When I look at 2012

The end of the year is finally here, and I'm taking the opportunity to look back on 2012.

When you look at 2012, what is it that you see?

(Partly inspired by this tumblr post)
In the future, my 2012 will be memorable to me for the reasons listed here. Enjoy!
FF54B0 32 Emilys Candy

Concerts!
I attended six this year and each one was marvellous for it's own reasons! NKOTBSB kicked off the year back in April, memorable for the insane energy and wondrous excitement (and some crying). I saw Twenty Twenty in May, the evening after my RS GCSE exam and it was awesome; I was into it as soon as the first support act performed "Good Vibrations". July 1st was the next concert date, T4 On The Beach. We woke up at 4:15am and queued in gusty wind and intermittent rain for over 4 hours, but it was worth it to see and hear acts such as The Wanted and Labrinth. In September I went to see Aiden Grimshaw with two of my best friends from primary school; we managed to get second row and the concert experience was great, very comfortable. Exactly four weeks later I was back in the O2 Academy watching Labrinth along with my mum and sister. It was horrifically sweaty but I loved seeing him and hearing the songs live. Just 8 days later the three of us were off to London for the last concert of the year: Owl City. It was wonderful, we met the support act, Matthew Koma, and we weren't at all disheartened by not getting to meet Adam when we stayed outside after the concert till almost midnight.


School changes!
Despite staying at the same establishment, lots has changed education-wise for me this year. I'm now a student because I choose to be. Many of my friends have gone to different places; Rachel now resides in Australia! The last few days of year eleven were lovely, but I knew things would never be the same again. Thankfully, it's not unmanageably different now, and we all seem to have settled in well to our respective courses and locations. Lunchtime in the common room is becoming the norm, and it's pleasant to get to know different people better. Also, signing up to Envision has been a great decision this year, I've already gained great experience and helped to earn £500 for our project via a pitch and video.


NCIS!
I'm not quite sure how my obsession with love of this show began, but I started watching it in mid-February and have been enthralled ever since! So far, I've managed to see all the episodes in seasons 1, 2, 3 and 5, plus most of season 8, quite a lot of season 6 and the first third of season 4 on my DVD box set. In some ways, it has defined my year, [psychology part] each episode acting as a retrieval cue for events around the time I watched them [/psychology part] and I'm sure it has helped my happiness. It's safe to say my exploration of the series has been emotional: on numerous occasions it has made me laugh, cry and almost cry with laughter! I think Kate and Palmer are my favourite characters, but I adore them all, and I don't think it's possible to watch an episode too many times (I've seen one, About Face, 5 times already!).

Turning 17!
My birthday was only 12 days ago, so I'm still getting used to this new number, but I've never been this old before, and I'll never be this young again. It's scary to think that this time next year I'll be an adult... probably best to not think about that for now! My birthday itself will be memorable because I was ill and barely got out of bed. I had my cake today though!

Merry Christmas!

I know it's a bit late, but I hope everyone had a great day yesterday. Mine was full of festivities; we spent the big day at home this year, rather than at our uncle and auntie's or grandparents', so with no travelling we had more time than usual. Em and I still received stockings containing little presents such as pens and chocolates, then we migrated downstairs to tear in to our main presents. Mine was the new PRODUCT(RED) iPod touch this post has been written using, and it's wonderful! Christmas dinner was scrumptious and afterwards we watched TV and opened presents Granny had brought round. Later on some of the leftovers became our tea and I became acquainted with Siri on my iPod in addition to sending a keek, while watching NCIS until 1am. A very merry Christmas indeed.

She was just turning 17...

The "she" is me; I am now a 17-year-old! My birthday was the 19th December, but rather than celebrating I spent almost the whole day in bed, recovering from illness that had overcome me in the early hours of the morning. My mother and sister were ill too, and my dad stayed home, so in a way it was nice because we were all together. I didn't open my presents till the following evening; I was very happy to get them! Also I've already watched 8 NCIS episodes since my birthday.

It's December!

If I had a favourite month of the year, this would certainly be a contender. My birthday, all the festivities, looking back on the year, celebrating and getting ready for a new start, all rolled into one: that's what December is for me.

