Wednesday 30 December 2009

2009, A year that came and went just as fast

There are only two days left of 2009, and I feel a bit sad leaving behind this year and this century really, because it was from 2000 to 2009 that I grew up the most.


Scotland and Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Summer Holidays)
This was crazily good fun. Just walking up and down the high street for hours on end trying to collect as many leaflets as possible and talking to cute guys who really wanted you to come to their show, but in the end having to decline to tempting offer because we were going home. Good times.
School in general
School was just too much fun this year despite exams and such. So many good memories including, yellow lemons, bush pushings and crazy cramming revision sessions.
Potter Party
Even at 16 I am such a nerdy child :)
Class of 04-09
I LOVE YOU!
Half Blood Prince Premier
Awesome despite the rain, I just love how we met people in the station, on the train, in random street in London all united as one at 6pm in Leicster Square. I love Harry Potter too much <3

German Exchange in England (Jenny, Julia, Charlotte and Julia)
I had so much fun on both of these trips and it was just nice to live a bit of a German life for a while. It was relaxing and tiring and scary, but most of all it was great fun and everyone really became closer, not just towards our exchange partners but with other people from England on the trip.
German Exchange in Traben-Trabach (Leaving day)

New Year's Eve 2009 in Denmark
I just remember there being millions of fireworks and the sky being so clear. There is always an inside joke when we go to Denmark about the weather on New Year's Eve, because one year it was so foggy that when we fired a rocket up in the air we only heard it. We never saw all it's beautiful lights and colours. Thankfully this time our hundreds of fireworks didn't go to waste.
Denmark - Summer Holiday
I love walking round Copenhagen on a hot summers day and doing nothing other than enjoying it and walking along the canal with your sunglasses on and an icecream in your hand.
End of GCSE celebration to Alton Towers
This was the most fun I have had in a long time. All my best friends together, at a theme park, for two days, driven in a minibus, and being crazy without alcohol consumption. These are friends at the very best.

Vikki's Party
It's nice to have a girl sleepover once in a while, with gossip, makeup and mario kart wii xD
I love you guys and seriously, this year would not have been as good without you!
Summer in the City
A spur of the moment "Shall we go?" lead to a wonderful day filled with memoires that I'll never forget. Number one? The biggest pass the parcel circle I have EVER seen.
Ah crazy photo!

I loved 2009, so lets hope 2010 will be just as wonderful. There are lots of things which I haven't included in pictures, so I shall list.
  • My failed audition at NYT - taught me a lot despite failing, and urged me to try again, just because it was so much fun.
  • Benenden Music School, is just full of quotes and friends and frolics and fun, and makes me want to go back every time I think about it.
  • The start of emeraldsandstuff was awesome and I still enjoy making videos now. Basically just becoming more involved in the internet and not just being a 'spectator'.
  • Chartjackers project was just a good laugh, being in the music video made me feel awesome, really just giving to a charity in a fun way was amazing.
  • Getting accepted into KYWO was brilliant and SO SO SO SO unexpected.
  • Doctor Who craze with Charlotte is slightly insane, but our kind of insane is fabulous and nothing else.
  • All the shows I have been to see, including, Spring Awakening, Annie Get Your Gun, Wicked, All's Well that Ends Well, Waiting for Godot. I am so lucky.
  • Random trips to London
  • Random trips to Ellen's
  • Cycling trips
  • SNOW

Don't you just love life?





Wednesday 16 December 2009

Snow

Snow! Snow! Snow!
I walked out of philosophy and there was snow, falling, in some what small quantities, but it got bigger throughout fourth period. SNOW! We we're all so distracted. Our focus levels really are dwindling at school. But oh well, it's almost Christmas, and snow has made it so much more exciting. Since when does it ever snow BEFORE Christmas in England. Almost never, so this is literally amazing stuff. Today was good, I had a prize giving rehearsal, so I missed period 1 for no apparent reason what so ever. We basically had to sit for a photo with the low sun in our eyes, walk off the stage, round towards music, through the side door, round the back of the seating, up on the stage, mime shaking hands and receiving our prize and sitting back down again. And that my friends, took an hour. Yes really, one hour. I didn't really do much in any my other lessons, and my clarinet lesson was cancelled, so it was a pretty awesome day, topped with snow and home study. We cycled home it the snow which was cold, yet very lovely. And since I've been home I have been wrapping presents and making sweets and cards for all my friends. This is literally the only time I have done something remotely relaxing since I got home at 3pm.

Yesterday was the annual carol concert our school hold down at the cathedral in our town, got out of lessons there as well, and I've done no homework for the past five days, do I really deserve this prize for outstanding academic achievement? Haha. Anyway, I play clarinet in the orchestra, along with a few others in my year and I have to say we are all pretty good at playing. Really, we only play hymns which are easily the simplest thing to play in the world of music. No crazy notes, time signatures, and key signatures, yet a bunch of year 7's decide to sit at the front and 'play'. And when I say 'play' I mean, hold their clarinets up to their mouths and blow random notes down it. It was so infuriating when they didn't play a right note, or it one of the squeaked. I mean, seriously, what is the point in coming when you can't even play or remember what a C is. And to top it all off, the trumpet guy behind us didn't ever look at the conductor, or couldn't follow him at least, because he was always ahead of everyone else and LOUD. Things like these make me angry. So that is the rant over.

I am very excited for Christmas, tomorrow should be a good day and Friday is forcast heavy snow fall with severe weather warnings, though I would quite like to go to school that day as the year 13's put on an entertainment sort of thing, usually with a quest to save Christmas (or save the school from turning blue), the teachers being portrayed very dramatically, and basically trying to make as much of a fool out of the teachers as possible. It's always something we talk about and classes talk about their performances years in advance. So that's why I would like to go to school on Friday, plus Emma is going to see Muse and wants to get to London. But I want a substantial amount of snow and LOTS on Saturday please.

I just saw an advert for Dr Who Christmas special, I am so excited! It basically just showed a shot of him in a large space with rubble around him. It was only a second but STILL! AAArrrrghh!


And on that note...

Thursday 10 December 2009

100 divided by 2

Just to say. The last post was my 50th. This one is my 51st. I feel proud.

Dr Who

Charlotte and I have recently become very into Dr Who. We've only ever watched a few before, and never followed it. So I decided to start to watch it. Ellen's sister is a crazy fan of the show and has every episode on DVD, so we asked if we could borrow it around a month ago. A month has now past and we have just finished series 2. And oh my gosh! The last episode was so sad and heart wrenching. All I want to do is squee every time I think about it. Just The Dr and Rose being separated when they loved each other, oh, it was just so sad. I cried. I've never really cried at anything on a screen before, (apart from Dumbledore's death in HP6, but that was just teary eyed) I don't know if it was unstable stressed state at the moment, or whether it was the actually amazing acting, but both of those combined made me really sad when I watched it. So yes, now I am ready for series 3, and I am well on my way to becoming an avid Dr Who fan. I think this all happened after I realised how wonderfully crafted and made and acted 'Water's of Mars' was. So yey for that, and one of my best friends, Emily has also watched them all so we now have lively conversations about the show and all the crazy things that happen in them.

Yes, my unstable state of stress is bad. I have not taken my clarinet or saxophone out of their cases all week, and that takes a lot. Monday I had to go to Buckmore Park, where I help out at the learning zone, with children, which lasted until 7pm and I went straight from school. Tuesday I had a lesson after school which lasted until 4:10 and then I had a meeting about Oxbridge preparation at 6:30, so I decided just to stay at school until then with Jay. That went on until 8pm! It was slightly crazy, but I feel now I know what I need to do and how I can strive to get there. Woop! Then on Wednesday we had to organise and throw this party for the senior citizens in our area. All of the 6th formers were really forced to stay there until around 7pm, to sort out food and decorations and performing acts, and then to actually talk to the old folk. It was pretty hard to talk to them, so I resorted to washing up in the school kitchen. Which was actually quite awesome, as if we got to see behind the scenes at school. Hehe. We sang musical songs, whilst washing up. It was fun. But then I got home, and realised how tired I really was. And I was very tired. So I basically haven't done any homework for ages. I have an English exam (real one) in a presentation form on Monday, which I am only half ready for. I have no weekend, because I have a music course. I lost my maths, music and German folder for around two days. I basically don't have time to sleep. I feel like I am failing German. So do you see and feel my stress. Un-fun times. But what can you do.
I am sure that all will pick up soon enough, so I am grabbing all my opportunities to be happy at the moment. So all is okay. And I am sorry if I had snapped at anyone recently. It's dark times. For everyone. Seriously.

