norwich just for the weekend...
Hash said about the awards thing.. i'm not gonna be there, i dont come home for Christmas till the 22nd or something.
Doesnt it seem like ages since we were all at sixth form? Seems like a different life. I'm having a good experience in Nottingham though, but i do look back on those days with some fondness... yes, even timed economics essays...hehe.
I've currently got my trademark cough, and it's annoying me... i lose the will to stand upright after a good fit...
I guess I'll update this properly at Christmas. for now, aurevoir..
coughing again
- Saturday, December 06, 2003 at 04:43:42 (EST)
Hi, sorry I havent updated in ages - I've only just managed to join the library and get some proper time on the net to catch up with stuff. So here I am, having lived in Nottingham for nearly 4 weeks. I'm having a graet time - the adys are long and tiring but very varied and so its all very interesting.
So what exactly have I been up to? Mostly schools-type youth work which is pretty ironic since I only left school 4 months ago. We've been working with Y9s in danger of exclusion by taking them offsite to do extracurricular stuff like climbing and trying to develop social skills as well as one-to-one study skills. Also one of my fellow team members is running a dance project and we're helping out with a production of Adiemus they're putting on. Inbetween times we're getting training and also involved in the other youthwork of the Salvation Army in Arnold (the suburb of Nottingham I live in).
I'm living with 3 of the other team members in a cosy little house, its been done up by the landlord so is pretty nice. I've not had homesickness problems, it's a challenge getting used to living with a group of people but I'm coping with it ok - we all get on fine most of the time. Like I said the days are tiring, so this morning's layin was very welcome!
My days at the Kett seem like a lifetime ago - infact everything before I started this yearout 2 months ago seems like a different universe. But I'm enjoying myself much and I know that in some ways it will prepare me for university next year. Sorry If I said this last time, but in case any Y13s are still deliberating over a gap year, my advice is definitly take one, it'll be a great experience you'll always rememeber, but choose carefully - don't just pick anything. And don't think that cost is an insurmountable barrier - money can be raised, get advice from people who know.
That's all for now, hopefully I'll get to update again soon...
first few weeks in nottingham
- Wednesday, November 05, 2003 at 12:27:37 (EST)
i'm liking Claire's raving about Nottingham... mainly because I move there tomorrow! If they aren't already sold out, you might see me at that Muse gig Claire...
I've had another 2 weeks of training in south London which have been fantastic, have had huge doses of fun and such. Safe to say that the last 5 weeks have been some of the best of my life, despite being totally shut off from the world which has just been bizarre. Got so used to the company of those i've been living with too, but now I wont see most of them till january - except the 2 i'll be living with.
I'm not regretting my decision to take a gap year before university. I think I definitly picked the right thing to do.
In Nottingham I'll be part of a new project the Salvation Army are starting in schools, to work with people in danger of exclusion and also to help with transition between Primary and Secondary schools. I'll also be involved with the youth work at the church I'll be based at in Arnold. It's all very exciting, because it's a pretty happening church with many great people... and its in Nottingham, which I've heard is a great place to be. So i'm looking forward to a good year. And hopefully I'll have the net so will be able to update more often! I'm gonna stick some photos on here soon when i get around to it...
nottingham approaches
- Saturday, October 11, 2003 at 12:15:41 (EDT)
hello! Here i am, home for my first weekend of in my Gap Year. in the last 3 weeks I've been all over the place doing all sorts of stuff, and I think its about time to tell you about some of it.
In the broadest sense, i'm in the middle of 5 weeks training. We've been to different venues in Sussex, St Albans, Cardiff, North Wales & London for that. The training is mostly in things like Theology and Personal Development. It's been presented in many forms, eg last week we went to the National Gallery in Trafalgar Sq for some of it. Also we've had lots of fun exploring the various places that we've been... When I say "we", i mean the group of 12 of us who are on the Gap Year together. Most are aged between 18 and 21, and are from all over the UK. We've had to basically live together for the last 3 weeks and it's been challenging in many ways, but I get on really well with most of them so no major problems.
So far its certainly been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I'm only home for 2 days at the moment, then I head back to Roehampton for another 2 weeks of training. After that me and 2 of the other guys are going to Nottingham to start the schools & community project that i've probably mentioned before. The rest of the people i'm training with at the mo will be off to different placements around the country; eg a few are going to Ipswich to do music-type stuff, and few to Morden to do all sorts of random stuff.
