we're off to see the wizard...

"The wonderful Wizard of Oz". It has been in my head since my friends and I decided we were dressing up as characters from the movie for "Muck Up Day". "Muck Up Day", or as the principal wants as to call it: "Celebration Day", is the final school day for year 12s. We dress up, watch a slideshow of lots of photos, do a concert for the rest of the school and go home early; it is our celebration together for finishing high school. Megan and Meaghan came up with the idea while looking in a costume shop. I am the Wicked Witch, Megan is Scarecrow, Meaghan is Dorothy, Jess is the Lion, and Hannah is Tinman. My mum is making all our costumes, and we are terribly excited, even though the actual day doesn't happen until the 20th of October. Still, it is our final day of high school and the high school/primary school process which has lasted for 13 years. That bit of our life will basically be over as of 20 October 2005. Granted, we have exams after that, but no more high school classes - ever. It is terribly scary!! Each time I calculate how many days of school are left (yes, I know I have written something along these lines in a previous blog), which currently stands at 12 days, I get completely petrified. COmpletely! After this is finished I have to be an adult. I will be 18 and have to face the real world, not the fun little world of high school, where every day is pretty much the same, and pretty much full from 9am to 3:15pm. My last exam is on the 16th of November, and I graduate on the 28th (I think) of November. Then it will be done. Then it will be over. Yes, I am a drama queen when it comes to this, but after 13 years, I have become slightly attached to schooling the way I know it. I have only ever attended two schools: my primary school and my secondary school. From prep to six at primary school, and seven to 12 at high school. That is all.. I should probably come to terms with it - hundreds, thousands, hundreds of thousand, millions of people have finished high school and gone onto other things - uni, work, etc... I want to go to uni. I really really want to get into one of the photography courses I have applied for. I doubt I will get into the Fine Art course, but the other three I might have a chance in. And if they fail, I think I am happy staying at home and going to the Uni which is 20mins by bus from my house - that is the Uni that I know, I have been there a number of times with school and my step-dad. I know that Uni, but I don't know the Uni in Melbourne, another reason I am freking out... But, I think I will be alright. In fact, I am determined to be alright, even successful, at Uni - whichever one I go to!

Ooh, my Media teacher today asked me, and two other students in my class, if we would like to be nominated, and enter, Top Arts, which is for the best students in Arts subjects from Victoria. I am excited about that. It pretty much means that we got an A or an A+ for our Media assignment - that was my magazine. I was proud of it, and now I am even more proud of it - that is, if it got me an A!! Very cool.

I should really get to doing some homework. I have my last English SAC on Friday, so I should study...

chocolate and pre-selection kits...

I went to see the new Willy Wonka movie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, last night. I really enjoyed it. However, through the whole movie I was expecting the characters to do things that were in the 1971 Gene Wilder version - but they didn't do them. Having the old movie in my head kinda spoiled last night because I was constantly waiting for things that weren't going to happen. But I did really enjoy it. It was a fundraiser for my year's (year 12) graduation at the end of the year. We got $3 per ticket, and I reckon we had about 200 people there - so I don't think it was a bad effort. Johnny Depp is great as Willy Wonka - he is sufficiently strange. And they added this great 'message' about how family is really important. Though I'm not sure I liked that bit - a bit to messy for this chcolate genius to be completely out of whack because his dentist father wouldn't allow him to eat chocolate when he was a boy. Oh well, I still enjoyed it!

I have been doing all these (four) pre-selection kits for the courses I applied for, for next year. Uni is seeming to be closer and closer, and the fact that I turn 18 in 31 days has just made the idea that I am growing up and moving on all the more prevalent. It is kind of scary, and has almost thrown me, that I will be 18 very shortly, and then I will leave high school (where I have been for the past six years), and I will move into the big wide world, and become independant. While I wouldn't start Uni until February of next year, just the graduating from high school is pushing me in the direction of 'adult-ness'. It's bloody scary! Then in a year and 31 days I will be 19 - and that sounds so different to 18, even though it is only a year difference. Don't you think 19 sounds really different to 18? I suppose everyone waits for 18, so school is often full of 18, or nearly 18, year olds. But after high school, you turn 19, then 20, and on and on and on... It just keeps going - right into the future. Ok, so now I sound insane, that I haven't really come to terms with the fact the I will get older and live my life, but until this year I hadn't really thought about it. I had always just seen finishing high school as a big milestone, and then Uni as something that is really far off - but now it is next year... Yes, I am freaking out... I think I need to go and ponder this idea of life, and develop some photos - which is what I am off to do now - yay!

