✦ OUTWARD BOUND

Bonjour! So I've decided I'm going to try and start every blog with hello in a different language, becase there is only so many times you can 'hello everyone!' in english until it get annoying :p

Today I'm going to talk about something called outward bound. Some of you may have heard of it but it's basically a 10 day program in which you spend 9 of those days camping in the bush without a shower, a toilet, electronics, and you get to sleep on a mat with a piece of material over your head. Most of these days are spent hiking, though I believe we do participate in different activities like climbing rope ladders (ahhh! :s) and things like that. Oh and we have only two changes of clothes and have to carry everything we bring, and there's yucky food... :( 

At my school Outward Bound is a compulsory camp for the year 10's. The only way you can get out of it is with a doctors note/medical slip. We are split up into house groups and then further separated into boys and girls. We leave on March 10th (two days away!) for a 5-6 hour drive to our destination, stopping only for lunch and toilet breaks. To say I'm nervous would be an understatement. You hear many stories of this particular camp going around the senior school. The main being the fact that you will hate it while you are on it but love it once it's done. Often when a group of year 12's leaves the school, most will talk about how great outward bound was and the memories they created will never leave them so I am excited in that aspect. I've got a great group which will definitely help but I have no idea who the teacher is that's taking us, I hope she's not grumpy :p

So we leave Monday the 10th, and come back Wednesday the 19th. We get to stay home from school the next day (thank god) but then have to come to school on Friday. That day we pretty much have no classes, it's all reflection about what's happened the past 2 weeks and what we've achieved. If we don't complete this then the rest of it was pretty much worthless, so you could say it's kind of important :p

Anyways I'll write a long post about everything that happened when I get back. We're allowed to take a notebook and pen so I won't forget anything I promise. Until then, goodbye and wish me luck!

▵ HELP!

Hi guys I'm in a bit of a predicament... We have an assessment in English where we have to write a short story with a captivating title. The short story part is done, the title is the problem, I can't think of one!
Here's a little snippet of what I've written. If you guys have any ideas for a title please let me know! Or even if you want the whole thing published, I don't know but I'm not very good at writing so please, you are entitled to your own opinion but keep negative ones to yourself unless its constructive :)

The sound of a gunshot pierced the air around me. It was as if, for a split second, time had stopped. His body froze, struck mid-stride, his hands, limp as he began to fall. I’ll never forget the sound of his head hitting the ground. The crack of his skull as it collided with the concrete. From my position in the bushes, I was unable to move, almost like, I was the one who was shot. I didn’t feel imminent danger, not as I should have, but instead I felt a loss, confusion, at what had happened. The man I had watched, day after day, now gone, without a name, a word or a past in sight. I promised myself something that day, a promise to explore this mans life, what his childhood was like, whether he had a family, loving or un. I would find out why this man would walk everyday, in his soiled grey suit, with hair knotted and shaggy. The man who was always wearing remarkably clean shoes. I would find out, as soon as I could, the man that walked would no longer be left a mystery.

To say he was active was an understatement. Everyday at 6 in the morning, this old man would stumble ‘round the corner wearing a sort of melancholy expression on his face. He was always alone, accompanied only by his sorrow, and all he would do was pace. Back and forth back and forth, up and down the strip of crumbling road which was just visible from beyond my house. Everyone seemed to ignore him now, it was like a routine, a song on repeat, no notice was ever taken of him, and I think he liked it that way. Granted I had no idea where to start with this man, I knew nothing about him, nobody ever had. Maybe this was why I was so intrigued by him, his aura of mystery, his lack of need for anything, to me it didn't seem humanly possible. I felt drawn to him, and I wasn’t sure whether I liked that yet. It soon became obvious I needed to find something he cherished, a clue to his personality, the key to his heart, so what did I do? I started looking.

Many thanks!

✦ PROCRASTINATION

Hey guys, today I'm just going to write a short post about one of the single most annoying things ever... procrastination. Right now is a great example of procrastination. It is 10:34pm and I am supposed to be finishing my short story (of which I have only completed half of) and it's due Friday, study for the science test we found out about today, (the test is tomorrow), study for a SOSE essay on Friday before recess, then study for an english essay to be completed on Friday after recess. All I've managed to tick off my imaginary checklist is the school dance homework that I forgot about until about an hour ago. So yeah, great example right there.

I would bet money that everyone has experienced procrastination at least once in their life. It's hard to avoid, ironically I often procrastinate procrastinating, (that made sense in my head). Now you don't have to just procrastinate studying, there are many ways to procrastinate, it's like an art. "The art of procrastinating". Sounds pretty cool hey? In my procrastination I found a website about the 7 stages of procrastination. They used a little abbreviation; NETS. Proper procrastination begins with Napping, Eating, To-do listing, and Showering. (http://punintended.com/the-7-stages-of-procrastination/ check out the website if you want) Pretty acurrate? I'm afraid I have to finish my procrastinating here, feel free to let me know your ways of procrastinating, or to count the amount of times I have used the word procrastinate in this post. (:p) I give my good luck to all you procrastinators out there, just remember we all feel your pain.

Happy procrastinating!