New layout: From Under The Duvet..: April 2006

Friday, April 28, 2006

Confusion

Well, I survived the confusing week and a yucky day today where I had two tests – one of which asked only one of the topics of the four the teacher made us revise… That was a *bit* annoying as I’d stayed up until after half twelve last night revising. The other paper should be ok though.

All the teachers seem to have given us some extra work in order to make up for Monday saying “sure you’ve got Monday” and I’d love to point out: actually, no, I’ll be walking for eight hours then and that night I’ll be crashing somewhere!

Another annoying thing is in the coming week I have two tests – one is a full module mock in physical geography and the other is just one-third of a module mock in human geography (because the teacher simply cannot spare the class time to do a full mock or we may not finish the course – we’re even having an after-school session on Thursday!).

I wouldn’t mind it so much but it means I’m revising for geography, which is my last lot of exams (all my subjects’ exams are all on the same individual day with the exception of geography which is at the end on two days three days apart), and it means I haven’t really been revising my earlier subjects which I’m rather worried about!! Such as psychology when all three are in the same afternoon or English where the two exams are the morning after the psychology!

I’ve been being vaguely kinda arty recently.
This is a collage I made a while ago with pictures either I have taken or I’ve found. I should hopefully get around to uploading some of the beautiful pictures I took around Easter on Flicker soon.

This is the first copy of a picture called “Growing Up” - I say the first one because it is being redrawn as the walls at the side are wrong. Dear only know when I’ll get the other one drawn though – so keep pestering me! – so I thought I’d show you the first one. The picture is the same but the outside walls with the diagonal top bit will have the bricks going at the correct angle!

I’d also like to point out
this website which I’ve found on my internet travels. It looks good and I’m challenging you all to do it!

I’ve a ton of work to do this weekend, as well as revision. I’m currently reading The Pact by
Jodi Picoult which isn’t as good as My Sister’s Keeper (which is awesome – go and read!!) and there is no real sense of plot. Hopefully it will get better. And I've bought her Salem Falls book (special offer). You can get a synopsis of those books if you click on the "About Jodi" section and there you'll see a list of her books. Keeping Faith also looks really good!

It’s due to rain this Monday. I don’t want to walk in the rain! I’m considering making a deal with God that He can have someone’s leg (someone being a person I’ve selected and told) if He doesn’t let it rain. Unfortunately the person does not want to let their leg go – but I’ve got two days to convince them!

Oh, and you know that tennis game from the last post? The highest score I’ve got is eight. I showed the link to a friend and told them to try and beat that. They got 116!! Not fair!

Have a good bank holiday folks!

Rachxx

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

They're out to confuse us!

This week in school Thursday is actually Friday - as in, on Thursday it is Friday's timetable we'll be following. Then it's the opposite on Thursday. Why this insanity, I hear you ask? Because, a lot of holidays this year have been on Fridays and the GCSE and A level teachers are all worried that they won't finish the courses - which is too real a prospect in a couple of my subjects!
This Friday in school (the actual Friday) there is going to be a whole-school photograph taken which takes a while. And, rather than have a riot from angry teachers on their hands, the senior staff have decided to switch the days over.
This will be confusing but I'm not overly complaining. Yesterday, Monday, one of my geography teachers announced that she would be giving us a full mock exam of the whole year's work. When would she be giving us this test? Next lesson! Now, normally, the next double period of geography I have is last two periods of a Thursday. But that is now Friday! Which gives me an extra evening to do some much needed revision.
Anyway, I have been procraistinating far too long - in this week's newsletter we were given the link to this game which is proving really rather addictive! I'm blaming any bad results on this game!
*stressed*
Rachxx

Sunday, April 23, 2006

Modern Myths I: "I have a friend who says that Christians shouldn’t wear Designer Labels"

Tonight and for the next two weeks in my church were exploring "modern myths". The three in the series are:
  1. "I have a friend who says that Christians shouldn’t wear Designer Labels" - and Paul led that one.
  2. "I have a friend who says that Gay is the new Straight" by Martin Hallet (who was gay and is now a Christian and working in some mission thing)
  3. "I have a friend who says that Islam is a religion of peace" by Majed Timwe (who was raised in Islamic Syria and converted to Christianity).

All those things are things which I would really like to explore and I question how I feel on them. Maybe going to these services will help me, to not find answers because answers seem too definite, to find more questions that will push me forward to find how I feel.

Rather than focusing on designer labels it was kind of a more a look at consumerism and the culture we live in. I am passionate about social justice and try to do something right in some small way. Did you know that if everyone on the planet lived the way people in the west live we would need three planets! THREE!!! That's insane!

