Life at Bellerbys College

Helping to Welcome to New Students to Bellerbys Brighton!

Posted by Asel @ Bellerbys Brighton

Hello!

Congratulations to the new A2 students! You’re the best! And welcome newcomers, I am sure you are going to love your time here in Bellerbys! So, the welcome tea parties are over, and it’s time to study now.

As for the tea parties, I have found them pretty good. After the first meeting of the Student Council, where Mr Corcut and Mr Addison explained us our role at these events, I have realised that it is a very responsible task, as of course new students are very shy at the beginning and tend not to ask any questions. So we had to be as friendly and social as possible, so that they would soon realise that there is a very warm atmosphere and that they would soon become part of our big Bellerbys family. Moreover I really wanted to help the freshers as I remember myself last year, when I had so many questions and did not know who to ask.

The parties took place in the college library under the control of Mrs Chris. So firstly our task was to ask the new students whether they wanted some tea or coffee. Although shy in the beginning almost all of them felt much more confident and content by the end. This could be easily felt - it became so hot in the library!

One boy from Nigeria managed to make friends with everyone! This fact amazed Mrs Chris and therefore he became our example for imitation. After the event Fabrizio and I conducted a tour around Brighton for some new students, where we showed them some basic places: Sainsbury’s, London Road, St Bartholomew’s church, the Lanes, North Road with all the main banks, Churchill Square, Waterstone’s etc.

On the second tea party I felt myself much more confident as I already had some experience and knew what to do. And if on the first tea party there were mainly students from China, on the second one there were mainly Russians. And basically everything was the same. Some of the students had no idea what they want to do in the future, others already aimed to study in the top UK universities.

Unfortunately I was very busy to make some photographs, so that’s all!

Good luck with your studies!

Asel is studying A Levels at Bellerbys College Brighton

The Journey

Posted by Jamie @ Bellerbys Brighton

And what a journey it's been. A year and half away from the family really puts the spotlight on one's identity. It's hard to believe that it's all behind me, actually, and that I'm on my way to greater things. Time is such a deceiving concept - we never seem to feel like it's in sync with our lives, or rather, we are in sync with time. When we want it to go slow, it runs faster than lightning but when we need it to go fast, it remains static. But in truth, it's the one constantly changing constant. I'd love to see the day when I finally fall into step with time; everyone has those rare moments when the two points meet and suddenly, there is no place or time more perfect.

Thinking reluctantly back, the past eighteen months of my life has really dragged me through personal growth. Today marks the end of so many things, most of which contain memories that are simly irreplacable and in some way, it saddens me to have to close that chapter. Knowing that the only way I can revisit and relive them again is by reading the very words I've written or viewing photographic fragments makes me that much more poignant. In some cases (if not most), all I have as a souvenir is based in the contraints of my mental capacity. And that's slightly worrying. 

I feel like I've left so many great friends behind. In particular, I can't believe I won't be seeing Mr.Nix for a very long time. The thing about college which I guess I never realised before about school is that you grow very attached to the people you see everyday. They become great comforts to our daily lives because they tell us that everything is at its norm and that we do not have to be afraid of dramatic changes. I still remember when Mr.Nix was gone for two weeks and exactly how I felt each day when I walked into the studio faced with his absence. There was such a black hole in my heart purely because things felt so disorientating and deviant from my daily expectations. And we all have them about everyone and everything. 

When we tried to say goodbye, it was surprisingly humorous. We procrastinated as we rambled on about derelict buildings and leaving traces of our presence behind wherever we are (sometimes in the form of a creepy dollhouse and awkwardly large musical tree). Then after what was meant to be a quick five minutes turned a lengthy half an hour, all I could do was give him the biggest bear hug I could manage with my all-encompassing arms. He has been my support and father figure for the past eighteen months and to be quite honest, he's become my family. When you think about all of the single-serving people that enter and exit your lives (as aptly put in Fight Club), your family are the only people that see you through the adversities. When you pepper time away with your friends, you all become a single entity. That's probably the best and worst thing about Bellerbys. 

