Squirrels

Taz here, 

You may notice that it's a Friday, and typically we update on a Wednesday. Rebellious, aren't I? 

Well actually, my excuses are sorta the opposite of rebellious. I was... 

STUDYING. 

So sue me, I study sometimes. My Leaving Cert is only two years away! 

(On a side note I'm told regularly my sarcasm is atrocious (On another side note atrocious is a really fun word to say (atrocious))) 

Actually I have my TY summer exams, which unfortunately involves higher level math and Irish, and do you ever just want to please your teachers? Like, "Admittably you may think I suck but I tried really hard in this test and I'M WORTHY AND CAPABLE OF BIG GIRL MATHS." You know what I mean? 

Of course you do. You always get me, random stranger nodding empathetically at your computer screen. 

What I actually planned to write about, before I started RANDOMLY RAMBLING oh jesus I'm so hilarious like seriously you did not see that coming hahaha literally tears was how exams have been given a stupendously stupid amount of power over our lives. 

Like really, for most of us, our entire career can depend on our ability to memorize information. Not our ability to run a business, not our bedside manner, not even our intelligence, in all honestly. When whether or not you get a job is determined by the months you spend muddling through the Shakespearean language, there may be a problem. If we were to take out a calculator and start adding up every single hour you've spent over your entire lifespan studying, then take away the time you spent studying the stuff you would one day use? It's a frighteningly large number. 

Think about that. Now think about squirrels. Squirrels, in my opinion, have pretty good lives. They eat and hibernate and get awww-ed at by passerbyers, though not in that particular order. I don't know about you, but at times when I'm sitting in an exam hall, on one chair with one table in rows of chairs and tables, I think about who else in the world  is also taking an exam at this very moment, and combined how many hours did we ALL spend studying, and who of us will pass and who will fail and what it'll mean for our lives and jesusthat'salotofchairsandtables but more importantly, squirrels. 

When did humans make lives so complicated? Wouldn’t it just be simpler to carry food in our cheeks ("for later," we'd tell the waitress) and sleep for really long periods of time and just be squirrels? Enda Kenny is fabulous and everything, but once I'm old enough to vote? The Taoiseach I'll be campaigning for will be of the rodent kind. 

atrocious 

spring rolls and shiny glass things.

I'm not exactly a journalist, but since the presentation was last night, the obligation to write about the monaghan award ceramony has fallen on me.

And you know what? past that I've actually drawn a blank. I was never any good at summaries. You should see the state of my book reports from second year. Not to mention my irish paragraphs about 'what I did over the weekend'.

You know what's a stupid phrase? 'Not to mention'. Hat to break it to you sweetheart, but you kinda just did.

anyway, back on topic.

All I can think of really is that we got a 'youth award', whatever that means,that was made of glass and was shiny. also there was a lot of pretty awesome people there, so awesome I was wondering how we even got an award. There was some really nice spring rolls as well.

So yeah it was a good night through and through.

...

yeah, I think I'll leave the journalism-ing to arma

until next time, if there is a next time.

-teri

The Circus

Hey guys penny here,

So at the weekend, I went to see Cirque du Soleil with my family. In the show there were these two clowns that kind of reminded me of me and my sisters bickering. Then a man came on stage with an impressive six pack and he lifted himself off the ground onto poles using his hands. There was also a group of guys who had a + shaped trampoline and the had this co-ordinated bouncing act where they jumped over each other and did somersaults in the air.

After seeing this showI have decide to runaway to the the circus and join the trampoline act. Also, my dear friend, arma, is going to join the circus with me, using the piano to sound like an elephant .


Goodbye for now,

penny :P

Show Racism the Red Card

It was Thursday the 19th of April. The four of us had been loaded into a mini-bus and sent off to the Aviva Stadium to attend an awards presentation for a competition we entered, Show Racism the Red Card -a worthwhile campaign against racism on the playing field that is so widely seen in today's sports.
 
   We pulled up to the stadium, it's exterior as iridescent and awe-
inspiring as its classy indoors -we were happy to learn that no, we weren't going to be outside in the freezing, blustery April winds but inside in the warm, conference area.

   We set up our own poster, of which we were prouder than punch and strode around to spy on our competition. To our demise, we saw a collection of quilts, beaded boards, signed plaques and videos about this campaign combating racism. To say the least, we were struck by unsurity. Even so, we realised that we weren't really there for the competition but to hear the people speak out against racism.

   We were herded upstairs to a small area with seating where we all faced towards a presentation board and a man got up to speak, introducing everyone and announcing that the president himself, Michael D. Higgins would be there to talk. And so he was, but it was rather a flying visit where he was followed up the aisle by a military official, shaking the children's hands as he approached the podium and then he began to speak avidly about the topic. By the end of his speech, he didn't stick around and was led out of the area and probably out of the Aviva stadium when another host took over, guests were seated up on the little stage area to answer question and give their own experiences towards racism on the playing field.

   Prizes were given out, the winners announced at long last and plaques with highly commended upon them were also given, one of which we won for ourselves. By two o'clock, we were on our way home again, leaving the Aviva stadium and Dublin altogether, pleased with ourselves and quite happy after a day out in Dublin with the president..


Yours truly,

Arma

Howard

Taz here. 

