Jan 30: Bechdel

Today was the introduction for year 12 and by introduction I mean I had to go to school for an interview with a teacher who won't be my homeroom teacher to talk about my goals for the future and the year and to get my timetable, which they made a mistake on, and to get my locker number.
On top of that I had to be there at 8:45 to drop off my brother for his first day.

Chocolate Cake

Okay so I guess it wasn't all bad, I made a chocolate cake with my sister and her bestfriend, complete with chocolate glaze icing Yum! (pictured), as well as watching one of my favourite Drew Barrymore movie Ever After. No matter how cheesy it is, it always puts me in a good mood. There is something about a good chick flick.
Last night I was watching a Ted talk (linked) about movies and what they are teaching the children of today. Anyway in the talk he was speaking about the Bechdel Test which asks three questions assessing the female characters in a film.
1) Are there at least two women who have lines?
2) Do they speak to each other?
3) Do they talk about something other then men?
So basically two women who speak to each other about stuff. I think it's quite sad that the list of films I can come up with is very limited but I found it very fascinating. It explains it more in the video.

And dad might also have called up to ask if we were all free to go to see Chitty Bang Bang in a week, which is fantastic as I haven't seen a professional stage show in ages. I'm super-duper excited.

Until next time,
Liana xx

Jan 29: Premature aging

Today went to the chiropractor, who after ten/eleven years of dancing has become my best friend. I have so many problems with my hips and knees that it makes me feel about sixty years old.

Anyway my chiropractor was talking about what her daughter did for her 'gap year' and it sounded so much like something I would be interested in, when I got home I looked it up straight away. To the point her daughter when to the UK to be a matron at an all boys boarding school for a year starting in January. So she was earning money throughout their school year but had the freedom to travel round Europe in the school holidays. I was thinking already of starting Uni and having my gap year halfway through my 5 year course, doing the first three years then taking a gap year before finishing the next two. Even though it has nothing to do with the course I want to take, it would be an absolutely fantastic experience plus growing up in a family with four kids, my maternal instincts kicked in at an early age, I was nine when the youngest was born.
Though I'm not entirely sure I will be able to do it I think it will be right up my alley.

Until next time,
Liana xx

Jan 28: The Cinemas

I just got back from cinemas after watching Les Misérables. Oh my gosh. If you haven't seen it already go and see it. It's worth the money and it definitely lives up to the hype created around it. My best advice if you are thinking of going is to take some tissues. It will make you cry, it will make you laugh, it will make you want to sing at the top of your lungs. I have loved the show ever since I first saw it within the first five minutes of the overture. And now the film is the icing on the cake for any Broadway lover as it is one of the last musicals that hadn't been adapted to film.
You know how there are the different types of people while you're watching the film, well my sister and I are the kind who talk throughout it putting in our own side comments and such. Very annoying for anyone around us.
Also it seams to be that anytime I go to the cinemas there is someone that I know somehow or another either seeing the same film, coming, going or something or other. Does anyone else find this? or is it just me?

Homework is coming along nicely still a bit to go though.

Until next time,
Liana xx

Jan 26: Feeling unpatriotic

Happy Australia Day!
Unfortunately my day has been very unpatriotic, no parties, no gatherings, no BBQ's, just my family and I painting my dad's new studio. However we were listening to great Australian musicians and I do quite like painting so no qualms here. I also think that later we are going to sit down and watch a movie whilst eating Lamingtons, so much spongy chocolatey cocoanuty goodness. Add pizza and caramel popcorn and I'm all set for the night.

Australia Day commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet to Sydney Cove though they had been camped at Botany Bay for a number of days, finding it unsuitable.
We don't really have a spectacular history as we're still quite 'young' with less than 300 years of 'settlement'. It doesn't contains much, just a few ships arriving bringing convicts from England, federation, a few bush rangers, the gold rush and a couple of wars.
Though there where native people here before the 'white' people came, the decedents of whom call Australia Day, Invasion Day in their own right, they were pretty much invaded.

Sidenote: I find it really bazaar that if a public holiday falls on a Saturday or a Sunday we get the Monday off as well as compensation for the 'lost' holiday.