The Christmas cards have started to arrive, so all is jolly and Christmassy, we have a tree, but my mum refuses to put it up until around the 22nd, as she claims 'it will just dry out' but hey ho. Tomorrow is Friday, and it seems like far to long ago since I blogged.


Okay ew. My mum just opened the fridge and it stinks of cheese. She has bought a lot.

Thursday 26 November 2009

I have the sudden urge to watch Wild Child...

It's been almost 10 days, and I feel pretty bad for just letting my blog pass by in my life. But the truth is, is that I have been really busy. With school. It's just the least interesting thing to be busy with, and it's not even as if I have done anything out of the ordinary, but I haven't had time to eat lunch for the past two days even. And that takes a lot of busy-ness. I had a bad day on Monday, I just woke up and it was dark and it was rainy, and from then I knew that that day would be bad, and rightly so, it lived up to my expectations. Nothing drastically bad went wrong, but just all the little things added together just made me want to go home and cry, though I didn't. Then on Tuesday it rained again and I had all six periods today. Yes SIX. So I had to stay after school for biology and then walk all the way down into town, which is like a mile, then catch a bus, and then walk from the bus stop, home, which in total took 2 hours. I was not happy.

Anyway today was good, despite the absence of my lunch time. But what can you do when there is a physco music teacher who makes you rehearse the whole of lunch for something that really doesn't require a lot of effort to practice, and where I only play around five different notes. argh! Other than that, Vikki has a date tomorrow with Jordan xD, we want to go and follow them, when Vikki heard mine and Emily's plan she immediately kicked up a fuss (goodness knows why :P) and then told her that if we couldn't do that, then she had to give us a text update every five minutes, she said this was rude. We said, Oh well. This is what going to a girls school for 5 years does to you. And now there are boys in the 6th form. It's pretty weird/lovely.

I really can't remember everything that has happened in the last 10 days. I really can't. I have some impossible maths homework, and it really does make me feel stupid, seeing as I am in Maths Studies, which is the lowest maths group at IB level, and I still can't do the blooming algebra.

Tomorrow we are putting up the outside Christmas Tree and hanging up some window decorations ready for the 1st of December. :)
I said to everyone that I thought Christmas didn't really begin until the 16th December, but now I have to go back on my word. I'm crazy excited. On Monday I am going Christmas shopping with my friends to buy presents for EVERYONE! I am so not going to have any money left after that trip. We have Friday and Monday off. FOUR DAY WEEKEND. CELEBRATE! So at this moment I am really happy.


Yey. Apart from stupid maths. But who needs that anyway. Right?

Tuesday 17 November 2009

Dear World

World. My video camera has broken. What am I do to?

Musings

I feel like such a music nerd right now, but who cares god damn it. I got into KYWO, which is to say I got into Kent Youth Wind Orchestra which is freaking amazing! :D I am so proud of myself. I have a feeling I have commented on this before in my previous blog, but who cares man, lets spread the joy. I'm even on a list at school.

In other musical news: I am so happy about the ChartJackers song and how they came 36th in the UK charts. I just think it's an amazing way to show how the internet - the thing that adults think is a 'bad' thing has come together and done something good, involving all types of people, from all over the world. I don't think I would even have minded if it came 50th and out of the charts, but the fact that it is makes it just so much more amazing. I walk round school and hear people singing it, and I just have the thought in my head that "Oo, that was something I was involved in" makes you feel warm inside, y'know? Also the fact that I almost never have contributed to Children in Need, but now I have and it does feel good. I have been part of something that has created a ton of money for people who don't have the chance to do something that I do.

So, Thank You internet and everyone who took ChartJackers upon themselves.

I have got to the stage where I have no more memory left on my phone for messages, so every time I receive one I have to delete about 10, which is horrible. I can't delete them all at once, I can't let them all go like that. So I do it gradually, but it really is not much fun. I find myself sieving through the whole folder finding texts which have no significance. But they all do. Ah well, something digital is never completely gone, I can go search/hack into files when I am older and desperate and find every email, every text, every internet or phone conversation I have ever had. Scary, huh?

Sunday 15 November 2009

weird.

Is it normal for guys not to have any idea who Jane Austen or Charlotte Bronte are?

Tuesday 10 November 2009

Literary Horizons

I totally forgot it was my friends birthday today. I mean she's not like a close friend but I've known her for ages, since year 3 I think so around 9 years which is quite a long time. I felt really bad because I sat there for ages this morning talking to her and other random people without acknowledging that it was her birthday. Then I remembered and blurted it out. So Happy Birthday Sian!

I am so glad that I don't have another clarinet lesson until the 26th November because it takes so much effort to practice efficiently, that I really can't be bothered. It's actually been really bad. I have done no homework today, I've just said that I would do it tomorrow in my frees, though I probably won't actually do that. I need to read 1984 and A Brave New World. I just need to broaden my literary horizon. I also need to finish Pride and Prejudice, and read a few other classics, though I really can't read them as well as I can modern novels like A Handmaid's Tale or Memoirs of A Geisha or Sophie's World, which I have grown to love because it has unconsciously taught me a lot about philosophy, so now I just 'know' things and can answer intelligent questions. I like that. They are just some of the more intelligent books that I love.

I bought a newspaper today. I felt so proud of myself and I've read the front cover. Still I'm pretty proud and I will get round to reading it. I promise. Well I'll force myself. Mind you I am finding all this stuff about the fall of the Berlin wall very interesting. This is maybe why I should have taken history. Damn bad teachers from year 7 to year 9 have a bad influence on me.

Chartjackers is 14th in the pop charts, which to be honest I think is pretty damn amazing, thinking about how it's got next to no radio play and no TV coverage apart from BBC Switch. My friend Fe, who reads this, so hi Fe! Went to BBC Switch live, and she came in on Monday screaming at me "I saw you on the screen at a music concert!!!!" I was like sorry what? She said "I saw you in the Chartjacker's music video! I started screaming, then everyone around me started scream and I was like, no no, they are my friends on the screen!" That was pretty cool to experience. haha.

I had a lovely chat with my friend Mia today about life and school and impressions on people we knew, even though it was a bit gossipy, it was nice to talk to her for a while about relevant things because I've never really spoken to her before this year much, apart from in choir xD. But I enjoyed it, especially because we were suppose to have biology and my lesson got cancelled because the teacher wasn't here. YEY for 6th form and not having supply teachers EVER! :D

Saturday 7 November 2009

IB Kids

I love IB and IB people. They actually make my life. If you are just a randomer 'HEY THERE!' You probably have no idea what I am going on about. Here is the explanation. At school I take a course called the International Baccalaureate instead of the normally English A levels. Go look it up. Anyway at our school there are not many people who actually take the IB, so the 50 people who do from both yr 12 and 13 are like a little community in itself. A few of us last night went to one of the yr 13's house just so the yr 12s could be welcomed into the world of IB and just so we could get to know each other a bit better. It was lovely, and despite their threats about mental breakdowns and all nighters I still love the IB. I think basically IB kids are a bit obsessed with their course. HAHA.

Thursday 5 November 2009

One More Thing

I have an IB assessed speech on some books with a title that I make up in less than a month. I am scared, and I have no idea what to do, and we can't have notes (well you can, if you want to get marked down), and this sucks.
On the plus, I generally had a nice day and tomorrow I miss two lessons for Autum concert rehearsals. Yey for that.
I also apologise for the lack of enthusiasm and beautiful flowing writing in this blog post and the one before. I have no reason, other than the fact that I wish to continue reading.

That book is WAY too exciting. xD
It's not really a well known book in England so I have forced all my friends to go out and buy a copy. I love starting obsessions of new things. It's the new Twilight - only better, almost levelling up to Harry Potter. ALMOST.

That's All

All I can say is CATCHING FIRE = <3
That is all.

Tuesday 3 November 2009

64 Zoo Lane

For the past few days I have been at a music course for a wind band I am in and I play clarinet in it. I play 2nd clarinet, partly because the 1st part is hard, partly because there are people better than me, and partly because I have no faith in my clarinet playing. I never put myself forward for a solo or anything for fear of getting it wrong and the other people looking at me as if I am really rubbish because I just did the completely wrong rhythm or played the wrong notes. I find playing a musical instrument reasonably difficult and I have had to work really hard to be able to get to where I am. Most of the people - actually - all of the people playing 1st clarinet were younger than me, which kind of makes me feel a bit, you know, bad. I know people say that there is no such thing as natural talent, but please, there must be. Anyway, despite that, it was really fun and I really enjoyed my time playing 2nd clarinet alongside people who are actually my age. We played 64 Zoo Lane, which to anyone who doesn't know is a the theme tune to a children's TV show and it's really annoyingly catchy! I am serious from the first time we played it through it has gone round and round and round in my head without any indication of leaving. I go to bed and it's there. I wake up and it's there. I brush my teeth in time to the music. It is a good tune to play and fun, but man does it stick. The concert was really good as well, and I got to see friends which I hadn't seen in ages and make new friends as well. Plus I like having something which is purely my own and no one else's in my family.

