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!