THE BENEFITS OF BEING FOREVER ALONE

I am writing this having just put down the crayon that I was creating a picture with. A picture through which I attempted (half-heartedly) to conceptualise my thoughts on Valentines Day. Imagine a black heart with icicles stabbing it, and a beautiful pool of blood at the bottom. That's what my picture (aimed) to look like.

"Why do you hate Valentine's Day so much?" you're probably thinking to yourself. "I bet it's because she's a single loser who has never had a Valentine and loves to feel sorry for herself and wallow in her aloneness. Omg lolz rofl lmfaoo brah wot a loser!". Well my friend, I have some news for you.
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, I HAVE HAD SOME VALENTINES IN THE SEVENTEEN (ALMOST EIGHTEEN) YEARS OF MY LIFE! I present to you the most memorable of my Valentines Day experiences (which I'll admit are limited in number, but awesome all the same).

1. My first Valentine was when I was nine years old, and a boy in my class slipped a note in my bag saying 'I know you hate me but I don't'. To this day I am still trying to decode the meaning of that note...it's cute nevertheless!

2. At the end of primary school I 'broke up' with my 'boy friend' so I could 'meet new guys at high school' (insert gasp). On Valentines Day 2006 I was standing with my friends waiting for my train (thinking I was too cool for school with my awesome Roxy bag and Diva headband), and that same guy...or should I say boy...ran up to me with a paper bag full of frangipanies that he had handpicked from his garden and a block of dark chocolate (my favourite). Even though I didn't 'like' him anymore, I couldn't deny the cuteness of his gesture!

Now that I'm nearly 18 my feelings towards Valentines Day have completely flipped...flipped almost as much as that cruise ship near Italy did a few weeks ago. I've adopted an attitude that most would associate with an 74 year old Russian who lives alone in the outskirts of Moscow with almost as many cats as the years she has walked this Earth, and has vodka with her cornflakes for breakfast instead of milk. I present to you...a one off Chloe Valentines Day themed special...THE BENEFITS OF BEING FOREVER ALONE! Click here for the official article song to listen to whilst reading this post.

Ultimately Valentines Day is a (highly commercial) 'Single's Awareness Day'. I'm sure that even people in cute and cuddly relationships can agree with that. To be frank, Valentine's Day is:
A) To rub in single people's faces that they're alone
B) For couples whose romance has 'died down' to rekindle said romance.
C) A commercial holiday whereby businesses make lots of extra cash (Whether it be a candle lit dinner for two or an impersonal "Happy Valentines Day to the best girlfriend in the world" card from Hallmark). I love romance, but romance in a relationship is certainly not limited to Valentines Day, and at risk of sounding a little commy, is thus purely a capitalist creation!
D) All of the above

I turned to my siblings for words of wisdom. Phoebe said "If Valentines Day was a person, I would most definitely NOT be friends with it". Kudos to Phoebe (Let's ignore the fact that we're twins and thus share many of the same opinions). My little brother Christopher said "I don't care about Valentine's Day. Go away". Minus the "go-away" part, I was definitely proud to be his sister. His comment got me thinking... Why do us single people care about Valentines Day so much? Instead of wallowing at our aloneness...shouldn't we be celebrating? You're in a relationship with yourself, and if you're a pretty awesome person...THEN LIFE IS SWEET!

At risk of sounding like a single teenage girl in denial...here are the official REASONS AS TO WHY SINGLE PEOPLE ON VALENTINES DAY SHOULD BE CELEBRATING!
1. You can perve on whoever you want and not get in trouble for it. I'm talking about that random guy sitting two seats in front of you on the bus who looks sexy chewing his gum and who listens to Queen and occasionally Daft Punk. I'm talking about that hottie who plays the sexy evil vampire on your favourite TV show...That cute waiter who'd you'd like to 'order' more than a sandwich...Other people's boyfriends (Did I just say that? Woops.)

2. If you ever bumped into your favourite celebrity THERE IS NOTHING HOLDING YOU BACK! Imagine if you were in a relationship and...say...you had a chance meeting with Francisco Lachowski and he asked you out on a date. YOU COULD GO!

3. You can flirt with whoever you want whenever you want. May I add that sometimes you can utilise flirtation to your advantage-I have a friend who flirts with a barrista, not intending to ever date him, but purely just she knows he'll give her a free coffee if he thinks he has a chance. Call it unethical, but it's wisdom at its finest, my friends. 

4. You can be the cool single friend. Enough said.

5. You can do WHAT YOU WANT WHEN YOU WANT. When you're in a relationship with yourself you never have to ask for permission to do anything! "I feel like flying to Jamacia for sixteen days. Oh waaaiiitt I should text [insert name of boyfriend/girlfriend] and let them know..LOL THEY DON'T EXIST AND I'M CATCHING THE NEXT PLANE OUTTA HERE BABYYYY". Initiate the elimination of the word 'permission' out of your vocabulary!

6. You are never jealous when you're in a relationship with yourself. No worriez brah.

7. You can eat what you want when you want. You don't need to look good for yourself...because...you are yourself (that made sense in my head!)! Best 'forever alone and loving it' dessert is without a doubt a tub of Neopolitan icecream with a moat dug around the outside filled with Pepsi. Thank me later.

8. You can sing All By Myself and MEAN IT! HOW COOL IS THAT! Makes karaoke that little more fun!

9. You save phone credit. That'd the deal closer for me. Oh, and you also save money on birthday presents/Christmas presents/Valentines Day gifts! Spend that money on a mani/pedi, life size cut out of George Clooney, Lindt Chilli chocolate, a hitman, Angry Bird slippers or whatever floats your boat!

So there you have it folks, THE BENEFITS OF BEING FOREVER ALONE! We need to have a better life anyway, because research has proven that married people live longer...SO LET'S GET PARTYING (I.e. belting out Adele's 'Someone Like You' at the top of our lungs)! Ok, so perhaps I am a single teenage girl in denial...hopefully next year I won't be so cynical!
 Love,
Chloe

　

Love letters.

It's official. I GOT A PROPER EMAIL ADDRESS FOR THIS BLOG. I figured it was time to get one after I realised that the one which was 'pen pals' page had:
-Existed since I was 13 years old, hence the stupid 'its_yellow_01@hotmail.com'.
-Has over 1400 unread emails from all over the place-I use the email when scary charity workers/shop assistants ask me for my contact details...
-Not been checked in a year (hence the 1400+ unread emails!).

So, here it is cyber folks: chloeannabellesblog@gmail.com
Whenever you want and wherever you are, send me emails! There is honestly nothing that I love more than receiving emails from people who aren't the people that I listed above, or foreign banks with spelling mistakes who are writing to inform me that I've inherited $100000000 from a dead relative in Zimbabwe. Send me jokes, ideas, questions, observations, love letters (now that would make my day ;), life changing realisations, opinions, photographs, videos, links to your own Tumblrs or Blogs, advice, feedback, funny Gifs on Tumblr, hamburgers (only if you own a teleporting machine), Harry Styles (again, only if you have a teleporter), rants, poetry, places to visit wherever you live, and anything else you could possibly fit into an email. I really do love a good email and nothing would make me happier than to hear from you guys! I don't byte (GET MY PUUNN!!??). ROFLLMAOTTBOHMBOBW! (Rolling on floor laughing my ass off to the beat of Hannah Montana 'Best of Both Worlds'). Write to me, I'll reply, and then we can officially be cyber BFFS.

