University Prospects

It's that time of my life when I have to decide what universities to apply to. Well, here are my 5 selections.

1. Oxford
It's always the better choice if you start by having big ambitions. Who knows? It just might come true...Like fairy tales.(Bad joke, I know.)

2. Durham
It's part of the Russell Group. There's a fantastic library. It's located at a nice spot where it is near enough to Edinburgh to get there easily and yet far enough to have warmer temperatures. The fact that they ranked third on the league table for English, 2013 didn't hurt either.

3. Warwick
Great library and Russell Group affiliate. What made it my choice was the fact that it is located in the middle of Wales and London and the fact that they had a higher score than Bristol in the "Career after 6 months" section on the league table mentioned before.

4. Exeter
It's part of the Russell Group and located at the southernmost part of the UK. With that being said, the only difference between this university and the others are the facts that J.K Rowling studied there and the "career" score was 63.

5. Edinburgh
Russell Group affiliate. The clincher? Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes), J.M. Barrie (Peter Pan), J.K Rowling (later on) and Robert Louis Stevenson. All the cold air are definitely worth tolerating.

Thoughts on Joan Of Arc

If you've ever paid attention to the history of the world, you'll find that Joan of Arc is a famous name, something akin to Henry VIII and George Washington. As her French name is Jeanne, I shall be referring to her as that instead of Joan because I have a slight quirk that makes me pronounce names in their native form despite being unable to pronounce them.

Jeanne was a peasant girl who had "received a vision from God to put France's rightful king on the throne" during the late years of the Hundred Years War. Naturally, one would expect her to dismiss the message as a strange dream as some people (Note : Saint Aubert) did. However, being the brave, headstrong, god-fearing and relentless girl that she was, Jeanne did what she was told and got burned on a stake as a martyr for her efforts. Sure she was made a saint but that happened decade later. Furthermore, depending on which accounts you believe in, Jeanne was condemned by her own people, the French.

Regarding Jeanne and the role she played in history, there are two arguments as usual.

The more popular thinking was the fact that she was a saint who had a message from God, sent to right the wrong. And so, she died a martyr, a hero of France. After all, she did brIng about the coronation of the rightful French King. She was a beacon of hope for the people of France when they were low and desperate.

The other side of the fence was that she was either a delusional or ambitious peasant girl. To back it up, Jeanne was a peasant. In that aspect, it tells us that Jeanne was uneducated and the general thought of peasants back then were that they were not self-aware, meaning Jeanne probably did not think too much on the consequences of her actions unless they were an immediate and obvious result. Furthermore, people then were so God-fearing that just the notion or confirmation that as long as God approves, it is the correct thing to do regardless of logical and realistic outcomes.

Now, if reincarnation was real, here are some people who I think could be her.

1. Winston Churchill

There's one thing everyone knows what PM Churchill was and that was determined and headstrong. If he wants to plan for the battles all through the night for weeks, then he will. Don't believe me? Check Horrible Histories and Lord Moran's book on him. Regardless of the bodily function known as sleep, his generals' and secretaries' need to rest, and the concept of health, Churchill just bulldozes through meetings with only alcohol and tobacco to keep him awake. Now, without his relentless tunnel vision planning, WWII might have gone off to a worse end. However, his disregard for rest and health plants a seed of doubt in people's minds - what if he had made a mistake? What if it was only by luck nothing extremely bad happened? These same views mimic those of Jeanne's actions - What if her luck ran out? What if it was all by chance and not God's will? What if she really was mad? Thus, this well-known PM is one of my candidates for a reincarnated Jeanne, out to save the world.

2. The Great Terrorist of the 21st Century who I shall not name for fear of raging trolls with nothing better to do than to Google this name - O***a, You-Know-Who

I know, I know. Writer, how can you put this guy as a candidate?*Insert angry face**Insert meme Jackie Chan and the Huh? hands* Well, Jeanne can actually be considered a terrorist. Let's check the similarities now shall we? 