Purchases that are not clothes

I saw this nail polish in Boots yesterday and felt compelled to buy it; the colour reminds me of the grape hyacinth plants in my grandparents' garden that I was fascinated with as a child. It's called "Bleu fabuleux" and I put it on as quickly as soon as I was able to, during the adverts of NCIS S05E03 Ex-File. One coat was all I needed to ascertain this level of vibrance, however it has chipped slightly since I applied it yesterday.

In addition to this, I got a bright green polish called "Lime catwalk", and some Palmer's lip balm.

Nails close up

Quick post before The Chase is on

Hello! In the past few months, what with school starting up again and getting stuck in with my A levels, time for writing a blog post has been rather scarce. My free time has been usurped by homework, or often sitting and staring at homework, in addition to reading back through notes. Aside from the necessities such as meals, I only really make time for a few minutes on Animal Crossing, a diary entry and the odd television show (although in recent weeks, NCIS has been reduced from greater than six episodes per week, to a single season 2 episode each Thursday and the occasional random s3 on a Saturday).
I can't remember where I was going with this, but The Chase is on in two minutes!

Homework time

I've managed to leave my homework to the final two days of the half term holiday, although it isn't all my own fault. Sure, I could have commenced chemistry yesterday, or got going with German the day before, but after the hectic schedule of the past nine days, I thought it necessary to spend time winding down. On Thursday 25th October I was up before 7am to go to London for Owl City, and we didn't return 'til Friday night. Saturday was provisioned as a "chilling" day, in addition to being Derbyshire preparation day. We stayed there until Wednesday; it's now Saturday. I should do some homework.

An owlsome couple of days

This time two days ago, my sister, mother and I were getting ready to go to Owl City's concert later in the day. We arrived in London soon after 1pm and grabbed a quick lunch from McDonalds before looking at Buckingham Palace and walking through Green Park and St. James's Park. We then caught the tube to our accommodation in Southwark and dropped off our luggage before heading over to Charing Cross and joining the queue outside Heaven nightclub, which was already extending in front of the stairs up to the station. We spent one-and-a-half hours in the queue, nibbling on Krispy Kreme donuts and dodging spilt coffee before successfully passing through the metal detector and into the venue. We managed to get really near the front on the left side (from our perspective) and waited a little under an hour to see the warm up act, Matthew Koma. He was great, and after the show we met him and got a picture with him! The Owl City set began promptly at 8:30pm and was awesome! After the show we waited outside the venue for about an hour and a half and saw some of the musicians. The next day, we shopped on Oxford Street before returning home.

Matthew Koma

Owl City

Adam Young

Sixth Form so far

It's been nearly a month since I joined sixth form, and I'm actually really enjoying it! Recently we've been completing September Assessments to gauge whether we should stay on our courses or not, and so far I know I've passed psychology and German, I hope I've done all right in biology, and I still have the chemistry test to do. Also, I've already taken opportunities to enrich my studies, including applying for a university programme to support my A-level studies, and expressing interest in the World Challenge 2014.

I am a sixth former

I've only had 10 lessons, but already I'm getting used being a sixth form student. We have much more freedom than students lower down the school, from having free lessons and no mandatory register in the mornings, to having to provide our own paper and buy our own folders. Also, we're no longer required to clothe ourselves in burgundy sweatshirts, white polo shirts and black trousers; there's something really refreshing about being able to choose what I wear each day, but it also meant I needed more clothes! Here are a few of the items I've recently added to my wardrobe:

Reversible jeans, from George at Asda

The other side, these are great because one garment provides two looks!

Dogtooth cardigan from New Look

Rich purple acid wash jeans from New Look
These are great, and also available in red, darker purple and blue

And some black ankle boots, also New Look, to tide over to the winter

Links:  http://direct.asda.com/george/womens-jeans/reversible-skinny-jeans-not-live-august-sept-launch-and-pr/GEM257093,default,pd.html 

http://www.newlook.com/shop/womens/knitwear/black-and-cream-dogtooth-check-knitted-cardigan_252714409 

http://www.newlook.com/shop/womens/jeans/32in-red-overdye-acidwash-skinny-jeans_254610654 

http://www.newlook.com/shop/teens/shoes-and-boots/teens-black-cowboy-ankle-boots_254408301?productFind=search

Summer: Done

This time tomorrow, I will be eating my lunch on my first day as a sixth former. On Thursday, I will have my first full day of lessons since 23rd May, over 100 days previously. Back in June, I posted this list of things I could do over the summer, and now that the season is ending, I feel it's time for a "Things I actually did over summer" post...