Well anyway, to be more concise with my final post, I'd best get to the thank you's and goodbye's. I'd die if I ever forget the amazing teachers that taught me - Dr. Cheng, Dr. Lively, Mrs. Dreiling, Mr.Nix. I have no complaints. Absolutely none. Dr. Cheng and Dr. Lively have been like my pseudo-moms, constantly caring about my general wellbeing both inside and outside the classroom. Mrs. Dreiling... where do I begin?! You are like my big sister, seeing as we seem to share many similar interests and you're always looking out for me. 

I also have to give great thanks to the Art Department - Mr. Fraser, for always being patient with my pathetic computer-challenged ways; Mrs. McDurmot for always conjuring up some fantastical method for building something awesome (and her double bubble dippy doo-dah); Dr. Barr for always checking to see if I'm alright; Mrs. Stewart for being understanding with the havoc that I had wreaked in ALL studios and of course, Mrs. Rudkin for her beautiful Russian accent and inspirational ideas. Everyone has been so supportive of my work and I couldn't have done what I've done without them.

My great Art friends - Asty, Cristina, Chloe, Jia Ling and Weenie. I will surely miss our random talks on teenage pregnancies and romantic endeavours. Plus, not to mention our ice cream adventures at Boho Gelato. 

Mr. Corcut, Mr. Addision, Toby, Fi, Agnes - You are all so willing to help and have also supported me throughout the course.

And of course, how could I ever forget my collection of friends? Too many of you guys to list out (and I'd hate to forget anyone's name) but you know who you are. Thanks for all the parties, the clubbing nights, the mafia games, the laughs and of course, the company. I still remember when I first came to Bellerbys last March and my grandmother had passed away. Dwelling in my room, I heard a shy knock on the door and opened it to a crowd of sympathetic faces. That was one of the sweetest things that has happened to me. 

I'll not go without a grateful thanks to the cleaners who hopelessly attempt to clean my room every Wednesday morning (thanks for vacuuming around the junk) and of course the canteen people who usually sneak a few extra servings for me. Mrs. Peers, ever willing to print my impossibly lengthy documents. 

I've learned a lot about myself and gained a bit, lost a bit. So as I've said before, I'm off to do great things now. Hopefully, everyone I know is out to do the same. 

Jamie is studied A Levels at Bellerbys College Brighton and is heading to California to study Experimental Animation at university in September.

A (Free) Trip To Brighton

Posted by Autumn @ Bellerbys Oxford

Hello Bellerbys blog readers,

The first thing I want to say after neglecting my privilege of contributing to this blog for so long is that.... I HAVE FINISHED MY EXAMS. Such a wonderful feeling it is! This post-exam period may well be my most fantastic time ever.

During the exam periods, lots and lots of things happened, and it was such a pity that I was unable to spare some time to share with our readers my invaluable experience. Now that I can safely put those admittedly nasty papers behind, I cannot wait to start blogging again.

This first post-exam post is to describe my (free) trip to Brighton.

I was honoured to be chosen as the Oxford candidate for the Richard Ryde scholarship, and was invited to an interview at Bellerbys College Brighton. Therefore on Tuesday, 31 May, I set out on my first trip ever to Brighton.

I had an early start, but the excitement of being a candidate for this prestigious scholarship kept me from grumpiness and boredom during my 3-hour train journey from Oxford to Brighton. (Not to mention that it was free: the school reimbursed my train fare). It was truly an honour to be taking that train to Brighton on this particular day as a scholarship candidate, as there are so many wonderful and capable AS students currently studying in Bellerbys College Oxford.

I arrived at Bellerbys College Brighton at around 10.45 am, 15 minutes before the interview officially commenced. I was warmly greeted by the principal of Bellerbys Oxford, Ms. Julia, who amiably asked me about my train journey. The other three candidates were already there, chatting with their respective principal and/or academic directors. And as it was my first time in Bellerbys College Brighton, I decided to utilise my time there to have a quick look around.