It feels kinda weird to be home after living with these guys for 3 weeks, in fact i'm already looking forward to going back tomorrow night. It's nice to relax and have a bit of time to myself though, because one thing about living with 11 others 24/7 is that you don't get much personal space.
Best wishes to everyone heading off to uni at the moment; you'll have a great time and I'll join you next year..! though that seems strangely distant at the moment. For the meantime I'm gonna continue to enjoy what i'm doing now and make the most of it. To any Year 12/13's reading this thinking about taking a Gap Year, i'd recommend it 100% - don't listen to anybody who says that it's a waste of time because you'll probably never get half these opportunities again. So go for it!!
Aurevoir for now...
Carl
first 3 weeks of yearout
- Saturday, September 27, 2003 at 09:43:23 (EDT)
time for an entry to express how weird it feels to read about everyone going back to 6th form/school, and I'm not.. its bizarre stuff. But part of life I guess, moving on etc.
I've had a good few weeks. I thought I wrote an extensive entry about one of them on here, but I musta been mistaken because checking my diary I've written nothing since exam results. So unless it got removed or something, I'm going insane. So I had 2 weeks away in succession - one at Anglia School of Christian Arts, a salvation army youth thing which is a lot more fun than it's name makes it sound, and then a week in Nunhead in south London doing a Community week with my friends' youth church there, both weeks were so much fun. I got home on saturday and since then time has been dragging on and on...
I leave on Sunday then to start my Gap Year (though I suppose my actual GAP has started already, but you know what i mean...). Eventually I'll be in Nottingham but firstly I'm gonna be "around" London, doing 5 weeks training with all the people that are going on the same "Timothy programme" yearout. I've started packing etc and it feels strange. But i'm more excited than nervous or anything, because I'm fairly independent and I know I'll cope alright away from home, plus i know several of the others who I'm gonna be with, so that takes away some of the mystery.
So any of you off to Nottingham Universities, after mid-October you may well see me around in the city or something.. but chances are you won't i suppose since it's a fairly big city and I'll mostly be in Arnold, which is a suburb.
Meanwhile on a lighter note I've been hearing new material from Muse and Jewel (hmm, variety) and both are good... Muse sounds like more of the same, but probably not as good as Origin of Symmetry.. and Jewel is sounding more poppy than before but still the same edge that she has. She'll never match "Pieces of You"...
So this'll be my last entry for now. I'll update eventually when I find a netready computer and remember to come here! But for now - best wishes to all year 12's and 13's with the new term (Economics students - ask Mr Allerhand about his failed pop and athletics careers if you've not already heard... also ask him if he keeps an acid bath in his shed...) and to all who are going to university, you'll do great. It'll be such a good experience... I'm looking forward to going in 2004, but I know i've got a fantastic year ahead first.
Bye for now!
well i'm off then..
- Friday, September 05, 2003 at 12:12:47 (EDT)
sorry i havent added anything for so long..
and i dont have time to make a proper lengthy entry now. But i will, i promise....when i get back - i'm going away tomorrow.
Briefly - I got better exam results than i needed and was happy, though surprised, and undeserved..
until next time..
...
- Friday, August 15, 2003 at 21:32:25 (BST)
i've not updated in a while, but looking around the site it looks as if most haven't! Everyone's off on holiday I expect. Well I shall be joining them in a week's time when I'm off to Rome with my family. Looking forward to it and hoping hoping hoping that there's no more trouble with British Airways!
Last weekend I went to Nottingham to visit where I'll be for my yearout. Met lots of good people that i'll be working with etc, and I'm looking forward to it much. Only 6 weeks left.. scary. I plan to still update here if I can get on the net and stuff...and if they don't delete all the year 13 pages ;)
I'm quite chuffed that Cameron won big brother...I didnt watch a huge amount of it but heard a lot. Its the first time since year 1 that i've really wanted someone to win...and she didn't then (Anna)...i still think that BB1&2 were so much better than this year though, but maybe that's just cos the novelty was still there then and it surely isnt now!
This weeks' been pretty boring, apart from one day when I went out for a friend's 18th birthday - cinema, bowling, pizza etc. Was a fun day...
Got lots of time to kill before i go to rome though...
broedom sets in
- Saturday, July 26, 2003 at 08:27:21 (BST)
hullo again all!
i've had a fairly uneventful few days - mostly i've just been relaxing, though on tuesday (the really REALLY hot day) i had to work in a sweltering kitchen washing up all day. Then i met up with Nicky Judge and Martin Simpson who i hadnt seen in a while! Remember them?
