...posting because several people asked me what was up with the not-posting-ish-ness of late. Sorry, I can't use the excuse that life's been hectic, because it hasn't, since the Nakamun quiz meet. Things have actually been pretty uneventful.
A few recent pieces of news...
Well, Nakamun, like I said. Stats-wise, it was disappointing, especially since I'd been hoping for Internationals a little bit and didn't make it. It was a lot of fun, even if I didn't quiz that well. And what made it all better was that I won a $2000 scholarship to Ambrose University College in Calgary. That thrilled me right out of my socks. (I wasn't wearing any at the time, but that's beside the point.)
After Nakamun life slowed down a LOT, with no more quizzing to worry about. I wouldn't have minded continuing to study, but I do like not having as much on my plate. Oh, and pre-Nakamun, I had a very interesting little escapade with my laptop. Basically, it died. I was getting error messages telling me to restart constantly, and yes, I was pretty much completely freaked out. So my uncle was kinda helping me to troubleshoot over the weekend before Nakamun, but nothing worked, and we eventually decided that it wasn't going to. So that was really, really depressing. But since I have awesome parents, the Sunday we got back from Nakamun my little sister goes "AMY! Mom bought you a new laptop!"
...so things really did work out okay. I'm not sure quite how to thank my parents.
Otherwise, this past Friday we went to see Prince Caspian, and I loved it. Every minute of it. They did such a good job, and it was at least as good as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, if not better. And boy, if I crushed on celebrities...Ben Barnes...luckily, I do crush on fictional characters. Caspian was pretty amazing. All the Telmarines, Caspian included, had these COOL sorta Italian-ish accents, and the political intrigue with them added a lot more depth to the story, I thought. There was some tension between Peter and Caspian, which was a masterful addition. Edmund was also phenomenal in this one - he's now my favorite Pevensie. VERY good movie. Everybody go see it right now.
I think that's probably all that's worth reporting. Going to YC next weekend, which should be exhausting/fun, depending. I think YC stands for Youth Conference, which seems like a bit of a misnomer to me - basically, there are a lot of speakers and Christian bands and stuff, and a ridiculous number of youth hang around in the same building. I'm told it's a lot of fun.
I haven't been really making graphics lately, but when I've done some new ones I'll post them. I do have a couple avvies, here and here. I got a new set of icon brushes and I wanted to try them out, mostly :) I also plan to do more writing over the summer than I have been, so maybe stay tuned for random drabble and short stories, too.
...and I'm done.
Melda
"Note that half a deer is not considered part of the population." - Amy's Math Book
19 May 2008
17 April 2008
And again! *le gasp*
Yeah, and it's only been, what, three days? Go me.
That's not to say I have a whole lot to actually talk about, but I suppose it's the thought that counts. Let's see...what's been on my mind lately...I'll pick three.
1) Math sucks. I don't care HOW much you tell me it's an 'exercise for my brain', I'd rather go read a book and exercise my brain that way, thank you very much. All you people who want to be engineers, go ahead and have fun with the quadratic formula and graphing equations and vectors and stuff, but I plan to WRITE, therefore I need about grade 6 math and I'll be quite happy. Oh, and then there's the universities-like-math school of thought. WHY? WHY do they like math? What's so impressive about playing with numbers for years on end that they like it at universities? I've been playing piano for ten years, and I think that shows a lot more discipline and commitment than math does. I also know stuff like, oh, how to spell and use grammar and punctuation correctly. All that to say - I hate math. And math hates me. And I am saying goodbye to math forever as soon as I possibly can.
2) On a happier note, I'm remembering my view on post-secondary education and life after high school as it was about this time last year, when the thought scared me silly and I had no desire to even converse on it. Last year was also the year I was in band, and the year I discovered I didn't want a career in music (yes, the two are related), which may have helped that along a bit. And I mean, it's not like I have every facet of my life after school planned out, but I know a lot more than I did, and it doesn't scare me like it used to. So I suppose that's a good step in the right direction. I like knowing what I'd like to do, and even if most of it right now is just dreams, it's certainly better than nothing.
