Chloe In Reality

A Case Of You

2012-02-11T00:08:00.003Z

Hello! Thanks for all the lovely comments about my John Lennon portrait, it's so nice to hear your opinions about my drawing. :-) So school finished for a week on Thursday so it's officially half term and officially time to get into revision mode for my mock exams. Anyhow, here are some photos that I wanted to share, accumulated from anywhere and everywhere. The E.E.Cummings and E.R.Frank quotations are particular favourites whilst the first picture shows my top played on Last.fm.

I also wanted to share this beautiful cover of Joni Mitchell's 'A Case of You' by James Blake. I'm not really into his usual electronicy music, but this cover is stellar and the music video is great too. Hope you like!

So in the midst of revision, I went to a party tonight to celebrate my friend's birthday. Then I'm gonna be going to Oxford to stay with family and doing a few bits here and there. But mostly, I want to sleep! Hope you all have a great weekend and happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

Imagine

2012-02-06T20:52:00.001Z

Bonjour! Am I right in thinking that I'm posting twice in two days?! You can really tell that I'm procrastinating from real work. :-)

Anyway, continuing in a similar vein to the last post, I have an equally Beatles-esque post coming your way. As part of my Art controlled assessment (preparation for my exam which is in May), I've been working on some large-scale portraits (my starting point is giants). Naturally, I had to attempt to draw the iconic John Lennon. I managed to complete this from Thursday night where I started for a couple of hours and then pretty much finished it on Friday night after school and just touched it up on Saturday morning. It took a much shorter amount of time than originally anticipated, which was a nice surprise. I'm pleased with how it turned out and hope that you all like it too!

Three days left and counting until half term! I can't wait to lie in, but I must remind myself to be a bit more productive since mocks are only 2 weeks away! During half term, I will definitely try and do a couple of outfit posts since they've definitely been few-and-far-between on my blog. Hope you're all well and that the start of your week hasn't been too painful!

Happy blogging!
Chloe xxx

All You Need Is Love

2012-02-05T13:57:00.001Z

Good afternoon! It's been a little over a week since I last posted, due to the inordinate amount of work that I've been subject to! I keep having to remind myself that it will all be worth it someday. Someday.

Here are just some photos from my school Art trip to Liverpool from about three weeks ago. It was a really lovely day to be at the docks, despite the incredibly windy and cold weather. I had a really nice time at the Tate and then went to Starbucks underneath this Beatles shop. I bought a couple of souvenirs and it was nice to be in the Beatles' home town! It's times like these that I am so proud to be British and to live in a country steeped in so much great history and so many great talents.

It's been snowing in England at the moment which has been an absolute nightmare! Unlike most people, I really detest snow because of the way everything comes to a standstill, it's dangerous and impossible get anywhere and the horrible slush gets everywhere! Anyway, the sun's out now so hopefully life will get back to normal soon enough.

I hope you're all well and having distinctly better weekends than mine! Luckily, I break up from school on Thursday and then I've got a busy weekend until I have to get down to revision for my mock exams. Luckily, while I've been a busy bee, I've managed to write a few blog posts in advance so I won't be at a complete loss. Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

Youth

2012-01-28T15:55:00.008Z

Bonjour! Thank you all for the lovely birthday wishes from last Thursday! I had a really good time celebrating my birthday with my friends last Saturday too and it was just generally a great weekend :-) I was also incredibly spoiled and received many lovely gifts, most notably my Nikon P500 camera, some money, vouchers, books and DVDs! Now I've got post-birthday blues, but luckily I have many new things to console myself. Not to mention the ever-growing mountain of work to distract myself with.

This year, I asked for a lot of things from my friends since it was just easier as I knew what I wanted :-) Pictured is the Nikon P500 bridge, a cardigan from ASOS, An Education, Water for Elephants, Paper Towns (John Green), Oxbridge Entrance guide (Elfi Pallis) and The Picture of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde). Also pictured above is The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Jean-Dominique-Bauby) which I'm still reading and also A View from the Bridge (Arthur Miller).

Anyway, I'm gonna go back to working on Art coursework - I'll be sure to show you what I'm up to soon! Hope you're all well and enjoying your weekends. Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

P.S. Check out the song Youth by Daughter, a band comprised of Elena Tonra (vocals) and Igor Haefeli (guitar). Eerie, but lovely. Her voice is wonderful.

P.P.S. Thanks for the responses to my friend about her website. She is still looking for more people to help write articles about music/fashion/culture, so if you're interested, please email her at lily.mw@hotmail.co.uk - thank you!

Happy Birthday To Me

2012-01-19T23:10:00.001Z

Hi all! It's my 16th birthday today! I feel like I've reached an importany milestone of sorts! I had a really lovely day with friends at school and I'm going to be celebrating with friends and family at a meal on Saturday which I'm really looking forward to! Just wanted to post a picture of me to document my turning 16!

Also, I wanted to show you my newest and probably most beloved possession. A Nikon p500 bridge camera! I saved up for most of this from tutoring some kids and then my mum helped pay for the rest as a birthday present. I love it so much and have been taking so many photos with it :-) I've got a few other presents that I'll be sure to take some pictures of and post soon!

Anyway, hope you're all well and enjoying your week, I certainly am! Happy blogging! :-)
Chloe xxx

P.S. Say NO to SOPA and PIPA. After the blackout yesterday, I realised just how reliant I am on Wikipedia and the Internet in general. SOPA and PIPA pose threats to our freedom of speech and expression by censoring the Internet. With SOPA and PIPA enforced, I dread to think what would happen to the blogging world. Show your objections to SOPA and PIPA - stand up for your right to express what you want!

Northern Sky

2012-01-15T16:55:00.001Z

Hello! The week is almost over and I've had a pretty relaxed weekend, mostly comprised of eating, sleeping and doing bits of work here and there. Nothing of much significance. I had a really good time at the Tate gallery in Liverpool on Thursday and have got plenty of picture which I'll try and post at some point in the near future.

Jumper: Zara
Jeans: Gap

This winter, I have literally lived in jeans and jumpers (which isn't actually very different to any other season), I've always been a lover of all things plain and simple. Another favourite of mine is red lipstick! I've been after a dark red / berry type lipstick as well, but can't seem to find the right shade anywhere.

Other news is that my birthday is in 4 days! It feels weird that a year's passed since my last birthday. I've always quite liked having my birthday in January since I get to celebrate my birthday at the start of the new year and everything seems new and fresh. Anyway, I'm looking forward to it!

Hope you're all a having lovely weekend. Happy blogging!
Chloe xxx

P.S. Title: Northern Sky - Nick Drake
Been listening to Nick Drake's voice on repeat. I highly recommend.

P.P.S. I have a friend who is starting up a website / webzine and she needs journalists who will help write articles and the like.. If you're interested in fashion, music and/or culture and would like to get involved with this, please email lily.mw@hotmail.co.uk - thank you!

All I Want

2012-01-11T16:39:00.002Z

Hello all! As promised, here are a couple of photos of my Moleskine. It's a bit odd for me to be posting midweek, but I've been trying to be a bit more proactive since the new year! Anyway, just a bit of a quick and lazy post today, since I'm quite busy tonight and then tomorrow, I'm off on an Art trip to the Tate Gallery in Liverpool! This week has been dragging on, but the weekend is almost in sight!

1. Lullaby Playlist and a shot from An Education
2. Random quotations and my Laura Marling ticket

Hope you like it! And I hope that you're all having a lovely week! Only 2 more days until Friday and the weekend. And it's only 8 more days until my birthday. I'm more excited than usual since I'll be turning 16! :-) Thought I'd leave you all with a lovely video of Joni Mitchell.

All I want and all I need is Joni Mitchell's voice. I could listen to her voice all day every day. I defy you not to love her! Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

Versatile Blogger Award!

2012-01-08T17:37:00.007Z

Hi, all! Just wanted to share my unfinished list of New Year's Resolutions, despite being a week late on deciding them! (Sorry about the blurry photo!)

Also, I was recently nominated for a Versatile Blogger Award from the lovely Kelsey from Graceless Heart! Thank you, Kelsey! :-)

The Rules:
1. You must thank the person who awarded you the award including a shout-out with a link on your blog
2. Share seven random facts about yourself
3. Send the award on to ~~fifteen~~ other bloggers whose blogs you like and let them know about it

1. I have a twin sister named Christy and I'm a minute older than her. We're really close and spend a lot of time together as we have the same group of friends. We argue a lot (it's mandatory when you have siblings haha!), but ultimately, she is my best friend, however cheesy that may seem!

2. I would say that I have quite an eclectic taste in music. When people ask me what I like, it's always really difficult trying to pinpoint a specific genre. I like folk, blue-eyed soul, a bit of rock, a bit of indie, some old hip-hop and R&B... I wish I was really talented with music, i.e. be able to play an instrument like the piano or have a great singing voice, but alas, I do not possess either abilities.

3. I am a neat freak and slightly neurotic in the ways that I like things to be. I'm also a bit of a hoarder and hate throwing things away, even if it is of very little significance. I can't quite explain that one.

4. I'm only 15 years old (I turn 16 on the 19th January), but I think that I'm an incredibly old soul. I've always been quite mature and a stressed out person, even when I was really young.

5. I love food! I don't think I could ever be a vegetarian. In fact, I know I could never be a vegetarian. I respect those who are, but for me, food is not food without meat. And meat is not meat without mustard! Also, I love watching cooking programmes, despite the fact that my culinary skills only stretch to cooking eggs.

6. I love travelling and visiting new places, there isn't anything quite like it. I've been to America twice (NYC, Chicago, L.A., San Francisco and Las Vegas), Japan, Hong Kong, Italy twice (Rome, Pisa and Bay of Naples), France twice (Paris and Bolougne), Spain and Ireland. However, there really is no place like home and I love England, it will forever be my home and I couldn't imagine living anywhere else.

7. I love reading and drawing, two hobbies which seem quite arty and creative, I guess? However, they are mere hobbies and at school, I am the complete opposite in that I am very much interested in quite logical subjects. I have opted for Maths, Further Maths, Economics, Chemistry and Latin for my A-levels next year.
Oh and I've had my heart set on going to Oxford University since I can remember.

So there are my seven facts! Thanks again to Kelsey! :-)

I would like to nominate (aside from Kelsey):
Jasmine from Lavender's Green
Julia from We Could Cause Catastrophes
Emma from Jersey and the Monkey
Katie from Tatty Boots
Tegan from Tegan on Toast
Vicky from Heartshaker

Anyway, that's all for now. Hope you're all well and enjoy what's left of your weekend! Happy blogging!
Chloe xxx

P.S. Will be back very soon to show you some pages from my Moleskine :-)

The Fear

2012-01-04T22:57:00.002Z

Hello! A belated Happy New Year to you all! Can't believe it's already a few days into 2012, it still feels a bit weird in all honesty. Just a quick and lazy post today to show you some of the photos from a few weeks ago, since I didn't get time to post them.

(Assortment of photos from shopping in town, my first meal at TGI Friday's, a friend's birthday gathering and festive Krispy Kreme doughnuts)

I'm back to school tomorrow and dreading it already. I literally don't think I can face it. Expect to see very little of me on the blog. I really do hate how little time I have to blog and even when I do, not a lot of it is very interesting. Sorry all, I'll be back again soon. Hopefully sometime around my birthday which is on the 19th, that's only 15 days away! Can't believe I'm going to be 16, seems a bit odd. I'm excited though.

I'll be back again soon. Hope you're all well. Happy blogging!
Chloe xxx

Title: The Fear - Ben Howard
Love this man's voice. Go buy his album 'Every Kingdom'. You'll love it.

