hii everyone !!

I completely forgot about atarnotes (again) and about the new site. It looks very sleek, I like it! Anyway, more about me - school has been okay, since I'm still in year 10 everything has been easy and I'm thinking of doing some pre-study for Methods, Japanese 3&4 and English, since I am guaranteed to get into those.

For Japanese, we've been starting our new unit so no SACs or anything yet, no exams either. Which means that the lessons are easy, but I'm sure the SACs will have a little punch to them.

this journal is going to be more positive, i think. this part 2, anyway. i'm looking forward to this new sort of beginning.

9 days later

Hey Sodacat, did you by any chance hear back from the selective schools you tried for?

    Scilover I didn't end up trying for any πŸ™ i don't know why, it just never happened. My apologies, but I really don't know. Good luck to you though (you tried out for them, I believe?)!

        14 days later

        G'day mates <3 here's today's update!
        Japanese:
        I recently finished a SAC for Japanese, but I'm not expecting marks until the holidays or after the holidays. I hope I get a good mark, it would be good to maintain my average. Not much to say about Japanese, other than the grammar sheets are no fun.

        Physics&Chem
        Now, I'm not sure which one of these I'm doing next year. No clue. However, I find both rather interesting (especially physics!!) and I've started studying the basics of both because I did neither of them in middle school. Science has always been complicated for me, history's a lot easier, you know?

        This is just a short update, just to get something out there. Catch you later!

          7 days later

          sodacat_

          The best thing I can recommend for trying to choose subjects is to look at prereqs for unis for them. For example, I'm pretty sure that for biomed, chemistry is a required prereq so if you're looking at anything like that it is maybe better to choose chemistry. Other science degrees usually require any of the three but it depends on uni.

            a month later

            "Guess who's back (back) back again ('gain, 'gain)"

            HELLO !!

            It's a been a hot minute, and I've only just noticed that I've been updating once a month but it is a-okay. I've been considering doing practice exams to prepare for 3&4 Japanese and 1&2 English. Japanese will get a lot harder, and I'm just not sure if I'll be able to get all the support I need in class. Therefore, I have to study on my own. Which will be hard, I procrastinate a lot and conventional methods of preventing procrastination do not work for me, but I'm going to try my best! I'll be doing my third SAC soon, so that should be good.

            My scores/percentages for my Japanese SACs so far (all except the last two, because the second one hasn't been marked yet and I haven't done the third) are as follows -
            SEM 1 SAC 1 - 16/20 (80%)
            SEM 1 SAC 2 - 12/15 (80%)
            SEM 1 SAC 3 - 19/20 (95%)
            SEM 2 SAC 1 - 16/20 (80%)
            So, not bad, in conclusion. I'm averaging low As, which while that's great since I am in Year 10 and all, I want higher and better. I'm hoping for A+ next year, I want to work harder. Hopefully I am able to overcome some of that demotivation - I think I know where my weak points are and how I can work on them, it's all about starting.

            I also have not received my subjects yet! I'm really really curious so it's driving me mad (because of course it is) but I'm hoping that I get the subjects I want!

            I'll probably update after I get the grade for my second sac or after I've completed my third one.
            Farewell~

            Mini update!
            I got 14/15 on my SAC! Yay!! Now I have to study for the third one πŸ™ wish me luck!!

            17 days later

            Okay, so bigger update here! The life of sodacat has just gotten exciting!

            LEADERSHIP
            I applied for Vice Captain a week or two ago and was pretty quickly shortlisted - I was pretty nervous for the interview but I'd like to think my answers were decent. I really hope I get this, leadership is something I'm really interested in and I think that this is a big opportunity for me. Even if I don't get it, it would still be a good experience to go through the whole interviewing and applying process, so I think i'll get something out of it either way. Wish me luck !!

            JAPANESE
            So, I've done both my third SAC and my exam, Japanese is completely over with. I got 87% on that third SAC, so an A - which is a pretty good way to end the year. I got an 81% on my exam, which is the lowest I have ever gotten on a Japanese exam. Before that, it was 95%+. But I'm not mad, because this exam was a lot harder than the last one. It had a listening section and everything! I need to do even more studying I reckon, I've done quite a bit but not enough.

            Apart from that, nothing too interesting is going on. I've been getting back into reading - which is always good! After I've finished Sappho's Leap, I'm going to get into Kafka on the Shore - which I've been waiting to read for an extremely long time! Give me book recs I beg of you guys.