3) And finally, and somewhat randomly, I've been really thankful for friendship lately. Over the weekend I had so much fun meeting people and discovering people with the same passions as me and finding that I'm not the only crazy one out there. There have been times where I've felt that I don't quite fit with the friends I have, and most of this year has been discovering that I don't need to fit. They'll love me anyway, and fitting has nothing to do with it. It reminds me of a conversation we had at the youth retreat about confidence - when you're self-assured and real and you, people won't care what kind of clothes you have or what you look like. Because by being confident and not caring what others think and knowing that above all, God will love you no matter what and in the end nothing else matters, you're beautiful inside and out. Easier said than done, but it's very important to always remember.
And a couple random things...I haven't heard about my job application at the library and I'm getting rather antsy. Could you guys pray that I get it, please? This is a bit of a rare opportunity and I'd love it if I could work somewhere I enjoy. Random thing #2 - so you probably remember the short story I wrote a while back, for the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. I'm pretty sure I didn't make it on a national level. The list they posted on their site doesn't include Canadians at all, but I think if I won my name would be on there. I'm okay with it, though - I didn't expect to even get past the first level, so it's all good. Random thing #3 - this is my 200th blog post. *celebration* Random thing #4 - I edited my profile. Rather more accurate now.
I think that's all.
is now ~Melda (because I answer to that anyway)
"Will, don't stand on the popcorn."
That's not to say I have a whole lot to actually talk about, but I suppose it's the thought that counts. Let's see...what's been on my mind lately...I'll pick three.
1) Math sucks. I don't care HOW much you tell me it's an 'exercise for my brain', I'd rather go read a book and exercise my brain that way, thank you very much. All you people who want to be engineers, go ahead and have fun with the quadratic formula and graphing equations and vectors and stuff, but I plan to WRITE, therefore I need about grade 6 math and I'll be quite happy. Oh, and then there's the universities-like-math school of thought. WHY? WHY do they like math? What's so impressive about playing with numbers for years on end that they like it at universities? I've been playing piano for ten years, and I think that shows a lot more discipline and commitment than math does. I also know stuff like, oh, how to spell and use grammar and punctuation correctly. All that to say - I hate math. And math hates me. And I am saying goodbye to math forever as soon as I possibly can.
2) On a happier note, I'm remembering my view on post-secondary education and life after high school as it was about this time last year, when the thought scared me silly and I had no desire to even converse on it. Last year was also the year I was in band, and the year I discovered I didn't want a career in music (yes, the two are related), which may have helped that along a bit. And I mean, it's not like I have every facet of my life after school planned out, but I know a lot more than I did, and it doesn't scare me like it used to. So I suppose that's a good step in the right direction. I like knowing what I'd like to do, and even if most of it right now is just dreams, it's certainly better than nothing.
3) And finally, and somewhat randomly, I've been really thankful for friendship lately. Over the weekend I had so much fun meeting people and discovering people with the same passions as me and finding that I'm not the only crazy one out there. There have been times where I've felt that I don't quite fit with the friends I have, and most of this year has been discovering that I don't need to fit. They'll love me anyway, and fitting has nothing to do with it. It reminds me of a conversation we had at the youth retreat about confidence - when you're self-assured and real and you, people won't care what kind of clothes you have or what you look like. Because by being confident and not caring what others think and knowing that above all, God will love you no matter what and in the end nothing else matters, you're beautiful inside and out. Easier said than done, but it's very important to always remember.