Today I went to see Bruce Almighty - it's a very good film actually. Hugely funny in places, and generally pretty good. I really should go to the cinema more often....
This weekend i'll be going to Nottingham to visit the people who i'll be working with next year. I'm quite looking forward to it, should be a good adventure. Nottingham is quite handy to get to, its only 2 and a half hours on a direct train, and not too expensive with my railcard.
Todays word of wisdom: " 'we must do something' is the unanimous cry. 'you begin' is the deadening reply'." courtesy of the desk calendar that seems to be nearby!
i was gonna write more, but i can't right now and frankly there's not much left to say anyway. be back soon...
another update due
- Thursday, July 17, 2003 at 20:50:56 (BST)
It's been an interesting week since i last wrote here.
The big news from the land of Carl is that i've found out where my placement for my yearout is - I shall be based in Nottingham. I'll be based at a salvation army church and building on a new youth and community project they've started, along with several other people going on the same yearout. I've heard good things about the area and the people I'll be working with, so I'm ever more excited now - less than 2 months till I leave! I'm sure there's some other ex-y13s going to Notthingham for uni but i can't really remember who..well whoever it is we might end up bumping into each other!
I spent most of last week at my grandparents. It was mostly a time for relaxing and getting away from it all. On Friday I went to a big gig event thing in Ely which was fun, and i saw lots of people I know who i didnt know were gonna be there..which is always nice.
As for the next few weeks, I have little planned other than the occasional day working. Then I'm off to Rome, which I'm looking forward to - never been to Italy before. And then the dreaded exam results - little more than 4 weeks now folks :-s I'm sure we'll all be fine...! *crosses fingers* I have to admit it feels less final for me, since it doesnt really affect me till 2004 anyway what with the yearout.
I started well this year with Big Brother (ie i didnt watch it for the first month or so) but my viewing has increased more and more as the weeks have passed...which is worrying. I still bang my walking stick on the ground and say its not as good as the old days (ok, so 2000 is hardly old days), and some of this years are truly dull... but Cameron makes me laugh. And I know someone who lives next door to John Tickle....though obviously not at the moment...what a claim to fame. *cough*
British grand prix this week. Not sure where I stand on the should-we-still-have-one debate, frankly i'm not that bothered. I went once upon a time, the year Hakkinen's wheel fell off...it was certianly a good experience, but it was a nightmare getting in and out, and the toilets..........argh nuff said. One day i plan to go to some continental grand prix - but the list of "one day" plans that i have is so extensive i could probably spend the rest of my life doing them all, so i guess it's unlikely.
Well better go now, hope everyone's enjoying the summer weather 8-)
nottingham-bound
- Monday, July 14, 2003 at 09:26:46 (BST)
Been thinking, about why last wednesday just didnt seem like the monumental occasion it should have - i think it's because, i've got so used to the idea that this is the end and i'm moving on etc....but at the same time it hasn't REALLY sunk in. As you can see i haven't exactly figured it out yet ;)
Still no word on where i'm gonna be next year - hehe. Contacted the guys who are in charge of my yearout yesterday and they said there's been delays and it'll be another week or 2. Oh well, no rush... I'm doing fundraising at the moment, as well as writing to charities who do grants for this sort of thing.
Started reading a new book, "Wizards First Rule", was recommended to me by a friend and though i've only read a little, its pretty darn good. I'm going away to my grandparents for a few days later on today, and i plan to get much reading done....I wanna finish 1984 too, i've been struggling through that for ages. I also have to help my grandad with some stuff in his garden, which means a litle bit of extra money - and sheringham town is of course the centre of the modern universe.
I wonder why there is a total lack of Year 12 Webdiarys on here? There's bags of leavers, and a few Year 11s, but no Year 12s? Conspiracy theories on a postcard to...
Time for some recommended weblinks methinks! I've no idea whether i can use html in here though...so i will just put the addresses, if you care to visit them you'll have to copy n paste..
http://ix.1sound.com/feelingoblivion - this is my other blog/webdiary type thing, its not exactly the same as here at all cos i write it in a different way if ya get what i mean.
http://ix.1sound.com/summerrain , http://strokemysnake.sinfree.net - Blogs of a couple of my mates
http://www.norwichyfc.co.uk/YaBBSE - Web forum/message board that you can often find me on
http://www.maketradefair.com - A website where you can make your voice heard on issues about government policy on 3rd world etc. Lets you email your MP, & tony blair etc, i think it can make a difference.
