There’s a World Out There…[Hermi's Journal]

[Hermoine]

So the title already sucks doesn’t it? For some reason I have never been good with titles. It took me a whole week once to give my poem a title. I confess I have never had a diary or journal before, but I thought it might be fun to start one.


26th September 2004

It’s like 9:45PM, and I’ll have to leave soon. I have to go to sleep early today, which I have no idea how I’ll be able to do seeing how during the whole of the summer holidays I used to sleep around midnight. In 11 hours something, I’ll be a fifth year! I can’t believe it! It’ll be my final year in that boring school with subjects which I’ve never likes e.g. geography. ;P Every time I go back to school, I always remember that day when I first stepped into my school. I was shorter, my skirt was long, and I didn’t have a clue where to go. I was literally trembling while being sorted into my class but then it was all right. It was a great year my first one; mimicking teachers , getting to know the general routine of having 13 subjects instead of 5, enduring the annoyance of the people on top of you…

And I don’t have a year left now. I’ll have to hand in the projects for my GCSE’s in January, do my finals in February, March means back in school, and then I can spend the rest of April, at home, poring over all my books and notes. What at wonderful life isn’t it? At least I can look on the bright side of things, which will happen later I suppose. That’s a good thing because it gives me a motive to do well in my exams.

All I’m hoping for right now is to be able to get enough sleep, and wake up tomorrow, with the happy feeling of seeing my friends again. I do wish the list of prize winners will be up, but something deep inside, tells me it won’t and even though I have had to endure a whole summer without knowing if I have a prize or not, my school’s way of being slow is quite remarkable. I’m praying not to get terrible teachers, (please not my neighbour, NOT HIM!!!!) though I’m bound to have one of them for sure. It would take a complete miracle.

And I guess it’s best get off the computer. I’ll read the next Sherlock Holmes story(which right now I can't remember what it is called), then we’ll see.

[nancy]

I don't think your title sucks...
Good luck with school tomorrow eh! I remember the first day of my last year of secondary school. It was ok. But I remember the last week of that year more clearly. It was bliss. ;D

[Hermoine]

Thanks Nancy! Glad you like it.

27th September 2004

I'm back; rather hot tempered perhaps and with my stomach grumbling. I arrived a bit late at school, well not exactly late, but with the rain and the first day of school for many and also several roads closed, traffics congestions can’t be missed. Good thing I found my friends soon though. It took like 30 minutes for the assembly to take place. We did this remembering mini-ceremony of the children, and people who died in Russia and then spent yet another half an hour listening to a very boring list of school buses, the routes and their prefects. The finally, the sorting started. My year was the last of course, but good thing we stayed the same students. All we did was change the 4 to a 5.

My class is like a train. It’s long and narrow, and where did I end up? In front of the teachers’ desk. My Maths teacher is also my form teacher. It’s incredible how in 5 years, I’ve only had 2 different maths teachers. One taught me for 3 years and the one I have now, will be teaching me for the second year. My Religion teacher is all right. She’s from my hometown too. The big shock was when my English lesson was due. Who should be my English teacher, if not my dear and lovely neighbour! It’s very weird, having him to teach me, although, he probably wouldn’t know I’m even his neighbour. He came with this sort of a hero air, and when the fan wouldn’t work, he banged it with his fist in a sort of Fonzi from Happy Days style. He did the same to the window, and it banged loudly against the bars on the outside of the prison. We’re like in a prison! I mean really! Bars! My business studies teacher was a really shock. He speaks in low tones, and also in a very sleepy-tone. I kept looking at the watch through the whole double lesson. And I have yet another double lesson tomorrow. If this keeps going on, we’ll join as a class and ask for another teacher instead. We only have till the Easter holidays since I’m a fifth year, and at that pace, we’ll be lucky to have covered half the syllabus!

Tomorrow I’ll meet my French, Social Studies and Physics teachers. Good. I know who my French teacher is already, which is good since she’s quite all right. I just hope the class we’ll be having Physics lessons with are good, because I don’t want to end up with one of those classes who have no inclination to want to learn.