Things I actually did over the summer

1. Listened to two albums in their entirety: 8:09 by Joey McIntyre on August 9th and How The Mighty Fall by Mark Owen on the 27th. I was also "treated" to The Midsummer Station by Owl City, courtesy of my sister.
2. Watched at least 60 episodes of NCIS (actually, it's probably nearer 70+, as I watched About Face four times in the past three days)
3. Rekindled my character ideas, which were originally based on watching a few minutes of Power Rangers: Lightspeed Rescue when I was much younger. I also drew a character and created more.
4. Met up with friends a few times, this included three birthday parties, a trip to two parks and going to the seaside with my sister and some of her friends.
5. Created many roller coasters on RCT3
6. Had a great time in Derbyshire
7. Set up an Animal Crossing blog, purchased a second Wild World game and created an account on Animal Crossing Community
8. Saw two films at the cinema, Ted and Chernobyl Diaries
9. Completed the 25 Day iPod Challenge on here
10. Ate ketchup flavoured crisps dipped in ketchup!
11. Oh, and I've done a little preparation for my A-level subjects

Starting Sixth Form

This time next week I will have completed my first day of lessons as a sixth form student. Today, I had my final preliminary interview, during which I confirmed my GCSE grades and my subject choices for the next two years. Mrs Bird, my interviewer, was very surprised to hear that I managed to achieve an A* in English Language, especially after the marking scandal, and I was relieved to find that my A-level subjects (psychology, chemistry, biology and German) still fit into the timetable matrix. Also, us students were permitted to choose our tutor groups, and I managed to swindle a place in 12.1 with three of my best friends, plus the same tutor as I had during my mandatory schooling!

iPod Challenge Day 25: Biggest secret?

(It's the last day!)

Trash, Trampoline And The Party Girl - U2

(My biggest secret is that I adore this song? Or that I still think the world revolves around me, as I did when I was three? Hmm...)

iPod Challenge Day 24: Biggest fear?

Baby, I Believe In You - New Kids On The Block

(A couple of days late, but oh well... my biggest fear is being believed in.)

iPod Challenge Day 23: What will play at your funeral?

Street Life - Roxy Music

(Last time I did this a Roxy Music song came up for this question! The opening lyrics seem strangely appropriate "wish everybody would leave me alone", but I guess what is played at my funeral won't really matter to me.)

GCSE results day

At 8:00am today, most of my jitters from last night had subsided, and I only had one hour to wait to discover my GCSE destiny. The minutes passed swiftly; before I knew it, I was at school, nervously approaching the results desk. Overhearing somebody say that the documents were organised in alphabetical order, I slowly gravitated towards the left-hand side, and landed directly in front of my name. That was all I noticed as I snatched the stapled sheets and held them closely to my chest. Eventually, I summoned the courage to look, and was flabbergasted to find this:

• History: A*
• Religious Studies (full course): A*
• Biology: A*
• Chemistry: A*
• Physics: A*
• D&T Graphics Products: A* (I didn't expect this at all; a B would have been great)
• German: A*
• English Language: A*
• English Literature: A*
• ICT: Distinction
• (and Mathematics A* from March)

In total, that's 10 A*s and 1 Distinction, which is the highest grade attainable on the OCR national course and has the point equivalent to halfway between A and A*. I am absolutely delighted with these results; when I began Key Stage 4, over 23 months ago, and even as recently as May, I was rather frustrated by my high target grades, but now I have actually achieved them! My friends did very well too, getting lots of As and A*s between them. I'm especially happy for Jasmine, who has overcome a lot to become one of only 1.6% of students in the country [x] to achieve an A* in Health and Social Care. Now I have A levels to look forward to.

