Sunday 1 November 2015

The Lessons I've Learnt This Half-Term

As the end of half-term reaches its final destination (noticed the pun on the cult horror film? Albeit a day late), I'm once again gathering the courage to face another round of coursework, revision and exams (thankfully the mocks - do you really think that I would be demonstrating the calmness of a Buddhist monk if they were the actual ones?!), which will occupy most of my time until Christmas arrives in its gloriously red packaging next month. Oh, how I'm truly excited about Christmas getting near now that we have moved into November - finally, the one time of the year when I fully embrace festive films is thrillingly close to being within reach! Still, my family haven't stopped themselves from dipping their toes into certain festive features, such as mince pies, which, if I had my own way, would be available all year around, but never mind...

If half-term has proved itself in any way, I suppose that it has been useful in providing me with a bit of time to decide what I'd like to put on my Christmas list. Unlike previous years, I've actually left the tremendous process of figuring out what little moi would love to rip open the wrapping paper to be greeted by rather late; of course, leaving your Christmas list till the end of October is always going to be likened to the frantic late-on-Christmas-Eve panic if compared to last year when I started writing my list just before the summer holidays ended!

Luckily, I'm getting used to the idea - and possibility - of purchasing the Babyliss Big Hair Styler which, despite its rather scary-looking size, can actually add plenty of volume and sleekness to your hair: an asset that would go down a treat with my naturally straight (and therefore thinnish) hair! Also, hair-related matters have been receiving more of my attention of late since I got a fringe at the beginning of the week which, to my delight, has softened my face and made the typically heinous attempt at wearing a ponytail less terrifying; at last, I no longer resemble a stern-looking governess if I dare to pull my hair out of my face! Other benefits of having my fringe is that, if I wear my yellow jumper (which, in my eyes, screams 60s babe to me), I emulate the glamour and beauty featured in Mad Men, a brilliant drama which I'm eager to refer to for its fantastic 60s clothing.

And, well, eyeliner has never looked so good on me since getting my fringe! It naturally draws more attention to my almond-shaped eyes; once again, I sigh at the thought of having to give up my favourite make-up staple for a few hours at school. Especially since I finally found a sharpener for my eyeliners after spending an entire week without one!

Hopefully, I've finally made my mind up as to what I want to put on my Christmas list which, so far, includes Lana Del Rey's latest album Honeymoon (if just for Music to Watch Boys To alone, though singing the hypnotic High by the Beach should be thanked for soothing my algebra-induced worries) and the Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy's collection of poems, Rapture, which contains Quickdraw - a poem that I compared and wrote about in my recent English Literature exam. Even though writing what seems like a million paragraphs on poems has defined my life recently, I still reserve a love for poetry and would love to explore it in a book by a poet whose work I've loved analysing. Besides, Duffy is a feminist, which makes me even more interested in deciphering the messages behind her poems; whereas some people like to study the science involved in movement, I'm more passionate about what 'silver bullets of your kiss' and 'high saloon' could symbolise!

Anyway, I've enjoyed taking things back to basics this week by devoting some time to watching TV, writing on this blog (a hobby which I doubt I'll ever get bored of - who has ever found liberation to be dull?) and doing some revision for my upcoming mock exams, which I'm a bit less worried about than I was a couple of days ago. Also, this week has provided me with the perfect motive to figure several things out in relation to my life and life in general, such as:

  1. Some people hurt you. As simple as that - but such a gesture shouldn't be considered right because it definitely isn't. 
  2. Don't waste time worrying about what other people think about you because, if you were doing anything wrong, you'd be the first to know about it. Besides, those 'other people' are practically strangers to you - do they know the most basic or intimate facts about you? Unless they are secretly telepathic or Sherlock Holmes in disguise, you can take a wise bet that they don't. 
  3. If you're unhappy, do something about it - if not, at least plan ahead for the future when something can be changed. 
Facing up to several tough and truthful facts can be difficult if your mind is taken hostage by the moody blues, but I'm feeling more positive about certain things that I did before. As for that boy I used to be friends with, I can't say that I've gotten over his betrayal because saying that would be, in my mind, suggesting that I don't care about what other people do to me. Sure, it winds me up that he lacks the decency that I genuinely thought he possessed because, if that was made clear to me when we first met, I would have never bothered speaking or hanging out with him, but can I change him? No way. Even if he came up to me tomorrow and asked me whether I fancy meeting up with him, I wouldn't consider for a second to say 'yes' - from the moment you screw me over, you land immediately into my blacklist. Which, if you haven't already figured out, will remain there until the end of time. 

Therefore, I now appreciate that there are many lessons beyond what is taught in the classroom, which stay with you for life. And, without a doubt, learning how to make yourself happy is far more important than revising the sections of a plant cell, though sometimes you just have to suck it up - perhaps because, somewhere deep inside you, you realise that it's for your own good. 

Meanwhile, my head will be filled with many other messages and facts before long, yet something inside me says that I won't be forgetting this week's lessons in a hurry. Unlike some instances, I can just tell that they are right. 

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