The concert was Sunday and after that I went to Emily's house for a sleepover. It was good fun, apart from watching White Noise, it's not even that scary a film, but I just couldn't watch it. All the sounds and things made it worse, but I suppose it was funny afterwards when we found Mr Bean's Holiday which we could watch to get the scariness out of our systems. We are such wimps. Hahaaa.

On the Monday we all went up to London and went crazy, seriously we went to Camden Market, the Tate, platform 9 3/4 (which, by the way they have changed the location of, and is now a bitter disappointment), Hamleys and various other places which I now have forgotten. It was really fun, but I was glad when we got on the train and we could just relax and think of nothing but the comforts of our own beds and a day tomorrow to do nothing in.

And rightly so I did nothing, other than a bit of German homework and read Catching Fire, which I could not put down, but alas, I had to stop reading, as I had done so for the most of the day. It also rained all day, and I quite fancied going out. But I did not. Tomorrow is school, though it can't be that bad as I only have 3 real lessons to which I have to attend. We do however have a seminar last (?) but I have a free before that so that should be fine and dandy. I wanted to go and see a film in the cinema but I have forgotten what it is I actually want to see. But A Christmas Carol is out soon and we saw them setting up for the premiere yesterday in London in Leicester Square. Looked Wonderful.

Perfect timing, Food is ready. And yes, Food deserves a capitalization at this moment because I am hungry.

I also have an idea for a video on my own YouTube channel, finally.

Thursday 29 October 2009

Brand new tidy room

Today was so productive. Emily, Charlotte and I went to Vikki's house, more specifically her room. If anyone has seen any of Vikki's emeraldsandstuff videos you will have noticed that in the background is mess. And lots of it. So we decided to take action and do it for her. It took us around 4 hours to tidy the whole thing and sort it all out and put it away again. By the end of it we had 2 big black bin bags full of rubbish, 1 recycling bin bag full of paper and plastic, and around 7 bags filled with stuff to be given to charity, sold or given to other people.

It started off pretty slow, but then we sorted things into piled and had fun whilst dancing around to weird music including the Harry Potter audiobook. Then we sifted through everything we had sorted being brutal and mean whilst Vikki gave either a "yes" or a "no" for things she wanted to throw away.

Now you can practically cartwheel in there, whereas before it was difficult even to have three people in there at the same time. I feel that we did well, and for that we all deserve a star of good deed.

My mum has made Christmas cake and pudding today, so it is dawning on us, and though I feel it is too early for Christmas lights and songs and decorations I can't help but feel a little excitement for Christmas. :D

That's all to be said really, for the next three days I'm on a Kent Music course which should be fun, especially seeing people who I haven't seen since summer. So hopefully it won't be too stressful and the conductor won't be too mean. Unlike last time.

So farewell and until next time faithful readers. (Ellen)

Tuesday 27 October 2009

There's no business like show business.

Windows 7 came today, we were excited. Then we realised it would delete all our current programmes so we had to back everything up on another hard disk drive which took around 4 hours. Now thats all done and we have ourselves windows 7. I don't much like it at the moment, but I was kind of attached to the old settings and things. Mind you, I would rather have an Apple computer 100 times over. But ah well. It was a good deal seeing as we got a discount for being students. Now we just have to load all our programmes and files back onto the computer and see how it turns out. I doubt that I will be able to use it. The first thing I said, was that it looked like sims 3. Which to be honest I don't much like. Though I will probably get used to both in the long run. Speaking of sims, I haven't been on since before the summer, I feel that sims is a "phase" game, which I only play during one of my sim phases. Usually when I have way too much time to know what to do with.

I'm typing on the Mac, and once again the box in which I am typing seems really huge. I have been going for around five minutes and still have failed to fill up half the box which blogger so kindly allow me to write in.

Yesterday I went to London with my Dad. I saw that my friend, Jay, was also going up there for a hospital thing she had in the neurology department up there. I replied to her facebook status saying "I'm going to London too, imagine if we meet, it would be weird, though it would probably never happen seeing the size of us is tiny in proportion to the size of London. Good Luck with your hospital thing." Guess what happened...

We got to the train station early and ran down the road when we saw the train approaching, we didn't pay for a ticket as there was no one at the ticket office and the permit to travel machine didn't work. Not only did we get on the same train as Jay, we got on the same carriage. Which was so incredibly weird. Seriously though, what are the chances. I didn't know what time she was going, or what station she was going to. Ah I love it when things like that happen. Anyway, no ticket person came through the train on the way up to London, and we got off at Waterloo East, where there were no barriers or places to pay for tickets, so some how we managed... not to pay.

Once we were in London we went to the Hayward art gallery and saw an exhibition by Ed something. He had a weird surname which I can't really remember what is. After we did this we went to the Young Vic which was where the show "Annie get your Gun" was, which was the show we were seeing. We had also reserved a table at the restaurant and we just went in there early as we were cold and wanted food.

The show was amazing. And the actor who played Annie was really good. I was amazed at how well she acted and how well she sang and things like that. I would go and see it again and recommend it to all my friends. The theatre was really small and cozy and we sat upstairs on the front row and we could see everything so clearly.

Today I did homework. It was not fun.

Thursday 22 October 2009

Bad Day

I had an awful day, which just totally sucked because it was the last day of term, which is meant to be a happy thing but my day was just so bad I just couldn't help but not be happy. It felt like it started bad, then got gradually worse. In actual fact it didn't but you know how everything just keeps adding up and you just feel more down? Well that's what I felt like.

I got up and my arm hurt from my HPV vaccine that I got yesterday, I'm not saying that it is a bad thing, but it was just annoying. So I decided not to cycle because I probably couldn't deal with the muscle ache in my arm whilst leaning on my handlebars. This meant I had to get the bus home. Which is a bad thing, but more of that later...

I came to school and everything was jolly, until I remembered I had a timed essay to write in English which I had forgotten to study for, plus the book and the title of the essay was the dullest thing in the history of English. So that was basic fail. Also, during my first period of English, my friend Hannah came in and asked my teacher to talk to me. So I went out, not wanting to seem rude and say no because I was in the middle of a test. Anyway, she asked me if I could play clarinet for a year 13's music tech recording. She said that I was the last person who could do it as the other people who were meant to were absent. She said it wouldn't take long. I went to my second period; German first though to tell my teacher where I would be and she told me not to be more than half the lesson. So I went down there. Turned out I missed 3/4 of the lesson and I didn't even do anything and got asked to come back at break. Missed break. Got asked to come back fifth lesson. Missed my free. Just pissed me off so much. I had to cancel meeting up with one of my friends because I had too much to do, and it just sucked. To top that all off, I had to pay £2.60 on the bus home which is adult fare. I couldn't be bothered to argue but told the bus driver that I had never paid this before, he showed no sympathy, and then stupid idiotic year sevens decide to screech higher than any girl can willing themselves to annoy the other people on the bus. I swear to God I could have killed either one of them. Why is it so good to be able to screech highly for a boy, really shows your masculinity doesn't it? Then some of the older year 10 boys decided to "settle" the problem by pouring water over them. NO.
It seriously makes me angry.

So that was my day, I know it sounds pathetic, but it was total crap.
And I am sort of annoyed at myself for feeling like that all day, and I know I could have just brushed it past, but I wanted to be grumpy, because today when I was upset people were like "Ah, Julia, smile, this isn't like you to be upset, it's not in your character." Well it is.

Friday 16 October 2009

Hurry Up Holiday!

Today I felt like I wasn't really in the location that I actually was in. I don't know where I was. But I wasn't at school. I wasn't in my lessons. I wasn't on my bike. I wasn't at my saxophone lesson. I wasn't in the form room. It really was a weird feeling. I felt mentally and physically drained of energy and I just couldn't really be bothered to concentrate or listen to what was being said. That being said, I managed to get through the day alright, though lugging a saxophone home on my bike on the way home was not the ideal way to end the school day. Half term is only in a week, though it really feels like it should come quicker. I have a Theory of Knowledge essay to write -which, despite doing philosophy and the two being pretty similar - is going to mess my brain up and cause severe questioning throughout the rest of the weekend. No music tomorrow so I propose a lie in for myself. However, I will probably wake up at 7:30 for stupid reasons like my body thinking "Oh, this is an hour later than when I usually get up, I feel out-slept" NO BODY. NO YOU DON'T!

