Life Update

The last post I wrote that was not related to Kokoda was on the 14th of April which makes the fact that it was only 19 posts ago one of the reasons I jokingly changed the title of this blog to "The Not-so-Daily Lukey" which I will change back to "Daily Lukey" once I get back into the swing of things again. Anyway, the point of that little fact was to show how long it has been (almost 6 months ago [that's half a year!]) since I wrote a regular post. In that time a lot has happened (I think, we'll see when I get down to it) and so today's post is a little bit of an update on what has been going on.

So I wrote that introduction two days ago and now I am here, writing the rest of the post. Welcome to the world of procrastination. Except, I procrastinated by doing other work so it was not entirely wasteful procrastination. Could it even be called procrastination then? Anyway, school has been busy lately, especially since it is VCE, and with my 3/4 Methods exam just four weeks away the work is becoming more real as I get through more and more practice papers. I have done well in my SACs so I have that but I also need to do well in the exam if I want to get a good score so there comes that. The plus side is that in four weeks, I will no longer be doing Methods. Although I will miss it because I like mathematics, it will be nice to not have that as one of my hardest subjects anymore so I can focus more equally on my subjects, particularly the ones I am struggling with. I guess nothing much really has happened though since Kokoda, though I do feel I could use a random thought Friday post right now (wait, I moved that to Saturdays but anyway) because, as you can tell, my mind is all over the place right now. Nothing much really has happened though. We've had a catch-up with the Kokoda group, a presentation night for the whole leadership program plus some minor Rotary events we help out at but it has been a while since we have all been together again, I think we need to organise something. It is sad how people drift apart some times but hopefully we can organise another Relay for Life next year which can act as our reunion of sorts. I'm on my school's first SRC (this is only the school's fourth year) which was a great experience but is sadly drawing to a close as the new SRC representatives are elected for next year. One of the best things about being in a new school (aside from the new facilities) is the new traditions you get to create as well as the community feel you get from it. So, we may have only been around for almost a semester but it was great to set some of the grounding and actually have some input into things at the school and inputting student ideas. I had better finish now as I think you are all pretty much up to speed. Of course there are always the personal moments that occur but that is why this is the internet, and not my real life.

Hope to get another post out soon, see you soon!

My Kokoda Journey: How it all Began

Welcome to yet another post in my Kokoda series. All the posts discussing my personal experiences will be titled "My Kokoda Journey" followed by a bit on the end (as seen on the title above). It must be noted that all these posts are scheduled and pre-written as I am away on Kokoda when it is scheduled to be posted so sorry if this is confusing in anyway. Anyway, yesterday I posted the history of the Kokoda track (well, an overview at least) so you could understand the significance. Today I am going to go back to where my journey to Kokoda all began back in April of 2013.

Original Image Source (no text): http://www.ylead.com.au/travel/kokoda/

It was late in April when at the end of a long day at school there was an announcement over the loud-speaker for several different students, including myself, to go to the office. I had absolutely no idea what was going on so I went down there and then one of the assistant principals and our then principal told us that we had been identified as good leaders and representatives of the school to apply for this Leadership program with Victoria Police that will culminate in a trip to Kokoda which was to originally be in October of 2013. The catch was that our school had not known about it until the Wyndham Police had contacted them via phone as the assistant principal to whom the initial email was sent was away on leave so our applications were already overdue. As a result of this we had to fill in the form and hand it back the next day by lunch so that they could send it through to the Police. Initially I was not going to apply as I was a little thrown off by the fact that it was KOKODA and I was so unfit. It was not until later that night after I discussed it with my parents that I decided I would give it a go; why not? The worst that could happen is that I was not selected, it would be fate. So I started filling it out that night but I ran out of time before I had to go to bed. The assistant principal then found me to get the form the next day while I was still finalising it. So it was Maths and while others were doing the work (do not worry, I had already completed it) I was filling out the application. I managed to finish it just in time and then I handed it in to the assistant principle. From memory, the front page was just personal details as well as fitness (on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being super fit and 10 being super unfit) as well as a scale of how much you wanted to be a part of the program (again on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being super enthusiastic and 10 being not fussed at all and not really interested). Then the other three pages had more questions about different things. From memory there was a question on our past leadership experiences, the history of Kokoda (which I researched) and why it was significant (from our perspective), what the values of the Kokoda campaign (Mateship, Endurance, Courage and Sacrifice) meant to us as well as a question on what we wanted to get out of the program. There were other questions I think but I can not remember them all off the top of my head. I handed that form in and then I waited.

It would be a little while before I heard anything more about the program. See you tomorrow!