Fairytale of New York

2011-12-29T23:00:00.008Z

A belated Merry Christmas to you all and here's a Happy New Year in advance for Sunday. As I already wrote in my last post, I had an astoundingly busy week last week in the run-up to Christmas (will post photos from those at some point). I had a lovely Christmas this year and spent it with family which was nice. And now I'm in the sort of lost bit between Christmas and New Year's, where I sort of just sit around, eat from leftover selection packs, tins of shortbread, chocolate and biscuits and lounge around watching films. Also, since not being at school, I never know what day it is which is slightly alarming. However, I just checked and I realised that I have less than 6 days until I go back to school. I'm feeling alarmed at the very thought.

Here are some pictures to distract myself:

1. Dimples
2. The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly in book and DVD form!
3. Beautiful moving image (found on the internet somewhere)

Regarding presents, I mostly got vouchers and money, books, DVDs, confectionery... Nothing really worth mentioning, to be quite honest! I also went shopping earlier this week to hit the sales, but once I got there, I found that I really couldn't be bothered. Topshop was a nightmare so I didn't even bother and the only shops I managed to look around in was Selfridge's and Gap, which was a shame as I really wanted to check out Zara and H&M. Never mind, I'm sure I'll make it in again before the holidays end. :-) I didn't really find much to begin with, but I did manage to buy my prom dress (which is in July 2012) in the Fenn Wright Manson concession in Selfridge's which I purchased with my Crimbo vouchers! It's really lovely and I would love to show you all, but will most likely keep it a surprise. :-)

Anyway, I do hope you're all having a lovely holiday and best wishes for the New Year. Can't believe it's going to be 2012! That's going to take some getting used to. Hope you're all well. Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

Fairytale of New York - The Pogues
It's a bit late, but I thought I'd let you know that The Pogues' 'Fairytale of New York' is probably my favourite Chrismas song. This is followed closely by Band Aid's 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' and Wham!'s 'Last Christmas'. :-) And you just can't beat Auld Lang Syne at New Year.

Blue Suede Shoes

2011-12-19T21:31:00.004Z

Bonjour! My Crimbo holidays started on Friday (I had a half day and no proper lessons which was great!) and so far, I have spent the majority of my free time lounging around, watching television (cooking programmes for the most part) and eating food. This is the PERFECT way to spend time, in my humble opinion.

However, I'm gonna break the habit of a lifetime and actually kickstart my social life this week. I'm going into town tomorrow to meet up with a friend, mooch around the shops and then afterwards, I'm off to TGI Fridays (I've never been before, so here's hoping that the food is nice!) with some other friends. Then on Wednesday, I'm going TOBOGGANING (which is basically sledging, but with steering) for the first time to celebrate my friend's birthday and then I'm sleeping over until the Thursday. Then on Friday, I've got family coming round so I'll be able to spend some time with them. And then I'm spending Christmas Eve with some other friends and then FINALLY it'll be Christmas Day on Sunday.

So yeah I've got a pretty jampacked week, so blog posts will no doubt be few-and-far-between. Anyway, here are just a few photos (mostly of food):

1. Catching up on some magazines - Grazia is by far my favourite weekly mag :-)
2. Got through about half of this tub of Maltesers in one sitting!
3. The most delicious blueberry cheesecake I've ever eaten, plus lovely strawberries! (Told you I've been eating a lot!)

I'm feeling so optimistic at the moment, it's probably just the influence of the festive season, but it's a great feeling. Anyway, wishing you all Joyeux Noel for Christmas in just six days time! Can't believe that 2011 is almost over. It's been a pretty great year and I know that 2012 will be one of the best and most stressful years of my life, but I'm looking forward to it.

Hope that you're all well and keeping warm in this obscenely cold weather. Wish me luck for my unusually busy (but undoubtedly enjoyable) week ahead! Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

P.S. Elvis's Blue Suede Shoes is a classic and as soon as it comes on, I want to dance despite my lack of rhythm, co-ordination and all-round embarrassing dance moves. Love it. Also, I'd love a pair of blue suede shoes, wouldn't you?

Charlie Brown

2011-12-12T19:32:00.007Z

Apologies again for the mini-hiatus, the almost three weeks since I last posted has literally flown by! I can't believe that Christmas is here in just 13 days and school finishes this Friday! I've just been so busy with coursework deadlines and the like. Life gets busy sometimes, no?

The weeks have flown by in complete honesty, I don't know where the time has gone! I turn 16 in January which is quite exciting. It seems like an important milestone for some reason. Then I have mocks in February (heads up for a severe lack of blogging!) and then my exams start in the middle of May until the end of June. But then it'll be summer and I can't wait! It all seems a very long way off though.

Here are just a couple of photos I took the other day:

Some days, I get home from school and the sky is so pretty. And sometimes, all you need is the sky and a hot drink to keep you content. My kinda day.

And this last one is just a quotation from Augusten Burroughs. I read one of his novels, Running with Scissors, a while back and it was harrowing, disturbing, but ultimately made an impression and is something that I won't forget in a hurry. I love this quotation though, I love the possibility and the hope. It is so fitting for this time of year, where it seems that anything and everything is possible.

On that note, I hope that you're all well and staying warm in this obscenely cold weather :-) I'll be sure to post again soon!
Chloe xxx

I have been listening to Coldplay a lot lately, their old stuff as well as some of the new songs off Mylo Xyloto. I love Chris Martin, he's one of the coolest musicians around. Their song Charlie Brown is a new favourite.

Helplessness Blues

2011-11-23T20:59:00.004Z

(Source: unknown)

I've been incredibly lazy with blogging, so I just wanted to share some lovely photos with you. I can't wait to be all grown up and living in a lovely flat with high ceilings, white walls, cornicing, fireplace, period features, lovely floorboards and big shelves for lots and lots and lots of books. That would be the life.

Anyway, if you haven't already noticed, I've been lacking ever so slightly in the inspiration department, especially since chool has been as busy as ever. I'm going to leave it short and sweet today as I don't want to bore you with the uninteresting details of my life.

Hope that you're all well and that your week is going distinctly better than mine. Au revoir.
Chloe xxx

Title: Helplessness Blues - Fleet Foxes
This pretty much sums me up at the moment!

N.Y. State of Mind

2011-11-13T18:28:00.002Z

Bonjour! I hope you have all been well this week! Another week of school gone, another week closer to the Christmas holidays. I can't wait to go down to London again for a fun few days in the run up to Christmas. Here are just a few photos from the other week in the Zara changing rooms. Please excuse the vanity, I just love playing around with effects on Picnik.com.

Grey jumper - Zara
Jeans - DKNY
Belt - Moschino

It has been perfect polo neck weather lately. I have always loved jumpers, my favourite being the Ralph Lauren cable knit that I got from America in Summer 2010. It has been surgically attached to my body ever since. However, I find that the jumpers from Zara are also really lovely, great quality and inexpensive too (I have a few V neck jumpers which only cost about £9 or £10 and I've worn them loads of times). Polo neck and cowl neck jumpers are sooo perfect for the cold winter, especially as I always seem to misplace my scarves.

I'm off for a night of listening to Florence + The Machine's new album and television of the frontal-lobe-damaging variety. Rustling up some apple pie and cream also seems to be on the agenda which suits me just fine. Hope that you're all well and good. Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

Title: N.Y. State of Mind by Nas
There is nothing like listening to some Nas whilst exercising. I've always listened to people like Jay-Z and other popular rap, but recently gotten into Nas and Wu-Tang Clan. I never thought I'd really be into this genre of music, but let's just say I've been enlightened.

1234

2011-11-06T13:52:00.007Z

My first post of November! Again, blogging seems to have reverted back to the once-a-week routine, most often at weekends when I actually have time to write. I'm back at school once again (went back on Wednesday) and now have to write my application for Sixth Form and choose my A-levels, which seems incredibly life-changing and important and a little bit scary.

I think I have my options finalised now though: Maths, Further Maths, Economics, Chemistry and Latin! Eeeek, I feel as if I'm finally growing up.

Anyway, here are just a few photos from last week where my social life didn't resemble that of a stick insect's:

My favourite hobby seems to be treating Waterstones like a library, spending hours at a time in my usual seat there.

Getting down to a game of Just Dance. One word: hilarious.

Great book. Highly recommended.

Ed's Diner in Selfridges! Loved the 60s style American music, jukeboxes, etc.

Who else is loving the weather lately? It's cold, but not too cold and even though the days are short and the nights are long, I can't help but smile when I see browning leaves on the trees. I like wrapping up in my scarf and coat and walking around with those leaves crunching under my feet. I love Autumn, everything just seems more beautiful in the dim sunlight. And it's not long until Christmas (and my 16th birthday in January!) This term will be busy in the run up to the holidays, but I'm ready for it. And life just seems a little easier with a cup of tea and ginger biscuits to warm myself up.

I hope you're all well and enjoying the weekend (which seems to have finished before it's even started). Happy blogging :-)

Chloe xxx

Title: 1234 by Feist.
She is just so incredibly cool. I mean her name is Feist. I can't even.

LAURA MARLING

2011-10-29T20:40:00.009+01:00

Hello all! As I have already mentioned, I went to see Laura Marling today at Birmingham Cathedral with my sister, Christy, and my friend Sarah of Austentatious Memoirs today. Instead of standing out in the cold, we decided to catch up over a coffee in Costa before going back to join the queue. After waiting for about an hour or so, Laura came on.

Needless to say, she was amazing, as expected. She was really humble and actually seemed quite overwhelmed by the reception, even asking us if we were okay in between songs. She was quiet, but what little she did say had the audience laughing. And when she sang, we all sat captivated by her beautiful voice. I just sat in awe during the entire performance. Night Terror, Rambling Man, Goodbye England (Covered in Snow) and Sophia were my favourites.

I feel so grateful to have been able to see one of my favourite singers perform in such a beautiful place (the acoustics in the cathedral were amazing!) And overall, it was just a perfect day. If any of you ever get the chance, do go and see Laura Marling perform! :-)

Skirt - Portobello Market (£4.50)
V-neck jumper - Zara (£10)
Jacket - Sister's (?)
Bag - Bill Amberg (Gifted)
Scarf - ? (Gifted)

I'm now spending some time with my extended family who have come round for the day. And then I'll be finishing up schoolwork before school starts again on Wednesday. This holiday has gone by so quickly... as per usual! I hope you're all enjoying your weekends, I certainly have! Happy blogging :-)

Chloe xxx

See You Soon

2011-10-22T18:42:00.007+01:00

To those it may concern... I am actually still alive! The fact that I haven't blogged for 2 weeks just means that my life has been both dull and busy. Everything's just been the same-old, same-old. School, homework, coursework, revision, etc. However, now that it's half term, hopefully I'll have time to catch up on my favourite blogs and some blogging of my own, amidst the masses of work that I should probably be doing.

Anyway, here are a few photos that I took earlier today in a last-ditch attempt to do something productive with my newfound free time:

My face - just in case you forgot what I looked like

Photos for art

Blue skies in late October... Madness.

(Fake) sunflowers to brighten up the day :-)

Hope you like the photos, I'm gonna try and crank out an outfit post some time this week. Anyway, the agenda for the coming week is sleeping in, doing homework and I'm actually gonna have a social life too (shock horror) as I'm going out on Monday and Tuesday with friends and then in a week's time, I will be seeing the amazing Laura Marling on Saturday at Birmingham Cathedral! I am beyond excited :-) I hope that the rest of you are having a lovely weekend and that you're all well and good.

Happy blogging :-)
Chloe xxx

The title of this post is See You Soon by Benjamin Francis Leftwich. A fitting title, as I hope to not be leaving the blogosphere for as long as two weeks next time. Also, because Leftwich has such a beautiful voice.

