Please Read This. Thank You.

I am 15 years old, right? I am 16 in 2 months and am going to college next year. Even though in England, it's not compulsory. I still am because I want to get a good job that I want to do and good grades and qualifications.
Anyway, before you wonder why I'm stating this, you'll understand now.

Today, in my French lesson, our teacher came in without a friendly 'Bonjour' or 'Les Devoirs?'. No, one of the first things she said was 'Do you know anyone in this class that was in that walk out at break because of the university fees?'

Okay, I just want to say that, I would like to go to university if I feel it necessary. My English teacher says 'Keep in education as long as you can; it will help with your future job.'
Which is one reason why I would like to go, apart from the typical answer, like I said above.
I have no idea what I'd study but I'll jump that hurdle when I get there. If I get there.
I also know that you have to pay to go to university and I agree £9,000 tuition fees is a bit heavy, especially with the fact we're in a crisis with money etc.

But seriously, go out of school to stand outside one of the Liberal Democrats offices and protest, rather loudly, about them. And you're in Year 10. That's the year below me, so they're about 14/15 and have at least 3/4 years until they have to even think seriously about university.

I would join them. I have to admit, if I wasn't in school, revising for exams that I need to pass to go to university, I would have gone too. But it's the wrong way to do it...and in Year 10, still in secondary school where the prospect of even applying for a certain university isn't even thought of yet? No, I personally don't think they should have gone themselves.

One reason for writing this: I saw an article posted on Facebook about from one of the people involved in it. You're proud that you did that? That you made the school look bad; young people look terrible, as per usual; and got your name and voice in the papers and want all your friends and peers to know so you can gloat? Is that really what this is all about?
And, I'll tell you what. It was all the 'popular' Year 10's. Yep, Popular people still 'rule' the year groups. They think they can do these things because they have the 'power'. I'm not one of these people. I think those kind of people who care only about their status in school, hair, make-up, getting a boyfriend...it's pathetic and sad. Wait till you get into the real world and the frantic world of GCSE's...

And the worst part? The other reason why I'm writing this. I was waiting at the bus stop today after a revision class. It was snowy and all the older people coming home from shopping were underneath the bus shelter and I didn't want to stand in the snow I'd just been walking in. So I stood right at the end of shelter where there is a little bit of glass over you, and you're right by where the bus stops. And when a bus came (not my one), this woman shoved by and said loudly 'Right now, the bus has come, you can wait in the queue like the rest of us. You young people these days! You think you can do whatever you want.'
And actually, that hurt me a little because I would have let her and the rest who had been waiting for the bus first go in front of me; I was just standing there for convience.

Why should all young people have a bad image because of this and other things because of a small miniority making people think it's general amongst all young people? Why? And then, gloating about making this 'point'?

I don't understand the society we live in sometimes. I really don't.

This is some thoughts for dresses that I could get for New Year's Eve/my friend's Christmas Party...

The top Four are from H&M and the second black one is the one I'm seriously thinking about. The first bottom two are from Dorothy Perkins and the last two are from Topshop.

What do you think?

It's a month till Xmas?

I offically have a cold. My first of the winter season. Oh joy.

So while I'm sitting at my desk surrounded my revision books, my mother comes in and announces she would like my Christmas list. Now, I know it's a month until Christmas but still, I don't want to think about it yet, it's come around too soon. And for me, I want to survive my mocks before I even think about it. Though I am going on holiday for a few days before the new year :)

Also, I had a great day yesterday. Despite it being rather cold (-3 at about 8am) and sitting on a bus to school for nearly an hour (when it's normally only 20 minutes) and therefore, being late, I had a pretty good day.

