Monday
My first class on Monday is Spanish. I practice speaking in Spanish with a teacher from 10:00am to 11:00am, who corrects my grammar and teaches me new words or sentence structures. This class is held at our house.
After lunch, we catch an Uber to 72nd street and Broadway, to get to another class. This class is called 'Understanding History Through Music'. From 1:00pm-3:00pm we look at music in America, starting from the beginnings of the slave trade, and see how the music in America is a mix of styles brought over by people from different countries.
Our final class on Monday is Chess with Maxim. In this class we work with an international grandmaster, Maxim Dlugy, who teaches us all we need to know (and more) about chess. We do this class at East 81 street, at his house.
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Tuesday
On Tuesdays we have 3 classes- 'Espionage' being the first class, 'Books in the 60's the 2nd, and controversies the last.
In 'Espionage' we look at spies throughout history that have changed the world, from the ancient Egyptians to Francis Walsingham. This class is held at the Jefferson Market Library, between 12:45pm-2:15pm
We catch the train to 50th street to get to our next class- 'Books in the 60's'. In this class we read and discuss books written in the 60's. This class is held in Different Directions.
After 'Books in the 60's', we stay in Different Directions for the final class, 'Controversies'. This class is very noisy, because here we discuss all the controversies that the whole class thinks matter. I think this class is interesting, especially listening to other people's opinions.
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Wednesday
On Wednesday we do our first online course of the week, 'Romeo and Juliet'. In this class we read and annotate Romeo and Juliet, and go over the whole book with a new perspective. We mostly do this class at home, but it may vary.
My favorite class at last!!
Rugby, mostly an Australian/New Zealand sport, has a few teams of its own in New York! I am currently playing Rugby with the under 12 team, for last year i obtained a pretty serious injury that took three or four months to heal. Before there were no other girls on the team (or on any team!) But this year there will be quite a few! I got to meet one who had played previously on the team. We were a great team!
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Thursday
On Thursday we do another online class, Economics, with Daniel Louzonis. This class is between 9:00am-10:00am, and is based on the stock market, how to make money, with a heap of interesting facts told along the way!
After that we do a acting/comedy class called 'Comedy Tonight'. This class involves improvisation, pronunciation tactics, and acting skills. This class is held at Different Directions, from 1:00pm to 4:00pm.
STREB is a class filled with fun! You can learn trapeze, or do some pop action, or even learn parcore! There are many options, even for adults. This class is held in Brooklyn, North 1st street, between 4:45pm-5:45pm.
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Friday
On Friday, we travel to the MET for a class- 'Age of Revolutions'. In this class, we look at all the major revolutions in history, using the artifacts to help us understand what they went through. This class runs between 10:30am to 12pm.
We also have another Chess class with Maxim.
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Monday, October 3, 2016
Monday, September 26, 2016
Awesome Aussie inventions
Below are some life-changing (for the good or bad) Aussie inventions! You may think Australia an unimportant country (considering there are more sheeps than people), but actually we help make a lot of the things nowadays you may take for granted!
See, us Aussies can be quite the resourceful kind, can't they?
1. Black box flight recorder
The black box flight recorder was invented by an Aussie by the name Dave Warren. He invented the black box flight recorder in 1961, and has been immensely helpful to track and figure out what went wrong when a plane crashes. The black box records conversation in the cockpit and flight data. These extremely durable boxes were designed to replay the final hours before a plane crash, helping figure out whether it was a faulty part on a plane, or just the pilots not paying attention. Today, every single commercial flight is equipped with a Black box, placed in the back of a plane to protect it from being damaged.
2. Spray-on skin
Sounds a bit weird, doesn't it? Ask Professor Fiona Wood!
Professor Fiona wood patented her spray-on skin technique in 1999 . The process involves taking a small patch of the victim's healthy skin and then using it to grow new skin cells in a laboratory. The new skin cells are then sprayed on the victim's damaged skin!
This discovery assists with the significant reduction of time spent recovering and scarring.
Fiona and her spray-on skin technique played a key role in treating burns victims from the 2002 Bali bombings, saving the lives of 28 people, and many more to come.
3. Electronic pacemaker
In 1926 Dr Mark Lidwill, a medical pioneer, made an impromptu pacemaker when a newborn childwas suffering from heart problems. Dr Mark used his knowledge and connected the baby's heart to electrodes, which stimulated the heartbeat with electric pulses, saving the child!