Lost In My Mind

2011-10-08T17:35:00.006+01:00

I apologise in advance for my lack of posting yet again. My mind is currently full of binomial theorems, Arthur Miller, deictic terms, centripetal forces, titration calculations and active transport... As well as a whole wealth of other things which I am somehow expected to retain in my not-big-enough brain.

I feel that as I'm getting older and progressing through school, my social life is depleting and I am becoming the hermit that I feared I would become. Sorry to be going on about schoolwork and other boring stuff like that, but when you're faced with the monotony of school, there's not much else that to say! Luckily, we have Pupil Review Day on Thursday next week and I'm also celebrating my friend's birthday on Friday too which should be good. I haven't had a proper day out in ages (as you can probably tell judging by the content of my blog posts!)

Anyway, as promised, here are some photos from the (unfinished) pages of my Moleskine, hope you like:

Clearly unfinished... One of my favourite quotations by the wonderful Henry David Thoreau. On the right is just a little sketch of a photo of myself in Rome (looks nothing like me though)!

Again, an incomplete list. And yet another quotation, but this time by Jack Kerouac.

Finally... Guess who...? Yet again, not one of my greatest drawings, but I couldn't resist having a go at capturing the beauty of Keira Knightley. :-)

Anyway, that's all for this week! Hopefully, I'll be back next week with a bit more exciting stuff. Hope you're all enjoying your weekends and having a lot more fun than I am! Hope you're all well. Happy blogging.

Chloe xxx

P.S. Lost In My Mind is a fantastic song by The Head and the Heart. I highly recommend it to all of you!

When The Bell Tolls

2011-10-02T17:11:00.008+01:00

So... You know what I said about Autumn being just round the corner in my last post? Turns out that I got Autumn confused with Summer! This past week has been probably the hottest week in the history of all Septembers in England. This is no word of a lie, it's been almost 30 degrees most days, which has been horrible when I've been stuck in my black school blazer, in stuffy classrooms - I am definitely not used to the climate. However, the plus side is that the skies have been gloriously blue, my favourite shade of blue. Thankfully, the weather seems to be reverting back to its usual self and I can feel myself relaxing as the temperatures decrease.

School is still overwhelming and still picking up the pace in terms of workload and revision for tests. I won't bore you with the details, but I am slowly getting worried about the masses of exams next Summer, eeek!

Despite all this, I have some brilliant news... I managed to get tickets to see Laura Marling at a matinee performance at Birmingham Cathedral in October, as part of her 'When The Bell Tolls' tour! I was so gutted when I didn't manage to get tickets to her proper tour, but when I heard about a matinee performance in the daytime, I just had to get tickets and luckily, I did! The tickets sold out so quickly, I just can't wait to see the wonderful Laura Marling in the flesh :-)

Last but not least, I have had very little time to do many drawings or anything inside my Moleskine sketchbook, which is a shame. Here are just a couple of things in there at the moment:

'i carry your heart' by e.e.cummings
Despite his complete lack of correct punctuation or capital letters, I love e.e.cummings and I especially love this poem.

Not my best drawing, but Audrey Tautou is just beautiful and she was featured in the August edition of my Marie Claire, so yeah! Also, the other thing is obviously my autograph from Rob Pattinson. :-)

I've got a few other things to show you from my Moleskine, but I'll leave that until next time. I hope you're all well, wherever you may be. Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

More Than Letters

2011-09-24T13:41:00.008+01:00

Whoops, I haven't posted in almost two weeks. So, you could say I've been more than a bit of a recluse lately, especially on the whole blogging front. School has been exactly as I'd expected: overwhelming. This year, I am studying so many subjects:
Maths FSMQ, A.S. English Language, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Latin, Art, History, French, R.S., A.S. General Studies, as well as compulsory (but not assessed) P.S.E. and P.E. To add to my already massive workload, I've decided to opt for English Lit IGCSE which I will have to study during my own time and after school. I am definitely feeling the pressure of studying all the subjects whilst still trying to juggle what is left of my social life and extra-curricular activities.

So as you can imagine, I'm feeing pretty run down and tired right now.

This weekend, I will be spending the whole time in my pyjamas and Ralph Lauren cable knit jumper (pictured above), drinking tea, eating toast and trying to bring myself to do the masses of homework / coursework that I have to get done. Also, listening to City and Colour on repeat goes without saying. One positive note about being in September is that I can see Autumn just around the corner. Even though the days are already getting shorter and colder, I can't wait until I can wrap up in a scarf and sketch the browning leaves on the trees.

My ideal Autumn day would consist of lunch at Urban Pie to warm me up, a hot latte from Starbucks and wearing my big red Burberry duffel coat whilst looking through the shop windows. Sigh.

Happy blogging
Chloe xxx

Currently:

2011-09-11T17:25:00.012+01:00

Currently reading:

How To Be Good by Nick Hornby, which I checked out from the school library just before the summer, but I've been finding it a bit of a drag. I love Hornby and High Fidelity is one of my favourite books, but I've just found it difficult to get into this one. Nevertheless, I don't like to completely give up on books until I've read the very last page, so hopefully it picks up a bit!

Currently listening:

This Communion compilation CD which I got from MOJO magazine back in July or something. It's got some of my favourite singers / bands on there, like Johnny Flynn and Mumford & Sons, which sort of prompted me to actually get this. I also really like Benjamin Francis Leftwich and Marcus Foster too, so it's definitely worth it.. Also, I think Laura Marling's new album, A Creature I Don't Know, is out soon. Can't wait to check it out, I was so gutted to have missed out on tickets to her UK tour, the Birmingham tickets sold out within an hour!

Currently watching:

The Like Crazy trailer on REPEAT. I really want this to be out in the cinemas soon. Plus, I love Felicity Jones because she's such a great British actress. I hope that this film does for her what An Education did for Carey Mulligan!

Well, this has literally been the longest week of my life! It was my first proper week of lessons back at school and I've already had my glimpse of busy Year 11. :-( Posting will no doubt become non-existent, so I do apologise in advance! My weekend has been mostly comprised of catching up with sleep, eating and doing bits of work here and there. Monday has come around so quickly again, but at least I have plenty to look forward to as I'm hopefully going into town on Friday to FINALLY watch One Day and I've got a lovely day planned on Sunday. :-) Hope you've all had a lovely weekend.

Chloe xxx

P.S. As many of you know, today marks the 10 year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in America. There have been many documentaries showing the last week or so and I managed to watch some of the coverage from America and England today, as relatives who had lost loved ones, spoke about their losses. Having visited Ground Zero myself last summer when I was on holiday, it was so saddening to see how destructive individuals can be through terrorism. And it really does help to put things into perspective. It may have been 10 years ago, but we'll never forget. Rest in peace, 9/11 victims. Stay safe.

Timberwolves At New Jersey

2011-09-04T21:56:00.003+01:00

Top - TBS (bought in America, circa 2007)
Shirt- Gap (£30)
Jeans - DKNY (hand-me-down)

I had the absolute time of my life on Thursday night (1st September), thanks to the amazing Taking Back Sunday! I went with my sister and we got really close to the front :-) Hands down the best gig I've been to, Adam Lazzara was amazing (as expected). Hearing them play loads of the old songs brought back so many memories of me discovering and listening to the band when I was only about 10 years old! When Adam crowdsurfed on Cute Without The E, I actually touched his arm too. Best moments were: when they played MakeDamnSure, Faith, Liar, Timberwolves, You're So Last Summer, Cute Without The E, encore of There's No 'I' In Team and Adam's many, many jokes. All of the songs were so good and basically the whole night was brilliant. :-)

There really is nothing like listening to live music, especially when it's one of your favourite bands and the whole crowd is just as much into it as you are. And it's strange that you can feel so united with a crowd of strangers. I soooo want to go to a festival next year, after seeing so many of you guys and some of my friends at Reading, Leeds, Glasto and Latitude!

Anyway, I also went back to school on Thursday :-( The reintroduction into the routine of school has luckily been a pretty painless one. However, the prospects of so many GCSEs this year, as well as sixth form and eventually uni and a career has been pushed into the forefront of my mind! On Thursday, we had a careers day, where we got the chance to speak to loads of people in different professions, from finance to accountancy, to dentistry to marketing. On Friday, we visited Aston University (a local uni), which was quite interesting as we kind of just got an insight into student life.

Anyway, this weekend has been just trying to catch up and prep on work ready for school on Monday. Posting may become few and far between as I will no doubt be bombarded with masses of work. Hope the rest of you have enjoyed your weekend! Happy blogging.

Chloe xxx

These Are The Days

2011-08-29T20:19:00.006+01:00

Hi all! I'm finally on the mend and feeling a lot better now. I have to say, the very worst thing about having a cold / being ill, is not being able to taste anything at all. Seriously, my taste buds were terminally depressed for about a week. It always makes me realise how much I love food. At least now, I get to compensate for the lack of taste by eating as much as I can! :-)

Just wanted to show you a few photos from a week ago when I was in London! Most of the pictures I took were of me with family and friends, so I omitted those and wanted to share a couple of scenery ones!

Beautiful summer's night in St. Albans

Nothing beats Scrabble

Swelteringly hot day

Also, some more good news is in order. I got my GCSE results on Thursday and I got all A*s (in Maths, English, Chemistry, Physics, Biology and R.S.)! I'm only in Year 10 (about to be Year 11, yikes!), but I've now completed my Maths and English GCSE as we do them early at my school. The other 4 subjects were modular, but I managed to somehow get 100% in Chemistry, Physics and Biology?! Have no idea how that happened - but I'm certainly not complaining :-)

Anyway, hope you're all having a lovely week. I can't believe I'm back to school on the 1st, where has the summer gone?! At least I'm going to see Taking Back Sunday on Thursday too, I can't wait! :-) How has everyone's summer been? Good, I hope.

Happy blogging!
Chloe xxx

P.S. Love the song in the title of my post, These Are The Days. Had it on repeat all summer. Van Morrison will forever sing the soundtrack to my life.

Moleskine

2011-08-23T20:56:00.002+01:00

Just a quick one today! Got back from London / St. Albans yesterday, but I just wanted to show you the first two pages of my Moleskine sketchbook, after harping on about getting one for so long! I've done quite a bit more since this was taken, but just wanted to show you the first two pages. :-) The other two photos are some random ones that were taken at the start of the holidays when I went out for the day.

First two pages of my Moleskine sketchbook!

Top - Gap (Hand-me-down)
Blazer - Marc by Marc Jacobs (Gift)
Shorts - Levi's (Hand-me-down)
Shoes - Doc Martens (Gift)
Bag - Gucci (Hand-me-down)

Just realise that the outfit I'm wearing was entirely free of charge, I am so lucky to have such fashionable family members (mostly my mum and my aunties)!

Anyway, like I said earlier, yesterday I got back from a lovely few days in London / St. Albans with family and visiting friends. Unfortunately, I've had a cold which has spanned from the start of the trip up until the present day, which means that I was indeed ill for the duration of my visit. I'm still feeling under-the-weather now, but slowly recuperating (I hope!). I tried to not let my poor immune system get me down and I really did enjoy my time away. Now to try and not think about the impending doom and gloom of SCHOOL on September 1st. But for now, I've got to think about motivating myself to check off the many things on my To Do List before my time is up. Also, GCSE results on Thursday to worry about too. Wish me luck!

Hope you're all well. Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

Faith

2011-08-17T18:09:00.001+01:00

Hi all! Just come back from a lovely time in Manchester. I didn't really take many photos, so I don't really have any to share with you. It was nice to just relax though. :-) I had a great time with my family and our family friends, especially the cutest 4-year-old girl, Sofia, and a little 21-month-old boy, Raefe. They were a handful though! Anyway, just had a really nice few days, we went climbing on Monday and went out to eat and walked around Manchester, which is a lovely city.