Also, just a little add on, I wish Megan lots of fun teeth stuff - she is getting her brases off this morning!

interesting things...

I wish I had interesting things to write about, or an interesting way to right about things. So many blogs I read are written with such style - interesting language, thought-provoking comments, inspirational meanderings. My blog is just a jumble of a 17 year olds life.. oh so uninteresting..

I am slightly down today - is it obvious? And if I don't stop blogging now, I feel I will get even more down - toodles...

as promised...

Here are two examples of the pictures I took on Saturday night at Sweethearts Party '05:

Jessie singing

The bass player for Li'l Fi

I like them...

busy busy bee...

I have been very busy of late, and have had nothing really to write. But this morning I feel I should blog about something.

Some count downs:

• 86 days until my last exam
• 46 days until I turn 18
• 29 school days left

I am kinda freaked out by that last one - less than a month of school days until high school is finished...

I had a good weekend - indeed, a very good weekend! It was a friends 18th on Friday night - where, though parents were serving the alcohol, a fair bit was consumed (my new favourite - Midori and Lemonade!). The funniest bit though - when Jess opened a present and jumped back in, maybe, horror. The present: a garter belt! So very humorous!! Then, after presents, Hannah decided to decorate me as a present. I had wrapping paper and bows stuck on my head and clothes. We decorated Hannah as well, then went out to meet a friends dad in our finery - he was pleasantly amused! I think we got to bed at something like 2am, after, of course, the fortune telling with a deck of cards!

On Sunday night, the Sweethearts had their annual 'Party '05'. More drinks, some dancing and lots of photograph taking by me! I borrowed my aunties very cool camera (Canon 300D Digital SLR) and took 123 photos. Another late night. I took some cool pics, so I will put one or two up to show everyone.

In uni news - I have my pre-selection kit for BA Photography, but I still have to sort out the pre-selection kits for the other courses. I am so excited about it all. I have to get 15 5"x7" photos for the pre-selection kit, and write a bit about myself - should be interesting! I have to decide on the shots. I plan to include some flowers, some architecture, some live gig shots and some posed shots. Now to choose just 15! The BA kit has to be in by the 21st of October, and I'm not sure about the other kits - I should get to work..

I have finally sorted out my 8 preferences for VTAC Applications:

1. BA Photography
2. Scientific and Industrial Photography
3. Fine Arts Photography
4. Applied Photography
5. Bachelor of Arts
6. Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communications)
7. Bachelor of Psychology (strange choice, I know)
8. Bachelor of Arts (International Studies)

Should be interesting, and I have a preference session today so I will learn all about it.

Right now I think I better be off. I have a Media SAC this afternoon that I should really have thought about more thoroughly (it is about social values and Leave it to Beaver), and I have International Studies now. Joy...

RMIT yesterday...

I went to RMIT Open Day yesterday. I was really excited on my way there, but I left feeling strange. I have come up with a few reasons:

1. I feel nervous about leaving school
2. I feel inadequate with my own photos for my folio
3. I am over excited about everything - so am going insane..
4. I have too many choices, well two, but you know..
5. I am rethinking Photography as a path because I can't think of reasons why I want to do it except "I like doing it"

Maybe I am just over-thinking it; worried about nothing.. But it did help that I got to chat to James and Abby last night - they cheered me up!

Now I am off to study periods, to not do study... Maybe I will play some games, or ponder some more and add more to this entry.. who knows...

short posts...

I really am sick of short posts, but I can't think of much more to write, and lately I haven't had much time to write at all.

I finished my Media assignment last night - all finished. I just need to print it at school today and then get it printed tomorrow by a professional - well, OfficeWorks to be exact. But I think they can do I better job at the printing than my inkjet at home, or even the laser printer at mum's work that has nearly run out of ink. The magazine is 12 layouts. That is six layouts per issue, with two issues. Each issue has 12 pages, but in my head (and officially) that equates to six layouts. Hopefully that is ok.. I hope...