So I got a new ipod. 

I know, I know. You're thinking, that doesn't sound meaningful or deep or angsty-is this the same Taz from the last few weeks? 

Well it is. Sometimes I write light-hearted stuff. 

Honest. 

I got my first ipod at about 11-it was one of those with the touch-wheel, and let me tell you, that was a good Christmas for me. Never before had I been more happy. It was light green and very sleek looking, an electronic goodie inside an Apple box. After bullying my brother to do all the computer-connecty-stuff for me, I sat back, relaxed, and listened to some quality music. 

Er- It needs to be said it was what I thought was quality music-it was actually a mixture of High School Musical and Hannah Montana. So sue me, I was a Disney Channel child. 

Around two years on, it started acting up. A year or so after that, it became comatose. A vegetable.  

Um, not literally or anything. It actually just totally stopped working, and I sprung on the opportunity to get my metaphor on. The point is, it was bye-bye portable music for me. 

Until now. 

(If this were a movie, this is the bit where the music picks up. Before that, it was a mournful tune that hinted nostalgia and dying ipods) 

I caved and bought an new ipod-it arrived yesterday. (The truth is, jogging is just too boring without music.) It's an ipod Nano, this cute little square device. The back has a clip, for listening to music on the go, and the glossy cherry red surface has "Okay, who bit my apple?" engraved on it. I only have about 500 songs so far, but many a sleepless night will be spent downloading all the music I missed in the last year or so. (Notice I no longer need my brothers help)

I'm very happy with it. I named him Howard. 

Happy Wednesday.  

Noughties kids.

hey peoples.

So I know that I barely scrape calling myself a Nineties kid (’96 lawds) but I still like I’ve the right to rant about a particular affliction that has been in the world for a startling 12 and half years now.

That’s right, I’m talking about Noughties kids.

The realisation hit me earlier this year, now that some of them were 12, Noughties kids had finally infiltrated our school. But I don’t care about the fact that they have inescapably reached the pains of adolescence, oh no. I’m more concerned about their blissful childhoods.

I’m sure a lot of you remember play-dough. That gorgeous smelling stuff that they tried to convince you wasn’t edible? Who could forget it. It was a massive part of many of our childhoods, making atrocious representations of dogs, cats and rhinos. But wait, what’s this? It seems children no longer need to struggle to make their creation recognisable. They have been granted the gift of stencils and stamps. Stencils and stamps?? Where is fun of play-dough if all you have to do is press down on a piece of plastic! Not mention there is even a plastic doo-hickey to make sausages! When we were young we had to roll them sausages ourselves! No matter how many times it broke or fell apart, we had to do it from scratch, no excuses! And don’t get me started on how long it took to make a perfect square. But of course, there’s a plastic gizmo for that now too. Just lovely.

And what about Lego? Improvising in so many ways in an attempt to make square objects into a life-like creature or some form of vehicle. But really by creature I just a table looking thing with a square ‘head’ on one side, and by vehicle I mean a box with wheels. But it worked. We had this beautiful thing called our imagination to make it work. But now, all they have to do is follow a step-by-step guild to make a perfect replica of planes, trains and cars? It’s not even that complicated, it’s do-able. Do-able! If you had told me a couple years ago that to making a model of a helicopter out of Lego was do-able, I would have laughed in your face. There’s no work involved, no creativity in following a manual. And trust me, as someone who NEVER reads the instructions, I can tell you, you need to read them, unless you’re insane or a genius. And what happens if you lose a piece? And remember these are children, they lose things. Well quite frankly, You’re fucked. F.U.C.K fucked.

And whatever happened to Barbie anyway? Last time I looked in the Argos catalogue, she barely took up half a page! That’s an insult to the idol of so many of my generation! And sure, maybe she wasn’t the best role model, being ever so slightly under weight with bleach blonde hair, but she’s sure as hell better than Bratz dolls. At least Barbie had a decent anatomy structure, unlike that stick thin bauble-headed monstrosity! And what’s with the clothes they get to wear? All those ripped jeans and glittery tank tops, god I’d be happy if I owned the half of them. But I gotta stand by my home girl, Barbie’s frumpy dresses mightn’t have been the most stylish choice, but when we were young she was the prettiest thing around! Aside from our mammies of course.

But I guess that’s just it isn’t it. Nothing stays young forever. And god knows what kind of horrors the Teenies kids will have to put up with (is Teenies the official name for this decade? If it’s not, it should be)

Anyway, that’s all for now folks, see yas in four weeks!

-teri.

school rules

Hi everyone,
Today I want to talk about school rules. In my school we cant have any nail varnish, exaggerated hair colour, exaggerated hairstyles, any jewelry or wear make-up. These rules I find to be unfair people should be allowed to wear nail varnish it isn't going to hurt or distract any one, What they do with their hair is their own business and who should be allowed to say that I can't cut my hair the way I want or I can't dye my hair bright blue if I please, And why cant i wear a necklace that was given to me by someone special to me, Then there's the make-up rule now I don't wear make-up but if i want to put some foundation on and the teachers notice then its a huge deal. So that's my rant for this week also just to say if you haven't seen the hunger games watch it its brilliant and if you haven't read the books read them.
ta-ta for now
penny x