Anyway, I thought I would share what I thought was a hilarious story. There were some guys who broke into a big department store in the States after closing. They stayed several hours and left before daylight. They didn't steal a single thing. So, why break in? They spent those hours they were in the store and switched price tags. Things that were expensive went for buttons. Everyday, mundane, worthless stuff went for horrendous amounts of money. No one noticed for several hours what had happened...

That made me laugh so much! The point was that that switch has happened in our world - clothes, make up and the image, which were never really supposed to be that important, have been elevated to hugely desirable status. And other things - spiritual things like forgiveness, selflessness etc - have been reduced to a lower status.

In response to the comments to the post before that last one I'd like to thank those who replied. I hope I get to the stage where I find such an answer comfortable. I need to explore me for a while and see what happens. I'm not rejecting any of the answers I'm just.. continuing the questioning.

Rachxx

Saturday, April 22, 2006

If it's ok...

...I never ever want to see a 15-year-old carrying his father's coffin again.

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Death

This evening I was due to go to my friend’s birthday party. I haven’t seen her in a while because she’s been sick this academic year and so she’s restarting Lower Sixth this September, health depending. So, when I got a call this morning my first thought was that she wasn’t well enough but it wasn’t that. Her dad died this morning. Prayers for the family would be good – he leaves a wife and three children.

Over the past week or so there has been something like nine road deaths in Northern Ireland. Death is everywhere. My recurring thought over my friend’s dad’s death has been “parents of people my age aren’t supposed to die”. (And, yes, I do hear myself!). This has really got me questioning my idea of death.

The idea of growing old terrifies me, and ultimately dying. There are some people who embrace it really well saying each new birthday is “one year closer to glory”. But I don’t really see it that way. Heaven is just such a great unknown. What is heaven going to be like? Does it exist? If it does, where is it? I want a map and directions! And, if it exists, who goes? How could a Father who loves all His children let some of them spend eternity in Hell – even those who, through no fault of their own, don’t know about Him?

God, you know my address, answers would be lovely. I am a Christian, well, I’m at least trying to be one but… some answers would be great.

Rachxx

Monday, April 17, 2006

My Productive Day

Today I got up at nine o'clock after telling myself I would tick at least seven things of my list and I would not go on msn or the internet until I had them done. It worked! I have ticked TEN things of my list today. Left I have:
  • Revise for a mock on the 3rd May
  • Revise for a timed exam essay on the authorship and dating of Luke on the first Monday back
  • Final draft of English coursework (crap. crap. crap)
  • A long (four page probably) essay on miracles (which is so long it's actually three on my list)

However, I'm really pleased with my day. I really do need to get some good revision going because I'm beginning to really really worry.

Today I have also updated my website - go check it out.

And I went for a wee dander (2, maybe 3, miles only) which turned into a bit of a prayer walk type thing. It was really good. I've been finding it hard to spend time with God without it seeming like I'm making time for Him. If that makes sense. Again, prayers would be greatly apprecaited.

Rachxx

Sunday, April 16, 2006

The Countdowns Begin...



First Exam – I may die…


Last exam - PARTY!!!





Holiday – flying from Dublin to NYC. On the 7th August we fly LA to Dublin. Anna – get in touch!!!

Hope you all had a good Easter!

Blessings,

Rachxx

Saturday, April 15, 2006

Moment of Sheer Brilliance

Ok, so sometimes I'm a little sarcastic... Now, don't all protest to that statement... So, really, biting humour escaping my mouth is nothing blog-worthy. However, I'm really rather chuffed with my latest.
My sis: "Shut up, you sound like that guy out of Little Britian"*
Me: "Well, you look like him so I don't know what you're complaining about" or words to that effect.
Rachxx
* (a show I despise but I knew she was referring to the dude in the wheelchair due to my "I want that one" in reference to a plate)

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Guess the Song

(courtesy of Rob)

Step 1: Put your MP3 player or whatever on random.

Step 2: Post a line from the first 20 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing the song.

Step 3: Post and let everyone you know guess what song and artist the lines come from.

Step 4: Strike out the songs when someone guesses correctly. And don't use the internet to help you search!!!

Step 5: No cheating.

Purple = correctly guessed.



  1. Don't go standin' there / Blockin' my view
  2. This year, is gonna be incredible / This year, is gonna be the one
  3. It’s independence day I’m free
    And it’s a strange place to be
  4. We are called to be prophets of this nation
    Be the word of God in every situation
  5. I can feel my heart and it's fit to burst / I try to clean it up but I just get worse
  6. Grace / She takes the blame
  7. This is for all the lonely people / Thinkin' that life has passed them by
  8. I hear the train a comin' / It's rollin' 'round the bend,
  9. [Spoken]Some people say I look like me dad / What?! Are you serious?