My friend Jenna who is 3 years younger than me broke up with her boyfriend. This is actual major sad times. I actually really hate people sometimes, because this guy just broke up with her for fact that it 'wasn't working'. Sorry, but what wasn't working? Or is it just you being a complete prick and messing up someone's life, maybe just because you don't have enough time or can't be bothered to make a commitment? Just irritates me. So Jenna, when you read. Don't worry, do what you want to get over him. Eat a whole tub of ice cream. Watch some crazy film and watch day time television. Enjoy.

My saxophone teacher wants be to do grade 5, I have only played saxophone for around 6 months, but the fact that I play clarinet as well gives me advantage. It's still pretty scary though and I don't know if I am ready for it, especially sight reading, epic failure, even in clarinet. But I suppose I'll do it, I haven't done a grade for anything in a very long time. So I feel it's time. Plus, let's face it, it sounds good.
"How long have you been playing Saxophone?"
"Around 9 months"
"Oooh, what grade are you on?
"I just done grade 5 a few months ago"

Yeah it sounds good.

WHAT DO I DO WITH MY LIFE?!
I like less than a year I have to choose my life basically. I have to choose my university and my course which pretty much will determine the rest of my life. This scares me. A lot. I still feel like I should be in year 10 worrying about make-up and what I was doing every Friday night. Next thing I know I'll be in university wondering what the hell I am doing there. I wanted to do English Literature, but I don't know if I am good enough, or read enough, or am interesting enough. It just majorly stresses me out, because that is what our school is centred around. What you do with your life in order to be successful and there is so much pressure and pushing and prodding and moulding us into place. And I feel out of place.

Sigh.

Wednesday 14 October 2009

Today it was cold all day

I applied for the National Youth Theatre last year, and unfortunately didn't get in. I kind of had that feeling as I was almost the youngest at the audition and there were loads of other people with further and better experience than I had. It was a fun day though and hardly nerve-racking at all. So I am trying again for the second time. I hope this time I will get in because I know what to expect, what they are looking for and have been to see plenty more plays which I can choose a monologue from for my individual audition. The online application for auditions has changed and is almost more 'high-tech' this year. First of all I had to fill out my name and address and wher I had heard out about NYT. Then it went on to ask me random stuff like phone numbers and email address, then on the next page it said select a location where you would like to audition in a drop down menu. So I clicked Maidstone because it's around half an hour away from where I live. Confirmed it. Booked it. Paid. Got a confirmation email...

Dear Julia,

Thank you for your application to join the National Youth Theatre. We're really excited about meeting you and would like to confirm your audition details as:
**********************************

Location:
ABERYSTWYTH UNIVERSITY
Aberystwyth University,
Pantycelyn Conference Suite,
Old College,
King Street,
Aberystwyth,
Ceredigion,
SY23 2AX,
United Kingdom


Erm, this is in Wales. I cannot go to Wales to audition for the National Youth Theatre. My mum and Charlotte find this hilarious that I have an audition in Wales which I clearly cannot attend. I sent them an email back, and I just checked my inbox and they have corrected it, so I will not be going to Wales. YEY!

I'm going to see 'Up' tomorrow, which I am quite excited about as it has got good reviews and such things. It's silly, it's only just come out in England yet it's been out in America for a few months at least I think, which I find is odd.

Today was quite nice, though I do not understand the slowness of year sevens. I have to mentor a year seven geography class every other Wednesday last period, and my god, they are annoying. They were merely marking another persons test and the answers were on the board for them to mark it from. All the test was, was labelling some cities and rivers and mountain ranges in Britain. One person thought Kent (the county we live in) was in Wales. Another said "I've put Manchester, but it says the answer is Liverpool, can I still have the mark?" NOOOOOOOO. Why is it so hard for them. I really would like to know if I was like that when I was eleven years old. I hope I was not.

I was meant to have a timed essay in philosophy today, however my teacher - who I hate, though maybe a little less now - told us just to work in pairs and note down all of Plato's philosophical ideas, so that was nice of him. I also had a music test which I got 14.5/20 in. Kind of sucks, because it was the worst in the class (despite there only being three of us) but what can be helped they have eight lessons a week, I only have four and though I feel kind of upset about it, even though I shouldn't because it's a good mark, I feel bad for not getting any higher.

I want to see 'Nation' at the National Theatre as well. But I have no one to go with. I think I will force someone to come with me, otherwise I'll be a loner going to the theatre on my own.

Today it was cold ALL DAY!

Sunday 11 October 2009

Satisfying Crunch

Okay, I am slightly addicted to the apples we have in the house at the moment. Their crunch is so satisfyingly pleasant when you bite into them, and their taste is so sweet with a bit of added zing, and I've eaten about five of them in around two hours and there are now only two left. Bad times, but seriously, these are like the nicest apples I have tasted in a very very very long time :). I feel I am quite particular over which apples I like. I absolutely hate it when you get a fluffy apple. You know the ones which you bite into and it's all powdery, there in so crunch or anything to get your teeth into, it's just powder? I hate them. I hate them when they have no taste, and if I get one of these two types of apples I take around five bites and throw it away, because I can't eat them, they are just grotesque. Now enough of apples.

I have also made a treacle sponge pudding today, which is at the present moment happily steaming away in the kitchen hopefully cooking into a soft, moist, flavourful, sticky mess. YUM, I can't wait, downside - it still has around an hours left in the steamer before it's ready. But I was quite impressed with myself and my ability to make it. Despite not having the right flour and the right sugar I hope it has turned out okay as I tried out with some substitutes, more baking powder and a mixtures of sugars. HA, I do love unhealthy foods, especially those you make yourself, because you can see all the sugar that goes in, though really that should be a bad thing. In this particular pudding there are three tablespoons of golden syrup, one tablespoon of black treacle and around 200 grams of sugar. HMM yum, teeth rotting stuff.

Aside from food, which is seeming to take up a lot of my blog. I went to a concert last night - a classical concert with an orchestra and a piano concerto. As I am taking music for IB my teacher constantly goes on about us needing to go and see music and so he told us to go to this one (I suspect partly because he was in it) because it was free. So we went and it was surprisingly good with some very lively music. It was a pretty funny trip though as my music class consists of three people, namely the ones who went to see the orchestra. So really, theoretically this was a school trip. It was great. HAAA.

My treacle pudding has risen. A lot. I just went and checked it and the lid no longer fits on the steamer. Oh dear, I hope this doesn't jeopardize my chances of it turning out good.

Today I wrote an essay in German. It was immense, I'm telling you.

Friday 9 October 2009

The new title

There is blank spot just begging me to start typing in it, so now I am. It's been a while, and by that I mean like four days. But it seems like a lot longer, it now feels like that blogging has become a part of my life and that I have become bound to writing a post every couple of days and I am sorry it's been... four days. Though at the same time, who really cares.

I have been ill. What a joy. I am NEVER ill, but apparently all that has changed recently. I got a cold last week and then my immune system which is usually so wonderful has been down and caught some kind of bug which I am determined was not the swine flu, because I just refuse to get that. So anyway, for the past few days I have had no appetite despite being hungry constantly, had a fever, stomach ache and a head ache to top all that off. So it's been wonderful as you can tell. I have done literally nothing these past days apart from wondering about things I could do if I felt well enough to do them and feeling incredibly jealous of everyone of YouTube - who have kept me entertained more or less - jumping up and down, running around having twice the amount of energy that I could at this very moment ever dream of having.

There is really nothing to tell you. That is what I have done this past week. NOTHING! It really does suck and I really hate missing school. I sound like a complete nerd saying that, but it's true. Even if I say "eurgh, I hate school, it's so pointless and boring" I love it really and I really miss it when I am not there. Not only because all the teachers expect you magically to have done all the work whilst you have been dying away from them and because you miss all the cool stories and notices and meetings that were planned, but because I miss all my friends and I have no one to talk to because everyone is at work or at school. Sucks.

I am typing this blog on a mac computer, and the blogging writing space seems somehow bigger, that keyboard however is really nice to type of so, despite my lack of imagination and creativity of what to say, the keyboard is making me type more and more because it's so lovely.

I also really want to drive. This isn't a thing I have really thought about at all and I would be one of the first people to say that I don't need a car until after uni, but I want one, and I want to learn to drive. Except I have no money and my parents won't let me. I am envious over all my other friends, but I suppose they will just have to put up with me asking them for a lift every where, won't they?

I have nothing else to say, good bye


EDIT: I so totally forgot to put a title on this, and only realised after about 5 hours, and now this space wants me to spell realised like this: realized.
Which is weird.