Carl's song of the moment - "you don't see me" by josie and the pussycats... also listening to the bluetones a lot at the moment, at least the one album of theirs that i have.
Well this'll be the first and last entry this week since i'm off to sheringham soon. Au revoir!
*yawn*
- Tuesday, July 08, 2003 at 09:19:12 (BST)
Morning all. The weekend approaches again, would normally be cause for some sort of celebration but frankly is the weekend that much different from the week anymore? Except that i have to work...humph.
Firstly - "weird cryptic theories" hash? Bah...i think NOT...its all YOUR theories that are the weird ones..mine are perfectly normal, even if Wilma sees it fit to call me a 'paranoid delusionist'- YOU'RE ALL BLIND!
And as for postmodern communism...i would consider myself neither a postmodernist or a communist but anytime i show sympathy with the values of either is when the 'paranoid delusionist' accusations appear ;)....like i say...you'll all learn one day..
ANYWAY..apart from that, yes hash it's been a nice 2 years...sociology turned out to be much better than I expected and the group had a lot to do with that. Tis all over now though! Shame.
Which leads me onto agreeing with Will that I also felt that Wednesday morning was less emotional than I expected. Don't get me wrong, it was good fun...Mr Ball & Allerhand were fantastic, as was that video...it just didnt feel like we were leaving... I guess it just hasnt sunk in yet, and probably won't till i'm halfway through next year and living a totally different life.
Tribute to andy too for making every single musical performance a comedy act - you rock mate ;)
Only 6 weeks till exam results now, nothing we can change about them now. My lowest offer is B-B-C and I'll only miss that if i've really messed up the exams, and i dont' think i have..but who knows what will go on at the exam boards.
I'm going to visit my grandparents next week from tuesday to friday. I go every year, tis good to get away from it all. This weekend will be fairly boring, except for tonight when i'm off to Fridays which i believe i wrote about several entries ago.
Better go now then, keep rockin...
C
Carl, the postmodern communist?
- Friday, July 04, 2003 at 11:23:42 (BST)
"if all you've got to do today is find peace of mind, come here you can take a piece of mine"...anyone remember Catatonia? That great indie/pop type band from the late 90s...?..they were fun. dug their albums out the other day, some good stuff that i'd forgotten about.
Getting used to the whole "freedom" thing tomorrow, though i'm sure the leaver's assembly tomorrow will rock the boat....not entirely sure what to expect. Except some poor singing/piano/guitar/double bass from Andy and I... ;-)
I actually got close to doing something useful today - managed to move some CDs from one drawer to another. It's getting scarily close to the process of actually tidying something up, which is a terrifying thought and will be a sign of extreme summer boredom setting in...
Feeling really tired though, keep getting in late at night and not sleeping in long enough in the morning. Last night, went to Cambridge, didn't get back till the small hours, now feeling like a walking zombie. I think my brain's taken it's annual holiday this week, i just hope it's gone somewhere sunnier than good old summery Britain.
we'll build our castle walls
- Tuesday, July 01, 2003 at 17:24:35 (BST)
this being the space where i'm supposed to write all the fun, exciting things that go on in my life, one might suggest that if there aren't any going on then i shouldn't write anything....but sod that, i felt like updating this. yup that was my crap way of saying i've been up to very little in the last few days. getting used to the idea of "freedom" i suppose, although i had to work on wednesday and i have to work this afternoon and on saturday morning, grr. In between times i've been reading about the escapades of our good friend Harry Potter and his order of the phoenix...getting towards the end now already, you can tell i've had too much time on my hands though!
It's not all going to be so boring this summer though. I'm going to Rome in a few weeks, then a week at home inbetween in which i'll get exam results....then i'm going to a music-type summer camp thing, then going to london for a week for an event that my friends' church are putting on. And when i get back from that, there'll only be a week's gap till I'm off again on my yearout.
Just realised on reading another diary that i totally forgot about going out with the sociology group last night...*sigh*... i have a very selective memory, sometimes i remember things very well and sometimes very crap, like this. Oh well, i'll see you all next wednesday i suppose.
Better go now, i think i'm scraping the bottom of the barrel.
