It's been forever since I've updated my blogs, it's been half a year already and it's been far too long as this is the longest I have ever taken in updating my blogs. I'd say that it was mostly due to procrastination as when something I want to mention happens but I don't put it down immediately and I just wait till I feel like it, other things happen as well and as that list of things you want to talk about builds up, it just takes longer to type it up and post it, and so there would be even more procrastination. Actually now that I come to think about it, ever since my second semester started, I've been growing lazier as time goes by. I guess that's what happens when you're by yourself and no longer have your parents to constantly bug you and nag you over every thing you do at home. Heh, and I thought I had good self-discipline, guess I need to work on that then.

Anyways, I'm just gonna briefly go over all the important things that have happened since the last time I've posted.

First semester was finished by the end of January and I did reasonably well, got 78% in Anthropo-/Socio-/Psycho-logy (average 71%), 82% in Philosophy (average 78%), 63% in Math (average 73%; I think I'm done with Math for all now, not gonna take it next year), 80% in Biology (average 80%). My overall average was 75.8%, and if it wasn't for Math I would have gotten 80% which would be great, since I think the minimum passing grade for university is 75% (for overall average) and if you get over 80% for your overall average by the time you graduate, you'd get the Ontario scholarship for university and as your overall average goes higher, the higher your scholarship.
Second semester began in February and I had Phy Ed - Fitness, Physics, English, and a spare period. For Physics, I got 82%, English was around 70-74%, and Phy Ed was about 70%. Report cards would be mailed out later on but as far as I know this is what I should be getting. Second semester was quite disappointing really cause it should have been easy for me since there was only two periods where I was actually doing work. In fact, I think the semester might have been too easygoing for me, and so I simply got lazy and procrastinated and didn't do as well as I would have wanted to. I wouldn't have taken Phy Ed since it's usually not my type of thing but according to my guidance counsellor, I was missing a credit in a certain category and I could make up for it by taking an Arts, Economics or Phy Ed course, and so she recommended the Fitness course since it was suppose to be easy, and it kinda was. But once again, half of the time I wasn't so motivated and I skipped quite a lot of classes as well, so that explains my "meh" mark.
School is done as of June 24, and I can't believe it's all over so soon. It's been one school year already and one year since I've gotten "home", and I can't believe how fast time has passed. I feel like nothing much has happened and that I barely accomplished much in my personal life over the past year. To this day, I still haven't made any particularly good or close friends who are close enough to hang out and such, which is sad. After all, I was hoping for more fun, drama, excitement and "life" now that I'm back in "real" high school, but apparently everything just feels like a breeze of wind that's just passing by. Partly I blame it on fate, partly I blame it on myself. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this already but ever since I've gotten back, I noticed that I've been more shy than I would usually be. Somehow, for some reason, I feel inferior and somewhat lesser as if I'm not good enough when I see my other fellow Canadians because I fear people would see me different because I have been away from the country for 6 years, and this certainly doesn't help when I have always had low self-esteem/confidence issues. I understand the logic that if you believe and see yourself in a certain way, you will eventually become that even though you're not actually like that. Therefore, I've been more shy than I need to be, more quiet and slightly more awkward than the real Ivan is, and so people don't normally see the real me, but the loser verison of myself. It's silly and I know I shouldn't feel this way, but I can't help it. Knowing the problem is one thing, solving that problem is another. Though I am proud to annouce that I have been making improvements and I really hope that next school year would be far lot better than it has been this year. All the experience I've had with different schools tells me that it's usually by the second year that everything good solidifies, and I hope it would certainly be that way.

Speaking of Phy Ed and sports earlier, there's something else that I want to mention. On one of the last few days of school, floor hockey was played in Phy Ed. I can't remember when was the last time I played it since it must have been several years. But for the first time, I was actually tempted to join in and play cause I was genuinely interested (i usually sit out...our class is mostly a fitness class, we don't do sports that often, when we do, that's what I do...that's me, i'm a bad sport).
And then I remembered how much I used to like hockey. Hockey and baseball were the two sports that I actually had interest in as a kid. But like any hint of interest I might have had for sports, it died out while I was still a kid because of many factors, particularly due to the self-esteem/confidence issues that I've already had all along, as well as the influence of my grandma's character onto mine (since I grew up with her while I was 4-8, when a lot of character development occurs) thus making me uninterested in many things that I might have liked as a child. Ultimately, it makes me wonder, if I had the opportunity to develop my interest in hockey and if sports would have entered my world, what kind of person would I have been today? One thing I can't deny and that a lot of people would support is that sports does have an effect on one's self-confidence. And since I had terrible self-confidence to begin with, it was one of the many factors that set me back from trying harder. But if I was encouraged more, maybe it could have worked the other way around and would have boosted my self-esteem/confidence... :? Meh...