I am having a very big argument with my computer at the moment. Strange things keep happening with my iTunes and Adobe Photoshop programs. Well, maybe the iTunes issue is more an issue with my iPod. Files on my iPod keep 'corrupting' on me - they just won't work! I loaded stuff the other day, and now they have disappeared. It worked on my computer, but not on my iPod - I have no idea what is going on! And with Photoshop, when I exit the program it says there are problems and it has to quit - but it has already quit. And some files won't save as PDFs - argh!!

That is as long as this post is going to be - I have to go and do some work, and look after Megan. She doesn't seem very with it - so tired!!

media media media...

My magazine is nearly finished. One more article and a spell check/proofread and it's done. I am printing it on the weekend and then I might put some thumbnails of it up here or on my site. Joy!!

And it is RMIT Open Day on Sunday - I am very excited!!

jemmyB: a new look...

A kind of new look for my photography site jemmyB. Some new fonts, change of text, a few new colours. I think it will last for ages 'cause I like it. Though I'm not sure about the font yet.. Have to ponder..

And more pondering is to be done because, again, I have nothing to put here - so off I will go a-ponderin'.

new look...

Thought I would just post a little comment about my new look! I have been working on it for 3 and a half hours, instead of doing homework. I think it looks pretty good. A bit more me - an a bit more like my site. Groovy!!

nothing to say...

I really don't have anything to say. I don't even know why I am posting if I have nothing to say. I could tell you that I have just updated jemmyB with three new images. One of my sister, one of four coloured glasses, and one taken driving in a car with a slow shutter speed. I like the glasses the most - the colour worked really well. Or at least I think so.

Or I could tell you that I am trying to change this page to look "cooler". I have been fiddling with the code and am going to try and design my own colour scheme and images on the weekend. If I can work it out that is. I might be sitting online for a while whilst I try and figure that out..

Or I could even tell you that it is a casual dress day today because it is Jeans for Genes Day. And that I am wearing a scarf that I made from Italian wool and a t-shirt I bought at an op-shop. But that could be almost over-sharing.. Oh well..

winteryness and blogging...

It is the start of August. The beginning of the end of Winter. So many times I have said that I hate summer, but there are some days... You know those warm days that are just cheerful? They make you happy sitting in your summer clothes. Those days are the ones I can't wait for. I hate the days when all you want to do is sit in the freezer, they are horrid. You feel sticky and hot - not nice. Those days are the ones when I wish for winter, when you can snuggle up. I suppose I like all the seasons in their own way. Summer for the happy semi-calm that can come over people; the lazy summer feeling. Autumn for the leaves - crunch crunch! Winter for the lovely snuggly nights, when you can sit in bed or on the couch under a warm blanket and just make yourself like a bug in a rug. Spring for the flowers... and my birthday. They are all good in their own way. All enjoyable for at least part of the three months. And soon we will be in Spring. Only 31 days. Another cycle will have been complete. Another year. The next winter that comes around for me will be when I am at university (hopefully...). After August I will never have a winter as a high school student. I sound so melancholy. But I'm not. I am so excited about it all now. It has taken me a while to get here. I have had to find a focus for next year. When all my friends were leaving at the end of last year I felt slightly lost. I didn't have direction. I knew another year of high school was coming, but then what. I had no clue. I had no ideas. I felt lost so often. Now I have direction. Now I know what I want to do, what I would love to do. And I am excited - finally! I have something I feel passionate about. Finally. October 20th. The last day of year twelve - and finally I am working towards it, not trying to stay away from it.

Another of my friends has joined the blogging world. Megs at who burnt the biscuits? She has posted three times already. Actually, she is such a procrastinator I'm sure she will blog often! Welcome to Megs, from me!!

I think I should change the music I am listening to. It is making me slightly melancholy. Although it really is lovely music. It is New Buffalo. So pretty to listen to. And now it has changed. I am listening to my iPod on shuffle so I am getting all sorts of music - I mean, I do have 2374 tracks on my iPod and their vary from the Spice Girls to Bob Marley, and Ash Grunwald to Basement Jaxx. Now Ruby's Grace is playing, but they have broken up so I don't have a link for them. I love listening to my iPod on shuffle, you get to listen to all those songs you never think to listen to. Songs that you know, and have loved, but aren't always remembered. Or songs that you can bop along to that you forgot you had at all, or didn't think you had. They're the fun ones to here. Often so random. Actually, last time I listened to my iPod on shuffle the order of three songs that I remembered because they were so strange were:

1. Wannabe - Spice Girls
2. Rhapsody in Blue - Larry Adler (written by Gerwhin)
3. Naked and Famous - President of the United States of America

I thought it was fun!

weekends and confessions...