Believe they were doing what was right and God supports them? Check. Caused lives to be lost? Check. (You can't tell me she didn't kill at all. She participated in battles!) End up dead? Check. Fighting against a whole country with better resources and better trained forces than what they had? Check. Fighting for the freedom of their own countries? Check. Had to go in hiding? Check. Relentless, headstrong, God-fearing, brave and somewhat suicidal? Check. (She was a peasant. No army training and yet she goes and lead battles?) Mixed opinions on their campaigns? Half-check that. I'm still not sure on her modern candidate's polls.

As a conclusion, they are so similar that I wonder when did Jeanne become immortal and had a.gender change. Sure, Jeanne's campaign caused fewer devastations and was in a smaller scale but sometimes it could be just due to the circumstances.

3. A normal person

There are some who think that those who had lived a hard life will achieve peace and happiness in their next as a reparation for the hardships they had overcome. As such, it is entirely possible for Jeanne to just have a normal and peaceful life now. Her personality traits don't make her different from the rest of the human race. We have to survive and go through school and work. If that doesn't take determination and bravery, I don't know what does. 

The only difference between a hero, a villain and a civilian are merely circumstantial. Everyone is a Jeanne. A hero to some, a villain to certain people and a mere passerby to others. It all depends on whether others notice and acknowledge it or not.

Melbourne Trip : The Big Three

In a few months, I finally get to go to the nearest country with colder temperatures - Australia. To be specific, Melbourne. For this trip that will probably be one of the last trips I'll be going on as a teen and not yet a full adult, here's my big 3 to do's.

1.  Visit the State Library of Victoria

Since there are 7 exhibits, I shall split them all into two days' worth of entertainment. With all these 7 exhibits done, I hope to have a greater understanding of The Victorian era, its writers and several other cultures both modern and slightly more ancient.

2. The Old Melbourne Gaol

I have always love visiting these kind of places. With the ability to look on at some writers inside their cells when they write, hopefully I'll be stirred to write something too. For 25$ , it's alright. Don't think I'll be going there on Sunday for a chat with the writers though...anyways, prisons really are one of the best ways to know the essential thinking behind the men of that era.

3. Hellenic Museum visit

It's Greek. What else can I say? Greek just sums up how important the culture is and how most inventions, art and writing came from there. With this piece of knowledge, hopefully I'll be able to see the Greece that was so poorly portrayed in my history text books.

5 Favourite Books That I Grew Up With

As we grow up, there is always those few books that made an impact in our lives so large that we practically used it as our guide to life. They were clutched so close to our hearts that we start mimicking them, living them out in reality. Nothing was a better cure for sadness or depression (Yes, I know we were kids but even then we had moments where we just don't want to go to school, interact or get out of our rooms.) than a healthy dose of re-reading our bibles.

Over time, we grow out of them. We see that life is not what the books said it would be. Life is not predictable. Life does not consist of beautiful and yet strange drawings and creatures with equally interesting people who think you are interesting. Life cannot be mastered and made to end perfectly just by giving it your all and studying.

Despite of all this growing up I had to do, I can still look back at those books and read them again for they reminded me what I couldn't have, what I wanted, what I hoped for, my dreams and my innocence. So, here is my "Top 5 Books When I Was Just Some Naive Brat".

5. Tamora Pierce's Tortall books

Alright, I know it's top 5 books but these series can practically be the same when you sum it up. Here, I'll summarise it and you check with all of them to see how true they are.

If first book of the series,
A) Girl wants to be something which others in her life had discouraged her to do.
B) There are a few people who encourage her to follow her heart.
C) She does it.
For all the books,
D) Stranger in a place with new and sometimes odd (to her) people.
E) While acclimating, she makes new friends and new enemies.
F) She establishes herself as someone useful who nearly everyone loves.
G) (If there is a love interest) The guy gets an admirer/The guy admires someone who will play a vital role later on.
H) (If there are two guys interested in her) There will be a male cat fight.
I) Bad Guy reveals him/herself.
J) Some random event happens that reveals part of Bad Guy's plot.
K) Climax! Showdown time!
L) Happily ever after.

