how long has it been ???

I'm listening to Kings of Leon songs again,

then I looked at the dates and was surprised when I realised it was 8 years ago that I first hear them!

I was in the middle of high school. So much has happened since then.

I clearly remember Kings of Leon being very popular at that time here, and I absolutely loved 'Revelry'!  Ofcourse I would, listen to it and it's like you could so easily drift off into a dream.

2016 New Year's resolution???

I spent New Years in asia town.

I couldn't be bothered with a NY resolution last year, because I was actually feeling quite okay, happy with myself, etc.  I thought I'd just let things be.  It ended up being one of my calmer years, maybe even the calmest.  Probably because I was less involved with other people's shit, and spent more time on myself.
I also became more aware of myself without doing any soul searching on purpose.  I became even more comfortable, but i still got a few more trials to get through.  I realised so many other people just don't care or think the way i do, even though they say such things.  I became more understanding of other people, but i also learnt to not deal with other people's bullshitiness.
My interests also changed a lot.  I've made long term plans in the past but they've gone through so many changes.

Now I decided i should go with a resolution this year, just to see if i can achieve it.
So here is some things i'd like to do:

Be more artsy: more time drawing and actually try to paint well and do a good canvas artwork. I got to experiment more to improve.
&
Backpack and travel! for a decent amount of time.  Over a month all together would be great. Hopefully I can find a place to stay in and explore for a three month period!  I'm thinking a week in New Zealand, and a week in Japan.  Maybe even go to Spain.

Things that were in 2015

Things I can remember I did in 2015:

Joined over 5 protests
stormed City Hall
cut my hair the shortests it's been since i was 5
graduated university
began spanish
went to byron bay for semester break
stayed in a hostel
stayed in  a huge TP for a night
saw hockey dad twice
week trip to butuan/Cebu
went through mindano on a bus alone
became more aware and happier about myself
got a new computer
worked at the ekka
worked in  a themed food van
more into casual simple fashion
unhappily spent 500 on j-fash
used a cat calendar - only cat thing in my room
interest in america and backpacking born
tweeted a lot
deactivated fb
lost interest in japan and japanese
stayed up all night in the city in  a net cafe
drank a lot but stayed in moderation 95% of the time
began hanging out with guys only
affirmed idgaf about gender
tried street fundraising
made a real friend that i stayed in contact with out of uni
made plans and actually met with a friend from HS
only went to one convention
first time not going to conventions in my city
kissed a girl, no open mouth but still counts
traveled nearly 2 hours to get to another campus
hang gliding and steered myself
kissed 5 guys in one night
in a club with a bunch of randos till 3am
spent so much time playing games
so emotionally invested in LiS
fell in love with everyone in mgsv TPP
made my own dress for a ball
went into crazy legal battle involving rent property
existed by myself for a while
lived like a swagman
made my own fires
dieted like crazy
used an  air bed and floated a kilometre down the bay to another house
cared for 3 kittens for like a month
no new year resolution but i think it was the calmest year

maybe i should make a resolution for this year...

Book Challenge 1

1. Best book I read last year
 Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys. by Viv Albertine
An autobiography on her life!  It's sometimes so brutally honest, that even i am wondering how she could be so open about things.  But then i'm grateful, because it was like she really let us in.  It also really reminds you that any person you see as a celebrity, icon, or idol, is still so human like the rest of us.  And it makes you wonder that such people that so many fans feel they have a strong connection with, have things about themselves that they feel insecure about and may never give you the chance of knowing.  It's also gives some insight into how things really were in certain places at certain times that has made some great history in culture. 

2. A book you've read more than three times
The Magic Porridge Pot
This one:

I read this when i was around 6 or 7, and i still have the book even though it's falling apart and the cover is kept seperately.  I'm super sentimental about it.  I enjoyed the story and would think about it a lot.  However, i spent most of my time just looking at the illustrations.  I would imagine what i would have done, and what i would do if i was in the books world!  Not surprisingly, I also really love porridge.  My Nana would sometimes make porridge for us that i imagined would taste like the porridge in the book.  Except for the added sugar of course.  Even as a 15 year old when i had to stay over at Nana's a lot, i still went off into the books world in my head while i was eating breakfast.

3. Your favourite series
Chemical Garden Trilogy by Lauren DeStefano
I got into this with thanks to a high school assignment.  I'm so glad i didn't settle on easy options that the teacher gave us, and that i took my time literally scanning nearly every book that the librarians picked out for us instead.  I put nearly every book, because I found Wither towards the end of the pile, and i made my decision almost immediately.  I think i did okay on the assignment, but i continued to follow the author after it.

