Another One Departs

REST IN PEACE GREAT UNCLE TOM

We were planning on visiting him and his wife Great Aunty Mary at their rest home this afternoon to celebrate their upcoming 65th wedding anniversary when this morning our aunty rang us to let us know that Great Uncle Tom passed away earlier in the morning. He's my nana's (who passed away late last year) brother, so now there are only two sisters remaining amongst the siblings. He was so close to making 65 years of marriage! Oh well 64 is still pretty impressive. Hopefully he's in a better place!

Fireworks

I had one of my worst classes today. I was trying to teach my 2nd year class this rhythm (dotted quaver + semiquaver) comparing it to a dotted crotchet + quaver, as the students were about to play this piece 'Clementine' which included the rhythm. I tried explaining it to them on the blackboard and they all just had blank looks on their faces! I asked them if they knew what I was talking about, and only one boy said he kinda did while the others were like

"....nooooo....."

I had no idea what to do! I tried saving face by sounding like I knew what I was doing and this was all planned, telling them I would have a big RHYTHM REVISION class next week. I don't really know what I'm going to do next week yet but I'll have to actually plan ahead by a few days this time!

As part of my accordion championship programme I have to play a baroque piece, and so I chose to play a keyboard sonata by Scarlatti, and this week my teacher actually remembered to bring the music to give to me! He lent me three books of sonatas, so I spent the afternoon listening to Scarlatti until I reached the limit on the Scarlatti midi website. I think I like Scarlatti now!

Later in the evening I went over to Phoebe's work to meet up with her to go to the fireworks at the Trusts Stadium. Because her boss's kids wanted to come as well, I ended up walking with her, the kids and Aonghas (who wanted to come along as well). We came late to pick her up because my mum couldn't remember whether she left the stove on or not, and we couldn't trust Hamish to use his initiative (doubt he knows how to work the stove!).

The fireworks were about to start at 8.30 and we had 15 minutes so we walked all the way down Lincoln Rd and cut across the field to the stadium. We managed to get there in time, and met up with Aone, Alex, Natasha (just had a intelligent moment so that one was Natasha! Click!) and then we all went over to sit at on the steps to watch the fireworks.

When we sat down there was some Chinese guy teaching everyone how to say NI HAO ZHONG GUO (hello China!) as CCTV (a TV station in China) were going to broadcast the event to China. That was weird I'm not too sure people over in China would've understood what the crowd was trying to say!

The fireworks were really great! They went on for more than 15 minutes at least! There were also lasers and flames amongst other things. There were some fireworks that I hadn't seen before either!

Afterwards we walked back to the takeaways and waited for Phoebe's dad to drop us home. I tried getting a photo together with her and the kids but she didn't want to! Maybe she's ashamed to be seen near me or something lol

Anyway it was a pretty good night overall. I didn't see certain friends there (you know who you are! Hope you didn't get up to no good!) but I'm sure they DEFINITELY had a good time!

Loneliness Begins

Don't get me wrong I don't need to be on suicide watch or anything. I've just already started getting free weekend txtn withdrawal symptoms! I used to text a few people right throughout the weekend from midnight Friday to midnight Sunday about all sorts of stuff and they'd keep me company! Now I'm feeling lonely!! I hope Vodafone knows what they've done to me! They've taken what little txtn-dependent social life I had in the weekend away from me!!! The offside is now I get to concentrate on my studies yay!!!

I've kinda been ..persuaded..to go to this fireworks thing at the Trusts Stadium tomorrow with a few friends. I don't exactly know how it's going to go with lovey dovey stuff going on but you know we resilient single people will survive!

Today we got 6th period off school as a reward for attending Rutherford Day a couple weeks ago (or was it last week?) All our classes were moved up one, so I had Chinese first period and history last. History was probably the most fun. We got into teams and played this game. Ellyce, Heather, Patrick and I were all in one team. The teacher thought we were the best in the class (probably not so much me, I think I was the weak link in the team) and didn't want to do all the work for the others, so we sat at the back table as a team. One person from each group would go up and the teacher would give them a history-related word and the students would have to draw, mime or 'play dough' the word to the other members of the group with the first group to guess it correctly getting a point. Of course our team was leading in front, but were in fierce competition with Nick's team! It took a turn for the dirty towards the end with pushing and shoving and a bit of cheating going on! In the end our team won!