KOKODA IS COMING

So welcome back to the first post in ages! As the school term has come to a close there should be some more time for me to get more posts out. I also have to start writing my Kokoda series which will come out while I am over there in just over 10 days!! As Kokoda is drawing ever-closer there has been so much to do which is why this weeks 'the week that was' segment is mostly about Kokoda. However, before I continue with this I am just going to finish the introductory paragraph with something a little less related to Kokoda. Aside from all the Kokoda stuff which has taken up a lot of time recently, I have also had my first 3/4 Methods SAC which for those of you unfamiliar with VCE, counts towards my study score for the subject and, as a result, my ATAR which determines whether or not I get into my desired University Course. I was pretty happy with the result as I received 94% (and A+) which put me at Rank 3 out of the 166 students doing Unit 3/4 Methods at my school. It was quite the surprising (and exhilarating) moment which put me in a positive mindset for the rest of the year (hopefully, I am not from the future so I can not tell). Now, onto the Kokoda stuff.

Source: http://www.kokodatrackfoundation.org/history-of-the-kokoda-track.aspx

Since it has been so long since I have written a post updating you all on my Kokoda journey I am actually not sure where to start so if things are a little out of chronological order or a little random, I am very sorry. Vaccinations were this week. After many weeks of planning the time finally arrived. It was not exactly significant but it was still one of those things that made everything seem so much more real. If you were wondering what vaccinations we were getting for Kokoda, it was Flu, Typhoid, Hepatitis A and Japanese Encephalitis (which was optional). It would have also been tetanus but we got those in Year 10. In the past week Mum and I have also been packing and repacking my pack as well as testing out my sleeping mattress and sleeping mat so I know how to effectively get the sleeping bag and mat back in their respective bags. It has been a lot of hard work trying to get everything all together and fitting it in but it is great to get it ready and sorted this far out from the trek. When we go there, we will be packing our empty packs in suitcases so that the straps do not get damaged in transit but we still need to know how to pack it (and that everything fits and is not too heavy). Still, I am pretty sure that there are some things in my pack that I am going to donate to my Porter so I do not have to carry it after the first day. Aside from this, we were also put in groups and had to make a presentation on a portion of the Kokoda track. I was with two others and our task was to research Efogi to Myola, Myola to Templeton's Crossing and Templeton's Crossing to Eora Creek while making reference to Captain Sam Templeton. We had to show through our presentation how the soldiers who fought in the Kokoda campaign experienced Kokoda. Our presentation was a story which I actually might post as one of the days that I am away in Kokoda. It was actually a very interesting task and how presentations, dare I say it (I do by the way), was one of the best. Also on that night we had a presentation from one of the last surviving members of the 39th Battalion who fought in the Kokoda campaign. He was such a great character and he had some really interesting stories to tell. Plus it was also very interesting that it was the Malaria he contracted that saved him from the fate of many of his comrades who died along with the majority of the 39th Battalion.

Less than two weeks to Kokoda and the excitement and nervous energy is growing! See you tomorrow.

Pre-Exam People

As you probably know, this week is my exam week at school. As such, long posts like these are not going to be as frequent due to the time I need for studying. So do not be surprised if you see another short post either on Tuesday or Wednesday (Thursday is my last day of exams). Today, however, was my first exam and it was for VCE Maths Methods Unit 2. Needless to say, I have been studying very hard for this subject (and my other ones as well) over the past few weeks and so am very pleased to finally have this exam over with. However, right before the exam during the last-minute studying time I noticed a few different types of people that appeared prominently all around me. These types occur every time there is an exam and so in this post I am going to walk you through these different types of people.

Source: http://www.zpsb.szczecin.pl/en/international-business-studies/learning-at-wpbs/photo-gallery/ibs-photo-gallery/

The first type of people you see are the focused study-ers. These are the people who you see just sitting quietly going through review questions or re-reading notes or sections of the text books. They are generally calm and not overly stressed about the exam. However, they are at the right level of stress to motivate study while not allowing it to overcome them. The next group of people are the late-night study-ers. You can generally tell who these people are by the way they are seated at a table. If they are lying across the table with their head in their arms then you know that they are sleeping. They generally have a higher-than-average level of stress as they were silly enough to stay up late the night before without thinking about getting enough sleep. The next group of people are the over-thinkers. These are the people who get hung up over one question that they did not understand. Their stress levels are very high and so they take everything out of proportion. They are generally the people who look worried, are rushing around or appear to be playing a game of twenty questions where the questions just never stop. Other people fall under the category of nervous wrecks. These are the people who have prepared for so long that when the day finally arrives the stress and pressure has built up. Sometimes though, this same type of person may not have studied for that long. Maybe they only studied for a little while and it is only right before the exam that they realise the mistake they made in doing this. This group of people display very similar symptoms to those of the "over-thinking" group. Finally, you have the socialisers. These are the students who do not seem to care about the exam and are only worried about catching up with their friends. Friends who are busy studying and not wanting to be distracted. These are the people who make you wonder if they even realise they are about to sit an exam. Their stress levels are very low and while this can be a good thing, it is always good to be mindful of others. Just because you are sure of yourself and what is going to be on the exam, others may not be.