Being the main branch of Bellerbys College where all the executives have their offices, the study centre is huge. It is way bigger than our college here in Oxford. It combines both Bellerbys College and our sister, Embassy College. The atmosphere there is so different from what we have in Oxford: a little more professional, more dynamite but not as relaxing and familiar.

At 11 am, the interview started, and I, Oxford candidate, was selected to go first. I entered the interview room totally freaking out. According to the information that Ms.Julia had kindly provided me, the candidate was to be interviewed by five executives, a quite intimidating prospect. That explained well my nervousness.

The interview went better than I expected, as the interviewers were all so amicable and not-at-all-scary like I had previously surmised. Each of the interviewers asked me one simple question and I tried my best to answer every question (hopefully) with grace. The questions were set for me to express my opinions, my world view and my ambitions. They were not at all tricky, but they compelled me to think deeply about myself and what I wish and can contribute to the society.

The interview lasted around 20 minutes, and I was ushered out. As the London candidate went in, I spent my time befriending the other two candidates. The Brighton candidate, a Hong Kong girl with the lovely name Crystal studied the same subjects as me, while the Cambridge candidate, Niki from Iran, was a budding scientist. We chatted about a wide range of things: from the upcoming exams to the medical problems arising from wearing high heels. The girls were so charming and affable.

When all the candidates were interviewed, we were invited to have a free lunch in the cafeteria. Too bad the London candidate had to leave early! After that, we spent some time visiting the Brighton Pier, with Crystal as our tour guide. It had been a long time since I last had chance to visit a beach, so the experience was absolutely fascinating.

At around 2pm, we parted ways and started the journey back to our respective college.

Eventually, I did not win the scholarship. But I was not extremely disappointed, as my whole experience in Brighton was fabulous, to say nothing of the new friends I have made.

Posted by Autumn, studying A Levels at Bellerbys Oxford 

Eating Crepes by the Eiffel Tower - the Bellerbys Brighton French-Themed May Ball

Posted by Jamie @ Bellerbys Brighton

May Ball 2011 (or June Ball, if you will) was the biggest and last social events of the year. More importantly, it was the A2 kiddies' Graduation night, marking the step into the very bane of any student's existence - exam month. It was pretty great, actually, and for some reason beyond my understanding, much better than last year's. Could it be some subconscious psychological bias from the fact that we had a proactive hand in organizing the event to our liking? Or maybe it was some sort of chemical imbalance that ignited our giddy bones, reminding us that it was our last chance to party hard. 

Whatever the case, it was unforgettable for me. 

I always love hearing girls rant excessively over their pre-prom mishaps and emergencies. At least a month before the event, everything seeming revolves around the right pair of shoes or the right colour of the dress. Now, I'd be downright hypocritical if I didn't fess up to playing a part in the banter. Though this year, it was for another reason entirely. I had a very special pocket fairy whip up something unique for my dress (urged to be brought to the UK by my mum), something that I've always dreamt of having should I ever choose to revamp my clothes. 

I'm guessing it's a dead giveaway from the picture that I'm absolutely in love with the idea of Modern Fairytale fashion. Anyway, I admit there were some stiff competition - the occasional scantilly clad and otherwise, absolute extreme end of the pole (a.k.a Mrs. Dreiling and her husband in their AMAZING costumes). Everyone was dressed to the nines and it was nice to see that their "crises" were adverted. 

The food was really tasty, what with it being completely French inspired. I'm a sucker for skinny fries, so I was pretty much happy. The only let down was that I didn't even go NEAR the chocolate fountain, which is, for those who don't already know, the highlight of the ball, really.

Albeit, I couldn't take my mind off of my performance, which was scheduled to go on very soon. This was my second time performing in front of my friends as a solo act, and I've never actually felt so comfortable. I think it was because I was flanked by awesome piano player Long and violinist Dorothy, both of whom really led the song. Thankfully, I didn't forget the words and I didn't trip over the inconceivably snake-like wires. I only wished that Mr.Nix was there to watch me. :(

After the performances, the ballroom dancing started - a new addition to the theme. As predicted, the turnout wasn't much to be bragged, but the few who did dance seemed to enjoy it.

