April 2011. My first year brother is convinced I’ve robbed €5.70 from his life savings. He asks inconspicuously that evening at dinner if the number meant anything to me, to which I reply ‘no, it’s 30 points short’. Now I find it funny how I did, indeed, get 570.

The night before results, I had no real sense of apprehension, stress or nerves. I got up at 7, went for a walk and arrived at school at about 9.30. I exchanged pleasantries with the school’s figureheads, signed my name and opened the envelope. No trembling hands, no tears. I scanned it quickly to make sure I had 6 As and then totted up my points! Here’s how it went. (AllHonours..)

English: A2

Irish: A2

French: A2

Maths: B1

Applied maths: D for Don’t do this subject if you don’t need it..Derp.

Biology: A1

Chemistry: A1

Music: A1

The only one I’ll consider getting checked is French, it was disappointing to come down a grade from the mock, and lots of people felt it was marked very hard.

I’ve got medicine in NUIG! 733 overall. Really very pleased, although it was my third choice. I had my heart set on Dublin, so much so that I left applying for accommodation until offers day. I said all along that if I got in anywhere I’d be chuffed, and I am. All summer, my mind was plagued with pangs of self doubt. But there were no bouts of insomnia fuelled night time walks or nervous breakdowns. I guess that can only mean I was quietly confident all along, of the work I did and how I performed on the days.

I hope everyone is happy with offers and such. I don’t, however, hope that everyone got what they wanted. That would be quite an unsustainable arrangement, and arts faculties everywhere would be bursting at the seams! But I was happy to see the ‘UCD here I come’ statuses on Facebook yesterday. Lol jk I wanted UCD..

Patrick Barry, yes! Thank you for letting me write here! Aside to the lovely comments I’ve gotten being a huge ego boost, It’s been a platform for my vanity. I’d like to say it helped me get an A1 in English, but oh well!

So that’s it. A year of gay blogs, I hope someone out there took something from them. Now I’m giving up any creative inkling I have to go save lives, good luck!

Also if you’re going to NUIG give me a shout, I hav no frnds.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/abyrne1

I didn’t think I cared too much about HPAT results, until that email flashed early this morning. In all honesty, I’d resigned myself to thinking it went horribly, eliminating the choice of medicine. That would have been easier. But when I saw 179, and that I’d scored in the 80th percentile, it spurred me on. Just enough to give me a decent chance, and now I dare to dream.

The leaving was ok. No disasters, and a bad maths 1 and applied maths will hopefully not be counted. Now, there’s no way of knowing how the points will be this year, and I’m avoiding boards.ie because of people asking if their 590 and 200 in the HPAT will get them in. Shut up. Don’t bother with the mind games. What’s done is done. There’ll be lots of hear-say, people trying to say the points will shoot up by 20 this year. I’m just going to try and stay optimistic, while not getting my hopes too high.

Aside to this carrot dangling in front of my nose, I gave my room a blitz of cleaning Kim and Aggie would be proud of today! Not just the books, but the clothes I haven’t worn in years, the mountains of sheet music from musicals and pointless things I’ve kept over the years all went in the bin. New start and all that.

Oxegen in 11 days, still have to sort myself out! The stage breakdowns show some disappointing clashes, but still looking forward to it. Immensely. Like most people I’ve been talking to, I’m upset I didn’t start listening to The National earlier. They’re great.

Another great thing about being finished; music! I can now indulge myself in as much as I want, without those guilty pangs of conscience brought on by books strewn across the floor. I’m still adjusting to the freedom. But for now it feels pretty class.

Anyway, this was just a short post after the results. Hope you all did well! Of coarse I don’t but felt I had to say it.

Good luck with results, everyone!

Adam.

I have recently had to bear a horrible plethora of food related puns. I hope you don’t end up eating your words, Jason!

I wasn’t served any succulent meal this week, unfortunately. Just exams that I think went ok. Managed to trudge through two and a half pages about leaders in the community in Irish 1, while Irish 2 had most of what I expected, except in the last poetry section. I was banking on an tOileán or Maigdiléana, suppose you should never depend on a lady of the night! The Stair was quite tasty

Maths 2 was a lot more mangeable, manageable than paper 1. I remember saying after English 1 and 2 that the hardest papers were done with. Oh dear. I almost cried on Friday afternoon. It was the sheer frustration of not even being able to tackle some of the b parts. But after paper 2, I think I should come out with a B!