There are quite the number of different groups out there, see you tomorrow!

The Holidays have Arrived

Hooray! Finally, after ten long weeks of school the holidays have arrived. As much as I enjoy school it is always nice to just get away from it all and relax instead of rushing around trying to organise everything and completing homework. It is a nice feeling although this Term has being a great one. I would like to start off with a bit of an update on the fundraising we held this week on behalf of the 'Wyndham Leaders of the Future' program. I am proud to announce that, thanks to the generosity of students we raised over $600 which will all be pooled together before next April to purchase medical supplies to send to the Menari Medical Centre in Papua New Guinea. Over $100 of this came from the lolly-jar raffle and it is great to see so many people rally behind such a great cause. Aside from this however, this term has been full of a lot of highlights (and yes, I am looking at the term calendar to remind myself).

Source: http://www.millerapartments.com.au/_blog/News_and_Events/post/winter-school-holidays---6th---21st-july-2013/

The term started off with the Australian Maths Games Day which I participated in and had a lot of fun. It may have been a long tram ride from Flinders Street Station but it was worth it and going with a friend made the time seem to pass a lot quicker. Especially, when that friend had not realised how long the tram ride actually was. Then came LOTE week shortly after which supplied a lot of daily entertainment and international songs between bells. It was a nice and relaxing week and next year should be a whole lot better with even more students. Science Week followed not too long after and the daily recess trivia competitions with the horrible animations (that were funny because of how bad they were) really made my day (well, several of them actually). Finally, Book Week decided to show up and there were movie screenings in the iCentre (what we call our school library), a Macbeth incursion on the Wednesday (with actors from the Bell Shakespeare Company), a dress up day on the Friday and lots of competitions in between. Melbourne Writer's Festival then followed suit the following Monday which was a lot of fun to participate in and, since I was just an iCentre volunteer, I could just relax and enjoy the day rather than have to worry about doing any related work. The Arts and Technology week then came around with our performance-night on the Tuesday and the House Choral competition which was a blast. Seriously, this school is anything but boring. Finally, to cap it all of, there was this week full of fundraising for a good cause. Not a week goes by at this school without something happening, our Term calendar has barely a blank day anywhere with absolutely no empty week in sight.

It has been a busy term so a holiday is needed, see you tomorrow!

Holiday Homework

It is that glorious time of the year when students are again on Holidays. I really enjoy this time of year, despite some people's belief, as it gives me a break from school and allows me to relax and recuperate. Maybe even catch up on some television or sleep here and there. Mostly, Holidays are really fun and enjoyable times that I look forward to. I'll admit sometimes I'll be counting down the weeks but only when there is so much work that I just want it all to end so I can relax. However, school holidays are more often than not marred by holiday homework. Marred does seem like a strong word but sometimes you can get so much homework you lose most of your holidays. Luckily I have not received too much homework so hooray!

Image Source: http://rogermontgomery.com/who-asked-for-easter-holiday-homework/

Last holidays I did not actually have that much homework and all I really had was a Methods SAC which was basically all of Chapter 5. I did not actually realise how big it was though until I started. Luckily I started on the second Sunday of the Holidays so I had a whole week to complete it otherwise I would not have finished. I was working non-stop when I was home to finish it and I only actually did finish on the Sunday before school started. The reason it took so long was not because the questions were hard (in fact there were really only a few hard questions once you understood it) but rather because it all had to do with graphing which took a very long time. These holidays I have learnt my lesson and have already completed half my homework and expect to have finished the rest by tomorrow night and at least there was not any large tasks to complete and it is all pretty simple. So if you learn anything from this post, and I will be surprised if you do, it is to complete your holiday homework as soon as possible just so you can relax for the rest of the time.

A little work at the beginning pays off down the track, see you tomorrow!

End of Exams

The time of Exams is over, finally! It just feels so good to come home and know that you don't have any homework for the whole weekend. If this were twitter I would write #Paradise. My schoolwork right now is like the square root of a negative number; it's imaginary! This is really good because now I have a weekend where I can watch some Doctor Who and just relax after a frantic few weeks of studying. It just feels so exhilarating to be able to just relax for once in such a busy year.

Image Search: http://www.last.fm/music/Relaxation

So what's my plans for the weekend? Well I don't know past tomorrow morning when I have my Piano Lesson. I'll probably relax for once and watch some Doctor Who, possibly do some studying for Methods (just because I like Maths). Though Doctor Who is a certainty and right now I just bought Season 4 and my brother bought Season 5 so we are set for a while. Can I just say that the ending for Season 3 is so good. It's almost as good as the ending of Season 2 which I may have enjoyed more if my good friend Xavier hadn't ruined it for me. So Doctor Who is my new obsession (nothing new on the Catching Fire front except for a few posters) for the next few weeks so you may hear even more about it. So basically this weekend is time for a Doctor Who marathon and relaxation, I cannot wait!