Best be going. I need to buy some school stuff, although good thing I don’t have any work, yet.

[Hermoine]

28th September 2004

Boring! That is the meaning of my business studies lesson. It used to be a very interesting lesson. Now it is the dread of every Monday and Tuesday afternoon. Right now, I’m writing this on foolscap, hiding my writing from this oh-so sleep-making teacher. It’s terrible! My friend Claire next to me is writing protests on a piece of paper, drawing angry people with banners saying that we want last year’s teacher. We just might be able to have a transfer. She (last year’s teacher) said she really wants to teach us, so we’re going to go to the headmistress tomorrow to ask if this is possible. I so wish we could have her again.

Anyway, enough about that matter. My new history teacher is very sweet and fun, so I think this year will be quite enjoyable. We continued Romeo and Juliet today during English; he really destroys its beauty. I love it, but he kept repeating meanings and read in a pompous sort of manner, and mixing things up. You don’t say, “a shirts”! He repeated it more than once! His English pronunciation of “thou”, “thee” and “doublet” sucked! I’d rather read the play on my own.

Moving on…I have a nice plant in front of me on the teacher’s desk. *checks watch* It is 2:00PM. *Hears the bell ring* Ah! One lesson down! Only one business studies lesson left and then it’s off back home on the school bus. A dirty bus as to that. One, which the driver doesn’t even care to tidy. Once, we saw this yucky sort of yellow web on every side of the light tube, which is fixed to the ceiling. Bleaugh! Can you believe it was actually glue?!

*Yawn* Doesn’t this lesson ever end? *Checks watch again* 2:12PM. I have nothing enthusiastic to look forward to, so it’s not like I can avert my mind to such things. It’s just the same old boring school life again. Waking up, having breakfast, catch the bus, bore yourself to death during the lessons, go back home, do your work and then it’s back off to bed. That’s VERY interesting.

2:22PM. Time takes way too long to pass by at times. I guess I’d better stop here. I have already written one side of an A4 paper, and this will take some time to type.

{End of rant.}

I wrote that while at school. Of course things are a bit different seeing how I’m at home and have typed this all out and stuff. Better get going. Ċaw! (that means bye in Maltese.)

[Hermoine]

2nd October 2004

This morning I went to see "The Prince and Me" with a friend of mine. It was all right I guess, except the end. I hate these kind of movies that end up "and they lived happily ever after." Stuff like that doesn't exist IRL, so why even think of it happening? I mean, an ordinary farm girl who gets married to a prince? Yeah right! In her imagination! Sure, Princess Diana was a kindergarten teacher, and she did marry Prince Charles. But what happened then? They divorced. She used to scream and run every time she saw a photographer. Life isn't all love and fancy things! It has its bad sides, which are normally not shown in any of these kinds of films.

I felt really weird today. My mum wanted to buy this new dress, and I was advising her on what dress to choose and what make-up to wear with it. I'm not like that! Clearly, I have got up on the wrong side of the bed or something this morning. I couldn't believe those words were coming out of my mouth. Is this normal or what?


I have a boring test on number work for Maths next week. *sigh* Algebra, percentages and I don't know what else. Lovely! I'll have to spend the rest of tomorrow studying.

Eh well.

[Hermoine]

7th October 2004

I'm feeling kinda bad because I had my maths test and I got one wrong. I was getting 2 different answers on my calculator, and I had to choose one. Unfortunately I chose the wrong one, as my dad then carefully showed me. Eh well, but I think I got the rest of them right, so that's good.

Lately I've been feeling a sort of want to learn and study different stuff. Maybe I'm going through that want-of-learning phase again. I have been wondering what philosophy is like, since I'm thinking of studying it in college next year. I really want to start college because I bet the subjects will be very interesting; I have to study stuff like geography and history of Malta, which, well, I don't like very much. They are interesting sure, but not exactly my favourite area.

I'm writing an installment for a story I'm working on with a couple of friends on another site called Project Ferret. The story is called "In the Time of the Founders Four". I'm liking the way the story is evolving and stuff. Each of us writers have a number of characters and we write from their point of view. I have a ghost who sacrifices herself for a student, and a Ravenclaw Muggle-born first year with a pet hamster. ;D her name's Emily and I really like her.