And a couple random things...I haven't heard about my job application at the library and I'm getting rather antsy. Could you guys pray that I get it, please? This is a bit of a rare opportunity and I'd love it if I could work somewhere I enjoy. Random thing #2 - so you probably remember the short story I wrote a while back, for the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. I'm pretty sure I didn't make it on a national level. The list they posted on their site doesn't include Canadians at all, but I think if I won my name would be on there. I'm okay with it, though - I didn't expect to even get past the first level, so it's all good. Random thing #3 - this is my 200th blog post. *celebration* Random thing #4 - I edited my profile. Rather more accurate now.
I think that's all.
is now ~Melda (because I answer to that anyway)
"Will, don't stand on the popcorn."
14 April 2008
Yes, all RIGHT
I would like to begin with a pointed look in the direction of The Violent One Who Knows Who She Is. Okay, I'm posting, already.
I do think it's a bit excusable that I haven't been posting much (um, at all) in the last month or so. My life's been mostly made up of school and studying for Great West, which was this last weekend. I mean, much as I love quizzing, I'm pretty sure most of you don't want to read about the latest chapters I quoted, or how many times the word 'deceived' appears in Galatians/Ephesians/Philippians/Colossians. But Great West is over, so I now have actual news.
The weekend was pretty hardcore. We arrived Thursday evening at about 5:30, and waited around for the other Western Canadian quizzers to arrive (there were 25 of us) and then had pizza together and sat around talking while Sandy (Hoppus) tantalized us by not telling us what teams we were on. So we ate dinner, and then all had to introduce ourselves (name, church, grade, length of time you've been in quizzing, and the superpower you'd most like to have. Thank you Rob for the last one. Mine was to change into fictional characters at will) and THEN found out our teams. The way it worked felt quite a bit like picking teams in the playground. Every coach had a list of who was on their team, but they all took turns reading one at a time. Guess who got to get picked dead last?
That would be me. Irritating, I tell you. Most supremely irritating. But I did find out eventually. Then we played huge-sized full-contact Dutch Blitz with cardboard 2' x 3' cards, which was AWESOME, while the coaches had their meeting, and afterwards went to our billets. I always like billeting, it's fun. These people had an amazing grand piano in their living room, too, and I played it. Fun stuffs.
So next day, Friday, we got to the church (which was Foothills Alliance in Calgary, by the way) and had a practice mini-tournament. I actually did fairly well, as did our team. So that was fun. After that, we went to Chinook Mall for lunch and bowling. I lost bowling, but since I do it about once every three years, no huge surprise there. Then we got back, and after dinner and the arrival of the other districts, hardcore quizzing started.
Incidentally, the districts involved were Western Canadian (Alberta), Canadian Midwest (Saskatchewan/Manitoba), Pacific Northwest (Washington, Oregon) and Rocky Mountain (Montana). I am being entirely truthful when I say that Canadian quizzers PWN. Anyway, Friday night was VERY intense. I've never been at a quiz meet that intense before. It was kinda tough, cause I was finding it very hard to get up and the one quizmaster dude-who-ruined-CVR-question (*mutter*) rather irritated me. But once I got into it, it was okay. Our team didn't do so well here, but that was okay too.
As you can imagine, I was pretty tired Friday night. Saturday there was more quizzing in the morning and early afternoon. The way in which it all works is rather complicated, but our team ended up 12th out of 15 at the end of the day, which was good, because we'd been 14th before the last two quizzes. One of the Western Canadian teams made finals, and the top two quizzers were from Western Canada, which was occasion for much pride. Then we all had supper, in the parking lot of another church because we got locked out, and Foothills Alliance needed us out so they could have their Saturday night service, and went swimming before we headed home.
And I was pretty much exhausted, but it was an unbelievably fun weekend. It's so neat to get to know all the elite quizzers that you always thought were so big and important, and discover that they're really just people like you. I'm SO going again next year. Oh, and pics HERE.
Happy now, she-who-must-not-be-named? :P
-Sil
"Take the average amount of pro football interest in an American city. Multiply by three. Then stick an 'I <3 FACIAL STITCHES' bumper sticker on it. That's hockey in Canada."