Anyway, this is just a photo of me in the dress I got in the Topshop sale recently - I love it! I remember seeing Alexa Chung wear it at Glasto in the magazines and I'd been looking for a nice white summer dress for a while, so it was just perfect. It's a size too big, but it was the last one in the sale and still looked lovely, so I loved it immediately :-)

Love the flower detail!

A little sunflower clip that my sister made for me out of some spare material and a little clip on the back of it :-)

Aaaand, I don't know if this has ever been conveyed over my blog, but I used to be - and sort of still am! - a massive Twilight fan. When I was in my huge obsessive phase of Twilight about two and a half years ago, I sent a fan letter to Rob Pattinson. Nowadays, I'm a lot less into Twilight and I had completely forgot about the letter until a few days ago when I got this signed picture in the post :-) I really do admire him as an actor, whether that be in Twilight, How To Be, Remember Me, Water For Elephants or any of his other films. :-)

Anyway, wore my new dress when I was out for breakfast last week with my sister and two friends, Anisha (visit her blog here!) and Oriana :-) In between going out with friends and being in Manchester, I've had literally no time to do anything constructive! And I'm off to London tomorrow, so blogging may be a bit irregular / sparse. Thanks again for all the kind words about the UK riots, it seems like things are slowly getting back to normality (or as normal as possible).

I don't want to go back to school on September 1st. Gonna try and enjoy the fleeting freedom of summer while I can! Hope your week is going well. Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

London Calling (Pt. II)

2011-08-11T22:07:00.006+01:00

Hi all! Thank you for your kind messages about the riots in the UK at the moment. Fortunately, neither my family or I have been hurt or hugely affected by the riots. Most of the major cities have been affected: London, Manchester, Liverpool, as well as Birmingham (where I live). My heart goes out to businesses who will find it difficult to ever recover, as well as the three men who were killed in the hit-and-run incident when trying to protect their neighbourhood.

I just find it so sad - and angry - that there are things like tsunamis, earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters occurring, which we have absolutely no control over, yet there are still groups of people who are so determined to harm, abuse, vandalise, steal and ruin a great country. Hope everyone else in the UK has been keeping safe and that the worst of the riots are behind us. Thanks for the kind words from everyone else abroad!

I just wanted to show you some photos of the second part of my trip to London a few weeks ago. I stayed in St. Albans for the remainder of the trip, a really lovely and quaint town/small city just outside of London. We spent a couple of days exploring the centre of St. Albans, visiting the cathedral and generally enjoying the lovely summer days. Hope you like the photos!

Top - Gap (Hand-me-down)
Skirt - Portobello Market (£4.50)
Shoes - ? (Borrowed)
Belt - Moschino (Hand-me-down)
Bag - Gucci (Hand-me-down)

Beautiful flowers at a local florist

Cathedral in St. Albans

At the Cote Brasserie for dinner

Beautiful orchids

I'll be going to Manchester and London to visit family and friends over the next week or so. Hopefully, everything has calmed down in those cities too and I can enjoy the last few weeks before I go back to school - it has gone by far too quickly! I go back on the 1st of September and I am dreading it already. :-( Hope you're all enjoying your week! Happy blogging.

Chloe xxx

London Calling (Pt. I)

2011-08-06T01:28:00.009+01:00

I've been rather busy this week, but I just wanted to share some of the photos from my trip to London recently. To prevent my blog from photo overload, I'm gonna do it in two or three parts. Like I already mentioned in my last post, I really had the best time with my sister, my aunty and her boyfriend. I just love the diversity and the fast-paced vibrancy that comes with living in such a multi-cultural capital city.

Top - Levi's (My sister's, hand-me-down)
Skirt - Urban Outfitters in Chicago ($15, sale)
Shoes - Doc Martens (hand-me-down, gift)
Bag - Marimekko (gift)

Beautiful houses near Portobello Market

Portobello Market!

Covent Garden - one of my favourite places in London!

My aunty and my sister! (They look like sisters, don't they?! :-D)

Covent Garden (again)

My sister and my aunty again

Covent Garden (again!)

The loveliest little furniture store on Portobello Road

Hope you like the photos! All of these places are now fast becoming my favourite haunts whilst visiting London. I can always rely on the stalls and shops at Portobello Market to provide me with loads of good bargains (as already seen in my last post!). We also ventured into Spitalfields Market too, which was really lovely and had a nice vibe to the place. However, my favourite place in London is, and always will be, Covent Garden. I love the chilled out atmosphere from all the street performers, lovely cafes and shops, even despite the fact that it is always so busy as it's obviously a major tourist attraction.

Pt. II of the London adventure will be coming along very soon. I spent the day out in town with some friends and I had such a lovely time, eating and shopping. I managed to get SUCH a lovely dress from Topshop for £15. I don't normally like to shop in Topshop as you will undoubtedly see someone wearing the same thing as you (which I hate!), but it was too good an opportunity to pass up! I'll be sure to get a photo of it later and post it up on here. Hope your week has been swell - have a lovely weekend too! Happy blogging. :-)

Chloe xxx

P.S. I have been sleeping late and waking up late, hence the time that this is being posted... Oh well, it's an opportunity to say HI to all my overseas readers. :-) Thanks for reading, as always!

Parfait

2011-08-02T22:19:00.005+01:00

I got back from London on Saturday and I had such an good time with my sister, my aunty and her boyfriend. Being in London has really made me realise just how much I want to live there in the future. Being in London makes me feel alive -- as cliched as that may seem. I spent four lovely days in London / St. Albans and I can't think of a better way to start off my summer holiday. There's just something about the capital city and the way that everything is on your doorstep, waiting to be explored, that makes it such a special place. I love the endless possibilities that being somewhere new and exciting brings. I can't wait for the future chapters in my life to be written: in a new city, in an actual profession, with new acquaintances (and old too, of course).

I'll be posting more photos from my trip later, but I just wanted to quickly show you my buys that I got whilst I was there.

(Clockwise, starting with top-left)
The Family Way - Tony Parsons (£1.25, Oxfam)
Moleskine sketchbook, finally! (£14.99, Waterstones)
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera (£1.25, Oxfam)
Amelie DVD (£2, Scope charity shop)
Cream maxi-skirt (£4.50, Portobello Market)

I was so chuffed with these buys, most of them were real bargains and whilst the Moleskine is pretty pricey, I really had been lusting after it for an inordinate amount of time and purchased it with the book vouchers that I won. As for the two books, I've been meaning to read them both so it was such good luck that they happened to be in Oxfam and on offer for buy one get one free! :-) I've seen Amelie before, but didn't own it on DVD so I thought it'd be a good opp. to brush up on my French. Plus, Audrey Tautou is just the perfect, quintessentially gamine, French fille (it means girl). :-) Last of all, the skirt is a silky, cream, sort-of-pleated concoction which can only be described as 'parfait' -- perfect! I sense that I'll be wearing it all summer (and possibly for the rest of my life).

Also, got these two magazines this month: Harper's Bazaar with the beautiful Emma Watson. And another Audrey Tautou appearance, this time on the cover of Marie Claire. Two of my favourite celebrity icons. So beautiful!

Anyway, I'll be sure to come back and inform you of my London adventure soon enough. I hope that your summer / your week is going well. Mine certainly is, currently being filled with: sleeping late, waking up late, drawing, listening to music, eating mindlessly, watching television and... doing very little summer work (which is slowly becoming the bane of my life - surely it should be restricted to term time?!). Still, trying to enjoy these care-free times whilst I can -- hope you are too. Happy blogging.

Chloe xxx

Song Beneath The Song

2011-07-25T18:34:00.009+01:00

As promised, here are some photos from my trips to both Bath and Warwick Castle a few weeks ago. I hope you enjoy them, I think that they capture the "quintessential Britain" that so many people imagine when they think of Britain.

Warwick Castle

Top - Gap (£5, sale)
Dress underneath - Portobello Market (£18)
Skirt - Portobello Market (£5)

Bath

Dress - Urban Outfitters (£10, sale)
Blazer - Marc by Marc Jacobs (Gift, sale)
Shoes - Vintage Doc Martens (Gift)

And so another academic year of school is over! I can't quite believe that it's the end of Year 10, it has literally flown by. I feel thankful and grateful for the days where I can just enjoy everything that England has to offer. Now that the summer holidays have begun for me, I'll certainly have a lot more time to just enjoy the lovely weather that we've been having. I've been a tad busy, but I will definitely try and reply to your lovely comments soon. I'll also try to post whilst I'm in London too (I'm visiting from Wednesday to Saturday) - I'm so excited to roam the capital and spend time with some family :-)

Keeping it fairly short and sweet, as this post is already overloaded with loads of photos! I hope the rest of you are thoroughly enjoying your summer days and have a lovely rest of the week!

Chloe xxx

P.S. We had our Junior Speech Day awards ceremony and I was awarded two prizes: Academic Prize for my form and the French prize too. I also got to meet the prize-giver and actress, Kate Ashfield (most notable for her role in Shaun of the Dead) who was a former pupil at my school. The best part was receiving £20 worth of book vouchers - brilliant way to fund my summer reading! :-)

P.P.S. New obsession over the songstress, Maria Taylor. Obsessed with one of her songs, "Song Beneath The Song", hence the title of this post!

Dead and Done

2011-07-17T22:17:00.006+01:00

Wow, I haven't blogged in over three weeks! Where has the time gone?! Apologies for being an absentee for so long. With less than a week of school left, I think it's safe to say that I am mellowed out to the point where they all call me Mellow Yellow. Only joking! I don't think anyone could ever refer to me as that and I'm still a very busy bee and stressing out in this last week before school ends! Over the last week or so, we had Enrichment Week at school, a week off timetable where we are supposed to engage in 'enriching' activities. The week actually turned out to be really good fun, with a trip to Warwick Castle, the Roman baths in the lovely English city of Bath, kayaking and climbing, etc.

Other news includes me getting my braces off! After what seems like a lifetime of two long years, I got them off a few weekends ago and I have been smiling non-stop ever since! :-)
Anyway, here are just a few photos of what's been happening recently. It is by no means a definitive collection, so I will definitely be recounting previous day trips in more detail in the upcoming few weeks!

1. My braceless face!
2. Striking a pose... :-)
3. Indulging in magazines!
4. Just some art from my sketchbook for school
5. Ditto (I really never use that word enough...)

A few final notes: I have not yet seen the final instalment of Harry Potter. After being an avid fan of the books since the age of seven, I am really looking forward to the eighth film. The hype has been huge this year and it really pains me to see people hyping, despite the fact that they've never actually read the books?! It baffles me. However, I will definitely be taking a trip to see the new film, as well as a whole variety of other films that all look brilliant and seem to have wonderful qualities to them: Bridesmaids (hilarious), Beginners (insightful and also funny), One Day (based on amazing novel) and so so so so so much more.
Also, I have officially booked my train ticket to London on the 27th July, which is VERY exciting and only set me back the grand total of... £3! I love train rides and I love London and I can't wait to hit all of the shops and markets! :-) I am really looking forward to summer now, especially seeing as it's only four days away!

Okay, enough for now. See, this is what happens when I don't blog for three weeks: reams and reams of writing! Anyway, will be back very soon with more to say. Hope the rest of you have enjoyed your weekends.

Chloe xxx

P.S. The title post of this song is 'Dead and Done', by the hugely talented and underrated Bobby Long.