Saturday 3 October 2009

Collage on a Wall

I was just looking forward to a few hours in the house on my own to geek out or whatever as my mum has gone out with her friends, when my sister and dad return from London full of energy and making noise, which I do not want, doing things I was about to do and changing the way they do them, asking me to do stuff that I don't want to do... sucks.

I just helped my mum get ready for her night out. Bless. She's a bit hopeless, so I did her makeup for her, which I must say looked very nice, and helped her choose what to wear. I swear, she practically only has work suits, no smart casual things to wear, which is annoying because she has so many clothes, yet none she can really wear.

Today I created a wall montage on my... wall. I took down all my tickets and my cork notice board and stuck it all on to the wall, which now looks great in my opinion and I can keep adding to it and look at all these memories at once. Today didn't consist of very much else apart from the ever exciting Peru news. I have been looking up World Challenge things this evening and every one of them looks amazing no matter where it is. It's just Peru is just that little extra special.

I haven't done any homework, but I saw Claire today, I missed Claire so much, she's uber cool. She moved from Malaysia in year 6 and came into my primary school, we took the 11+ and got into the same secondary school which was awesome. Now she's moved to a different school for 6th form so I don't see her as often, but she came to music today and it was very lovely.

Pizza is ready, Bye lovely people.

Friday 2 October 2009

Peru

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! My school are organising a World Challenge expedition to Peru and the Andes and the Rainforest and I REALLY CRAZY AMOUNTS WANT TO GO! This is my dream! Ever since I applied for Serious Andes and spent a lot of time looking up the Andes mountain range, researching the spectacled bears and just being a bit of a nerd really. I really hope it happens because right now it's kind of in the side lines a bit. It's been approved by our head teacher and everything but it's just if it will actually get up and running! Just imagine it, climbing up to Machu Picchu, canoeing a long the Amazon River, treking through rainforests, small villages, coming home and saying "I climbed the highest mountain in the Andes mountain range and trekked through the Amazon rainforest where I spent nights in small villages with locals who taught us how to make canoes from the trees in the forest." ARSJKGBKLAGBK.
Oh World, you have no IDEA how much I would like to go. Thing is, is that it costs £3000. We fundraise, but it's still a lot of money and it would be hard to raise that much, but literally how exciting is this opportunity, and how often to you get offered something as amazing as this!

Okay, now that is done (and although I cannot contain my excitment) I am going to write some very mundane things now. My dad is trying to install the new washing machine as our old one broke, and to be fair it had come to the end of it's life being over 10 years old. So my parents decided to buy a new one, the most expensive range, the cheapest washing machine. Yeah they're cool. Washing machines are heavy, and I highly doubt that my dad will be able to get it in all by him self ever. The future doesn't look bright and although I have already tried to help (and failed) I think that he will need my mum's crazy strength to get it in.

I saw 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs' last night and I marvelled at how much better 3D films have become. The colour is no longer distorted and the footage no longer gives you a headache. On the downside, you don't get retro 'one lens blue, the other red' glasses any more, they have been upgraded to ones that look like sunglasses.I was pleasantly surprised with this film, despite the cinema charging extra for 3D films, I didn't mind too much as we got in as children although we are all 16. Ah well, if you look young, you use it to your advantage.

Today was the first proper cold day in a long time, and it was COLD! I got up shivering and wanted some nice warm toast to warm me up. No bread. Alright I thought, I'll have some cereal. Poured the cereal into a bowl. Opened the fridge. No milk. Great. So I had a cold Kiwi and was hungry up until break.

The washing machine is almost in.

PERU!

Wednesday 30 September 2009

Crab Shaped Harvest Box

This is around the 5th time I have tried to write this blog today.
My hands are cold and typing is a good way in which to warm them up, so I will update you on my hands at the end of the blog.

Yesterday just before I was about to go to bed I received an email from a person called David, this is what it said:

Hey Blogger - My name is David,

I have been searching the Internet for the most well-written blogs and was impressed by yours. I wanted to invite you to become a paid blogger at Blog Distributor. (please understand that I do not send this invitation to every blogger I come across.)

Here is a link that describes how it all works in a little more detail:

https://www.blogdistributor.com/bloggers.php

Our system is set up so that bloggers can make more money with us than with any other blog-for-pay firm. In short, we are the middle man between you and the advertiser. We match the correct blogs with the correct advertisers, who pay us to do so. And then we pay you, the blogger on behalf of the advertiser. You only take the advertisements that you want and are comfortable with. In no way does this alter the owersship of your blog. You simply get paid to write postings on your blog that you choose to write. You do what you want, when you want.


I thought this was pretty odd, seeing as hardly anyone reads my blog and it is mainly for my purpose to log my days in a diary format rather than for anyone else (keep reading if you are! I LOVE YOU). So I have a feeling that ignoring this email is the best option for me because (1) I don't really want to advertise randomly in my blog (2) if I actually have any readers you will not want to see BUY THIS ITEM in my writing (3) I just want to blog for that sake of it, because I think it is fun and the internet is a place where things never die, so this is documented, will never be lost, may never be found, and something I can look back on in years to come. Almost like the room of requirement. :)
It was quite nice to receive an email like this though, and it made me happy to think that (if it is actually genuine) this person thought I was a good writer. So thank you person.

I had awkwardness today wasn't the nicest thing, but what can you do.

I did buy Alex Day's album yesterday and I am REALLY excited about getting it. Yey, plus, this is the first time I will have bought a REAL CD in a long time rather than downloading it from itunes. Happy times. I am actually very happy at the moment, although I have an English presentation which I can't actually remember what to say about. If I fail, I fail and what can be done. I am okay with making things up on the spot, but when it has to be about a certain topic and you get penalized for saying "um" and "err" and "like" or any colloquial saying, I am not too confident, because I want to talk to my class friends as if I am talking to them just generally... which is not what my teacher wants me to do.

I have to remember my harvest food tomorrow, because my form tutor is about to go crazy about me not having bought anything in for our form's Crab shaped harvest box that we have decorated. Harvest is so late in England.

I made a vlog today as well as it is Wednesday, so head on over to the emeraldsandstuff YouTube channel here if you want to watch it, and some of our other vlogs as well.

Don't you hate it when people say "Oh my gosh, I have a secret, but I can't tell you!"
I do.

Tuesday 29 September 2009

Plus Books

My friend also wrote a book, which she is allowing me to read through :)
I wish I had the ability to write books.
It's just not a power I possess.

Strange blogging...

I did actually write a blog on Sunday, but the thing is, is that I wrote it on word, and now I can't find it. Chances are that I have saved it in some stupid idiotic place and now I will never see the light and the words of that blog ever. So according to you the past 3 days of my life have not existed, as you do not know that even I exist and therefore your knowledge is incorrigible, and this is what TOK does to you. Theory Of Knowledge seeps into my everyday life more than I want it to. I find myself asking my biology teacher how we know that fossils are actually imprints of animals left millions of years ago, and how we know that red blood cells carry oxygen around the body if we can't actually see oxygen how to we even know it's there? Despite this "subject" getting into my brain and messing it up I generally enjoy it quite a lot. A lot of the time we just have huge discussions and debates which are fun to argue against, or if I don't feel like saying anything I can just sit back and listen, and if I am feeling exceptionally lazy I can just turn off. TOK is fun, it's a bit different from all my other lessons which are just "learn this fact" subjects.

I bought the 'Hunger Games' after much recommendation. By much I MEAN A LOT! Okay, first of all the fiveawesomegirls have been raving about it, so I thought I might as well see if they have it in a British book store (doubtful as they didn't stock John Green's book - or know who he was for that matter) and they did. On the recommended titles shelf. So I bought it and went up to the cash desk, and the women serving me said "OH MY GOSH! I love this book, it's so amazing!" So I looked at her strangely and then the next day at school I was about to start it and my friend shouted at me from the other side of the room "I LOVE THAT BOOK! I READ IT IN ONE GO!" So there again is a person in love with this book. Is it the undiscovered 'Harry Potter'? Well, I haven't actually got round to reading it as I have to read 'The Bloody Chamber' by Angela Carter and 'So Long A Letter' by Mariama Ba, which is a whole book of a letter. I hate reading letters, that's where I got stuck in 'Pride and Prejudice' Darcy's REALLY long letter to Elizabeth. So I have a huge list of books I need to read, most of which will not impress my English teachers.

