Game on, people.
Good luck to all, and miracles to the few that need it.
Of course, I'll be off until Friday the 11th August.
Until then.
A minute's success pays the failure of years.
-Robert Browning (1812-1889)
Went to the SMH Career Expo today with my brother and dad. It started off alright, but we forgot to get off at Town Hall and instead got off at Wynnard. Then we got lost, walking to the Rocks and wandering around before we found our way back down to Darling Harbour and into the Exhibition Center. It wasn't really anything good. The expo had a whole bunch of companies advertising what a career with them would be like. There was a lot on business and computing, but I couldn't find anything health or science related. There was some breakdance comp going on in there as well. Some of the dancers were cool, others were kinda crap.
Of course, the armed forces were there, spreading their propoganda about joining the army, navy or air force. But the weird thing is that there was some Asian guy in Army uniform there. Apparently he joined the army and worked into technical division, wires, computers and communications and stuff. Still it was weird. Not that Asian-Australians aren't patriotic, its just that we don't want to be on the frontline in some war in Whateverastan.
My mother bought me a new phone as an early birthday present. Its a Nokia 6101, and I'm still reading the booklet on what it can do. It kinda sucks in the memory department, around 3 megs, and so I have to do some cleaning, getting rid of themes, tone and other pictures. I guess its a cool phone. By the way, if anyone has a CA-42 adaptor cable, give me a shout. I'd like to borrow it and see if I can add some personal tones and wallpaper.
For those who you don't watch the Chaser's War on Everything on Fridays on the ABC, you should. Sometimes their jokes could be better, but they do some mad 'stunts' like wearing a stocking and going shopping or trying to smuggle meat into a concert only to have all the sniffer dogs smell the meat and swamp the person, so the cops think he has a ton of drugs. This little music vid is from the Chasers, and for the Doctor Who fans.
I'm no where near that hardcore. Still not a lot of people seemed to be clued into Doctor Who or have watched the earlier episodes. I know has watched the earlier Doctors, Sophia apparently watches the new Doctor Who and Phuong is only watching as the 10th Doctor actor, David Tennant, is good-looking. Still, better than being alone.
I've confirmed that I was the only Seftoner there at UMAT at UTS. Damn that was lonely.
Gotta type up speech to submit tomorrow.
I'm now hopelessly addicted to Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, especially those that invole the Night Watch. Bad time for an addiction.
Just got back from UTS and finished UMAT. While I can't definately say that I felt bad or good, I did feel anguished, annoyed and apathetic. The first two sections went rather well. I got most of the answers, though I felt that I did better in the 2nd section, that is the 'understand-what-the-bastards-are-feeling' section, than the 1st, that is the 'damn-I-don't-see-any-logical-answer-and-I-want-calculator' section. The 3rd section was the worst for me. It seems that my non-verbal skills are not so good. Like I said before, I want to ask the creators an explantion for the order/solution, then punch them in the face. So I guessed the most of the questions, using my own twisted logic.
What the hell? What comes next?
There's no pattern at all!
Hey, since that triangle rotates 90 degrees...
....then so must everything else!
Done! Now next question...
That was more or less how it went. So how did other people do? Bad? Good? Aced? Failed?
You know when you see someone, then like later on in the day you're like hey I know so and so, they were from so and so! but its way too late and they're already somewhere and you're already home? I think, 95% sure, that I saw two old classmates from primary. It just didn't hit me until now that I'm home. So if anyone knows a Henry(guy) or Tian(girl) that used to go to Blaxcell Street Primary and knew a Steven Nguyen, tell them I would have said hello, if my mental gears shifted up a but quicker.
Supposedly, Raymond L and Tan were also going to UTS for UMAT, but I didn't see them. Maybe they were at the back of the line and since I was at the front, we missed each other. It was hella lonely when you're there and you don't know or recognise anyone else.
Now I have to burn the new Doctor Who series for Phuong. Hopefully, she'll get distracted by it and I have a better chance to doing better in the trials. And English speech, yeah, better finalise that tonight and type it up tomorrow so its ready for to submit and so I can get some practice.
UMAT is tomorrow and while I can't really say that I'm stuffed, I'm damn near to it. Most of the questions are alright, read the passage, answer multiple choice verbally reason this and that. Then I got to the non-verbal section of the practice exam and it kind of went downhill from there. It's non-verbal so it's basically a bunch of pictures [in/out of] order and after [rearranging/ordering] the pictures you answer the question by noting which picture is [next/in the middle].
Which is okay, except 50% of the time, it doesn't make sense what picture goes next or why a picture is in the middle. To the average person, the ordering can be a load of bull. Granted it may be because I'm too stupid to figure it out, but I want to meet the person or persons who devise these 'logic puzzles' and ask them for their reasoning of the order or solution. And then punch them in the face. Repeatedly. Preferably with blood and broken noses.
Still I get a day off school. But I did pay for the Chemistry Quiz and I am a little pissed off that now I'm going to miss it.
UMAT @ UTS 8am. If you want my phone number, tell me through MSN.
