New Ideas

I love to read, but sometimes I feel like what I read I don't always appreciate if I don't have a conversation about it or really sit and think about what I've just read. But I don't want to stop reading or read less and because I have so much free time to kill and don't spend nearly enough time on the Internet doing productive things..... A blog seemed like a good idea 

Summer 2012

For me, as with all other recent public exam-takers, will go on and on and on as we wait for, in my case, August 23rd, when we will get the little envelope that will dictate weather our time at Reading will be a celebration or an attempt to drown out our sorrows at our results. 
I'm hoping for the former...
However this wait will be made startlingly less painful by the summer my Dad has worked out for me and my family. 
Starting with Africa, our 57 day trip will take us from London across the pacific to Nairobi, on to Naivasha and to a stint in the Masai Mara, then back to Nairobi for my fathers board meetings and my week of work experience. 
Back across the Pacific to London for a few hours, the then head over the Atlantic to New York City, winding up in Long Island, Maine, all over California and then to Vermont where my little sister and I go to camp at Craftsbury together.
So I think I'll be able to struggle through.


It was actually at my dad's suggestion that I write a day-by-day blog about what I get up to over this summer, an idea I was already toying with but that extra nudge from Daddy was exactly what I needed.
So here it is, a digital diary of the travels of my family and I, Summer 2012.
Enjoy

New Layout

New resolve for consistency needed a new layout. Whilst I was stressing about exams Blogger went and made all these amazing themes that made mine look frankly, stone age.


Background Photo: Huntington Beach Surfers. I love to surf. Unfortunately, I live in the city so I don't get out as often as I'd like, but it just makes the times I do all the more special. I kinda like the freedom/summer/teenage kicks vibe it gives which kinda epitomizes how I feel right now with almost 3 months before I have to go back to school!! This summer I'll be in California and hopefully be able to get on a board at some point. I'd also kinda like to check out Rockaway Beach in New York, but I'm not sure how psyched my parentals will be about going to the beach so near the city : Why wouldnt we just go to a nice beach with sea air instead of gasoline fumes??
That or they'd think it was cool.
Depends what mood my Padre's in...


Anyways, there you have it.

o say can you see

Happy Independence Day!!

In England its not a big deal the most you'll get is if you write the date in class someone might say "Is it Independence Day?" turn to me and go "HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!"

but thats still fun :)

(my mom and dad at the table)

we had a pretty mellow evening, i did hang up some flags to make things a little more festive (these are now hanging up in my bedroom :P)

(my momma making the burgers)

we did the sort of usual burgers and fries thing but with a little twist

i dont know what gave my parents the idea of putting shallots in or on burgers but they are so good it's probably illegal

burgers are good with cheddar and shallots! And a blob of the fancy ketchup my dad buys which i say i dont prefer to Heinz but if i'm honest with myself, i really do!

we did still have heinz on the tale though, it went on a little tray wich was kind of cute but my parents kind ruined it by going "oh its so 60s. it's SOO 60s!" and then is seemed a little weird simply coz they thought it was really cool

which, yeah it kind of is

i gotta be honest, last year's july 4th surprise was a bit more, well, surprising

cause not gonna lie, he's more exciting than good burgers :)

procrastination

the end of the year is near, and end of year internals are even nearer....

and despite the fact that i swore that this year my summer half term aka revision week would actually be time well spent and i wouldn't panic at the last minute about the fact that it was almost the end ot the week and i still hadn't got any good solid work done. But, oh wait. I kept that promise and did good solid work, and yet the panic of "shit it's thursday, my exams start at 8.30 am on Monday is still here!!! WHY!!! This year i found revision a little easier as i don't have to take subject that i don't like. Like geography... She and I have always had a rocky relationship, and a piece of the burned one page of notes I made for her exam is still happily blu tacked to my bedroom wall :)

Is it bad that I'm kinda sad that I can't do that again this year? Oh well...

this is charlie, who seem to share my feelings

I now feel guilty, and should probably get off the computer now, and return to convincing myself that I will do some revision...

sometimes you see the funniest and coolest things right outside your door

One Man Band, a photo by Complete Novice on Flickr.

teenage-ism has some downsides...

i'd like for it to be known these are not my teeth... but major respect for whoever took this photo!

