Extended Agony

A 4,000 word essay entitled:

To what extent are the compositional techniques of Arvo Pärt in ‘Silouans Song’ and Corelli in his Concerto Grosso ‘Christmas’ different?

WHAT WAS I THINKING?

Just letting you know I'm not dead. Yet.

Sayonara.

Negligence

My apologies for not writing sooner, but stuff's been happening these past few days. Germany was bloody fantastic though.

Day 1: The trip out there.

A 12 hour coach journey may not sound like the best way to start a trip off for everyone, but it was the best trip in ever. I don't even know what made it good, just so much fun. We stopped off at one point and did this about 10 times:

We actually arrived in Hanau like 1 in the morning, so everyone was a bit tired. I tell you this, sitting in a left hand drive car and driving on the right hand side of the road is one of the most surreal experiences ever. AND Germany is SO clean. Like, MONICA CLEAN. My German family took me to their house and told me I had my own flat upstairs, complete with kitchen! They also found it very funny that I liked coffee. My room looked like this:

That's my mess by the way, it was very clean when I got there. When I arrived, I slept.

Day 2: Concert Day!

Well, first of all there was breakfast, which was very nice, though apparently I eat very little in relation to the amount that German people eat. And EVERYONE'S family packed such HUGE lunches for them. Like stupid amounts of food, as if we'd never eaten in our lives ever. This day was so long though, everyone had to rehearse for the concert, and then everyone had to actually play in the concert. So i was awake at like 9 and at the school from 11 til half ten. Very long day indeed, but it was good nonetheless. One of the best concerts we've put on I'd say. Just before the concert, though, we went out into Hanau and a festival was going on. Lots of fun indeed. I had one of the best pizza's I've ever eaten in my life :D. Pictures from the rehersal? Okay!

Top to bottom - Orchestra, Choir, RnB Band, Doug having dressing room funtimes.

The hall we played to was amazing, so so big. We even got a standing ovation at the end! I went home after the concert, but I think other people went out partying!

Day 3: In Frankfurt

My family took me out to Frankfurt. Breakfast at 10. Lots of fun. Went to a film museum, saw a crazy asian man performing tricks in the town centre, went all around the town looking at all the different sights, saw a GIANT Euro sign, a rabbit, lots of tall buildings, lots of old and very pretty buildings, had some very delicious cake, went back to Hanau, had some very delicious pizza, went home, read about half my book, slept. I took lotssss of pictures on this day trip, including one of a Beer Bike! Wanna see?

Frankfurt Skyline

Big Euro!

Crazy Asian Man!

Mayor of Hanau's house

Old Frankfurt

Again, people seemed to have some crazy crazy times on this day.

Day 4: Homeward Bound... eventually.

We went on too many tours on this day. Blah. Roman Villa, Old Castle, Old Town... Aschaffenburg and Silegerstadt I think they were called. I managed to take lots of pictures though, and we got a lot of time to ourselves including:

We had Subway as well. Wonderful. Also, on the coach trip home, everyone was on such a high. Just a 4 hour long natural high, it was crazy. More pictures? Why ever not!

Silegerstadt

Romans!

Old Castle

Pillage and rape!

I was tired. Didn't sleep on the coach. CRY.

I dunno what else to say really. I was thinking about what to say in Germany, but now I have forgotten it all.

All in all, such a good time. I've been invited back by my partner, bless her.

Sayonara.

Germany

I am so looking forward to this trip to Hanau, but the thing is what do you do on a coach for 13 hours? I am going to go even more crazy than I already am.

When I get back on Tuesday, I will have a proper detailed blog about my trip, and this will be the last of my measly less-than-10-line entries.

Another thought - isn't it ironic that we wash things in water that becomes progressively dirtier, yet some of us will refuse to drink out of other peoples' bottles without wiping the top of it? No, just strange.

Random Wonderingment

What's the point of Cup-A-Soup? Surely if you wanted soup that much, you would just make a bowl of soup. Cup-A-Soup's taste crap anyway!

Anticipation

I can't wait for a number of things. In no particular order:

1. Music trip to Hanau
2. Passing my driving test and getting a car
3. Going to University
4. Finishing school completely
5. Finishing school this year
6. Saxophone lessons next year
7. Getting my iPhone
8. Finishing this book I'm reading...

Yeah. I have so much to look forward to. I have no idea why I was so pissed off yesterday then. Hah, oh well.

I'll write about more interesting stuff soon, I promise.

Sayonara.

Highly Strung

I'VE BEEN SO HOT ALL DAY AND SWEATING AND BLAH.

Fluorescence!

These pictures will never convey to you how much of a twat I looked at this party on Saturday night, but they give you a good idea. I did have fun there though, very good party.

There was something that made me think the other day... I think it was Sam saying that whenever I go over her house I simply 'eat her food, sweat in her bed and leave', and it made me think because that is pretty much what happens to everyone. For the sake of hospitality, people let others in their house, and what happens? These people that we let into our houses simply eat our food and piss off! Sure they're grateful, but what a way to be a friend! People are weird.

Sayonara.

Upper and Lower Auxiliary Notes.

My parents are ca-raaazy sometimes. I am apparently 'miserable' because I wouldn't leave my mum a voicemail asking if she would call 3 so they could unblock my (no longer lost) phone. God, I love the infallible logic of adults.

I've been neglecting my grade 5 Theory stuff recently. I looked over the book last night and a still have half of it to do. Fantastic. Looks like I have a mega packed weekend approaching. Trinity tomorrow, followed by a party, sleeping over Sam's, then off to a rehearsal for Hanau.

