Today is April fools day, and I feel like I have a million things to do. A couple of days last a couple of days ago I foudn out about a program that is virtually worldwide called the GAP program. In the GAP program you spend approx 6 months to a year away in another country, volunteering in some capacity. The areas that I'm most interested in are TEFL (teaching english as a foreign language) and the schooling program. I think it would be so interesting to see how children from another country would react to someone speaking in english, especially if they couldn't understand me very well. It'd be such a learning experience from both sides. I'd also love to become more familiar with another language, because I didn't have all that much exposure to different languages growing up in the schools that I went to. The only trouble is, despite this being such a great program, it costs an enormous amount to be involved. I tallied up all the costs and it would cost me roughly $7,000 (australian dollars). But I just don't know where to get all the money from. I thought about sponsorship, but the only trouble with that is that the sponsors themselves always want something out of it themselves and I don't know what I could offer apart from company exposure. I'd be learning a tonne of new skills and think that this program would be a great lead-in to a possible teaching based future (one of the directions that I consider a real possibility). But yet, I'm the daughter of a single mum and we don't earn very much - does anyone have suggestions as to what I might do, or awards or grants I might apply for? I've been searching about, but I haven't found very much so far.

Today I got an email from someone explaining about their worries with an estimate for their University Entrance Score. He was particularly upset to find it was so low. I wanted to help him out by trying to make him feel better. The only trouble is, what do you say without being corny or sound patronising? Does anyone have any suggestions?

Wow, exams are over and I just felt the weight lift from my shoulders. I know next year will be worse, but at least I'll know what it's like, I'll be prepared!
It's a beautiful sunny day outside and I'm just lapping it up. Soon I'll be off on my holidays elsewhere in Australia. Time off. "Nothing time" I like to think of it. But it'll be more like "Exciting-I-get-to-see-some-old-friends-time". Tasmania is so gorgeous this time of year. Not it's usual four seasons in a day, that you get the rest of the year. My inbox has been creaking with the amount of emails that have come in, a lot of them are legit, but sadly a lot was junk. Another sad thing, a lot of that junk was porn. Sorry to anyone out there who likes getting porn, but I'm just not interested and I wish that the people sending it to me would realise that too! Does anyone know how to get themselves onto some kind of black list so they won't send you anything like that?
Anyway, enough about the negatives, it's still bright and sunny outside, so I think I might just go frolick in the flowers, dance after a few butterflys or something equally as lovelly.

Today I had my very last maths class before my end of year exams. It's a pre-tertairy and I'm not sure that I have much faith in my incredible mathematical ability, but yet e vads I'll try.
I seem to have moments sometimes where I just can't work - and I'll become procrastination central. I have to study like a trojan, I'm sure that if I put in the effort I'll be able to get results, but I'm a bit scared. What if my marks aren't high enough? What if I don't do the right subjects for university? what if? what if... It's enough to stress the pants off anyone.
I'm keeping calm, though I'm sure if anyone tried to approach me the day before the exam it would be a whoooole other story. I also have an art exhibition where I'm assessed. But this one doesn't worry me quite so much, because art is much more relaxing than calculus and algebraic modelling.
At any rate, even if things go badly and people don't like my work, then at least at the exhibition opening there'll be wine, so I can only hope the people get way too inebreated and just remark at "all the pretty colours..." as they fall to the floor.
I saw this segment on the Today show this monring about how much stress young people doing end of year exams suffer. I had no idea that in Queensland and the Northern Territory year 12 students don't have to go through external assessment. Makes you want to spit. It's reminiscent of good ol' Gough, "Life wasn't meant to be easy".
Maybe a good plan would be to seclude myself on a warm deserted island so I can concentrate...