Book shopping!

Prizegiving always has its dramas. First there's the letters to the parents. "Your kid is getting a prize." This letter also specifies whether or not you are wearing the all-important BLAZER which means a lot. If you are, it means you're getting an "Outstanding" Academic prize or honours medal. (doing well nationally co-curricular) And normally in the same letter is the all-important BOOKVOUCHERLETTER which tells the bookstore to let you pick books and bill the school (This is for the 'outstanding' academic kids) Well yesterday had its dramas 'cause the academic kids got their letters and there was no BOOKVOUCHERLETTER. So of course we all freaked out about how crap we must have done.. but then I texted my buddy Alex in Year 11 and found out she didnt get a BVL. So of course we then realised if ALEX didn't get one.. there would be none, there would be a new system, or something. Like the school picked the books or something. Anyway all our stupid fretting ended today when letters addressed to US, not our parents, arrived with BVL's in them. But then I had another dilemma.Theygave me TWO BVLS!! and THREE little slips reminding me to pick an "appropriate" book. So I was like, is this a mistake? I haven't heard of anyone getting $100 of book vouchers at KHS before. I'm not getting a big prize. I'm excluded 'cause of my only doing four subjects. So I rang the ol' principals secretary who assured me that, yes, I had 100 to spend, and they were separate letters to remind me to buy two separate lots of books. And I was like oh. Then I clicked that its just for being a head student and stop wondering Sonya. Texting the head boy assured me of the same thing. ANYWAY. So ten minutes from being home from Media Schol and Gerard and I decided to go BOOK SHOPPING! Well we kinda had to 'cause I have three exams in the next four days and the only day I don't is Sunday, and the bookstores are closed. So we had a grand ol' arvo, perusing the limited bookstores, being indecisive, and eating Wendys sherbet icecream. My selections were Cannery Row and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (Cannery Row 'cause Ashley Rae recommended it to me) A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (I am DETERMINED to read this, and understand it) Catcher in the Rye by J.D.Salinger (another classic, need to read for my own sake) The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy (famous, plus Udayan wrote about it in his schol exam essays which I read: sounded good) and of course 1984 by George Orwell which I just had to own. I was disappointed the store didn't have Brave New World by Aldous Huxley 'cause that is also on my summer readinglist but I feel I did pretty well. Gerard got Superfreakonomics (I was tempted) and Jacquie Brown's guide to life as a sort of JOKE, but then once out of the store he realised there were cartoons of sexual stuff lol which the school probably might not approve of haha. We joked about getting those MASSIVE Books just for a laugh. A2 size, "Cats" and "Birds of the World" really heavy ones. It would be hilarious to see the principal strain to hold. We thought you could use it as a tray for your trophies (Not that we've ever got more than one trophy) Its really all quite silly, this fuss about prizegiving. But the reality is, a lot of people work really hard, and then when you don't get any recognition, it kinda sucks. I've been lucky to be alright, but I have some AMAZING friends, who get really good grades, but never seem to be recognised. And it frustrates me, for their sake. I'm excited about my books. Now media schol is over I feel like exams are. Which is silly. There is the small matter of history tomorrow, and the next day. But media level 3 will be easy-ish, so I'm not really thinking of it as an exam even.