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December 24, 2010

Friday. merry christmas eve!



it's beginning to feel a lot like christmas. kind've
with all the rain we've had in the south east lately it just hasn't felt very festive. but here we are, up late on christmas eve, listening to various carols ceremonies as we flick through the TV channels. rum balls in the fridge, chocolate pudding in the oven, and caramel tarts on the bench; their sweet aroma slowly drifting throughout the house. wrapping paper can be found strewn randomly in every direction as everyone rushes to get their presents finished in time. little bits of green plastic "leaves" from our fetching fake christmas tree arn't so easy to get ahold of.

also, as seen in today's picture, i have new glasses :) they are purple. not a surprise, i'm sure. i am also in my lovely hot pink work outfit. oh so attractive ...

my favourite christmas song this year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeuLTEXazJs

Merry almost Christmas!

bye for now
xR

December 22, 2010

Thursday. re: war

here are the results from the poll that's been up for about a month.

Q.Do you think it's worth keeping our troops deployed in the middle east?
Yes - 2 votes (7%)
No - 23 votes (85%)
Undecided - 2 votes (2%)

#justsaying
R

December 17, 2010

Saturday. results



we received our senior schooling results today. each person who completes secondary college (year 12) receives a QCE - Queensland Certificate of Education. we also receive an OP score - Overall Position. it's set on a scale from 1 being the highest achievement to 25 being the lowest. OP1s are quite difficult to acquire; but well worth the effort i believe, as they garantee you entry into any course you desire at university. most schools aim for their students to receive an OP1 - OP10.
i awoke this morning bright and early, eager to find out my results. the course i listed as my first preference for university next year is a Bachelor in Education - Primary. teaching. this requires an OP between 1 and 13.
i received an OP9! this means i am almost certainly going to study at my preferenced university, doing the course ive always known i would love.
oh dear. i guess it's time to think about growing up then..

xR

December 16, 2010

Thursday. moments in time



some people say adolescents don't know the true meaning of love. that we can't feel true love at its fullest. we are, after all, still growing. still maturing. i don't know, sometimes i agree with this. but then something amazing happens and i feel complete. i think teenage love is the most potent. the most innocent (most of the time). the most fleeting, perhaps, but still... it has purpose. meaning. in this moment; in this time. in this phase of our lives. it makes us feel confident in our own ways and casts our self-concious thinking and endless worries to the winds.
after all, what's more important in life than this moment? this one fleeting moment.

xR

December 12, 2010

Monday. belief



i wouldn't say i'm a very religious person... my family doesn't go to church or bear crosses. there are just some things i believe in. i believe that there is a sort of balance in the world; good and evil, light and dark, a balance between what we desire and what we receive. a balanced universe, for whatever reasons.
i believe that death is necessary to the circle of life. i'm not quite sure what happens after death; an afterlife? reincarnation? making myself believe there is something to look forward to makes it a whole lot easier to accept death as a part of life.
most of all, i believe in fate - everything happening for a reason, and everything being part of a larger plan. not created by a greater being, but by life itself. that makes sense, right? this in turn makes it easier to accept things that happen. events that we can't control, and mistakes that we make.
i like to believe i am open minded.

xR

November 29, 2010

Monday. seventeen



yes, last week i finally turned seventeen.
no, i don't feel any older, more responsible, or more mature than before.
i just feel like me.

xR

November 28, 2010

Monday. identity



what's in a name? would a rose, by any other name, smell as sweet? individualism is cherished and praised in most places around the world. we, and we alone, decide how we want to be viewed by others. what we want associated with our names. what images, colours, scenes, come to mind when you think of someone close to you? when naming children, we often steer clear of names of people who have done us wrong in the past. superstition perhaps? my name is rhiannon; this means "nymph". however, i was almost named kimberley; which means "royal forest" or "meadow". the truth is, there is no personality trait associated with any one name. identity is flexible. we have the power to redefine who we are, and how we are perceived as a person.
what's in a name?

xR

November 18, 2010

Friday. graduation



a short post today.
i have just graduated high school and feel... ecstatic! tonight i will be joining my brother at his formal and graduation; i am so proud of him and all he has achieved in the last twelve years, and want to wish him all the luck in the world for whatever he chooses to persue in life. i love you brother.
happy 'spring break' everyone!

xR

November 17, 2010

Wednesday. nature or nurture?



