On the stagnant nature of modern art

Hey Readers!

 All has been quiet on the Gwendolen blogging front... And for that I apologise, just a rather entertaining music festival got in the way.. Sorry bout dat.

 ANYHOO, I was planning to do a response to a statistic that I read in the paper in relation to plain cigarette packaging, but then I thought Meh, that's a bit depressing; why not do something on art instead? Conveniently, my family and I (minus my brother, he was taking his first driving lesson and surprisingly no deaths have been caused) went off the to Jerwood Gallery in Hastings. 

Botticelli: beautiful but standard

 As one should always do on entering a gallery, we headed straight to the restaurant and had a rather enjoyable lunch (I had roasted Mediterranean vegetables and humus), and we began to discuss the role of the Tate, as it is now one of the biggest art 'brands' in England. I personally have very few problems with having a 'brand' of art galleries, as surely giving more people access to art is a good thing? Of course this only works if people want to go to and actually see the art, but when they turn up they may only see one type of art if it is only being provided by the Tate. And, most likely, this will be conceptual modern art.

 Lack of variety immediately strikes as a bad thing, yes? But when you think back at all the
celebrated eras of art, such as the Renaissance, there doesn't appear to be much variety either (although time does act as a filter); it's just a continuous supply of beautifully realistic paintings of religion, mythology and the rich people who actually commissioned the art. So maybe it is just natural that there isn't that much range within art.

 But why do we seem to have such a stagnant state of affairs in art? You just have to take a day trip to Florence (because we can all do that) to see the continuing popularity of this form of art, and equally just going to Tate Modern shows that modern art is equally appreciated. So surely it's not just giving the mob what they want?

Mission Drift: just part of the varied and accessible puzzle of modern theatre

 When compared to drama, the story seems quite the opposite. Considering the range of forms that drama can take – theatre, film, television and now even video games – it should come as no surprise Eastenders, Travelling Light, The Birds, Singin' In The Rain, Glee, The Princess and The Warrior, Mission Drift, Harry Potter, Downtown Abby, Saw and so so so many more; all of which are
that we can have
different. It doesn't take an insider to see and understand the range of drama that we continue to have.
 

Bog standard modern art

 The key difference, however, between drama and fine art: money. I'm no expert, but I would be very surprised to find out that fine art makes anywhere near as much money as drama. So how can an artist make money? Large interest and collectable status. How does the artist gain these? How does the artist gain these? Usually controversy. How does the artist do something controversal? 'Push the boundries'. We now have the problem that every artist has decided to push the boundaries in the same direction, resulting in this stagnant art. Maybe it's time the artists stop pushing boundaries, and wander back in the original world of beauty.

Gwendolen

Look at the baby!

Hey Readers!

 As I'm sure anyone in the Commonwealth is aware of, Kate Middleton has had her baby! And do you know what, I am happy and I am celebrating on the inside (I have no real facilities in my house). GASP! A feminist could be happy about a royal birth?

 I know that the feminist community is going to explode with "It's just a baby, blah blah, thousands of
others will be born today" (some of the first posts I saw when I woke up this morning) as well as a load of people in the UK will. But I would just like the chance to say that I feel this baby should be celebrated, not despite feminism, but because of it.

 The only time I ever here about fetus/baby/pregnancy related news is in regards to either abortion, premature births or single parents. Which, let face it, aren't the happiest of things. But for once we are celebrating a healthy baby, born to two loving parents with a supportive family. That is one of the most natural yet precious and underrated things that can happen. As a feminist I feel this is what we should be aiming for every child to have (although one loving parent is often as good as two), and this serves as a reminder as to why access to abortion is so important.

This is going to be one attractive King

 Also, the gender: can people please shut up about the gender. The whole point about the legislation that meant an older sister would not be overtaken by a younger brother in the race to the throne is that the gender no longer matters. BAM! Isn't that what we kind of believe of as feminists? So for feminists disappointed that the baby isn't a girl, just remember that this is the first prince who will become King because he is a royal, not because Prince William so kindly donated a Y carrying sperm when he and Kate cuddled in a special way one evening, which is just as good as a girl not becoming Queen because of her XX. Wanting a girl so that we can have a Queen is equally as bad as wanting boy to become King, in my opinion.