Biology today was one I was genuinely worried about. Being one of the easier subjects, the pressure was on to do well and get an A after a poor performance in the mock. Chronic texting actually helped me with this one, as my friend pelted me with texted questions last night! Thank you Sinéad. I think I gave it a good shot, but I fear being too optimistic, in case I’m left with a bad taste in my mouth.

Social networks can destroy me when I’m doing homework/study.

I said this in the last French written piece. Only made that horrible realisation in the car on the way home. Can possibly be passed off as a melodramatic reaction to the negatives of social networking.. Détruire/distraire. Fml. Overall, a pretty dodgy written paper, but hopefully that delicious aural with its side order of wild mushrooms will balance things out.

I still have three more exams to look forward to. Chemistry, music and applied maths. I envied some of the people in my year that finished today or even yesterday, but pitied them at the same time. The one girl in my year who is an utter exam machine even showed some symptoms of nerves. However, their freedom came at the price of a soul-destroying blitz, while I have a four day break to cram for chemistry and brush up on my Bach! Applied maths, well we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. The choice between higher and ordinary will be a fierce battle between my pride and status as an ‘Allhonours’ (oho) student and the fact that I haven’t looked at the book since the mocks.

My exam experience will be long and painful. But I’m still seeing it as the lesser of two evils. Definitely could not have coped with French and history yesterday, and to those of you that did, fairplay! Not to worry, I hear your hand should regain their natural shapes with a few days.

One of my favourite things to do these days is tick off completed exams, and watch the pile of redundant books in the corner grow. How sad, but funny at the same time!

I agree about keeping in touch on Facebook, feel free to add away.

Good luck in any exams still to do!

Adam.

Yes, the Claudius question was beautiful! Heartless monster v. redeeming qualities. Theme or issue was uncanny in its likeness to a question I had done this week. Was prepared on 3 of the 4 poets too. Did Frost, as 80% of the country most likely saw Boland and spewed out whatever they had learned off, regardless of that poor question.

I wasn’t nervous, although I probably had a right to be. Seems as though if those questions hadn’t suited me perfectly it would have been a very different story. Easy paper? Don’t think there’s such a thing in English 2, but that was as nice as we could expect.

Pity everyone else seems as ecstatic as I am.

Hardest exams done, in my opinion!

Bye now.

A favourite line on my mother’s endless phone calls. ‘Sure this is it!’ This statement now holds little weight as far as I am concerned. The leaving is not as definitive and permanent as it’s made out to be. Not ‘the be all and end all’ as someone else put it. I’m looking ahead to September, when we will hopefully be in our chosen courses, where questions like ‘how many points did you get’ will seem trivial and outdated. We’ll all be starting again at square one, as equals (except arts students) and it will no longer matter if you got 100 or 600 points. Some will defiantly claim that the next few weeks are among the most important in our lives. At best, a good leaving cert will offer a kickstart in the right direction. At worst, an excessive, unnecessary period of stress and exertion through which we all must go. I’m not finished until the last day, (applied maths) and I’m quite happy about this. It means I get to be among the last of the class of 2011 to leave. And to say goodbye.

Studying has once again put a block on my brain. A filter that strains out any superfluous thought, ie. information not on the syllabus. Here lies the fatal flaw of the system. I feel as though it has rendered me untouched by solemn thought. I tried to write a creative essay earlier, but found it infinitely easier to learn off some stair na Gaeilge. I can’t wait for it to be over, so I can forget all about organic chemistry, nitrogen cycles and calculus and make room for worthwhile things.

Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.

The Leaving Cert gives us knowledge. Life gives us wisdom. Study. Cram. Swot. Get the points you need, but education doesn’t end there. It never ends. We keep learning until the day we die. We learn how to deal with delicate situations. How to speak. How to listen. How to comfort those in need. I’ve seen recently how the strive for perfection can be dangerous. Deadly, even. And how it can hurt those closest to us. Don’t be afraid of perfection. We’ll never get there.

Over the year, my friends and I have made some jocular comments about my prospects of getting 600 points. I would have said they were quite good. Only I invested time in the things I love. Music, writing, my friends. I’ve taken risks with girls, gotten hurt, texted profusely to ridiculous hours of the night, and broken several self imposed Facebook bans to get those coveted ‘likes’ my ego so craves. I’ve written before about making sacrifices, hoping the ends will justify the means. In reality, I’ve made very little sacrifice, and may come to regret this. But for the moment, I wouldn’t change one thing.

