Elsie_Anonymous

September Review

Life 18:00

Hello Internet!

Other than the book review I uploaded a few days ago, I haven't posted in ages! I'm sorry - I've just been so busy with school! Anyway, instead of making up loads of pointless excuses, I'm just going to get on with the post...

So, September has been a pretty boring month, re-adjusting to the usual, repetitive life of high school. Mostly, it's just been a mix of homework, revision and exams. Sounds fun, doesn't it?

One good thing that happens every September, though, is my birthday. I didn't do much, given that it was on a Monday but it was still a pretty good day. I had my friend stay over the weekend before and I went for a family meal the weekend after. In case you hadn't already noticed, I have a very boring life (I'm not really a party person). I got some great gifts, though!

Other than my birthday, nothing exciting happened. And, other than the constant supply of homework, nothing bad really happened either. There was this one day, though, which really sticks in my mind. To be honest, I think I knew from the moment I woke up that it was going to be a bad day. Do you ever get that feeling or is it just me?

The first thing that happened was when I got into school and realised I'd left my history folder at home. Now, when you have a teacher that is widely known for being strict and you forget your work, you panic. Luckily, the teacher didn't really care, but it definitely didn't set the day to a good start.

First period, I walked into Science and noticed that the teacher had made a seating plan. When I looked at who I was sat with, I was literally on the verge of screaming. I had been in the same class as this guy since age 4, and I can safely say he is most idiotic creature ever to exist (I'm sorry but it's true).

Next lesson was PE. I actually feel nauseous just thinking about it. Basically, the teacher had us running around with a rugby-training bag for an hour. I don't think I have to say any more...

But the last thing that happened really tipped me off the edge. I'd just got home from school (after walking about 1.5 miles) and I realised, just as I reached the door, that I had left my keys in my bedroom. My mum was at work and wasn't finishing for another hour. Seriously, you have no idea how stupid I felt. After trying to figure out what to do, I decided to walk all the way back to my mum's work and wait for her. This day basically just represents the entire month for me.

However, aside from all of that, there are a few things to look forward to this school year:
- I've gotten to drop loads of subjects (like Geography and RS) so I can concentrate on my favourite lessons.

- I'm taking on a new subject (Sociology) and I'm really enjoying it so far.

-I'm doing the Duke of Edinburgh Award at some point. If you don't know what this is, you've basically got to do 3 months of volunteering, 3 months of physical activity, 3 months of building up skills and then an extra 3 months on one of these sections. You also go on some kind of expedition at the end. For more information, click here to go to the DofE website.

-I'm doing the Crest Award with a friend, which is basically a project which can help us get into a good university.

- I'm going on a History trip to France and Belgium next year, which will be my first time abroad. I'm really excited about that!

So I guess this year isn't going to be so bad...

How's your life going? Do you have school? Is it as stressful and boring as my school life? Please let me know in the comments!

This post has been a bit more chatty than what I first intended, but never mind!
Also, I think I've got some good post ideas for this month, so that should be good.
Thanks for reading
Elsie xx

Share |

Book Review: Divergent Series

Monthly Book Review 13:00

Hello Internet!

It's already time for yet another book review (wow, September has gone really fast).

I know...I haven't posted in ages. The last post was published on the fourth of September, which is really, really bad. I'm sorry.

Not only have I been too tired/busy/zombified by school to write a post, I also haven't had much chance to pick up a book to read. Last month's review was on the Maze Runner and I'd said that I'd probably be doing the Scorch Trials next. Well, I'm sorry, but I can't do that because I've only got as far as Chapter 24.

Instead, I'm going to do a review of a book series I read a while ago. I hope you don't mind.

