Archive for the ‘Life’ Category

This is it?

Yeah, I think this is it.

My last exam, biology has finished today, which marks the final final end of my high school years.

Didn't feel much about that today, I didn't even say goodbye to some of the teachers, who cares, you have to get over of that anyway.

The first thing I did after come back home is to take out of all the books and stuffs and ready to burn them all. My mother stoped me due to the 'safety reason' so I've teared most of them into small parts, believe me, that could give you a  terribly good feeling about yourself, and I strongly recommend you to do that as well.

I'll be leaving in very early morning on monday and arrive Shanghai the same day, and stay there for about a week. I'm not sure about the access to Internet but I guess it won't be easy to me. I'll trying to update my journey in China here as  frequently as possible in next two and half month.

According to past experiences, I should fall in sick in next few days, as I did in last 5 holidays. Actually I was just started struggling to spell the word "according" right in the last sentence.

Hope that won't happen again while I'm on the plane.

..............

and what should I call this... let's say a comparison of real life and photography. I was cleaning up my photos from past 4 years and get some good ones to bring them back to China. Below is just one of them I've found and I was pretty surprised to find out the identity of the person inside the picture.

so why not check that out:) click the picture to enlarge.

Protected: Photos from the last day

Aim High

At the time I'm writing this, I feel truly blessed.

Penrose High School is the first school and the only school I have attended since the arrival to this country nearly four years ago. Though it got one of the highest suspension rates in Auckland, it is a lovely and warm school, and it will always have a special place in my heart.

Time passes fast when you really enjoyed that. The name "Penrose" always mean so much fun to me, the jokes we made about teachers, fellow pupils; tricks to people... those joys are now gone with the childhood, but I believe they will live fovever in my memory.

It was a very hard thing to say goodbye to this.After all year 13s gone home I paid the special last visit to Hinau common, sit there for about 20 minutes, just to get a feeling of that place. I can't stop myself from tearing apart when recalling my memory with many people and things were and still are there.

There was such a mixture of feeling about how much I've gained there and how much and did not catch them up. I suddenly realise, there will be always things that you just can't get up to it, and you just have to say give up and leave it behind, though may with bits of regret. But I am grateful that no one saw me there. The time in Penrose will always have a special place in my heart, and for all the photos there, I'll be keep them as my other special ones as long as I still alive.

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The reason for put on a password is that I want keep these following photos within the school circle, as well as some of your privacy.

It will be much appreciated if you could leave the addresses of other photos online in the comments, if known, or you can just email me at bearnz@gmail.com and I'll put them here.

Tour to China.

Just few hours ago I have confirmed my air ticket to China.

This is the first time to home when I leaved nearly four years ago. I will be leave New ZEaland on December the 4th, and expecting to be back around early February.

I'm currently planning to stay at Shanghai for few days first before back to my hometown, Chengdu (Wikipedia:Chinese(featured article)|English(translation of Chinese version)). I'm expecting to meet up few friends who are doing pretty well there and expecting them to pay up my dinner money and if possible, offer me a shelter.

Of course another reason is I have never visit this one of China's fast changing cities, and the most corrupt one.

Throughout this period the most thing I want to do is travel, I have made up a list of places where I have never been to before and so desperate want to see, however some of them are quite difficult like Tibet(to a foreigner) and North Korea(but I have to see this amazing land before Kim Mentally Ill's dictatorship collapses).

Hope that comment won't be seen by any North Korean diplomats and accordingly turns down my visa application.

However it's the exams first....

Monday

First day of term 4, and the following were what I saw...

1. There were at least two police cars present this morning, and this number increased to at least four at 4pm. What they are doing there is unknown but I'm quite sure the two in the morning haven't move a metre during the day.

 Seems that our school just can't get away with the police.

2. The New Zealand Herald has reported that our school's (at least our school principal's) proudest "former" student, Keisha Castle-Hughes, the Oscar nominee, is in pregnancy, and the "father" is a 19 year old, also former penrose boy.

If our principal is going talk about this as a general news in the assembly tomorrow? He did once when Steve Irwin died and he used a fake quotation to encourage us to study hard.

3. Some news you may going to hear in the following days:

a. School's mufti day is to be held later this month (16th?), but you have to pay a dollar contributing to Starship Foundation.

b. Pupils will have four days off for the Labour weekend, the extra day is for teachers only day. (most school will do the same?)

c. The usually boring ceremony for senior prize giving will be held in the daytime this year, the date is November the 14th.

4. Our lockers are very unlikely to appear again this year.

[22 September] Week 10 term 3 ends | term 3 holiday begins

It's the last week of the term, you know, this kind of special week were also known as international wagging week - an upgrade from "wagging day". Read more

[15 September] Week 9 Term 3 ends.

Exam week - the judgment week. Sadly I didn't do good at all, my mind always go blank for every small or larger scale exams.

Most people were very lucky to have a long weekend as no exams for them in Friday. I was just went opposite the way, took Monday off made last week the long weekend, which was extremely frustrating -- everyone wants to get exams off their hands as soon as possible.

Teachers must think the same way as I did. I experienced the fastest speed to mark exams from my geography teacher this week since I come to New Zealand. Three papers each from 30 people, plus an early internal assessments, all of those results were made available in the next day, Amazing.

As result of this, I really don't know any school news that is worth to talking about.

I hardly got a free weekend like this one for a quite long time, though it’s not that free. Exams are now gone and finally there is some spare time to do my own things, Wikipedia, reading, and of course I have to write my column for next month, otherwise coming up is just two more internal assessments.

September issue of National Geographic Magazine International Edition Source:Natinoal Geographic Magazine (c)

In terms of reading, I've just received my September issue of National Geographic Magazine today, which has some quite interesting topic in it. If you are a sinophile you must not miss the cover story, an insight of Economics in China's Northeast region (Manchuria, story pictured).

I just finished the first two pages today, and really touched about hard life of the Chinese migrant workers. Both parents were out to Dalian to work for a year, in order to support their child, but when they get back home in Chinese New Year holiday, their young child won't even call them mum and dad and think they are strangers.

I will have time read this, and find a topic from my column, but now, only thing I need is just a 10+ hour sleep I haven't had for quite a long time.

PS: It's so glad to see some people crossed over the Great Firewall of China and come here.