Image Source: http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Series_1_(Doctor_Who)

The real question is how I manage to keep up this blog sometimes. The truth is that I do not even know how I do it. Sometimes I come home from school and start work straight away and continue this until I go to bed. I take breaks for shower and dinner but that is about it when I am really busy with study and school work. Sometimes I worry I will miss a day but it turns out I find time in the end. I do not even know how I come up with some of these topics although they are all related to something that has happened to me recently. These topics don't come out of nowhere. For example, my blog on Faith was scheduled for release on the day of my cousin's Confirmation (for which she chose me to be her sponsor [conceitedness level risen]). I say scheduled because I did not know when I would be able to get home so I wrote it the night before and scheduled it for release. It was actually the first post that I actually scheduled for release. I guess I just see this blog as another thing to do every day and I know it may not be as intricately researched as my friend Xavier's Current Affairs Blog but it is all my thoughts. I just want to say that if you do want to contact me for any reason about this blog or something else you can email me at legolukeytutorials@gmail.com which is the account I use for my YouTube contacts (not my account email) and stuff like that. Don't forget that you can always comment as well. So that is all for today and I look forward to a relaxing weekend!

Image Source: http://people.highline.edu/cmckenney/

May the odds be ever in your favour, see you tomorrow!

Exam Logic

As you all will know if you have been reading my posts recently, this week is exam week. I just have to say that during exams people have some really messed up logic. I am terming such logic "Exam Logic" as it only happens when there is an exam. During the past two days I have experienced people doing some really illogical things. It is like full-moon madness except with exams, I guess you could call it Exam-Madness or something. If I miss anything be sure to comment down below on any weird "Exam Logic" you may have experienced.

Image Source: http://www.ivoryresearch.com/custom-exam-notes-writing/

One of the worst examples of "Exam Logic" I can think of right now happens before you even sit the exam. This is the logic where people think they will be able to get by without studying. I do not know how people even manage to do this when I still get stressed out with exams even after I have studied all night for them. I had a friend who claims (I say "claims" because I don't believe he could do that) to not have done any studying for his exams today and when I arrived to school he was playing a game on his laptop. The weird part is that when it comes to tests and assignments these people will study but when it comes to exams which is really just a big test they do not even get stressed when they don't study. How can you not study for exams? I would be a mess if I didn't study for any exams. "Exam Logic" can be really illogical at times.

Image Source: http://www.vrkmphoto.com/interesting/more-study-more-confusion-no-study-no-confusion/

"Exam Logic" really comes into play during the actual exam. The first part is when people get out all their pens and pencils but forget to bring out the most important part they'll need like a rubber or ruler. Halfway through they realise and they have to move their chairs to reach what they need and so they do what I talked about yesterday with the chair. They'll start out quick and then realise the noise it makes. From here they'll go extra slow to drag out the noise instead of going fast to get rid of the noise (oh the logic). Then there are the people who turn up on the day of a Maths exam without a calculator. Who would not think of bringing a calculator to their Maths exam? Then they go running around everywhere trying to find a spare calculator. It is even worse when they just assume they'll be able to borrow the calculator off the person nearest them. Like I said in yesterday's post they'll act like they're doing you a big favour in letting you use it until they need it. Excuse me, it's a Maths exam, you are more likely than not going to need the calculator most of the time. I just do not know how these people actually think anymore. Sometimes I think people just automatically switch off when exams come around. I really hope "Exam Logic" isn't contagious. Yes, I know the person in the picture is playing Pokemon, if you don't like it then email me at legolukeytutorials@gmail.com I'll be happy to reply. So I know this isn't all the "Exam Logic" that is going around these days so if I've missed out anything you have thought of then comment it down below or email me (see above).

Image Source: 

http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/ti-nspire-cx-cas-calculator-lets-you-play-pokemon-in-full-color-during-class

May the odds be ever in your favour, see you tomorrow!

Annoying Things People do During Exams

Well exam week officially started this week for Years 9 and 10 at my school and so today we had an English Exam and a Rio Tinto Big Science Competition (not an exam). Today I am not going to talk about the exam itself but rather the annoying things people do during the exam. We have all experienced one exam or test that had someone doing something incredibly annoying and distracting. If you have experienced something annoying during one of your exams/tests don't be afraid to comment down below!

Image Source: https://www.dkit.ie/examinations/timetables

One of the most annoying things a person can do right at the start of the exam is to maneuver their chair into a position that is comfortable for them. I'm not saying that I get annoyed when people feel comfortable (oh the injustice) but it is the way they go about getting comfortable that is annoying. They start out fast but then they realise it makes a really loud noise. So what do they do? Maybe move it fast so that the noise doesn't last as long? No, that would be too simple. What they do is slowly move their chairs so the noise just goes on forever. Then they finally get comfortable and they start work and you think you can relax but no, they move it that little bit further so they are even more comfortable. Has anyone else had this experience? It is really annoying and why wouldn't you get the noise done quickly rather than drag it out so you distract everyone in the examination hall? Sometimes I lose faith in the future of humanity.