Gotta get going. I have more writing to do.

[Hermoine]

12th October 2004

We had mass at school this morning. We always do it a couple of weeks after the first day back; we're all together, the whole school, like 1200 in total. The atmosphere was terrible though. A girl who was still in her first year died during the summer, and the mass was done in her honour as well as for two mothers of two teachers who passed away too. I felt like crying the whole time; seeing the girl's mother in tears, her grandmother and aunt. Not a very good sight at all. I didn't know this girl, I only saw the pictures of her after we were told the news of her death. I don't know why, but I felt this thing in me say that the girl was there all the time. She had her arms round her mother's neck and this continued fortefying the feeling I had, that she was there, she was present in the threatre(my school has a sort of greek theatre- it's true. It's a lot like the ones in Greece, plus we have a really old tree in the middle)

I'm trying hard to learn the subjunctive for french. At least that's the last form of verbs I have to study for my O' Levels. I have present, past, imparfait, conditional and subjunctive. I dare say that is quite enough.

I'm trying to balance writing my systems analysis project and cooking pasta at the same time. My computer studies project isn't as easy as I thought it would be. I have to do the systems analysis for a hospital which is still using a manual system. Everyone to his work I suppose?

[Hermoine]

15th October 2004

Ah! The weekend again! It's incredible how time's flying so fast. I have already been 3 weeks in school from the 19 school weeks I estimated. One of the assistant heads said we'll be getting out O' Level application forms next week; I'll have to choose which exams I'm gonna do and at what level. Like, there's Paper I which everyone has to do, but then Paper II is either A or B. A is the most difficult. I'm sitting for all 10 my exams, and will give them all A. Then, we'll see how we go.

I was trying really hard to figure stuff out during computer studies today. We were doing these examples from Paper II A and they were extremely difficult. I mean, you'd think that different subjects have barely anything to do with each other(excluding maths and physics). How was I supposed to know I had to work with the Frequency stuff we did in Physics in my third year and of course I know we have to use a lot of maths seeing as in my computer studies exam, I'm not allowed to use a calculator. So I have to work stuff mentally like 16 to the power of 16! *sigh*

Better get going. It's getting late. Caw!

[Hermoine]

Ugh! School again tomorrow! I so don't wanna go! So ok, it's the same end-of-weekened mood.

But tomorrow will be worse. The bus driver who'll come to pick us up is always really late! He comes at 8:00AM or later and the school bell rings at 8:20!! And it's not like he hurries or anything! There's going to be loads of traffic too because they've finally decided to get a move on with building the roads! It's a disgrace really! The work was supposed to be finished by August 2004, and when it wasn't what did they do? They put another piece of paper over the 2004 and it now reads August 2005. I remember there was a road which took about 3-4 years to get finished. Seriously!

*end of rant*

I spent a whole day with my cousin today, whom I love ever so dearly! I drew bones and faces on her hands and fingers(she kept singing that song "This old man, he played one....") and I tried to persuade her not to tear all of my grandmother's plants.

On Tuesday I'm going to this sort of Christian rock concert or whatever it is. It's a school outing mind. I dunno what it is exactly, as the morning we were informed of it I hadn't arrived yet. Surprise surprise!(see above)

I'd better get going. It's starting to get late. Good night to ya'll!

[Hermoine]

19th October 2004

I'm back from the first ever concert I have been to. True, it was not one of those huge concerts where people are jumping up and down and shouting themselves hoarse. It reflected on Chrisianity and life, but I liked it nevertheless. The group was an Irish one, so my first thoughts were straight to En and Fan. ;D

I laughed so much when my maths teacher fell asleep. I mean, how can you sleep when such loud music is going on! He had bought today's newspaper to read earlier(yup, I think he might have brought some night-vision goggles if he wanted to read in the dark ), but then my friend Claire was like "He's asleep!" I couldn't help not laugh! My friend who happened to be next to him was crying with laughter. Then he woke up when the song ended and started shouting at the boys who were in the row in front of him because according to him they wouldn't stop talking. As if he even heard them! He was sleeping the whole time! He actually managed to fall asleep again! Then, when the concert ended, we asked him if he had had a great time, and his answer was "Oh yes I did!" Sure! A pleasant time in a dreamy land of maths and logic.