I am now off to eat scones and trawl Tumblr for pretty pictures of pretty places that I would like to visit one day.

Muchos love,
Chloe X

Thoughts of a tired teenager

I am lying in my bed under the blankets wearing a sweater and tracksuit pants and socks with my big head phones on my head listening to Ed Sheeran sing 'This' and typing this very long sentence on my laptop because it's raining outside and I felt like I needed to write about this moment because I am so relaxed that my eyes are drooping  (is drooping a word?) as I write this and I can hear the rain outside past the music playing through my head phones and hearing rain in the middle of Summer reminded me of how much more I love Winter than Summer and how much I can't wait for Winter to arrive and now I am just typing because pressing the keys is quite enjoyable especially in the darkness of my room even though it's not that dark because my fairy lights are on which actually look quite pretty now that I think about it and now my iPod has moved on to Ed Sheeran's song 'The City' and I hope it changes soon because I don't really like that song as much as I hate to admit it because he's talented and cute and blah blah you get the drift well I hope you do or that's major awkward it's still raining and I'm thinking about whether I turn my laptop off and start watching Lost in Austen because I really do love that mini-series and Mr Bingley is extremely attractive ok I'm really tired when you guys are tired do you start imagining really wierd things because now I'm thinking about what would happen if I walked through the attic door and it was the world of one of my favourite books like Harry Potter ok I'm content now because 'The City' is now over and Lego House has come on and I really do like that song not just because Rupert Grint is in the video clip for it but because the lyrics are really cute and it's fun to sing along to and when I turn it up loud whilst wearing these headphones I can sing and can't hear myself singing because the music is too loud so it's funny because it feels like I don't have a voice 'and out of all these things I've done, I think I love you better now' those lyrics just played in the song and I thought that I'd type them here because sometimes when you hear lyrics and then write them out you can truly apprectiate how awesome they are ok now for a sad story the pen that I've been writing in my journal with for the past three months has run out so now it just feels plain old wrong writing in my journal with a different pen because it has a different look and I don't like that new look it's kind of wierd and if you're still reading this I wish I could ask you who you are and why you care about my tired thoughts but for your information I just turned the music off so I could focus my attention on the sound of the rain and the sound of my fingers pressing the keys which is actually now getting on my nerves so I think that I'm going to turn my computer off now like I said I would many words ago and watch Lost in Austen or Funny Face which will be very nice because I like watching movies when it's raining outside.

The End.

Love Actually

I thought that would be an appropriate title to use for this post because:
A) I watched the movie (Love Actually) two nights ago and officially decided that it is my absolutely favourite movie of all time. Everything about it is so funny/perfect/funny/perfect/cute/hilarious/perfect.
B) Valentines Day is next week. I had my first day at work a couple of days ago, and the girl who I was working with asked if I'm doing anything special for Valentines Day. Cue awkward 'forever alone' response.

The past few days have been pretty great. I'm officially halfway through the ninth season of Friends, which is pretty impressive seeing as though I only started watching it with Phoebe and Eleni at the end of the HSC! Now we just have to finish the series before university starts. I don't care if Matthew Perry is almost the same age as my Dad, I'm going to marry him (whether he likes it or not).

Yesterday I headed into the city to conduct some serious 18th birthday shopping with my grandparents. After numerous hours of wandering around the city I finally chose an ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS wallet from Mimco. The sad part is that now I have to wait for my birthday to get it! Goodbye crappy American Apparel wallet that is slowly decaying (which is partially my fault-I should really learn to have less coins and chuck my train tickets and receipts out!). I'm also currently compiling a list of bars to go to once I turn the big 18. Most of them are random Irish ones...can't wait!

I am now sitting at home eating brownie mixture and wishing I was at Cronulla drinking a coffee at The Grind (which is, in my opinion, the best coffee in Sydney). To give me something to do, I shall now right about number three on my bucket list:
SEE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS. It may not exactly be a potentially fatal experience like swimming with the killer whales or diving in Bermuda, but in my opinion is equally awesome!

I am now off to watch 'Funny Face' for the very first time.
Lots of love,
Chloe

P.S. Madonna's half-time performance at the Superbowl was pretty snazzy, but I don't think it could really beat U2's! Beautiful Day is amazing (as usual) and Where The Streets Have No Name whilst the names of the victims of September 11 are projected onto the giant screen is beautiful. Seeing U2 perform live was the first thing to tick off my bucket list-they're actually SO incredibly amazing live...and all the more amazing when you're front row of the mosh (the 10 hour wait definitely paid off, minus my legs nearly falling off!).

10/10 Day

Yesterday was quite enjoyable, to say the least. It all started when I went over to my Grandparent's house for lunch yesterday, and they offered to pay for Phoebe and I to go to the Harry Potter Exhibition the following day. Was I ever not going to accept that AWESOME OPPORTUNITY?!

So yeah, fast-forward to yesterday morning. I woke up and it was raining (my absolute fav weather), and caught the train in to the city with Phebus. The exhibition was absolutely brilliant-I was literally exclaiming "MERLIN'S BEARD!!" the entire time. If you're a Harry Potter fan I could not more highly recommend it! After we walked out of the museum, we met up with my Grandparents who took us out for an INCREDIBLE all you can eat buffet in Star City. I went a little bit crazy when it came to desserts (I had a tirimasu, chocolate mousse cake, lemon meringue tart among various other delicious and all the more unhealthy foods!). 

Feeling so full that I thought I was going to burst, I went home and had an intense game of Monopoly with various family members and then headed out for dinner to celebrate my Grandpa's birthday (where, may I add, one of the waiters was a dead-ringer for Josh Hartnett ;). Oh, and my uncle was there who lives in Geneva, and gave me my birthday present early! It was a bag full of Swiss chocolates, a French jewelry box from the markets on the Swiss/French border AND, my favourite present-a French piggy bank with some Swiss money and some Euros to spend when I (eventually) go and visit!

Today has been spent reading Cosmos while drinking coffee at Edmunds and sitting at home watching Love Actually. And it is still raining. I LOVE HOLIDAYS.

Oh, and I just remembered that I said that I would write one of the things on my bucket list every day for a week. Here's today's:
DIVING IN BERMUDA. Yes, you're probably thinking "Uhhhhh diving near the Bermuda triangle? Yaall seriously crazy gurl". But diving there is very popular as it is the shipwreck capital of the Atlantic. I just need to learn how to scuba dive first...

Bored. Ennuyé. Gelangweilt. Leamh.

