Even though my casual style might have connotations of Halloween when, technically, it is still Christmas (despite literally 99.9% of the population groaning at the thought of seeing another tub of Celebrations), I suppose that my thoughts have remained focused on Christmas which, as of Tuesday, is over for me. Well, in the sense that I've got the joy of returning to rising out of bed like half-asleep Dracula at six in the morning for the pleasure of revising and studying with a renewed agility at school - a routine that will remain in place until mid-February. Yay.
Unfortunately, I'm all too aware of the fact that I'll be celebrating my 17th birthday - which, before the thought even dares to pop into your mind, will not entail any driving lessons or half beaten-up cars - in the comfort of the classroom on a freaking MONDAY. *yelps hysterically* And, as is typical with adolescents, I'm as enthusiastic as Garfield the lasagne-devouring cat about facing the first and rather intimidating day of the week; an attitude which I'm nevertheless so sure will guide me through my weekly Maths mock that just so happens to take place every single Monday morning!!!
Oh yeah, please don't assume that those three exclamation marks symbolise my gregarious elation over having the honour of gazing at questions which I truly do not know the answers to just mere hours after emerging from my bed. Really, birthdays and school are a nefarious mixture that only brings horror to all associated parties, let alone the birthday boy or girl. Well, I've figured that I'll do most of my celebrating the weekend before my birthday because a) time won't be limited to just a few hours after coming home from school and b) I won't be in a ten mile radius of a shuttlecock (as badminton, which I swear looks like the HARDEST game I'll ever play in my life, will be taking centre stage in my P.E. lessons in the upcoming term)!
Anyway, my birthday is nowhere in sight for a couple of weeks yet, though the pressure will certainly be placed on my famously indecisive self before I even know it to start looking for potential gifts. Yet another chore that I'm not so thrilled about doing...
With tomorrow being the very last day in my two week Christmas holiday, I guess that I'm feeling a little bit sorry for myself because having time to relax and remember that my sole purpose in life isn't to achieve A*s like athletes winning gold medals at the Olympics has enabled me to put things into perspective. By that, I'm increasingly feeling more confident about not being seen as 'popular' by my peers who, for the record, are actually a year younger than me: a fact that is sometimes easily forgotten, even though my differences with them is never surprising. So what if people whom I don't particularly like can't be bothered to like my profile picture on Facebook which, to be honest, I only uploaded so that the public can see what I look like and not confuse me with another person who shares my name - definitely not for the purpose of exposing my body in a similar manner to a Page 3 model! Too often, I've been disgusted by the way that quite a few people, namely girls, post selfies which so obviously exploit their, ahem, features so that they can gain a few extra 'likes', which I strongly believe are over-rated and quite a pathetic and meaningless indication of one's so-called 'popularity'.
You want my honest opinion on popularity? It can go and be blown into millions of little shreds because it means absolutely nothing! Too many teens assume that popularity instantly buys happiness or at least a comfortable seat on the table that so many people at school are dying to sit at, yet it is on a par with liquid foundation: it only conceals the cracks within your persona which, from the angle I've settled myself at, is pretty obvious. In the past few weeks, I've witnessed a group of what the majority of my year would consider to be the It girls - the ones that could possibly win the 'coveted' title of Prom Queen in a few months' time - fall out, for reasons which I don't know and am not at all interested in finding out because it is none of my business (though I wish some people could adopt this philosophy so that they aren't pestering me about my life). Although I've sometimes wished that I could have shared just a little bit of the friendship that these girls had, I realise now that anything could have blown it apart - because popularity is fragile. Why do you think that celebrities such as Britney Spears or Justin Bieber have fallen apart when their fame - the ultimate popularity status - wrecked with their happiness?
It doesn't matter that so many people before them have made ridiculous and reckless decisions, which should serve as an eternal reminder for how to not lead your lives, yet numerous adolescents nonetheless follow a path towards sacrificing their individuality - as precious and priceless as your virginity, if you really want to appreciate its value - for the sake of fitting in with a crowd of people whom, if they weren't labelled as the popular guys, you don't particularly like. And can that truly be the recipe for happiness? Few things in life are free and, although standing up for your own beliefs might single you out as the 'weirdo' at school, you can hold your head up high and be proud of having such a wise head on your shoulders - besides, the most fascinating people in society are the ones who refuse to conform. There's a reason why the majority of famous people are famous: their talents stand out. As if yours will be if you simply adopt the airs and graces (or lack of) of your 'peers'!
Rant over, I'm more than ready to shrug off the unfairness and inequality that defines school life for the sake of focusing on my exams, the first of which takes place in exactly four months' time. Gulp. Exams are only as terrifying as you make them out to be, yet if I carry on revising and putting in as much effort as I have done for the past year, my only problem will be remembering life without exams by the time they officially finish at approximately ten in the morning on Friday 17th June. Like I wasn't going to remember the date when my summer of freedom and adventure begins!
What else is there to say? I'm looking ahead to a positive year and Tuesday is just the beginnings to a means of an end. Let battle commence!
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