*yawns*
- Friday, June 27, 2003 at 09:01:41 (BST)
sorry for the delay in entry, i'd like to say i've been hard at revision but the truth is i haven't.......basically got complacent about this last exam and packed it all into yesterday :( luckily for me, it was a nice paper this morning, especially the 40 marker which just gave me a chance to ramble on about all the theories!! and that's my last exam for 2 years!!!!! no more study for 15 months... yay!!!! woo. It's a strange feeling now though, don't think it's really sunk in yet. Of course still have leaver's assembly and results day (my first results day too, i managed to miss the other 2) to go, but essentially my 6th form education is over.
It's been a short 2 years! as i've probably said already. but a lot has happened, and i'm a different person now to who i was when i started year 12. i've also discovered a subject i actually enjoy.. (sociology)..and it should be good at uni, but not till 2004 of course!!
I should find out in the next few days where my placement will be for my year out next year. I'll post on here when i find out.
Looking forward to the long days where i can do nothing..without feeling guilty...... :D
the end, finally!
- Tuesday, June 24, 2003 at 11:56:12 (BST)
lol....just read Fordy's webdiary which said i'm "less opinionated than wilma" - if i'd read that BEFORE i made my last entry, i might have considered not putting all that Euro stuff in ;-)
Luckily i managed to semi-conquer CM4 for now by getting my dad to hide it...i needed today to revise stupid economics - it's been really doing my head in. i used to love this subject...but this time tomorrow i wont have to do it again..and i'm not that sorry. lessons have been fun for the most part, but i never got to grips with the work this year..... and i feel like i've become a recluse these last 2 days revising it....
so just feeling a bit crap at the moment. after the 3 hours tomorrow morning are over i'd imagine i'll feel much better, as i'll only have one exam left.
reading these web diarys must be a depressing thing for anyone who's not involved in the whole A Level cycle...
the irony of it all
- Thursday, June 19, 2003 at 20:21:47 (BST)
4 down 3 to go. Had Psychology today, Mrs Jagdev's paper. It was an absolute gift...the exact questions came up that I wanted. So the exam was fine. I really don't deserve to get a good grade in this module having done nothing all year though...i would imagine Mrs Jagdev will be a bit miffed if i do...!
So the attention turns to economics, which is on friday. I've really slacked in econ this year, therefore have a lot of work to do over the next few days.......doh. But after that it's just sociology, which will be fine. So it's nearly all over!!
Harry Potter comes out on saturday then...i confess to being a fan of this particular series, and can't wait for book 5, so much stuff carrying over from book 4 to conspire about. Will Voldemort enlist the dementors...? Will the rest of the wizarding world believe that he's back...? Will Harry ever get together with Cho...? All will be revealed... I'm going to a midnight think at ottakers, planning to dress up as Scabbers...yes i'm crazy!
Posted the following on my other webdiary, thought it was worth an appearance here too..i'm sure people won't agree with me! ;)
"I'm very unlucky in that my family gets the Daily Mail. Its such a rag...masquerading as a good paper, but it's awful. and last week it was running this "vote" thing, where people voted as to whether they should have an election for the european constitution. the results are in today's paper, and i havent seen them yet but no doubt they will say that most people said they wanted a vote.
I don't think it should be put to the vote. Frankly i dont' think that anything about the EU/Euro should be put to public vote in this country (even tho for the euro it's compulsory). Because the public are mostly ignorant about such issues. A shockingly large chunk of the public only dont want to be in the Euro because of "losing the pound" or "sovreignty" or the "bl**dy french/germans"....most don't care about the economic bonuses or about the economic issues at all. So...i think it should not be put to the vote. although i think that particular view is unpopular!"
a gift from AQA!!!
- Tuesday, June 17, 2003 at 18:43:58 (BST)
thought it was about time for another entry.
i've had quite a nice weekend, but although i've done quite a lot of work today, yesterday was quite sparse. Met some people in the city and kept bumping into people i know..which is strange because i never bump into people i know.... :-s Then yesterday evening, went to visit my Grandparents to celebrate my Grandad's coming home from hospital (he's had his foot amputated).
Then today's been fairly uneventful. Just watched the F1 - another textbook win for Schumacher...but you have to agree the boy Alonso is pretty special. A future champion in the making there methinks. It would have been fairly dull if it wasnt for his late charge i think....
I've alarmed myself in the last few days by getting mildly addicted to Championship Manager 4...Me not usually being a huge football fan and even less of a fan of C.M., that's kinda disturbing, but this new game is quite good...i would imagine many hours spent on it post-exams...
it will pass in time....
