The Quota System

Today in Life Orientation, we had a very heated discussion about the quota system and how it affects people getting into university.

The quota system, very basically is saying x amount of people from each race should be let into university.

Our teacher was saying that it is more fair to have the quota system when people are applying to university, as because of Apartheid, we need to improve the conditions for the previously disadvantaged. During Apartheid, only certain races were allowed to go to certain schools, so you ended up having "black" schools and "white" schools etc. She also said that we need to make sure we don't have a case of the poor staying poor, and the rich getting richer.

I strongly disagree because of the following:

• This year marks the 18th anniversary of the 1994 elections, which were the first free and fair. Because of this, this years matriculants would not have been affected by apartheid (even if they have failed a few times, as you only start school at 7 years of age.)
• Even with the quota system, the universities are still going to choose the students with the best possible chances of not dropping out, so even if there are mixed races, they will choose not the previously disadvantaged people of colour, but the ones who ended up going to private schools anyway.
• Universities should pick students based on their ability, not the colour of their skin. If I got a better mark than an indian, for instance, but a lower  mark than another white, then the Indian would get in and I wouldn't.
• The more we make these provisions, the more we remind ourselves of our past, as well as racial differences. Yes. A terrible thing happened in our country. Yes, it was bad and people suffered. But that all stopped 18 years ago. We need to move forward.
• There are only so many spots for each career. Even if we qualify 10 000 lawyers a year, they won't all end up having jobs. We still need unskilled labour in this country.
• Our teacher was saying that the people of colour have not had the same learning oppurtunities as us, and they need to have the same going forward. But if they haven't had the proper primary and secondary schooling, they will battle a lot with university and end up dropping out anyway. So what will the universities do? Lower the standard of education, as they've done with schools, and then eventually our degrees won't be recognised by universities overseas.

So that about wraps up my thoughts, I've tried to be as PC as possible.

Cool Inspirational pics

I liked this picture because it tells you to destroy anything that  ruins your happiness , and that you have control. I want to get the Latin translation of this tattoed onto my wrist "Dele quod Corrumpit te"

I like this because I can relate to it, there's no point of looking back at sad memories, but good memories are different.

This is also true, you need to learn how to handle life, otherwise you'll never get anywhere.

This one says "f**k it, just do it.

One of those days...

Do you ever have one of those days where everyone just irritates you? I'm having one of those today. It started in Assembly. We had to go through this whole awards thing. Then we had RE, which surprisingly enough wasn't that bad. Maths wasn't either, because we just worked the whole lesson in silence.
Break was average, as was History and Geography. We didn't do much in either. Second break was also chilled.

THEN came science. We were marking a worksheet based on Alkali's, Acids and the pH balances of both. I asked what I thought was a completely valid question, as to how to test the pH balance of the Universal indicator, but the teacher said she didn't want to get side-tracked. She answered everyone else's arbitrary questions though. And she doesn't mind if one person answers all the questions, as long as I'm not that one person. That's probably not even true, but that's how I perceived it.

After that, we had English, and we were marking, and it irritated me that we had an hour to do it yesterday, but some people didn't bother to finish it, and when the teacher asked who didn't finish, people didn't admit to it. And the class couldn't focus long enough to finish marking.

I don't know why this all irritated me. I think I'm just tired. Oh well.

Rambling thoughts

So once again, I am sitting in Computers, and once more, I shall tell you about my random thoughts.
I have a headache, and Sarah refused to come with me to the office to get a panado. So I rashed her until she came. Which took a lot of rashing.

We just had science. We're doing Physical science at the moment, and today, we tested the pH balance of a whole lot of random things, like litchi juice, vinegar, saliva (which was really gross!) and tea, just to name a few. I felt really cool because I got to put the Universal Indicator in the solvents.

Sarah is sitting next to me and she types really loudly.


I decided to do a History quiz the other day. Now, I realise that it wasn't the most intelligent thing to do because I don't know a lot of History Trivia. I get okay marks in History because I can write essays, not because I know these things.

I think know I failed an AP maths test this morning. It was actually kinda funny. I think the stuff I was actually there to learn I did okay in, but I convinced myself yesterday I could do Partial Fractions and that I understood the factor theorem. I don't.

My computer just felt the need to restart, but this saved as a blog.
I haven't written in really long because I've been really busy. I know that sounds lame, but I have an extramural every day of the week. Plus homework. And guitar. And a science fair soon.

But, well I try

The songs that have at one stage of my life been my "Wedding Songs"

1.) Two Is better than one-Taylor Swift and Boys Like Girls
2) You-Evanescence
3) All I Ask Of You-Phantom Of The Opera
4.) Highway to Hell-ACDC
5.) Crazier-Taylor Swift

Just kidding about number 4. I think. I'll post the lyrics for #2 and #3 because they're beautiful.

