Saturday, June 18, 2005 12:05 am

Penny!!! Nooo! Why are you gone?! I had no idea you were coming! =( How long were you here for? Anyway no my school isn't near Newcastle. It's pretty near the city though, city as in Sydney. You should have come and visited me! Mel misses Penny!!

Charles did the same thing to me couple of months ago. You know, you guys should tell me before you come. And just by the way, in case anyone like Charles, thinks I am still using my old number, may I remind you that I live in Australia now? Have I changed my number? Whaddaya think? :P

Maya - I have actually made it home from school a couple of times you know, yes - even with my sense of direction. =b Going along the main road is always a good idea.

Which is exactly what I don't want to do with my subject choices right now. I just found out that Philosophy is available as a subject! (It's always been my thing.) But it's a distinction course, so it only begins in year 12. And it's correspondence-based learning. You don't have regular classes but you email your lecturers overseas and attend seminars at Unis here. Sounds like lots of work but if I had the time I'd be doing it myself in my spare time now! I love it, but to do it I need:

- to be an 'exceptional student' who has accelerated and completed, ahead of all my cohort, all HSC course requirements in one subject area generally at the highest course level.
- presentation for the Higher School Certificate examination in the year prior to the year in which I do a Distinction Course
- outstanding achievement in the accelerated course at the HSC examination
- evidence of a pattern of high achievement in all courses I study
- support from the school principal
- school report indicating suitability to study a Distinction Course which includes an assessment of:
~ specific academic strengths
~ other strengths including creativity
~ ability as a self-motivated independent learner
~ research skills
~ communication skills
~ personal initiative and leadership skills
~ relevant achievements within the school community
~ relevant achievements in the wider community.

Fat hope, huh? Maybe I shouldn't even bother trying.

But have a look at the stuff from the past year test papers here and here. If that is work, that is the most interesting work I've ever seen.

I so want to do it! Maybe if I can't get it, I'll just do it in Uni. But what do I do with a major in Philosophy? What do I wanna be anyway? I don't like thinking about it.