Not much happened these weekends. Just ramping up for the Trials and UMAT. And English speech, which I am finding suprisingly difficult. Maybe I should back off on some of my goals...yeah that's a good idea. Now I'm browsing through other people's blogs and I'm a bit suprised how far that little question-procrastination-thingimabob went. Guess a whole bunch of people wanted to procrastinate as well.
Year 12 Concert is floating in my mind, but with trials so close its on the backburner for now. I have no idea what skit we're (so far just me and Jack) going to think up, but hopefully it won't be as lame as the 2Unit thing. So when we (in this case, me) have something concrete, hopefully after the trials I'll submit a 10-page concept paper to Sophia and Dorothy. Ok maybe one page and a few scribbles...
With Doctor Who and House already watched, I'm eagerly waiting the next season with nothing to watch. Naruto is still in stupid filler-arc-for-two-seasons mode, Bleach is in filler-arc-boring-crap mode, and I haven't found any good comic series to dig my teeth into. So what can I do? Mythbusters and Top Gear. Mythbusters because they MAKE science fun and have explosions. And Top Gear because it is an unshamedly biased, male-orientated, non-environmental car show. Watch and learn people.
Hockey competition tomorrow and its for the whole day! Take that!
Note: Ultraviolet is cool, but where's the plot and acting? Still, gun kata for the win!
The Doctor theme music has basically remained the same throughout the years, the only difference really being what instruments were used to play it. So as a test, I give you the intro theme to the new 2005/06 series of Doctor Who.
Doctor Who 2005/06 - Opening Theme
1. You can press a button that will make any one person explode. Who would you blow up?
Very tempted between Bush and Howard. Flip a coin on that.
2. You can flip a switch that will wipe any band or musical artist out of existence. Which one will it be?
Kill of a band? I don't really know...but off the top of my head...Aqua.
3. Who would you really like to just punch in the face?
The person that fucking invented integration and the dude that thought up circle geometry.
4. What is your favorite cheese?
Coon cheese. It rules.
5. You can only have one kind of sandwich. Every sandwich ingredient known to humankind is at your immediate disposal. What does your dream sandwich consist of, and does it contain the aforementioned cheese?
It will have bacon, beef, lettuce, scrambled eggs, red capsicum, and the aforementioned cheese.
6. You have the opportunity to sleep with the movie (porn counts) celebrity of your choice. We are talking no-strings-attached sex and it can only happen once... Who?
My first though was Jenna Jameson. If you're gonna screw a celebrity, it might as well be the queen of porn. But I would hit Natalie Portman. She's hot.
7. You have the opportunity to sleep with the music-celebrity of your choice.
What a music celebrity? In that case I'd hit Hyori Lee. She's hot as well.
8. Now that you've slept with two different people in a row, you seem to be having an excellent day because you just came across a hundred-dollar bill on the sidewalk. Holy shit, a hundred bucks! How are you gonna spend it?
Put it into a bank and watch it grow.
9. You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go?
Japan.
10. Upon arrival to the aforementioned location, you get off the plane and discover another hundred-dollar bill. Shit! Now that you are in the new location, what are you gonna do?
A Chairman Kaga coat. Those are so weird and eccentric. And I want one.
11. An angel appears out of Heaven and offers you a lifetime supply of the alcoholic beverage of your choice.
VB.
12. Rufus appears out of nowhere with a time-traveling phone booth. You can go anytime in the PAST. What time are you traveling to and what are you going to do when you get there?
I would go back to Ancient Rome, so I could get a Roman sword and meet Octavius Caesar, Mark Antony and Cleopatra. I would so own the pwoerplay essay then,
13. You discover a beautiful island upon which you may build your own society. You make the rules. What is the first rule you put into place?
Free cable television.
14. You have been given the opportunity to create the half-hour TV show of your own design. What is it called and what's the premise?
"iT", someone becomes 'it' and everyone else has to kill that person with a handgun. The person who is 'it' gets to defend themselves by selecting any any weapon of choice that can be carried.
15. What is your favorite curse word?
Fuck. The most versatile word in the English language.
16. One night you wake up because you heard a noise. You turn on the light to find that you are surrounded by MUMMIES. The mummies aren't really doing anything, they're just standing around your bed. What do you do?
Ask about curses, because I would like to drop a few death curses on some people.
17. Your house is on fire, holy shit! You have just enough time to run in there and grab ONE inanimate object. Don't worry, your loved ones and pets have already made it out safely. So what's the one thing you're going to save from that blazing inferno?
Simple. Computer
18. The Angel Of Death has descended upon you. Fortunately, the Angel Of Death is pretty cool and in a good mood, and it offers you a half-hour to do whatever you want before you bite it. Whatcha gonna do in that half-hour?
Go on MSN and tell everyone. In that half-hour, I'd been spending more time chatting than in a decade of normal chatting.
19. You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what's even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What's it gonna be?
Throwing up between X-ray vision and telepathy. I'd probably go for telepathy, like mind reading, control and stuff. Like Xavier from X-Men.
20. You can re-live any point of time in your life. The time-span can only be a half-hour, though. What half-hour of your past would you like to experience again?
Last half hour of Year 6.
