Art. 4 days to my leaving-certificate art exam. Today I took the day off school for a little preparation. I am here googling images for the theme of the poster, I like what I see and fear getting caught for plagiarism completely by accident. Anything that may compromise my exam scares the life out of me.

The art exam confuses me. What can I do, what can’t I do? Someone please reply! I’m getting images for my research page but I’m not allowed copy them onto my finished design. Am I allowed bring in lettering I have printed off the computer? so very very confused.

History. I recently handed in my research study report and I am satisfied, quite pleasing to get a fraction of the exam out of the way before June.

June is quickly approaching and I must admit I have not been studying as much as I planned with the interruptions of an unplanned social night or a game of GTA IV. I try and try but sometimes it’s hard not to give into temptation, in fact impossible.

With just 3 weekends left before the exams, approximately 534 hours or so. I hope to spend long nights in cramming for hours at a time, sleep as little as possible and guzzle as much caffeine as imaginable. Colin Murphy plays town on Thursday… shall I attend?

“A temptation is an act that looks appealing to an individual. It is usually used to describe acts with negative connotations and as such, tends to lead a person to regret such actions, for various reasons.” - wikipedia

The smell of fresh cut grass, the beams of an unfamiliar sun, the water balloons; yes the summer is truly here and the end of school is just around the corner for thousands of students. For many more this means the start of some demanding study!

Not to fear with ‘National mitch Day’ on Friday, we will get a break from the books for a short while. Seems the teachers have also picked up on this ‘national mitch day’ and decided to give us/themselves a half day… that just takes the entire fun out of the event doesn’t it!

At present I am focusing on my history research project (thing). I don’t know what I’m doing to be honest with this. Seemed easy at first, thought I would take ‘Leonardo Da Vinci’ for it as he seems to be a pretty neat guy. The whole project thing does get a little tedious after the first three pages though. I am also focusing on the art practicals these days with that exam on the horizon. It also appears that the exam papers for the practical art exam have arrived at the school… and lawfully cannot be opened. Anyone up for decent raid!

The whole thing seems to be getting a little exciting at this stage. How surprising… hello there is study to be done! I think everyone is glad just be getting the exams out of the way and moving on. I’m looking forward to the grad mass too, and the typically Irish booze up that will follow afterwards, our last moment of secondary level immaturity, our last night out (unlikely) before the big exam.

Also, can someone please get back to me on how to study?

Still looking for that winning formula,

Colin.

(*Urban Dictionary: Mitch-

Brit slang for truant. -

Teacher: Where’s Bill today?
Ben: He said he was going to mitch off.)

I have been a bit weirded out this week with the concept of an impending Leaving-Cert. In merely 4 weeks I will walk out the school doors for the very last time. I have been waiting for this day since I entered that spine-chilling portal of primary school as a junior infant. But have I? When we walk out that door, a thousand memories will depart us forever. School life as we know will be over, the past eighteen years will be nothing more than a memory, a past event, an occurrence, history.

In a matter of weeks, us scholars will enter an exam hall, and experience the torment of maturity. Over a period of two weeks, we will forget years of prized academia. Our social network will be substituted over the following months altered by our imminent transformation. A thousand faces lost eternally.

However, with on our parting we will take with us a respectable wisdom that will enable us to move on and become the proud heritage of the land of saints and scholars. With every step in life we gain a thousand years of experience, every advancement makes us a million times stronger. Live for today and rejoice tomorrow. Look at every single affair from every possible angle. Only when we are wise we are victorious, only when we have truly lived life to our fullest we can say we have gained what is known as wisdom. Wisdom is just an expression; award it your own meaning because the Leaving-Cert is merely one small step of our lives now to take that giant leap…

Students: Dare to relax?

Music. Music is the most common way we students study. Right? I sit here at my desk, mindlessly gazing at my heavy workload- history projects, French orals, melodies. I tune into my background music. Ennio Morricone’s love theme from Cinema Paradiso. Dare I put my pen down? Dare I listen? Dare I enjoy?

Exposition. I take a break for just a moment. For just one moment I might actually be given the chance to think, think about something that’s not Pythagoras theorem or the laws of physics. I give myself the chance. I look out the window, to the sky, the clouds, the sun. Imagination overpowers my thoughts.

Development. I imagine myself in the year to come, the near change. Life’s alterations. College. We have 47 days left before exams. Who knows what’s to come. Some of those sitting in that room, we will never see again. Others will become the failures or the successes of todays capitalist world. I imagine myself sitting in a comfortable office chair, designing the latest myspace. I challenge life’s pessimism and I win. I will do what I enjoy and no silly points system will get in my way, I will not let it.