It's 5:35 in the afternoon and I still haven't started my homework. I will probably just look in my planner, see what I have to do, figure out when I have a free lesson and when I can do it then because I really cannot be bothered to do any homework. It's just so much hard work and I know this isn't really the ideal thing to say for someone whose ambition is to get to Cambridge or UCL or Edinburgh for that matter, but I just can't be bothered to pick up a pen and write when I come home from school, but I suppose what has to be done has to be done. I also have to play clarinet and saxophone which I cannot be bothered with either because I just don't have the time or the effort to want to. Do you suspect an especially lazy mood from me. I really do, and I didn't even realise it. I had double biology today as well. It's not even a double lesson which is stupid. It's biology, English, Biology. Which is practically pointless. This is seriously just turning into a rant about work now and emphasising on my laziness.

I may just go and buy Alex Day's album 10% off later today to make myself feel better. Then again I will feel bad because I don't have any money. Eurgh! I may also get out my winter thick duvet so I can snuggle up in that tonight. It's getting a bit chilly, which is bad, because... it's cold, but good because it reminds me of Christmas and I love how happy everyone is at Christmas. Teacher allow us to slack a bit, we have entertainment, Christmas trees, secrect santa, cards, snow! AH SNOW! I LOVE THEE!

Okay, I realise that this blog is not really about what has happened in my life these past few days and I shall now list what I have done in a very boring fashion as I really do have to do my homework.

1. Saw 500 days of Summer (<3)
2. Went to Bluewater and bought some new shoes and a skirt (for school :\)
3. Went to music and played 2nd clarinet again
4. Went to bed at around 8:30 because I wanted to read my book
5. Did my philosophy presentation - which was a flop because I had notes that I "read of"
6. that is it, see what a great life I lead with social events and such things :\

wonderful

okay, this is starting to get sarcastic and such things, and as you can tell I am in quite an odd mood. I don't know how long this blog is, so I apologise either way.

Goodbye friends, until tomorrow (maybe)

Saturday 26 September 2009

WE WON.

I ficking won debate on Friday!
The motion was: "Students should not have to pay for University" and I was against the motion, so Anisha and I were arguing that you should pay for university. We got all set up and there was a vote to see initially who thought what on the floor. The votes were against us. It was ridiculous, there were 27 votes for, and 6 against. We got a bit nervous, but we had gathered loads of information had a block of paper and were already scribbling points for each other to say on it. I got through almost all my points by the time I had to stop so that was good. Anisha did the rebuttal, and it was awesome! She picked up on every little point that the opposing team had said, it was great. :)
So finally after both teams had summed up and the floor had spoken the votes were taken once again, and somehow, SOMEHOW we had convinced almost everyone in the room that you should have to pay for university. I think the final count was 28 for and 5 against. We were so happy, and even more so as we basically had the harder side to fight, and although it wasn't through all that we said that changed people's minds, I like to think we had an important role in that choice.

I missed badminton today, I really need to make more of a commitment to it, but anyway I spent the whole morning at music, which was nice as I haven't spoken to rather a lot of my musical buddies in a very long time! We played a really nice piece in force 10, though I can't remember the name of it. We also played a Coldplay medley and some Jedi theme tune! HA. I really don't like that one. It's bitty, doesn't seem full enough, or how a real "force 10" piece you sound. If I can find it I'll post a link to 'I'm so Excited' that we played at the last Christmas concert. It was amazing, I'm telling you now.

I am about to go to the cinema to see 500 Days of Summer, which I have heard good things about and also that the sound track is really lovely, so I am looking forward to that, I just don't hope I fall asleep in the middle of it, seeing as I got up at 8am again today to go to music. It seems I never have a lie in, as on Sunday I seem to get up at a ridiculous time for the weekend anyway. grrr.

I have been writing another philosophy essay about my perfect Utopia and how equality would be sufficient and necessary for humanity. It seriously sounds like I am writing some presidential speech about how I can abolish equality and how it will make the world so much better in many ways. It says write a persuasive argument, so that is what I am doing.

Do you notice that I always end my paragraphs with a really short one or two word sentence in all my blogs. I was about to make the last sentence of my last paragraph half the length of what it actually is now, but I decided not to, to add some variation. I have such an urge to do it again. I just did. Dammit. I have decided to carry on with this paragraph so as not to end it there and to have a long sentence at the end of it. My clarinet and saxophone teachers were so incredibly nice to me both of my lessons this week, despite my lack of practising that I have done. I could play everything perfectly and all my scales went well. See, not practising make perfect. :P

I have a dilemma. What Johnny Durham T-shirt should I get Emily for her birthday, she says she likes the big robot one, but Vikki already has this one, so Charlotte and I thought about getting the muffin top/raincloud one. What do you think, we can't make choices make them for us please.
Talking about YouTubers, I am totally and utterly in love with Alex Day's song 'Hearts'. It's so lovely, and even though it's not perfect, it's the imperfectness that makes it so incredibly lovely to listen to. His lyrics are so genuine as well, and it's not like the clichéd love song. So I officially cannot wait to own this song on the 1st October.

That is all world.

Thursday 24 September 2009

UBERMENSCH!

I have about 3 lots of philosophy homework to get through, and I am sitting at the computer. This does not bode well. Argh, I can't be asked to go and start it! Might do my German instead.

I'm having really good conversations with my friends at the moment. Today, at lunch we talked about how it we absolutely have to stay friends until we die (ha) so we can all go on huge holidays with all our families and each other, and how weird our children will think we are when we are together and talk about YouTube, Oliver Tompsett, crazy books, ideal boys, and all that. Of course we won't be like that when we are older, but I really do hope we will be as close as we are now. :) I think that YouTube helps a lot, and especially in two years when we all go off to uni around or even (Vikki) OUT of the country, it will be a good way to keep in contact and tell them about what is happening in my life.

I don't feel like I have a whole load of friends, I'm kind of the one who is friends with everyone and has a few close friends. Without them there I think I really would feel truly lost. I just love how similar we all are in the way we think, we don't want to throw away our childhood and be fully fledged adults now that we are 16, we want to do crazy stuff, be a bit embarrassing and have fun without thinking of what will follow. I also love how different we all are, like our cultures and families are completely different, which in turn creates amazing conversations and exciting for me to be around them. <3

The dress code at school is actually ridiculous, I wore a checked blouse today and got told I can't wear it. Who are they kidding?! This is like a prison, not a nice work environment! It really does make my blood boil! My clarinet teacher and I (who actually was REALLY nice to me today) had a big discussion about it, she got so annoyed that she said she would tell the newspaper. HAHA!

Anyway, philosophy homework beckons, must go do a plan for this timed essay I have tomorrow. Great...

On the plus side I got "ubermensch of the week" (super-person of the week) (yeah it's weird) in my class, and people voted for me. So I feel loved yey. :)

Today was good :)

Wednesday 23 September 2009

Lunch times

I love how random and stupid our lunch hour was today. We went out of school hoping to meet someone, desperately tried to phone that person, who didn't show, got stood up by that person, decided we couldn't be bothered to go and sign back in after about 15 minutes and so went a little down the road and sat on a patch of grass whilst eating lunch, which we so easily could have done within the boundaries of our own school.

Today was funny, we had a free, and Jay my friend has recently got a boyfriend. Sophie another of my friends was interrogating her all of the free lesson, all in hushed voices as we were in the silent study area. It was funny to listen to, though I would not have liked to be put through all the questions and comments for an hour.

I really do not have a lot to say today, it was a more than average day where nothing out of the ordinary happened. Tomorrow I have an English presentation in which I shall make up on the spot, I have actually written something to say, but I'm aiming not to use notes, so if I have the main points in my head I can improvise around that.

I realised that this was a quite boring update, but it wasn't a particularly thrilling day and words are making my eyes feel like stones. So before I unexpected fall asleep on the keyboard and a load of random letters come up from where my head has hit it I shall now leave thee.

Tuesday 22 September 2009

Man Flu

So I have just finished a mountain of maths homework. I'm not even joking a slightest bit! It was ridiculous, I have two maths lessons a week and somehow that equates to me having about 20 maths problems to solve. It's not even as if they were hard. They were easy and the same thing over and over and over and over. Argh. Never mind, it is not done. So that is good and I feel refreshed and ready to start other homework. Including a philosophy essay and presentation, Theory of Knowledge article work, musical phrasing of Mozart’s Symphony 41 and a German exercise and translation activity. Oh the joys of school.

I felt horrible all day. Philosophy, first period, was awful. No one was feeling well and there are about 7 people in my class, so it’s a class where you can’t just sit back and listen to other people for a whole lesson. So everything I said, started off just fine and then kind of carried on into nonsense language as I slowly realized what I was saying had no point or was just a very poorly constructed sentence. I have the “back to school” illness, which is completely pointless. It’s just a cold, and a sore throat, yet it makes you feel so incredibly weak and bleurgh. It’s the only way to describe it.

