2013 . The year I promised to blog. A lot. And didn't. Sorry about that. New years resolution right there. Keep promises.
Is that irony? Oh nevermind, I'm here. Be grateful.
This is my "Year In Review" type thing that you can read or not read at your leisure. Having not done one of these before because I thought that they're pretentious, this may be very long and full of pictures to make it somewhat entertaining. It likely wont be but here ya go.
2013
A year full of brilliant events and opportunities and only a few . missed ones.
It all began with the sound of music, laughter and fireworks
JANUARY:
I started the year at the end of my Hawaii holiday which went over Christmas and New Years. By NYE I had returned from a special Luau feast and hula lessons and was in a beachfront hotel along Waikiki beach and as the clock finally hit twelve in Hawaii, the fireworks over the water began and there was music playing and people laughing and the feeling was amazing. Upon returning home, the heat dawned on us like a bad pun and life seemed to return to normal, with preparations for work and school beginning and the celebratory photo developing being well under way.
FEBRUARY:
The weather decided to behave a little better as we danced through the month of February. School had already begun with my final year of high school starting to scare the pants off me. I was already year 12, and people were already talking about the future. What was this gypsy witchcraft? Other than school, a highlight for Saint Valentine's month would be a yellow envelope arriving in my mail, containing tickets to a show I have dreamed of seeing since I was about 11 years old.
Dreams really do come true .
MARCH:
The year was in full swing now, slowing down for nobody. I flung myself into the first term of my final year and tried to hunkered down by studying and doing assignments well into the wee hours of the night before the due dates.
March also saw the release of the impatiently eagerly awaited DAAS Kapital DVD - which, may I add, I thoroughly enjoy.
Lastly, and definitely leastly. March saw the moment when I realized I was unhealthy and was engaging in very bad habits such as sleeping in until 2 and then having a shower before eating. As some readers may know - look at me, sounding like I'm actually popular with readers and stuff - I posted a blog when the incident occurred entitled Falling For Food which you can read if interested.
APRIL:
At last! The great month arrived! April saw three of my bucket list items crossed off: Visit Melbourne, See a Doug Anthony All Stars show and Hug and get a photo with Paul McDermott. [Below is three photographs as proof of these life events happening.] Tickets to the cultural capital and the show in question in my pocket, I flew down for a weekend with my glorious parents (Have I said how much I love them?) and we walked across the entire city and saw the show. I met the lovely ladies from the DFP properly for the first time, no holding back, no secrets, just faces and hugs and yay. Shoutout to those lovelies. That night I also saw the greatest and most nonchalant busker ever. Cookie monster playing the bagpipes. Cause why not. XD
(Not my photo. An iPhone isn't THAT amazing )
(Look at my face XD Sooo happy!)
MAY:
The slightly uneventful but still ever so important month of my birth rolled around I became the magnificent age of Sweet Sixteen . And didn't do anything amazing for birthday celebrations. Other than family and cake. I like cake. Here have a photo of Google wishing me a happy birthday.
JUNE:
June was a month of American TV, Mexican food, Environmental Awareness Summits and Maths exams. My obsession love for Game of Thrones began with a digital copy of the first season and as soon as the first episode ended I knew I was hooked. I spent days and nights and times when I probably should've been doing other, more productive things, watching episode after episode of this magnificent show I had found. Once season two was watched, I started on Breaking Bad and Arrested Development and Parks and Recreation and Adventure Time and more. I found a new appreciation for Mexican restaurants. And Vine (properly).I was invited to an AYCC School Summit to discuss environmental awareness and activism and stuff; through the summit I co-founded a Environmental group at school and we began planning a project called Save The Reef, based on the AYCC's project Reef At Risk.
JULY:
July for me was a month of preparations. Preparing for exams in September, for birthday parties and for the Formal which was closing in at a much faster rate than I anticipated.