the nature/nurture debate is something i find very interesting and thought provoking.. i have heard both sides of this debate many times at school, as i took both biology and study of society as electives during my senior years.
some people believe that when a someone is born, it is their environment that shapes who they will become as a person. this is the sociological perspective. they believe that children are a blank canvas, ready to be painted with whatever colours and images those around them see fit. there are so many different sociological theories surrounding the behavioural and psychological development of children, and how they are effected by their surroundings as they mature - right from infantry. the other side of the debate argues that people are born with certain characteristics; predispositioned for violence and aggression, perhaps... or born with an unbelievable musical talent. both sides of this debate are reasonable, and provide evidence to support. so much so, that i believe both theories to be right; but only to an extent.
i have myself witnessed great joy in the past few weeks, with the arrival of two new little nephews and a second cousin. born into homes full of love and adoration.

xR

November 15, 2010

Monday. perspective



have you ever looked into a mirror, only to see through another mirror? double reflections.. ever held a mirror up behind your head to see what your hair looks like? maybe gone into a change room where on every wall hung a full length mirror, and looking into one meant looking through to another? i hope i havn't lost you yet..
i find myself lost in these reflections; these reflections that seem to give a whole new image of what was previously there. to see yourself from a new angle, from a new perspective. to see yourself how others see you. to see yourself and, just for a moment, mistake your own reflection for someone else.
ive often stood outside a classroom, looking behind me via the reflective windows, thinking.. this must be how new students see the grounds. unfamiliar and confusing. am i making sense?

xR

November 13, 2010

Sunday. hands



i believe you can tell alot about a person by their hands. hands are, after all, one of the few places on the body that usually remains untouched by surgery or beauty products. makeup and botox have no effect on someone's hands. people arn't often aware or self concious about their hands. they generally don't worry about how they look or are presented. next time you see someone standing in the street, take a look at their hands, and let me know what you think. dont stare for too long though, people will think you're odd. although you probably are, if you're staring at someone's hands in the first place. what?

xR

Saturday. arias



the Arias are music awards held in australia, for mostly australian artists. in previous years, it's suffered with ratings and the general structure of the awards show has been a bit ... dodgy (to say the least).
this year was no different. when you talk about the music industry, as large a concept as that term covers, you expect a certain standard. a certain amount of style and extravogance. this year, they for some reason decided to hold the awards not inside the Sydney Opera House (an amazing venue) - but rather on the steps outside the building. what? why? there was no set stage or seating - the artists and band members stood and drank with other industry names in a huge mass. there were award presenters and hosts sprinkled around the mass. when the musicians actually realised they had won an award, (when band PowderFinger were finally tracked down they had to ask the presenters what the award was actually for) they then had to dodge through everyone to try and find the presenters - who were so mismatched and ridiculously unrehearsed it was actually funny. one presenter, Jessica Mauboy (previous winner of Australian Idol) was reading the autocue and incorrectly cited "debut" as "de-butt"... she did this multiple times. i could have cried.
but really, the awards were in shambles. some musicians were rumoured to actually be high at the point of their award acceptance. add together awkward, mismatched presenters and hoards of drunk industry members and you have yourself one giant afterparty looking awards ceremony. you've done it again, australia. i guess that's what you get in one of the most relaxed, blasé countries in the world.

xR

Saturday. vacation



so i have almost officially graduated from high school, and i can't help but feel a little empty. school runs most of our lives when we're adolescents - we dedicate our weekends and time after school to homework and assignments, plus the obvious six hours a day, five days a week that we actually spend at school. so now that we've almost finished, now that we're on vacation, what exactly are we meant to do with our time?
most people my age answer with sleeping or just chilling out. but when you're used to having your friends nearby for six hours every day, and suddenly you now have to make an effort in order to catch up with them, chilling out isn't that easy anymore. we have no school work or assignments to finish on vacation. no real responsibilities (unless we're working part time). nothing urgent to take up our time. nothing purposeful. just eager, nerve-racking ancitipation as we wait to enter the next phase of our lives. adulthood. eugh

xR

November 12, 2010

Friday. gaga



the music industry has produced some pretty amazing talent thus far. sometimes, there are artists that stand out from the rest. sometimes there are artists that create their own style and genre. lady gaga is a genius in my opinion. the fact that she can wear ridiculous costumes and be in general pretty outrageous, and be renowned for it, is something i find admirable though oddly confusing. it's one thing to have talent, but it's another thing to be unique and make your mark. in the short time she's been out in the industry, she's attracted so much attention from her out there outfits and controversial video clips that she's probably more known for that than for her actual music.
however, for some insane reason, this is also why some people don't like her.. which is really quite silly in my opinion. to dislike someone and their music purely because you don't understand their unique style and dont approve of their individual choices in the music industry is silly. if we go through life with the same sounding artists and bands, there can obviously be no progression.