I encountered something not very nice today between two people. Basically person A had told a teacher something about person B, as a friend, as a person who is concerned over person B, and therefore acting as a good person. Person B, however, did not see it in this way and when person found out about what person A had done, she came up to person A and had a massive go at her. It was in front of loads of people, and I had just been talking to A so I was right by, and even for me it was embarrassing to watch. I could just see how humiliated A was by this confrontation, and although I understand both sides of what the people were thinking, I did not think that person B had the right to talk to person A like that. Also seeing as person A is the single most caring and loving person I have ever encountered. So erm, yeah, I know it’s not right, but I do not like person B.

I am actually in LOVE with Wednesdays. I only have two “real” lessons tomorrow. I have TOK first. Which is just fake. Then I have philosophy, and biology, then CAS in which I have a free, as I only have it alternating weeks, and then I have home study, where I get to go home period 5. YEY!

I was talking to the two new girls who are doing IB and who are in some of my lessons today about their old schools, and how different it was to theirs. Our school is tame! The things they told about their schools sound like something out of some weird book about school. Our school is a grammar school and so it is selective for the top 20% of the area in academic subjects. People who are not in this top percentage go to a comprehensive school, unless they pay for a public school. They talked about how so many people in their year got pregnant in year 10, how there were fights almost everyday, and it was just normal. How people came in high on drugs, and how many of the people in their classes are now young offenders. It sounds crazy to me, because our school is so strict on these things, there was a 6th former a while back who got asked to leave the school because she had become pregnant, and she was over 16. It just makes me realize that I know nothing about the outside world. I am just in my capsule with all my “nerdy” friends, who study, go out to the occasional party, don’t smoke, and don’t sleep around with random strangers, don’t deal with drugs or get into trouble with the police. I know it sounds weird, but it would have been good to experience these things, so I didn’t take my own school for granted as much as I do. I don’t think about how lucky I am compared to others. Yet saying that just makes me sound big headed. I’m sure I would not be the person I am today if I wasn’t friends with the people I am friends with, or if I went to a different school or lived in a different area. I certainly would not be writing a blog right now that’s for sure.

Sunday 20 September 2009

Today I have done lots and now I am bored

It's one of those days where I do loads, and then I stop doing loads of stuff, and then I am bored. But you know, out of my own choice, because there are a number of things I could do and want to do, but just can't be bothered to do.
Ever felt like that?

I'll take you through my day:
1. I got up at 7 AM. Because the cat was making her "I'm lonely, come down" mieow.
2. I sat at and did my essay whilst everyone else was still in bed.
3. I read the Bell Jar for a while.
4. Everyone else woke up.
5. Had a shower.
6. Ate breakfast, with pastries hmmmmm.
7. Finally finished my essay.
8. Read some more.
9. Planned, made and edited a video.
10. Played clarinet.
11. Ate lunch.
12. Went on internet.
13. Baked a carrot cake.
14. Washed up.
15. Went on msn
16. Made pre-dinner snacks
17. WRITING MY BLOG!

And this is where I have reached, I am sure I will reach 20 by the time I go to bed, maybe even 30, 30 things to do in a day is a lot. And though some of them are not at all exciting. I don't care. That is what I have done today, so far. I have also realised that that was quite a boring to way to blog my day. But what the hell, today I did it. It was easy and didn't take a lot of my brain power.

My carrot cake looks pretty flat, despite the two teaspoons of baking powder I put in it. Ah well, the tops all nice a crispy, which makes it all the more appealing to eat. Like a muffin top. yum! Dinner is not ready for another two hours, and I'm pretty hunger, hence the pre-dinner snacks I made. But sigh, I shall probably not even be hungry by the time dinner come around. Always the same isn't it.

My dad has put another photo of his in a frame next to the laptop. It's wonky. It is seriously driving me insane knowing that right next to me there is a picture which is wonky inside the frame. I can't change it, because I don't know how, and it's one of those things which I should do to keep my boredness at bay, but I can't be bothered to do it. Nevermind. I have to learn Mozart's symphony number 41, I haven't even listened to any of it, HA. Let's not worry about that now.

My Father has returned from the army barracks open day, HURRAH! He has seriously been there all day, taking photos most likely.

These are things I could do:
1. Tidy my room
2. Play saxophone
3. Pack my bag ready for tomorrow
4. Get everything ready for tomorrow
5. Read my book
6. Go outside

But unfortunately I cannot be bothered, and most of these things will probably be done in a mad rush at around 9 tonight.

Saturday 19 September 2009

3 days later

NEW BLOG! I seem to have ceased the everyday update of my life. Well here is one today. I am in a typing mood seeing as I have just written an essay on Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamer which I don’t happen to like a hell of a lot. But what can you do, when you want to please the IB examiner people. Nothing, so you sit back and read a book full of twisted disgusting graphic adaptations of fairy tales including Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast and Bluebeard (Which is already kind of vile). Fun times indeed. I also have to do a presentation on it. Well actually teach the class about another short twisted fairy tale, which too, shall be joyous. Oh you can just hear the joy in my voice can’t you.

Thursday was a bad day compared to Wednesday. I think this was partly because I had my clarinet lesson, where I forgot all my music books, and so my teacher made me to some grade 7 sight reading, which is a little out of my comfort AND playing zone. It was awful. I come out of my lessons feeling like I want to cry every time, and feeling somewhat angry at my teacher, but more at myself for not being such an able player as I probably should be. I practise like a freak, but nothing can ever please her. She acts pleased or, you know, as if it doesn’t matter that I messed up a little. But inside I can hear her thinking, “What does it take to teach that girl!” Yeah she’s lovely. Ah well, what can be done.

Friday was good. I sort of wormed my way into getting a philosophy presentation and also signing up to do the debate next week. I’m sure it will be fine though, I should take these things upon me now that I am in 6th form. It’s what the universities like to see. “Member of Debate club.” Yeah it looks good. So what the hell, I’m doing a debate about something that I don’t know yet. HA!

I didn’t get stuck to my seat as around the whole of the country didn’t. I don’t usually watch Derren Brown, but all the facebook status’ were “Oooo ready to get stuck to my seat my Derren Brown” so I was intrigued and turned it on. It clearly didn’t work as many angry facebookers logged on and told me that, with the odd one saying “I GOT STUCK” and hundreds of comments below saying really, and then the last comment reading “no, I didn’t really, just wanted to see everyone’s reactions.” So that was fun. I didn’t get stuck, and I shall probably never what one of Derren Brown’s shows again.

I also made a new YouTube account, solely for the fact that I wanted a new username, because mine was boring and unoriginal. Not that mine now is any more so, but then all my accounts match, so go to www.youtube.com/user/iamjuliayesiam to check out my stuff. There is not a lot on there at the moment, but I have a few videos in pre-production currently, which I will probably film tomorrow if I have enough time in the day.

I GOT PROMOTED TO FIRST CLARINET (not solo) IN FORCE 10 (an orchestra that I got to) YEY! Feel joy for me.

Wednesday 16 September 2009

My biggest goal is to become a butterfly

Today was interesting and really good :) I got a lift to school with Ellen, and they came a tad too early, so I forgot my cardigan and my pencil case, but all's well that ends well. So I got to school and we had assembly which was fun because we got to sit on the STAGE and stare at the whole of the lower school with our wise old eyes. I like trying to spot people in the seating who I know and whoa re my friends and try to grab their attention using only eye contact. It strangely seems to work on some people. I love strange happenings and coincidences.
After that, I had philosophy, where we just had to invent our own Utopia, which is harder than I initially thought it would be. Everything we said had a down point, for example keeping it fair and harmonious, but then banishing wrong doers would be unfair and unjust. It was fun all the same, arguing our point of why the world we had created would be perfect and being caught out on little things that would not work in my little world. My group decided that everyone was entitled to an education, and although it would be selective and streamed in to capability, the teaching standards would be the same and everyone could take their exams when they, and the teacher felt that, that person was ready to sit the exam. Universities would also be free, but selective as well. The world would be carbon neutral and there would be no pollution as everything would be in walking or cycling proximity, and basically it would have amazing architecture and such things.

Last lesson I had a "Asprirint" meeting, which I have been selected for as the Oxbridge group. I AM SO HAPPY! But the meeting itself was a bit boring, it was just about tutoring the lower apex students and setting them challenges to try and achieve their long term goals. We were given a set of questions that we had to try out on each other. The questions were pretty simple: "What is your biggest goal?" "How will your homework help you to this goal?" "What are you going to do to challenge yourself?" but it's last lesson, no one can be bothered to take it seriously and so we made up ridiculous answers for all the questions. My goal was to become a butterfly and I was a kinaesthetic learner, so in my biology lessons about evolution, I would just build myself a cocoon and evolve into a butterfly, that way I would really learn what evolution was, by actually doing it.