Well, not really confessions, but it sounds impressive..

I went to my dad's this weekend. And I am angry with him. I could handle it when he said he wasn't going to be at my 18th, he hasn't really been at any of my birthday parties since I was six and our family was actually still together. But last night he told me he wouldn't be at my graduation. Sure it doesn't seem like much, but my pissed off-edness has been boiling and this has just pushed me too far. Sure, I might seem like a melodramatic young girl, but it means something to me, so I think I have the right to vent - vent, vent, vent. Grr.. I don't really feel like having another bitch session about my father here, let's just say I am actually angry, rather than pissed off, and leave it at that.

That's all I wanted to write, nothing else to say. I should be doing homework instead of writing, so I should go do homework - hopefully it will get my mind off my anger..

the draft...

This is a bit of my draft for my English SAC - no one steal it!

As she sits she stares. Stares at the world. Stares in wonder. Stares at nothing but life. All around her is life. The buzzing of the bees and the growth of flowers. The sun shining down on the world. Each element works in harmony to create an oasis, a sanctuary. It is peaceful here. All she can hear are the birds in the trees and water in the river. All she can see is nature. There are no visible manmade objects. She is secluded.

As she sits she stares. Stares at the world. Stares in wonder. Stares at nothing but life. All around her is life. The honking of horns and the clatter of trams down the street. The sun shining down on the world. Each element competing for priority and creating chaos. There is no peace here. She can always hear cars or trucks. Occasionally a bird might tweet but manmade objects drown out the bird’s song. She is in the hustle and bustle of a city. She is in a metropolis.

Two experiences. Two locations. The world allows for both to exist, often simultaneously. Contrasts allow for new experiences. Contrasts help us to understand. The beauty of nature and the cement city may seem like two sides of a coin but they both exist in one world. In one life. For one person.

If anyone reading this has an opinion on it please tell me. I really want some feedback!

media on my mind...

This week is magazine week - Monday I worked on my media assignment for 5 hours, yesterday was 4.5 hours, today will be similar, tomorrow I have the whole day at school to do it (it is a pupil free day) and Friday I will have only 1.5 hours. Hopefully this thing gets completed on time...

I have an English Creative SAC next week - and no ideas about what to write. Well, that isn't quite true, just no ideas that I really like or think I could make into good pieces of work. I had an idea of doing a really descriptive piece, then do something about contrasts (between locations or stories), then I thought about putting these together. My latest idea was to write a piece focussing on two people in two different locations noticing what is around them - one in the country being 'free', and one in a traffic jam in the middle of a city feeling very 'un-free'. The two locations would alternate between paragraphs - one paragraph in the country, one in the city, one in the country, and so on and so forth. I'm not sure if I will follow this idea through or not. I kind of like it, but I'm not sure if I can make it descriptive enough, it may just end up being boring and not achieving anything I want it to - grr... I always hate creative pieces because I am not good at them, and I can't decide on one thing and follow it the way I imagined, like I do in report style essays. I did have the start of the piece though:

As she sits, she stares. Stares at the world. Stares in wonder. Stares at nothing but life.

That is all I have and I have to write it next Wednesday or Friday - I should really try harder in English, and leave my magazine alone for a while... School...

fifty and counting...

This is my 50th post! Oh yeah...

Big weekend, now I am tired. I went to two Eighteenths (one of which I got tipsy for the first time at) and had lunch with some friends. I actually managed to catch up with all my good friends in one weekend - I think the last time I achieved that was my birthday when they were all invited. Amanda's (on Friday night) was the party at which I got tipsy for the first time. It was all lovely until about 11:15pm when Ben realised that in 45mins his dad would be their to pick him up - and Ben was drunk!! He had drunk nearly a whole bottle of Vodka and two Red Eyes, so he wasn't quite with it. James (the other least drunk, but more drunk than me) and I looked after him and attempted to get him to calm down. He didn't and he got busted. I was telling people at school today how I had got tipsy for the first time on Friday and they laughed at me because I was treating it like a big achievement - well, it is for little 17 year old me! And my mum was teasing me about it! I kept denying that I was tipsy, because I didn't feel all that different, but she insisted that I was and that I should make sure I take some panadol and drink some water before I went to bed. At least I didn't throw up like some of the other guests...

negative and postive...

