Centripetal spill

A blur, a bang, a broom... okay, well that last one was actually a mop, but would the rule of two really have the same impact? Anyway, you'd never really suspect a humble water-filled bucket and some string to cause the level of entertainment experience in Physics today. I know I never did.

Naturally, trudging into the dulled, yet somehow enthralling, class room I awaited the norm - a few work sheets here, some calculations there and in general an affirming lesson proving to myself that this knowledge will reside in my head for the long-term.

So when, having completed the routine, my teacher pulled out the seemingly innocuous apparatus of a bucket filled with water hanging off a string, the class buzzed with excitement at a subtle change to the standard fare. Of course, this had a point - it was a model to demonstrate how centripetal forces (those acting towards the centre of an object and cause it to follow a circular path).

After watching our teacher hesitantly make the full circle (admittedly, it is a frightening thing and you really have to go for it with vigour) and impressively contain all of the water, it was the turn of any willing volunteer. As I, among others, suspected, one of my more daring peers and a regular hand-raiser got straight up to have ago. I shuffled back in my seat (you know, just in case), but inside knew that any soaking would be well worth the laugh. It looked promising as she began to swing the bucket and build momentum, but one over-zealous arm movement and water gushed down triumphantly, as if fooled into thinking that it had beaten centripetal forces. It spread itself out nicely, too, spanning around 6 feet, yet somehow no one was even splattered.

Now, as you probably know, school's never the most fascinating or humourous place, so when an utterly amazing and hilarious thing like this happens, it's impossible to contain yourself. The class, teacher et al, erupted in a haze of contagious laughter, literally to the extent that tears raced down my face, perhaps to join their floor-based liquid companions. Our teacher didn't appear at all frustrated and simply began to mop up while still in convulsions of laughter, which only added to the sheer splendour of that lesson. So, it all turned out to be even more exciting than could have ever been anticipated, and I know I'll remember the law of centripetal force now!

I think my faith in Drama has been restored

Every effort in I made GCSE Drama seemed to be in vain. I could achieve good marks, but I wanted something better, something more - it wasn't fulfilling or rewarding. My hunger was insatiable, and I didn't know how to solve it.

Today, I had to perform Juliet's speech from Romeo and Juliet. Of course, it was the 'O Romeo, Romeo, where for art thou Romeo?'. Most of my class hadn't learned their lines beforehand and only performed the first four lines, but I remembered the whole speech which amounted to 16 lines in total. I just threw every last bit of naive, young girl in forbidden love that I had inside me, and hopefully it paid off. It was filmed so one of my teachers who wasn't in the lesson will be able to watch it. I really enjoyed the whole experience and it just felt like the most natural and apt thing I've ever done, even though I haven't been in love.

I really love performing Shakespeare - it's one of my favourite areas of Drama. I think my accent and demeanour are rather Shakespearean. It's literal, it's indulgent and heady and somehow still relevant today. Now I'm seriously considering auditioning for the National Youth Theatre.

Another reason to love Drama (the acting kind)

Today in Drama we did a lot of improvisation and warm-up games. One of the most fun is when everyone adopts a character and an improvisation takes place in a particular situation, usually transport. These characters are taken through various emotions and phases, instructed by the teacher. Today it was on a cruise that all characters had won as a prize. My character was incredibly snobby and turned her nose up at the 'common' cruise, constantly professing that she could afford so much better. She was horrified to discover that champagne and caviar were not served, and could not cope without her milk bath that she expected to have run for her by the staff.

At one point, the scenario was that everyone had just gotten their period and the captain was the only man. It was incredibly funny (I think you'd have to be there) with everyone either filled with rage, pain, misery or a combination of the three. The best part was the captain trying to cope with the whole situation. I just hope I'm never on an all-women cruise where everyone has their period.

Last day of school tomorrow :) Then a 7 week summer. I just hope I can sort things out and be the me I really want to be by the end of it.