Thirdly, there is no escaping that this child will become a cultural icon. He will grow up to become our King and in doing so a symbol of our culture and heritage. However he will not grow up to be our ruler and ever have any real power; that will be left for our elected politicians. And honestly, who prefers David Cameron to the Queen?

Gwendolen

P.S. Congrats to everyone who had a child yesterday as well, I hope you enjoy your royal care package!

Music Monday! France...

Hey Readers!

 All has been quiet on the blogging front... Because I have actually decided to do a very brave thing: venture outside. It's been about 30 degrees for the last few days in England and I don't want to miss out on the chance to enjoy this rare occasion! Therefore I've even gone down to the beach with some friends and watched some open air theatre. Or at least I tried to, because on the one day I decide to do summery things is the one day it decides to rain.

  So Cecily has ventured off to France so naturally she has decided on this weeks theme, but has been unable to post so it's me two weeks running! Aren't you lucky ;)





What? You want to know the theme? Geeezzzz, just look in the title....

FRANCE

Cecily: "La Vie en Rose" by Edith Piaf and "Le Temps de l'amour" by Francoise Hardy

Gwendolen: "Can't Speak French" by Girls Aloud

... Yes... I know... However the fact I dropped French in year 7, it did seem fitting.

 

Diary of a Socially Inept Hermit: Part 3

Hey Readers!

 Ok, I admit this is dragging on a bit now, but I think I might only have one more post after this one! The problem I'm finding now is I'm having to confront the ethical side of blogging and having to self-censor what I am posting due to the real life knock on effects it might have. So in reality these days were far more amusing and dramatic than may come across on the web, but hey ho.

Day 3

 For the first time the public transport actually worked for us! Woo! In other words, we actually went to the right platform. On the train over Arawyn and I had a massive hit of nostalgia when we started listening to a group of year 8 on the table opposite us. It's quite scary to realise that we are about to become those scary sixth formers who looked about 27 and seemed so much more mature and in no way could you ever make eye contact with them in the corridor*.

 Despite having two days to try a socialise, my tutor group was as divided as ever, with the external students on firmly on one side of the room, while the internal tribe sat on the other. We had all be given one of those sheets were you have to right down interesting skills that you could 'bring to the sixth form'. I appeared to be the only one who was actually brave enough to shed the society-imposed chains of modesty and claim that yes, I am the Queen of Chicken Keeping (which is a slightly lie as actually my Mum is the prime carer of Bertha).  But everyone else just sat there awkwardly claiming they had no skills for just long enough so that they could escape to their first lesson without having to admit that they do enjoy the odd game of football.

 My first lesson was physics. In a nice warm lab, which for the majority of the lesson was in the dark as we were doing wave-particle duality and needed to play about with lasers. However there was a slight problem in that I was very very very tired, the conditions were perfect for sleeping (Physics lab comes with a conveniently placed arm next to you that can double as a perfect pillow, absolutely free!) and quantum physics, no matter how cool, does rather stretch the brain. So I was reguarly having to scream at myself inside my brain to stop me from falling asleep. When the lesson finished I asked N if he had English next too he sort of nodded then ran off looking slightly terrified. I was left feeling rather confused.

 But yes, we both did have English next, in a room that was rather poorly sign posted to so I was almost late to. The English lesson was rather uneventful. Actually that's a lie, one of the most interesting and talked about events happened there but due to issues outlined in the introduction I think it would be very unwise and rather horrendous of me to discuss them in this post. But what I will say is that it put me in a rather awkward position and has had a knock on effect with my relationships and could influence sixth form choices for one of my friends. However that may not actually be the worst thing that happened in that lesson as our teacher revealed something shocking: he does not like Harry Potter. WHAT. I know. It's terrible. On a more educational note, we were introduced to one of the books we would be studying - A Clockwork Orange - and started discussing the morality of readers. Which after having a sleep-inducing lesson on wave-particle duality, became very hard.

 After break we had our second 'others' session where we had a tour of the school's sixth form facilities. That school is made up entirely of sixth form facilities. Every other room is a frickin sixth form study area. It is unnatural. Great, but unnatural.

 Then we lunch which proved to be much like my English lesson (stuff happened, but I can't talk about it). This lunch was very confusing for someone with limited brain power like myself as it was dived into two half an hour blocks with a talk from NCS in the middle.