Well? Sure, the details vary but the essential key point is you can do what you want as long as there are some who support you, courage and determination. It's cliche but what standards did you expect when you read the title?

4. Roald Dahl's Matilda

Roald Dahl is a famous writer who wrote so many books that I couldn't settle on one until I remembered this book's triumph card for me - The adoptive/step-mother figure is the saviour and not the villain. Ms Honey practically adopted Matilda at the end of the book so she can be considered the stepmother, right?

Anyways, this book just satisfies all the evil and bratty little desires I had. Parents does something you don't like a.k.a wrong in your eyes? Punish them. Teachers treat you badly? Punish them. A perfect teacher who is kind and understanding? Check. Genius protagonist? Check.

That's why this book is on this list. However, it's not great enough to beat this.

3. Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl : The Artic Incident

What kid wouldn't want to be a genius? Artemis Fowl is both genius and cunning. To boot with the fact that he is rich and knows how to use the money. In books and movies where the anti-hero/villain is the star, I love it when the protagonist stays the same and doesn't become some hero figure because it is just so satisfying and rare. Even though Artemis' father is gone, Artemis takes up the role as a criminal mastermind and an "entrepreneur". What makes this book the best out of the series? The fact that Artemis just kicks the school counselors out of their office just by being more intelligent than they are. I mean, I was a brat but somewhere in my mind, I already knew how rare and satisfying it is to be able to make professional counselors cry and be more intelligent than they are. Artemis did write the recommended book of the counselor after all, without him even knowing that Artemis is his highly acclaimed Doctor/writer. The discovery of the fake arm chair is just the finishing touch that makes the book make me feel "like a boss".

2. Anne McCaffrey's The Masterharper Of Pern

As my introductory book to the magnificent world that is Pern, I feel that this book deserves my number two spot. Pern is an amazing world where  dragons are real. There are fire lizards. Music plays an important role. In fact, every job does.

In this book, I read how it feels to be a child of famous and talented people. Sure, some of us are but most of us just dream. I read not only what happens when the child is as talented and dedicated but also what happens when the child does not live up to expectations. Sure, Robinton was kind but the disappointment and the distance created can still be felt.  I read the future when our parents pass away eventually. I read about how love was found and lost in just a few days' time. I read about a life that was practically perfect in every way. 

Adventure, tragedy, humour, love, music and success. This book taught me what a Happily Ever After would look like in real life if it ever happened. It showed me reality's brand of perfect route to success and happiness. Sure, it was cliche and common but this book opened my eyes to a world that would teach me so much more.

1. Terry Pratchett's Small Gods

This thick and confusing book was the first that I read from the Discworld series but it didn't become my favourite in the first reading where I couldn't understand a thing. When I first read through it, it was like some sort of weird, adult book with strange terms and concepts. Once I was inducted into Discworld by Pyramids, my confusion became love. Have you ever felt confused and betrayed by the concept of religion? Well, this book shows the process one dedicated and loyal believer goes through in accepting that religion is not everything. It is not the ultimate truth. There are no set rules. Life is dictated by those who wish to dictate in an honest way. And gods? Well, they are beings that are bound by what we perceive them to be. As such, this neutral, witty, sarcastic, nonsensical (of sorts) book was my bible back in those days.

So, there's the list. And here's the ending. I wouldn't be surprised if no one reads this. After all, what interesting ending could a top 5 have other than the usual "It was hard to do, there were so many to choose from. I'm so Glad it came out alright. What's your favourite book when growing up?" Well, I'll be ending this article with a little geeky fact from YouTube : Xbox disc changer made out of basic robotics parts. Here's the link - http://youtu.be/9At79-XIR38?t=3m24s (if you're on iPad/iPhone) http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?t=3m24s&v=9At79-XlR38&feature=youtu.be&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D9At79-XlR38%26feature%3Dyoutu.be%26t%3D3m24s

Cosplay aftermath

My stint as a volunteer was great.

What I got : A ton of new friends.

Cost : Money and time and now sore body all over.

Conclusion : Still worth it!