Chen came over to our house for the afternoon to wait for his parents. He and the other shortlisted candidates for head students were interviewed by the executive team today. From the sound of it though they all went all right! Hopefully we get the desired outcome on Monday!

The Side You Never See

This morning I only just managed to get into history class after coming to school after the bell. I saw Heather and Patrick (head girl and deputy head boy) hoisting the flag up and so I tagged along with them along with another late girl who joined. I was a little worried when we got in class as the history teacher knew the other two head students had been doing the flag. She questioned the other girl why she was late, and so I was quickly trying to ask Heather if I could say I was with them as an excuse! She couldn't hear me properly but fortunately the teacher never bothered asking me!

I arrived at the transition room at interval to find the twins with their Young Enterprise groups. Gwen, Angie and Alex were all there (the ones who could speak and understand Chinese) so I got started speaking Cantonese to them (and a bit of Mandarin to Angie). OK so I probably didn't make a whole lot of sense but it felt great being the one who other people couldn't understand for once!

I spent lunch with Phoebe again trying to help her out with maths. We ended up not doing much maths and just started talking. I should really stop getting side-tracked! The bell went and we hadn't done much so Phoebe asked her form teacher if she could stay outside to hang out with me (to learn maths) and she said go ahead. I was a little surprised at hearing Phoebe tell her form teacher we used to go out! We were talking about the head students election when she told me she wasn't sure if she voted for me either for head boy or for student rep! My bestest friend!!!!! Oh well it's over so it doesn't matter anyway! I don't know why people look at me weirdly and make comments whenever I'm around her. It's not as if she's the only girl I hang around and talk to!

We had physics during the last period, in which we had a nuclear physics teast - a test I completely forgot about and did no study for! Because the teacher gave us the 2005 paper, the same paper I sat last year and got achieved, he was expecting me to get excellence (I'm sure he was being sarcastic!). Us guys were just sitting there with pretty blank pieces of paper looking at each other! Fortunately reports have been decided already!

By the way congratulations on the short-listed candidates for head students! I felt a little bad for those who didn't make it, and even offered Melissa (one of the girls who didn't get short-listed) a hug but she didn't want it. What is it with girls not wanting hugs from me?! I've had more hugs from guys than girls this term which is disturbing!

A Little Bit of Help Please!

NOTE: If you speak Cantonese, don't speak to Calum in English!! (He may be slow but he'll slowly get it!)

 

Today we got told we get to go home from school a period early on Friday if we attended Rutherford Day! Well I had to speak at the assembly so yay I get that period off! It just means I don't have chemistry class. Those guys who have a free period before that are lucky!

 

I spent lunchtime today helping Phoebe out with her maths, while her funky friends hung around. It was the first time I saw Gwen without her glasses on and the first time I heard her speak Cantonese! She's supposed to speak Cantonese to me everytime I talk to her! She did a little bit. Phoebe wouldn't because it was too weird for her and her friend (I'm not too sure what his name is but I think it sounds like ZEE-MAN) tried talking to me in Cantonese but I was left there going

"Uhhhhhhhh....."

trying to process the Cantonese through my slow brain. I really need to hear and speak more if I'm ever going to be able to master this language or else I'm going to live the rest of my life as a failure in Cantonese!!

 

More people are starting to trust me again! I'm so happy! Believe me other people spread stuff more than me but I won't name them! I haven't spread anything people have told me not to, so if anyone needs someone to talk to who they can trust, I'm there for you! ;)

 

I spent the night attempting to do voice conversations with my friend Diane who I last talked to in February when she told me she got a boyfriend, but the stupid computer kept disconnecting me from the internet, and the conversation was two way for only a couple of minutes before her voice cut off and I was left the only one talking! Congratulations to her and her boyfriend for lasting nine months!