xR

November 8, 2010

Monday. war



so it's a pretty topical issue at the moment, with troops from all over the world being deployed to third world nations. there are so many reasons or excuses that try to explain why we do this. nations that can't take care of themselves, and nations that are corrupt and full to the brim with genocide, violence, serious justice issues. poverty-stricken communities that don't have a functional political or policing system. although i feel for these nations and their peoples, sometimes i think the war against terror and continual deployment of troops to these nations comes at a loss. what proof do we have that we are actually making a difference over there? as more bodies are shipped home, where is our evidence of success? i dont see the justice in losing lives to save lives; just to show we care. sometimes it doesn't seem worth it. maybe they should set up a reality show so we can see what they're actually doing, instead of all the secrecy and guesswork. maybe im just a child with a child's perspective.

at the recent awards night at my school, a student who attended a few years ago came to present an airforce/etc endorsed award. under the tight chin strap and khaki uniform i hardly recognised him. it took me a good ten or so minutes to realise i remembered seeing this boy frequently around the school. the host for the evening mentioned his acheivements, adding that he was recently sent to afghanistan. my heart sunk at that point. he seemed like a different person to the slouched school boy i remembered. he was definately... disciplined. it amazed me just how different he seemed after what must've been a life-changing experience. i think i overheard him saying afterward that one of his friends had died during the deployment. sad.

xR

October 29, 2010

Friday. blogs



i like the idea behind keeping diaries and blogs. i guess i like having something concrete that i can put my name to. something i can look back and think yeah, i made that. yeah, im proud of that. i also like the idea of something tangible living on past you.
however, you have to be careful i guess. careful that you dont leave something you arnt proud of. something that could be harmful to someone or their reputation. you dont want to write a blog straight after a fight, or while angry or upset at someone. that's just a recipe for trouble and pointless drama; the last thing we need in the world.

xR

October 23, 2010

Saturday. driving




We get our learner's lisence when we turn sixteen. Although i've been sixteen since last november, i only got my L's lisence this july. Although i've had my L's since july, i only went on my FIRST driving lesson this morning. oh dear! i only steered the car while the professional instructor worked the pedals and gears. It was still quite scary. we went over a few mountain/windy roads. through main road intersections. I am slightly thanataphobic - so my instructor reminding me that "there are no garantees in life" and that "anyone can die at anytime on the roads" sort've freaked me out. Also, letting me know that "someone might have a heart attack and go through traffic lights and hit you" didn't restore my confidence in driving. I have another lesson next saturday. Please schedule a drive if you have heart problems.
A lot of my friends, the same age as me, have their Provisional lisence (P's) already. They drive us around sometimes - they don't need an adult in the car supervising them while they drive anymore.

The system is a bit strange and tedious - when you turn sixteen you can get your L's lisence. After a year and 100 hours of driving in varied conditions, you can get your Green P's. After another year, your Red P's lisence. After this, you are finally on your "Open" Lisence - which basically means you can drive anywhere at anytime with anyone in your car. You are finally free. This couldn't come sooner to some teenagers. This liberates them i guess - still at school and living at home, they don't get much independance or freedom.

I don't mind not being able to drive very well yet. My little suburb is filled with buses that go straight to the city. There are even buses that go directly to my university, so that covers next year. I don't mind still being dependant upon my parents.

xR

Saturday. uni



University. about 30% of graduates from our school end up at uni the year after grade twelve. Im planning to go to a prac-based university here in the city doing a bachelor of education. I always knew i was going to be a teacher. I've never really thought of what else i would/could do. People have been telling me lately that there are no jobs around for teachers at the moment. This scares me - more so because i have no idea what else i would do, if i weren't teaching...
A few friends of mine were recently accepted into the state university here. It's known as the top university - the academic one. They are both doing a Bachelor of Music, and i'm so very proud of them. They are both very academic students, which is why they aspired to go to this particular university. It's the best in the state, in many aspects. Me on the other hand, i prefer sub-standard.

what?

xR

Saturday. hola



My name is Rhiannon. i am Sixteen. I'm almost finished with High School. I am lucky to have a boyfriend whom i love, and who treats me well. I have three best friends; they are like sisters to me and i love them with all of my heart. They are usually more like family to me than my actual blood relatives. Yes i sneak out. No i won't break into your house or steal from your store, so please stop glaring at me. I have a job at a jewellery store. Every girl's dream, right? I come from a broken family. They're hard to deal with sometimes, but i manage. I like taking pictures. I have too many on facebook. It's a little sad, really. i overempathise, overdramatise, and i dont easily forgive and forget. i dislike grudges, but i find i can easily have them. i like to think i'm mature enough to know everything about the world, but the fact is i dont; in this way, i'm much like every other teenager.