The timetable for my exams came out today!! Aaaaaaa!!!!! I have a whole month of exams! I'll be starting with Physics(loads of equations and definitions to do with laws of motion, and electricity and all that stuff ) and my last exam will be English Literature. It won't be that bad. I'll have to write on poetry, prose, and of course Romeo & Juliet! I plan on reading more Shakespeare books! I actually used to hate Shakespeare! I was stupid to even say so without ever having read any of his books.*hits herself on the head. Talks to self* Books are beautiful! Fix that in your head!

[Tasia]

Hermoine said:

The group was an Irish one, so my first thoughts were straight to En and Fan. ;D

Noted and appreciated, herm. Bye the way, I never formally welcomed you to Glenmore. So, um, welcome, and stuff.

[Hermoine]

Thanks for the welcome!

I get free books and I tore a page!

This morning I was very bored, especially during Physics. We're doing alternating current, and I really don't like it. (wonder of wonders )

Then I saw the list of prize winners pinned up to the notice board and my mood completely changed. Good thing too. I got 1st in IT, and 3rd in English Language and Literature! Weepee! Ha! Guess coming online and talking with foreign friends does help! Thanks to ya'll!! Now I just hope the shop I'll be exchanging my vouchers at will have the books I want. I think I can buy 3 books with the amount of money I have, so that's good.

On, a bit sadder tone to things, I was poring over my French culture book and it suddenly slipped off my desk. I quickly went to grab it, but got one of the pages instead and it tore! And I was like I seriously never meant to tear it. And as much as I hate all this cruelty towards books and everything.

I have a maths test tomorrow. He said something on Sequences, but I studies for that last weekend, so I should be well-prepared and stuff. I had an English essay to write, which I kind of hated. I had to write a ghost story(because the other choices were terrible) and it is known that ghost stories are the most boring! It is difficult to write a good ghost story which readers will enjoy. The worst part of it was that I had to cut out a lot of it because it was too long. I had nearly 500 words and all we needed were 320-350. At least I managed to lower it to 380, but it loses a lot of its fine details which I dedicate my time to do.

We had 3 Danish student teachers for P.E. today, because my previous teacher which lasted only for 2 weeks suddenly decided to leave.(I think she gave up or something) Sure they were great, I mean, I had the first ever proper P.E. lesson of my life, and I realised I am everything but fit.(Is that a surprise?) They talked too quickly though, we never exactly got what their names where. Since of course their names are in Danish and nobody speaks Danish in my school(stupid restriction of languages! ) But I liked their way of teaching. They structured the time perfectly and we finished exactly 5 minuted before the bell rang, giving us time to get back in the changing rooms and stuff. I think we have 3 more weeks with them, which is great really. I just had a bit of a neck ache after the exercise.

I'd better get going. There are about 6 months left till 26th Paril(the day I start my O' Levels, and I need to work work work.)

Ċaw Ċaw!

[Hermoine]

I hate it when I'm sick!



Was that a retorical exclamation or something? I mean who likes being sick? Apart from my youngest brother who thinks that being sick is a good excuse not to go to school......

Hopefully I'll be able to go back to school tomorrow. I hate missing days, even if it is only once. Now I'll have loads of notes to copy, and I had double computer studies today! I just hope I'll be able to catch up with the others as in, understanding stuff.

I've recently joined this site where you can write any kind of stuff, and then you get it critiqued. I like it a lot because that way, I'll get reviews on the work I'm doing. I find it quite hard to write dialogue. Blame that on the stupid system around Malta that in English you should never write dialogue. My teachers used to say marks would be deducted if we put a little bit of speech in a narrative. I hate it.

[Hermoine]

29th October 2004

Overall it was a good day really. The headmistress bored us all this morning by going on with her ranting that we should do are best in the O' Levels or else we'd be robbing our parents and otherselves. For my part, of course I'll be doing my best! This is my future, and what happens next all depends on what actions I take.