Difficult as it has been, the last nine months have been nothing more than a cramathon. I’ve seen two friends lose fathers, and marvel from a distance at their strength to tackle this damned exam that will supposedly decide the rest of their lives. Meghan and Laura, it won’t. The strength you have gained, the qualities you possess and your personality and heart will decide where your life leads you. I’m just glad both of you have these in abundance.

Last post before exams, so good luck. 

Fortune favours the bold.

Adam.

You know, the proverbial ‘wall’ that marathon runners hit at just about the 20 mile mark. Currently feeling something similar to that, but in studying terms. It’s as if there’s a block on my brain that simply refuses to allow any more information in. Like that one dick of a bouncer that doesn’t let your friend into the nightclub the day before his 18^th birthday. The leaving is a sort of marathon. Not a test of skill, but of endurance and mental strength. I had this same sort of experience at sports day on Wednesday. For the last number of years, I have won the long race with no real effort, but this year as I heard the nearest competitor closing in on me, I tried to give a burst of speed that would carry me over the line, but it wasn’t there. I can only hope that doesn’t reflect how I’ll cope with these exams.

As for the horned monster I mentioned in my last post, it’s starting to rear its ugly head. I feel sorry for my 14 year old brother, who has to bear the brunt of my frustrations when I can’t finish an algebra question. I’m slowly getting to a point where I have zero tolerance for noise, and had to stifle the screams in my throat as the weekend lawnmowers around my house snarled and rattled today. I’m almost sure I used to be able to block these things out. Seems I’m not as relaxed as I thought.

With the end of 6^th year comes your final assembly, grad, valedictory or whatever your school likes to dub it. I think it’s nice, to throw some sentimentality into the mix. To take a step back from the hectic workload and look at what you’ve achieved over the past 5-6 years. That is, of course until you’re asked to help organise it. Beyond the cheesy songs and slideshows of ridiculous TY photos, I’m looking forward to rounding off my time at school with my friends. I will be sad to leave, but I’m glad that’s the case. It means I’ve enjoyed my time at school. While racking my brains to try and pick a song to play at it, inspiration came from the most unlikely of places, namely a music listening test. Some of you may have had this on your mock.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tn9hLK2nmPM

You might find it boring, but our year has been through a lot this year, some more than others, and somehow I don’t think a chart song by The Wanted would cut it. Not to mention a friend of mine is an incredible singer and I can’t wait to hear her sing this.

It’s now 12.45am. My sleeping pattern may have something to do with my performance recently. Still, a matter of weeks and it’s all over, never to be seen again. Now and then, somebody pipes up with facts and figures about how many French classes we have left, with a chorus of ‘awhs’ from the rest of us. I haven’t been overwhelmed by the thought of leaving school yet, probably because chemistry practicals and definitions block out anything not academically inclined. But I expect to pay the odd visit. Auditions this week for next year’s musical looked very promising!

That’s all, happy revising.

Adam.

Strange title for a 6^th year on the home run before the leaving, but things could be worse right now. I’ve done a fair amount of study this week, taking today and yesterday evening off for a gig that didn’t go exactly to plan. Although we did bump into Duke Special. Pretty cool guy. As for study schedules, as I said in my last blog (the French being a wager with a friend) I don’t really have one. I’m more or less playing it by ear, and going roughly by my school timetable, doing an extra bit of maths here and there.

Why happy days? Well, I’ve realised that we’ve got most of the hard work behind us. Orals done, music practical done, the majority of most courses completed and any projects or portfolios you might have had all handed in. All that’s left is to ‘keep the head down’ until June, and we’ll be fine. Also, the weather we’ve been getting isn’t too bad at all. I know it’s typical ‘study weather’, and countless Facebook statuses inform me that many people can’t concentrate when it’s sunny outside. But I’ve used this to my advantage, working relatively hard all day and rewarding myself with a pleasant walk in the evening. I’ve spoken of taking pleasure in the simple things before, the liberation of a bird relieving itself mid-flight perhaps not the most eloquent example, but the pleasure of a well earned walk, listening to some music I’d forgotten I liked is one of the things that will get me through this final stint of school.

At this stage, all we really can do is our best. For some of us, that means limiting the damage and getting a safe C in whatever subject it is. For others, it means polishing off a topic until you’re happy you’ll get full marks. I can see myself getting stressed out by what other people say they are doing. Getting five hours sleep a night, four grinds a week and colossal amounts of coffee.

Then again, a bit of fear will do no harm.