I did my Stagecoach performance of Little Shop of Horrors which George came to with my other friends, Tijana and Ben. And of course, my parents. It went well, though there were a few mistakes and the skirt I was wearing was slowly strangling me. But anywho. :)
      Then, I went to my friend, Julie who I have known for about 13 years (how she puts up with me I don't know) for her 16th birthday party at her house with some friends from her school. It was great and loooovely to see her, even though she spent that hour on the bus with me in the morning.
And I saw Final Destination...finally. It was actually quite good...though I may have looked away for the gruesome bits. :D
And now, there's a rugby match down the road so I'm confined to the house, revising like crazy, eating about everything in the house and writing my Xmas list. Oh winter...

Baby I like it...

I found out today that one of my best friends can't ride a bike either. I am so happy. Other happy things happened today too but I shall not go in to the details. It's rather boring...for anyone but me.

Anyway, I also want to say that I actually have a kind of undying love (friendship!) for George. You may have seen her posting comments as she has a blog herself and to me...it absolutely hilarious. I'm not kidding, I find her so funny. And when I'm not feeling well, she just cheers me up for much.

Anyway, that's all I wanted to get off my chest. xx

2011 Debut Challenge

Next year, I am going to participate in the 2011 Debut Challenge, hosted by The Story Siren who has a beautiful blog. I love it.
I am currently doing it this year too, but I joined incredibly late and changed the rules slightly for myself so that it could be from any year.
However, for this the challenge is to read at least 12, or whatever total you want, debuted authors in 2011.
Sounds easy enough right? :S

If you would also like to enter, click here :)
I haven't come up with my list of books yet, but once I get a button and start the list, I'll update this post :)

oh how I wish it could be Christmas every day.'

While everyone else is out Christmas shopping and watching the new Harry Potter movie (which I got a ticket to but had to to give it away because I have a Stagecoach performance next week :S)
But the person, I gave it to is MUCH MUCH more of a Harry Potter fan than I am so I'm kinda glad she got it and I think she appreciated the movie much more than I would have.
Anyway, I digress. While everyone is enjoying themselves, I am cooped up indoors doing an incredible amount of homework/coursework and revision for my MOCKS which are only TWO WEEKS AWAY. AHHH.
I cannot relax properly or get into the festive mood before those dreaded things are done and over with. However, me and my friend are planning to go up to Beyond Retro next weekend on the hunt for a dress to wear to my friend's annual Christmas Party and New Year's Eve.

Beyond Retro...I want to live there. Forever. It's a vintage outlet at cheaper prices, one on Brick Lane, Whitechapel and the other's near Carnby Street which is behind Oxford Street, for those who didn't know.
I've only been there once but I bought a men's shirt which I later looked up and is from about the 80's/90's.
So as I wanted something a little bit different, this had got to be the place right? Though, there are some nice dresses in H&M so that's my back-up plan. :)

Joey gave me this when she came back from Hong Kong and it now hangs from my noticeboard. You can also see the Beyond Retro tag from that shirt I bought.

Have a nice week! :) x

On My Bookshelf (3)

This is my version of 'In My Mailbox' because honestly, I'm not known well enough to have publishers and authors to send me books - and I'm still working out how that can happen.
So here a few things that I have required this month:

Bought:

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen - This was for school, we're doing P&P for coursework in English at the moment.

Dreamland - Sarah Dessen - This book isn't being released in the UK so I brought it when I was in America :)

Pretty Things - Sarra Manning - Again, brought in America reduced. I prefer the UK cover though. 

So Yesterday - Scott Westerfeld - Again, last one brought in America...The author of the Uglies series. I've never seen it in the UK. 

So, I'm pretty good for books at the moment...well until Christmas. :)



Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher

I found this book in the Oxfam shop where I work for £1.99. It wasn't a Gift Aid, so I don't know who donated it but considering the fact it's a relative new released book to the UK. So anyway, I finished it this morning.


When Clay comes home from school, he finds a shoebox full of thirteen audiotapes on his front step. Thinking nothing of it, he gets them out and starts to listen, soon finding out that they are audiotapes made by his first love, Hannah Baker. The Hannah Baker who commited suicide two weeks earlier.
As Clay listens to the tapes throughout the night, he discovers the thirteen reasons why Hannah killed herself. The Thirteen people who influenced her descision to kill herself. The thirteen people which includes Clay.