  10. I want you to want me
    I need you to need me

  11. The dawn is breaking
    A light shining through

  12. Now that she’s back in the atmosphere / With drops of jupiter in her hair, hey, hey
  13. So she said what's the problem baby
    What's the problem I don't know

  14. It's really too bad he became a prisoner of his own past
    He stabbed the moment in the back with the round thumb tack


  15. Do you remember when You were way back then /You held the world inside your hands When you told me love

  16. Does he love me?
    I wanna know


  17. Today, we took a walk up the stream
    And picked a flower and climbed the hill above the lake


  18. Sometimes I feel like I don't have a partner / Sometimes I feel like my only friend

  19. My friend the communist/ Holds meetings in his RV

  20. I hope you never lose your sense of wonder / You get your fill to eat, but always keep that hunger

Monday, April 10, 2006

So *that's* what's wrong...


[Spotted on the wall of the Chapel in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jerusalem]


That would explain things at times...

Finally on holiday! Apparently we need to use this break to "get into a pattern of revision" and apparently "six hours a day will be plenty" - good luck with that mission Mr Martin!!

A big Happy 18th to Rachel!


Rachxx

Sunday, April 09, 2006

Don't ever mess with us!

This one was even done in DAYLIGHT! While Paul was in church.

Paul

is
slowly
realising
that
he
is
going
to
have
seriously
up
the
ante! (those should all be links!)

You should have seen the faces of the people who saw us doing it!! A roll of regular cling film and an industrial one (which my mum is annoyed about! Oops!) Unfortunately, some of the people who saw it before Paul did couldn't hold their water and are great children! We won't forget guys!

One day left of school...
In other news, today a guy off our bus who's younger than us asked Rose what my name was. Rose turned to me to say "Rachael, tell him your name". Impressive Rose. Very impressive...

Rachxx

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Sunny Days

Hello All

There has been unusual weather over here recently. Over the weekend it was incredibly changeable – one minute you could hear the hail pelting down on the roof and when you went downstairs (there are no windows in the den where I am as I publish this) the sun was splitting the sky! Even stranger has been the three days of largely clear and sunny weather! It’s been wonderful and I’ve walked home so I could enjoy the sunshine before I sat down to do the mountain of homework.

It’s really been a Spring start to April – all the daffodils are now in bloom (as you will see from photos shortly). I have seen wee lambs out in the fields skipping in the way only innocent little creatures can and a calf lazily lying at the base of the hedge as it sun baths.

The only dark cloud on the horizon is the fact that the warm weather inevitably means that those icky exam things are approaching – all my teachers are struggling to finish the course and I have, at most, four weeks left of school! And I will have a lot of work over the Easter “break”. One of my geography teaches, before she went off for study leave, gave us a “Revision Timetable” for Easter in which she asked us to study for two hours a day over the Easter Break (excluding Easter Sunday and Monday). Now, those two hours a day is only for one of my modules and doesn’t even cover that entire module! If I did that for all my modules I would have fours hours free a day. I think that time balance may be reversed!!

Over Easter I also have two, probably three, with potentially one more(!), birthday things to go to! One is the 18th of one of the R3 group and she is having a bouncy castle! Yay! Another is Jane’s which is fancy dress – I may go as a Desperate Housewife/Stepford Wife (purely because I can then wear my dress!). It should be a really good break – I’ll also have to up the ante with the marathon training and I’m sure we’ll squeeze in some more “diversional activities”. Hehe.

Here is what my exam timetable looks like:

25th May afternoon - all three psychology papers (what are they trying to do?!)
26th May morning – my two English papers (one was coursework)
8th June – two RS modules (one was coursework)
13th June – two of three geography modules
16th June – the final geography module.


I’m glad I get off on the 16th but I’m really worried about all three psychology papers being on the same afternoon with about ten minutes between each one. There is so much to know for them!

Here is a funky article I spotted in the Guardian today:
clicky click

It’s my mock interview tomorrow night – eek! Someone who wants to be an accountant is being interviewed by a psychiatrist but I’m being interviewed by two nurses… Go figure…

Oh, and my Lakeland stuff arrived so I can now make twelve mini cheesecakes!! It looks so funky – I hope to test it out this weekend. Do I need to ask for testers who will eat the cheesecake?

Rachxx