Now there's one more thing that's important and worth mentioning. During March Break, I went on a trip to Michigan. It was the first I've been in the US for several years now. What was I doing there? This would sound really silly but let me tell you something. For those of you who know me pretty well, I spend quite a lot of time on the internet and I sort of even have a life on the internet and have made a bunch of e-friends. One of them is someone by the name of DJ (DJ are his initials and what people usually call him) who is the longest e-friend I've made and possibly the longest friend I've had who I've kept in contact (I've known him since i was 13). Anyways, he's from Lansing, Michigan (the capital city of the State of Michigan) and his 18th birthday was at the end of March. So during March Break, I decided to make a trip to Michigan (to Lansing, and a short stop at Detroit while taking Greyhound) so that I could personally meet him at last, to sort of celebrate his birthday even though it's after March Break, and to also go on a little vacation of my own as well as visit the United States. It was great and I enjoyed it even though I only spent about 4 days there and that was it, but still it was a nice experience. I'm just gonna post some of the pictures I took during my trip, but not all since there's too much and I've got other pics to post as well. For the rest, check out the "Michigan" album on either my default blog as usual at http://spaces.msn.com/megastorm88 or for simplicity sake, http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=67208&id=810318538&l=6479e7aa93 on my Facebook.

the Michigan State Capitol at Lansing, Michigan:

Grand River from Frances Park in Lansing, Michigan:



me with DJ and his friend Ben, who I already knew

In Detroit (seeing is believing, wasn't impressed by that city, guess what they said was true):

Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, aka Detroit City Hall

the "Spirit of Detroit" statue in front of Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, aka Detroit City Hall

Detroit People Mover

Campus Martius Park in Detroit

Ambassador Bridge, one of the border crossing points between Canada and USA, between the cities of Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan

staring out to Windsor, Ontario, Canada on the other side of the Detroit River

Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, one of the border crossing points between Canada and USA, between the cities of Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan

downtown Detroit from Fort St W

downtown Detroit from Lafayette Blvd

downtown Detroit from Woodward Ave

Renaissance Center, General Motors World Headquarters, in Detroit (probably the only impressive thing in Detroit...)

And for those who are interested in the pics more than the things I say sometimes, here's some more. Last month was Open Doors Toronto, an annual event where about over a hundred historial, cultural, whatever significant buildings are open free to the public for visits. And it usually takes place on the weekend of late May.
I was only able to attend for the Sunday one and I only had time to go inside the Ontario Legislature at Queen's Park and City Hall, and that was it, oh well, it was still something and I still enjoyed my time. :)
Again, more pics on the "Open Doors Toronto" album on my default blog, http://spaces.msn.com/megastorm88 , and on my Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=81178&id=810318538&l=434e6e2106  

the Ontario Legislature at Queen's Park

entrance to the legislative chamber of the Ontario Legislature at Queen's Park

inside the legislative chamber of the Ontario Legislature at Queen's Park

the Council Chamber at Toronto City Hall:

a model of downtown Toronto at City Hall

Hmm, so what else to be updated on...I'm going to Hong Kong from July 17 to August 24 to visit my family. I'm getting my driving lessons because Ontario laws say that I could get a shorter waiting period for my driving test for my G2 licence (G2 = probitionary licence, right now I have a G1 = learner's permit) and cheaper insurance in the future. Besides, I could use some lessons to get me more familar with driving. :) Um, I'm also thinking of finally getting my name change after the summer since that's what I've always wanted to do but if you remember my previous blog entries, I couldn't do it cause I had to be in Ontario for the past 12 months to do so. It has already been 12 months (like I said, it's been a year and a week or two since I've gotten "home", can you believe that?), but since I'm flying, I don't want to do anything yet. Besides, it's best to let my mom know beforehand as well, so yeah.
Well that's all the major things happening recently that I think deserves to be updated on. Hope that's enough information to make up for the 6 months or half year I was away, lol. Take care now. Hope your life has been as eventful, if not even more eventful. :)