Now you can get an implant with batteries that last 7 years!
Now you can get an implant with batteries that last 7 years!
4. Google Maps
Want to see your old house in Australia? Or check out the views from the top if Mount Vesuvius? The Rasmussen brothers did that all! From 2003 to 2004 brothers Lars and Jens Rasmussen developed the platform for Google Maps.
5. Medical application of penicillin
Though Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, Howard Florey, with a team of scientists, invented purified penicillin from a special strain of mold. In 1939 the team demonstrated penicillin's ability to fight bacterial infection in mice. The antibiotic was mass produced and used to aid the victims of World War I!
Penicillin has been used around the world, saving many lives through the combating of infection by common bacteria.
Next time you have penecillin, thank Howard Florey!
6. Polymer bank notes
Plastic bank notes were developed in a combined effort by the Reserve Bank of Australia and CSIRO (commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research organisation). The polymer material of the bank notes makes them very durable and counterfeit resistant. The bank notes first circulated in Australia in 1988.
Last but not least...
VEGEMITE!!!
Cyril P. Callister invented the first Vegemite spread. He used brewer's yeast and blended the yeast extract with ingredients like celery, onion, salt, and a few secret ingredients to make this paste.
Basically he used extracts from things that would usually be thrown in the bin and turned it into an edible paste, enjoyed by almost all Aussies. You may think it is horrible, but in small amounts i think it is quite enjoyable!
Friday, September 16, 2016
Apocalypse
Here is the beginning of a story i have been writing:
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It was my last day of school, and I was somewhat pumped. I dressed quickly, slapping on shorts and a plain t-shirt, grabbed my previously-packed bag, stuffed some food in my bag and left the small apartment that my mom rented, in the center of Harlem. I had never liked our new apartment, but it was all that my mom could afford. Barely bringing in enough to support us both and rent an apartment, it was a constant struggle for her. I wonder why dad had to leave in the first place.
You see, I didn't really like school. Nobody in my class did. All us fifth graders want to be doing was lounging around and eating lollies.
But today I didn't feel like the usual James. I felt excited, and ready to face the day. Enough even to wake up early! So when I arrived, and saw only a few kids sitting alone on the benches, I wasn't surprised. But when the bell rang, and there were no more than 15 kids, boys and girls, inside the gates, I started to feel a little uneasy...
As the first one approached the gate, the teachers ushered us inside, putting the school into lock down. They were taking us to the gym, but I knew a better place. So I separated from the group at the next corner.
After I was sure they were out of earshot, I started to move towards the 6th grade lockers, for there was the location of my shelter. Navigating the school was a simple task, not just because i had been there all my life, but because it was a simple design. It felt odd being in the hallways of an empty school.
A horrible, blood-curdling scream erupted from some way behind me. I ran into tiny staff kitchen and looked out the window to see hundreds of these creatures banging on the gates of the school. I stood petrified, taking in their bloody, scar-riddled bodies. I thought of my mother, and frantically looked among the crowd for her. But i couldn't see her. Or maybe i would't see her.
I grabbed some dried meat and canned food, a can opener, plenty of water, and a knife. " Just to be safe, i'll never need it,"I told myself. But i had a feeling i would.
I thanked the architects about the fact that the school was small, and began to run. I took a glimpse out a window and saw their mangled bodies pouring into the playground, tearing apart the metal beams, ripping the slide. I ran even faster.
I had finally seen the group of 6th grade lockers and immediately spotted the one i was looking for. It was one with a 'master' lock on it, one of those plain, bulky ones. I managed to get this locker on the first day of school, when the 6th graders got new lockers allocated to them. I use it for hiding away from bullies. But it wasn't just any locker...
I sighed as i reached into my trouser pocket for the key. I nearly fainted. I had left the key at home!
I started to think frantically. Noises blurred inside my head. "what should i do, what should i do, what should i do...".
Screaming brought me back to my senses. Coming from...
Oh no. They have reached the gym.
I saw a schoolbag of a 6th grader, and knew there would be a key in there. I heard another human scream. I went towards the schoolbag before remembering what they could do to metal, and knew only my locker could help now. The screaming was getting louder. I then saw an abandoned teacher's handbag. I grabbed it, searched through the cluttered mess, and found the key, resting in a front pocket. I ran back, bringing the handbag with me, tense, expecting another scream.