I do think it's a bit excusable that I haven't been posting much (um, at all) in the last month or so. My life's been mostly made up of school and studying for Great West, which was this last weekend. I mean, much as I love quizzing, I'm pretty sure most of you don't want to read about the latest chapters I quoted, or how many times the word 'deceived' appears in Galatians/Ephesians/Philippians/Colossians. But Great West is over, so I now have actual news.
The weekend was pretty hardcore. We arrived Thursday evening at about 5:30, and waited around for the other Western Canadian quizzers to arrive (there were 25 of us) and then had pizza together and sat around talking while Sandy (Hoppus) tantalized us by not telling us what teams we were on. So we ate dinner, and then all had to introduce ourselves (name, church, grade, length of time you've been in quizzing, and the superpower you'd most like to have. Thank you Rob for the last one. Mine was to change into fictional characters at will) and THEN found out our teams. The way it worked felt quite a bit like picking teams in the playground. Every coach had a list of who was on their team, but they all took turns reading one at a time. Guess who got to get picked dead last?
That would be me. Irritating, I tell you. Most supremely irritating. But I did find out eventually. Then we played huge-sized full-contact Dutch Blitz with cardboard 2' x 3' cards, which was AWESOME, while the coaches had their meeting, and afterwards went to our billets. I always like billeting, it's fun. These people had an amazing grand piano in their living room, too, and I played it. Fun stuffs.
So next day, Friday, we got to the church (which was Foothills Alliance in Calgary, by the way) and had a practice mini-tournament. I actually did fairly well, as did our team. So that was fun. After that, we went to Chinook Mall for lunch and bowling. I lost bowling, but since I do it about once every three years, no huge surprise there. Then we got back, and after dinner and the arrival of the other districts, hardcore quizzing started.
Incidentally, the districts involved were Western Canadian (Alberta), Canadian Midwest (Saskatchewan/Manitoba), Pacific Northwest (Washington, Oregon) and Rocky Mountain (Montana). I am being entirely truthful when I say that Canadian quizzers PWN. Anyway, Friday night was VERY intense. I've never been at a quiz meet that intense before. It was kinda tough, cause I was finding it very hard to get up and the one quizmaster dude-who-ruined-CVR-question (*mutter*) rather irritated me. But once I got into it, it was okay. Our team didn't do so well here, but that was okay too.
As you can imagine, I was pretty tired Friday night. Saturday there was more quizzing in the morning and early afternoon. The way in which it all works is rather complicated, but our team ended up 12th out of 15 at the end of the day, which was good, because we'd been 14th before the last two quizzes. One of the Western Canadian teams made finals, and the top two quizzers were from Western Canada, which was occasion for much pride. Then we all had supper, in the parking lot of another church because we got locked out, and Foothills Alliance needed us out so they could have their Saturday night service, and went swimming before we headed home.
And I was pretty much exhausted, but it was an unbelievably fun weekend. It's so neat to get to know all the elite quizzers that you always thought were so big and important, and discover that they're really just people like you. I'm SO going again next year. Oh, and pics HERE.
Happy now, she-who-must-not-be-named? :P
-Sil
"Take the average amount of pro football interest in an American city. Multiply by three. Then stick an 'I <3 FACIAL STITCHES' bumper sticker on it. That's hockey in Canada."
12 March 2008
Epic battles = <3
Well, I just listened to The Battle part of the Chronicles of Narnia soundtrack, and it's put me in a very good mood. Better than I was already, even. Epic battle scenes from soundtracks are amazing, without exception - even epic conflict. The Battle from Narnia; I Don't Think Now Is The Best Time (affectionately known as IDTNITBT) from At World's End; Hello Beastie from Dead Man's Chest; Barbossa is Hungry from Curse of the Black Pearl; The Bridge of Khazad-Dum from Fellowship of the Ring...they're all amazing.