Recapitulation. To do what we crave in life many of us will have to overcome this notorious education system. We are told it is the biggest challenge in our lives. Yes, no one said achieving our ambitions is easy, we must fight for them. Jump the academic wall, gain life’s skills for today’s world and win.

Colin Lowry.

It has all begun and the end is near. This week signifies the start of the official Leaving Cert exams… scary. With my Irish oral behind me and my music practical yesterday, I say to the Leaving cert – “Bring it on!” You’d never expect that you wouldn’t be nervous during these exams but it’s a simple fact of – over preparation. Except for that one girl I know of who puked up before her exam. Looking back on my Irish oral I really could have contributed more:

“What would you do if you were Mary Hannifan”

“Oh, I really don’t know what I would do to be honest, she’s the one in the olympics, yeah?”

It seems that what she was trying to make an opener for the conditional tense, she only had to say!

Music went relatively well too, I am not the most musical of students. It went as well as expected, examiners make great liars “good lad that was very enjoyable” – oh yes, I was only playing something completely different from what I was looking at. Thank you Dan!

My study method is working out great, cramming of course. No professional endorses the idea but it really does work! What’s left? 8 weeks? I’ll give it seven weeks before I study to make sure it all sticks.

What’s next in life for Colin Lowry? Let us see… my very late history research study has to be handed in, French orals in one week and my practical art exam in a few weeks. I feel like getting sick…

Who can really say that Irish is a farce. One week ago, in the midst of my glorius midterm break I imagined myself in the Irish oral examination.

“Dia dhuit, agus cad is ainm duit”

“oh crap, here we go”

But after a week of mock orals, I have gained a certain confidence and perhaps a love the language. I don’t know why, I mean - I’m useless.

I guess I found it nice to be able to speak the native tongue. I have come across students who have learned off full extracts on “Dustin the turkey goes to the Eurovision” and “Bertie: the no longer Taoiseach”. But I much prefer to be laid back about it and talk about what I actually am familiar with in a way I am familiar with, It keeps me sane in the exam. And I do not actually hate the language even after the strenuous exam I’m about to go horribly bad in. I am ranting!

I have not done a thing this week in terms of study. My mocks were a disgrace. I am a study virgin. I can’t do it, I detest the whole school thing. Now I find in looking back over my past six years of secondary level education there has been good times. The whole school thing becomes sentimental when it’s all over… despite the fair grades. The cliché comes to mind - “school days are the best days of your life”. Memories of me laughing that one off last year!

My current mission is to enjoy every minute of what I have left and of course have a good go at the study and infamous examinations! Good times have past, better times to come!

Go n-eirí an bothar leat!

Colin.

The mock exams are over. The mock exams are over.

Here comes the sun. And here comes the orals and practicals. 4 weeks. 4weeks.

But not to worry 4 weeks to learn off by heart, every possible answer to every possible question we can be asked and to learn off all music pieces to the point of an exceptional ace. Not to worry. 4 weeks.

I got thinking, time is resourceful and of the essence; 672 hours in 4 weeks. IF I spend this time wisely, I can take the strain of the government’s educational programme off my shoulders. 4 weeks.

19th of June; Free from the system. Just 100 days. I will be open to the world, free to do as I please, almost free… for a while. But now, I have 4 weeks.

Colin.

“18^th February – Note to self pay for leaving cert!”

Today has been quite random, woke up at nine to go to town. I said screw it, too early. The mocks are finally over and have been alright. But really what it what has it been all for, it had done nothing but cause anxiety and ends in nothing more than a marathon of alcohol for students. I didn’t go too mad with the mid-week celebrations. This weekend shall bring the madness!

When I finally got up today at about 2pm, I freaked out, I was lead to believe today was the final day to pay the leaving cert fees, the atypical 29^th February with an unsystematic €101. I made it to the bank from home with the help of a considerate friend with a car, lifesaver. What student has money to pay for an exam they have no interest in, we are paying for us to be a benefit to the state. We will not use what we have learned in history for the rest of our lives, our future. We have been forced to experience stress, “without this exam we have no future”. Today however is not the last day to pay is it?

While in this bank another pal was in another, here she asked to take out €10 for her friend with the required credentials. She was refused. Within minutes the Guaraí were called and ended up at her friend’s doorstep, priceless. It makes me think, is the whole world against the younger kind - ageism.

So who’s going out at the weekend? For what could be a very curious weekend.

Colin.