Adagio For Strings

2011-06-24T20:33:00.002+01:00

Top: Gap (£5, sale)
Bag: Urban Outfitters (Gift)
Jeans: Gap (£35)

This is probably one of my favourite tops ever, I love wearing it on just about every occasion because it's so comfy and fits so nicely. It's such a casual top and I like wearing it with jeans, denim shorts, skirts, trousers, etc. :-) Also, it was so cheap from Gap and such nice quality, I generally can't get enough of it. :-) Also, this bag was a birthday present like 2 years ago and I never really use it because I always carry loads of things around like my large wallet, phone, camera, notepad, Ray Bans and any other bits and bobs.

Anyway, this week has dragged on so much, I'm so glad that it's over! I thought that school would be a lot more relaxed due to the lack of exams, but apparently not! I still have essays to write, other homework tasks to do, revision for end of year tests / assessments and practical ISAs to prepare for... I just have to remember: Only 4 more weeks left. Only 4 more weeks left...
4 weeks too many, as far as I'm concerned. Can't wait for Summer to be here!

Other than my busy schedule in school, things have been pretty peachy, but a tad boring if I'm completely honest. I've been really lacking in so much: whether it's things to say, or inspiration, or ANYTHING, which is really quite sad, I have to say. I really need to get out of the house and do something constructive, because I'm so sick of the monotony of things right now. I promise that once I get out of this rut, I'll be back with more interesting stuff...

On a brighter note, I've been watching Wimbledon everyday after school and I absolutely love it. Federer and Djokovic are my favourites, they've both been playing so well too so I have very high hopes :-) Hope the rest of you enjoy your weekend and don't spent it inside like me! Apparently we're supposed to be getting a heat wave on Sunday! Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

P.S. Whenever I feel a bit stressed or whatever, I like to listen to Adagio For Strings by Samuel Barber though (hence the title), I can't explain why, I just do.

Seaside

2011-06-18T19:09:00.006+01:00

Top - H&M (£3 in sale)
Blazer - Marc by Marc Jacobs (Gift)
Jeans - Gap (£35)

Bonjour! Got this month's Elle and whilst I rarely ever buy magazines anymore, only the occasional Elle or Grazia, this one was great cause it came with this really cute Reiss top. There's something really nice about spending the morning / early-afternoon reading a magazine or texting, drinking a cup of tea and eating toast. However, I've also been really busy doing school work and then I trimmed my fringe and cut my sister's hair too. There's also something so nice about wearing a pair of jeans and a lovely blazer. I love wearing this Marc Jacobs one, the colour is timeless, the cut and fit is great too. I love classic pieces which will last me a lifetime.

I've had a tutoring job for about 8 weeks or so now and I've saved up £120, which will hopefully go towards a new camera. I'm in two minds as to save up for a Nikon P500, a bridge camera which is about £340 or whether to save up for a bit longer and maybe save up for a Nikon D3100 DSLR which is about £400. A DSLR would be great, but I'm not sure if it'd be too cumbersome, or whether I'd be too scared to use it due to its value and also, I'm a complete novice when it comes to anything more advanced than a simple point-and-shoot. However, I reckon it's cheaper to just buy one and learn, rather than buying something smaller to start with and then spending more money on an upgrade. I'm completely in two minds! Any advice would be appreciated! :-)

As for other things to save up for, I'm absolutely in love with the Pashley's Sovereign bike. I'm just such a sucker for a wicker basket and if I had a spare £645, I would buy it right now. Unfortunately, I don't! So I'll just have to wait until I'm successful and wealthy and all the rest! :-)

I also would like to find a cheap, but fully-functioning record player. If anyone knows where to get good refurbs (aside from the usuals like eBay, etc.), please let me know!
Last but not least, I already mentioned this in my last post, I really want to go and buy a moleskine notebook so next time I go shopping, I may just pop into Waterstone's and buy one. :-) Can't wait to get some sketches and drawings down.

Anyway, enough lusting over pricey objects which I really can't afford! Hope the rest of you are enjoying your weekends, wherever you may be. Happy blogging! :-)
Chloe xxx

P.S. I really want to go to the British seaside this summer, as I've never been before. Also, love the song by The Kooks. :-)

Bastille

2011-06-11T13:07:00.005+01:00

T-shirt - Mulberry (Hand-me-down)
Skirt - Urban Outfitters (£20)
Cardigan - Betty Jackson (£1 in sale?!)

Wahoooo! I've finally finished my GCSE exams for this year! I had my 8th and last exam, Maths Calculator paper, on Friday and I am now so glad that it's the weekend! I feel really content and happy that summer is in sight - well, it's still about 6 weeks away, but I am so not complaining! I have so many lovely plans for the summer, like going to London and Manchester and spending lots of it out with friends. I also want to start doing some proper blogging and maybe buy a moleskin book and doing some proper drawings. I am also so happy to be able to actually read for pleasure now, instead of revising from textbooks - it's a nice feeling to not feel guilty everytime I look at a book or having to neglect my Palahniuk or Kerouac! Anywho, this was just a little pic of what I was wearing back when the weather was sunnier.

I'm off to do some of my sketchbook work for Art and read a book. So gutted that the season of Dr Who has finished, can't wait until it's back in the autumn! Anywho, hope the rest of you are enjoying your weekend! :-) Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

P.S. The title of this post is a band called Bastille, I heard this great song by them called Flaws. I've had it on repeat for the last couple of days!

MIA

2011-05-30T12:36:00.003+01:00

So, my apologies for being MIA with you all for over 2 weeks! It's now half term so a bit of the pressure is off with regards to exams. I've had 6 so far (2 English Lang, R.S., Chemistry, Physics and Biology) so there are only 2 Maths left! Also coming up this week, I have my Bronze D of E expedition, which should be alright, as long as the rain holds off.
I went to see Mayday Parade on Friday and they were absolutely amazing live, the atmosphere was incredible and it was just a really fun night with some friends. :-) The rest of the weekend has been comprised of seeing family and then going out last night to eat. :-)

Here are a few snaps of my new art project so far!

Biro drawing of a collage

Skyline monoprint

Monoprint onto fabric (with stitching)

Monoprint onto distressed paper

So that's just a little update, I guess! Hopefully after exams, my blogging routine will be back to normal and I'll be able to post much more exciting things. Hope the rest of you are enjoying the Bank Holiday off here in the UK. For the rest of you, hope your week is off to a good start! Happy blogging :-)

Chloe xxx

Jesus Christ

2011-05-14T11:18:00.007+01:00

So instead of getting stuck into revision for my exams which start on Monday, I'm far too busy procrastinating and getting back into my blogging! Nevertheless, here's a little outfit post thing

Shirt - Zara (£30, present)
Blazer - MaxMara (present)
Bag - Mulberry (hand-me-down)
Leggings (unseen) - H&M (£6)

On Friday, I bid farewell to a very stylish sixth-former friend of mine, who is just about to go on study leave for her A2 exams, after which she'll embark on a new journey to University to read English Language. This future editor-to-be is Isabella (Izzy) from Bella's Boutique and I have loved getting to know her through our blogs and through school too. I can tell that she is going places after she leaves Five Ways and embarking into an even more fabulous FW - the Fashion World, where I have it on good authority that she'll be editor of her own magazine one day! She's undoubtedly one of the coolest people I know, so check out her blog here!

Anyway, that's all for today, I shall try and blog more after my exams. Have a lovely weekend and happy blogging! :-)

Chloe xxx

Diary

2011-05-12T00:00:00.000+01:00

Blouse - Zara (present)
Skirt - Urban Outfitters in Chicago ($10)
Shoes - Doc Martens (hand-me-down present)

Spent one day a few weeks ago cooling off in Waterstones, I bought Diary by Chuck Palahniuk. Had a lovely day, eating Greggs sandwiches and drinking coffee. Completely forgot about these photos which is why they're making an appearance now!
So remember when I posted a picture of my Taking Back Sunday tickets? Unfortunately, I was supposed to have gone to see them on Tuesday this week, but the gig got postponed at the last minute, so I'll be seeing them on 1st September instead, which was a bit gutting to be honest :-( Aside from that, I've just been revising for my exams which start on Monday! I'm pretty nervous and I just really want to do well in them so yeah! Hope the rest of you are having a lovely week - I can't wait til mine finishes!

Posts will be even more non-existent in the next few weeks, but I plan on reaping the benefits after much hard work and after exams, I plan on relaxing... a lot! Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

Transatlanticism

2011-04-30T00:30:00.002+01:00

Top - Levi's (Sister's, hand-me-down)
Dress worn as skirt - Portobello market (£18)
Shoes - Doc Martens (hand-me-down present)
Messenger bag - Gucci (hand-me-down from Mum)

Jumping pictures!

Here are just a few pictures from the other day when I spent the day with my friends when the weather was really lovely.

I spent most of today chilling out and revelling in the national Bank Holiday. Whilst I am by no means a die-hard Royalist, nor am I a Republican, I really enjoyed watching the wedding between William and Kate Middleton. She looked absolutely beautiful and her Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen dress was stunning. The Chantilly lace was so lovely and the entire design was so understated, yet elegant - timeless, yet entirely chic too. Will looked really nervous and Kate looked so calm and serene, despite today being probably one of the most nerve-wracking days of her life.

I love weddings and it was nice to have pretty much the majority of Britain united to celebrate William's and Kate's love. It was so lovely when he said "you look beautiful" to her when she arrived at the alter in Westminster Abbey.

Hope the rest of you Britons are enjoying the 4 day weekend, I'm probably gonna spend a lot of it revising for my exams which start in just over 2 weeks, eeeek. Have a lovely weekend! Happy blogging :-)

Chloe xxx

Everything Must Go

2011-04-25T00:49:00.002+01:00

1) Lovely steak pie that I had the other day, it was absolutely delicious and so cute, I thought I'd just share that with you ;-) Doesn't it look yummy?
2) My lovely No. 7 nail colour, I love the chocolatey-brown. The only bad thing is that it chips quite easily, which I didn't really expect from No. 7. Lovely colour, nevertheless!
3) My Taking Back Sunday tickets arrived and I am so incredibly excited to see them live on May 10th. I've been listening to them since I was about 10 and I really can't wait.

Ahhh last day of Easter holidays tomorrow and I'm going out for some shopping and then dinner and dessert with sister, mother and a friend which should be lovely. I'm not looking forward to the multitude of exams to come, but summer is certainly on the horizon and I can't wait! Hope you all had a lovely Easter weekend, enjoy the long bank holiday! :-)

Chloe xxx

Jet Plane

2011-04-18T20:58:00.011+01:00

Here are just two sketches that I did recently: I feel as if I've really kind of progressed in my drawing ability and hopefully this can be seen in my drawings! The first is Keira Knightley (source img) and the second is Emma Watson pre-haircut (source img). The scales are completely inaccurate, but I quite liked adapting the scale and borders and changing some things around to make it my own!

Had an absolutely wonderful day yesterday with friends, I'll post some more photos later... And now I'm gonna be spending some time with family today and trying to do some revision. Hope the rest of you are enjoying the sun and have a lovely week. Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

Fast Car

2011-04-17T22:15:00.005+01:00

So I suppose that my promise to be more consistent with my blogging didn't exactly become a reality. My whole week has been absorbed with revision, reading, eating lots and generally chilling out and not doing a lot, which is probably why I haven't really had much motivation to post anything. I have a few things planned for next week so I will definitely be getting out and about before returning back to the daily grind of school!
These photos are just some really bad-quality ones from this Polandroid app on my sister's phone which is really fun to use - the picture's are usually better, but they just didn't come up so well on my laptop. The first one's just of me in my hand-me-down Mulberry t-shirt, the second is of my Ray Ban sunnies and a brilliant book, the third is one of my favourite Zara shirts to wear in the sun. :-)

I hope you've all had a wonderful weekend! I spent all today watching Ace of Cakes, Bride and Prejudice (such a feel-good film!) and Spiderman (James Franco...). I also wanna show you a few drawings that I've done recently, but I forgot to photograph them. They'll be coming up soon hopefully! Sorry for being so MIA for a while! Happy blogging.

