✈ summer approaches! ☼

I have FINALLY been entering the official 'summer mode'! Our school is crazy hectic, even in the second-to-last week; we had to had in our final pieces of assessed work, such as our art books, reflections, be assessed on rock climbing, etc. Even today, we had our final math exam. Thank God it doesn't count for anything, or I would have been much more stressed. With everything over now, we're on a crescendo to relaxation and the summer holidays.

"The Vagrants" by Yiyun Li, and
"Vagrant Class" - a pun played
by my English teacher.

Although I (kind of) attended all four of my classes today, it seems like there was only one official one - math, in which we did an exam that doesn't even count. I finished my test and went to sleep for the next 30 minutes. The last period, English, was even more crazy. Normally on this day of our timetable, we have library periods. Since we can't borrow books or anything anymore, our teacher tells us we just have regular class. We'll have to be a vagrant class, he said, because Year 10's take our classroom when we're supposed to have library. So he arranged for us to have class at the café on the 9th floor. We get to the 9th floor, no one is there. We check in his office, and apparently he has left the school. Which our whole class found completely beneficial, because we just spent the rest of the class chilling by the café playing Tetris. Basically, our entire class skived - including the teacher. What a wonderful end to the year.

Me as 福貴, and Samantha as a lion.

That's not all there is to my school day - today we had 'Dress like a Fictional Character Day' - I dressed up as 福貴 the cow from the Chinese literature book 《活著》, and a lot of my friends dressed up as animals, I assume from Animal Farm or Charlotte's Web or whatever. We all looked pretty ridiculous but it was hilarious. There was even an Ash, Misty, and Pikachu. I thought that was adorable as fuck. I'm not a Chinese literature nerd by the way, it's just that 80% of the year group was forced to read this book so it was kind of hilarious when everyone realised who I was.

When summer finally comes, the first thing I'll do is hop on a flight to Ecuador, for a month! Well not exactly because I go on Saturday, and school is on Friday, and obviously there will be farewell parties and whatnot taking place on Friday night, but that's not really the point. I'm so excited for Ecuador, it's going to be amazing. One entire month with a select few from my school, away from everything. It's like the perfect vacation I need. Our activities include trekking at 5000m altitude, visiting and helping out at an orphanage, just exploring, being adventurous, and sightseeing at the Galápagos! The summer of 2012 is going to be amazing for me, I just know it.

Music Picks ♪

If you know me well, you'll know that I like listening to all types of music. I spend time just lurking about on last.fm, whatthefuckshouldilistentonow, and SoundCloud looking for obscure artists, tracks, and remixes. I bulk download/torrent all my music (illegal as fuck, but yolo) and then I'll compile playlists on iTunes. Sometimes the playlists would be themed (examples: bloodrush, ass-related, weed-related, chill songs) but I'll always have this one playlist that would hold all my favourite songs at the moment. It usually stays the same for 1-2 weeks with the exception of the removal/addition of a few tracks, but in 3-4 weeks it is completely revamped. Below is my current playlist. 

Left Boy - Jack Sparrow (Single)

Left Boy is an amazing underground artist, remixing several popular songs adding his own personal touch, making the entire song snazzier. Example, Call Me Maybe. I was starting to get fed up with Carly Rae Jepsen all in my face, being played everywhere - at school, at hangouts, in clubs as well. However, after listening to Left Boy's remix of Call Me Maybe, my irritation towards the song in the remix had vanished. Call Me Maybe isn't on my playlist, because I felt like I should pay tribute to the other amazing Left Boy tracks, such as Jack Sparrow. With the catchy Pirates of the Caribbean medley as its intro, the song takes an immediate turn into Left Boy's cleverly thought out verses: Get high so I can get low / I'm Jack Sparrow when I smoke dro' / Any way that the wind blows / They know I've got a sick flo'. I think these verses are a clever mix of puns of the obvious Jack Sparrow badass swagger shit and Left Boys own badass swagger shit. All the other Left Boy tracks on my playlist are worth a listen. What's even better is that you can download all his music, legally. Here's his website and here's his SoundCloud.

Gil Scott-Heron And Jamie xx - We're New Here

From my playlist, you can see I'm an obvious lover of remixes. Another noteworthy remix artist is Jamie xx, member of The xx. He remixed late Gil Scott-Heron's I'm New Here and retitled it as We're New Here, making it a Gil-Scott Heron and Jamie xx collaboration. In these remixes you can enjoy both the gruffness of Gil Scott-Heron's voice and enjoy the cutting-edge and talented beats dropped by Jamie xx. The track titled I'm New Here is a perfect example of the mix. Starting off with just Gil speaking, 'I did not become someone different, nor did I want to be / But I'm new here. Will you show me around?', then breaking into a quavering tonic of ambiance, and after a minute, taking another direction into Jamie's eargasmic beat-dropping. 

