Tomorrow I’m going to watch Valentine’s Day, which I honestly am not terribly keen on watching. Correct me if I’m wrong, but it looks like every other typical rom com, or at least, judging by the trailer, a poor attempt at making an American Love Actually. But hey, it gives me a chance to keep my mom company, get out of the house and enjoy some popcorn, and I may end up liking it

On a happier note, I’m now on holiday! It’s great to be able to relax just a little bit more once in a while

Aside from the happier things in life… I have just recently passed the first set of mock exams for my A-levels, and I think I did rather okay, except for the most important subject It’s really annoying, because even after a whole year and a half, economy and social sciences still seem so abstract to me, and I’m always freaking out that I won’t be able to understand the questions I’ll be asked on the day of the real exam. I wonder if many of the French kids taking the same subject as me for their exams feel the same way I do…

Just out of curiosity, what presents did you get? What were you hoping to receive?

Aside from that, I watched Avatar a few days ago and loved it! It’s officially one of my favourite movies, because it’s a breath of fresh air and has a really enjoyable storyline. I think James Cameron managed to come up with an original approach at criticizing certain aspects of our society, by mixing the real world and an entirely animated, yet amazingly believable fantasy world. I love how, all throughout the movie, I was constantly in awe whenever a new creature from Pandora, the planet inhabited by the Na’vi race, popped up on screen (what are those flying creatures called again? The Ikran? Yeah, I want one of those!). And yes, I admit I was quite ashamed of the human race after watching the movie If you’ve watched it, what did you think of it? And if you haven’t watched it (yet), I’d highly recommend you do so… (in 3D, if possible!)

What I learned that day, however, was how important my “friends” are to me (= not very). They hung out in their secluded group, which wasn’t too bad, since I didn’t want to stay with them anyway. I just sat on another bench and turned my back on them, since I really wasn’t in the mood to put up with them. They really do spend their time complaining or criticizing, and I’m so sick of being around people with such dramatic, childish attitudes. (I think I’m being fair at judging them this way, since I had my dose of the same kinds of girls in tenth grade.) So I stayed with my sister and a guy who is often made fun of because of his tendency to expressively voice his hatred for many things (you aren’t supposed to take what he says seriously; he really is just a nice guy). He was sweet because he bought a pack of M&Ms and gave my sister and me half the pack, even though we did say we didn’t want any. One of my “friends”, who doesn’t like him in the first place, didn’t see anything wrong in coming up, exclaiming her delight at the sight of the pack, and taking it without asking him. I don’t know what to call that kind of attitude, so I’ll just name it “stupid”. Or immature, or maybe hypocritical… anything negative works. I’d already figured I was being taken for an idiot when I realized they watched New Moon on its release date, when they clearly told me they wouldn’t go with me on that day since the cinema was bound to be crowded. Sure, I wouldn’t have minded if they’d told me they wanted to go without me, but they didn’t even answer when I mentioned the excuse they’d given me. And I’m supposed to go to the party they’re throwing, why? I promise I’m not being hard on them—I just couldn’t care anymore.

On to merrier things! After that outing, my sister and I met up with my family to watch New Moon. I was really tired after the long day but I didn’t mind watching the movie. It was slightly more entertaining than Twilight was, and I enjoyed the music. But once again, I thought it was a little too slow and could easily have been shorter than two full hours. Some scenes just seemed to drag on… but it was a pleasure to watch the special effects (just wanted to hug those wolves !). Thankfully, the wolves and the Volturi were there to add what was lacking in the first movie: action. The only part I regret was not seeing the chemistry between Bella and Edward (no, the kissing scenes didn’t convince me too much), which made me wonder how she could pick him over Jacob, though I think this was because of the lack of chemistry in the first film to start with. Have you watched the movie yet? What did you think of it?

This morning, I awoke and had breakfast, preparing myself to face the usual routine of a studious girl on holiday: an hour’s worth of homework, computer, much more homework, computer, Desperate Housewives. After much frustration (close to ripping my cursed economy lessons to shreds), I came to ask myself, for the hundred-and-first time since the start of the school year, if this was all there is to life. No, surely not. I projected myself into the future and saw the same old dream: me in a comfortable, modern little apartment with a wardrobe full of fancy clothes, a cat on the couch and an artist-slash-journalist’s work material cluttering my little oak desk. Imagining it all is one thing; bringing it all to life is another.

Do any of you spend your time stressing out over the smallest things? My problem is that, even after hours on end of revising just one miserable lesson, I tend to think I haven’t done enough and become a mix of irritation and depression (almost, at least). Okay, I’ll admit this kind of mentality isn’t healthy and I won’t benefit from it in the future. The thing is, I’m such a perfectionist that I can’t take failure. Am I the only one to think this?