Pre-results day jitters

Tomorrow, in roughly ten-and-a-half hours time, my fingers will be grasping a crisp, freshly sealed envelope and battling against the shaking that will most likely overcome me, to tear the seal and discover my destiny. I'm feeling very weird at the moment, a bit light-headed, chatty (very unusual), energetic and shaky. It's reminding me of the night before Em's operation; I think being over-nervous manifests itself in this way with me. I'm sort of giddy, it's really weird. I'm looking forward to being on the other side, but I don't want to go through the difficulty (or discovery) to get there. It feels too soon, too big, too scary, too imminent. But it must happen. It's got to happen, and it will happen.

I will find out my GCSE results tomorrow, once and for all.

EDITED 2012-08-23 12:43PM: There was no envelope.

iPod Challenge Day 22: What will you dance to at your wedding?

Lipstick - Jedward

( I think this'll be a great track to dance to at my [presumptive] wedding, not for a first dance, though.)

iPod Challenge Day 21: What do you think of when you see the person you like?

(Yesterday's...)

Mothers Of The Disappeared - U2

(This one doesn't make sense, maybe because I don't actually have a "person I like" right now.)

Ostrich in Derbyshire

I took these photos on Sunday in Derbyshire. Click the pictures to view larger versions.

iPod Challenge Day 20: What do you want to be when you grow up?

Angels Too Tied To The Ground - U2

(I want to be an angel? Maybe I want to work to help people in need?)

iPod Challenge Day 19: What is your life story?

Somebody Told Me - The Killers

(My life story is told by someone else? Maybe that's because I have difficulty remembering specific events that have shaped the way I am today. Actually, this song kind of reminds me of my first year at secondary school.)

iPod Challenge Day 18: What do you think of the person you like?

Fire - U2

(I don't "like" anyone at the moment, but if I did still like a certain someone it would burn me.)

iPod Challenge Day 17: What do you think of your best friend?

Treatment - Labrinth

(I don't have just one best friend, and this song doesn't make me think of anyone in particular. Which of my friends would have broken me down so much that I need treatment? Hmm...)

iPod Challenge Day 16: What do you think about very often?

Love Is Blindness - U2

(I think about love very often, specifically what love is.)

iPod Challenge Day 15: What do your parents think of you?

I Will Follow - U2

(My parents think I follow the crowd or I rely on them too much.)

iPod Challenge Day 14

Peace On Earth - U2

(My friends think I'm peaceful and they strive to be like me. No, perhaps they think I'm unachievable or unreachable, not very grounded, as this song seems to question the strive for peace.)

Things to do tomorrow

The day after tomorrow I'm going away, so I'm going to make a note of outstanding things I must do tomorrow in preparation.

Things to do tomorrow:

• Pack (try to remember sunglasses)
• Schedule 25 day iPod challenge posts to cover my time away
• Design Derbyshire Diaries cover page
• Finish burger flavour Pringles (if not tonight)
• Schedule a "happy birthday Donnie Wahlberg" tweet for Friday 17th
• Delete pictures from the camera

iPod Challenge Day 13: What is your motto?

New Year's Day - U2

(Maybe "every day is a new beginning"?)

I'll have to do day 13 and 14 tomorrow, and Thursday - Monday will be scheduled as I am going away

iPod Challenge Day 12: What’s your life’s purpose?

Happiness - Will Young

(Perfect!)

iPod Challenge Day 11: How do you feel today

(I forgot to post yesterday)

Another Crack In My Heart - Take That

(I don't know, the title is quite negative, but I've felt okay today - not quite my best. This morning there was a thunderstorm right by us; one of the booms sounded like it was directly above our house, so the word crack could be a tenuous link to the unsettling that caused.)

iPod Challenge Day 10: What do you look for in a guy?

The Ground Beneath Her Feet - U2

(I look for somebody I can step on? I think it's best to take this based on the lyrics, rather than the title in a literal way.)

iPod Challenge Day 9: How would you describe yourself?