Two birthdays were celebrated this month, the first of which being my best friends. She had spiderman cake. It was awesome. B also made a little music video for a cover of Fly Me To The Moon this month and I helped as like a musical consultant thingo and stuff. Technical things, you wouldn't understand. So Aditi, since I know you're one of the very few who bother to read my rambling, SHOUTOUT TO YOU B I LOVE YA, YA CRAZY MUFFIN!
The second birthday celebrated this month was my good friend Jasneet's party, which was a 20 s style, Flappers and Gangsters, awesome ass party. I had a ball dressed as a mob boss with my hat and makeup and the girls all looked amazing and gorgeous like the great gatsby and the guys looked just as dapper with hats and suspenders and suits and *fans self*It was a good night. We sat around a roaring fire eating cake and playing Never Have I Ever, and played an amazing suburb-wide game of hide and seek, with one hide out of choice being a near by playground. Turns out swings and see-saws are more fun at night with friends when you're a bit too big for them and dressed up fancy.
AUGUST:
Another month closer to a world of pain and yet it seemed just like any other. I represented the Social Sciences at our school Open Day, I became unhealthily obsessed with energy drinks, I fell in love with wearing stockings and short shorts, our Save The Reef project ended with an outstanding effort from everyone at the school, I met with the DFP once more when the lovely CJ came up for some quality time with the Brisbane members of the group, and I performed with my music class - who are so close we're like family, albeit dysfunctional - for the last time.
Our Save The Reef project was met with an amazing amount of support from everyone at the school who practically signed a petition by writing messages on our hand painted "Save Our Reef" banner. It took lunch breaks and some walking around with bags of fresh popcorn and a permanent marker to find people and get as many as possible, and to read some of the responses was heartwarming. It was remarkable to be a part of something so important. Another shoutout to Aditi and everyone else in MacEco for banding together and making this possible.
SEPTEMBER:
The month of certain death. The dreaded QCS test, which students sit over two days in four separate parts in order to compare schools with the state average, had arrived and so had the end of the most important school term of the year. Term 3. For the uninitiated, in Year 12 (for QLD), all tests and major assessment must be completed and sent off by the end of Term 3, so that the final term can be used for verification and upgrading etc. Hence, everything is due for every subject within a week and a half. Assignments, performances, 2 hour exams, everything. Then on top they take two days and make you sit the QCS. Lovely.
Alas, among the torture, there was still good time to be had. After having a marathon of the first two seasons, I fell head over heels obsessed in love with BBC's Sherlock. Also, I had a whale of a time at my friend's church's Nerf War. Shoutout to Evie, Kelsey and Nyx.
OCTOBER:
The first of the big three months. October. Beginning with getting my second ear piercings, and getting my learner's permit. Wow. I studied the whole of one day to get those L plates and it paid off. Independence was coming. And it was coming quickly. My goodness.
Just over a month away from the date, I was a fangirl and secured my tickets to the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary episode screening in 3D at my local cinema. I tried to be an adult and healthy and stuff and make heaps of smoothies and healthy foods and count calories and stuff. Which, may I add, I maintained for over two months.
Then came Halloween which I spent with my bestie (ANOTHER shoutout to Aditi. B you better have pavlova ready..) going around Movie World for Fright Night. We went on the spookiest of rollercoasters and ran from zombies (well she did XD). It was great.
NOVEMBER:
The second crazy-big month. Supanova, Awards Night, Formal, Graduation and the Docotr Who 50th Anniversary. God damn dude.
Supanova was amazing. My first supanova and I was helping out for the Gold Coast Film Festival, seeking out amazing cosplayers and getting photos with them. It was an amazing experience, not only to see the creativity of all the fandoms, but the overwhelming kindness and sense of community in the air. It was breathtaking. And awesome. Very, very awesome. Also, I got to meet Roosterteeth's animators Jordan Cwierz (RTAA) and Monty Oum (RWBY) and get some merchandise. Full details of that day can be found on my journal on the Roosterteeth site, which is if you want to read the full story.