 In our second tutor period something amazing happened - another external girl and I managed to infiltrate the internal students! This did admittedly result in three days worth of introductions etc being forced into one twenty-five minute session. Which was no problem for me as I can speak at a rather fast pace that I have a feeling slightly terrified everyone else. However it transpired that merely my having actual breasts terrified them. Talking of inappropriate things to say, the other external girl started passing around a piece of paper to get all the boys' names to add them on facebook. When it got to one of the girls, she was told she doesn't need to put her name down. It was a rather amusing event so everyone started to laugh at the awkwardness of it all, then I had to say "Oh it's like, 'I want your name, but wait... You have a vagina? NOOOO!'" Then all of the boys sort of sniggered, but then looked guilty at laughing at the word vagina, but then I confirmed to them that I did say vagina a lot and that it is fine to laugh at it. And they did and I got that nice feeling you get when you make someone laugh. Who needs to drugs when you can say inappropriate things and then cover it up by explaining you're a feminist who claims ownership of your body through unashamed speech, just to make everyone slightly happier?

Of course that's what I do. It's nothing to do with the fact I have no social skills.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful (I can't actually remember it) so I shan't be writing about it. However we had an early finish and I went around my friends house as I was going to go up to London that evening with my Mum and Brother to go and watch "Mission Drift" at the National Theatre. That show was the best piece of theatre I think I have ever seen and I shall hopefully do a review of it, despite seeing it about three weeks ago.

 On the train up I had plenty of time to reflect on the previous three days. It was then a realised how much fun I had had (hehehe "had had"). And that I had felt more able to be myself there, then I had been at the school I had been at for the last five years. I thought particularly about the last thing I had said to one of guys in my tutor group when we were leaving and he said "Well then, see you in two months?" and I replied "I don't know if I'm coming, so you might never see me again." It was true; I might never see some of these people again. That was a genuinely sad thought. These people were friendly, funny and intelligent. I admit that arrogance and mild sexism were two common characteristics, but that didn't stop me wanting to go back to Wednesday just so I can have another three days with these people.

Gwendolen   

*Unfortunately the current year 7s seem to have pigeon syndrome, as they now have no fear of the older years. The amount of times I have had a year 7 mock me as I ask them to move out the way of my locker. Luckily, the idea of having height still hasn't occurred to them, so I am still able to play the bongos on the heads of two unsuspecting children as I walk down the corridors. 

Music Mondays! Covers...

Hey Readers!

 Another week has passed and another Music Monday almost forgotten.......

So our theme this week is.....

COVERS

This is essentially very self indulgent as there are two covers that I would very much love to share with the world and so I took advantage of Cecily's memory and secured this theme before she came up with anything else... MWUHAHAHAH

Cecily: "Blackbird" by The Beatles (Glee cover)

I've never watched Glee, and cannot even name the individual who has sadly been in the news the past few days, but I remembered some time ago stumbling across a cover they did of "Blackbird", a beautiful song, so felt it was appropriate today.

Gwendolen: "White Noise" by Peace (Disclosure cover) and "Royals" by Bonjah (Lorde cover)

 This is probably one of the best covers ever produced by the Live Lounge, and there are points on offer for every hidden song you can spot ;)

Oh going over to the left of the blog, are we?

   

It's 00:13 and I can't get to sleep

Hey Readers!

 I think the title essentially says it all.

 It's ridiculously hot for England in July and my room has become a sauna. Therefore I'm stuck with my eyes wide open and the inability to get to sleep.

 But it may not just be the heat. It probably has something to do with the fact my friendships are kind of stressing me out at the moment. I was going to write a blog post on this earlier, but I couldn't get the wording right, so I wrote it on My Non-Awkward Adolescence instead.

 For those who haven't read that post (shame on you) I talked about how my adolescence hasn't exactly been what it is made out be, and I also talked about how it has become built around friendships. My friendships are super important to me, as these are a group of people that just get me, and that I am able to just be a teenager around - or at least, my version of being a teenager. But lately they have been a number of issues rising to the surface or just bubbling away underneath that have just made everything a bit... Crap.

 I know that the likelihood is (and no matter how much I wish it wasn't) in a weeks time, the dynamics of friendships would have changed a lot. I really hate that. It's not that I'm scared of change, I just liked how they were before. When I forgot that people weren't 100% honest with how they feel. When I forgot that people weren't always 100% honest in any case. When I forgot that people can be two-faced.