All I ask of you

RAOL:
no more talk of darkness
forget these wild eyed fears
I’m here
nothing can harm you
my words will warm and calm you
let me be your freedom
let daylight dry your tears
I’m here
with you beside you
to guard you and to guide you

CHRISTINE:
say you’ll love me every waking moment
top my head with talk of summertime
say you’ll need in me your love and always
promise me all you say is true
that’s all I ask of you

RAOL:
let me be your shelter
let me be your light
your safe
no one can find you
your fears are far behind you

CHRISTINE:
all I want is freedom
a world with no more night
and you always beside me to hold me and to hide me

RAOL:
then say you’ll share with me one love, one lifetime
let me leave you from your solitude
say you’ll need me
with me beside you
anywhere you go
let me go too
Christine, that’s all I ask of you

CHRISTINE:
say you’ll share with me
one love, one lifetime
say the word and I will follow you
share each day with me
each night each morning
say you’ll love me

RAOL:
you know I do.

BOTH:
love me
that’s all I ask of you.

(they kiss)

BOTH:
anywhere you go
let me go too
love me
that’s all I ask of you


Raoul and Christine



You

The words have been drained from this pencil
Sweet words that I want to give you
And I can't sleep
I need to tell you
Goodnight

When we're together, I feel perfect
When I'm pulled away from you, I fall apart
All you say is sacred to me
Your eyes are so blue
I can't look away
As we lay in the stillness
You whisper to me

Amy, marry me
Promise you'll stay with me
Oh you don't have to ask me
You know you're all that I live for
You know I'd die just to hold you
Stay with you
Somehow I'll show you
That you are my night sky
I've always been right behind you
Now I'll always be right beside you

So many nights I cried myself to sleep
Now that you love me, I love myself
I never thought I would say this
I never thought there'd be
You

I shouldn't be doing this...

When I started this blog, I promised myself I wouldn't blog on the topic of religion, as its a very controversial issue, especially at my Catholic Convent school.
But, rules were made to get broken. If this offends you, I apologise profusely.

The other day, I came across this quote "Christianity-The belief that some cosmic Jewish Zombie can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him you accept him as your master, so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because a rib-woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magical tree. Makes perfect sense."

I'd just like to mention at this stage my religious background.
I was christened just before my first birthday in to a German Lutheran Church.
Neither of my parents are particularly religious, we don't go to church or anything like that. I go to a youth group, and a Convent school, but at this stage of my life, I am Agnostic.

That being said, I found the above quote extremely disrespectful. It is a very rude way of putting Christianity, and while some might call it concise, I find it very rude. The rudest part I found in this quote was the reference to Jesus as a "Jewish Zombie," because the word "Zombie" implies the lack of the grey matter between your ears.

The reason I'm agnostic is that I struggle to have faith, and I find all religions a form of brain-washing. Its something you are taught by your parents when you are very young, similar to the tooth fairy. God, in a way, has been portrayed very similarly to Santa, in the way that they both watch you all the time, and punish you for being naughty, but reward you for being good.

When I tell people I'm a non-believer, the first question is always, "so where did the universe come from then?"
Well, my simple answer to this question is I don't know.

I'm not saying that I don't want to believe, I'm saying that at this stage of my life, I don't. If God shows Himself to me, then I'll accept it. I try to be as respectful as possible, especially going to a Catholic Convent school.

No offence to anyone out there. When I say religion, I speak very broadly, so again, sorry if anyone is offended. Please drop a comment and I will change the statement.

Claim from YOU magazine

So I was reading the You magazine, or as my dad calls it, the Y-O-U medical journal, and I found these in the "Chuckles" section. They appealed to my sense of humour.

1.  Sarcasm helps you not to tell people what you think of them.
2. I once prayed for a bike but found out God doesn't work that way. So I stole a bike and prayed for forgiveness.
3. A train station is where a train stops. A bus station is where a bus stops. On my desk I have a workstation.
4. In the first part of our lives, our parents teach us to walk and talk. Then they tell us to sit down and shut up.
5. War doesn't determine who is right, it determines who is left.
6. Books contain knowledge; knowledge is power. Power corrupts, corruption is a crime and crime doesn't pay. Therefore, if you read, you'll go broke.
7. Never argue with an idiot-they drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.
8. It may look as if I'm doing nothing but I'm waiting for my problems to go away.
9. Every rule has an exception, except this one.
10. I wouldn't say you're stupid. You are, but I wouldn't say so.
11. I'm a bomb technician. If you see me running, try to keep up

LOL!