I have something I would like to say. I AM SO BORED. I am so incredibly bored that for the title of this post I wrote the word 'Bored' in English, French, German and Irish. I am so bored that I have spent two hours cleaning the house because there is nothing else to do. I am so bored that I sat on my bed playing Temple Run for an unhealthily long amount of time (so long that when I looked up it looked like my walls were melting). I am so bored that I attempted to COOK MY OWN LUNCH ......which failed because I couldn't work out how to turn the oven on.

THINGS I WOULD LIKE TO INFORM THE CYBER WORLD ABOUT:
-I'm starting up a proper Twitter. I shall keep you informed....muahahahahahaha
-For the next week, in each post I'm going to write about one of the things on CHLOE'S EPIC BUCKET LIST. I've already posted about free diving with killer whales (which has already kind of failed because my Dad, who is a marine scientist, said that they'd just come up and eat me. Fun.), but the other tasks on my bucket list are just as insanely awesome. 
-TOUGH MUDDER IS COMING TO AUSTRALIA. I am still pondering about whether I should give it a shot just for laughs. Painful, painful laughs....click here to see the promo!  Basically it's a kind of obstacle endurance course that was designed by the British Special Forces. I am so unfit that I'd probably die somewhere along the way...perhaps I should first try running down my street and back without my legs cramping?
-Ed Sheeran has a girlfriend. Same age as me. Pretty blonde Scottish singer and model. #foreveralone
-I AM OFFICIALLY 18...IN LESS THAT A MONTH! I am currently deciding whether to have a party or not. I'm thinking I'll probably just go out for drinks with a few close friends AND DEN HIT UP DA CLUBS BRAH. In reality, I'm not that much of a party animal so you'll probably find myself freshly 18 and in my bed watching The Holiday, drooling over Jude Law in said movie, and eating defrosted wedges with sour cream and sweet chilli sauce. 
-Dad has been telling me some funny/creepy stories from when he was my age. One which made me get goosebumps was when he was 18, and him and his friends were chased by a violent alcoholic drunk through A GRAVEYARD in a THUNDERSTORM. The guy had already punched one of my Dad's friends, and was now coming after Dad. Luckily Dad escaped and took shelter in a nearby caravan park!
-Tá mé chomh leamh go bhfuil mé scríobh as Gaeilge ar mo bhlag sin dont mé dul ar ais go dtí mo boredom!
-I am now off to return to my boredom. What should I do? Making up my own language sounds pretty promising...

Until tomorrow,
Chloe X

OH HAI.

Please forgive me for not posting in almost a week! As usual, my iPhone 'notes' has been filled up with things to write on here, so prepare for a mega post tomorrow...
While you wait for my wonderous words which your eyes will wander across tomorrow, I suggest that you watch the video below. Actually, I DEMAND that you watch it. You're probably thinking "Ummm...why is Chloe forcing me to watch some random BBC clip off Youtube...I'm never reading this blog again...g00dby33 4evs The reason as to why I wish you to watch the video below is that the subject of the video is OFFICIALLY NUMBER ONE ON MY BUCKET LIST. I've always had a fascination with Killer Whales, and to free-dive with them would be an absolutely life-making experience (hence it's number one on my bucket list!). All I need now is:
a)Money to actually get there and do it
b)A dare devil friend to do it with me

The definition of beautiful music...

ED SHEERAN CAN YOU PLEASE BE MY VALENTINE. THAT IS ALL.

PARTY TIME!

So I know this is a bit delayed, but....I GOT INTO MY UNI COURSE! I didn't want to publish it on here before I knew that I had been accepted, so now I can finally let you guys know! Starting in March, I'll be studying Media/Communications at the University of Sydney. I also have the opportunity to study three other arts subjects, so at this point in time I'm hoping to study History, Government and International Relations, and either Ancient History, Archaeology or Art History. You're probably thinking "....so you're not doing law? You've just talked about doing it for the past two years! YOU ARE SO RANDOM". The answer to that is that I pretty much had a change of heart. I realised that as much as I am intrigued by the idea of studying and practicing as a lawyer, I'm not passionate enough to actually be competitive and get somewhere really great in my career. I've always had a passion for writing and all things media-related, and it was only when I was sitting in the media lecture on the USyd info day that I realised that Media/Comm is my dream course. I don't exactly know what area of the media I'm going to specialise in yet, and that's why I love the degree that I'm doing-because I get a taste of everything. Oh, and I get to do an internship in the 4th year of my degree (you can do it anywhere in the world), so I'm determined to do mine in London! Bring on Londontown.

OTHER THOUGHTS THAT I HAVE WRITTEN IN MY IPHONE TO WRITE HERE:
-One of my oldest friends called Andrea has moved to Germany for a year! She's decided to keep a blog to document her experiences (primarily through photos). Click here to check it out so far!
-I went out for THE BEST Yum-Cha this week to celebrate Chinese New Year! I honestly don't think that any type of food can taste better than steamed pork buns!
-Yesterday I found my big, proper headphones and all my music sounds ABSOLUTELY AWESOME! You can now find me walking around my house wearing massive headphones and dancing along to embarrassing music (my dance moves being just as embarrassing).
-Our family went on a day trip to the Southern Highlands today! I must say that it was one of those days which is just plain awesome. We wandered around a cute little town called Bowral drinking excellent coffee and eating magnificent strawberry tarts whilst checking out the many beautiful antique stores! Oh, and I pretty much walked into Heaven. It was a shop called Bowral Bookmen which basically sells all different kinds of really old books. There was one book which I would have bought in a second if I hadn't of already spent all of my money! It was a 'Collection of English Short Stories', and the most special part was a message from a man to his wife on the front page wishing her a Merry Christmas for 1916!
-I adore Taylor Swift's Vogue cover!

Summer at LAST

So the weather is finally heating up (took long enough!). I haven't written here for a while because I've been busy watching Downton Abbey, and what happens when I don't write here for a while is that the 'Notes' in my iPhone of thoughts to write on my blog increases and increases until BANG. I need to update my blog. I shall arrange my thoughts numerically. Wot of eeet brah.
1. When I was trying to fall asleep the other night, I was thinking about how random sleep actually is, and how we accept it as normal. Imagine explaining sleeping to a visitor from another planet. "Each night, as the moon rises and the sky goes dark, every individual on Earth goes unconscious until the sun rises, and sometimes have weird visions whilst unconscious called dreams. Yeah". It kind of sounds like an idea out of a tacky science fiction movie...
2. You all probably know by now that I'm a bit of a history junkie. I was reading my new favourite book 'A History of the World in 100 Objects', and I came across a part explaining how in the Bronze Age the average life expectancy was only 25. Basically some archaeologists came across a golden cape while digging at a site near Wales, and found that it would have only really fit a teenager. It then occurred to them that given that the life expectancy was 25, the teenagers were probably the leaders of society, and thus it would have been a teenager wearing the cape. MIND BLOWN. It got me thinking about how different my life would be if the life expectancy was only 25. I would spend a lot less time thinking about my future because this would be my future. It made me realise how much I spend thinking about doing things 'in the future' rather than actually doing them! I've got to make the most of each day (and that requires putting a stop to watching Friends in bed all day). 
3. I was in the Lindt Cafe the other day and they had their Valentines Day products out. I WANT A PROPER VALENTINE. Foreveeerr aallonnneeeeeeeeee. I'm thinking I'll watch some crappy movie in bed whilst drinking coffee, because coffee really is the love of my life.
4. Speaking of love, I've fallen head over heels for Downton Abbey. Everything about it is just so, so perfect. The theme song is also absolutely beautiful. Click here to hear it.
5. I met up with an old friend called Srestha for dinner last night! It's always great to meet up with friends you haven't seen in ages. AND she has a blog! Click here to check it out.
6. Last but not least, I need to rant. It's when pictures ARE NOT worth a thousand words! I've been on Tumblr a once or twice in the past week, and I noticed how much it has changed since I first got it! In case some of you don't have Tumblr, basically if people like a photo you 'like' it or 'reblog' it which gives the photo 'notes'. So if a photo is extremely popular, it will have thousands of notes. When I first got Tumblr, the pictures which had the most notes were beautiful photographs. They were art. When I went on it this week, I thought I'd save a few photos to show you which had over 20 000 notes each.