Ok, maybe two-faced is a little extreme, because I think within our group people have always been completely honest, but just maybe not to the right people.

In fact the reason I think I don't like it is because I'm not the type of person to be involved in the drama. Sometimes it feels* as if everybody has something special going on with them. That you're either ill (mentally/physically), or there's a family breakdown or some other crap is going on in your life that makes you feel just a little bit special. I've never really had that. And as wrong as it sounds, I've kind of wanted it. I've wanted to be the one that people are interested in. Or the one that people roll their eyes at when I do an improvisation that turns into a suicide story because of course I would do something on suicide. Or the one that has counseling every Thursday, and sometimes I want this especially because sometimes I just want to be able to talk to someone. But no. I'm pretty 2D. I maybe have one thing (which I have only ever told one person about) but it's such a non-thing I'm like 2.1D

 Maybe the reason that I'm stressed is because I want to be the girl that everyone is stressed at. Because when I'm 74 I don't want to look back at my youth and think "Oh yes, I was a lovely straight forward girl, with her one non-thing" I want to think how interesting I was because I had something wrong with me, because the true horror of being a teenager in the 21st Century is that depression makes you an interesting person and nothing can appear truly wrong with you unless you self-harm.

 Well my midnight incoherent ramblings have been brought to a rather depressing end.  

Gwendolen

*I stress that it feels, not that it is

P.S. Now it is 10:59 and I can think a bit more coherently. Yes, it did get a bit over-dramatic at the end, and what I really meant to say was that so many things have become romanticised that really shouldn't be, and that people going through them wouldn't wish it on anyone. However I have a very normal life and to me there does appear to be something special and interesting about and no matter how wrong I know it is, I kind of want it.

My Non-Awkward Adolescence

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Hey Readers!

 There have been many points where I have looked back on my previous three and a half years of being a teenager, and kind of feel like I have wasted these years. I mean in reality, I pretty terrible teenager.

 Adolescence is supposed to be awkward; mine just isn’t. Yes, I admit that I am a very awkward person, with a few amusing stories, such as the arm wobbling on a train, the rest I am not brave enough to put on the internet. But I mean in reality, that’s about four stories, all of which have happened in the last seven months. Other than that, I have never had a boyfriend, never got drunk, only ever had one argument with my parents (which wasn’t even over a proper teenage issue) and haven’t even ever had a detention. It’s a year and half until I turn eighteen, and I’ve never had to go to a frickin’ detention (and out of pride I don’t plan to).

 As I sat out in my garden today enjoying the sun I mulled over this thought and I have come to three conclusions, which I shall discuss in this post.

 

Because we will all have a nice collection of Polaroids [Source]

Firstly, are we supposed to find it awkward when we’re going through it? Does every teenage have this guilt when they realise they haven’t done the ‘teenage bucket list’ and suddenly you begin to question what on earth you have been doing with your time. Does the supposed awkwardness only become apparent when you sit there reminiscing with old friends about what you did, and then awkwardness becomes apparent? Only at 32 can I truly see that my friend dropping a blanket (anyone there will know what I’m talking about) was a truly awkwardly adolescent moment? Even still, I don’t really feel I have had many Inbetweeners moments.

 At the same time I’ve often justified it to myself by saying I’ve never really had the opportunity. Going to a girls’ school and being a proud social hermit means that I don’t really know any guys, and those that I do, I don’t really fancy, and they understandably don’t really see me as the most desirable human being currently roaming this county. I have chosen to be teetotal (not that I would be drinking underage anyway *cough*), which is probably a small factor contributing to why I have never been drunk (amusingly I was actually pressured by my Mum to drink some Pimms* the other weekend, one of the weirder experiences of my life). Then as to arguing with my parents and never having a detention, I don’t see the joy in deliberately agrivating someone and thus making life hard for everyone else, plus you miss out on so many long term gains (clothes shopping, convincing teachers that you really have just forgotten your homework**). So it’s not exactly as if the opportunity to be an awkard adolescent came to my thirteenth birthday party, but then I sent him away because he wasn’t invited to my future. The reality is I’m just a bit of a boring person.