Walk On (18) - U2

(This isn't really how I'd describe myself; to me, this song is about inner strength, resilience and letting go of something that's holding you back, which isn't really me. I guess it could be my ideal.)

iPod Challenge Day 8: Say something wise:

One Life - Glen Vella (Eurovision 2011, Malta)

(Here are the lyrics:

Life’s a game, it’s a mystery
which we give into
Days go by, no lesson learned
Just things that you do

Things change even in my mind
Not in my heart
I am who I am and I’m here for you

One life show what’s in your heart
Love me like I love you
One life It’s all we got to live
Time to set your heart free

Chase the pain away move on and don’t give up
This time it’s all up to you
You can love yourself toooo

Life is strange and heavenly a sweet surrender (surrender)
Love begins within ourselves
Makes up our lives
Hold on to what life brings you
Just be who you are
You can do it too
It’s all up to you

One life show what’s in your heart
Love me like I love you
One life it’s all we got to live
Time to set your heart free

Chase the pain away
Move on and don’t give up
This time it’s all up to you
You can love yourself toooo

Don’t try to judge me
You don’t know how I feel
Love me, love me for who I am
My life, I will give it all, I give it all to you, give it all

One life show what’s in your heart
Love me like I love you
One life it’s all we got to live

Time to set your heart free

Chase the pain away
Move on and don’t give up
This time it’s all up to you
You can love yourself too
It’s all up to you you can love yourself too
You can love yourself too)

iPod Challenge Day 7: What would you wish for if you only had one wish?

Spanish Eyes - Backstreet Boys

(Yup, I think it's pretty standard to wish for Spanish Eyes. I'm more into the U2 kind, but these will do.)

iPod Challenge Day 6: What is your life like?

Let's Try It Again - New Kids On The Block

(My life is something that needs trying again? I hope not... It could represent my perseverance; I don't give up on things I want in life easily. I will gladly try things again to improve, unless I don't believe it's worth it.)

Olympic Fever!

Over the last 9 days, I've spent the bulk of my time watching and supporting Team GB the Olympics; even my fingernails are behind our athletes!

iPod Challenge Day 5: How do you feel about love?

Waiting on the World to Change - John Mayer


(I feel differently about love to the rest of the world, and I believe their views are the ones that should change, not mine. I feel that love is important and can transcend almost anything: gender, class, race, even age, within reason - I don't think it's right for me to condemn a relationship between, say, a 20-year-old and a 45-year-old, only based on the age gap.)

iPod Challenge Day 4: Where would you like to be right now?

Awake (Live) - Josh Groban

(This is one of those songs I didn't know I had. The lyrics seem to be about treasuring the moment when time is running out, so it seems the location isn't what's important, it's the company. I like the song, btw!)

iPod Challenge Day 3: Describe your current relationship

Cartoon World - U2

(I take this to mean that it doesn't exist in reality, which perfectly describes my current relationship!)

iPod Challenge Day 2: What do people feel when they’re around you?

Mrs Right - NKOTB

(People feel that I am perfect for them? Nah, this song is actually very uncertain, "Are you really Mrs. Right? 'Cause I can't make up my mind", so maybe people are unsure of how they feel about me; I put people on edge and I'm difficult to be around because they don't know how to react to me or what to expect from me.)

iPod Challenge Day 1: Describe Yourself

(I've never been good at describing myself; I wonder what the shuffle gods will supply to assist me…)

Walkin' My Baby Back Home - Joey McIntyre

(Hmm… I can't quite figure the relevance this song has to myself; I guess it could denote how far I've come since I last undertook this challenge? Or  maybe it just shows how important Joey McIntyre has become to me? I don't know…)

25 Day iPod Challenge

I originally completed this challenge on my tumblr blog, March/ April 2011. Now that situations have altered and my musical horizons have broadened, I feel it's time to have another go. I will shuffle the 1656 eligible songs on my (PRODUCT)RED iPod nano and note down the first 25 songs, then post one title per day, along with my view on how well it relates to the corresponding question. Unfortunately, I don't know who came up with the original post, therefore I can't credit her/him. *EDIT* Found a source: http://heckyeahtumblrchallenges.tumblr.com/post/6252275426/25-day-ipod-challenge!