But there were none.
I jammed the special staff key in the staff work room door, heading straight for the key cabinets. I studied the names, found mine, pulled out the key, and was about to leave when a loud, wailing scream pierced the air. All was quiet for a moment.
I knew, i just knew, they had found me.
I looked around, grabbing some more non-perishables from the snacks in the staff room, stuffed everything but the knife in a plastic bag, and thought of a quick diversion.
They couldn't be that smart, judging by how long it took them to mess up the gym. I knocked over papers, scattered food crumbs, and kicked over chairs, to make it look as if they had ran out the back door, leading to the small storage room. Yes, that could keep them distracted for a while.
I heard the scream, much closer this time, and knew i needed to leave. I looked around, looked at the once bustling New York, thinking of friends family, all those camping trips with dad...
Putting it behind me, i ran. They could hear me now. Triumphant shrieks came from all sides, making me move faster than ever before. As i put the key in the lock, heard them turn the corner. I frantically tried to jam the key in the lock, my fright making me clumsy. I thought, "Am i seriously going to die here?". That made me feel a little better.
I finally put the key in the lock, turned it flung open the door, dove in, chucked in my supplies and the handbag, and slammed the locker door behind me, locking it from the inside. And none too soon.
I opened the trap door on the bottom of the locker and dropped down into the maze of tunnels that lay beneath the school. I closed the trap door behind me, and had just started to crawl through one of the tunnels when i heard a sound of indented metal.
After I was sure they were out of earshot, I started to move towards the 6th grade lockers, for there was the location of my shelter. Navigating the school was a simple task, not just because i had been there all my life, but because it was a simple design. It felt odd being in the hallways of an empty school.
A horrible, blood-curdling scream erupted from some way behind me. I ran into tiny staff kitchen and looked out the window to see hundreds of these creatures banging on the gates of the school. I stood petrified, taking in their bloody, scar-riddled bodies. I thought of my mother, and frantically looked among the crowd for her. But i couldn't see her. Or maybe i would't see her.
I grabbed some dried meat and canned food, a can opener, plenty of water, and a knife. " Just to be safe, i'll never need it,"I told myself. But i had a feeling i would.
I thanked the architects about the fact that the school was small, and began to run. I took a glimpse out a window and saw their mangled bodies pouring into the playground, tearing apart the metal beams, ripping the slide. I ran even faster.
I had finally seen the group of 6th grade lockers and immediately spotted the one i was looking for. It was one with a 'master' lock on it, one of those plain, bulky ones. I managed to get this locker on the first day of school, when the 6th graders got new lockers allocated to them. I use it for hiding away from bullies. But it wasn't just any locker...
I sighed as i reached into my trouser pocket for the key. I nearly fainted. I had left the key at home!
I started to think frantically. Noises blurred inside my head. "what should i do, what should i do, what should i do...".
Screaming brought me back to my senses. Coming from...
Oh no. They have reached the gym.
I saw a schoolbag of a 6th grader, and knew there would be a key in there. I heard another human scream. I went towards the schoolbag before remembering what they could do to metal, and knew only my locker could help now. The screaming was getting louder. I then saw an abandoned teacher's handbag. I grabbed it, searched through the cluttered mess, and found the key, resting in a front pocket. I ran back, bringing the handbag with me, tense, expecting another scream.
But there were none.
I jammed the special staff key in the staff work room door, heading straight for the key cabinets. I studied the names, found mine, pulled out the key, and was about to leave when a loud, wailing scream pierced the air. All was quiet for a moment.
I knew, i just knew, they had found me.
I looked around, grabbing some more non-perishables from the snacks in the staff room, stuffed everything but the knife in a plastic bag, and thought of a quick diversion.
They couldn't be that smart, judging by how long it took them to mess up the gym. I knocked over papers, scattered food crumbs, and kicked over chairs, to make it look as if they had ran out the back door, leading to the small storage room. Yes, that could keep them distracted for a while.
I heard the scream, much closer this time, and knew i needed to leave. I looked around, looked at the once bustling New York, thinking of friends family, all those camping trips with dad...