Source

 Finally I have still got two years at school. And for the first time since primary school (I was very much an “ew boys” kind of girl) I’m going to be entering a mixed environment. Oh dear Lord no. I’m actually going to have to deal with those things with the penis things. And if it is anything like the taster days it will be very very awkward, because the boys and girls have such different reactions to the opposite gender invading their space. Us girls tend to get very excited at the sight of someone possessing a Y chromosome, and we all try to leap on them and claim them as ours. However we encounter a problem: we sort of… Terrify the boys? I mean the boys would stick together and not let any of us double X people in. They would stand so closely packed together it was physically impossible for us to infiltrate. On top of that, no matter where we were, this natural gender divide took place and it was firmly penis' on one side, vaginas on the other. I was rather amusing to observe, even more amusing for those  who had been to mixed secondary schools to watch just how socially inept we all were.

 Every now and then I find myself in the position of longing for the teenage hood that I’m currently living. I’m sitting here writing an angsty teenage post and claiming that I’m not a ‘proper teenager’. I think it might be finally time to accept and realise the adolescence is nothing like it is portrayed as in 90s teenage films and on the Disney channel. However I have my own kind of adolescence,  one which has become centered around education and the relationships I have with my friends. And with my current plans I can see awkward times ahoy, but maybe for the moment I should just celebrate the lack of events that will stop me being employed in the future.

Gwendolen

*I actually had to check how to spell Pimms. That’s how clueless I am when it comes to alcohol related products.

** This was 1) a huge lie- I honestly couldn’t be bothered to do it, however I had been such a good child in the past, she decided to trust me. MWUAHAHAHAHA. And 2) goes back to the motto which my father parted unto me of “Thou shall not be caught”

An oppertunity for extreme narcissism (Liebster Award post) ... Gwendolen

Hey Readers!

 Now we have been nominated for the Liebster Award by the lurvely Ella at the rather amusing Gorilla Legs (viel dank) we are now required to do a nice long post about ourselves which is 1) brilliant - I am quite literally my favourite subject, and 2) rather awkward because there is more than one girrly on this blog.

 But first- the boring bit. Kind of like the Ts and Cs.

• You have share 11 things about yourself
• You have to answer the 11 questions that your tagger has given you
• You have to choose 11 other blogs to nominate (that have under 200 followers - all about promoting hidden blogging gems and all that)
• And of course thank, and then link back to the person who nominated you!

 Essentially it's rather nice and productive chain mail/post :)

11 things about myself!

• I have a chronic case of verbal diarrhea (my main symptom being the constant use of 'vagina' in conversation) 
• Unlike most teenagers on the blog-o-sphere I am pretty uncreative and unarty, and am in love with most things to do with science, espeically human evolution (in an ideal world I would either go into paleoanthropolgy or act in the RSC)
• I have kept a diary of some sort that I have written in pretty much every night for the last six years.
• I am one of those feminists that is very proud of their bodies, in particular the specialist female chest appendages (as my friends know), which has led to events that may have or may not have earned me the nickname "The Lube-monster" (Dad if you're reading this there really is no need to ask, I shall just stand there awkwardly then slowly back out the room)
• I have lived in the same town for the full sixteen of years of my life (luckily it's the easiest in the UK to get out of on a regular basis) apart from a pretty damn awesome six month spell in actual Manhattan. 
• I have two silver awards in the UK Intermediate Maths Challenge. Beat that suckers. Amusingly, the first two years I did I failed in a rather shocking fashion. Essentially, you start with 30 points, then gain points for getting questions right (ranging between 1-10 points), then loose them for getting them wrong (between 1 and 3 I think) . In the first year I finished with 37. The next, with 32.    
• Sometimes I like to delude myself that I can sing.
• I am emotionally constipated, and so the moment the River Nile enters my tear ducts my natural reaction is: EMOTIONS? WHAT IS THIS? I MUST COUNTER ACT THIS COMPLETELY UNNATURAL DISPLAY OF BEING HUMAN WITH REALLY AWFUL COMEDY
• My body freezes in fear at the thought of sport. I then loose control of body and become a lump of flesh being hurled about a netball court.
• Career/University course wise, I have always an obsession with the letter A: Author, Archetect, Anthropology and Archeology, Acting etc
•  I am genetically programmed to find rowers rather attractive.

Now I believe I am to answer the questions posed to me by Ella....

1) Shrek or Ice Age?
Now I am slightly ashamed to say that I have hardly watched both, but what with my interest in all things prehistoric I'm going to have to say Ice Age.