I dunno how distinguishable the photo above is to you, but it's basically my toddler sim, now a child with the 'evil' and 'hot-headded' traits, in its toy box. I laughed so much when I saw it. Bit of a shock, but adorable all the same.

Ho hum, I have very little to write about these days. No point in just dictating what happened during my day today, because let's face it, that kinda stuff isn't the most interesting thing to read about.

Sayonara.

I Could Go On

Today, my mum was talking to me in the car about this trip to Hanau that the music people (including myself) are going on in a week's time. She asked what my partner had planned for the Sunday, and I told her that my partner wants me to go to the lake with her and some of her friends. She then asked me 'Will you enjoy that?', and it stumped me. How can I know if I'm going to enjoy something I haven't done yet? That irritates me a lot, people ask questions that, firstly, don't need to be answered and, secondly, can't even be answered properly. I mean I know people like to make conversation, but it is the one thing in life I cannot understand one bit. How can you strike up a conversation with someone you barely know? You ask questions you don't care about the answer to, just to be nice and make friends. Haha, I'm being well moody right now.

Happy happy! I'm going to Hanau in a week :D

Sayonara.

Massive Lack of Sleep

I have slept rather sparingly these past few days. Woops. I'll pay for that later.

Facebook are bringing in usernames pretty soon, which I dislike an excessive amount. Facebook was good because it had no usernames, in my opinion. It's like it's just you... or at least what you want people to see of you. But at least there was a real name to a face. Next thing you know there will be bulletins and a very awkward HTML/CSS page layout that you can edit in any way you like. Not cool, Facebook. Not cool.

I'm in a pretty good mood, but my phone's gone for a walk... Hopefully it's on the coach. I need a new one anyways.

Sayonara.

The Root of all Evil: Procrastination

Ever had one of those days where you just 100%, totally, completely, unashamedly, cannot be arsed? Today is one of those days. No matter how important this work is, it just isn't happening, because I am so goddamn lazy! One day it'll kick me in the backside and shout:

'Wake the fuck up! You need to get into University! And is that going to happen sitting on your fat arse  playing on the Sims and munching on Ryvitas and cookies?'

'Maybe it will. Things turn out right usually...'

'No it bloody well won't, get your act together!'

'Later...'

So all in all, it just won't work. No matter how hard I try, the demon that is procrastination will win again and again until I surrender in this silent yet mind-numbing and very real war.

On a lighter note, my driving lesson was good, even if I was tired and a danger to myself, my instructor and everyone within a 100 yard radius of the car.

Fuck school, fuck the system, fuck YOU!

Sayonara.

On Second Thoughts...

I do have a few things to talk about...

Yesterday was my 6 month anniversary with Ryan, which was absolutely wonderful. He took me out for a meal and to the theatre to see Brief Encounter, which was very very good :)

My parents bought me a very sexy new TV with a DVD player and Freeview...

Er... oh yeah, I haven't done my English Oral or Musical Investigation yet. Japanese homework as well. Woops.

Sims 3 time methinks :)

Sayonara.

Distractions

The Sims 3 is absolutely amazing. That's all that's happened in the past few days really.

Dunno what else to say really. :)

Sayonara.

Humph.

My hopes were too high for this week. It's shit. No bag and lots of work. Roll on tomorrow. Sims 3 and hopefully my other stuff. And Big Brother. 

But Mr Tibbot did play the piano for me today. Bless him.

I'm moody.

Sayonara.

The place in which you desire to exist.

I love Taking Back Sunday. I'm so looking forward to getting their album later this week. I love them. Love love loooooove. Not only this, but this week is going to be good. Sims 3 is coming soon, so WOO. And Big Brother starts again on Thursday. And my books should be coming soon enough. Ah yes, very good :)

The only thing I'm worrying about now is this extended essay lark. 4,000 words, hooray. But I miss a few days of that week we get to write it up. The Monday I'm in Hanau, and the Friday I'm visiting Nottingham. Fab.

Another plus, though, is that we're already starting on Japanese stuff for next year, and we're staring on English coursework for next year... I don't see a plus. Music coursework as well, Maths coursework (which I'm actually nearly done with), probably more Chemistry coursework, Philosophy is so difficult now, and apparently I'm meant to write a TOK essay for tomorrow? Where does all this work come from! You know what? Scrap that, this paragraph is FAR from a plus.

I thought these last few weeks of school would be easy peasy, but apparently not. It's gonna get very stressful in my brain very fast. Totally not cool.

Ah well, at least I've got my Taking Back Sunday to keep me happy. Seriously, LISTEN TO THEM.

Sayonara.

Thorpe Park

I went to Thorpe Park on Saturday with Ryan, Emma and David. It was well fun. Got to go on Saw, which was well fun. The bit on the inside is scarier than the bit on the outside. Haha. We went on Stealth as well, which does not agree with me. And Ryan managed to get us 2 exit passes each, which means we got to skip the queue and get straight to the ride. Fun timesssss. I would put a picture of the weekend up, but I left my camera at Ryan's house like a fool.

On a sadder note, school is back in session. A whole 7 more weeks of it. Great. And I just spent £51 on freakin' Play.com. Worth it though. Sims 3 and Taking Back Sunday. Yes please!

I got a bit of a tan this weekend, which isn't surprising as I spent it all outside. Such nice weather, me loves it. It means I get to go in MA POOL, which I have already done. So refreshing and lovely. And it helps me MOVE MORE!

Er, that's it.

Sayonara