Yesterday, before I went shopping and bought a wonderful trench coat from Benetton, I drove for an hour with my teacher. Okay, it was the sixth time I’d driven in my entire life. Not only did she pick a difficult road filled with round abouts, red lights, bumps, people and more ROUND ABOUTS, but she didn’t go easy on the scolding. And so that made me feel irritated, hopeless and disappointed (being a perfectionist, that’s typical of me).

I’ve been thinking about university and what course would be most suitable for me I like drawing, so at first I thought Illustration was a sure deal (and spent months working on my portfolio). I also like writing, so journalism has been on my mind for a while now (and my portfolio is down the drain). I’m thinking that, with a degree in Journalism, I’ll be able to write and work as a freelance illustrator… or with a degree in Media and Communications, maybe I’ll even become a screenwriter. But with an Illustration degree, I’ll have fewer job opportunities… and who knows? Maybe someday I’ll become tired of just drawing for a living, and would like to try something new. Getting bored of my biggest hobby sounds crazy, but can happen.

Sometimes I just wish I had a time machine, so I could see where I’ll be in a few years from now…

Now, I want to watch Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs

I haven’t been updating much lately, since I admit my life isn’t terribly eventful What I would like to do, though, is rant. Sometimes I get so annoyed, because since I’m bilingual and attending a French school, my grades in English are good. Classmates depend on me to answer in their place, or my being a top student in English class bugs them… or they make smart comments that I can do nothing other than take lightly. I want to tell them, hey, it’s just a language; you know, nothing big to get jealous about, nothing that makes me an alien. Add to that the fact that my twin sister is in the same class as me, and that we speak to one another in English and both want to go to an art university and you get… closed-up clones, right. I don’t know, I may be wrong. I just think it’s difficult to trust people entirely, aside from one or two really close friends with whom I can share everything. One guy (who claims he’s a misanthrope, and who always seems to be criticizing others whilst complaining that nobody understands/likes/wants to befriend him) just irritates me so much, because he’s the type who keeps making remarks, first thing in the morning: your sister isn’t with you? That’s strange. You two are, like, always together. Hello, we’re sisters with identical timetables. We aren’t going to go our separate ways for lunch or take different buses back home.

Rants-aside, I have finished and submitted my illustrations for Sasquatch, Hello! The first issue is meant to come out November 11^th, so I’m excited to see how it’ll turn out. Oh, and I’m watching The Vampire Diaries (totally unrelated, but heck). My verdict? Not bad, not bad at all (spoiler!) I quite like the relationship between Damon and Elena, because of the whole secretly-in-love story going on. I love when a mean character (Damon) falls for the good girl (Elena) and hides his feelings, because we get to see a whole different, soft side about him every once in a while What do you think?

Okay, so first things first, I’m back at school The first few days were okay, even though I’m fairly disappointed since my new class is full of kids who already knew each other last year, and who have already formed groups. This means that my sister and I mostly hang out alone for the time being, but hopefully that’ll change. At least we aren’t getting a lot of homework right now, so I feel like I’m still on holiday (a very short-lived feeling, I’m thinking). The one thing I’m being extra careful about at school is the swine flu, which hit France a little while ago. I’m not actually scared of it, and some of my friends think it’s silly to avoid contact with others because of that, but I’ve decided that being cautious is never a stupid thing to do

A few days ago, I came across an online magazine (in the making) called Sasquatch, Hello. When I saw that the position for Illustrator needed to be filled, I thought, why not give it a go? Because this year I don’t plan to be a no-life whose schoolbooks are her best friends I don’t want to completely put off drawing the way I used to, thinking that schoolwork is way more important (because I realized it really isn’t). Anyway, the first issue is supposed to come out in November, so I’m rather excited to see how it’ll turn out. Go check it out!

Of course, I’m working harder than ever on my university portfolio. It’s a pain in the butt. I’m definitely trying not to make drawing into a chore (the way some homework is: mostly challenging, rarely fun), but it’s difficult when I’m trying to come up with artworks that please me and that have greater chances of pleasing the staff members. What’s more, my art is detailed, so I always spend a whole lot of time on a painting. And that’s not the only tedious part: I have to select the top 5 or 6 schools I want to attend, and keep all of their requirements in mind when working on my applications The craziest part of this story, is that I’m really looking forward to getting into a university I like, and I quite enjoy the challenge of coming up with great pieces of work to show, therefore outdoing myself. I’m really tempted by animation, preferably combined with illustration… that, or fashion illustration

While I’m feeling long-winded, I’ll take a second to list a couple clothes brands I really want to buy from online (which I won’t, since who knows what I’ll end up with in my mailbox): Star.Mimi (Taiwanese-based) and River Island (do they even have this brand in France?). Oh, and here’s a plug for y’all: Sew Casual, a blog owned by my sister and me! It’s really just a small, fun thing we’re putting together.

In other news, I’m working on my portfolio for my application to an art university It’s really quite difficult, since I’ve decided to work on entirely new pieces over the holidays. I haven’t been able to draw a lot the past couple years, mostly because of school, so I don’t have enough drawings that satisfy me and that are recent enough to show. On top of that, I’m rarely happy with my work since I’m such a perfectionist (don’t you just hate that feeling of not seeming good enough?). All in all I’ve got about three months to create ten to fifteen drawings, write my application letter and make my portfolio It’s not impossible at all and I do have time if I use it wisely, but I just fear art blocks and, well, that haunting desire to always do better. I guess I could admit I’ve used up the past month by being lazy and doing a ton of pointless stuff, when I should have been focusing on my work a little more. Good luck to any of you guys who also happen to be busy with university applications…

Two shows I have to recommend before leaving: the movie Up, which is just adorable and hilarious at some points; and the TV series Fringe, which is plain awesome Okay, I’m not good at reviews, but check them out if you have time!

This past week, I went out a couple of times with my mum and sisters to take a look at the clothes on sale. I ended up buying two tank tops, two t-shirts and a summer dress. I am in love with my new clothes! I’m happy I found them (at reduced prices, too) because they are fairly similar to the Taiwanese/South Korean/Japanese fashion I have fallen in love with (check out this link for awesome-ish clothes I’m inspired by). I’m actually trying to find clothes of a similar style here in France. It’s a little complicated and I’m so tempted to buy online, but you know the risk of buying clothes on the net… Maybe I should sew my own?

Have any of you guys watched Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince? I did, and I thought there wasn’t too much action going on. It was entertaining, but maybe just a little boring at times. It wasn’t as good as the Goblet of Fire, that’s for sure…

I hope your holidays have been fun so far. Tomorrow I will be off to visit my grandmother, and we’ll be away for a couple days. Hopefully I won’t be dragged to the beach for too long or I’ll become burnt toast. Though, I did buy a pretty new swimsuit from Princesse Tam Tam, so I wouldn’t mind getting a chance to wear it

By the way, if you’re bored out of your mind and are randomly browsing uninteresting websites, and if by chance you’re into Asian dramas, then why not check out the movie called Koizora. Okay, I personally think it gets slightly boring at times, and to add to that, I watched it online and the sound was super soft so I could only hear the actors when they yelled and cried… but the story is lovely nonetheless and Miura Haruma, the male lead, is well worth the watch

I can smell it in the air, I can taste it in my apple juice… yes, at long last I’m on vacation! Finally, I will be able to watch True Blood season 2 without worrying about finishing my homework… and I will be able to spend more time working on my site and fanlistings! I’m considering adding my artwork to this site Which makes me think that I have to work on my portfolio for uni and I’m not sure how to do it…

So, being on holiday also means that I’m done with my finals! I had three to pass: both a written and an oral test for literature, and science. Today I passed the oral test, and I was surprised since I was expecting it to be more difficult. Though I forgot an important part (which was reading the text I had to analyse—stupid me!), the teacher didn’t make a remark on that and told me I did a good job overall. She was a little nutty and seemed to enjoy interfering, which got me thinking, “let me talk! I only have 10 minutes to present my work!” But all in all I’m not too disappointed.

Yesterday, in order to celebrate the end of my finals, which I believe I’ve more or less managed, I ordered a pair of sweet little shoes on sale online. I don’t usually do that kind of thing, but this brand I particularly like, and I can’t find it where I live. Here’s what it looks like:

Speaking about fashion… lately I’ve been watching cycle 12 of America’s Next Top Model. It’s not generally a show I watch, since I’m more into Project Runway, so it was a nice change

(Now, here’s what I’m trying to get at by talking about yesterday’s events:) Have you ever met a person you would never see again, formed some kind of contact with them, and remembered them forever after that? It could be a person you have befriended for a day, or even a stranger you have come across in a public place, and who gives you a little heartlifting smile that’ll stay in your memory for a long time. Well, that happened to me yesterday, when I met a small group of nice people at the JAPD. They were complete strangers about my age, and we just stayed together even though we didn’t have a particular reason to do so. We talked about anything, which basically was a way to keep the conversation going. One of the them in particular, was very open and asked personal questions in a carefree (and definitely not offending) way, which made me feel comfortable with her presence and more willing to talk. Such people are wonderful to meet, and help create nice and fun memories for days that are supposed to be boring… I didn’t get their numbers, though there was a guy who goes to my high school, so chances are I’ll see him again. I suppose that sometimes, it’s better to keep such people as fragments of our memories which, as we think back on them, make us feel good about ourselves.

Now, off to revise! (School’s out, but it’s time for finals, which I hate… so much…)

Before you start to think I’m crazy, here’s some food for thought: my timetable is the best any eleventh grader can ask for, with no school on Saturdays; this means that next year, I’ll have school on Saturdays again; I finally feel that I’m part of a good group of friends in a class that’s generally rather fun AND serious (last year’s class was a disaster, it sucked, it was filled with the worst kinds of lazy twits and hypocrites); twelfth graders I have befriended over the past couple years will no longer be around (who knows when I’ll see them again); toddler-sized tenth grade fashion victims in heels (I swear they’re getting smaller every year) will invade the school, which is worse than you think; getting closer to the end of the school year also means getting closer to exam week, I’m sure everyone feels my pain on this point; … and then there is another reason why I don’t want this year to end… [insert secret here]
The only things I actually am looking forward to would be: saying goodbye to my geography/history teacher (who really is a terrible teacher), having two months to spend on drawing, drawing and drawing, and being one step closer to university…

… Which brings me to my next point, for which I need a little advice: soon enough, I will be sending my apps to a few unis :scared: Now there’s just one problem: do I head to an art uni, which has been my dream for a while now and may be a better way to access to a job in the art industry, or should I pick a business school for a wider selection of jobs if art just doesn’t work out? Lately I’ve been turning to art more, since I don’t see myself sitting at a desk all day long. If at the moment, I keep longing for spare time after homework and revisions to pull out a sketchbook and draw, then might I possibly have the same attitude in the future, if my job doesn’t involve art? Because without art, so many things appear quite boring, honestly (though I’m not saying I am not open to other job options). But it’s more difficult to find a well-paid job in the art industry, especially when I hope to specialize in illustration/design, and that’s what is making me doubt now.

Have a nice day!

So, my mom has recently bought all the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris. I’m digging into the fourth of the series, and so far I have to say those books are such fun page turners. I’m not generally someone who enjoys reading books with some mature content, but hey, there’s not a lot of that anyway, and the storyline is imaginative and sometimes hilarious. If you’re unfamiliar with the series (in which case I recommend it to you), you may on the other hand have heard of HBO’s series True Blood. Season two’s coming up, and I’m sooo excited!
If you were wondering, the title of this post refers to TrueBlood, which is bottled blood that the vampires in the series drink

An irrelevant little footnote: I seem to have fallen completely in love with Howie Day’s Collide (all over again, because I’ve heard this song before and you must have, too, since it’s quite famous). It’s amazing, give it a listen

Today I watched the Hannah Montana movie online. Before anyone attempts to make any nasty comments: no, I do not love Hannah Montana or Miley Cyrus, nor do I have any reason to hate her (being 17 instead of 12 doesn’t change anything). I watch her shows because I consider them light entertainment, but I’m not a hardcore fan Hey, I appreciated the High School Musical series and I’m not ashamed to admit it And my verdict on the movie is that it wasn’t a waste of time. It was actually quite enjoyable and better than the series. I wouldn’t recommend it as the best movie of the year, nor would I pay to watch it at the cinema… but I have to say that a couple of songs (except from those I’d already heard from the Hannah Montana series itself) have a nice sound to them.

I’m out to walk my dog!

Things not to have or do when visiting Paris:
1. A car—or a big one, at least. Sure, they’re useful to move around from one part of Paris to another, but… my folks spent an hour driving around the small streets, desperately trying to find a parking space for our tank of a car. Our hungry tummies had to wait awhile before we could have dinner!
2. A pet—or a dog, in my case. Because, even if they’re loving and adorable, usually, when you’re in Paris, you want to walk around for hours on end because there are so many things to do. It’s pretty much the case wherever you travel… having to go back to your hotel every few hours to feed or walk your dog is a pain. Not to mention having to pick up the poops… because they are unwanted, but I’m sure you knew that already.
3. Wearing uncomfortable shoes. I hadn’t been intelligent enough to realize that I would walk so much. Therefore I brought only one pair of rather tight shoes with heels. Okay, you can call me silly now

Shorts-aside… family members are coming over tomorrow! I’m quite excited, since we haven’t seen them in a while. But now I have to go and vacuum my room. Bye!