Ubiquitous

OMFG I’M DONE IB!

// May 21st, 2008 // 19 Comments » // Academic, Personal, Quotables

These are the words I never thought I would get to say.

As of 11 AM this morning, I am finished with the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (last exam was Physics HL Paper 3).

I am now sorting through THREE years’ worth of IB related papers, chucking most out, chuckling at a few.

Our TOK teacher warned us how anti-climactic IB could be, the moment we’ve all been waiting for tends to come without satisfaction, but rather, with emptiness.  While waiting for my Career Prep teacher for some final form signatures today, I had nice chats with people I’ve come to known in the past few years but never REALLY got to know. One of them wailed to me, “I’VE BEEN SO BORED SINCE MY LAST EXAM, sitting in front of the TV watching reruns of reruns, trying to figure out what I used to like to do!” See the thing with IB is, the work never ever ends until the program is finished. For the past three years we’ve become accustomed to having fun by procrastinating - the mere avoidance of work. But at the back of our heads, we always knew that there is some IB assignment to start, IB essay to hand in, IB oral commentary to prepare for.

As much as we hated it, it was hard not to let this Program, this community, take over our lives. In a few years time, or even months… I’m pretty sure I’m gonna look back and happily reminisce how, hmm what’s the word, “fulfilling” IB was. Now the familiarity of daily cramming, late night rants, and tear-stained essays have all but vanished without a trace, I feel like I’m starting another life.

There are no better friends than the ones you make while you are suffering together.

Let the new journey begin.

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*Yawn*

// December 3rd, 2007 // 18 Comments » // Academic, Music Monday

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Apologize, by Timbaland Feat. OneRepublic. I think I listened to this WAY too many times.

I’m up brightly and early at 5:00 am again, this time finishing the last Theory of Knowledge essay that I would ever have to write. The topic?

“… we will always learn more about human life and personality from novels than from scientific psychology” (Noam Chomsky). To what extent do you agree?

I felt it was one of my weaker essays that I rushed to finish in one day. My last one, on the topic Do language play equal roles in different areas of knowledge? got me a high mark, but I can’t submit it for official marking to IB because turnitin.com didn’t process the essay in time :ouch:

It might seem as if I’ve crawled into a hole and stopped blogging, but it’s not true! I’m just splitting my attention between two blogs that’s all.

I haven’t done Music Monday for a while so I thought I’d upload one of the songs that I got really addicted to after watching So You Think You Can Dance. It’s not my usually mainstream pop style, but what the heck!

A happy december to everyone! Vancouver got its snowstorm! And like any snowstorm here, it was all gone after a whole night of rain yesterday, pfft.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Just One of Those Days

// October 12th, 2007 // 6 Comments » // Academic

Today was one of those days where pretty much nothing worked out. During free block, one of my classmates told me that she opted for paper-based application for Early Decision instead of Common App, because CA locks all your information after you submit it to one institution. So I thought, why not, I’ll reprint the forms for my ED choice directly from their website… but the forms were a lot more complicated than the Common App one and I was worried that there’d be more room for my teachers to emphasis… my weaker areas. So AFTER printing all the forms and filling half of them out, I decided to switch BACK to Common App x.x.

Then, someone else decided to show me their resume for the teacher recommendation letters. When I saw how much better and more organized it was compared to mine, I was utterly devasted. Why can’t I even put in enough efforts to write a good resume?! What happened to working so hard in grade 8-10?! I don’t understand why it’s so difficult for me to make it past this final stretch and I can’t believe I just broke down crying in French.

