It’s a flaming june so that only means one thing. No I’m not talking about red blotchy skin even though we all go through it. I’m talking state exams. God knows how I got through. One finger. Golf ball typewriter. No extra time. Oh yes I got all my thoughts down perfectly!
Looking back, the whole process left me exhausted. It also left me with unrealistic ideas on how to write exams. I was so het up with working my one finger for three hours, I ignored any quality issues in order to get random facts on paper. Thankfully it didn’t affect my results. It did cause me to have a very difficult time transitioning to third level but I did survive.
That was 25 years ago. Times have changed. People seem more in tune to the needs of students with disabilities. Overall this is a great step forward but the idea that every second kid now has special needs is another day’s work.
What are my suggestions to get you through? Answer the question the way you want to. Make the question work for you. Hey, my essay on paper 1 argued Agadoo-do-do was the best song ever written. Obviously don’t try this approach with science subjects or maths. 2+2 will always be 4.
Stay chilled. You have the info. Don’t read papers or look at TV News reviews on the day. They have minutes to fill and ink to use. Once an exam is over, that’s it, move on.
Cramming science exams actually does work.
You’re only 18. Don’t let it bring you down. Ibiza is two weeks away.
I had plans to be your leader. Not today or tomorrow but some day in the future. The plans were in place. Run for a TCD Seanad seat, wait a few months and then bingo. I’d be your great leader. Enda has ruined this. Our upper house will be gone if he has his way.
This may sound snobby but I always voted in Seanad elections. I can’t say the same about general elections. Maybe it’s because I liked the candidates. Maybe because our senate has a tradition of good quality debate. Yeats sat in it. Call me an old romantic.
Enda has lauded New Zealand as an example of a one-chamber democracy that works. So it is. For a population of 4.5 million it also only has 121 MPs. Even with Enda’s reforms, we’ll have over 140.
Do I think Enda’s plan will work? As Bob Marley often says ‘a hungry mob is an angry mob’. Enda is belly full but we’re hungry. I won’t be surprised that we’ll still have two houses of the Oireactas by the year’s end. My megalomaniacal dreams my not be over just yet.
Trade description. It is there for a reason. Ronseal has it down to a tee. When they say it does exactly what it says, they mean it.
Aer Lingus have been trumpeting the fact that all their flights now leave from T2. Along with the brand new planes for Aer Lingus regional, this looks like travel heaven. What could possibly go wrong?
Check in? nope, that was fine. Express queuing works.
Security? Not many about so that was fine.
Duty free. Check.
Finding the gate. Now we’re getting hot. Is there really a gate 310 in T2? Ah well I better just follow the signs. It shouldn’t be far, can it?
Oh yes it can because there is no gate 310 in T2, that gate is actually in terminal 1. You only discover this after you walk through a dark tunnel. It’s a bit like dying as you see a big light at end of tunnel and you find yourself in the old terminal again.
What’s the point in that? Aer lingus regional is operated by Aer Arran whose planes still leave from T1. But just for optics aer lingus want to say all flights depart and arrive from T2. With that kind of customer service, are Aer Lingus trying to get a recommendation from Brian McFadden?
I call it a swiz. Enjoy your flight and don’t forget the pre-flight aerobic walk between terminals!