I don't quite yet know what I think of this book. It was done in a way so we read Hannah's tapes and got Clay's reactions to them as well. It also was done this way so you as a reader have to keep reading to know where Clay comes into the story. And even after you hear his, you want to read on. I must admit, I was more into the book after I found out how Clay came into it.
I think the reason why I'm not sure is because, it was so damn depressing. I mean, you're reading the script of a dead girl's suicide tapes that include 13 people's names for doing something completely idiotic to this poor girl. And also, I didn't get the end. The end was good and I like how there was a 'The Next Day' so you have an idea how Clay coped with it afterwards.
Now, I'm not saying I thought the book was bad. No way. I'm just unsure about my feelings and enjoyment of it. It's an incredible powerful, hard hitting book about a topic a lot of teenagers may go through.

The reasons relate around reputation and as a teenager myself, I know what it's like to try and uphold a decent reputation around school. It's hard. Everything you do is judged. That time you slipped over in the corridor, laughed about for weeks. The time you told a 'friend' something and they just go around a tell everyone else: you feel insecure for weeks. And although, an adult reading this might think that then, schools are messed up and the school I go to is terrible, it's life. Let's face it, everyone has 'those' moments. You just try and not have too many.
This is a gripping book for older teenagers due to the content within it and the references made.

I give it a 3 out of 5

Author's Website: http://www.thirteenreasonswhy.com/book.php

L is for the way you look at me...



top: topshop,
necklace: antique shop in brighton

 It's been a pretty stressful week and yesterday, topped it all off completely. It was one of the worst days I've had in a long time, for a number of reasons.
    However, I went to Stagecoach afterwards and I was cheered up by all my friends there. At the moment we're doing Little Shop of Horrors. For those of you who don't know, it's about a failing flower shop who find a magical plant and put it in the window to get more customers, however, the plant feeds on humans and by the end of the play, everyone is dead and the plant takes over the world.
So funsies. It's erm....going....interestingly.

The picture above is what I'm wearing now. I brought the t-shirt in Topshop last week for £12 in the sale. Had been about £22. :)
The necklace, you can just about make out, is something I brought in an antique shop in Brighton a couple of months ago when I went there for my friend's birthday.

One thing that did brighten up my week was receiving this:

Jack Petchey Award

Sorry it's a bit smudged. I got caught with it when there were gale force winds and it chucking it down with rain. So that was fun and nice for me. :)

x

Ramblings #3

My 'Pride and Prejudice' re-write was described as 'Absolutely Fab' by my English teacher with the comment 'I laughed out loud' scribbed underneath. Probably with that glass of wine all the teachers seem to mention when it comes to coursework or homework.
Well, I don't blame them...


So. How are we all doing?
I am a little stressed. I am told to revise for my mocks in a couple of weeks and then they pile 6 pieces of homework on me FOR ONE WEEKEND. I mean, if you want us to revise, stop with the homework please. I don't physically have enough time to 'have a social life' which they encourage, revise, sleep, read, do homework and then, go Xmas Shopping!!

Which moves me on to Xmas. This afternoon, when I walked into my house, there was a....Christmas card on the floor mat. The first Xmas card of the year. I MEAN SERIOUSLY, IT'S THE 10TH NOVEMBER! It's not even a month until Christmas! And I have no idea what to get my friends, I need to buy for...about 7 of them. Yeaah, I know, a lot. Oh Life...

I also for some reason have a slight addiction to cheese at the moment. I need it every single minute. And when I open my fridge, I always see Brie sitting there, smiling up at me thinking EAT ME, EAT ME! How I want it but don't want to get fat by eating loads of it...

I'm done. You can have a look around now. Thank you :)