Putting it behind me, i ran. They could hear me now. Triumphant shrieks came from all sides, making me move faster than ever before. As i put the key in the lock, heard them turn the corner. I frantically tried to jam the key in the lock, my fright making me clumsy. I thought, "Am i seriously going to die here?". That made me feel a little better.
I finally put the key in the lock, turned it flung open the door, dove in, chucked in my supplies and the handbag, and slammed the locker door behind me, locking it from the inside. And none too soon.
I opened the trap door on the bottom of the locker and dropped down into the maze of tunnels that lay beneath the school. I closed the trap door behind me, and had just started to crawl through one of the tunnels when i heard a sound of indented metal.
Friday, September 9, 2016
What I Did on The Holidays!
These summer holidays, representing the first year I have lived in New York, was quite a cool one. We went to the Dominican Republic, an island in the Caribbean and my home country, Australia! Below I will tell you the highlights of my holiday, where to go, and what to do.
first stop, Saint Martin!!!
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For those who do not know, Saint Martin is an island in the Caribbean, surrounded by other smaller ones (above right).
This was my first time in the Caribbean that I can remember, and it was amazing!
The first thing we did after we landed was take the little over 5 minute drive to out resort, before checking in, eating some dinner, and having a little look at the space around us.
The next day we walked to the beach connected to our resort (pictured above left) and swum at midday. We went to the beach several times during the week that we stayed on the island, mostly different beaches, my favourite being one filled with fish- small fish big fish, things that looked like swordfish.
Another highlight was eating at a place called 'Skipjack's' where we ate the best meal consisting of calamari, rice, some red meat, and much more. Also feeding bread to hundreds of waiting fish was great too.
Finally the time came to go back to New York, and we were all sad to leave. Ovarall, it was a unique experience. Check it out!
Next we spent a joyful 2 1/2 weeks in Australia! There we saw our friends, ate teriyaki chicken sushi, and, of all things, skiing in Thredbo with my parent's work team. Luckily, it snowed rather heavily for that time of year, making it much more enjoyable for everybody off and on the slopes.
Because I lived in Sydney for most of my life, making recommendations is rather difficult. Her are just a few ways to spend your time in NSW.
Our week in Punta Cana was amasing! Mastering the single reverse on the trapeze, swimming in the ocean, sailing, the lot. I recomnmend it for everyone!
I hope you enjoyed your holiday!
first stop, Saint Martin!!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------For those who do not know, Saint Martin is an island in the Caribbean, surrounded by other smaller ones (above right).
This was my first time in the Caribbean that I can remember, and it was amazing!
The first thing we did after we landed was take the little over 5 minute drive to out resort, before checking in, eating some dinner, and having a little look at the space around us.
The next day we walked to the beach connected to our resort (pictured above left) and swum at midday. We went to the beach several times during the week that we stayed on the island, mostly different beaches, my favourite being one filled with fish- small fish big fish, things that looked like swordfish.
Another highlight was eating at a place called 'Skipjack's' where we ate the best meal consisting of calamari, rice, some red meat, and much more. Also feeding bread to hundreds of waiting fish was great too.
Finally the time came to go back to New York, and we were all sad to leave. Ovarall, it was a unique experience. Check it out!
Next we spent a joyful 2 1/2 weeks in Australia! There we saw our friends, ate teriyaki chicken sushi, and, of all things, skiing in Thredbo with my parent's work team. Luckily, it snowed rather heavily for that time of year, making it much more enjoyable for everybody off and on the slopes.
Because I lived in Sydney for most of my life, making recommendations is rather difficult. Her are just a few ways to spend your time in NSW.
- Taronga Zoo
- Sydney opera house
- North Curl Curl (for some waves!)
- Questacon In Canberra
- yum cha
- sushi train
- dubbo zoo
My final chunk of time off before school was spent in Punta cana, an island in the Dominican Republic. After flying back to repack and rest, we were comepletely exited for the last week of holidays.
If any of you have been to or have seen the videos of club med, you will know what I mean.
I was most exited for a new facility called Creactive, where you can be active (trapeze, bungee trampoline, the wall) or be creative (mask making, face painting) or both!
Our week in Punta Cana was amasing! Mastering the single reverse on the trapeze, swimming in the ocean, sailing, the lot. I recomnmend it for everyone!
I hope you enjoyed your holiday!
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