1. Describe yourself: 

2. What do people feel when they’re around you? 

3. Describe your current relationship: 

4. Where would you like to be right now? 

5. How do you feel about love? 

6. What is your life like? 

7. What would you wish for if you only had one wish? 

8. Say something wise: 

9. How would you describe yourself? 

10. What do you look for in a guy? 

11. How do you feel today: 

12. What’s your life’s purpose? 

13. What is your motto? 

14. What do your friends think of you? 

15. What do your parents think of you? 

16. What do you think about very often? 

17. What do you think of your best friend? 

18. What do you think of the person you like? 

19. What is your life story? 

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? 

21. What do you think of when you see the person you like? 

22. What will you dance to at your wedding? 

23. What will play at your funeral? 

24. Biggest fear? 

25. Biggest secret?

A challenge

Today, Jasmine, Chris D and I caught the bus to the cinema, while t'other Chris, Tom, Ben Winter, Jade, Rosie and Jess Boulton cycled to the same destination. It was a race, but not even self-confessed slow cyclists Chris and Rosie could hold out long enough to let bus team win, although our half-hour venture did  culminate in the vehicle momentarily breaking down. Eventually we met up with the victors, all of us apart from Jess entered the cinema to watch the film "Chernobyl Diaries". It was pretty scary; Jasmine's deathly arm grab got my right arm during the trailers, while Chris spent most of the final third cowering into my left. I was sceptical of the premise: a horror film set at Chernobyl seemed rather insensitive to me, but the focus was on the characters and their eerie situation, not sensationalising the disaster. Plus we got to see the trailer for Ted!

Prom

It's been four days since the class of year 11 formally waved goodbye to compulsory education, and the celebration certainly didn't disappoint! We had pictures taken at school, then twelve of us, in a sea of blue and purple, squeezed into a fire engine limo and were whisked away to the venue.

Posing in front of the limo

The event itself was brilliant! We lapped up the American-style buffet, before heading to the dance floor.  There, we grooved to classics such as the Macarena, as well as recent chart hits and nostalgic requests. All too soon it was over, but the memories still remain, assisted by the flurry of photos uploaded within hours, and videos, including this keek.

Halfway there

We are officially halfway through the year, and I can hardly believe all that time has passed since we said our final goodbyes to 2011 counted down to midnight. Despite my disbelief, much has happened in the last 183 days: the end of C², Em's operation, 14 exams, the eating of about 40 toasties, 3 amazing concerts and 3 games of crazy golf! Hopefully the next half will be as good, or even better...

Prom preparations

On Wednesday 4th July 2012 (in 5 days 6 hours 10 minutes!) I will be attending my school prom. I've purchased all the necessities (dress, shoes, bag and of course, TICKET!); whatever else should be sorted by tomorrow, I'm doing my own makeup and having my hair curled at a salon. Here's a picture of one of the shoes I'll be wearing, I absolutely adore them!

Midsummer Musings

I've found myself perusing my diary from six years ago. I think I've been drawn to it's smooth pages and carefree composition. On this date -6 years, I wrote a poem. It wasn't bad; sure, some rhymes seem forced, but the text is rather effective, for a ten-year-old who was almost certainly past her bedtime.
Turning the page, I know another rhyme awaits, however this time the subject is rather different. I allow myself a smile as I tenderly recall the words. It reads more like a song; half-remembered swathes of "melody" wash over me, and my focus falls to the final line of the first verse: "And you left without a trace." Back then, even before he had left, I forced myself to face up to this ominous predicament. If only there was some way that the "inevitable" could be avoided: a cord of communication that could bridge the gap between our drifting boats. Back then, all I had was hope; now, if I can summon the courage, a new channel for conversation could be created via the much-loved, though equally-loathed social networking site: Facebook.

Summary of this blog post: Jessica thinks she has found her old crush on Facebook and is debating whether or not to add him as a friend.

I could reminisce forever...

Yesterday the primary school group, Georgina, Gemma, Megan, Alex, Chris and I, met up for the first time since 23rd December last year. It didn't feel like 6 months had passed; conversation still flowed like a waterfall between us, even me, at times. Alex, Georgina, Chris and I had organised to meet by the pub at 12:15 to walk to the complex together, but Chris took an extra half an hour just to wake up, and we didn't leave till after 1, when we were due to arrive! Thankfully, Georgina and Alex's constant text updates meant that we didn't keep Gemma and Megan waiting.

