Exhausted.

Ignored my blog for ages. Or at least it seems like ages. But when I checked, I actually updated it six days ago. it does NOT seem like six days ago that I posted that. Funny, because my exams were over by then!

Exams finishing did not mean freedom, however. I had to finish two research internals that I had missed while I was away, in the space of one week. That's basically what I did with my weekend. I handed both of them in today, and when I got home I was so exhausted I slept for 3 hours. Woke up even more exhausted. Come to think of it, it's the first time I actually felt unstressed since February this year. As soon as MAX finished, I was off travelling, back for UMAT, went away again, came back for exams. Boom. End of September. 

Although I'm getting my results tomorrow, and I have a Japanese conversation internal on thurs. it's okay. argh. It's okay though :)

Every few hours I suddenly realize, yet again, how little time there is until the end of school. 18 more school days. That's crazy. I'm so excited to finally get out into the real world, although I'm perfectly aware that I'll come to miss high school eventually. I still don't feel like it's all coming to an end. Spent five years at this place. Come to know the ins and outs of it all, how it works. Familiar faces at every turn, the shortest (or longest when necessary) ways to each class. Now that we're almost there, I feel a twinge of sadness leaving, too. But the excitement outweighs all else. Meeting new people, going to new places... I wish I would know where I was going next year already! 

It's the time of year when everything is coming to a close. Had the last Shore Youth Council meeting ever today. Started organizing the leaver's assembly - the last time we'll be together as a year level. Finished the coursework for 4/5 of my subjects. The cold is receding, and warm sun is replacing it. We power through the year with our eyes glued to our feet. One foot after another, one foot after another. We conquer so much, but we don't realize this until we reach a stop sign, look up, and see how far we've travelled. 

leaving you with a pretty sweet song - Atlas Hands by Benjamin Francis Leftwich

Dan

Arts4CHCH and stuff.

Sunday was the big day! Got up bright and early and headed over to the hall to help set up.

Must say, the place looked pretty awesome. We went and got bubble tea for lunch, and I rechalked the ground, since it rained the night before. As soon as I return to the hall, it starts raining agin! Ugh.

The event went pretty well for limited exposure. There were enough people so that the atmosphere didn't seem awkward! The Red Bull girls came through; free stuff is always good. So exhausted by the end of it all. A great event - hope we can carry it on next year! I honestly think that it has so much potential. A great idea, with people willing to help. :) YAY.

Went home and faux napped for a couple hours, and then headed out to GPK for Julie's 20th birthday dinner! It was amazing. Although only half the FPS crew was here.. and it was ALMOST going to be a full reunion D: NOOBS! Salivating at the thought of the Oven Roasted Chicken. Nom. Afterwards, we all went to Bubble Tea where we had Red Velvet cake made by debra! :P second bubble tea in one day! Intense. It was unbelievable catching up with these guys again... it's been too long. Two years since they graduated? what?!

So it was a lovely weekend. A great escape. I didn't do any schoolwork at all - Now have I have 2 internals due monday.... But that's okay! 

First day of Freedom.

Exciting! Had the most amazing day I've had in a while.
I have forbidden myself from doing any form of work this weekend - going to take a break from it while I can afford to!
The day started when I went to Kmart to buy CHALK. just $4 for a big tub of it! Got a Maccas Mocha (which wasn't half bad) and headed over to the Albany Domain Hall, where the Arts4CHCH event is taking place.

It took us a good 20 mins to get into the actual place, because the key we were provided with wasn't cut properly... Luckily we found a spare. In that time I drew a practice Arts 4 Chch sign on the pavement outside, and realized how much each sign used up..  D: oh well.
Finally, we got into the venue, and man it has got such a great vibe! Love the space, and the teddy bear that lives there. There was already a mural put up, that was made by primary school kids. Loved it.

We got sponsored stuff from Four Letter, Huffer & Creative Ambience. All the stuff is so cool and legit! Can't wait to spend all my money on raffles... :D
Soon after we got in, the artwork started arriving, and man they're all so good. Can't believe how talented people can be - I remember taking 4th form art. I was hopeless, to say the least.

Cecilia & I headed out to chalk up some pavements near the area. Took so long, but it looked pretty good I thought! Got all my fingers grazed up though from when I missed... D: We made it all the way to the mall, where we went to get some supplies! Got some epic paper clips, bluetack, vivids, and bought them from Merryn, who I haven't seen for a year! Then headed over to the Warehouse where we got the cheapest sheet possible for the banner.

Then, a result of my ingenious idea, we went to ask if we could draw outside cotton on. Good advertisement for us, good publicity/attention for them! Luckily they saw it how we saw it, and we got to do it! Looked pretty great I reckon.. :D

FOOD and more chalk was up next - Oh MAN the mall was packed. Took like 5 minutes to find a table at the food court! D: nom nom vanilla coke & sushi.

Stopped by the new maccas on the way back to ask them, but apparently we weren't legit enough by telling them unblinkingly about what we were trying to do, and we didn't have any proof that we're actually running this amazing event and not just randomly advertising a false amazing event 2 minutes walk from that maccas. yeah cos someone would do that. in the end we couldn't get advertising there... geez.

At 2, I left to go to Eliza's 21st party! It was in Takapuna, and it was so cute! It's been ages since I've seen her! and i think i was like the only person below the age of 20 there.. But that's ok, because maybe half of the people there were in med school?! Had great conversations and made a lot of new friends! Such awesome people. Happy birthday Eliza! Such an oldie you are.

After this, I headed to get a haircut by this dude called Ricky, and picked up Wei-Kai on the way. I think it's pretty good! it's a little bit different but I like it :)

So that was my exciting as day.