Last but not least, the pseudo-club music began and people were nervous to get loose. Of course, our night was just beginning as a limo pulled up for the after-party at Oceana. Let's just say, it was definitely not to be missed.

The best part of it all was waking up at 1pm the next morning for the first time in a month! I was in school literally for 6 hours a day, 7 days a week for the whole month of May due to all the Art exams. Some people just don't understand the luxury of sleeping in.

As of yesterday, I have 21 days left in Brighton and counting. I'm itching to go home to cuddle with my dog and eat my mummy's cooking. But no, I suppose you have to wade through the adversities before you can reap the rewards.

Sigh. Until then.

xxJ

 

Jamie is studying A Levels at Bellerbys College Brighton

Royal Wedding Holiday BBQ at Brighton Beach

 Posted by Belinda @ Bellerbys Brighton

   

 

On the 29 April 2011, we had a holiday because of the Royal Wedding in the UK!

As such, a group of us decided to go down to the beach and have a BBQ.

Fortunately, the sun was out and the weather was simply great!

 

    

Beef burger!

 

  

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

  

 

  

 

    

 

   

BBQ-ing marshmallows!

 

"We all have our time machines. Some take us back, they're called memories. Some take us forward, they're called dreams."

At this point of time, I would say that it is an intersection between both memories and dreams. 

We are at the cross roads of our lies now where we will soon go our seperate ways and chase our dreams and aspirations that we have longed to achieve. 

As our graduation day looms nearer and nearer, we find ourselves scrambling to create as many memories as possible.

Perhaps it's just humans' nature to realise that we ought to cherish what we have been given when the end is just round the corner. 

Maybe beacause we are afraid of losing everything which brought us this far. 

Hence, we try to make full use of what we have so that we would not regret later in life.

 

As we watched the sun set and looked across the water, we know in our hearts that this will yet be another memorable moment which we will cherish and remember in time to come...

 

Belinda is studying A Levels at Bellerbys Brighton 

Last Term at Bellerbys College

Posted by Jamie @ Bellerbys Brighton

There's not much left to go. Exactly one month until the end of Bellerbys. I've been thinking a lot about home lately and what the future has in store for me. I'm about to take a massive leap forward in my life and I'm not so sure I'm ready. I'm moving to the West Coast (represent!) to study in CalArts - a dream of mine I've kept since I was 11. You'd think that I'd feel a little prepared for living on my own after staying in Brighton, but truth be told, I'm really nervous. Culture-wise, we're talking about an entirely different entity. Somehow, I feel like maybe I'd be more exposed to nitty gritty aspects of life in the US of A; England was somewhat of a small stepping stone for me.

Nevertheless, it feels extremely satisfying (yet strangely poignant) to finally strike a bold, black line through the first part of my step towards Pixar, and essentially, towards being somebody to the world.

After UCAS applications were done, people keep asking each other where they're going to end up after this. Everyone always replies with a resounding, 'Warwick', or 'UCL', or 'Manchester', or 'Hertfordshire' (okay, maybe not so much the latter). I'm really happy that everyone got what they wanted, but I can't help but feel like a nomad when I say I'm heading to 'California'. Everyone will get to hold onto each other for a little bit longer while I'm the only one crossing the pond. Albeit, I am really grateful for the opportunity, I just... maybe wish I had a little more time?

I'm really going to miss the Art Department the most. The studios have somewhat become my sanctuary and the teachers my family. Honestly, this school puts you in such an enclosed environment, where you're living with your friends, that you can't help but create intimate relationships with your teachers and peers.

Personally, I fair better with people who are older than me, so maybe that explains why I feel like my teachers are my closest friends. It could also explain why I'm always chatting away to Mr.Nix as if I think he wants to listen (yes, I know you can barely stand me sometimes, if not most times). He's been such a father figure to me in so many ways, and sometimes, more so than my real dad has been. You don't get to meet that kind of person very often.