For those non-French speakers, or those who didn’t read my last post, orals were nothing out of the ordinary. Irish was the better of the two, being more like a casual chat about things I like. Pianos, music… French, on the other hand was more like the assessment you would expect when the examiner is a teacher at from an all girls’ school. Run of the mill questions, expecting answers prepared word for word. Not the most comfortable, but I think I got most tenses in there. I came out feeling quite content, which is unusual because I normally feel I’ve undersold myself. Still, the written paper will make or break me.

Music. Was brilliant. There’s no point in lying. Not perfect by any means, but probably the best performance I’ve ever given. Especially since I’ve had a bad public experience with Mr. Rachmaninov already this year. It felt good to redeem myself.

I heard at mass today, ‘the disappointment of defeat is merely a companion to the joy of triumph’. At first I disregarded this comment as the ramblings of a doting priest, but then tried to apply it to our LC situation, and it made perfect sense. I’ve been knocked back a few times this year. Some of it was hard to take, but I’ve learned that not everything will go your way. I’m hoping these experiences will help me do my best in the coming months. Only I can’t say months anymore, it’s now a matter of weeks.

I’m very relaxed about the whole thing. You always hear those horror stories of 6^th years turning into horned monsters around this time of year, but I’m quite laid back at the moment. And I can’t see that changing in the near future. Even the apparent enormity of the orals didn’t seem too daunting. It’s probably because the leaving cert is such a big deal that we’ve been hearing about it since we were in nappies. So by the time you get around to 6^th year, you know exactly what to expect. That said, I do get first preference at home, with tea and bowls of cut fruit being brought regularly to my room! Little perks…

Applied maths, my bete-noire. I’ve decided to still do the exam, but not give it the time I’ll give other subjects. I’ve still got seven other honours, and I can’t justify doing eight. Just seems like a waste after going to two classes a week since 5^th year. Oh well!

Finally, this has to be said. The standard of blogs here has shot up recently. I really enjoyed reading the majority of the latest posts. Probably because people have more time on their hands, or are looking for extra English 1 practise! Either way, keep it up. It’s great to see more posts with more interaction.

Enjoy the rest of the break,

Adam.

Voici mon blog qui j’essayerai écrire en Français. Je le vois comme travail, et cela m’aidera a l’examen Français. J’étais content avec mes resultats des examens blancs. 540 points. Il ne suffit pas pour la médecine, mais je sais que je peux améliorer d’ici à juin.

Les orals, ils ont fini, grace à Dieu. À l’examen Français, les questions ont été très simples, decrivez votre maison, decrivez votre meilleur ami, etc. Ce m’a ennervé un peu, car je m’attendais une conversation. L’examinateur venait d’école de filles, et j’imagine qu’elles apprennent beaucoup de paragraphes par cœur sur leur familles et leur meilleurs amis! L’examen était comme un examen, et pas une conversation. C’était difficile de montrer mes temps et mon vocabulaire, mais j’ai fait de mon mieux. L’Irlandais, d’autre part était génial. Comme une conversation détendue. J’ai lu sliocht 7. Je ne peux pas imaginer 30 marques plus faciles que le sliocht! C’est quelque chose que même le plus mauvais élève peut preparer avant de rentrer. C’est formidable pour vous détendre aussi, et la phonétique dans mon livre était tres utile.

La musique était absolument magnifique. J’ai fait des erreurs, c’est un fait, mais j’ai continué et bien récupéré. J’ai eu quelques concerts du piano mauvaises cette année déjà, et j’ai besoin d’un peu de chance. L’examinateur était formidable, et semblait impressionné par mon test d’improvisation aussi! Si vous faites la musique, la technologie est un don absolu. Peut-être plus facile que le sliocht. Est-ce que possible? On doit écrire quelques lignes avec ‘Finale’ ou ‘Sibelius’, et faire quelques modifications. C’est tout!

Pour les vacances de Pâques , j’étudierai, bien sur, mais j’espere que j’aurai un peu de temps pour me détendre aussi. Je n’ai pas un plan d’études, mais je sais quoi je veux faire en chaque matière pour les deux semaines.

C’est tout!

À bientôt

Adam

Mar gheall ar Lá Fhéile Phádraig, a bheidh orainn go luath, cheap mé go scríofainn blag as Gaeilge, nó go mbainfinn triail as! Chuala mé go mbeidh blag mar rogha ar an scrúdú Gaeilge san Ardteist ó 2012, agus tá súil agam go mbainfidh daltaí sa 5ú bliain úsáid as an sampla seo.