Titles:

Divergent (Book One)

Insurgent (Book Two)

Allegiant (Book Three)

Author:

Veronica Roth

Genre:

Young Adult/Dystopian Fiction/Sci-Fi

Description:
Tris Prior lives in a very divided world. The city in, Chicago, is divided into five factions: Abnegation, Erudite, Candor, Amity and Dauntless. Each of these different sections of the city have different beliefs on what the values of society should be. Abnegation believes in sacrificing yourself for others and being completely selfless. Erudite believes that intelligence is the most important trait and that ignorance is the greatest flaw and Amity are supporters of peace and friendship. Finally, the Dauntless see fear as the greatest flaw and encourage bravery and determination.
At the age of 16, everyone is to take an "aptitude test" and then choose which faction they want to spend the rest of their life in at the choosing ceremony. For Tris, however, it isn't that simple. Her aptitude test gives a result different to what she could have possibly imagined. She doesn't just belong to one faction, she has traits which suggests that she belongs to three of the five factions. She's Divergent. Yet she doesn't seem to realise how much this will influence her chance of survival in a world which is already impossible.

My Thoughts and Opinions:
I think that this series is, overall, very good. It is written well, it's action-packed and the characters are each portrayed in different ways. If I remember rightly, the beginning was a little slower than some other YA books but it wasn't long before it picked up.
Like most other YA Fiction books, this series has a lot to offer. Like I said, the action is written amazingly, yet there's also some humour and romance in there too.
Now to the characters. I say this in practically every review but, for me, what makes a good character is flaws. And, there's no doubt about it, Tris quite a few of them. There were certainly points (especially in Insurgent) where she was really starting to annoy me. But weirdly, that made me like he more.

Share |

Back To School Tips

Life 15:00

Hello Internet!

I don't know about anyone else but, for me, this year is going really quickly. It's already September, even though it doesn't feel like two minutes since January. Before we know it, it'll be Christmas!

Anyways, moving on to the actual topic of the post...September is a pretty important month (and, no, that's not because my birthday is in September).September is the month to return to school/college/university (or wherever you go). At least, it is for all the schools I know of...

My school goes back next week, so I thought I'd do a post relating to school (in case you hadn't already guessed).

Get Organised

There's nothing worse than waking up on you're first day back at school and realising you've got a huge list of things you need to do to. I've found that it's quite useful to sort everything out a few days (or weeks) before you go back.

Here are a few things you could do to organise yourself:

- Sort through any old books or folders and decide which you'll need to keep for the new year.

- Make sure all of your uniform is ready (that is if you have uniform, of course).

- Check that you've got a decent school bag which can fit all of your stuff in it.

- Find any notebooks or stationary that you'll need and pack it in your bag.

- Pack any essentials you may need (this is mainly for girls - like any
hair/beauty stuff you'll need).

- Make sure that you've done - and printed - any homework you need to do (though, if you go to a nice school which actually allows you to have a break from homework over the Summer, you won't have to worry about this. Unfortunately, my school is not one of these).

Set Goals

Okay, so I don't know about your school, but my school makes us write down our academic and behaviour targets for the upcoming term. That's not the kind of goals I'm talking about because, seriously, I don't think anybody actually cares about them. What I'm talking about is just a personal goal that you can set yourself and keep in your head. It doesn't have to be anything big but it's up to you. Kind of like New-School-Year Resolutions in a way. A few goals I've set myself are:

- Remember to eat breakfast every morning before I leave (I'm really not good at this).

- Organise myself and try and get my homework done as quickly as possible.

- Keep my bedroom tidy all the time so that it's easier to concentrate with my homework and revision (though, to be honest, I already do this).

- Try to concentrate in class - however boring it may be (so, basically, no more daydreaming).

- Work hard on my attendance and force myself out of bed if I have to.

Don't Bother Complaining

I tend to do a lot of complaining when it comes to school. But, this year, I've tried my best to just get on with it and accept the fact that I'm going back. The thing is, it doesn't matter how much you moan, it won't change anything - you're still going to have to go. Therefore, you might as well just save your energy and move on. It's happening - accept it before you waste the remainder of your holidays.

Share |

Pages

September Review

Book Review: Divergent Series

Back To School Tips

Get Organised

Set Goals

Don't Bother Complaining

About me

Follow Me

Labels

Blog Archive

Last Month's Most Popular Post

BLOGMAS DAY 8 - 32 Blogmas Post Ideas

Popular Posts

Like us on Facebook

What is your favourite season?