The relationship between Mrs. Dreiling and I is a completely different creature. She's like my non-existent older sister - old enough to give me reaaaaally good advice, but young enough to share the same interests. I can't imagine a day when she's ever without a smile! Also, she and Mr. Nix are like my secret antidote when I'm feeling exam jitters.

I'll probably never forget Dr. Lively and her amazing Psychology classes, nor will I EVER forget the best Math teacher I've ever had, Dr. Cheng. Very different characters, but equally as awe-inspiring. Dr. Lively has really encouraged me to change my eating habits and I love the fact that we can trade our food secrets and tips every class (sort of like your personal nutritionist). Dr. Cheng pushes me like no other teacher has before because she knows I can do it. And to have that kind of support really touches me.

Alas, I can't go without giving credits to my friends. I'll probably find some other time to really expand on this part, but for now, let's just say they've been great.

Who knows? Maybe I'll start an even better chapter this September in California.

Jamie is studying A Levels at Bellerbys College Brighton 

Spring Equinox in Brighton on the Twenty First of March

Posted by Jamie @ Bellerbys Brighton

Many people knew about the Spring equinox - the day of equal parts of daylight and nighttime. However, what most don't know is that this day is also a day of natural phenomenon. The moon, at its' fullest, causes the tides to rise to their highest and recede to their lowest points.

Last year, I read about the low tide in Brighton and found that the water can stretch back as far as the West Pier, so people can literally walk on the sea. I could barely contain my excitement, Googling every tide table and equinox dates possible.

Unfortunately, I missed the Winter Equinox by a couple of days, so when Dr. Cheng reminded us about the 21st of March, I knew that I wasn't going to miss it this time.

Check these out!

It was awesome! The water was so cold, my feet felt like numb stumps of nothing. Nevertheless, it was totally worth it. I wonder if it'll happen in California?

Jamie is studying A Levels at Bellerbys College Brighton

Fab, Fab, Fabulous February!

Posted by Belinda @ Bellerbys Brighton

For most of us Asians, February is one of the busiest month of the year.

This is due to the fact that one of the biggest festival of the year lies in the month of February.

And it's no other than... the CHINESE LUNAR NEW YEAR!

Having been in Brighton since 2009, I have not been able to celebrate the Chinese lunar new year with my family and relatives ever since.

There are a few traditions that we carry out during the lunar new year, which includes spring cleaning, reunion dinners and for most children and teenagers, the part which we have pretty much been anticipating for throughout the year is none other than... receiving red packets!

In Singapore, it is a custom/tradition in which families would go around visiting the senior members/elders of their respective extended families.

There, family members who are married would then give red packets (containing cash) to their juniors who will mostly be children and teenagers. 

So of course, although we might not be back home to celebrate the festival with our families, a chinese lunar new year celebration here is definitely not to be missed!

As such, my housemate and I decided to throw a party at our house!

14 people celebrating Chinese New Year with a blast!

We gathered friends over and some of us decided to cook some of our countries' delicacies!

Fried rice
Sugar and vinegar pork ribs
Kimchi Pancake
Minced pork
Dark sauce pork and mushroom
Sushi
Bulgogi 

Steamboat

Pizzas

Honey joys

It was definitely a memorable new year party!

 

Visit from a friend

Also, in the month of February, an old friend of mine (from Singapore) paid me a visit. 

She came over to the UK for some of her university interviews and decided to stop by Brighton!

This is Valerie and I have known her for practically most of my life, all the way back to since Kindergarten!

I brought her to one of the Chinese restaurants in Brighton to satisfy her hunger for some Singapore's/Malaysia's local food!

 

Visit to the Brighton Marina

And not to forget, having been here for close to a year and a half already, I finally went to check out the Brighton Marina!

I really love the peace and tranquility there.

I have to make a small confession here...

Actually, the main purpose of going to the Marina with my friend is to...

Indulge in cakes!

As such, we had a major pig out with so many beautiful cakes!

I was overwhelmed by the display of mouthwatering cakes present! :)

And of course, not to forget... Valentine's Day in February!

2 of my classmates even came over to bake cookies for their friends!