Tá na triailscrúdaithe críochnaithe agam, buíochas le Dia! Táim sona sásta le mo thorthaí, ach caithfidh mé níos mó oibre a dhéanamh sa bhitheolaíocht agus sa cheimic agus rinne mé práiseach den scrúdú maite fhadhbanna. C1? Níl sé sin maith go leor. Chaith mé beagnach dhá bliain ag déanamh staidéar air, agus táim ag smaoineamh anois, an fiú é? Bhí na scrúdaithe tuirsiúil, ach tá súil agam nach éireoidh mé leisciúil dá bharr.

Ach tá rud amháin lena bhfuil mé ag tnúth.

OXEGEN !!!

Roimh an seachtain seo, ní raibh mé ábalta smaoineamh ar aon rud ach an Ardteist, scrúdaithe béil, agus stadéir. Ach fógraíodh na grúpaí a bheidh i láthair ag Oxegen dé Chéadaoin, agus faighim mé féin ag brionglóid faoi saoirse an tsamhraidh, an grian, beoir fuar agus páirceanna clábaracha i bPunchestown. Cad atá níos fearr ná sin? Agus mé ag scríobh an blag seo, tá Fake Empire le The National ag seinm ar an gcúlráid. Don chéad am ón samhradh seo caite, tá sceitimíní orm! Ba mhaith liom cad a bhí le rá ag Sorcha, agus aontaím leí. Tá am dúinn féin de dhíth orainn, gan a bheith ag smaoineamh faoin scoil agus scrúdaithe. Táim ag tnúth go hollmhór le Oxegen. Ní féidir liom fanacht bheith ansin le mo chairde, ag éisteacht le Arctic Monkeys nó Coldplay. Tá na grupaí atá fógraithe thar barr. Agus chuig siúd atá ag rá ‘níl sé chomh maith leis anuraidh’ tá rud amháin le rá agam. FEIC OFF!

Bhí an uachtarán sa scoil an seachtain seo don oscailt na scoile soisirigh nua. Rinne sí óráid iontach, agus ba léir nach raibh an caint ullmhaithe aici. Labhair sí linn go mhacánta, agus ba mhór agam sin. Cé go bhfuil an tír seo in isle brí, chuir sí in iúl dúinn gur tír iontach í Éire, agus go bhfuil dóchas ann don todhchaí.

Bhí gliondar orm daoine a fheiceáil ag athrú a ainmneacha chuig Gaeilge ar Facebook! Is mise Adhamh Ó’Bhrion. Is léir go bhfuil meas againn don teanga fós, cé go cheapann roinnt daoine gur teanga ‘marbh’ í. Ach mar a deir an seanfhocal, tír gan teanga, tír gan anam.

Bhuel, sin é, go n-éirí libh!

Adhamh.

Election day. Remember the days when it meant a day off so the dusty national school gym could be used as a polling station? No more. Surviving for 18 long years has deemed me eligible to have a say in who runs this country until we realise our next government fails too.

Like most people, I don’t know who to vote for. Fianna Fáil? Are ‘the reason we are in this mess’. Fine Gael are ‘just as bad’, supposedly, and their flashy websites and gimmicky catch phrases have failed to attract me. I’m swaying towards Labour. They seem the least likely to be a disaster. Is that fair to say? Then there are the independents, who with the growing discontent with our political parties are seeing their opportunity to ‘make a change’ and tackle the ‘cronyism’. Either that, or the prospect of a lovely TD salary was too good to pass up!

After debates, canvassers and countless leaflets in the post, I’m none the wiser. The televised arguments were a feat of points scoring, each leader trying to get one up on the other, and the odd seanfhocal I might find useful in a Leaving Cert Irish essay. Any canvassers that came to my door lost my respect immediately with  ‘Hello! Is mammy or daddy home?’ Nope, but I’ll be voting too, goodbye!

I did enjoy the Irish language debate! I was expecting pre-rehearsed responses to arranged questions, answered one by one. Initially, that’s what it was. ‘A Mhichíl, céard atá do fhís don tír amach anseo..?’ But once the initial statements were done with, I was impressed with the leaders’ Irish. I was sceptical at first, but it developed into a proper argóint. Still, I would have liked to see Gerry there, just for laughs!

Despite many peoples’ wishes, Enda Kenny will most likely be our next Taoiseach. I’m going to be bold, and say his success must be attributed to this game.

http://www.finegael2011.com/game/?gclid=CMbY_5iNnacCFcomfAod_CubbQ

Who wouldn’t want him to lead your country out of economic recession?

Ádh mór,

Adam