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.
Saturday, 19 September 2009
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!
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
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.
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! :)
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!
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!
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