So this year, I celebrated Valentine's Day with a good friend if mine whom I have known ever since the first day of school!

    

This is Regina from Macau, an ex-Bellerbys student who was in Art Foundation year.

She's currently in university studying Architecture! 

I guess that pretty much concludes my entire February!

Seems like February is such a heart-warming month huh? ☺

Belinda is studying A Levels at Bellerbys Brighton

Post Spring Exams & Birthday Fun!

Posted by Belinda @ Bellerbys Brighton

"Don’t look back at the past defeats that will get you down.

Don’t look back at the old victories and think you have arrived."

This was my two upmost principles which I held as I strived through the entire examination period until my very last paper.

So I’ve finally ended my spring exams!  It has been quite a while since I last felt so relaxed. 

Come to think of it, I’m actually quite fortunate because it also just so happens that my last paper fell on my birthday itself.

So of course, after ending my spring exams, rewarding myself for all my hard work (from the mugging through the winter holidays till my last paper towards the end of January) is definitely a must. With that, I took a break off from work and enjoyed myself pretty.

My theory on having a well-balanced work-life: One must work hard but at the same time play hard as well. So after my last paper, I threw a birthday dinner at an Italian restaurant and invited 10 friends over to celebrate with me. It was a blast!

I haven’t met up with a few in ages and so the dinner was a good time for us to do some catching up which was really great. Adding to the fact that it was also some sort of a post exam celebration for some of us.

 

                                

Here is the 11 of us!

 

 

From left: Asty from Indonesia, Ira from Malaysia, Regina from Macau and Livia from Taiwan, Linh and Weenie from Vietnam!

 

  

From left: Jocelyn from Singapore, Yan Chi from Malaysia, Kana from Japan and Juyeon from Korea!

 

                                  

And not to forget, my surprise birthday cake! :P

 

Also, I went to London with my housemate, Juyeon, who is from Korea, during the weekend.

And the main highlight of this particular trip is: to watch Phantom of The Opera!

 

                           

Having heard so much about it before, I was simply just so ecstatic to watch this musical.

And true enough, it was really as good as what everyone has been singing praises of.

It was also my first time being in a real theatre and I thought that it was really a very good experience.

Juyeon and I also went to Oxford Circus to shop.

There, we even went to a Korean restaurant to eat Korean BBQ. I used to eat Korean BBQ a lot when I was in Singapore and I really miss it a lot here. We also got to eat my favourite Korean dish: Kimchi pancake!

  

Back in Brighton, I also went to a Thai restaurant with my Singaporean friend, Jocelyn!

Similar for Thai food, I also used to eat Thai food in Singapore.

My favourite dish is Beef Noodles Soup but sadly, they don’t sell it in this particular restaurant that we went. 

 

 

 

So we ate Pineapple fried rice, Pad Thai, fried sweetcorn cake, duck spring rolls and Tom Yam soup.

 

I guess all good things do come to an end, the matter being sooner or later. 

With another hurdle crossed, there's still more awaiting for me at the other end. There's still more to go.

But at least I can proudly say that I've had one of my best birthdays ever this year.

The fun, the joy and the laughter shall accompany me as I move on to the next stage...

Happy 19th to myself! :)) 

 

PS. I think this is slowly morphing into a food blog. HA

 

Belinda is studying A Levels at Bellerbys Brighton

Remember, Remember, the Month of December

Posted by Belinda, studying A Levels at Bellerbys Brighton

December, the month to remember.

The month of the year where we are constantly reminded of once upon a time and reminisce on how much we've gone through; how much we've stumbled across; our winnings, our losses; our everything that has happened so far.

Towards the end of the month, we celebrate Christmas and be thankful for what we have been given.

And right at the end of the month, we celebrate the arrival of yet another new year, welcoming another new beginning with open arms.

Yet, why do we still have this forlorn expression struck across our face?

Is it because we can't bear to let the memories of 2010 go or are we just plainly tired to start everything all over again?

That's December for you.

So the Winter Holidays are finally here!