Braces. Oi Vey the things teen have to go through these days...

i too have had the unpleasant experience of braces, these massive metal thing that get shoved onto your teeth by dentists who know full well that this will cause the wearer great pain, and see's the massive sores they get from the VERY foreign object shoved in your mouth "just part of the package". Don't you just love modern medicine...

Anyways i know how frustrating they are, so here are some pretty people who now have straight teeth who had braces to help myself and all others who are still suffering get through it

We got to stick together

James Franco

( and sorry he's so big. But he's REALLY pretty so we can look at him even more :D )

Dakota Fanning

Jamie Bell

Drew Barrymore

Thomas Sangster

Emma Watson

And Tommy didn't even get them till 2002...

We can do it!

temporary freedom!

Easter Break is here!!! Yay!!!

hence the easter-y colors!

So today marked the first day of my school easter break!!! Exciting!!!

All the years above me go back to gsce's and a levels but we have one more year until that monstrosity... thank the lord

Just doing some private rejoicing at the moment but i'm really quite tired so hopefully will actually sit down and write something tomorrow...

I say that with a bit of conviction that it might happen :s

new idea's...

okay so for ages i have been trying to think about what i'm trying to do here for a "theme" for this, 'cause everything you read about blogging and why other bloggers are successful is because they have a "theme" or a uniform idea with what they're about. and i see why these are successful because that way you can google "fashion blogs" or "cooking blogs you can come up with there creme de la crop of blogs that talk exclusively and passionately about what the writer is passionate about. and this is great! i myself love the fact that in doing this you can come up with great people like selby or tavi or yvan and julie who are really awesome and articulate about what they do and don't have to worry about swearing or saying something "controversial" (or in yvan and a bit in selby's case, taking photo's of "controversial" things) without having to worry about what the middle man thinks. And this because, there IS no middle man. The whole blogging revolution has appealed to so many people because everyone can go and set up an account for free, write a bit, click "publish" and people like me who write when we have a spare moment or when we have a random thought that inspires us to write about something that we enjoy or had fun doing can get a little rush and at the click of a little button, can feel like a portentous little journalists for a few minutes!

one problem that i've had here, is that i'll be the first to admit that looking over my previous posts, if this blog popped up on my homepage on blogspot, i wouldn't read it! it doesn't have a uniform theme, and i think partly that there isn't any one thing that i'm passionate about, but so many! at the same time, I am envious of Tavi, having the ability to write so well about the fashion she see's and is able to find the most incredible things from the Salvation Army and turn them into these incredible pieces. I like Tavi also love fashion, and though my dad isn't crazy about it, I actually find the industry really interesting, and though i doubt that if i did put my blog under the category of "fashion", i'd be able to write about fashion, not as well as She does, but alright! The problem with this would be that i know and can tell you now that i would half the time think of what i think is a good idea about a post that i could write about, but feel like i couldn't because mine was supposed to be a "fashion" blog.

What made me really happy the other day, was coming across the blog Currently Obsessed With. It made me realize that it doesn't really matter if you don't quite have a theme or a niche that your blog fits into, as long a you write well about what you really care about!

So that's my plan, and maybe in a few months i'll look over it and see some kind of pattern emerging in it and be able to categorize is somewhere other than the abyss of the other teenage blogs in the "miscellaneous" category :P

however for now, i'm content, and i'll see you round xx

christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat, please put a penny in the old man's hat

if you haven't got a penny then a he-penny will do

if you haven't got a he-penny, well then God bless you

CHRISTMAS IS ALMOST HERE!!!

i always feel it when the tree goes up, and in fact we have put up two this year

one at home and one with our grandparents

and there's already a satisfying amount of presents under our tree :-))

the most fun this year is that my big present for my little sister is all wrapped and under the tree and she has no idea what it is!! it's great 'cause thought she loves surprises - i mean, who doesn't? - it's really bugging her that she hasn't got a clue what it is! anyways i'm headed to decorate the house still more so farewell and stay warm, it's freezing!!

happy fireworks

Guy Fawkes! aka bonfire night!

So basically this dude Guy Fawkes decides he doesn't like how the country's being run, so decides to blow up parliament. it didn't work...

but the english remember this evening by setting of fireworks. it was originally bonfires on which you burned a sort of scarecrow-thing on a bonfire to set an example or something like that...

but it's basically turned into just a fun night where people get together to watch the fireworks set off.