Image Source: http://empirefurniture.com.au/Ergostack-Classroom-Chair.aspx?p38783

Then there are the people who think it is alright to communicate during exams. These are the people who think it is okay to play the game where you have to repeat a certain word (for the decency of this blog I won't say it) one after another getting louder each time. I mean, where is the fun in that? Oh, I said a bad word, hehehe. See how lame and immature that is? When you're trying to relax at the end of an exam it's even worse. Then there are the people who think it okay to borrow someone's ruler, or calculator during an exam. Sometimes they have the audacity to say "I'll give it to you if you need it" as if they are doing you a massive favour. That is so annoying when it happens and it has happened to me quite a few times. There are also the people who think there is nothing wrong with looking over to someone else's answers. This is incredibly annoying when, during the exam, they ask you how you did that or that it's wrong (even when you've checked it on CAS and it's correct). It's annoying because they can end up getting you into trouble for doing nothing. These people are really infuriating and really ruin your exam time because you might be thinking "well, this is alright" and then they annoy you and you just wish you could leave. Does any of this happen to you guys? Good luck with exams everybody!

Image Source:

http://www.123rf.com/photo_16079543_student-sitting-and-talking-at-desk-in-empty-exam-hall.html

May the odds be ever in your favour, see you tomorrow!

P.S. It's also annoying when your stupid brother comes into the room and starts listening to stuff on his phone (without headphones) and just stands there when you're trying to study! #Frustrating

Studying Tips

So it's that time of year again. Yes, it's time for exams! The time we all love to hate. The only really good thing about this is we only have to go to school for the exams which means really short school days. It's also good because the whole week before is just Revision Week where they can't teach us anything new. The downside of this is also that we can't have anything due that week and so all our assignments are due the week before (this week) meaning a very stressful time for students. At least once this week is over all that's left to do is study. In today's post I am going to discuss some study techniques that could help you do really well on your exams!

For Maths subjects I find starting my revision by reading through the chapters we have completed to be my first step in studying. From this reading I make summary notes on key concepts of the chapters. These may include formulas, graphs, rules and a few questions as examples. After this is completed I find it time to complete the chapter review just from the summary notes so you can see if you need to add something. Once this is done it is also useful to go back to the chapters and complete some more questions that you weren't on the layout that you completed the first time around. I have used this many times both in normal Maths and Maths Methods and it really has helped me a lot in remembering all that I need to. It is also useful to go online and do find some practice tests on Google. It is very helpful to complete these tests under exam conditions and without breaks as this will provide you with great practice. Remember, cramming the night before will do you no good as you will not retain what you just read. If this does work for you (and you get good marks), I am very jealous of you.

For subjects like Humanities and Science where there is a lot of information to remember I find the following study methods helpful. First, I create a summary sheet of all that I can remember about the topic (or topics) without looking at the text book or notebook and then I look through my textbook/notebook/workbook and write down any extra notes I may have forgotten in a different colour so that it stands out and I know what I need to work on remembering. After this I go online and search up online quizzes or tests about the topic that can help me revise. I also find the use of flashcards to be very helpful and I used it a lot (and to great effect) in the Semester 2 exams last year as there was a lot to remember with Health and Physical Education and Science. There is a great free app for android called StudyDroid  where you go online and make the flash cards (you can also create them on the phone) and you can sync the ones you create online with the ones on the phone so that you can study topics on the go. I also use this app in my Piano lessons for theory. I find it very helpful and there is bound to be a similar flash card app on the Apple App Store. Remember, trying a variety of study methods is best so you can find which one works best for you.

For LOTE subjects (such as French or Chinese) there are a number of tactics I use to revise. The first thing (and most favourite) I do is use Language Perfect to revise some old vocabulary that could come in handy as well as learn some new adjectives that might help in the written task. The next thing I do is read through my workbook and look at some of the activities we have completed and then do similar ones that I make up myself or search for online. This really helps with the application of different words and verbs because there is only so much you can do when you know what a word means. If there is a written component it is also very helpful to look over some of the previous topics you may have covered to gauge what sort of writing task it might be. If the teacher provides a Revision Sheet make sure you complete it as they are very useful. Then you can try your hand at several different writing activities to see how you do, the teacher will be happy to look through it with you to see where you could improve. Remember, just because you learnt something last year does not mean it will not be involved in the exam.