By 2pm the whole group was ordering delicious meals in Nando's, including Chris's whole chicken (which he did eat). After finishing our meals, we eventually decided to go bowling, and were especially enthralled to discover that we could bowl and receive a meal for just £5.95 after 3:30pm! Megan and Gemma's eyes lit up at the promise of more food, and the game was fun too! I got off to an early lead with 2 spares and 2 strikes, but by the end Chris (a.k.a. Camp) had overtaken me; he won with 145, but I was still happy with my score of 126, because it's the best I've ever done!

Next we returned to the food court; I munched away on veggie nuggets while we chatted about random things and Chris keeked for the first time in a week. Eventually we decided to call it a day, and headed home. It was great to see everyone again, and we hope to meet up a little sooner next time.

Things I could do over the summer

With around 77 days till I return to school, I really need to find some things to spend time on over the longest summer of my life. Some of these suggestions just might make the cut!

1. Listen to an album every day - there are more than enough in my house
2. Learn some Estonian - I already know "Kuula" means "listen" thanks to this
3. Have a Blue Bloods day - we only own the first season on DVD, but that's still 15 hours and 1 minute
4. Dance - We have all three main Just Dance games, and even without the wii I still enjoy moving to music
5. Draw - I haven't done it in a while, but maybe I can hone my artistic skills?
6. Write - I have many juvenile, unfinished ideas for novels; maybe I can will them closer to completeness?
7. Swot up on my A-level subject choices - might be the most useful suggestion on this list
8. Improve my writing with my right hand - it might be useful to have two hands to write with
9. Meet up with friends - I suppose going outside a bit wouldn't hurt
10. Blog, tweet, tumble etc.!

EDIT: 21:37 I just thought of another one:

   11. Dip ketchup flavoured crisps into ketchup, and eat

2nd annual "Happy Breathe Day" post

"16th of June, 9:05, doorbell rings, man at the door says if I wanna stay alive a bit longer, there's a few things I need you to know: three!"

After last year's post fail (I deleted the entire insightful content without realising), this time I will copy and paste the text somewhere else as a back up, to make sure I don't lose it to the black hole again.

This morning, I was woken at 9:01am by my purposely set watch alarm. While it was enough time to set my iPod up and sync the beginning of Breathe to the appropriate time, the four minute warning wasn't enough to get myself signed in and ready to post on the @U2 Forum - this made me even more thankful that the second verse includes "9:09", because that was when my post was ready!

Today I also had the opportunity to attend the Mangotsfield Festival for the second time, however it's been raining lots and I'm still wearing my bed clothes, so I decided not to.

Anyway, happy Breathe Day!

It's officially over!

My GCSE exams are over!

I have no more revision to do!

In the last 32 days, I've sat 10 exams, enduring over 14 hours of sitting within the confines of the sports hall. One day I spent about 4 hours 20 minutes scribbling away and peering at my watch in the place, but now it's over!
Now I can look forward to 2 and a half months of no school; I hope I can find things to keep me entertained!

Well done Estonia!

Yesterday was the final of Eurovision 2012 from Baku, Azerbaijan and Chris decided to host a party, with each attendee picking a country to support. You may be able to tell from my nails (or from the title of this post), which country I chose... ESTONIA!! My decision was based on the fact that I enjoyed the country's effort last year (Rockefeller Street by Getter Jaani) and that I knew I'd be able to paint the country's flag on my fingernails.

My Estonia flag nails

Despite being (according to Donati) 19th favourite to win out of the 26 finalists, this year's contestant, Ott Lepland, ended up in sixth place, with 120 points! Congratulations Ott and Estonia!

The memories

Tom,
I've known you since year seven, when I walked home with you and Chris, and I remember that the pair of you made me laugh a lot!


I wrote that from memory, almost word for word on Thursday, when I began my passage in Tom's memories book. It was the last time we'll ever walk home together (I still find that difficult to believe) and I took the opportunity to ask him to write in mine; he let me return the favour. We were sat next to eachother on the wall that surrounds the local pub, busily writing away. I only peered up to see Katie join us.