The nation's capital

SO I have returned from the land of Parliament House. Despite the jokes people tend to make about Canberra, I had a great time! We caught up with old friends, saw the movie Hugo (which is absolutely beautiful), had a couple of FANTASTIC coffees (gold star for Canberra!), had a lovely picnic by Lake Burley Griffin at sunset where we spent a little too long ghosting passing walkers, nearly got attacked by a black swan, watched Tron: Legacy and thought it was pretty cool, and continued reading A History of the World in 100 Objects which is now my favourite non-fiction book in the history of the world (...see what I did there? Hehe). The weather was absolutely freezing but our friends who we were staying with have an indoor pool (=Heaven) so I got plenty of swim-time despite the low temperatures outside!

P.S. The video I posted a couple of days ago was a bit of a fail (I didn't copy and paste the link properly-go me), but it was just Muse performing at Glastonbury Festival. I've posted the video so many times over the past few years that you probably know it off by heart anyway!

P.P.S. I've re-kindled my love for One Night Only (well, their old music. Hellooooo 17 year old George Craig!).

JOB SEARCHING DAY

The title of this post is pretty much self-explanatory-yesterday was a day of job searching. A couple of friends and I headed into the city (armed with CV's) with one intention: Get a job. I literally handed in what felt like 34888537202033 resumes to all sorts of places, ranging from cafes to souvenir shops (I even convinced Eleni to put hers in to Dolce and Gabbanna-I can't believe she actually did it!). By the end of the day I felt my shoulders being fried like KFC chicken by the sun, and I was pretty sure my feet were hanging loose and about to fall off.

If I get a job, I can (finally) start saving for 2013 Glastonbury Festival!
P.S. I'm off to Canberra for a couple of days, so don't expect my presence in cyber world until Friday. Hope you are all enjoying 2012!

Geewwd day.

Today was (surprisingly) quite productive! I met up with an old friend for brunch who I haven't seen in yonks, and then went to the Paddington markets with Mum and continued to spend the rest of the day in that area. I visited lots of nice boutiques (which wasn't all good news because I spent the rest of my money. Hello 'broke student life').

Now prepare your self for 'CHLOE'S FIRST RANT OF 2012'.
Subject: 'My Family' stickers.
Rant: If you haven't seen these stickers plastered all over the back of cars then you either need to get your eyesight checked, or you are living under a rock. A really large rock. These stickers are invading Earth and they really need to disappear. Fast. To people who are guilty of owning these stickers, may I ask you-WHY DO YOU THINK STRANGERS WALKING PAST YOUR CAR CARE HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE IN YOUR FAMILY? THAT DAD OWNS A DRILL? DO YOU THINK WE CARE HOW MANY PETS YOU HAVE? I honestly don't understand the point of them! If  someone was about to break into your car and then saw that you have a son who plays soccer and a cat, are they supposed to think to themselves "Wow. Now that I have seen these stickers and have learnt about their family, I'm going to walk away and build myself a new life. I now see life differently. Thankyou My Family stickers". Not only are they pointless, but they are also sexist! Every car I have seen has the mother in an apron and the Dad working up the BBQ. What if the Dad has a passion for shopping? What if the Mum loves power tools? There really should be fines for ownership of these stickers.

Why hello there...

WOW. I HAVEN'T POSTED SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR.
Developments in the life of Chloe since the beginning of 2012:
1. Burnt to the crisp after a day at the beach. Went back to the beach and proceeded to get my burn burnt. My mother wasn't too pleased.
2. Actually went for a run. For more than the length of a street. Wot of eeeet brah.
3. I watched the New Years Eve fireworks in London on Youtube...they definitely rivalled Sydney's! They even had dubstep playing...
4. Yesterday I braved the SCORCHING heat and hit up the university open days with Mum and Dad! I brought them along because I needed them to help me choose between two courses...and I can finally say that I've decided which course I want to do next year!
5. I applied for a million and a half jobs. Here's hoping I get one of them!
6. Ok...so I have something that I feel as though I need to share with you cyber peeps. I may or may not have discovered my future husband. I know this statement comes out of my mouth about once a month, but THIS IS FOO REAL. Let's just forget the fact that he's 10 years older than me and move on to the more important things:
-I first saw him playing the young Denis Thatcher in The Iron Lady. You could say that it was love at first sight.
-He is Charles Dicken's great-great-great grandson. Hghodfpngljfsdngjk.
-Educated at Eton and Oxford (Yeah, you heard right).
-Best laugh/smile/face. Watch his laugh at 1.17 in the video below and prepare to die from an overdose of cuteness.
-Sexy accent.
-All round amazingness.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I had a spectacularly spectacular night on Sydney Harbour! Some friends and I caught the train in to the city, had dinner at Mamak (my new favourite place) and then joined the ocean of people walking down George Street towards Circular Quay. Despite only rocking up to the Harbour at around 8.00pm, we managed to get a PERFECT view of the bridge! The fireworks were incredible and the atmosphere was fantastic. When 2012 was just around the corner and the countdown began, I was SO ready to say goodbye to 2011! It wasn't that the year was bad, it was just that I know that 2012 is going to be so great that I just wanted it to arrive already! The night/morning was the perfect way to begin the year (and was my first every NYE on the Harbour!).

One sad note about the beginning of 2012 is that I have to say goodbye to my 'High School' journal! I got it for my 13th birthday and pretty much wrote in it throughout the whole of my high school career. I wrote my last entry today and it was pretty emotional saying goodbye to the book that I've been writing in since Year 7! Goodbye 'Chloe's Life: Volume 2'!

P.S. I read a HILARIOUS article in the paper today. It's about 'Facebook crimes'! Read all of them-I'm sure many of us are guilty of a few! Click here to read it. 

P.P.S. IN REGARDS TO THE VIDEO BELOW: Even if they're not dating, aren't they the best looking couple ever?