My English teacher, with whom we had our first lesson was waiting for us in the hall, and when I mention him, you can say something funny is about to happen. Wonder of wonders all the copybooks he was carrying fell. I know it sounds like laughing at such a thing is cruel, but he's too much of a Neville Longbottom, in HP terms. At least he gave me a good mark for my essay which I deeply appreciated. He wrote me a "Keep writing!" comment, which I guess coming from someone who is rather full of himself, it is quite good. Yeah, he's a real lover of poetry, and probably of himself. He's one mascilist(might explain why he never married), like we're doing this poem and it's called "Five Ways to Kill a Man". Now when you see, "Kill a Man" of course you say that you're gonna kill a male person no? But no! In his eyes "a Man" means male and female. He might be an English teacher but if I recall well through these 15 years I've been living on this earth, the word man "man" refers to both genders, and not the way he explains it. He can certainly make me go mad sometimes. I'm usually to be found ranting non-stop against his boring and not very accurate ways of teaching in the front row in the desk in front of the teachers' table. Can you believe it? I ended up front! I'm finding it quite incredibly the fact that people actually see with me there. I'm no huge person but I'm the tallest person in my class.

Yay! My dad bought me "The Da Vinci Code"! I've been dying to read it! Right now I'm reading "Want to Play?" though, although it is a very good read too. Oh, there are so many good books out there. Sometimes I wonder if I can match such standards of excellent writing.

It's the weekend, and for the first year in my life I'm actually happy Halloween is here. We don't celebrate it, unfortunately, but some time ago I joined this particular website called Project Ferret. It's great, with people with really great writing capabilities. It'll be exactly a year since the site was founded, exactly on Halloween and they're organising a month-long fanficiton contest. Oh I can't wait! It's gonna be so much fun!
Another good thing is that we always get 3 days off school because here in Europe we celebrate All Saints' Day. That would be 1st, 2nd and 3rd November. I have loads of things to do though. Like study for my physics test(magnetism and a.c. - a highly interesting bed-time story ) and I need to make a number of modifications to my systems analysis project too. My comp. st. teacher said my hospital system was far too vast at my level and if I didn't cut stuff from it, I'd probably end up having mark deducted for lack of perfection. Eh well.......

Better go. I'm smelling a nice waft of salmon ravioli. ;D

[Hermoine]

2nd November 2004

Alive and Guilty

So the facts won't be as bad as the title sounds. But right now I'm feeling particularly guilty because I should have been studying Magnetism and Alternating Current for my Physics test on Friday and I barely read any of my notes. Tomorrow will be the last day of my mid-term holidays so I hope to study everything tomorrow. And what did I do today so that I didn't have time to study? Simple. What any bookworm would do with a fabulous book in their hands. I finished off Want to Play?. It turned out an amazing read and I'm really glad I bought it although I had to make louds of *beep* sounds whenever someone swore in the book, which was pretty often.(I usually read-out-loud. I'm trying to get a sort of British accent which is hard because if I practise it in public, people think I'm some posh person ) That means tonight I'll be starting The Da Vinci Code Hoozaaah!!!!!

Ah! 2nd November. Election Day. All day I've been praying nothing and happens. And thankfully, nothing bad has happened, yet. With all this terrorism going on, one could be afraid every day of their lives; I guess I was worried for all the Trapdoorians out there, especially those living in the US(never forgetting those who don't live there of course) I've been listening to all the scraps of news I could about how the elections were going, and then I remembered I could just watch CNN.

I keep reading the Maltese essay I did. It's pretty much description really, called "On the bus". But I still liked it, although I'n still not sure why.

Right now I'm trying hard to think of a silly article one would write in the Quibbler. It's for this writing competition, although I think I have something coming along now. Hope it will be good. Keeping with the characters will be the hardest point. But for now, one of the people on top managing the site, sent me a PM saying I was doing really well. That lifted my spirits a lot. This thing will be going on for a whole month, so I still have a long way to go. We'll see how it comes out in the end.