For English where there may be a text response essay there are ways you can study. First, the teacher will generally tell you what it is you will be responding to if it is a text, or the sort of topic (such as persuasive writing). If it is a text the first thing to do is to write a summary of each part of the text so you can gauge what you can remember about it. This way you know what parts of the book you may need to re-read if you cannot remember what it is about. From your summary look at some key themes and write down some good  quotes for each because there is more than likely going to be questions relating to some theme or something. From here it may also be useful to make up your own prompts based on previous ones you have worked on or other ones relating to major (or minor) themes in the text and then write a plan out for this. If you want, you could write out an essay and show it to your teacher for feedback but just a plan is enough so you can work out what sort of topics you might discuss. For something else, like a persuasive piece or text analysis, it is best to look at examples of these and use textbooks or notebooks for examples of how to write something like this. You might even do a Google search for some of these topics and practice things for you to work on. Just don't forget to practice, even if this just means writing out a plan. Some practice is better than none. Remember, just because you may not be allowed to bring in your text does not mean you do not use quotes.

May the odds be ever in your favour for Exams, see you tomorrow!

The Methods SAC Part 2

So yesterday, the 9th of May (a.k.a. my Birthday) I completed the rest of the Maths Methods SAC which also included the continuation of the Tasmania Jones story and his quest to recover the "Cory Potion". I didn't write about it in yesterday's post because it was my Birthday. The following is the continuation of the Tasmania Jones story as told in the Methods SAC. It has the worst ending which shows why Maths teachers aren't English teachers (well, at least not the ones who wrote this SAC).

Click here if you haven't read Part 1.

We left off with Tasmania Jones on a perilous roller coaster on the path to recover the "Cory Potion". We start Section 2 with Tasmania Jones discovering another perilous roller coaster which starts at ground level and goes on a path described by a cubic equation. Then there are a number of questions relating to the rule and some other questions before Tasmania Jones completes the Roller Coaster and continues on his search for the "Cory Potion".

Having safely crossed this perilous attraction Tasmania Jones comes across some toxic liquid which is made up of a certain percentage of toxic acid. Then you have to work out the total amount of acid in the toxic liquid and then it gives you two solutions (x and y) and the percentage of acid in each. From here you need to work out how much of each solution is in the Total liquid (I'm not saying how) and then that is all for this section. Then Tasmania Jones continues and he finds a giant container on top of a stage above which is suspended the "Cory Potion". Tasmania Jones must somehow save the potion as the container is slowly filling  up with the toxic liquid and then there are a number of questions relating to this and then you must work out how long it will take for the container to fill and how long Jones has left to save the potion.

And now for the ending that would make English teachers everywhere cringe. Once Tasmania successfully receives the potion he rushes back and notices a note attached to the vial containing the potion. WARNING: ENDING MAY MAKE YOU SICK. The note reads: "Congratulations on successfully recovering the fake potion. I look forward to meeting you again someday. The Forces of Evil". And that is the end of Section 2 and the Maths Methods SAC. I know, worst ending ever. I'm so sorry but that is how they ended the SAC. At least it provided a little bit of entertainment.

May the odds be ever in your favour, see you tomorrow!

The Methods SAC

So today we had a Maths Method SAC on Cubic and Quartic Functions as well as everything we had learnt so far (Linear, Quadratic, Graphs) It is so large that we actually haven't finish it yet. It goes for 4 periods and there are 2 sections. During the first 2 periods you can only work on Section 1 and in the next 2 periods you can work on both section 1 and section 2. So it is a big SAC and I studied a lot for it because I knew there would be a lot of stuff on it that I may be a little rusty on because it has been a while. Even during lunch time today I was studying with my friend (who is also in Methods) for the SAC.

So we were pretty nervous about the SAC and it didn't help that one of our friends said that the teacher had said that it was hard. Anyway, as the SAC was going to take full periods we had to arrive at class before the end of lunch so that we could start as soon as the bell went. So when we do finally start I open the first page and I just try really hard to hold my laughter because the Section 1 of the SAC (and I hope Section 2 is also) is based around the story of "Tasmania Jones and The Temple of Doom" or something along those lines ("Tasmania Jones" was correct but I don't think it was "Temple of Doom"). It made the SAC more entertaining as there were questions based around different parts of his journey.

Well, the story started off with the main character ("Tasmania Jones") on his way to retrieve a stolen cure. His first struggle is at the edge of a cliff and he has to jump from the top of the cliff, over the lava and onto a platform. There were two ways Tasmania knew he could do this and the first rule was given and you had to graph it, the second rule you had to work out based on the points they gave you (y-intercept and turning point) and then graph it also. There were questions related to these two rules and once you completed them Tasmania continued on his journey.

Having successfully passed this obstacle Tasmania now faces a pit of crocodiles. He notices a stalactite growing from the ceiling which conveniently has a hook on the end (as stalactites would) which is conveniently exactly in the middle of the gap. You then had to work out the rule for the semi-circle the path the end of the 5 metre rope made when it swung from one side to the other (with Tasmania on the end casually avoiding the snapping crocodiles). Our hero then continues his journey where he discovers he must go on a dangerous roller coaster (sounds like fun) but he needs the key which is at the end of a room with a motion sensor at the entrance. Conveniently, Tasmania is a very fast runner but on his way back he fatigues and only runs at half his speed. The major question here was the distance from the entrance to the back wall (it gave you how long it took to get there and you worked out his initial speed [before fatigue] in an earlier question) which you had to work out.

