GCSE exams!

I apologise for my absence! I have been very busy with my GCSE exams. Luckily, I only have three exams left. Most people finished their last exam on Friday. However, I chose to do triple science as a GCSE option. This means that I have to do 9 science exams, which is three more than those who don't take triple science. Each science exam is an hour long, but I have 25% extra time.

Why do I get extra time? Because I have a condition that makes my bones hurt sometimes, which can affect the speed at which I write. I also am allowed to use a word processor (basically a laptop) if I want to. I only used the word processor for English and RE exams, so I used the laptop 6 times out of the 20 exams I have done so far. I most likely won't need the word processor for the next three exams, either.

I have an exam tomorrow so I can only make this short post for now! I will make a longer post once this week is over.

In case you're wondering, I have a Biology exam tomorrow.

My Gender Experiences Pt.1

This is part one of my posts relating to my gender, my experiences with gender and my feelings towards gender. There's a lot for me to say on this topic, so expect a lot more posts on this in the future! I think in this post I'll keep it short(ish) and simple, seeing as it's my first post on this topic.

Okay, so to start of, my gender identity is agender. For any of you who have never come across this term before, here's a definition:

Agender is a term which can be literally translated as 'without gender'. It can be seen either as a non-binary gender identity or as a statement of not having a gender identity. (source: Gender Wiki)

Some people may not understand how I can feel this way. They may not understand how someone could feel anything other that male or female. Sometimes I start to doubt myself and think "maybe I am just male/female" but when I think about my connection with these two genders, they don't really fit me. I try thinking of myself as a male and some parts of that do kind of fit me...but I really wouldn't feel comfortable identifying as male, and I feel the same with identifying as female. I've found that a good way to describe this is as a disconnection to gender. I just don't understand gender, in some sense.

If you have any questions on this, please ask in the comments section! Thank you for reading and goodbye until next time! :) ~Jay

Tomato Soup Recipe

My mum made a wonderful tomato soup recipe. It has a very vibrant flavour and the slight spice is goes so well. Not only does it taste great, but it's healthy! The costs for this soup are relatively low and it's suitable for freezing, making it the perfect food to make in batch and store away for days when you don't feel like cooking or when you're finding cooking things difficult. If I still haven't convinced you of this soup's greatness, it only requires two steps! This is definitely one of my favourite easy meals, and I hope you'll feel the same way.

Nutritional Facts (Approximate)

	Total (6 servings)	Per serving
Energy (kcal)	525	87.5
Fat (g)	2.4	0.4
(saturates/g)	0.1	0.0
Carbohydrates (g)	87.4	14.6
(sugars/g)	53.5	8.9
Fibre (g)	24.3	4.1
Protein (g)	26.5	4.4
Salt (g)	3	0.5

Ingredients

2 tins (800g) chopped tomatoes

1 tin (415g) baked beans

2 carrots (about 200g) sliced or grated

1 stick of celery

3 medium-sized pickled onions (4-5 small or 1-2 large)

Fresh or dried chilli (optional - in our recipe we use chilli-infused pickled onions, but we understand that most people won't have access to these. Add as much as you like. Several chillies if you like spicy foods and half a chilli if you only like a little spice)

1 tsp smoked paprika (optional - we tried adding it today, and it went very well with the flavour.)

Costings (Approximate)

Total (6 servings): £1.83

Per serving: £0.31

Preparation Time

Preparation time: 5 mins (+5 mins if carrots need grating or slicing)

Cooking time: 20 mins

Total: 25-30 minutes

Equipment

Saucepan (medium-large)

Blender (a food processor can also be used. However, we don't recommend this, because you will have to lift the entire food processor to pour the soup out. This is due to there being a hole in the bottom of the processor bowl which allows the motor shaft to spin the blade shaft. We found this out the hard way!)

Method

1. Place all the ingredients (except for the beans), plus half a cup (about 120ml) of water, into the saucepan. Put on the largest hob between low and medium heat for . Stir frequently to ensure none sticks to the pan, otherwise hand-cleaning it may be a bit difficult! Add the beans 15 minutes into cooking, then simmer for a further 5 minutes.

2. Leave the soup to cool for 10 minutes before carefully pouring the contents of the saucepan into the blender. Make sure you don't burn yourself! Blend until smooth, then serve immediately. If planning to freeze, leave to cool completely before pouring into tubs. Health and safety guidelines often suggest storing for a maximum of one month at -18'C (-0.4'F)

3 words beginning with 'A'

1. Abysmal [ab-biz-mul] is an informal word. It is an adjective meaning awful or extremely bad.
2. Accretion [ak-kree-shun] is a noun that means gradual growth or something added.
3. Aficionado, pl -dos [af-fish-yo-nah-do] is also a noun. It means enthusiastic fan of something or someone. For example, you could say I'm an aficionado of Manic Street Preachers.

Hi!

Hello! My name's Jay and this is my blog! My blog's name is a pun, if you didn't know! My favourite band is Manic Street Preachers, and one of their songs is called This is Yesterday.