2) If you were invisible for a day, what would you do?
Hang in the GB Rowing teams changing rooms/showers.

3) What is the colour of your walls/wallpaper in your bedroom?
Lilac.

4) Who is your current celebrity crush?
Well... Purely on attractiveness, Douglas Booth. On attractiveness/talent/elitism Benedict Cumberbatch (Someone once told me they could imagine me marrying him and I almost fainted with joy). Then my mind crush is Professor Alice Roberts.

5) If you could go back in time where would you go?
I have three places (cheeky me):

• Prehistory
• If I was 24, I would go back to Shakespearean England when Shakespeare was 18, change my name to Anne Hathaway, then may or maybe not become pregnant via him then force him to marry me.
• British Aristocracy in the 1920s.

6) What do you have an irrational fear of?
Hoovers when I am in bare feet.

7) What book are you currently reading?
.... I might be reading some Phillipa Gregory... BUT I do have "History of the Peloponnesian War" by Thucydides and "A Room of One's Own" by Virginia Woolf next on my reading list. So don't judge me.

8) Do you have a strange habit?
I do like this thing with my hands.

9) Do you read Rookie and why do you love it?
Err... Of course?  I love it because I get this great satisfaction from an international community :) I love it when people are able to connect through common interest (e.g. teenage angst) despite borders. Also it's pretty feel good.

10) What is your favourite song?
Depends what day of the week it is. I always go back to anything by Marina and The Diamonds, Florence, Walk the Moon, Haim, Abba, and of course there are loads of other songs that I love love loooove... But purely for the memories it contains, it will have to be "Tightrope" by Walk The Moon.

11) If you were trapped in a vat of food, and had to eat your way out, what food would you want to be trapped in?
Ok- I love lots of different food. But for this, it doesn't simply come down to what I like the most- it needs to be easy to eat, not too filling, easy to wash out your hair and not too claustrophobic. Therefore I will have to go with the chocolate mint thins from Waitrose.


Before I could post this we were also nominated by Lizzy at The Flight of The Flamingo (Thank you!!) so now I must answer even more questions!

1) What's your favorite book?
 Like most book lovers, there are so many that I just love - but if I was only allowed to take one with me to read in some weird kind of punishing afterlife, I would choose "The Illustrated Man" by Ray Bradbury"

2) What's your favorite song?
Well, I did post it above... But my favourite video has to be "How To Be A Heartbreaker" by Marina and the Diamonds. Purely for the feminist statement made. I swear.

3) What's your favorite Disney movie? 
 I'm not really a massive fan of Disney, but I did really enjoy Tangled :) 

4) What got you to start blogging?
I can't actually remember, but I know Cecily and I both really wanted to do it. Quite honestly, it was probably to boost my University application, however it has turned out to be sooooo much fun and brilliant fulfilling :)

5) Who are some of your idols?
I'm not a massive fan of idols, I mean there are people I admire, like Alice Roberts, but I don't know if I would say she is my idol...

6) Who are some of your celebrity crushes?
See above.

7) Who's your best friend and why do you love them?
I've got about six friends who I'm really close to and would say that they are all my best friends, even though I've know them for varying amounts of time (pretty much my entire life to less than a year) but I'm really close to all them, and love them because they let me be who I am, and don't question decisions about my life :)

8) What's your favorite part about yourself (physically or personality-wise)?
I love that I'm not worried about always looking good, and so I really don't care about making a massive idiot of myself.

9) Dark, milk or white chocolate?
I like them all, but dark chocolate tastes best in the evenings :)

10) What's your favorite band/musician?
It literally changes every week.

11) How long was the longest you have ever been from home? Where did you go?
When I was eight we moved to New York for 6 months, which is the longest I've been away from my English home, but I do consider New York to be home and that it is the place that made me who I am. So it would probably have to be like Spain for 2 weeks. I really am exciting.

... And we have been nominated by Batman at BATMANISREAL (Such an awesome name [aren't we popular?]), so now I have even more questions to answer!!!


1) First of all, how are you?
I'm pretty good. It's coming on midday and I only got up an hour ago, so I'm still in that kind of sleepy holiday mood. Unfortunately I have this cough that just won't go away :(
 
2) Favourite Album?
Depends on my mood:
Happy/celebratory etc: "Walk The Moon" by "Walk The Moon"
Angsty: "Electra Heart" by Marina and the Diamonds
Chill/ if I'm travelling: "An Awesome Wave" by Alt-J
 
3) Describe your favourite pair of socks
Just a grey pair of trainer socks
 
4) If you could permanently change (or fix) something, what would it be?
It might be a bit controversial, but I would bring back Grammar schools nationwide.
 
6) Least favourite book?
"The Pearl" by John Steinbeck.
 
7) How much cash do you have on you right now?
Considering I am in my pajamas and a hoodie; none.
 
8) How old are you?
16.
 
9) Film or digital?
I love the look of digital film, however I prefer to use digital.
 
10) Have you ever taken a stand? If so, how was it?
Cecily and I once took a stand against a group of girls in our class who wanted Leavers Onesies instead of Leavers Hoodies. This horrendous movement was eventually crushed by our Head of House telling them it was a "stupid idea".
 
11) Ever pulled a prank? If so, what was your best prank? If not, what prank would you consider pulling? 
 I once convinced one of best friends (as I like to remind her) that pigs "don't have balls, they have squares" and that Polar Bears "have three lungs" (the latter was helped by the fact my Biology teacher joined in).

And Questions for our nominees (that shall be in Cecily's post)

1) One Harangue?
2) One Fancy?
3) Favourite play?
4) Favourite quote?
5) Hidden Talent?
6) Favourite poem?
7) Favourite ice-cream?
8) Favourite place in your home country?
9) Strongest subject at school?
10) If you were guaranteed success in any career, what would you do?
11) You have a phone, a police box, a monocle and a piece of string. How would you determine the shape of the Earth?

That was a rather long post- but hey, now you know a whole load more stuff about me :) 

 Gwendolen

Diary of a Socially Inept Hermit: Part 2

Hey Readers!

 Before we begin: It's the Wimbledon finals weekend! Although I'm not a massive sports fan, this weekend has to be one of my favourite weekends of the summer. It's just a giant excuse to get together with friends and family, eat strawberries and cream and watch one the most simple of sports, tennis. However things aren't going away this year. Firstly, one of my friends does not like tennis and is refusing to let me watch it if we gathered at her house, therefore I have decided that Wimbledon is worth more than friends so I am stuck watching it with my family. Secondly, I am rather ill. It's not just hayfever (which is happening simultaneously) but it feels like beavers have climbed into my nose whilst sleeping, built a damn causing my nose to be permanently blocked, as well as a throat that feels like it has been torn to pieces by a bear. Thirdly, the likelihood that anyone will actually buy strawberries and cream is minimal.

 Now that's out of the way: back to the awkwardness that is my life!

Day 2

 After the traumatic experience of the trains the day before, Arawyn and I decided it would be best if we tried the bus. We found one that went via another school, about 5-10 minutes walk from the boys' school. Therefore I tottered up to the bus stop to meet her, only to be greeted with the news "The bus doesn't stop here." My heart sunk. Public transport has failed yet again. But then, a miracle! Two boys who went to the other school walked past our bus stop so we asked them where they got it, only to be told that the public cannot get that bus. Poo. There was a bus that was coming in five minutes that would take us in to the city where the school is, and after a couple of unsuccessful phone calls to parents, we decided we would have to get it and be late.

 Little known to us, that bus didn't stop at any of the villages on the way, so we managed to get to the city centre about twenty minutes before school starts. It was a miracle! And then right next to us was a bus going to the boys' school! Yet another miracle! With something finally going our way in regards to public transport, we walked over to the bus and it pulled away. Without us. We were a second too late and it had already started reversing. I hope you feel my pain. In a panic, we managed to get on the girls' school equivalent and thanks to some very helpful year 9s, we did managed to get into school fifteen minutes late.     

 Neither of us had a subject in Block E of our timetable, therefore we had to gather in the hall and embark on some 'bonding activities'. What fun. We had to do the standard activities of getting yourself in date of birth order without talking, and the human knot. The second one failed in a painful muddle of hilarity and swearing. The latter of which mainly came from me.

 Now we all bonded and chummy (I couldn't even remember people's names) we skipped off to our next lesson, which for me was English. We were doing the beginning of Othello, and after GCSE English, it was such a relief to finally have a good English lesson. The lesson started, as all good lessons do, with a conspiracy connecting Shakespeare and the King James Bible. Shakespeare was 46 when the King James Bible was published. And in the 46th Psalm, the 46th word in is 'Shake' and the 46th word from the end in is 'Spear'. Coincidence? Then we moved on the actual text, which I was not aware of was full of so many sex jokes. Now I read a lot of Shakespeare, I know the type of things that come up. But really. The enjoyment of this was added to by one of the guys in my class, N, was German and completely missed the references.

  Then I had my second and final maths lesson, which was the one of the dullest things I have had to sit through in my life. We were doing the mechanics component of the maths A-level, the SUVAT Equations to be specific. The maths itself was actually very interesting but oh dear Lord it was dull. Like people almost falling asleep dull. However it was rather easy, and although I could have answered most of the questions, as a general rule I don't as to not to annoy people, but I in one instance I had looked on ahead, and after a bit of thinking realised that the difference of two squares was going to come up, so when that stage had been reached I said "v squared minus u squared". Clearly this had impressed my teacher who asked for my name and told me how fantastic I was for being able to recognise that instantly. Yes... That is what I had done. But then, one of the boys in the back row said "That's the girl I was telling you about", then there was more sniggering/muttering, finished with the phrase "She's going to be a challenge." Oh Lord in heaven I was angry. Not least because I felt I had been labeled as a conquest but also I HAD NEVER SEEN THESE PEOPLE IN MY LIFE. HOW THE HELL CAN THEY BE TALKING ABOUT ME? Ok, they probably were in some other classes of mine, but I hadn't noticed them, and if I wasn't so polite and not entirely sure if they had actually said that, I would have given them something to talk about. In that I would be angry. Not anything else you cheeky monkeys ;)

 Before lunch all the external students had a meeting in the common room about life as an external student in the school, which was pretty standard. But then *insert baby voice* the boys girls had to be in different rooms so we don't hear about the secrets of the opposite sex. It was as you would imagine: if you're on your period, you're just going to have to get on with it (which I was rather dismayed at after reading this), don't wear short skirts (year 8s learn to gather at the bottom of the stairs) and don't be put off by how guys eat. Despite the patronising undertones of sexism, it was a rather amusing talk.

 The boys then filed back in and we all started on lunch. I was in a group with Arawyn, A, F and N, however we were next to a group of internal guys. One of these boys, by the looks of it, did want to sit with some of the mystical creatures that we are as girls, however was too nervous to leave the safety and comfort of the manly men, so ended up with his body facing us, and his neck twisted around to talk to his friends. It all looked rather awkward and painful.

 I finished with yet another awkward tutor group (externals clearly to manly [terrified] to mix with us vagina holders), and a very dull chemistry lesson.

 Going home, we once again became victim of the public transport, but you don't want to hear about that again. 

Gwendolen

   

Music Monday! Sunshine...

Hey Readers!

 The sun has got his hat on yip yip hooray! Heat has finally decided to hit England so it only seemed fitting if that this weeks theme should be:

SUNSHINE!

Cecily: "Here Comes The Sun" by The Beatles and "Island In The Sun" by Harry Belafonte

The first thing that immediately sprang to my mind with "sunshine" is this lovely song by The Beatles:

This other song by Harry Belafonte makes a good background for when you are pouring yourself home-made lemonade and dancing about the kitchen. Bonus points if it's on a record player and you are chatting with friendly ghosts that haunt your house a la Beetle Juice. Bonus bonus points if you are Winona Ryder (because I love you, that is, if you are Winona, if not, I may love you anyway, but you don't get bonus bonus points).
Also, the UK is technically an island, so I feel we should take the opportunity to blast this during the brief sunny spells to make pretending it is actually in the Caribbean easier.

Gwendolen: "Skirts" by The Other Tribe and "Anna Sun" by Walk The Moon

 Yay Sun! Yay Summer! Yay killer pollen keeping me locked up inside all day! Yay walks in fields causing allergic conjunctivitis! No really- I get pretty nasty hay fever and the pollen count has been super high this year so it really hasn't been that much fun this year. However it's not all bad. I mean I get to - ah no. There is literally no redeeming side to hay fever.

 I played this song rather a lot during the winter in hope that one day that great yellow orb in the sky might one day return, forgetting about the hoards of Gwendolen-slaying pollen.

Walk The Moon are my favourite band and always make me think of just dancing in the sun with friends and just being a teenager in general. Enjoy!

Gwendolen