Book Challenge 2

I nearly forgot about my blog again.
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4.  Favourite book of your favourite series
In the Chemical Garden Trilogy, by Lauren DeStefano, my favourite chapters would have to be those that are set in the 'twisted' carnival in book two - Fever.  Reading it made me feel like I was in a hazy dreamy nightmare.  To me it was a sad, grotesque, and superficially beautiful place.

5.  A book that makes you happy
 ummm, every book i've ever read.

6. A book that makes you sad.
There's two, and they can't compete.
The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien
This book actually has me quite happy at the start.  Then I'm either scared or laughing through most of it.  It is considered a 'children's book', and it is so much simpler compared to the LOTR trilogy, but I feel so strongly about the end!  The battle at the end is so dramatic, and what happens to Bilbo and the rest of the company is quite heartbreaking.  My heart actually broke.  The farewell to me was so upsetting.  In the pages describing Bilbo's journey back, I couldn't help but feel depressed.  I knew from the start he was going to return and not be the same person again (like when anyone travels to a completely different place for the first time and has life-changing experiences), but I didn't expect to get such a strong sense of it by reading the hobbit. Of course I became happy again when Frodo etc was mentioned and the first few pages of FOTR was included.

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
When such an emotionally powerful book is read to you when you're ten, over weeks with a class of close friends and the best teacher ever, and that teacher cries as she reads certain dialogue, it's a book that will stick with you for life.  I read it myself five years later and loved it even more.  It's a beautiful book that I would recommend to everyone.

Today ...

I got home like at 6.30 in the morn.
It was not the greatest night out, but it wasn't bad either. I got to see some places i've never been to before, but then i also saw how shit some could be when there's no hype.
At the end of the "night" we ended up walking from the clubbing district to the CBD where my friend lives.  We couldn't be bothered ubering, and i actually thought we were walking to find food and water. We ended up in the usual fucking place. or more like the kebab shop there.  And we saw the usual place regular and had an awkward conversation with him.  The night was so boringly weird that we kicked a bottle-cap the whole way and even rescued it from the sewers when we were like 20 metres from the end.
Then the bus ride home was peaceful, and i basically daydreamed the whole way about some fictitious relationship that so damned perfect it could never be real. ever. not even close. in any universe whatsoever.  The sun was already up so i felt quite awake.
The bus i caught was like the last service of a super early 'night' bus route.  If you get on from the first stop, it's funny to see other people in desperate need of a bed at all the other stops, and to watch them grab their friends who have basically passed out.  Yes alcohol and drugs is bad for you, and bad things happen, but you can't deny how funny some things can be!  It's also wonderful to see people's passed out faces resting against the windows if you're the one to get on the bus at a later stop.
I also love how organised the night bus is.  It is for safety, and i feel like it's kind of aiding people to get wasted, but it seems so friendly!  The bus stops usually have two people helping passengers get on the right bus, then another worker on the bus making sure people get off the right stop.  I'm not sure if it's changed now, but the first few times i took it, i was dropped off as close as possible to my place.

Writing challenge ! and high school was not so great

I was going to practice creative writing, even though i'm more into visual creativity.
But i wanted to know my capabilities if i did put effort into writing like a short story.
I also wanted to explore this because i never really got to even in school.  My english teachers were good people, but they never really taught me anything, and the curriculum was (and might still be) absolute shit.  I did explore interesting subjects for assignments, but i feel like i never got to practice the detailed techniques that could have given me better marks for those assignments. 
I know if i practiced i could do okay.  Most of my assignments in uni were done within a day, with hardly and editing or revising, and I still got around 70%+.  My new media subject in high school also taught me how to write something and i got my first and last ever A for a writing assignment.  But my English classes were basically given a sheet that said 'structure' on it, and that was it. Intro, Body of a few paragraphs, Conclusion with recommendations.  That was it.  My school was pretty shit.
My school was also shit because they got rid of the only subject i was looking forward to on the year i was about to enter. Even though the subject was pointless to the majority, i saw it as really important for my future, and i still feel the same way. fuck you forever.

Then i got distracted and instead of creative writing, i'm gonna do a little challenge list i found on pinterest! I guess i failed that already.  Or i'll just put it on hold and get back to it 11 years from now.  It's based on books, so i think i'll just pick several from the list and move on to another list.  I haven't really read too many books in the past few years, at least compared to my high school days.  But i'm still getting through some, and there's a few on my wishlist because i go into bookstores quite often for a whole bunch of reasons.  That's one thing i miss about high school though.  I could read so much, and i did that now i've forgotten so many titles but i remember all these stories.  It's frkn confusing

This is the first list: