MISSED YOU!

So I haven't posted in about a week....allow me to explain!
Monday night: My formal! Had an awesome hair and makeup dude come to my house who was basically my fairy godmother but in male form, and after looking at my dress he said "Right. We're going for the 'Mad Men' look". He was so awesome and cool and awesome and cool and trendy and hipster and awesome that the afternoon before the formal was subsequently quite awesome indeed. The place where the formal was held was beautiful, and the food was DELICIOUS. Afterwards we headed off to my friend's apartment on Sydney Harbour where we chilled until about 5am. Fun times.
Tuesday: Woke up at 9, and we all went for coffee nearby (after only 4 hours sleep I needed caffeine in me. Did you ever doubt that?). We were walking back to the apartment and then made a spontaneous decision to catch a ferry. Ferry=sitting in sun=sunburn. We decided to get off at Balmain and found Adriano Zumbo's AMAZZZZZINNGGGNGNGNGNGN shop (the amazing deserts guy who's always on Masterchef). For food of that high a quality, the prices are very reasonable (and that's coming from me, a broke/stingy student). Waiting on the warf for a ferry to come and pick us up, we stripped down to our underwear and jumped into the harbour. SO REFRESHING UIGNDF;LKGNDF. It was kind of hilarious/humiliating though when we were waving at a passing ferry dripping wet in our underwear, and then realised that the ferry was indeed our ferry. Geewwwd/awkward times.
Wednesday: I went to my friend's formal, and Eleni kindly lent me her AMAZING dress to wear. It was a really nice night, and the food was equally brilliant, especially the desert which was a mini-tower of ferrer roché (I think that's how you spell it? Oops) ice cream, with berries and cream. Kind of had to restrain myself from eating it in less than 30 seconds.
Thursday night: Friend's 18th/End of HSC party. It was raining at the start so it was so nice when the drizzle which had been going on for the WHOLE DAY came to an end. It was nice to catch up with people I haven't seen in WAY too long, and to celebrate the end of the ACH ESS SEAAAA (HSC)
Friday: During the day Eleni came over and we watched Friends for the majority of the day. This is what post-HSC life is all about. That night I went to another friend's formal, which was held at a place on Darling Harbour. Really good DJ/food/location/people! Also, Cindy lent me her amazing dress (Yes, I am a pro dress-scabber). I wuv generous friends 4lyf333333. The after party finished at about 3, and I started babysitting at SEVEN AM. I was literally struggling to keep my eyes open...it was almost PAINFUL.

So yeah, I think an early night tonight is in order. I'm finishing off my Lord of the Rings marathon with Dad (who is most likely one of the biggest LOTR fans on Earth-he even speaks a bit of Elfish....). Tomorrow I'm packing...and then on Monday...at 3pm...I'll be hopping on a plane to LAX. SO EXCITEDDDDDDD.

P.S. I hate Glee, but I found out about this Adele mash-up which was number one on iTunes the other day, and I'm kind of in love with it. It gets sooo good at the end! LOVE IT. The choreography is also pretty brilliant.

Illchayin'

So basically I've spent the last couple of days doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING and absolutely enjoying the fact that I'm doing absolutely nothing. My new routine is going to Edmunds and Greer in the morning (and sitting in, not getting takeaway because I DON'T HAVE TO RUSH HOME AND STUDY), get a baguette to eat on the way home, put on jazz upon arriving home (I found an old jazz CD in the garage and I must admit that I'M ABSOLUTELY OBSESSED), and then spend the rest of the day reading Fiesta (again, obsessed)/watching Modern Family/going the the beach occasionally/day dreaming about the day Ed Sheeran falls in love with me/going to friend's houses/sleeping. Livin' thaa lyfffee333333.

I was listening to the radio in bed this morning and the issue was raised of students memorising essays for HSC English. It made me realise that it is actually a huge problem...but it's not our problem, it's the Board of Studies' problem. We memorise essays because they really make no effort to create questions where we are forced to write something else, with the exception of the Hamlet question this year. They made out as though we're 'breaking the rules' memorising essays, but it's kind of common sense when you work out that every single question for the past decade are basically the same concept but reworded, with the exception of Hamlet. They also raised the issue of kids memorising essays written by their tutors, essays which a lot of the time kids don't even understand. How hard is it for the Board of Studies to create questions like the Hamlet ones that result in us getting marks that reflect how much we ACTUALLY KNOW about the texts, not how good your prepared response is, regardless of whether you wrote it or not.....

On a lighter note, I'm going to America soon! I'll update my blog over there to let yaaa know how the land of California is. I'll be taking thousands of photos...prepare yourself for a bombardment of images.

ALSO ALSO ALSO....had a bit of a friendly feud with my friend. It was over whether Chris Martin of Coldplay or Matt Bellamy of Muse is a better singer....HOW HARD IS IT TO RECOGNISE THAT MATT BELLAMY IS BETTER IN EVVEERRYY AASSPPEEECCCTTTT! FOUAPFHDGOIFDNSGJSFDO;HGUODFSHG;OSDFNGJOFDN. GSNDFJIGNFD.