NYE 2011

 Please excuse my week-long absence-I've been busy housesitting/getting sunburnt/seeing The Iron Lady and loving it/relaxing in the spa/meeting up with old friends/watching Friends/having an amazing coffee in Cronulla/reflecting on 2011 like a Grandma sitting on a rocking chair on a veranda. 
Today I was lying in bed and my brain suddenly exclaimed "CHLOE IT'S NEW YEARS EVE AND YOU HAVEN'T EVEN UPDATED YOUR BLOG SAYING ANYTHING ABOUT 2011". I thought that it would be pretty funny to go back to last year's 'New Years Eve' post, and see if any of my predictions/resolutions/hopes became a reality.

Here's the main part of last year's post:
For me, while 2011 will have the occasional social gathering, my life will consist of school. I know that sounds depressing, but I don't want any regrets. It's only 3 terms, and after that I have the rest of my life to party as much as I want. I have worked pretty consistently throughout my schooling career and I don't want to let myself down in the final stretch. If my ATAR doesn't reflect how much I have worked I will be pretty disappointed, hence the draining of a portion of my social life. I think that if you are in my position, going into year 12, and hope to get into your desired uni course too, you should take up this mentality. Don't screw things up when it's only 3 more terms! 3 MORE TERMS OF SCHOOL. 80+ YEARS TO PARTY YOUR BRAINS OUT

1. "While 2011 will have the occasional social gathering, my life will consist of school." TICK TICK. School undeniably defined 2011...it was Year 12 after all. It was both the worst and best year of school that I ever experienced-I had my meltdowns (which came like tsunami waves), was pretty much permanently stressed (kind of signed up for that when I chose to do three major works), and nearly pulled my hair out when it came to the final HSC exams. However it was the happy moments at school that I'll obviously remember for the rest of my life-all of my grade at school becoming closer friends, my relationships with my teachers (some of whom I now consider friends), fan girling over British boy bands, drinking too much coffee, the fun times we had together in the common room, the free periods (involving one too many trips to Bourke Street Bakery), our final week, and opening my HSC results to find that the meltdowns and my permanent state of stress weren't in vain.
2. "I don't want any regrets." and "If my ATAR doesn't reflect how much I have worked I will be pretty disappointed". TICK TICK. It's actually funny, because all throughout the year I remembered writing this here. Whenever I was slacking off, sitting on FB stalking random people, reblogging random photos on Tumblr or any other form of pointless procrastination, I would think about how bad I would feel after the HSC knowing that I would have given that little bit more. Thinking about that definitely helped me give 134%.

Tomorrow I'll write up my 20 New Years Resolutions for 2012. They're more random than the 2011 resolutions, but I'm determined to see them through! I hope you all have an amazing night and an equally amazing 2012. Here's hoping the world doesn't end like that movie says it will ;).
 Thankyou all for putting up with me for another year. Let's see what life throws at me in 2012!
Love,
Chloe.

CHRISTMAS EVE/CHRISTMAS/BOXING DAY 2011

mer·ry(mr)

adj. mer·ri·er, mer·ri·est

1. Full of high-spirited gaiety; jolly.

2. Marked by or offering fun and gaiety; festive: a merry evening.

3. Archaic Delightful; entertaining.

4. Brisk: a merry pace.

I am currently writing this post in my brand new suede wedges (courtesy of Grandma and Grandpa), for no reason other than the fact that I love them so much that I don't ever plan on taking them off.

This year's Christmas will definitely be described in my journal as one of the best Christmases ever. On the night of Christmas Eve our family watched Elf (this event has turned into a bit of a tradition), I helped my little brother put carrots out for the raindeer, and then left out some beer and cookies for Santa. Fast forward about 6 hours (my brother woke us up at 5.30) and I was skipping downstairs to check out my stocking and the presents under the tree like I was eight years old. Santa was very kind and gave me the perfume I've wanted for ages (Flowerbomb by Viktor and Rolf), two books that I've wanted for a million and one years ('The History of the World in 100 Objects' and 'Molotov's Magic Lantern'), and Ed Sheeran's album, among other things. Chris always gets me random but awesome presents, and this year he bought my Angry Birds slippers-best things since sliced bread. Phoebe realised she accidently threw my present away, and after about an hour of searching through a couple of garbage bins, she presented me with a lovely watch (I may or may not have picked it our for her to get me ;)). Oh, and Mum and Dad bought Phoebe and I a flat screen TV for our loft-heeeellloooooo late night viewings of Friends! What made the morning even better was seeing Mum, Dad and Chris open the presents that Phoebe and I had bought them in America! It really makes me more happy giving than receving presents.

The rest of the day was equally brilliant because we literally saw all of our family that live in Sydney. The morning was spent with my Nan and Pop at their home where we ate delicious ham and mustard on toast, lunch was spent at my Grandma and Grandpa's where we got to catch up with the majority of my extended family (and tease my 16 year old cousin about his love life), and then we finished off the day with my Aunty and Uncle at their home in Newtown=very intense game of Balderdash. Seeing so much of my family reminded me why I love Christmas...because it's a time when everyone comes together and is just...merry. When we were leaving my Nan and Pop's church on Christmas morning (an old fashioned service complete with hymns!), their pastor said something which stuck with me for the rest of the day. He said "I don't want you to have a 'happy' Christmas...I wish you a 'merry' Christmas. Not happy, merry". There is a difference between those two words, and I believe that 'merry' is the perfect word to describe Christmas when you're around people you love.

Today (Boxing Day), I was supposed to go to the Boxing Day sales early, however slept in until 10. I then proceeded to read the rest of Perks of Being a Wallflower. Thoughts about the book? I don't really know what I think about it...it wasn't particularly terrible but it's not that memorable either. I kind of just finished it and didn't really feel anything about it...nothing really made me thing 'OMG. WOW. LIFE CHANGED 4EVS'. That said, it'll make a great movie and I'll definitely be seeing it.

The rest of this week is going to be spent housesitting with Phoebe and Eleni, seeing The Iron Lady, reading Molotov's Magic Lantern, and hopefully going to the beach if and when the weather clears up!

I hope you and your families all had very merry Christmases!
Love, Chloe

Christmas Eve, Eve.

I can't believe it's almost been a year since last Christmas! You're probably thinking "Chloe....cool story bro...does it come in funny?". BUT SERIOUSLY! It feels like only yesterday that I was writing those posts towards the end of last year, about how it took me a while to get into the Christmas spirit, having lazy days being fried by the sun at the beach, frantically searching for related texts for English, ranting about school-related stress, and about how in one year I would have finished school...and...shock horror...GET MY ATAR. Yet despite that feeling that of "it feels like only yesterday..." so much has happened in that one year. Not so much lots of highlights which made the year great, like in 2010, but more the fact that 2011 was a really important stepping stone in my life. I turned 17 (one year closer to being an adult), matured (by 'Chloe' standards), survived my HSC (just), graduated from high school (insert sad face) and got my ATAR. All though those events are small in number, they are preeetttyy (take note of multiple letters in 'pretty') significant. A chapter (please excuse my cheesiness but IT'S NECESSARY OK?), of Chloe's life has effectively come to a close.

DEVELOPMENTS IN THE LIFE OF CHLOE:
1. I've started to read The Perks of Being a Wallflower..it's really great. I just love this one quote "And in that moment, I swear we were infinite".  CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THE MOVIE! Helloooo Logan Lerman and Ezra Miller.
2. I've also started watching Downton Abbey with Mum and Phoebe. I've only an hour or so but IT'S SO GOOD.
3. My Dad and Grandad have been searching for information about our ancestors, and they've managed to trace back really far! Well, not them exactly. Basically they've paid someone in France to track down village records so we can learn a bit more about the family. The guy in France tracked records back to 1689, where Mathurin de Saint-Ylan married Perine Breton! Wooooot.
4. I'm up to season 5 in Friends. Chandler and Monica 4ly333333.
5. Phoebe, Chris and I had our annual Santa photo today with our little cousin...we were waiting outside David Jones at 8.30, and when doors opened at 9.00 we literally raced these other kids up to the top level where the Santa photos take place in the 'Magic Cave'. SEVEN ESCALATORS. SEVEN. Made me realise that I kind of need to get fit again! I can no longer use the excuse of 'I'll start running again aaffftteeerr tthheee HSSSCCC". 

Moviezs.

The other day I saw We Need to Talk about Kevin with Jem. It's really different to the type of movies I usually watch at the cinemas (I.E. crappy and shallow romantic comedies featuring actors trying and failing to resuscitate their careers/me not having to use my brain to work out what's happening apart from '00mag@wd sh3 kis$ed h3r best friendzzz fiaNce!'). Even though I had read the book, I still found the movie pretty disturbing...not in a 'horror movie' way, but more of a 'I never want to have kids because they might end up like Kevin and kill people' way. However, kudos to the actor who plays Kevin, Ezra Miller, for being a very sexy murderer.

I also saw the movie Arthur Christmas with my little brother. We bought EazyWay, where Christopher experienced his first Honeydew Blended Ice with Grape Jelly (God's gift to Earth in the form of a drink), bought our KFC mini-snack boxes (which, to my horror, have GONE UP IN PRICE), and settled in our seats to watch the movie.I had heard GREAT things about the movie, namely from the Sydney Morning Herald which gave it 9/10 and said that it was one of the best movies to be released this year. When the credits rolled at the conclusion of the film I was pretty disappointed. I don't know what it was about the film that I didn't like, but it just had something missing from it that all the other Christmas films I love have. It was still a great movie, but it just missing that little bit of Christmas magic that's in the others!
CHLOE'S TOP 3 CHRISTMAS MOVIES:
1. Polar Express: I LOVE THIS MOVIE A LOT MORE THAN A TEENAGE GIRL SHOULD. It never fails to get me in the Christmas spirit, and the sound track is just beautiful.
2. Love Actually: Need I say more? It's just so funny/adorable/romantic that it never gets old, and the sound track is absolutely AMAZING. I may or may not have decided that if I ever get married I'm walking down the aisle to the Glasgo Love Theme. Click here if you haven't heard it before!. Definitely one of my all time favourite movies.
3. Elf: I don't really know what to say about this insanely brilliant movie apart from the fact that it's an insanely brilliant movie.

UPDATE:
I'm not usually the one to watch lots of movies, but today I watched TWO. And, seeing as though today's post is dedicated to movies, I thought I'd mention them. The first movie was Red Dog, and I was so surprised at how good it was! Judging by the average Aussie film, I thought it would be crap. But it wasn't. AUZZZZIE PRIDE 4LYF333! The second film was The Queen...IT WAS SO AMAZING. Helen Mirren and Michael Sheen are such incredibly talented actors-it literally felt as though I was watching Tony Blair and the Queen!

I HEART LIFE.

So it's been a week since I last posted, and quite a lot has happened in that period of time. GOOD STUFF.
1.I wrote my letter to Santa. Yes. What of it. It has now been posted to the North Pole.
2.I got my HSC results on Wednesday morning. They came out at 6am, and Phoebe woke me up at 5.50am. I ran downstairs and sat in front of the computer screen, and I was actually so nervous that my hands were shaking. Kind of pathetic. Anywho, the clock ticked over to 6am and I actually kind of just sat there chickening out of logging in to see my results. Long story short, I logged in and was SO happy with my results. I worked really hard for the HSC (just look at all of my one too many pathetic posts about studying), and it was just such a relief to see that it paid off.
3. At 12pm on Wednesday I was at my friend James' house watching the Shawshank Redemption with a couple of friends, and we realised that the Premier's All Rounder list had been released...and....PHOEBE AND I WERE ON IT! What made me even happier was to see heaps of my friends on the list too! Saahh much happiness.
4. When I got home the Daily Telegraph called, wanting to do an article on Phoebe and I because we are twins (siigghhhh) and both got on the All Rounders list. Click here if you want to read the article!
5. I got my ATAR (the final mark out of 99.95) on Thursday morning, and the funny story is that at the start of Year 12 my English teacher told us that if you stick the ATAR that you want and the ATAR that you don't want next to your desk, you'll get the ATAR that you want (or close enough!). It actually worked! I got above the ATAR that was stuck next to my desk and above the ATAR I had written in my 'Dream Book' (Yes, I have a dream book. Wot of eeet brah), and Phoebe literally got THE EXACT ATAR she had stuck next to her desk for the year, down to the decimal.
6. I died my hair chocolate-brown. It's not that noticeable but I LUV IT.
7. I applied for some jobs! I KIND OF NEED A JOB. YEAH. So I'm happy that I finally applied for some!

So today I'm seeing the movie We Need to Talk about Kevin with Jem (can't wait to see it!), and might hit up Carols in the Domain later on. I love Carols in the Domain, but I don't think that this year's can beat last year's. Josh Groban=Heavenly.

Totally feeling this vibe today. I LOVE THIS SONG.

Oh, and this is kinda super really kinda cute....

Highlights!

Prepare yourself for a mega-essay. Sit back. Relax. Make yourself a cup of tea (English Breakfast if it's avaliable).

I don't really know where to start, so I guess I'll begin with the plane trip over. IT WAS TERRIBLE. The plane was full, crying babies were everywhere, and I slept for about 40 minutes in total. Oh, and Horrible Bosses is pretty much one of the worst movies ever...When I got off the plane at LAX (sorry, 'hopped' off the plane at LAX ;) ), I felt like a walking zombie, and this feeling was taken up a notch when I walked outside of the airport to be met with ABSOLUTELY FREEZING WINDS. I arrived at my home for the next two weeks (an insanely beautiful home in Newport Beach) and unpacked without trying to fall asleep/die from exhaustion. As soon as Bella came home from school (one of my long-time BFF's whose house I lived at for the two weeks), we hit up Fashion Island (that and South Coast Plaza are shopping heaven on earth) where I fought with all my might not to blow all of my money on my first day. I went a bit crazy at Forever 21 and Zara.....

That first week was insanely awesome. I literally went shopping every single day, and bought so much stuff that when it came to packing to go home, I almost couldn't fit everything in the four suitcases. I think the highlight of the first week was being able to experience the two different faces of LA. On Wednesday we had lunch at a beautiful restaurant in the heart of Rodeo Drive, and when walking around the area I walked past the most expensive car in the world! Then, on the morning of Thanksgiving, we volunteered to feed the homeless in Santa Monica. It was such an eye-opening experience, to see families with kids my brother's age lining up to receive free meals, clothes and haircuts.It was so well organised and I was so happy to be given the opportunity to help out. After volunteering, we headed back home where I had my first ever Thanksgiving lunch! The house looked absolutely incredible, and before long it was filled with people and overflowing with food...I ate so much I was thinking whether it was possible for a human to explode. The day after Thanksgiving is 'Black Friday' which is pretty much Boxing Day sales on steriods. We got up at 3.30am and headed over to South Coast Plaza where I nearly went crazy...think Zara jeans for $25...the best was being able to experience Black Friday sales at Forever 21, where the one at South Coast Plaza is the national flagship store. Downside was having to que for AN HOUR TO PAY.

One of the other highlights from the first week was going with friends to a HIGH SCHOOL FOOTTTBAALLL GAAAMMEEE. Exactly like the movies, complete with cheerleaders. Oh, and my friends' school smashed the other team. After the game we went down to a beach called Pirate's Cove and climbed down in the dark to find some kind of spooky caves. I also showed them 'coning', where you ask for a soft serve at drive through McDonalds and then when it comes to getting it, you just scoop of the ice cream and leave the worker holding the cone. So. Funny. Another funny moment was going to a local deserted park where some friends launched a pretty much illegal rocket which went so high that it went above the clouds. The funny part was not when it's parachute failed and came crashing back down to where we were standing, but when the cop came and we ran from them holding the wires. I was convinced I was going to be electrocuted!

On the Monday of the second week we hit up the one and only DISSSNEEEYYLAAAANNDDD. There were literally NO QUES for any of the rides, so we'd go on each ride 4 times in a row. Last time I was there Space Mountain and Splash Mountain were closed, so it was SO GREAATTT to go on them! Indiana Jones, the Tower of Terror and California Screamin' are officially my favourites. The funniest part of going on all of these rides heaps of times was working out where the camera is and when it takes the photo, so we'd work out hilarious stuff to do for the photo. The best was one of the times we were on the Tower of Terror, and it takes the photo as you plunge to the bottom. In the photo everyone is absolutely freaking out, and then in the corner is Phoebe, Bella and I asleep. The definite highlight of the day however was having lunch at Club 33, which Bella's mum managed to get us into. It's a private club in a secret location which Walt Disney built for his friends and associates. All the public sees is a door that says '33', and you press a buzzer and are then asked for your name, and if they let you in, you enter an old-fashioned lobby where you go up in an old service-elevator to the dining room. THE TOILETS WERE THRONES. Thrones. Oh, and the food was the best I've ever had.

Another great day was near the end of my trip, where my friend Polly took us (in her awesome Mini) to 'Inspiration Point' in Corona Del Mar (one of the most beautiful places ever) for a picnic (with the best takeaway Italian food in the wwwoorrrllddd). It looks out to the ocean, and along to coast you can see Newport Pier and the beaches! So gorgeous. That night I had a very American experience-we went to find a Christmas tree with Polly and Dominic (I arrived to discover that him and I were wearing almost matching outfits hahaha)! The places where you buy the trees look and smell amazing-just heaps of pine trees with lanterns every where! I took lots of photos like a true tourist.

DOT POINTS:
-Got obsessed with The Vampire Diaries. Stefan may or may not be the sexiest person on the planet.
-Ate a lot of fast food...so delicious. 'Animal Styles' fries at In n Out could quite possibly be the most delicious food on Earth. That and the chicken and fries from Chick-fil-A.
-Became used to seeing dogs in prams at malls with their own Starbucks cups.
-Saw the hotel in Beverly Hills featured in Pretty Woman (one of my all time favourite movies)
-Perfected the Southern Californian accent. I now have an American alter-ego called Kelly Carter.....she's in 12th grade at Newport Harbor High, is a cheerleader, and has a boyfriend at USC. Trololololololololol.
-All the kids have awesome cars! The student parking lot at my friends' school was full of Porsches and BMWs....soooo jelly.
-The 'Shirley Temple' drink is heaven in a drink.
-Disneyland is literally the happiest place on Earth. I may have had a big smile wacked across my face when I got a photo with the one and only Mary Poppins!
-OREOS WITH DOUBLE THE CREAM INSIDE. HEAVEN.
-Got Bella obsessed with One Direction. Success.
-Actually had a GOOD COFFEE IN AMERICA! It was from this cool place called Portola Coffee Lab, which looks like a science lab and the people who work there wear lab coats...
-Saw the worst movie I've ever seen-Blue Crush 2. Words cannot describe how bad it is.
-It was so great to just catch up with old friends and relax somewhere other than Sydney. I also made heaps of new friends which was really cool. It made it sadder to leave though!
-I swear one of the best things about America is its candy. Except Red Vines-They literally taste like poison.
-Frozen yoghurt is amazing. There's a place where you can get it (can't remember what it's called....), and there's a million different flavours and even more candy that you can put in it. I put so much smashed Peanut Butter cups in mine that I'm surprised I didn't have a heart attack.
-Had a suitcase full of Disneyland stuff for family Christmas presents! I LOVE DISNEYLAND.
-I was going to stay an extra two weeks but all the flights were booked out! Sad face.
-Got addicted to bagels. A 'toastie', a toasted bagel with ham and cheese, is officially my favourite breakfast.
-One of the things I love the most about the OC is that when I'd look one way I'd see the beach, and the other way I'd see snow on the mountains!
-Did I mention my new-found love for Vampire Diaries? One scene actually made me cry. And I literally NEVER cry in movies or whilst watching TV. Awkward.
-Steve Madden combat boots for $50. Wot offff eeettt?
-The shower in the ensuite to my room turned into a sauna and even had a bench. Life complete.
-Became similarly addicted to the 24 hour Christmas radio station. Increased my Christmas spirit by 100%
-In Newport, if something is 'dodgy', they say 'sketchy'. Saaahhh sketchy.
-I never used my $1 bills, so by the end I had 31 $1 bills. I couldn't even close my wallet. Kind of looked as though I was a stripper...
-Managed to eat the giant $8 'Party Packet' of peanut butter cups in a day.
-Slept for 10 hours on the plane trip home.Yeah, what of it. The plane was pretty much half empty so I literally got to lie down to sleep. W00000000t. As soon as I was picked up from the airport we went for coffee. Consider addiction to coffee stronger than ever.