Why am I in such a good mood, one might inquire? Well, Great West euphoria seems to last a while. And for anyone who wasn't there for my SQUEEing in person, and hasn't heard on Facebook (I think pretty much all of you were one or the other, though) - yep, I made it to Great West. My study time per day has rocketed up to something between 2 and 3 hours, but I'm so insanely motivated it's not even funny.
Other happy stuff includes (still) the award I got for my grade 8 piano exam mark; the fact that my short story won an award and is now going to be assessed on a national level; the event of being home alone for four hours yesterday and using those four hours to make myself chocolate pudding; I bought Dragonology; I paid off my laptop and might now have money for, like, clothes (gosh, radical thought); all the exciting stuff that's coming up like Easter and the youth retreat and Great West (SQUEE); me getting my learners' license; the stack of books in my room that are still to be read...gosh, I'm even happy during MATH. This is momentous.
Yeah. Life is SO good. I was contemplating this in the car last night, and found that it's valuable in this kind of situation to remember that now you FEEL like praising God for all this awesome stuff he's given you, but it's important to do it when you're down or discouraged or depressed (D is a bad letter) too. How lucky am I, really? God' given me everything I have, and it's pretty darn good. THANK YOU GOD.
Now I'm on You Look Good Jack. Let's change it to something epic. Aha, the Gondor theme.
~Sil
"Are you a idiot?"
"There are so many types of irony in that sentence, it's not even funny."
Why am I in such a good mood, one might inquire? Well, Great West euphoria seems to last a while. And for anyone who wasn't there for my SQUEEing in person, and hasn't heard on Facebook (I think pretty much all of you were one or the other, though) - yep, I made it to Great West. My study time per day has rocketed up to something between 2 and 3 hours, but I'm so insanely motivated it's not even funny.
Other happy stuff includes (still) the award I got for my grade 8 piano exam mark; the fact that my short story won an award and is now going to be assessed on a national level; the event of being home alone for four hours yesterday and using those four hours to make myself chocolate pudding; I bought Dragonology; I paid off my laptop and might now have money for, like, clothes (gosh, radical thought); all the exciting stuff that's coming up like Easter and the youth retreat and Great West (SQUEE); me getting my learners' license; the stack of books in my room that are still to be read...gosh, I'm even happy during MATH. This is momentous.
Yeah. Life is SO good. I was contemplating this in the car last night, and found that it's valuable in this kind of situation to remember that now you FEEL like praising God for all this awesome stuff he's given you, but it's important to do it when you're down or discouraged or depressed (D is a bad letter) too. How lucky am I, really? God' given me everything I have, and it's pretty darn good. THANK YOU GOD.
Now I'm on You Look Good Jack. Let's change it to something epic. Aha, the Gondor theme.
~Sil
"Are you a idiot?"
"There are so many types of irony in that sentence, it's not even funny."
05 March 2008
Gold Key!
Okay, so you guys know how I sent in a story to the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards? Yes? Well, you'd better, because I blogged about it. WELL. I got an email this morning. And according to said email, I've gotten a regional award for my story (a Gold Key) and it's now a qualifier at a national level (throughout the US and Canada). FWEE!
So as a Gold Key recipient, I'm eligible to apply for a scholarship grant of $2,500 to attend a summer writing program. It comes with certain conditions, not all of which I'm sure I meet, but even if I can't go - that's pretty amazingly cool! And now my story gets to go to New York and get assessed on a national level and...wow. And I wondered if it wasn't worth sending in.
So that pretty much made my day before I got out of bed.
:D
~Sil
So as a Gold Key recipient, I'm eligible to apply for a scholarship grant of $2,500 to attend a summer writing program. It comes with certain conditions, not all of which I'm sure I meet, but even if I can't go - that's pretty amazingly cool! And now my story gets to go to New York and get assessed on a national level and...wow. And I wondered if it wasn't worth sending in.
So that pretty much made my day before I got out of bed.
:D
~Sil
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