- Sunday, June 15, 2003 at 21:13:54 (BST)
Firstly i'd like to thank Paula for her good wishes on her diary...and to extend a similar gesture to members of the sociology group - it's been a very amusing couple of years! Considering i took Soc as my 4th subject, the fact that it's risen to be my favourite subject is not just because of the subject but the teachers and the people i've studied it with too....
Paula - maybe we could get mini-Mrs King models which when you pull a string on the back do their spoon-feeding...
MEANWHILE..in deepest sprowston...the exams started today with the hideous day of 4.5 hours of exams. Psychology this morning was actually fine...my revision has paid off, apart from the automatic processing question which was nasty. Other than that it was fine.
After that it was, cram for sociology for 2 hours, then sit in the sports hall for another 3 hours for sociology exams. I have to say AQA were feeling generous today..MOST of the questions were quite nice. Objectivity and value-freedom..COME ON!!!!!!
Meanwhile i had a chance observe some of the invigilator's habits as noted on one of the Y11 diaries...intriguing stuff, i never realised it was a territorial activity, but it gave me something to think about once i'd finished the methods paper this afternoon...
I've given myself the night off tonight. Tomorrow it's my last ever economics lessons - the end of an era, after 4 years of hilarious lessons with Miss Wood, and 2 years with Mr Allerhand. Then it's down to revision for Mrs Jagdev's paper on tuseday...
finally underway
- Thursday, June 12, 2003 at 21:08:15 (BST)
Thought it was about time for an entry about music, since it's one of my biggest passions...
Firstly, playing; I play guitar and piano. The astute among you may remember that i used to play cornet, but in truth i never really enjoyed that and havent played properly for almost 2 years. I used to not enjoy piano but since i've been playing more casually, i've enjoyed it lots more. i dont' have lessons anymore, but still play a lot. Guitar, i've been teaching myself for 18 months and am getting there, chordally at least. I got an electric 6 months ago, so now am enjoying both electric and acoustic.. I have a picture of both of them, i'll upload it and link to it...
Listening to music, is something i do pretty much all the time and i'm alway searching for new music. i do download a lot but this leads to me discovering new bands who i buy CDs of.. If it wasnt for the net, i wouldn't have discovered Beth Orton, Tori Amos, Evanescence, Ladytron, Sigur Ros, and countless other bands in the last year. Beth Orton has become probably my favourite artist, and Tori Amos' "Winter" is one of my alltime favourite songs...as for Ladytron..it's been a long time since i've discovered a dance act that make good music.
I listen to practically all genres - there's something i like from almost all. However for the most part i don't like manufactured pop, RnB, Rap or Garage. However even with garage there's thebandwithnoname who i like..... but mostly. I listen to mostly lo-fi sort of music, i like quite a bit of rock but i like to mix it with quieter stuff...which is why i love Evanescence and Something Corporate with their piano bits alongside guitars...
enough ramble from me!
2 days til exams!!...wish me luck!
er, email adress is on today....email me if ya want...
me and music <devils_avocado@hotmail.com>
- Tuesday, June 10, 2003 at 20:51:56 (BST)
so, we're into the final downhill sprint before exams, argh. I'm most concerned (annoyed) about the fact that i have 3 modules on thursday....3!! I dread to think how many hundreds of studies i have to know.....who really cares about Broadbent, Triesman, Freud, Skinner, Thorndike, Miller & Hoffman, Weber, Malinowski and Greely?.....AARGH!!!
Meanwhile i had a pretty enjoyable weekend. On saturday i travelled to London to take part in the Sally Army's Gospel Arts concert at the Albert Hall. It was pretty amazing being a part of a 700-strong chorus alongside 300 other players and performers in front of a capacity crowd.....it was quite an experience and not one i'll forget soon! The day was fun as well, since lots of my friends were also part of it or came along to see. It was a long day though - up at 6am, and wasn't home until 1:30am....so needless to say, the first half of Sunday was non-existent!
Since then it's been down to the revision... and so it will be for the next 15 days.
I've been pretty unreliable in updating this, which is kinda shocking..always mean to and then forget. Not that it really matters, most of the others are infinitly more interesting! How could i hope to match the wit of Mr Will Daynes?
Pretty chuffed with myself today though after getting 54/60 on Mrs Rolfe's mock exam!! (and 40/40 on the big question!!) *basks in glory*...
looming!
- Monday, June 09, 2003 at 17:54:48 (BST)
Now only 8 days left until the dreaded exams starting. Still making slow progress, although i'm much more confident with Psychology now. My main worry is that I have to know a whole 3 modules for one day of exams, and that's nearly half of all i have to know. The Sociology Theory one is the one I know the least on so far...