            Anyway, I'm also glad to see more posts from the Class of '24 - it's great to meet you all! <3

            WAIT WAIT HAHAHAHA I FORGOT TO TELL YOU GUYS THAT I GOT MY SUBJECTS
            Next year I'll be doing English 1/2, Methods 1/2, Japanese 3/4, Physics 1/2, Chemistry 1/2 and History 1/2. I got everything I wanted, didn't even need reserves. I'm especially happy about History, I really love history!

              sodacat_
              Book Recs:
              If you haven't already, the whole Percy Jackson series
              Kane Chronicles (Ancient Egyptian mythology is just portrayed so well)
              Shadow and Bone
              The school for Good and Evil (first book is pretty awesome, 2nd kinda falls, 3rd is much better than 2nd, 4th is really interesting and I haven't read the fifth yet)
              City of Brass (its a triology and ITSS SOOO GOOOD, especially if you love history)

              And good luck for Vice Captain!

              -jinx_58

                  jinx_58 Cheers mate! I think I'll start with Kane Chronicles and City of Brass - they both sound extremely interesting! I also now have -3 notifications lol

                      sodacat_
                      All goods! The Kane Chronicles is written by the same guy who wrote the Percy Jackson series, and that author also wrote Magnus Chase which is based around Norse Mythology

                      -jinx_58

                        8 days later

                        UPDATE TIME, HI EVERYONE !! (i think i've had a bit too much sugar)

                        JAPANESE
                        This week I did the first half of my Year 12 transition, there's around five sessions (three this week, two next week) and it was pretty tough. We got straight into learning how to take the exams themselves, like how to do the reading sections and the listening sections, etc. What I really need to practice is my intonation, it's my weakest point πŸ™ , my vocabulary has been doing pretty good, however! We're getting a new textbook for next year, which should be interesting. I now have to finish a practice exam as hw which is going to be a mammoth effort. But I suppose it'll all be worth it.

                        KAFKA ON THE SHORE
                        In my last update, I mentioned that I really wanted to start this book. Well, I finished reading it around two days ago, it took me six days to read this 500 paged beast. Let me tell you, this is one of the best books I've ever read. Kafka's writing style is quite unique and the plot lines are surreal. At points I was shocked, it would go from simple daily life to existential within the same page. I'll be buying quite a lot of books within the next couple of months I think, I have a lot on my to-read list!

                        I still haven't heard about vice-captain, and I'm still extremely excited for history. School is ending very soon (like less than a month soon) which I am very happy about, believe me. Year 11 transition is going to be an interesting time!

                        <3

                        3 months later

                        I'M STILL HERE

                        Yes, hello! It has been a long while, I'm aware. I wasn't sure when to update this, so I kept putting it off. But I'll briefly write an update of what's happened over the past three months and then how I'm currently going!

                        I got a brutal amount of holiday homework for English, by the time I finished I had around 6000 words done. Luckily, I did pace myself and create a schedule which I adhered to for the most part, so it wasn't as troublesome as it could have been. I completely forgot to revise for Japanese, which probably wasn't a good idea, but it's okay. I'll make up for it soon enough. I finished the physics questions relatively quick and I procrastinated chemistry like all hell. No homework for history though, which was great!

                        Right now, chemistry is by far the subject which will fuck me up. I'm simply not that interested in it, especially not compared to physics. My understanding in chem is lacking, but then again, so is my teacher's willingness to teach. Surprisingly enough, I am enjoying methods! I know, me, enjoying methods? Well, it happens. The lessons are structured very well and I'm both learning and not feeling dumb at exactly the same time! Physics is fascinating, but really hard. I am starting from scratch in both chemistry and physics, so I hope with a regular study routine and a loss of pride in myself for not needing to ask questions, I can get back on track. Japanese is boring most of the time, I'm in a combined class and I have to just sit there and watch Year 11s get taught about γ“γ¨γŒγ§γγΎγ™ and such. At least I'm friends with most of the year 11s and I get to win all the games! English is also viscerally boring, but there's no redeeming factor about that. I enjoy history very very much, and that's all I can really say about it.

                        I've done my first SAC in chem and I think I fucked it up- it's alright though, I'll get there.

                        Hopefully, I can start updating somewhat reguarly so they don't end up being this long and I don't end up being so tired when writing them. Catch you later!

                        7 days later

                        Quick update!
                        I got some marks back for my chem and Japanese SACs πŸ˜ƒ !!
                        I got 73% for chem (considering how much I was struggling - not too bad!) and 80% (12/15) in Japanese. Seeing as Japanese is my 3/4, pretty stoked!! I have another chem SAC this week though, so I have to keep working at it!

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