Tomorrow. It's the event. So much excite! Can't wait

Here's the link to the photos we took behind the scenes today!

http://goo.gl/LzoWQ

Happy Eriza!

Inbetween.

And so it's over. sortof? Still have a practice scholarship english exam tomorrow but that doesn't really matter so all goods :)

Once again, I've reached another "milestone" in my soon-to-be-ending high school career. Strangely though, I'm pretty ambivalent about the whole thing. It doesn't feel like I just finished my exams, and I don't feel like I have got any less to do now that I don't have them. Perhaps it's the 3 internals in the next 2 weeks D: or maybe I'm just getting used to it :P  Perhaps not such a good thing because that means I didn't take them that seriously!

However, glad it's over. Now it's all out of my hands! Can't do any more to get that last mark, or learn that last word. Exams aren't the worst part - the build up is!

The last few months have been pretty hectic. Man, this year has been crazy! Such a whirlwind of events and happenings. Cliche, but true. It's ridiculous to think that there's only 4 and half weeks left of high school, left of school. This induces some pretty intense reflection on what I've done this year, and where I'm heading next. I'm in this big 'inbetween.' After traveling to Europe, I think that I've gotten a bigger perspective on.. things. Just the way I see the world, and see what type of person I want to be in it. In the larger scheme of things, what will happen if these exams go horribly "wayward?" Nothing. really. A bruised ego perhaps, but that's character development right? Don't get me wrong, I still try my best in everything that I do, 100%, but I think that slowly I'm becoming less attached, and worrying too much about what happens. Call it faith, call it distraction, I just think that as long as I try my best, then I'll end up where I'm supposed to be. This year I kept a diary, pretty consistently. The best thing about this is actually looking back at "hardships" that I faced. Each time, I was so unsure of myself, so sure of failure, but somehow I survived. Granted, sometimes I didn't reach my own unrealistically high expectations, but I can get over that. So whilst 'carpe diem' is a good rule to live by, this year I've learnt that it's also important to just chill out for a bit, let things roll and go with the flow.

The future. It's hanging just around the corner. it's there, but we choose to just kinda shunt it to one side and focus on what we are doing here and now. I do, anyway. Where do I want to go? I really, really don't know. I know I want to do med. I am sure. But I don't see the point in having my heart set on one particular place when I don't know if I'll be accepted into any at all. But the uncertainty is haunting, and probably not good for my sanity. The 'inbetween,' a place when you don't have any idea what's going on, everything is based on 'could be' and 'maybe' and 'possibly,' and you kinda just have to run with it.


So - newfound freedom. Uni applications, Internals, but also catching up with friends, and going to awesome events! Got my weekend all sorted :) exciting stuff. Also, I've got tickets to JASON MRAZ for when he comes to New Zealand! He's only doing ONE show, at the Civic, and I'm going with Samantha. It's going to be epic :)

Oh, if you happen to be near Albany on Sunday, you should come over to the Albany Domain Hall, opposite Albany Senior High School and very close to North Harbour Stadium. We're raising money to support those still affected by Christchurch's earthquakes - just because they're not shaking this very minute doesn't mean that the effects go away!

Spring.

Time goes by so quickly - it's hard to believe that I've been back in new Zealand for three and a half weeks now. Miraculously, I seem to have gotten on top of my schoolwork!

So it's the night before exam period, but I don't have an exam until Monday :). The rugby world cup is upon us, with the opening in just two days. I can remember our free morning at forum, when the installation in britomart still read one hundred something days until the RWC.

Still living at Massey uni on the nights where I'm free. Last night me and Dave got yelled at by a crazy librarian who thought we were talking. Awkward because we weren't. Being the man that I am, I enlightened her with that little fact, and the lady next to us even vouched for us. She got us go show our school ID'd and then stalked off to shelve some more books. That was probably the highlight of her day. I can't help but feel that part of the reason that she was so ready to believe that we were being disruptive, was because we were Asian. I can never figure out whether it's all in my head, or if people's preconceptions really does that. When I go back to Taiwan it feels so strange that I'm the majority - what they're used to seeing, and there's nothing different about me.

I can taste freedom on that one tastebud on the corner of my tongue. The stems are forming on the maple trees outside, and the daffodils have bloomed already. Wheee. 9 days until exams finish!

Keep on keeping on.

We've reached a time where our minds are filled with thoughts of exams, stress about what we have yet to do, uncertainty about the future. It seems that the most important part of everything has decided to throw a party all at the same time. Whenever I feel incapable of getting through anything I look back to when I was suffering the ordeal that is MAX, and more importantly, how I managed to survive.

But this time seems different. I guess that's what it's always like. But how are we expected to work hard towards exams when we have to work hard towards everything else at the same time? What with University applications, silly Halls of Residence applications, not to mention endless commitments. I swear next year I'm NOT going to be over committed. Lol jk that's impossible. Exams start next Thursday, although my first exam isn't until Monday.

 Music does wonders. Just listening to some of that Adele, and feeling crap for a little bit. Feels pretty dramatic. I don't know about anyone else, but for me, I have these moments where I think about EVERYTHING I have to do at once, and it all builds up until I feel so stressed and in general just a noob. And then I realize. Hey. I've got an entire month until that's due, and ages till that. And stressing about THAT makes no difference to whether it'll happen or not. So to all my fellow steessed people. Take a step back, and see that it's not too bad after all. anyway. It's spring - basically Christmas! Yay!

 See you all after exams (16th Sept) - I probably won't have anything to blog until then.

 Dan.