21. You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be? (the answer "nothing" doesn't count)?
All the time I got whacked by my father. It hurt. A lot.
22. You got kicked out of the country for being a time-traveling heathen who sleeps with celebrities and has super-powers. But check out this cool shit... you can move to anywhere else in the world! Bitchin'! What country are you going to live in now?
Italy. Perfect climate, Italian is quite easy to learn and it has some of the best football clubs. And Italian food is cool as well...
23. This question still counts, even for those of you who are under age. Check it out. You have been eternally banned from every single bar in the world except for ONE. Which one is it gonna be?
The one that in USyd. Manning Bar or whatever. It's like the only bar I know, so I hope I can still enter.
24. Hopefully you didn't mention this in the super-powers question.... If you did, then we'll just expand on that. Check it out... Suddenly, you have gained the ability to FLOAT!!! Whose house are you going to float to first, and be like "Dude, check it out... I can FLOAT!"
I'd probably float to school into the quadrangle.
25. The constant absorption of magical moonbeams mixed with the radioactive vegetables you consumed earlier have given you the ability to resurrect the dead famous-person of your choice. So which celebrity will you bring back to life?
JFK, then conspiracy theorists will have a hoot.
26. The Celestial Gates Of Beyond have opened, much to your surprise because you didn't think such a thing existed. Death appears. As it turns out, Death is actually a pretty cool entity, and happens to be in a fantastic mood. Death offers to return the friend/family-member/person/etc. of your choice to the living world. Who will you bring back?
Errr...I guess Elvis. I can probably make money out of it somehow. Charge people to see Elvis, like $50/hour.
27. What's your theme song?
Somewhere Only We Know by Keane
Date: 28-29 July 2006
Time : 9am to 4pm
Place: Sydney Convention and Exhibition Center, Darling Harbour
The Sydney Morning Herald Careers & Employment Expo is a FREE to the public event and hosts a large range of Australia's leading employers,government agencies, educational and training facilities. It is a must attend event for anyone wanting to get free career advice, meet Australia's largest employers, research educational and training options or even find a real job!
Could be a worthwhile visit for anyone up to it. I'm going to try and attend on the 29th, which is a Saturday.
Having goals are important, especially in a speech.
Little cartoon is from Applegeeks. It's basically been the main thought in my head these holidays, swirling around. We put up with 13 years of education to do another 5 to get a piece of paper. I've been thinking, why AM I doing this? I think about Darren who, besides loving his anime and has a HUGE amount of it, went for an apprenticeship after year 10 and is now working, while I'm still in school...I can't help but think of the incredible advantages he has over me. Sure there are disadvantages in the long term, but I really wonder whether I really want to go to Uni. There doesn't seem to be a course that really interests me. Sure, health and engineering all pique my interest, but I don't feel really connected to them. Maybe a little time will change my views.
So I've been crawling through work and study and the main thing one my mind is the English Advance oral. Why can't it be called a speech assessment? Oral can be used in the wrong context. Anyway, I've been throwing up mainly between Antony and Caesar. They are two of the three most obvious choices, and the two that I have the best chance to acting out solidly. Still the paper doesn't say who the characters are limited to. I had a brief idea that I would be one of those anonymous messengers or one of those minor characters in the beginning, like Philo. I'm leaning towards Antony on this one, but haven't really thought up of a speech. I want to use the quote I'm still Antony yet! in there somewhere, and make Antony like some emo mofo railling at Caesar, at Cleopatra and at himself for being such a weak-ass loser. Hmmmm, I may be on to something here.
On an entirely different note, year 12 concert is coming up and with my memories of the previous year 12 concerts being really good, more or less anyway, I've been trying to come up with some ideas. Haven't got anything substantial yet. Damn creative block. Although the little comic on to does raise some vague idea about students unleashing the power of their degrees to become like actual personifications of the degree. A person with a Physics degree could start manipulating or violating the laws of physics. Of course, it kinda smacks with the god-awful 2Unit skit in the Talent Quest. Well, not god-awful, just weird. And sucky. And...yeah...awful. So I can't sing, not very well anyway, so if anyone out there are thinking of a couple of skits, I'm more than happy to join. As long as it's not too stupid. Stupid is fine. But there's a line, just so you know.
Finally, I've noticed that whenever there is something on, yr12 concert or talent quest, the hosts always crack some jokes, some more lame than others. This year instead of jokes we could have lines out of stand-up comedy routines, even the ones we think up ourselves. For ideas, go Youtube, and search up Mitch Hedburg. He's so damn funny, and since his jokes are mostly one-liners they work perfectly. There's Dat Phan, a Viet comedian and considering how a sizeable amount of the school population is Asian, some of the lines will go down great. No Russel Peters. I think everyone has basically seen that. And dammit no Dave Chappelle. You can only say I'm Rick James, bitch! so many times before it gets lame. Lame, people!
And now a blast from the past. Who remembers The Adventures of Milo and Otis? 1 point for remembering and 2 points for liking it. I have discovered an old VHS copy and am now trying to transfer to my computer. Or maybe there's a torrent somewhere out there....