Meanwhile I've gotta be careful not to let other things get in the way too much, but that's increasingly difficult - I'm constantly thinking about fundraising for my Gapyear and arranging events for that, and then 5 days after the end of my exam me and another person are leading a service at my Church...luckily a lot of the work for that is already done though.
The Church I go to is the Salvation Army, the one on St Giles Street. Granted, it's not always the most invigorating place to be on a Sunday morning. However it's a Church which does good stuff in my opinion, it runs lots of social care and stuff in the city. I've been going there all my life. And it has it's moments - every 2 months we have an informal service called "Cafe Church" (this is what i'll be helping to lead next month) where everyone sits around tables with drinks and stuff...the music is more modern and it's a much more interactive evening. I enjoy them!
The best Christian event that i regularly go to though is "Fridays", which is run by Norwich Youth For Christ every 2 weeks. Very relaxed event, guitar band provide very cool music, and very relevant. It's helped me a lot over the last 18 months...
So yeah - i guess not what Dr.E was expecting when he asked for stuff about "life for young people these days", but contrary to popular belief, there are still teenagers who are Christians, and Church does not have to be the most boring thing on earth - in fact totally the opposite!
the saga continues
- Wednesday, June 04, 2003 at 17:07:33 (BST)
this weekend's been pretty dreary, as i knew it was going to be.
The exam period gets so boring. Exams suck. I'll have forgotten it all by the start of July anyway...
Exam boards also really get on my nerves. The whole point of having a modular AS/A2 course is to break up the exams...so they put them all together so we have 3 hour sessions. 3 Hours! No one can write legibly or stay sane for that long, i think the limit should be 2 hours for any one session....there's no point testing us on something in unfair conditions...
In fact what is the point in time limits on exams? How exactly does it ... ARGH ... i'll shut up now. ;-)
I bought Athlete's album yesterday. It's pretty good, has some great moments. Still getting to know it.
The grand prix was quite good today i thought...someone else other than Michael managed to win....I reckon Kimi could get the title if that new McLaren is good.
Better sign off for now.
weekend
- Sunday, June 01, 2003 at 19:59:26 (BST)
Thought it was about time i wrote about my time at 6th form.
It's gone very quickly, is the first thing that springs to mind. It only seems like a couple of months ago that i was having first lessons in Sociology, etc. Yet it's been a time during which i think i've changed quite a lot. The most obvious thing is that i've become more confident, not just in obvious things such as speaking in class (i used to shudder at the thought, now i think annoy some teachers with the amount of silly questions i ask) but also more confident in myself.
Over the 2 years it has become more and more the case that most of my friends are outside of 6th form. However, i've got to know and become closer to people who inside 6th form who i didn't know so well beforehand. Strange contradiction that.
In terms of education, i havent improved my lazy ways...right up to the end now i've been lazy as heck..have attempted to turn over a new leaf many a time but always failed. My last 2 pieces of coursework were left till the last minute..yet i still did pretty well, thats what annoys me - if i'd done badly once, then i mighta learnt that i couldnt leave it to the last minute! *sigh*
I couldnt go back to main school - uniforms, no free lessons, etc - i've become dependent on my thursday mornings off.. :D ...it's strange and scary to think that in just a few weeks there will be no more thursdays off. That's the next thing (bar exams) that i have to face and deal with - leaving this sort of education. I have many other challenges coming up in the next few month, such as leaving home and moving away (who knows where), but leaving 6th form is gonna be hard. For the last 14 years i've been used to going to school etc, and the security and such of that ends soon. Very scary stuff.
My time at 6th form
- Thursday, May 29, 2003 at 20:54:59 (BST)
Diary's not been working for a few days but it's back up now so here comes an update!
Been reading everyone's accounts of the Ball, and looking at the pictures, and yes i'm still gutted that i wasnt there but what can ya do. Sounds like a good time was had by all...
It's a slight consolation that i had a good weekend too :P - especially Saturday, when i went to Cambridge to meet up with some friends who live in Cambridge and London. We went punting, etc, and had a good laugh.
Monday was a relaxing day as all bank holidays should be!!
But now we're into the 4 days of actual half-term, when the 12-hours-a-day-revising thing is supposed to start if we believe our teachers! Revision has been happening albeit slowly. It'll pick up. I always get hectic towards exams. 2 WEEKS TOMORROW! argh.