Chloe xxx

Spaceman

2011-04-10T14:45:00.005+01:00

So I've been a bit slow on the blogging front lately, mostly due to coursework deadlines and a general mad rush in the last week of school. But now it's the Easter holidays, so I've generally just been chilling out, enjoying the sun before I have to start revising for the multitude of exams awaiting me in the not-too-distant future.

Not too much to report on, I guess, just slowly getting fed up of school and the monotony of things. I really can't wait for it to be summer right now. Anyway, I've been doing a bit more drawing lately and I've just remembered how much fun it is and how much I love it. I'll post some pictures up soon when I can be bothered.

Here's a barely-there 'outfit' picture and some other random ones that I took recently:

Blouse - Zara (present)
Trousers - Ralph Lauren (USA Outlet, $15)

Easter reading: Nick Hornby always, got High Fidelity for 99p from a charity shop. Still need to finish On The Road and borrowed Invisible Monsters from the school library. Looking forward to reading them all. Note to self: Need to buy Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions and Jean Dominique-Bauby's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

I have a few things planned for the holidays, hopefully going out this week with some friends and then a barbeque next week and trying to fit in tutoring so that I can earn a bit more money. I'll try and post more regularly over the next couple of weeks too :-) Hope the rest of you are enjoying the rest of your weekend :-) Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

Where We Belong

2011-03-29T18:14:00.009+01:00

A few snaps of my Art coursework

Spending the day off school writing up my 15 and a half page essay :-(

Got this blouse for a tenner off the Urban Outfitters website - I love it!

So last week and this week has been comprised of writing out my Macbeth essay (English coursework) and trying to work on my Art coursework. I've been pretty stressed out hence the lack of posting! I did go out on Saturday for one of my best friend's birthday - we went to the cinemas to see Chalet Girl, which I absolutely loved. It wasn't your typical romance, it was so funny and emotive, so yeah :-) Then we went out to eat and had a sleepover! Overall, it was a good weekend and now I have less than 2 weeks until the Easter holidays, where I get 2 weeks off school! Can't wait as I plan on chilling out lots and planning things with friends - as well as some revision which really needs to be done!

Anyway, I hope the rest of you are having a great week, it's dragging on, but April 1st on Friday! I'd best get on to some more artwork, etc. Have a great week - happy blogging! :-)

Chloe xxx

P.S. The post of this song is 'Where We Belong' by Lostprophets. I heard this in Chalet Girl when I watched it on Saturday and it seriously reignited my old love for Lostprophets.

The Recluse

2011-03-23T19:25:00.005Z

Top - Topshop sale, £12
Skirt - Portobello Market, £5
Shoes - My sister's, Office sale, £20
Bag - My sister's, Urban Outfitters present

I'm absolutely loving the weather that we've been experiencing lately. It's so nice and sunny, something extremely hard to come by here in England. Even though I don't relish the idea of losing an hour of sleep at the weekend, I can't wait for longer days and shorter nights! Anyway, life has gotten so stressful lately and I guess it's just because of deadlines and coursework and exams in May! Other than that though, I'm quite happy and content. Once I get my mountain of work out of the way, I'm sure I'll be up to enjoying the weather a bit more and actually venturing outside, haha :-)

Going to see Chalet Girl on Saturday and out for a meal as it's one of my best friend's birthday and then we're all having a sleepover. Already planning to do lots over the Easter holidays too. Then I have loads of revision to do before my exams in May and June. Also, forgot to say that I'm going to see Taking Back Sunday and Mayday Parade in May - I am so incredibly excited, it's unreal :-) I hope you're all having a fantastic week, happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

P.S. Remember my Marc by Marc Jacobs dress? Adrianna from 90210 was wearing it in the latest episode (when she's being interviewed on the TV show about stealing Javier's songs!)
P.P.S. The title of this post is The Recluse by the band, Cursive, who are great great great. Give them a listen!

Drawing Natalie Suarez

2011-03-19T17:15:00.008Z

So I decided to completely scrap the idea of changing my blog title. I dunno, I've just gotten so used to 'Chloe In Reality' and I still really like it. I don't really want to change my URL due to the hassle of redirecting my followers and stuff. So I suppose 'Chloe In Reality' is staying and even though my URL is different to the blog title (www.chloeinfinite.blogspot.com), I guess it does still work. What do you think? :-)

Anyway, I've been doing some more drawing and I decided to draw Natalie Suarez from Natalie off Duty. I love reading her blog, she takes the most beautiful photos and wears the most beautiful clothes. I had a go at drawing her in one of her many stylish outfits. I hope you like it! :-)

Aside from drawing, this weekend has been pretty chilled. Watched Red Nose Day last night and I couldn't help crying. We donated £50 to Red Nose Day and it felt great to do our part. I've been relishing the lovely sun and blue skies today, it's been amazing. I'm gonna do some housework, chillax and try to work on my final draft Macbeth essay. Hope the rest of your weekends are going well. Happy blogging! :-)

Chloe xxx

Chloe, Infinite?

2011-03-15T20:43:00.004Z

Dress - Marc Jacobs sale
Shoes - Faith sale (£3!)
Denim jacket - Gap (hand-me-down)
Leather bag - Louis Vuitton (hand-me-down from mother)

This is my sister, Christy. She is wearing:
Jacket - Forever21 (hand-me-down)
Black jumper - Don't know?
Shorts - Asos
Leggings - H&M
Loafers - Portobello Market

Greetings! So I'm thinking of maybe changing my blog around a bit, maybe change the title to something related to my URL (www.chloeinfinite.blogspot.com) because when I first chose that, I always had the idea of me and my words being stuck in the World Wide Web for infinity. I feel like a bit of a change and incorporating those ideas into a new blog name. Something like 'Chloe, Infinite' or perhaps 'Chloe's Infinity'. I'm a bit stuck on ideas, but those two seem the best. Also thinking of changing my header picture too. Or maybe I should just keep things as they are?
Any ideas?
They'll be gratefully received!

Also, the above photos are just of what I was wearing when I went out on Sunday with some family friends. The weather was so lovely and the sun was shining so brightly so I decided to brave the temperature and go bare-legged (which I haven't done since the summer!) We went to Caffe Nero for some lunch and it was just a really lovely day.

Anyway, yes, please let me know about what I can do to renovate and improve my blog. Any comments, good or bad, are welcome and I would really like to start blogging properly now, with proper features, reviews, etc. So yeah, please advise me on what I should talk about! Hope you're all having a lovely week and happy blogging! :-)

Chloe xxx

P.S. I'm sure that everyone is aware of the situation in Japan. My aunty lives there with her husband, but fortunately she is in Hawaii and due to fly to Hong Kong soon. All my thoughts are with the people in Japan and I really hope that things get better soon. I'm starting some charity work with my mum's friend and we're going to start fund-raising for Japan. Please click here to donate to the Red Cross's appeal for Japan.

Cute Without The E

2011-03-11T20:41:00.009Z

Hi guys and gals! So I've finished my mock exams in Maths and English. I got my Maths results back too and got a 94% in Non-Calculator and 100% in Calculator, which I was pretty pleased with! I haven't had my English results back yet, but hopefully they've been okay too.
Anyway, aside from school stuff, I've been reading lots of books and I went out the other week with some mates and bought a few good things.

Good old Starbucks

Favourite drink: Iced caramel macchiato!

Perusing the shelves of Waterstone's is my favourite pastime

Finally got around to getting Elle with Keira Knightley. I finished One Day as well, finally, and it was so amazing and I cried at the end, it was so emotional and lovely. Loved it!

My new pencil case from Paperchase (since my old one was falling to bits after I have had it for 5 years!) as well as The Great Gatsby, for a mere 2 pounds from Waterstone's. Finally, a complete bargain of a top which I got for £4.95 from Acorns, originally from Zara.

I love my best friends and my sister!

So as you can see, all in all, things have been going brilliantly lately! I'm just gonna try and do a lot of Art coursework this weekend, listen to loooaaaads of Mayday Parade (booked tickets to see them in May with some mates, so psyched!) I'm also thinking of getting tickets to see Taking Back Sunday, although they're playing around the time of my exams, which is a bit annoying, but they're like my favourite band ever. However, my mum just paid for Mayday Parade for me and it seems so cheeky to just ask to go to Taking Back Sunday too, but maybe if I start tutoring more, then hopefully I can pay her back easily! I hate it when money gets in the way of everything!

Anyway, just a random little rant, I really am so excited to see Mayday Parade. I also really wanna see Bright Eyes too, cause Conor Oberst is such a dude, but yeah. Anywho, I am going to enjoy the rest of the night by listening to loads of music, chill and eat food. Hope you all have a lovely weekend! Happy blogging! :-)

Chloe xxx

Cute Without The E is one of my favourite songs by Taking Back Sunday. Thought it'd be relevant haha. Check it out if you've never heard of it, it is honestly brilliant. I love singing along to it whenever I can and even though I've been listening to this for years (back in the day when I had a rocker phase when I was like ten) and it never ever gets old!

Lists

2011-03-03T23:37:00.000Z

Hi! I'm off to do my Duke of Edinburgh practice tomorrow, so I shall be freezing my legs off in a field somewhere. It'll be a fun time with friends though, I should imagine. Anyway, I just wanted to show you some lists that I was writing. I dunno what prompted it or whatever, but hopefully others can relate to them or whatever. :-)

Hope the rest of you are all having a lovely week! Short and sweet today as I probably should be getting to sleep now. Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

Sketching

2011-02-27T13:23:00.007Z

Hi! I've been doing a lot of drawing today, as always... I've never done this before either, but I decided to draw a blogger! I dunno if you guys know her, but I am an avid follower and reader of her blog. She has a certain way with words and she always dresses with such style. She always reminds me of Alexa Chung, who, as we all know, is just about the coolest lady in the world.

Anyway, it doesn't really look like her, but in my ever-constant procrastination, I gave it a go. Here it is:

Hope you like it! As well as that, I've been doing other random drawings...

Hm, maybe I should've spent that time revising for my mocks, but I just love drawing at the moment. Well, I should get back to enjoying the last day of half term - I can't believe I'm back to school tomorrow! I shall be back soon, thanks for reading. Enjoy the rest of your weekend and happy blogging! :-)

Chloe xxx

Also, again, please check out my Flickr account, as I've just uploaded a few more photos, so check it out! Thanks! :-)

Flickr

2011-02-23T18:35:00.006Z

Hi all! I just created a Flickr account today and I would absolutely love it if you could check it out. I don't have a lot on there at the moment, only like three photos which I took a while ago, but yeah. I'm gonna start saving for a DSLR hopefully, as I'm hopefully gonna start doing some tutoring and this will hopefully fund a camera! I'm not sure how long it'll take, but I'm pretty determined. :-)

Anyway, back to the topic... Please please please check out my flickr.
Click HERE to check it out and I will love you forever. Thanks! :-)

Here are a couple of the photos I have uploaded, they're not fantastic, but they're just my starting point. Thank you!

Happy blogging!
Chloe xxx

The Girl

2011-02-21T16:38:00.006Z

Hi guys, I'm currently lazing around after cutting my sister's hair and doing a little bit of homework (a little being the operative word). I'm gonna finish reading Freakonomics at some point… It’s taken me far too long to read a 300 page book. Good job it's half term as I can’t wait to finish One Day by David Nicholls as well as read Walden by Henry David Thoreau and Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse 5. Also, can’t wait to purchase The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald) and Breakfast of Champions (Vonnegut). It’s gonna be a good week.