I spent the rest of the afternoon chasing down teachers to give them forms for recommendation letters. My locker currently looks like a shelf from Staples with the stack of envelopes, papers, forms, black pens, stamps, and paperclips lol. After school I had a meeting with my Extended Essay supervisor who was very unsatisfied with the first few pages of my 4000 word essay. She asked me, “how can you have such a convoluted introduction when you’re conclusion was so brilliantly and clearly done?!” I guess there are some silver linings in there, considering how rare it is for her to dish out compliments. Time to do the fourth overhaul edit of my essay >=(

The horrible day would’ve not left such a bitter after-taste had it ended there. But no… a friend told me that my TOK essay didn’t go through turnitin.com, and sure enough, when I checked the list posted, I was one of the two people out of 130 or so IBers who had a “no submission” for turnitin.com. I *swear* I uploaded the file… but I guess i just left the computer to run and didn’t bother do a double check. I was astonished to discover that I never got the electronic receipt turnitin usually sends after an upload. I mean… I’m NOT technologically-impaired! Yet this dreadful carelessness on my part will not only cost me huge deductions in participation, it will also prevent me from submitting this essay to IB (we have to submit 1 out of 4 TOK essay to an international marker). I guess I’d be amused if I got a 35/40 on this and end up having to submit my 27/40 essay because of stupidity.

So there ends my day. Incredibly frustrating and stressful. I have a Higher Level Math Portfolio due in 60 hours… AKDFJLADF!! Ta-ta. If you know anything about logistic function models do tell me. I can’t wait to be enlightened. My head is still spinning after doing that TOK presentation on the chaos theory, “non-linear dynamic systems with sensitivity to initial conditions”, dear God!

Popularity: 2% [?]

Random Class Quotations

// October 4th, 2007 // 15 Comments » // Academic, Quotables

Despite popular belief, “quote” is not a noun, but a verb. The correct term for a verbatim of someone else’s text is “quotation” (one of the few things I learned in English last year lol). Ever since Pre-IB, I’ve gotten into the habit of collecting teacher/classmate quotations in my student planner. Here’s a selection (because I’m procrastinating on SAT-prep).

Any demonstration where the teacher may die is a good one - Chem HL teacher

That assignment was terrible. You may see the following comments on your paper: BLECH, ACK, ARGH, DUH - TOK teacher on one of the first knowledge assignments we handed in (BLECH = stupid example, ACK = stale argument, ARGH = Now you’re just pissing me off, DUH = common sense, a poor attempt to boost word count)

By the end of Exam Paper Three you will not be able to find your hand - History teacher

I was in my bubble of happiness. I didn’t hear you - French teacher in response to a student’s question

Hydrogen bonding? That’s biology. I’m not going to stoop THAT low - Physics HL teacher

I BELIEVE IN HARRY POTTER - English teacher, I’ve loved her since

Student: I have to leave early today
Physics HL teacher: PROMISE?!

Teenagers who let their hormones get away from them DIES - English teacher, on Romeo and Juliet

[While demonstrating bonding with foam balls and tooth picks] They’re [indicating two atoms] having a good time. Let’s add one more and make it an orgy. And the orgy goes on and on until there are no more people… atoms… to have orgies with! - Chem HL teacher, by the end of that little lecture the entire class was going o___________O

[On probability in mathematics] In an ice cream cone, order makes difference! You start with your tongue at the top and work your way down… or you bite off the bottom and suck it all out - Math HL teacher, I remember giving my friend a look and we both suddenly burst out laughing in the middle of class.

Hush! I don’t care about you - English teacher to student

I feel like Shakira - Physics HL teacher, who’s in his 30s x.x

Okay people, this is sad! - English teacher

Patrick, you make me want to throw myself out a window. Open one so that I can jump out! No, not that one, I can’t fit through that one - English teacher

Song lyrics today don’t understand the SUBJUNCTIVE tense.. I mean, “homies”, what IS that?! - TOK teacher

I find myself too amusing - French teacher, to himself

*Sneezes* I’m allergic to students - History teacher

Stephen, whatever it is in your lap that you’re showing to Ray PLEASE put it away - English teacher, resulting in much LMFAO-ing in the class

EDIT: GOD DAMN IT I’M DONE SAT!! The word ubiquitous appeared on it TWICE…. time to thank me site visitors lol.

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