I developed my first films today! Actually, it was lots of fun and I am quite proud of myself - I did it on my own (after being run through the procedure). I freaked out a little bit on the second one when I could get the film onto the reel while in the bag-thing, but it sorted itself out! I must say, I think I need a better timing device for next time. I had no idea what the times were, and I was using my watch for a minute timer which wasn't really working. When I print some of the photos I will scan them and put them either here if I'm not 100% fond of them, or on my website if I love them. How exciting!!

the moment...

At the moment I am preparing for a Creative Writing SAC for English. I'm not very confident in my creative writing skills so this has been quite daunting. I think I have come up with an idea for my piece, though I'm not sure how successful I will be at making it what I want it to be. My idea is to write a piece about a woman sitting under a tree in the middle of no where and just noticing what is around her, discussing what is going on in her head and what her mind is pondering. The only problem with this is that I have never been a very descriptive writer, but I suppose that makes it a challenge. I wanted to set it in a beautiful and lush forest somewhere in spring, but I am worried that the setting is too "old", too "already done"... I might just try it anyway.

Today while I was baking biscuits (I got home from school an hour earlier than usual so I figured I would make something for my family) I noticed the tap dripping. The first thing I noticed was the light flare that was created when the drip formed and the sun light from the window hit it. I grabbed my camera and started taking photos. But the light flare just wouldn't be captured - it was elusive! What I did get, though, was the drip:

I thought it was cool..

philosophy and magazines...

I have been watching (and watched, now that it is finished) the mini-series Sophie's World on SBS. And I adore it!! I have had to tape each weeks because I have been out, and then when I watch them I refuse to let anyone interrupt me because I have to read the subtitles. I love getting lost in the sounds of the characters speaking Norwegian. And the very classic (and much repeated by Johanna and I):

Hilde Moller Knag (with a line through the 'o', but I don't know how to do that)

Jo and I were repeating it over and over today, annoying Hannah absolutely and completely in the process!! Sophie's World was very well done. However, I haven't read the book so I don't know if it stays true to the original. But I did love it. I loved the fact that I knew some of the philosophers and what they thought as soon as I heard their name (thanks to studying philosophy at school for two years). About Plato and Socrates, Kierkegard (unknown spelling) and Copernicus. It was a great series!

And my magazine is slowly getting there. Slowly... I have just done another 'photo shoot' for it - the cover of the second issue. Another cover with Sarah featuring. She is a good model, I have no idea what I am doing and she is good about it and seems to have fun. Now I am off to find and source some more images that I will be needing for some of the articles. Let's hope I can find what I have in mind!

school is boring...

Yes, school is boring. But oh well. At least something interesting is happening today. The Minister for Education is coming to school and I am getting out of IPM to take photos of her while she is here. There is some official reason why she is visiting this region, but I don't actually know what it is. All I know is she is coming to play for the Sweethearts and that my photos may eventually end up in the school newsletter and the school annual magazine at the end of the year - I mean, I am the official assistant photographer for the magazine, and lots of my photos have already been layed out ready for printing!!

That was so exciting yesterday seeing my photos layed out for the magazine. The teacher in charge came to show me the pages and to check some of the people who appear in the photos so they can have their name in the magazine! The layout looks really cool. There is a background image and some smaller images sitting on top that are framed like a polaroid - I was excited..

Another exciting thing, for me at least, is I am currently invited to the most party's ever at once. Did that make sense? At the moment I am invited to three party's, never before has this happened. I have been invited to two at once, which was three weeks ago, but never any more. I have my cousin's on Saturday night of this weekend, Amanda's on Friday night of next weekend and Erin's the day after Amanda's (on Saturday). They are all night party's too, which I suppose is what one would expect for a 20th and two 18ths. Now all I have to do is find presents. Three of us are giving Erin one particular present (which I won't write here, not that Erin will read it, but you know), and there was talk about me and another two people joining our funds to get Amanda something cool, but currently we have no real idea what to get. I know what I will get Amanda if I get something smaller, but I have no idea for big presents.. And Georgia (cousin) will get something from the family, so mum has to buy that.

And do you what? The rest of my life is boring school, so because I don't have anything left to say except to waffle on about school, I now plan to scoot - buh-bye!!