I finally got round to watching 127 Hours too! It was brilliant and James Franco was astounding, it just made me fall in love with him all over again. However, I was right when I thought that I couldn't sit through the gory arm bit, because I am way too squeamish for that. Anyway, here are a couple of photos of me, it's kind of an outfit post I guess. :-)

I'm wearing all hand-me-downs: The top is from H&M and the shorts are Levi's.

Anyway, I am so tired now, so I think I'm gonna do some reading and then have a nap. Gotta catch some ZZZZZZZs before I spontaneously combust. Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

The title of this post is a song, The Girl, by City and Colour. Been listening to this song a lot lately, as well as all my other favourites. Been listening to lots of music in general lately, broadening my horizons, lounging around. It's a good feeling. I'm feeling good.

The Devil's Tears

2011-02-12T19:09:00.003Z

Currently just reminiscing and thinking about the summer. Last summer seems so long ago and I miss it a hell of a lot. London and America was amazing. Best six weeks of my lifetime thus far. Here are a just a few photos:

Short and sweet today, I'm quite busy this weekend and I've got no time to stop! Hope you're all well and enjoying your weekends. Happy blogging!
Chloe xxx

Please listen to Angus & Julia Stone, great brother-sister duo. The Devil's Tears is a great track so check them out :-)

Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now

2011-02-05T18:22:00.002Z

Hey guys and gals. Here's a little barely-there outfit post. I'm wearing clothes, so it counts as an 'outfit' post, I suppose. I just can't do anything very interesting, because British weather is particularly unforthcoming when it comes to distribution of sunshine and warmth, etc. Anywho, here it is:

Gap top and Zara cardigan

Bookshelf

Freakonomics is really good, still not finished it, but still really enjoying it, especially as it's a non-fiction book. The other two books and the two DVDs are late birthday presents from my friends which I asked for:
1. I've been wanting to read Walden for ages! I'd read some quotations from it ages ago and have wanted to get my hands on it for a while, so perfect opportunity and I can't wait to read it!
2. One Day is a book that I randomly saw on Amazon and I just really liked the sound of it. It resembled Nick Hornby's and Tony Parson's style of writing at first glance, which kinda pushed me to want to read it.
3. Leap Year is my guilty pleasure, since I watched it on the plane on the way back from America last summer. Matthew Goode and Amy Adams are so charming, I just had to get it!
4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Another long-awaited purchase. I had heard of this ages ago and always wanted to watch it!

Now, enough prattling. I have an English essay to write on Shakespeare's Macbeth. Joy of joys. I'm also currently nursing a headache, sore throat and runny nose. Enough complaining, I suppose. Hope the rest of you are enjoying your weekends. Happy blogging! :-)

Chloe xxx

P.S. Listen to Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now by Starship. Fantastic song, which I always just want to belt out from the rooftops or something. Makes me feel alive.

Can't Go Back Now

2011-01-28T23:11:00.004Z

I have literally had this song, Can't Go Back Now, by the Weepies on repeat for days. I love it so much. Just a quick update, school is okay, life's good, feeling really happy and content actually. I dunno, obviously things are never perfect and some things are annoying in life. I just have this great appreciation for things lately. I dunno what. Just rambling on now, had barely any sleep this week (like every other week to be honest) and it's getting late.

I always get into this situation where I'm tired and it's late, but all I want to do is stay up and read. Right now, I'm reading Freakonomics, which a friend lent me. I don't usually read non-fiction, but it's actually really interesting. Even though I'm a painfully slow reader, it's kinda slow to get into, so it's taking me a while to get through. So eh.

Anywho, I have a photo from my birthday. Don't really wanna bore you with photos of all my family and friends, but I had an amazing day on Saturday and will share some gifts soon enough. Here's a photo of me and I'm just in my lovely dress. It was a lovely day and yeah, just really enjoyed it. Maybe that's what made me realise how lucky I am and prompted my appreciation for everything.

So glad it's the weekend! Gonna have a long read and then go to bed after that, I think. Still got loads of books to read and films to watch, I'll be sharing those with you on my next post. Hope you all have a lovely weekend anyways! Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

Band of Horses

2011-01-21T23:03:00.004Z

I'm really getting on top of the regular posting on my blog lately. Anyway, so glad that this week is over! It's been good, but I always hate it when there's something to look forward to at the weekend, because the week invariably draaaaags. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow, wearing my Marc Jacobs dress and spending time with my family and friends.

Here's a few photos, I wore this in enrichment today:

The Paul Frank t-shirt, DKNY jeans & French Connection blazer are hand-me-downs.
The leather belt is from Italy.

Displaying George Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London and my grey No. 7 nail varnish.

Anywho I'm tired, gonna finish off some reading, watch a bit of telly and go to bed. Can't wait for tomorrow! Will take loads of photos. Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

Happy birthday to me!

2011-01-19T20:14:00.002Z

Hi all! Just a pretty quick post to let you know that I am officially a fifteen year old! To be honest, I think I've changed quite a lot, but I don't really know. I've had a fantastic year of being fourteen. I went to America and experienced so many fantastic things, I travelled round Chicago and then New York where I watched Wicked on Broadway. I did really well socially and academically and it's been a real blessing. I learnt a lot and I just feel kind of worldly and mature now, haha. I feel extremely grateful for having such a great family and equally great friends. Everything that was wrong with the world last year has slowly righted itself. Sure, not everything is perfect, but I am really content right now.

And better yet, I have seen this blog blossom and I love being able to write what I want, whenever I want. It's been great to know all of you guys through this blog too and I am looking forward to another year of great things.

And because I'm not such a great fan of word-overload, here are a couple of pictures of me.
Chloe. At fifteen years old.

I'm gonna be celebrating my birthday (and my non-identical twin's, I almost forgot to add!) on Saturday with my family and friends at Gourmet Burger Kitchen. Really excited to celebrate it and yeah. Hope the rest of your week is good! Happy blogging :-)

Chloe xxx

Berries: Burberrys and blackberries...

2011-01-15T19:30:00.002Z

Hey everyone! So like I said, I will be posting some more of my presents aaaand...
This Burberry top was another joint Christmas and Birthday present, bought at Bicester Village after Christmas. It was £29 reduced from £195 and it's so classy with just a pair of black skinny jeans. You can't see the back, but it the cut is lovely and it's kind of pleated/ruched at the back, can't really explain, but it is lovely! :-)

Onto the next berry... I got my phone upgrade the other day and I just love having a blackberry! It's the Curve 9300 3G and it's so amazing. My internet package hasn't started yet, but it's gonna be cool having BBM and internet on my phone and stuff. And my friend got me a black case which is lovely too! Another little thing is the No. 7 grey nail varnish that I got as I had a £5 off voucher in Boots to spend.

Anyway, enough showing off. Feeling extremely lucky to have received a multitude of lovely things recently. My birthday's in 4 days and it just feels so weird to think that I'll be fifteen years old... Hope everyone else is enjoying their weekend, I'm gonna try doing some revising for a Chemistry test, I think. Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

Ghost

2011-01-12T20:34:00.002Z

Hi all! School has been pretty good and this week has gone by relatively quickly, even though it's only Wednesday evening. I got some pretty good results back. Got A* in my Physics test and also 19/20 in my History test which I was quite pleased with. Anyway, just wanted to do a quick outfit post today and try and get back into the blogging spirit, seeing as I've been seriously lacking in any inspiration lately..!

I'm wearing my hand-me-down DKNY jeans which were my aunty's from like ten years ago. The jumper is my sister's from Urban Outfitters for a tenner. I wore this out to town when I was shopping and it's just really simple, but I like the cut of the jumper and everything. Hope you're all well and that your new years have gone off to a great start. My birthday's in a week! :-) Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

The title of this blog is Ghost by Robyn Dell'Unto. I actually heard this on a television show that I watch called Being Erica. It was the last episode of the series last week and I really love it! Now, in its place is Life Unexpected, a new television show which I already love! :-) (My life doesn't revolve entirely around the telly, only partially!)

Marc by Marc Jacobs dress!

2011-01-08T17:24:00.006Z

Hey guys! A really exciting thing is that I got a Marc by Marc Jacobs dress as sort of a Christmas slash Birthday present! It's so brilliant and beautiful and it was in the sale with an extra hundred pounds knocked off. PLUS it was bought with lots of Selfridges vouchers that I had, so it all worked out great! I've tried it on about ten million times already and I'm gonna wear it on my birthday with my new suede heels from Clarks (hehe) which were only ten pounds. :-)

So here is an outfit post, fiiiinally!

Dress - Marc by Marc Jacobs, Shoes - Clarks

It is just beautiful, isn't it?! I also have some a few other presents that I would like to show you in my next post. But that's for next time :-) I'm just so grateful to my momma for getting me the dress as well as my gifted Selfridges vouchers from last year. And I can't wait now cause it's my birthday in 11 days, I can't believe I'll be fifteen!

Hope everyone's well. I started school again on Wednesday and it's been quite tiresome, but I've done all my homework so I'm free for the weekend! It's a pretty good feeling :-) Happy blogging!
Chloe xxx

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T13:28:00.004Z

Hi all, I can't believe it's now the year 2011! It feels weird just trying to write it. I've had a wonderful week, from Christmas up til now. I've just been so busy, so haven't really had much chance to sit down and write it all down. I don't really have much time now, as I'm going out in half an hour, but just wanted to say HAPPY NEW YEAR!

What a year it's been! I wanted to show you a few things that I got recently, actually. I didn't really get much in terms of presents as we don't do big Christmases, but I did get a few bits and bobs. Also, I won another giveaway! I still can't believe I've won two, but thanks must go to the fabulous Jasmine at :: Lavender's Green ::! I really love her blog and have loved getting to know Jasmine too. So go take a look!

Here are the lovely things that I received! Thanks so much, Jasmine!

Anyway, I must be off now to celebrate the 1 / 1 / 11! Hope that everyone has had a lovely year and best wishes for an even better one. Happy blogging!
Chloe xxx

One Direction, hehe

2010-12-23T12:33:00.010Z

So! I've certainly had a jam-packed few days. In fact, I was snowed in on the first day off as I had a sleepover with my friends and we ended up staying for three days due to the incessant snowfall throughout the entire day. We managed to do a lot, including cooking a proper roast with all the trimmings, cooking tomato soup, taking photographs, walking the dog, going out in the snow. One blemish on the otherwise faultless few days was that I dropped my sister's camera and it broke :-( I feel really guilty, but I'll be getting her a new one, but it's pretty sucky news.

Anyway, moving on, then on the Monday, we traipsed to my friend's house for her birthday. We went out for curry and had a generally lovely time. I had a chicken tikka masala, garlic naan and rice, which was actually really nice considering I'm not really into my spices. Then we had another sleepover, played scrabble at 2 in the morning and watched Kick-Ass which was a lot more gory than I imagined. Being someone who is extremely squeamish, I spent a lot of time doing my crossword and Sudoku.

As well as that, I went into town on Tuesday and on the top floor of Selfridges was... Liam Payne! For those who don't reside in the UK or simply don't watch the X Factor, he's one of the dudes from One Direction. I don't particularly like him, but the band were okay singers and I did quite like them in the X Factor, so my sister and I got a picture:

I look pretty awful, but it was a cool opportunity as there aren't too many celebrities in Birmingham. Here are a few other photos from the past few days as well :-)

So, those are just a few photos of the last few days. I'm gonna be spending loads of time with my family now and I'm off to Oxford tomorrow where I'll be spending Christmas with the family. I'll also be heading off to London and Manchester (hopefully) after that! I hope no-one's Christmas plans have been called off due to the dreaded snow and I wish you all a very very Merry Christmas! Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

And my last note is about a certain lady named Anisha The Pizza who has an absolutely amazing blog which you should all visit. Anisha used to have a joint blog with her friend, but slowly turned to tumblr, but it is my pleasure to see that she is back to the good old blogosphere! She's a friend I know from school whose interest for music, art and fashion never ceases to give us something to talk about. Moreover, our love for tennis and James Franco is another thing we have in common :-) But don't let me try and pinpoint her exuberance with my God-awful descriptive skills, find out for yourself - you won't be disappointed. :-)

Postcards From Italy

2010-12-15T21:46:00.004Z

2 days left of school... And counting! I am honestly so psyched for the Christmas holidays now, where I can do whatever I want and meet up with people. My family are also coming over from various corners of the globe and it's gonna be a fantastic time, I can already tell. Anyway, not much to report apart from I'm going to have a busy few days to celebrate the Crimbo hols!

