• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

Hi Perspective Readers, I loved reading Perspective when I started Secondary, I loved writing for it, I loved being an Editor, I (kinda) I―have no idea how to start this Editor’s note. loved being a Managing Editor, and I guess as Literally none at all. fashion dictates I’ll probably love being an Editor in Chief too. I guess my hesitation is because at the moment I’ve got a lot going on. Which means as usual, I’m The only other alternative is that it’ll go horribly, I’ll worrying about a lot of things, which is something (as become too stressed to work properly on my A- the issues pass) that will become strikingly obvious levels, and the magazine will become a hated- about me, to my Perspective team, and to you, if you flaming-wreck for next year’s CCA to deal with…. And choose to read my other Editor’s Notes… If I choose really, what are the chances? to write them… Thankfully, as Zhu Lin and I were there to save As the new Editor in Chief, it’s my job to read through Kenneth, Eric and Ina will be there to save me. And in the articles written by various editors and freelance turn I will be able to infuriate them and ask writers before the academic year starts so that I can ridiculously inconsiderate things of them, which put the first issue into works. I’ve just finished eventually I’ll have apologized enough for to make reading, and editing the pile of them that I’ve them forgive me. amassed on my email, my facebook and in my Downloads folder, and- not to be cheesy, but wow. I I look forward to seeing this issue when it’s printed, know some really amazing writers. and all the other printed issues that will come to follow over the next year. Not because “wow, I made Reading through, I thought I’d feel the confidence of that, isn’t it fabulous” (a little bit because of that), but a new Editor In Chief, something I’d always seen in because it’s solid, manufactured, published proof, Kenneth, working on the magazine last year. I figured that I was able to make my small contribution in that in some magical “coming of age” moment, my putting another Perspective to print. ascent into “Editor-in-Chief”-hood, would be documented by some dramatic lightning bolt, which This magazine, for me, is a medium through which would bring endless amounts of inspiration and show someone can, not only learn how to write, but learn me some prophetic plan of what I would carry out the how to write for other people; learn to write so that rest of the year. It’s a couple of weeks till print, not a people actually take an interest in your opinion, and lot has been sorted out yet, and still nothing. maybe become open to the possibility of someone else’s. If you’re the kind of person who likes hearing In contrast, reading through these articles was different peoples’ opinions, then well, I guess you’re thoroughly humbling. going to enjoy Perspective over the next year. If you’re not… well… we have some excellent pictures, I (unlike Ina) cannot write a page and a half explaining and a fold out squid for you to play with. how the theory of relativity is linked to a student’s preparation and mindset for their school year. Neither can I quote lines from, or clearly explain the plot from ANY of the Matrix movies while also exploring Your Ever-Doubtful Editor, perceptions of reality like Eric has managed to do. To be honest, I find myself perfectly suited to random bouts of writing fiction, or constructing imaginary Sara Alina Trett conversation in my head. And by that logic I’M the one qualified to publish a campus magazine? (Editor-In-Chief) Writing has always been a big part of my life, as any and all of my friends know: (1) because I tend to mention it more often than would be considered casual (2) because I will literally volunteer for anything and everything related to writing (3) because I am the most annoying person ever to have English with (that last one being something that I am painfully aware of, and am trying to correct). I want to talk about printing. (read: heavily edit) pieces most in need of help. They have been both our anchor to sanity and Printing is the worst part about pushing this our support system all year, and we wouldn’t magazine out. Printers can be late and can try have been able to do anything without them. to take advantage of us, being a small By letting us focus on administration and independent publisher, and so despite the fact editing, they let us concentrate on the we literally wouldn’t exist without them, they important job of actually having something to can sometimes be enemy number one. Printing print, whilst making sure every single one of the is the cause for delays and slip ups and a host 80+ kids that are in the CCA stayed happy. of other problems. But seeing a fresh stack of magazines come into school over a lunch time I want to talk about last year. and watching them get around school like magic is a wonderful thing to behold. Which was a very strange year, suddenly having to work under Kenneth, and sharing a position I want to talk about writers. with Sara – someone I never knew very well. I had more meetings with Mr. Wilson last year Who are; naturally, the lifeblood of any than in all the rest of my time in GIS combined, organisation that tries to print words on paper. which is probably both a good and a bad thing. Who are also kids not much younger than I am, The stress and anxiety that comes with running whom Sara and I have to sympathise with while a CCA cannot be underestimated, and the Kenneth goes all crazy monster scary. Whom we number of times I had to listen to Kenneth have to push and pressure to keep to deadlines whine and break down about something trivial. when they have deadlines of their own, on Let’s just say that he owes me one. homework and projects and the rest of it. Whose work we all have to edit and improve, so I want to talk about this year. that in the end they improve. I know the writers look up to their editors, and in some cases are To be fair, I still really don’t know Sara all that afraid of the three mysterious people that seem well. But I’ve seen enough of how she works to to run the show and call out registers. But more know that Jie Wei and Wai Fung and Adrienne than that, I hope they know how proud we are made the right choice, putting her up for this of them, and of all the work they’ve done. job. I’ve always read the Perspective, but now I’ll probably read it a little differently, having I want to talk about Editors. been on the other end. I don’t know if I or Kenneth will be able to keep our hands out of The only real link we have to the CCA outside meddling, but I do know that we’ll be dropping of furious emails and meetings. The editors by to the English floor on Monday afternoons each take care of their kids with almost parental sometime, just to say hi. And we’ll be happy to care, and serve to filter and subtly improve do so. Perhaps the most fundamental, inexorable, alleviating or sometimes even heartbreaking truths of the human experience is the inevitable passage of time. Time is baffling yet ordinary, it is one man’s medium for greatness and another man’s kryptonite, it is both a physical, scientific entity as well as an abstract, social one. Not to sound too new age but, what is ‘Time’? How do our perspectives of it affect our lives? More importantly, how on earth do you manage and optimize these fleeting moments of ‘time’? Relativity Speaking. So let’s say you orbit a black hole (and somehow withstand being torn We generally think of time and the apart and turned into spaghetti), what motion of time as a constant and would happen is that time, for you, universal thing that which quantifies would pass much slower relative to the progresses of our existence. Like time back on earth. That collapsing if I spend 20 minutes eating lunch star’s gravity is so immensely strong and you spend 20 minutes reading a that time itself, or rather space time, book, we would both be done at the can be pulled into it and thus its same time, because time is the same motion can be slowed. With this everywhere and with whatever you do phenomenon known as Gravitational right? 1 second is 1 second right? Time Dilation, spending 1 hour there Time is a simple and a totally would equate to like 50 years back on elemental component of life right? earth, returning would be like physically travelling to the future! Well… not really! Why, “the truth How cool is that? resists simplicity.” Einstein’s theory of Special Relativity entails that the Time controls us. passage of time is physically variable; it changes depending on where you In a similar and analogous way, the are in the universe and with how fast passage of time for you doing day to you travel, and is somehow intimately day things can vary depending on linked with the concept of space – your psychological perspective.

Load more

  10

Copy Link