JETLAGNESS

SO BASICALLY I have returned from the land that is California. I literally just experienced two of the best weeks of my life so far, and I would write all about it today except for the fact that I am so tired my eyes are stinging and I need to unpack before my head touches my pillow! I can't wait to share with you everything that I got up to over there, which I will most likely do tomorrow! Hope you didn't miss me too much ;)
x

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.

Letter of hate to Extension English

I do not care about Textual Dynamics I do not care about Foucault’s notion of the shifting identity I do not care about Derrida’s theory of differénce I do not care about Judith Butler’s theory of gender as a performance I do not care about Sally Potter’s Orlando and if Orlando is male or female I do not care how Calvino utilises metafiction I do not care if he uses playful devices because ultimately it’s just a book and I do not care if Orlando challenges certainties because it’s just a film and watching movies is supposed to be enjoyable.

I can confirm that the subject made me cry yesterday. YES. DID YOU HEAR THAT EXTENSION ENGLISH? YOU CAN CLAIM A CHLOE MELTDOWN. I called my Mum, and you know when people are so nice that they make you cry even more? Yeah, that's what happened. Ten minutes after I hung up, she sent me a text saying "Listen for the doorbell", and when it rung I opened it to find Mum's best friend with a delivery of coffee and macaroons. It did put a smile on my face.

This week is going to be terrible, so I'm going to neglect this blog until Friday. On Friday I'll officially be free and have the freedom to post as much random crap/rants/photos/videos as I want! Wooooo. I should really be studying right now but when Chloe needs to rant, she rants. Until then, read all of my old posts from last year because they're hilariously lame.

Imma miss youse all. Until Friday,
Chloe x

P.S. I have this friend called Chris and he went to the school next door to mine and he's really tall and plays basketball and volleyball (I think?) and is really good at high jump and can jump over bars that are higher than me and he says that I don't mention him on my blog enough so hi Chris, hope you're well and engaging in lots of studying!

WILL I EVER FALL OUT OF LOVE WITH THIS MAN?

"She’s reinventing loving me
When we’re resembling cutlery on the sofa"


.....When we're resembling cutlery on the sofa. Ed Sheeran is pure genius. 

Nothing stands between me and the week of doom next week.

Except a lot of trips to get coffee...
Next week's HSC exams:
31st: Extension English (Don't even get me started on that (insert expletive) of a subject...I have to write an essay which is impossible to memorise because I have no idea what I'm even talking about, and a creative piece which is equally impossible to memorise because it's as boring as hell and my eyes start to twitch with tiredness whenever I look at it).
1st November: Modern History (AKA 3 hours of torture. The two essay questions could literally be on anything to do with the two topics....kill me now?).
3rd November: Legal Studies and History Extension. (That day is going to be so bad that I don't even know what words are capable of capturing such horror. Let's just say that if I don't survive that day then I loved you all...even if only one of you left a message for me on my Tumblr).
3rd November at 4.00: FRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEDDDDOOMM. No more school/exams/study/stress.

On a lighter note, WE MADE IT ONTO PAGE 3 OF THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. As in, you opened up the Herald and BAM! There was our article. Despite the photo being as awkward as hell (think pretend conversation...plus me grinning like a serial killer), the article was really good AND I GOT QUOTED. LIKE A BOSS. Click here to read the article!

Tiredness

1. I can't stop listening to Ed Sheeran.
2. I really don't care enough about Soviet Russia to write essays on it right now.
3. I just had a piece of amazing stick-date pudding.
4. I'm starting yoga again.
5. I'm enjoying writing this list of pointless things because it means that I don't have to write essays on Soviet Russia.
6. I want to sign up to start traditional Scottish country dancing.
7. I'm extremely over tired. HSC=Emotionally draining.
8. The new video chat on Facebook is a dream come true. Neither Eleni nor my sounds works so we just look at each other pointlessly/write messages on pieces of paper.
9. I like starting each sentence with I.
10. Since I disabled my Formspring SEND ME CUTE MESSAGES ON MY TUMBLR! Some of you have already, and when you do it makes my day (like seriously, it does). Just click on the link 'TUMBLR' on the top of this page and then follow the link and then click on the ASK box on my Tumblr and then write a cute message or a joke or a link to a song or a poem of a random image or a picture of a squirrel in a dress or a letter declaring your ever-lasting love for me (preferably that one) and then finish typing it and then add a smiley face or a winky face and then click send and then wait for my reply and then I'll reply and then it'll be awesome. Write it on anonymous, or from your Tumblr is you have one (I'll follow you back ;) ), whatever tickles your fancy.WUB CHUU.

I'm finally admitting it.

I'm in love.
With a guy.
His name is Ed Sheeran, and he's a 20 year old British singer from the UK.
And he's a ranga.
And and and he has THE MOST PERFECT VOICE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. Like seriously.Life 'aint fair. 
WHAT IS IT ME WITH ME AND MY SOFT SPOT FOR BRITISH SINGERS.
His music and the lyrics in them are just jguiospdfhnguiosdjghiosdfmngiogjniofdjgiodsf. I hope I described it well enough.
Click here to hear what may or may not be the most romantic song in the entire world. 
This one is also one of my favourites.


Just in case you haven't fallen in love with him yet, I'll post ONE MORE.



P.S. Today I went to buy a chocolate from a vending machine and it took my money AND DIDN'T GIVE ME THE GOD DAMN $%^$#&* CHOCOLATE. There goes my coffee for tomorrow....

ANTI-CLIMAX OF A LIFETIME

So it turns out the HSC isn't too bad. I've done three exams so far, and although Drama was a bit "Why did they go out of their way to produce a bad question", the others haven't been too bad! They weren't easy, but they were do-able. The Hamlet question was a bit awkward seeing as though I couldn't remember much of the END of the play (which is what the question was on....), but now it's over I can't do anything about it so I'm not going to worry about it! So glad/relieved that English is over-forcefully chucking all my notes in the recycling bin in the common room was QUITE liberating to say the least.  Oh, and I'm going to be in an article next week with some of my friends about high-school students who dropped maths and science for the HSC! We even had our photo taken (cue awkward pretend conversation).

Things I have discovered in the past few days:
-I need to get out and go for runs/get fit, I've COMPLETELY lost balance and I need to restore it! ASAP!
-My love for Cinnamon scrolls from a new bakery near my house. TO DIE FOR.
-Enrique Inglesias: He's a singer (you all probably know of him), who during one of his songs he performs at his concert, invites a fan girl on stage and serenades her. You're probably thinking "WHAT IS SO COOL ABOUT THAT!?". Hmmmm well maybe the fact that at the end of the song HE KISSES THE FAN GIRL. LIKE HOOKS UP WITH HER. Why can't any of the bands/singers that I love do that! So not fair.
-I really, really, really want to see the movie Midnight in Paris once my exams are over (yes, I know it sounds like the name of Paris Hilton's sex tape). It got the most AMAZING review in the Sydney Morning Herald, and after watching the trailer I've officially decided that it's my movie to see after the HSC. Here's the trailer!