As part of our English course in TY we have been set the challenge to read as many books as possible this year. Reading provides mental stimulation, stress reduction and vocabulary expansion. I have just finished reading "The Infernal Devices" a trilogy by Cassandra Clare.
The books are about a race of people called 'Shadowhunters', who are half angel half human creatures created by the Angels to protect the world from hell's demons. The Infernal Devices is set in the dark times of Victorian London. I have read many other of Cassandra Clare's books. This trilogy has less irony and wit experienced in previous series The Mortal Instruments. Instead it has more of a romantic quality you expect from a story crowded with 19th century heroes and heroines.
There are 3 main characters in the story which cause a love triangle, Tessa who is a warlock, James Carstairs and William Herondale who are both shadowhunters. Tessa and Will love books they constantly use quotes from Dickens, The Brontes, Tennyson and other British authors from that time. While Jem loves playing the violin. Will and Jem are both differently handsome and fascinating, their appearances and their personalities couldn't be more distant yet they are almost like brothers.My favourite character is Will Herondale. He is a real romantic, dashing hero from the 19th century. His rough, wild manners hide his secretive soul. However, you can see he can be kind and caring when with Jem, and he shows glimpses of a different self when with Tessa. Once Will’s secret is revealed , it is the answer to his strange behavior and Tessa cannot help but fall in love with him, leaving Jem in the shadows. Yet there is a major plot twist at the end. The annoying thing in the book , is that fact the author is recreating Victorian England carefully and then ruining by using American style nicknames - 'Will', 'Jem', 'Tessa'. I would strongly recommend reading this trilogy. As I read the book on the kindle, I highlighted every new word I came upon. At the end of the book I went over all that was highlighted, this greatly improved my vocabulary and it aided me in my short story writing.
Last Friday 27th of November, I attended a charity ball in the Glenroyal Hotel Maynooth. The ball was for Crumlin Childrens Hospital Sickle Cell Foundation and was organised by a guy from Kings Hospital for his sister. The ball was the first his sister had been out of hospital in 6 months. Sickle cell disease is when your immune system completely breaksdown and is present since birth.
Everyone was dressed in ball dresses and suits. The venue was amazing. The room was decorated with Christmas trees and Christmas decorations. There was a chocolate fountain, candy floss machine, drinks and a sweet trolley. Not to mention a DJ and dance floor. It was an amazing night for a really good cause.
September 9th seems so far away now. That was the day all Junior Cert Students 2015 received their results. Most people didn't even care about their results, whether your tan was "too orange" or"streaky" was the real topic of conversation. When we received our results, we all legged it out the door.
I was really happy about my results. My advice to any third would be, don't work yourself up about the Junior Cert, three months after finishing your last exam you wont care anymore. Just focus on getting on the bus for wrights on time.
A major part of Transition year is the anticipated work experience. Every Wednesday instead of putting on our uniforms and going to school, we go to shops, businesses, primary schools or colleges, to sample the world of work. This year Tys have 3 placements, 10 weeks from September to December, 6 weeks after Christmas, and finally an 11 week placement at the end of the year. We also have the option of an one week placement. For my first placement , I am working in Clonfert Equestrian Centre. Something I really wanted to do after school is work with animals so my first choice for work experience was the local riding school. I love this work placement. I spend my day riding horses and getting them ready for the lessons. All my work is outside but I absolutely love this placement. My advice to anyone who is thinking of doing veterinary after school or working with animals definitely go to an equestrian centre