Been to see Matrix Reloaded today. Great film, very spectacular. Can't wait for the third one. Good mix of fantastic action and dialogue in this one, it lived up to every expectation.
Looking forward to the day when that burden of exams is finally off my shoulders...which is less than 4 weeks away...
Most of my writing has been fairly general so far, maybe i'll do some specific articles soon.
Bye for now!
half term so far
- Wednesday, May 28, 2003 at 21:10:19 (BST)
Today's been a fairly relaxing day. Thursday is my morning off, a prime opportunity for getting some solid revision done.....yes...however too long wasted on Rollercoaster Tycoon this morning - man that game is so addictive. I did manage to revise a little sociology this morning! Psychology this afternoon was pretty relaxed, not many people were there, which cuts down on distraction i guess! ;-)
My walls are gradually starting to get defaced with A3 posters of different modules and such... i swear by the time i've finished my exams my family will know enough to be able to sit them as well...
One thing i missed out yesterday was what all this is in aid of! Well i am planning to go to university to study Philosophy and Sociology. Leeds is my firm choice, Essex insurance, but in my typical non-decisive way, i'm not convinced that i've made the right decision. Leeds was a really cool place but Essex more cosy...oh well, it's done now. Unless I miss Leeds' B-B-B offer I'll be going there - but not until Sept 2004.
That's because i'm taking a gap year first. From September i will be on the "Timothy Programme", which is run by the Youth Dept of the Salvation Army. I won't find out for another month what my exact placement will be or where, but it's likely gonna be Training and working around a recently planted Church in an urban area. I'm really excited about it. I guess it probably sounds deathly boring to you, but this isn't church in the "stone-cold-pews, 1000-year-old-building-filled-with-old-people, bring-on-the-organ" sense of the word!
And then after university - i have no idea. Well actually that's a lie - i have one very tiny idea, which is that at some point i might want to work in the third world, not sure what the technical term is, but sort of aid stuff i guess. But, i have 4 influential years of my life ahead and that may change all my views etc...
That's enough for now. Enjoy the summer ball all...
Thursday
- Thursday, May 22, 2003 at 20:03:55 (BST)
So this is my online Kett diary thing. In which, according to the sheet, i should write about "life for young people today, hopes, fears, exams, university, VIth form life, etc".....crikey.
I think a little introduction is in order - I'm Carl, or...well Carl is actually the only name that people call me (to my face...). I'm in the upper 6th, and am currently studying Sociology, Economics, and Psychology. They're all interesting to varying degrees, but yes they're all deathly boring at times as well.
Sociology, i have had the honour of sitting next to Will and Hash who have been bickering for the entire last 2 years. This has it's advantages though - Will is always in possesion of the Daily Mirror, which with it's wholesome articles and thorough analysis of world happenings, keeps me well in touch with current affairs. *cough* Seriously though, sociology is my best subject i think, and the one i'm most confident about for exams.
Economics, i took because i enjoyed it at GCSE and last year it was a doddle, but this year has got harder and yes more boring. Although stories of Mr Allerhand's life intertwined with economic theory does much to brighten things up.
Psychology i took mainly cos i liked the sound of it.. but to be honest it's a very overrated subject. Especialy this year has been VERY dull in places. But it's improved a bit, and i'm gradually getting to grips with the stuff, which is good since exams start in 3 weeks!
Ah yes, exams....the thing that we're all leading up to. I'm lucky in that mine don't start till the 12th of june and are over by the 24th. However on the 12th of june i have psychology and then 2 modules of sociology. it's not a day i'm looking forward to!
It's really a good job that my exams don't start late, because i'm really only just getting into the whole revision rhythm. Still time to sort it all out before they start....this is actually a lot better than i usually am - last year i did all my revision for Psychology on the morning before the exam... o.o; ...not planning on doing that this year!
Anyway. Enough about such depressing things...
I think i'm the only person in the universe who isn't going to the summer ball on friday. Yes, i wish i was..but unfortunately i'm going to be away for the weekend in several different places. *sigh* It's quite amusing actually - i've ordered a yearbook but i'm not going to be in any of the pictures, because i was *cough* away *cough* on the two wednesdays that Mr Erwin came in to take pictures too...
Well, this entry is becoming quite long now, so i'll stop. I shall probably talk about things other than just revision and such in my next entry!!
Bye for now!
well...here goes...
- Wednesday, May 21, 2003 at 20:43:21 (BST)