Jones then stops and checks his blood-sugar (or chloride or something, it wasn't blood sugar) levels [because "He's a very health conscious person"]) and he has a drink called Gatorfade (the originality of this text is marvelous) which restores these levels. There is a rule provided which gives you the levels of whatever he is checking a number of hours (t) after drinking the Gatorfade. Then there are a few questions relating to this rule and it tells you the target levels of whatever it is in his body and you do some more calculations of how long it takes for his levels to drop below the target range.

Finally, Tasmania Jones reaches the roller coaster after a perilous tumble down a hill before finishing at the roller coaster starting platform 20 kilometres below sea level. Then there are a few questions relating to the cubic rule defining the path of the roller coaster and questions relating to this path. That is all for Section 1 and so far it is the end of the story. On Thursday (which also happens to be my Birthday, yay!) I complete section 2 and that day's blog post will probably be the continuation of this story (if it is done so in the SAC) so look forward to the finale of Tasmania Jones awesome adventures to recover the stolen cure.

May the odds be ever in your favour, see you tomorrow!

Parent Teacher Interviews

So today was Parent Teacher Interviews at my school for students with surnames starting from A to M and next Wednesday (1st May) the other students (N-Z) have their interviews. That means we get two days off school (Hooray!) which is really good for us because this week we also have Thursday off for ANZAC day which means we only go to school Monday, Wednesday and Friday which means any homework we get that day can be done the next so we can relax. I still do the homework the night I get it though so I can relax the whole day and if something happens and I can't complete my homework (in case the TV turns itself on or  a DVD plays itself) I don't have to worry. Anyway, back to Parent Teacher Interviews.

So I get there early and so I go to my locker to get my books before going up to my first interview with my Science Teacher. When we get there we are still early which means we get to see the people before us go up and we notice how long she (the Science Teacher) talks for. I mean, she was talking for ages and always going overtime and we were lucky to get in just five minutes after our scheduled time but Mum was getting really worried even though I had left a five minute gap between each interview in case this happened. So when we got in to the interview Mum knew we only had five minutes until the next one so she was really asking questions that got to the point but it was all fine. My interviews are always good and the only problem the teacher had was that I had got a Very Good mark (somewhere above 75%) instead of an Excellent (somewhere above 80%) where the rest of my marks were. The science teacher being slow was actually a blessing because we got to the Maths teacher as she was finishing up with the previous student which was really good timing. The rest of the interviews went really well and were not as long as the Science teacher and they were all good [they never aren't ;) ]. My methods teacher was really quiet and it was funny because my Mum was doing a lot of the talking and when she asked "Is there anything Luke could improve on?" he just stared at his screen for a while and went "Uhmmm, no" and it was a little obvious that he wasn't a big fan of Parent Teacher Interviews. The other teachers were good and it was all good interviews (which I already said I think).

I really believe Parent Teacher Interviews are great because the parents/guardians get to hear straight from the teachers instead of a garbled version of what the student may tell them to make a bad mark seem better. I know some students who wait until the last minute to get their interviews so that they can't because of the teacher being booked out so they don't have to see them. So Parent Teacher Interviews, I really like them. Plus, I make all my interviews on the first day so I can see the teachers I (well, my Mum) wants to see at the times I want so I can leave enough space in between to prepare for teachers who talk too much (Science), talk too little (Maths Methods) or talk for the right amount of time (the rest). As long as its good reviews it can go for as long as they want.

May the odds be ever in your favour, goodbye

Procrastination

I have been procrastinating a lot these holidays. We haven't got a lot of holiday homework but what we do have is big. Basically we have a Science Assignment and a Methods SAC which is basically to complete all of Chapter 5 (A Gallery of Graphs [incl. Hyperbolas and other stuff I can't remember the name of]) which will take a while. I only started today and I was even procrastinating while doing that. I admit, I have a problem.

So what was I doing instead of my work today? That's a good question with many answers. I started off the day thinking I was going to start work straight away but then I felt YouTube call to me and I got 'stuck' watching some videos. Then, when I finally got out my work I had to download something and where did I go first, Facebook of course. Now, what did I do on Facebook? Well, I played a lot of SongPop and people were online playing too so I didn't run out of matches for ages which meant I just kept playing.

I finally ran out of matches and I started my work which I did for almost an hour and a half before I stopped for Lunch. While having lunch I thought I should have a break and decided to watch just one episode of Community. However, that one episode turned into two.. and then three.. and then four. This was always because of the mindset "just one more and I'll get back to work".