And i don't know what it is about them, but i love them. just about everybody does!

the display was great, i hung with friends and had a great night!

but it was pointed out to me that watching the crowd is almost as interesting as the thing itself

he has a point

never forget

"The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but can never forget what we did here"

"In Chess, it is called Zugswang... when the only viable move is not to move"

yoga classes are fuuuunnnn

so today i did something not quite the norm of kids my age, i took a yoga class. my godmother is a former dancer. whilst still dancing, she began taking yoga classes to help her warm up for performances. then, when she stopped taking dance classes, she just took more yoga classes. lo and behold, now she's a yoga instructor! don't get me wrong, i first took yoga classes in school when i was like, 10. too young to get it, and it is an acquired taste, but it was really fun! sure it made it much cooler that my teacher was my godmother who i don't see a whole lot but it made me feel great! it was also fun having lunch with her afterwords because so many people in the town came over and said how much they loved her classes! when we first got down there i got really intimidated by all of her regulars who were getting their blocks and blankets and ties (most of which i still have no idea what it's for...) and some looking at me like i was some weird alien organism when she needed the bathroom and i had to sign people in, but then a very nice pregnant woman and her elderly mother came in, and i figured i'd be fine. even if someone carrying a child was far better than i... she was. and yes whist chanting aum three times, i was reminded of the yoga club i took in 4th grade when everyone burst out laughing when the teacher suggested we do this. i have also since fallen in love with hare krishna music, for which all my friends think is really weird, not like thats new! i was also amazed that by the end of the class i actually knew what some of the poses were called like downward facing dog and child's pose, and didn't have to blindly copy the people in front and next to me -who i think i was making feel self-conscious...sorry- and all that's good! so basically, yoga's fun. it's also fun to do something just for the sake of doing it. not because you're good at it, or you have to, but purely because it makes you feel happy or makes you laugh, or for no reason at all, do it just for the hell of it. i would recommend yoga. but if it's not for you, as my godmother says "It's a yoga class for God's sake!"

sun sun sun

it's summer so the sun is shinning and sunscreen is needed! any will work.

i am telling you from experience as i spent a fair amount of time on the beach today and i did get fairly burnt in one or two places.

yes i'm being a hypocrite...

however it means i can also offer an insight into good aftersuns, I find nivea moisturizing after sun lotion with aloe vera works wonders.

weather it actually does any good for your sunburn, who knows. but the aloe will be good for your skin even if it does nothing to your burn.

sticking the bottle in the fridge also makes it very soothing.

you can find out more about nivea on their website.

have fun in the sun!

snappy

so here in the Gisland it's perfect Snapper (baby salmon) season so we went out, bought some stinking bait, broke out the old bamboo poles and hey presto!

FISH!

and some corn

that's pretty much it, ciao

Just your average 4 th of July

so we were headed to New York for part 1 of our summer adventure and guess who was in the airport lounge?

mr Dev Patel was headed to Japan i assume to promote his new movie and it was my leetle seester who spotted him first and she wasn't sure who he was at first (having not seen slumdog millionaire or watched skins) but her suspicions were confirmed when two other little ladies went up and asked him to take a picture with them so....

we figured they paved the way for us

and then who would be on our plane but, drum roll please, Matthew Morrisson from Glee!! after making small talk as he was sitting practically in the seat next to us we finally thought it was ok enough to ask for a picture

so, naturally, we did! now my sister and I have renamed fedora's "Matthew Morrisson Hat's" we're working on making it official, i dont think it'll catch on though...

so it was a pretty good 4th of July, and we just about made it to see the end of the fireworks!

Sorry England...

Borough Market

Welcome to Lambeth

Tinned l'ecargots from the French stall run by lads from Shoreditch

Turkish Delight. pretty darn good

numero duo

so you all know the logic behind my shortie famous person thingy

Natalie Portman is absolutely beautiful and is know for being very petite

the miniscule actress is only 5'3 !!

Wearing Lanvin for the 2005 Oscars

and was anyone else mesmerized by her spread in V magazine?

Swimsuit top Bottega Venatta, Shoulder pads Keko Hainswheeler

I guess it's second nature to look this good when you've been friends with Issac Mizrahi since you were 14 and Zac Posen considers you his muse.

For her 2003 New Year's Pary she wore a Zac Posen dress that had $10,000 worth of crystals sewn into it. I want that gig!!!

and here is Mr Posen with his muse

I love Natalie, she's beautiful, a great actress and has great style