Anyways, I recommend everyone to listen to this playlist and all the tracks, no matter what music taste you supposedly have, because I swear this playlist will convert you. The mix of music will definitely give put you in an ambivalent mood. If anyone wants a download link, comment below and put a Mediafire link up.

☺ High Life // School Life ☹

In English class we've started expanding on our genres of writing, its up to us to decide what we want to write about. Personally, I fucking love this freedom to write anything I fucking want to.

Usually I'm just not fucked to write properly for English, because it's all analytical shit on Macbeth and whatever. Writing from a Gandhi quote (The only devils in this world are those running around in our own hearts, and that is where all our battles should be fought.) really gave me an opportunity to show my English teacher my writing potential. Granted, I cheated and used a quirky writing style to obtain my 9/9/9 out of 10/10/10. I'm quite proud of myself, but what I found much more rewarding was the freedom of writing whatever came out of my heart. 

Saw this on Tumblr and found it relevant.

For my next essay, I can actually write whatever I want. I'm writing a 'letter' to my mother confessing all the 'bad' things I have done. This isn't fiction anymore, this is kind of an autobiography. I'm writing down everything, from trying my first cigarette, trying marijuana for the first time, getting rolling papers, a bong, pipes, -- and then repeating everything. I'm writing about how I got sucked into the vicious cycle of pot, and smoking. 

Obviously, I am never showing this piece to my parents. I'm not even sure if I should show it to my English teacher. He seems pretty chill though, he's quite the activist, head of the Human Rights group, kind of a hippie, reads the swear words out loud in class, etc. Even if he judges, I don't think he would say anything about it. Which is kind of why I feel like I can trust him with this essay.

Honestly, I think it really isn't about the essay giving me the opportunity to write this out. I just feel like I LACK someone to talk to about all of this. It's all happening so fast, I am the polar opposite of who I was a year ago.

The other day, I was looking at my Facebook notes, and there was a time we all filled in little mini survey questions. I got to a question, "Would you ever date a smoker?" 14-year-old me answered "No, because they smell bad." Fucking hypocrite, not only am I dating a smoker, I am a smoker myself. Which was even more hypocritical because the next question was "Would you ever smoke?" to which I answered "Fuck no." I even have a clock on the windowsill - which I made myself - saying 'Marlboro Kills'. When my friends come over, they look at the clock, raise their eyebrows. "That's ironic," they snort. I completely agree.

But yeah, I've poured my soul and secrets into this essay and I hope that it would perhaps be taken as a fictional piece. Or at least my teacher will be chill about it. The last thing I want is to end up in a) rehab for marijuana, b) juvi for breaking smoking/alcohol/marijuana possession laws, c) in an office with my Head Of Year for marijuana abuse and whatnot.

My new glass pipe.

While I'm on the topic of marijuana, my boyfriend gave me a fucking nice glass pipe today. I really appreciate it and I think he spoils me way too much. He got it because one night when we were out drinking, we put down our smoking shit like pipes, pot, and grinder just in case the police searched us. Then we got kicked out of the bar for 'indecency'. I don't want to talk about that, but yeah. So we're officially blacklisted at Veto. Goodbye cheap pipe and grinder, hello sexy glass pipe.

Remember when I made the Valentine's post about being forever alone? Two months since then, so much has changed. Suck it past me, I have a boyfriend now.

The essay is fucking risky, but fuck. #YOLO.

Emma

Cotton Candy Martini // Pre-Valentine's Day ♡♡

Cotton Candy Martini! Perfect for
Valentines Day <3

I snagged this snazzy looking recipe for a cotton candy martini somewhere ages ago and I really want to try mixing this! It looks like a much yummier version of a Cosmopolitan. It looks so amazing and appealing, I just can't wait to taste it for myself. Just look at the way the cotton candy oozes out of the martin glass. Irresistible.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 ½ ounces vodka

* ½ ounce x-rated fusion liqueur

* 1 ounce cranberry juice

* Pink cotton candy

DIRECTIONS

1. Put the cotton candy in the martini glass

2. Put the rest of the ingredients in a shaker and shake well.

3. Pour cocktail over cotton candy, it dissolves instantly so present the glass before pouring.

I think this drink looks (and probably will taste) absolutely perfect for the highly overrated event taking place this Thursday! That's right, Valentines Day!

Not that I will be celebrating, because I am currently in a jam that probably will not allow me to celebrate such events. Instead, I will just sit on the couch all night long, watch Titanic, eat yummy Lindt chocolates, listen to songs by The Script and cry until mascara runs down my faces. Forever alone, they say.

That was a lie. I don't have time to watch Titanic, sit in front of the couch and cry. As depressing as that seems, it still sounds better than what I'll actually be doing: Homework. Can't wait until I have a legit Valentines date. But then again I'll be waiting for like, 10 years. Yeah. I guess I'm gonna have to wait. Meanwhile, everyone else enjoy this lovely festive cocktail!

X's and O's,

Emma