Homework is not going very well, though I have finish my booklet for my interview with my homeroom teacher. Progress.

       Procrastination: 342 

       Good Grades: 1

Until next time,
Liana xx

Jan 25: Goals

It's taken me a little while to figure out and write down my New Year's resolutions or as I like to call them goals for 2013. I think it will be good for me to have some sort of goals to achieve by the end of the year even if they are quite small and achievable.

That being said here are my ten goals for the new year:

1) De-clutter: I tend to hold on to a lot of useless stuff so this year I've decided to de-clutter every aspect of my life well most any way. Everything from my wardrobe to my calender to my bathroom cupboard will become organised so I can actually find things.
2) Go for more walks: This one is fairly obvious, go on more walks to keep fit and stay calm.
3) Take in the little things remembering that each day is new and has the opportunity to be fantastic: Sometimes I get so caught up in the big picture I forget to live each day to the fullest.
4) Drink more tea and less coffee: Just so that I take in less caffeine per day, it's not good for me.
5) Finally get organised school wise and stay that way: I often find that because I don't write things down I loose track of the time and I don't know what I have to do which is really frustrating for me.
6) Do more things for me: Take some time out to have a bath, do my nails and pamper myself, instead of looking after others before me all the time.
7) Make better use of my time: so actually do something productive instead of sitting in bed watching youtube videos.
8) Get up before 9am every day: Make more use of the day.
9) Finish school: that one is pretty straight forward
10) Figure out how to stay calm: I tend to get a bit flustered when things go wrong especially when under pressure. 
bonus 11) carry around a note book: for those moments when you need a note book

You'd be proud to know that I have drawn it up and it is now on my cork board.

Do you have any goals for this year? and how are you going to do them?

Until next time,
Liana xx

Jan 24: Horizons

Today didn't started out great. I'm not feeling very well so I spent most of the morning laying in bed watching youtube videos with a heat pack on my stomach (not a good thing when it's 37 degrees celsius) drinking tea, which is a little hiccup in terms of getting homework done.

I've still got to finish my English work and read the book, my Maths work also needs finishing, I haven't even started reading the 20 pages required for Classical Studies and a timeline to create, I've got a number of definitions to write for psychology as well as two chapters of text book reading, an last I have a whole lot of things (poster, brochures, business cards, webpages etc.) to find then evaluate for Visual Communications. So in other words I've done pretty much no homework all summer and have just realised a week before I go back that it's probably time to do some.

While I'm writing this I'm listening to Lisa Mitchell's songs 'Bless This Mess' and 'The Story of the Raven and the Mushroom Man' the second of which is based on the book 'The Little Prince' and is quickly becoming one of my favourite songs. It may not be to everyone's tastes but I find that going into things with an open mind gives you a better appreciation for them and broadens your horizons. I'm a big believer in not letting other people's comments and beliefs taint or change your own perception on things, however as much as I try to do to sometimes I just can't.

Until next time,
Liana xx

Jan 23: The beginning of the end.

This year marks the beginning of the end school wise for me.
As much as it terrifies me I'm also sort of looking forward to it, because as someone wise once said to me in reality it will be like any other year: the same number of teacher, exams and subjects; the same number of children will be born; the same number of stars will shine in the sky; even the same number of turnips will be harvested; the only thing that will have changed is that your end of year results will help parents decide where they want to send their kids in years to come.

So as the beginning of the end draws closer with every second and with that advice secured tightly in my brain I can't help but wonder am I really ready to face the world in a year and will I be able to handle it, because the fact it I'm scared. Scared that I won't get into the course that I want, scared that I'll disappoint people especially my parents and scared that I won't be happy.
Thought I think I'm as prepared as I can be for this, except for a slight homework situation. I'm just worried that with everything else going on I'll forget to be happy and relax.
My gorgeous friend E once said to me: people are at their most happiest when they are creating something worthwhile.
Today I challenge you all to do more reading and drawing and painting and stargazing and cloud chasing and maybe some more popcorn making.

I'd like to invite you to join me as I blog my last year of school, to join the celebration through the good times, to provide comfort and sympathies through the bad, to learn from each other and to battle my psychotic family with me.

Until next time,
Liana xx