School Awards Night. The final one of my schooling. I was awarded with a service award for my contribution to the school, and also an academic award for being the highest student in Geography. That night the dux of the school was also announced to be my lovely friend Farhana, who gets a big shoutout for her big heart. If there was anyone who deserved it, Farhana did. And that made me happy.
Formal rocked around and gosh almighty was I not prepared for it. And yet everything fell into place. My hair was beautifully, professionally done. My makeup was done by me with a lot of primer and setting powder. The dress fitted perfectly and so did the gorgeous red shoes. A street away from the venue, the roof of our car went down and I pulled up in style and was welcomed by most of the people I knew in the grade dropping their jaws to the floor and going "OMG YOU LOOK STUNNING". At the risk of sounding like the lonely fat girl with no friends, I have never experienced something like that before. The smiles were genuine, the hugs were warm and comforting and the atmosphere was filled with happiness. It was magical. We took a tonne of photos, ate lovely food and danced the night away, sweating like no tomorrow but not caring because the music was loud and the dancefloor was full and we're young and happy. I requested two songs that night, two songs that mean something to me. Bohemian Rhapsody, because I believe it is one of the greatest songs ever, and the Time Warp, which just about defined my childhood, being played at every school event in primary school. In that order, those were the last two songs of the night. It was glorious. I took selfies with everyone and all the teachers, and when we left, we braved the rain and walked to the Pancake Manor for a very late dinner and chat. One of the greatest nights came to an end and I was filled with a sense of contentment and love. It was just, so .. wonderful.
Graduation came a few days after and I couldn't believe it was the last time I was going to see so many familiar faces. So many people who I'd known for three years now, were gonna disappear. That was the saddest part about leaving. Not the school itself, or the stress my mind and body was under through the year. The people who I genuinely liked but never had a chance to know well. That easy daily place for me to see everyone at once was gone. And yet with that in the back of my mind, I waited backstage taking selfies with my clan (home/form/advisory) teacher until my name was called and I shook the principle's hand and then . That was it. No longer a student. No longer a child. The feeling was indescribable. I started my schooling with two plaits, and like the bookends, alpha and omega, I ended it with them.
About a week after graduating, came the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special. Upon arriving at the cinema I walked into a room filled with avid fans, young and old, new and classic series. There were cosplayers as Daleks, Cybermen, Weeping Angels, The Tenth Doctor himeself and even Captain Jack Harkness. I managed to get the best seats in the house a few rows from the back and dead centre. The episode was amazing, as expected, with David Tennant AND Tom Baker - two of the greatest doctors ever - AND the lovely Billie Piper making little comebacks, and the first little sneak of Peter Capaldi. It was so great! XD Here, have a Doctor vs. Dalek.
DECEMBER:
Finally the final month arrived and yet while the first half of the year seemed to go so slowly, the last few months whizzed by. December was filled with more overseas-ness, again like bookends to the start of the year. We flew out to Singapore, then made our way cruising up the coast of Thailand, Vietnam, and China, finally docking in Hong Kong and flying home again. The cruise was so brilliant, and the cultural experiences were spectacular. A bunch of photos and so on are on my and my if you wish to check them out. I did take a fair amount of videos overseas though so I may make a little video of it on my vlog channel sometime soon. More details soon.
The year ended as it began, with one exception. It began with the laughter of drunk tourists in Hawaii. It ended with the laughter of three of my closest friends at Southbank. We had a lovely time, eating Nandos, praying that the rain stayed away, watching fireworks and playing poker with a bit too much red bull. Then we watched movies and talked until about 5am and then in the morning we had a lovely cooked breakfast in our temporary pad. Shoutout to Aditi (againreally, bpavlova is great ), Kelsey and Kevin for making my NYE remarkable.
So there we are. So maybe I didn't blog as much as I should have in 2013. Maybe I'll promise to blog more in 2014.
All I know is that was my year and it was amazing and I loved it and now a new one is beginning.
Peace, love and biscuits.
Quirks xx
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