P.S. This is hilarious. Skip to 1.20!!



P.P.s. This is actually insanely funny. Omg.

ED SHEERAN

Just when I thought I couldn't fall even more in love with him...I see him live.
The performance started at 5pm, so I dragged Phoebe to the city at 12pm where we sat on the grass reading Ernest Hemingway short stories/read the Irish Times at Customs House/drank coffee until people started gathering, including my friend Katharine who HAD WON TICKETS TO HIS (over 18s :( ) GIG A FEW HOURS AFTER THE FREE SHOW! At about 4pm a woman came over and asked us to go around the other side of the Quay, outside the Passenger Terminal. We waited there for a bit...and then....ED SHEEERRAANN ARRIVED.
Not only is this guy AMAZINGLY talented (he just rocked up with a mini guitar thing), he's just such a nice, lovely guy. He had us all singing parts of Give Me Love (which is his favourite song out of all the ones he's written), and had us all yelling "FUCK THE RAIN! WE DON'T CARE" before You need me, I don't need you.  The backdrop of Sydney Harbour was beautiful, which made it all the more better. Oh, and he started off with Grade 8 which is one of my favourites, and before he sung Lego House, he said that in the video clip he had a "fellow ranga play him".
The most touching part was when he explained the story behind A-Team. He wrote it about a young girl who he met when volunteering at a place which houses homeless people throughout Christmas. I've posted the video below (and click on the names of the songs throughout this post, because I've linked it to videos of his performance!)

IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY

My reference to U2 in the title of this post is a product of me reminiscing about how this time last year I saw Muse and U2, and also because today was indeed beautiful. You're probably screaming inside, asking yourself WHHYY CHLOE WHY WAS TODAY BEAUTIFUL!?? NOT KNOWING IS KILLING ME INSIDDEEEE! Well, my friend. If you calm your farm I shall tell you why today was beautiful.
1. The HSC is over. Every morning when I wake up and remember that fact it just automatically makes the day a whole lot better
2. Went into the city with Jem and Phoebe (ABSOLUTELY PERFECT WEATHER). We got coffee and macaroons from Lindt Cafe, went to the Art Gallery (where I shall be returning next week for the Picasso exhibition!), caught a bus to Coogee beach which was absolutely picturesque, swam until the sun went behind a cloud, bought an extra large dose of hot chips, and sat on the sand pondering about life and messed up seagulls.
3. I found out that Ed Sheeran is IN AUSTRALIA......and is....PERFORMING A FREE SHOW TOMORROW NIGHT! MY LIFE IS NOW COMPLETE.
4. I bought a book containing a variety of Ernest Hemingway's works too read! Woooooo.

Tomorrow I'm going to hit up the beach (as I have done for the past 3 days), stalk Ed Sheeran after his gig until I get a photo, and then go home and watch Lost in Austen in bed until I fall asleep. I LOVE LIFE WITHOUT SCHOOL/HSC!

WOW. JUST WOWZA TO THE MAX.

So I finally finished the HSC. Yes, I survived. Just.
By my final exam, History Extension, I was almost dead from exhaustion. I had Legal that morning (3 hours long), and as soon as I exited the exam hall I had to run to the common room and study for History Extension in the 40 MINUTES I had in between the two exams. The History Extension exam was basically me writing like a mad woman/watching the clock/counting down the minutes I had until my HSC finished. When it ended, our exam supervisor let us all 'WOOOOOPP', and we sprinted out of the exam hall once our papers had been collected, continued sprinting to the common room, and the room soon became one of raving/tequila shots. That night I went out for dinner with family, and it was honestly just so weird thinking that I'll never have to do another high school exam/return to high school. Also, it was nice to enjoy dinner without having to worry about studying! The end of the HSC was met with relief. Relief because if it went any longer I would have burnt out, and relief because I am satisfied that I literally gave the HSC everything I could. I'M JUST SO GLAD THAT IT'S OVER. Bring own the 3 month holiday.

Oh, and I saw Midnight in Paris yesterday. It is officially one of my favourite movies. It is absolutely beautiful. The scenery, the characters, the underlying 'moral' of the story. I've officially made the mental decision that I'm moving to Paris for some of my life. I don't care if the only thing I can say in French is 'I don't speak French'.

WHAT I'VE GOT PLANNED FOR THE NEXT MONTH:
-Beach x100000000
-Partying x1434000
-Formal x2
-Going away with friends
-Seeing Midnight in Paris again
-Getting a tan
-Going to LA
-Bundeena
-Going on a 5 hour hike
-Seeing the Picasso exhibition at the Art Gallery
-Start watching Misfits
-Enjoying DOING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING AND NOT HAVING TO FEEL GUILTY ABOUT IT


P.S. I just went back through my old posts, and on this day last year I posted about 'Lads on the Train'. I still laugh whenever I think about the conversation the two guys were having.
P.P.S. Another reason why I'm going to marry Ed Sheeran.