That was on Thursday; yesterday we left for real.

After a 41-day absence, here I am!

I didn't actually realise I'd gone over 1 month without posting here! It makes it look like I've been busy revising for my exams, doesn't it? Well I have...

They start in 3 days.

Eep.

I'll be back in another 41-ish days.

Cardiff Blue

LA Blue became "Cardiff Blue" on our return journey from the Welsh capital on Friday night.
We were there for a school trip, to view a performance of J.B. Priestley's "An Inspector Calls" in a genuine three dimensions, at the swish New Theatre. Prior to our arrival, a resilient wasp had caused much commotion on the coach, withstanding half a dozen smacks, courtesy of Jamie from Em's tutor group. We eventually approached the theatre on foot; I took this opportunity to scoff the meagre morsels that made up my dinner, my final bite coinciding with the start of the show.
I thoroughly enjoyed the performance; highlights included the dramatic collapse of the Birling house, which woke a few of my school mates up, and the additional symbolism which had been carefully woven into the play.
Back to the end. The chill air of a Cardiff night bustled us back on to the bus, which lacked any evidence of the demon in black and yellow stripes. Eagerly, I grappled for my iPod and set it to play a series of bright, carefree tunes. The sky may have been pitch black, and my cheeks coral red, but nothing could fully detract from the blue…

Happy birthdays

Today I am celebrating three birthdays.

The first (and by far most trivial) is the anniversary of the release of the 1999 album Stay The Same by Joey McIntyre.

The second is the 16th birthday of my friend, (and still prom date, as far as I know) Tom. I'm attending his party later, hopefully it'll be fun! :)

The third would also be a 16th birthday, that of my primary school friend, Amy. Amy was one of my best friends when we were younger, she was extremely kind and loyal. We parted ways when we were eleven, but I still saw her and our other primary school friends every now and then. One time, about two years ago, she couldn't come because she was really ill. She had a brain tumour. Last October she passed away. I still can't believe she's not here any more.
Happy sweet sixteen Amy, I hope you're celebrating in heaven! :')

Prom, Tom, and Chelsea

Two weeks ago tomorrow, Tom asked me if I'd like to go to prom with him; I said `yes`.

Today he asked Chelsea back out - via text - she hasn't said `yes`, but they "went out" before, and I didn't know they still liked each other. I'm not jealous, just a bit confused as to why he would ask me to prom - face to face and almost two weeks ago now - if he still had feelings for her?

2 months down, 10 to go...

I thought it would be nice to do a post today, as it is leap day: February 29th! In a few hours, two whole months of 2012 will have already passed us by, and 60 days from now I will have already seen NKOTBSB in concert! Time files.

Nails this week.

My nails hadn't chipped much from last week, so I just did a quick touch up then painted a silver cracking top coat over them.

I'm not bored...

I'm not bored but I am writing a blog post. Why is it I always seem to arrive here when I'm supposed to be journeying to a different destination all together? I've been meaning to listen to songs on YouTube for nearly a week, yet now, at the opportune moment, I am on my blog. How does this happen? How does this work? I'm thinking maybe- I should stop quoting Joey McIntyre lyrics and do what I set out to do... yeah. That seems like a good idea.

Things I must do in the near future:

• Send my St Brendan's application
• Prepare my Derbyshire diary before we go (in 4 days!)
• Learn the whereabouts of important household objects ahead of Em's operation so that I know what to do
• Revise maths and get graphics coursework off the ground

However, it's now jelly bean time!

My nails!

My fingernails currently look like this. I was inspired by the colours on the ends of the New Kids On The Block members' microphones, and who sings which step in Step By Step. I like it so much that I may do it again for NKOTBSB (in 88 days)!

The Status

On 24th November, Chris Green posted "listening to christmas songs ♥" as his facebook status. Nobody at the time would have predicted that, within 2 months, there would be over 10,000 comments on it, detailing the everday thoughts, feelings and activities of a group of teenagers. Included in its seemingly endless realms were gems such as "Chris Blue", word association games, and ringing in the new year. Unfortunately, Chris deleted it today. 

I miss you, status! Thanks for some good times! 

I know there is more to life than a facebook status, but it was good while it lasted.