Finally, I finished watching Community and went back to my work... where I proceeded to play SongPop for another 10 minutes. Finally I got into work and proceeded to work solidly until I had to get ready to go out to dinner with my family. Now I'm back and decided to continue working tomorrow. So now I am procrastinating watching Biggest Loser: The Next Generation.

Then we'll probably watch Elementary, followed by The Voice season 2 Premiere which we recorded.

Then we'll probably watch the TV week Logies which is on after The Voice which means that it is also being taped at the moment. So yeah, I can procrastinate when I don't want to. I'm actually procrastinating from procrastinating by writing this blog post at the moment. This is actually the earliest I have ever wrote a post on this blog (8:22pm) because I usually write it around 10pm but today I decided to do it earlier because I can and I'll know I'll probably forget it.

Anyway, on the Biggest Loser at the moment Rosemary (Blue) has just flipped out at the trainers (because tonight they are the ones choosing who will go home), especially Michelle, and just stormed out announcing she is going to leave but Kevin (the biggest contestant in the history of the Biggest Loser worldwide) is stuck in the middle because he doesn't want to leave but his mother is a little bit, for want of a better word, feral and is definitely not in the best mood and even if she does come back the trainers will have a hard time deciding who to vote for to send home. Interesting! Now the trainers have decided not to vote so the couple with the lowest weight loss percentage are going home. *SPOILER ALERT* It's Rosemary and Kevin's time to go home. But when they show what they look like a certain amount of time later Kevin is looking really good, so is Rosemary.

Ha-ha, I procrastinated then by writing that.

May the odds be ever in your favour, see you tomorrow

Tests and End of Term

So, yeah, today I had two tests, what a fun way to end the term! So we started off in Period 1 with a Maths Methods SAC on Matrices which was really easy...

So yeah, that was great (except for the fact I was stressing out thinking it was going to be hard). So then I go into the Maths test at the end of the day thinking it would be easier because of course you would think a VCE SAC would be harder than a Year 10 Maths Test but no, the Year 10 Maths test was way harder... many people are sure they failed (I'm certain I didn't but I know I didn't get 100% because I didn't get to answer all the questions) and so when the teacher said "5 minutes left" I was like this:

But I feel better knowing that hardly anyone in all the classes that did the test finished. Plus I finished by getting back our Maths Assignment which I got 100% on and I felt like:

Then we had end of term assembly which was basically just the principal making a "30 second" speech that ends up going for 5 minutes. Then some other stuff was said and a video montage of photos from the Athletics Carnival was shown. Then it was time to go and everyone just got up and stormed for the door as soon as the teacher said Year 10s exit from top exit and Year 9s exit from the bottom floor. She hadn't even finished saying it and the auditorium was half empty. The worst part was that I was near the front of the crowd and trying to get downstairs in a crowd pushing you is a nightmare and I tripped twice (luckily no one noticed!) but I finally managed to get to my locker, get my bags and head home. Now I felt like this:

So yeah. On unrelated news: I am now addicted to Dr Who. Also, getting up early tomorrow (on the first day of school holidays, grrr!) to be at the fire station (yeah I'm a CFA member [firefighter]) by 7am for the Good Friday Appeal. So if you live in Victoria, Australia and someone knocks on your door asking for donations to the Good Friday Appeal please donate generously. Though if they don't have a Good Friday Appeal Tin lock the door and call the Police. So yeah, there's nothing I'd rather do on my first day of holidays than knock on strangers' doors asking for money.

May the odds be ever in your favour, see you tomorrow!

Nutrition and Sooky Sandy

So our Health and PE assignment on Nutrition is due tomorrow, just printing it out now, FINALLY! I am glad that it was an easy assignment otherwise I may have got a little physical with my laptop. But luckily I finished it in time. I was almost going to not do a Bibliography but then I did just because I could, wow, that sounded really weird... Anwyay, so that assignment is done and I was going to put it in a folder but...

So yeah, I'm just gonna staple it and then hand it in! Tomorrow is gonna be busy we have a Maths Test and a Maths Methods SAC, though I am more worried about the Maths more than anything because Methods I understand the topic, Maths is mostly revision of what we already did in Methods but it is still a little tricky.

Anyway, so as you know my dog's name is Sandy and he is a sook! So today, my brother comes home and, being silly, tries to scare the dog (which is actually very easy). All he did was close the door and pretend to bark like a dog and Sandy got so scared he came up and sat on my chest as if I would protect him. Then he started barking at the door, but only when he was behind me or on me. When my brother comes in and Sandy realises it is him he starts barking at him as if he knew it all along and wasn't scared. It was hilarious! Sandy was soooo scared!

Also, only one more month of my Braces! Next month they are getting taken off and I am wearing a retainer instead to insure all the hard work of braces isn't for nothing. So yeah! EXCITED for that! It is also good because my brother got his braces three months before me and even though mine are coming off next month his are still a long way off. HA! I have better teeth than him! I WIN!

May the odds be ever in your favour, see you tomorrow!