Making my vlog is always a highlight of my week so I made it as soon as I came in and put it on YouTube.

Emily, Vikki, Jemma, Charlotte and I all left the school today at lunch, it feels to great to think that now we have the power to go out of the school at lunch and stuff. I might sound weird to you. But ah well. Freedom is bliss.


I LOVED TODAY!

Monday 14 September 2009

Finally

I finally changed my option to music. Ms Stanley didn't eat my head, she said I should do whatever I wanted to do, and that I should still carry on with acting and such outside school :) so happy times. I really would like to know what the school show is going to be this year! Rumour is there is no musical this year! Which I find hard to grasp the concept of. For my whole school life there has always been a musical and they have always been AMAZING! Singing in the Rain, Girlfriends, The Secret Garden, Little Women and A Winter's Tale. Though I have never actually been in one, seeing as I cannot for the life of me dance, which is what brings me down every blooming year. I have, however been in the orchestra and would love to do that again. But no. I can't.
I do want to audition for the play, and I am hoping for something like Alice in Wonderland, because I think that could be fantastic!

I also do this lesson called Theory of Knowledge (TOK) as a part of the IB course, and I swear to God, it drives you insane. I also take philosophy, but TOK is something else. Every little thing we say e.g. "I am sitting on a chair" - How do you know you are sitting on a chair? - How do you know it is a chair? - How can you feel it with your senses? - What if your senses are fake?
AARRGH. You leave the class thinking you know nothing and it never fails to destroy any hope you have in the world. You learn you can't trust anyone or anything, because there is no proof and always doubt that what they tell you is "false". OH the joys of TOK.

I haven't watched TV in about a month. I blame YouTube. Speaking of YouTube, Charlotte just went out into the village in her pjs as a punishment for something or other rule breaking. Oh, the things we do for the pleasure of our friends.

English people tend to talk about the weather a lot, not even in awkward situations, just as general conversation with friends and such. So, now I am going to talk about the weather. It started off really nice, really really really nice. Then it got to break, I stepped outside and it was raining but it was also really humid. I hate this type of weather. It's the worst type. There is nothing suitable you can wear to be prepared for this weather. It's hot, chilly, and rainy all at the same time. It should legitimately not be possible.

And with that note of the weather I shall be off.
Toodeldoo

Sunday 13 September 2009

Long loading times...

I made a video today about pencils, it was pretty random, but now I am annoyed at it! For a number of reasons.
Number 1: It was an absolute pain to film!
Number 2: It was really noisy when I filmed it
Number 3: It took around 2 hours to edit
Number 4: I was really proud of it
Number 5: For that reason I am annoyed that it never could upload to YouTube!

Aarrrgh! I have tried multiple times during the day, and it takes forever, gets half way, with half an hour left and then an error occurs and it stops. Serious annoyance.
I never did my English essay and I doubt I will actually start it today seeing as I really can't be bothered. So here I am blogging, for my own benefit more than anyone else.

Right now I can smell brownies! :) They smell so good, in fact I may go down and get one in 5 minutes . hmmm warm brownies. I have also ordered Looking for Alaska by John Green from amazon.co.uk today after looking in about a million bookshops in town and in London and failing to find it anywhere. Which might I add, is disgraceful. So that's something to look forward to, and I WILL make time to read it on top of all my school reading.

I am also currently uploading Itunes 9.0 on to the laptop, which, too is taking an age.
I also got tagged in a vlog game, to describe how you use an item in your room. Fun times, I've never been tagged before, and I believe that it is a true YouTube right of passage. :P
Okay, Itunes just closed down for unexpected reasons.
I THINK IT'S BROWNIE TIME...








YUM! Just the right amount of chewiness :)
Tomorrow is MONDAY! This is bad, I have to tell my drama teacher that I am dropping the subject in replacement on music and I am scared!
I have overused exclamation points so much in this blog, and for that I apologise.

Saturday 12 September 2009

Mother Courage

"I won't let you spoil my war for me."
I saw Mother Courage and her Children last night at the National Theatre in London. I was quite surprised by it. For quite an old play it had a mostly modern script and the characters where also modernly presented.
Fiona Shaw played the part of Mother Courage, and I think she played the role wonderfully. The role in itself is incredibly demanding, with the character hardly off the stage in the long 3 and a half hours running time of the play. Her portrayal had so much deep emotion, which I know was not the point that Brecht wanted to make, but you could do nothing but empathise with her. Her development and understanding of the character was strong and there wasn't a moment during the play when I thought, "is that really how Mother Courage would react to that?"
Having never seen the play before I have nothing to compare it to and so I don't know whether what the production showed as in the set was out of the ordinary for that play. The set, however was pretty peculiar. As we were getting in our seats, it looked as if they were setting up for the show, with no curtains drawn and random people testing out the sounds and dancing crazily around on stage. Mother Courage's wagon came up from under the stage on a platform and the whole staging looked quite industrial.
I suppose it did sort of follow the Brechtian style of reminding you that you actually were sitting in a theatre and that the people on stage were only actors, and not real as costume changes were done on stage, with people coming on with extra coats to give the actors and the stage hands just walking on randomly in full light to change the sets. There were cloth hangings telling us where we were in the play, and a person saying what scene we were currently on.
I really enjoyed all the songs in it as well and I thought that they all sang really well.

I'm not sure it was to everyone's taste though as after the interval, I saw that many of the seats which were taken in the first act had been vacated when we returned. In some ways I was disappointed with the end as well. It was as if the story kind of just stopped and the fate of the last and oldest son was never uncovered and the applause at the end was stifled before everyone realised that the really was the end, but then the applause was great, and the cast thoroughly deserved the noise the audience created as the cast it was clear was hugely talented.


Two people from Harry Potter as well, Fiona Shaw, who played the title role, and the guy who plays Dudley Dursley, though I can't remember his actual name, played Swiss Cheese. Yes Swiss Cheese.


Anyway, I have just finished my first philosophy essay, and after thinking my brain would explode after yesterday's lesson I think I have done quite well in discussing the Mind-Body Problem. And I have also decided to do Music, because I LOVE Music.
I suddenly got an insane amount of homework on Friday, 2 essays, a biology experiment write up, maths graded assessment and a presentation. All in on Monday or Tuesday, which sucks, because the weather is nice, and I have to sit inside and do my homework. :(

On the plus side, I got the Little Women DVD, which = LOVE. It's beautiful, and it's so nice to remember how it was all those months ago when we performed it, though it doesn't seem that long ago at all.
Today, I have decided to download some Wrock, because I love Harry Potter, I am going to have completed, one of my essays, my maths, my biology, and maybe some of my presentation, so wish me luck with all my work. I have nothing planned this weekend, so I suppose it's as good as any time to get some of the work load away!

Until next time.

Okay the internet just failed, good job blogger has AUTOSAVE! :)

Thursday 10 September 2009

Blah

I think I am going to swap drama for geography. Call me a bore. But at the end of the day I want to go to Uni....

Wednesday 9 September 2009

Stressful Friendships

I do realise that this entry is directly after my previous one, but I am annoyed and I need to write down my feelings towards this certain subject.
I have a friend, who for the reason that this is a public blog shall be called "friend X"
Friend X is part of a project that we have going with 3 other people on YouTube. The project aim is to do a video once a week, each having our own individual day. Like fiveawesomegirls. The project has been going for around 1 and a half months now and despite being on holidays and such 4 of us have posted videos around 6 or 7 times. X, however has posted 2. First of all, it was that she didn't have a camera, then it was that her computer didn't have sound, now it's she doesn't have time. Today I said to X that she had a punishment because X hadn't posted a video, X replied and said, I am not doing a punishment because I didn't know there were rules and you don't make them up Julia. I said no one had objected against the rules and that if there was an objection she could have voiced her opinion on the videos comments. She said she never saw this video or the others where the rules have been published.

I know it sounds petty and everything, but it just annoys me how everyone else in the project MAKES time and effort to get out a video on their day, they enjoy watching the other videos and don't make a huge deal about something like a silly punishment. I have told X before that she needs to make a video, leading her to a cheap camera which would be good and suggest ways she can view, edit and record the videos. She just makes excuses constantly for everything. I don't want to shout at her, because she's my friend and it's no use being annoyed at people. But it's so damn irritating and annoying. She agreed the the project, why is she just making excuses now?

AAARRGGH!