I remember myself being so homesick last year, but after a year here, I think I’ve gotten pretty much used to it. Also, this year, there were a few events that made the last few weeks of the term (Novemeber/December) pretty exciting.

And to name a few:

Our Biology teacher, Miss Kingham, has gotten married!

So the day before her big day, we decided to throw her a surprise mini class party and send her our well wishes!

I’ve met her husband a couple of times (when I went to Hove Lagoon with some others to learn how to windsurf and also during the May Ball) and I really think that they look very compatible and sweet together! :)

         

                                  The class with the cake and present we bought for her!

Next, I went to the Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1 World Premiere at London’s Leicester Square too!

(Quote during a history lesson, my classmate came up with this conclusion that "ALL THE HISTORY TEACHERS SEEM TO DISLIKE HARRY POTTER!" haha)

The crowd was so massive over there and it was raining too, not an ideal weather, taken for the fact that you've to stand there and wait for hours for the event to start.

I went with a Vietnamese friend, Linh!

This is Linh!

It was our first time at a movie premiere event, so we were quite clueless at first on where we should be to get the best view/what we should be doing.

                

Another interesting thing that happened during school time was that we made NYLON during Chemistry class!

It was so cool that even the teachers and lab technicians were amused.

It really was an eye-opening practical in my opinion because we normally wouldn’t think about how our clothes came about/were made and what the industrial processes were.

But of course, the Nylon that we made in class can’t be compared to the real Nylon used in factories, but still… It was really an amazing experience!

(Apart from the fact that all of us got rather frustrated after realising that we are faced with a never-ending thread of Nylon. We had to twirl the Nylon thread countless number of times around the scalpel and it just never ends!)

Of course, I think everyone would agree with me that the most exciting part towards the end of term was THE SNOW!

 

Okay, but we do have to admit that the two days of school closure due to the snow and following it, another two days off because of the weekend (which sums up to 4 days of holiday!), was pretty much why we were so ecstatic about it. Haha.

The funny thing is that from the previous day, after school closed early in the afternoon due to bad weather forecast of the soon-to-be heavy snow, everyone was practically speculating that school would be closed the following day and all of us got so excited about it.

It only snowed after the term ended last year so we were rather clueless on what to do if in the event of a heavy snow the next day.

Well, I guess technology really works wonders for us.

Because in such times, we ought to be thankful that social networking sites like Facebook do exist for our convenience sake.

Early next morning, notifications of school closure were posted all over Facebook by kind souls who helped to convey the message to people like us, who are living in private accommodation or homestaying.

And last but not least, the end of the term would mean that I had my last ever History lesson in my entire life (prior to the January exams)!

From GCE O level History to now, wow, it’s been years since I’ve first picked up this subject.

And one important thing to note is that because the rest of my subjects (the 3 sciences and maths) are so different from History, I do have to admit that whenever I’m in History class, it’s like a completely different world from the other classes.

Maybe because of its huge contrast to my other subjects, I do treasure and appreciate the time spent in History too because the stuff we are taught/how lessons are carried out/ etc are all so different.

That’s why I do enjoy History a lot!

And of course, I’ve to thank my History teachers Mr. Knight and Mr. Baker for not making me regret taking up History!

                                               

Mr. Baker posing for the camera! HAHA

Honestly, because of the fact that he also teaches English, I feel highly pressurised whenever he marks my essays.

His English is REALLY VERY GOOD (P.S he excels in crossword puzzles, HAHAHA). So, I find my essays being checked for grammatical errors too albeit that it is not specifically for an IELTS exam.

I think he does this unconsciously though, HAHA, which is really good because at the end of the day, we’ve to be clear and concise in our essays.

And who knows, because we don't have English lessons for A Levels here, my English would have deteriorated without me knowing! HAHA!

Counting down is really a tiring chore because at the end of each day, you cross out each day and lament on the fact that there doesn’t seem to be any difference and there’s
still a long way to go.

But… It’s finally here – the long awaited day for me to fly back to Singapore for my winter break.

I guess I’ll see you guys next time in Singapore then!

 

Belinda is studying A Levels at Bellerbys Brighton