On the Friday that we break up, I'm going to my friend house and we're all having our own mini Christmas and a roast which will be so lovely! Then we're sleeping over and doing loads of sleepover type things. Then on the Monday, it's my other friend's birthday, where we're gonna go out to a restaurant for curries. Then on Tuesday, after the sleepover, I'm going out to town and make a stop at the annual German Market as well, so I'm gonna be busy busy busy!

Anyway, here are some pictures that have been hiding away in my 'Random' picture folder and I thought I'd share them since I haven't had much chance to take any of my own lately. :-)

Hope everyone's well and enjoying themselves in the run up to Christmas! Will be back very soon with lots of pictures of my own, hopefully! Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

Freefallin'

2010-12-05T12:35:00.003Z

It's official. I suck at blogging! I'm only managing like one a week, but I'm sure that once the holidays roll around, I'll be able to get back into it. It's just that school is still as relentless as ever, with loads of tests to revise for, etc. But, on the flip side, there are only two more weeks left of school!

Here's some of my art work to show you, because I've had no chance to do ANYTHING else which is productive or creative. Hopefully in the countdown to Christmas, I'll have some (hopefully) inspirational outfit posts, etc. Anyway, here's my art project:

Anywho, I'm off to do some constructive stuff and then watch a film. Be back later to check out my fave blogs. I'll be back to my normal self soon, promise! Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

Freezing

2010-11-27T16:05:00.005Z

Hey everyone! I'm currently freezing my fingers off as I type this to you under the covers of my bed. Just catching up with my weekly doses of my favourite blogs and drinking some tea. It snowed today and whilst most people are getting very excited about it, I'm just cold. This week went really quickly at school though, mostly because I was dreading it so much! Not much happening in terms of life and such, but with the completion of many essays, projects and homeworks, I have actually had quite a bit of free time this week.

So I'm feeling quite a bit more cultured after lots of reading, films and the like.
I read Paper Towns by John Green - an absolutely amazing novel. It was recommended to me by two friends and it is honestly a fantastic story with profound meanings. Just everything that you want, really. I recommend it to every one of you!
It's not pictured, but I also read Looking For Alaska by John Green, another great novel.
Bought Elle a few weeks ago, Alexa Chung on the cover, of course.
Watched two really good films:
Entre Les Murs or The Class, about a French teacher in inner-city Paris. I really love foreign films and subtitles, I thought that the message was strong in this, so yeah, I found that it was really good.
Also, Capitalism: A Love Story, a documentary by Michael Moore. I've seen another Moore documentary called Sicko before. He instills a lot of humour into serious issues and I really liked this one too.
And last but not least, the Times newspaper with a Harry Potter special. Which links nicely with my trip to the cinemas with some friends to see The Deathly Hallows on Friday 19th. Had so much fun and I cried when Dobby died!

Also pictured above is my successful fishtail plait! After a couple of days of useless attempts, I finally managed it. I can do them a lot better now as practice really does make perfect. :-)

I'm gonna go warm my hands up with the hairdryer now and maybe peruse the Zara website. This year, I haven't quite got the Scrooge outlook on Christmas like I did last year. Despite the cold weather, I have to remember that I only have three weeks of school left. Which isn't quite so bad, is it?! Hope everyone's having a lovely weekend! Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

I won a blog award and a giveaway!

2010-11-20T14:55:00.001Z

Ahhh I can't believe I haven't blogged in 2 weeks, it's a travesty, but I'm back on track soon. I'll be updating you on everything that's gone on in the past two weeks, but firstly... Here is my blog award!
I received a blog award from the lovely Jasmine at :: Lavender's Green ::! Honestly, Jasmine is a fantastic blogger and does the best posts about everything blog-like. Take a look!

1. Why do you blog?

I don't really know, I just love writing about random stuff and having something as an outlet. I'm always too lazy to write in a diary every day so I like being able to share various things to people and being able to interact with people from all around the world is just amazing! Receiving positive feedback is ridiculously reaffirming and just to be able to talk about whatever is amazing.

2. Three best memories.

- This summer, when I saw the musical, Wicked, at the Gershwin Theatre on Broadway in New York City. It was possibly the best moment of my entire life thus far. I got goosebumps and honestly, I can't even explain it, the entire 2-3 hours, I was just in awe and thought about how lucky I was to be able to experience something as magical as that musical.
- When I got into the grammar school that I now go to. Doing the exam was the most nervewracking thing ever, but when I got in, it was an amazing moment.
- Climbing up to the top of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City in Rome. It was overwhelming and brilliant, crowded yet amazing. It was magical and I don't know why it was so great, it just was.

3. Four of the best fiction books you've read.

- The entire Harry Potter series - J. K. Rowling
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky
- The Catcher in the Rye - J. D. Salinger
- Paper Towns - John Green
- High Fidelity - Nick Hornby
- Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk
- Before I Die - Jenny Downham
- Let's Get Lost - Sarra Manning
- Man and Boy - Tony Parsons
(Sorry, couldn't stick to four!)

4. Five best movies ever made.

- Pretty Woman
- 500 Days of Summer
- Thirteen
- Amelie
- Juno
- Anchorman
- Zoolander
- Into The Wild
(Sorry again, I couldn't stick to five!)

5. Five things you can't live without.

- My family and friends
- Laughing
- Good food
- Good music
- Good books

6. If you could change your name, what would it be?

I don't know! I've always thought about having a different name, but honestly, my name isn't really so bad when I think about it. Maybe something more interesting, but my mind is failing me at the moment.

7. Tell us a unique and interesting fact about yourself.

I have had the dream of going to Christy Church College, Oxford University, ever since I can remember. It is slightly weird and not the most glamorous fact ever, but I've just always known that I want to go there; my two aunties and my uncle went there, I went to my aunty's graduation there, my other aunty got married there. It's a magical place and I never want to go study anywhere else.
Other than that, I have a twin sister (non-identical) and we're good friends most of the time and have the same friendship group, she's pretty much my best friend.

8. What do you love most about yourself?

I love the way that I can make someone feel good about themselves and I love the way that it makes me feel. I also love the fact that that I don't have to get on with everybody and it doesn't bother me if I do or don't. I think that's important, cause you can't have everybody love you. I'd hate it if I was the sort of person who dwelled on stuff like that too much.

9. If you had a 'Freaky Friday' experience, who would you change places with?

I would change places with my mother, just to see what her life is like and how she deals with life, especially since it's not easy being a mother of three kids and practically having to juggle doing that and a job, practically single-handedly, is a pretty massive feat. I would want to swap places to understand and be more empathetic when I'm acting like a spoilt teenager!

10. What is the best thing about being a woman?

I love that I can be hormonal and laugh and cry and do whatever I want. I guess it's just consolation for all the labour, childbirth and monthly crimson wave... :-)

Also... Some other very very exciting news as I won my first ever blog giveaway! Ever! Thanks so much to the lovely Poppy at Bears and Bunting! I received the lovely package from her after school one day and I was ecstatic, thanks so much! Here is what I received:

Great prizes, right?! Feeling rather lucky right now... Now I must be off to do some work, but I'll definitely do an update again soon. Hope everyone's enjoying their weekends too :-) Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

Tired Eyes

2010-11-06T02:12:00.002Z

It's November already, what has happened to 2010?! I'm now distinctly aware of how much has happened in this past year or so, I just can't believe it's gone by so quickly! This week has been the longest one so far though, I'm sure of it. First week back after half term and I realised just how much I have to do and so little time to do it in! My Biology exam is on Thursday and I'm dreading it, it's such a weak point of mine and I don't want to completely flop it. Blah de blah, school is boring me and I just want to fast forward to the holidays.

I wish I wasn't so negative and also that I had something to blog about other than school stuff, but it's pretty much the only stuff going on right about now. Anyway, here are some photos of the paper-mache shoe I made for my Art project. I'll take some more pictures later and post them as well. Art was taking over my life for a while a few days ago, but now I'm back up to speed and it's actually such a great creative outlet, because the rest of the subjects I've taken for GCSE are just so academic, so yeah, really enjoying that.

Hope you like them! I'm thinking about tinkering with my blog name/URL, but I dunno cause then I don't think my followers can see my blog if I change the URL or something. Also, I have no idea what I'd change it to. Maybe I'll just be too lazy and not change it. Who knows.
ALSO, guess who has a half day on November 19th? Guess who's already booked her tickets to go to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1? YES, THAT'S RIGHT, ME. I know, I'm so psyched, it's unreal. :-) Bon weekend and happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

P.S. This is called Tired Eyes because my eyes are drooping at this current moment in time, seriously. I am so tired and I had a four hour nap when I got in from school, and now I need to sleep because I'm feeling uncharacteristically tired lately. Partly due to my living on five hours a night, every night this week. Zzzzzzzzz

Canon

2010-10-29T00:02:00.004+01:00

I can't believe that it's almost the end of half term already! I've been quite busy, had a sleepover and IKEA adventure on Thursday and Friday last week... Then on Sunday, had a day out with my mum, sister, aunty and gran, stayed round at my grandma's and spent a whole day out and went to another IKEA... I know, I can't believe it either, two trips to IKEA in the space of a week! But I had a good few days, which was really nice.

Apart from that, I've been watching loads of television now that we have Freesat, which is way way way better than Freeview. I've also been procrastinating and trying to do some work; my Biology module is coming up on 11th November, which is quite nervewracking as I only got an A in my first module. Anywho, also lots of Art coursework and stuff like that. I also have a terrible cold and cough, my nose is like a tap (sorry to be so blunt)! :-(

I love my friends! :-)

Been watching DVDs and listening to loads and loads and loads of Sam Cooke. Been nursing this cold with cups of tea and blankets. I'm gonna try and relish the next few days of freedom, before the impending daily doom and gloom that is school. Hope everyone else is enjoying their week, weekend's almost here!

Happy blogging!
Chloe xxx

This subject title is devoted to my absolute favourite piano piece ever, Canon in D Major by Pachelbel. It is honestly one of the single most beautiful pieces of music ever. Take a listen here!

I'm In Here

2010-10-16T21:43:00.006+01:00

This week has been pretty long, even though we had a day off school on Thursday (Pupil Review Day). Went out for some shopping and buffet-eating with my friends, it was such a nice day and I had a lovely time, even though I neglected to bring my coat out with me and resorted to shivering throughout the day and trying to stay in the heated shops for as long as possible. We bought presents for my friend, Abi, stuffed our faces at the buffet and then spent the rest of the day at Abi's. Then the rest of the week was Charity Week at school, which I'm part of, and I presented some stuff in assemblies, raised lots of money and then it was non-uniform day. I wore my purple Burberry blazer, jeans and a cream Gap top - didn't get any pictures though!

Oooh and I bought a new book, which I've been wanting for ages, like over two years, but it has never been in stock whenever I've gone to Waterstone's. It's Running With Scissors, a memoir by Augusten Burroughs. Never mind the fact that I have two other books on the go at the moment, I've already started reading it and it's amazing!

Sorry for being so vain up there, I was in a bored mood this afternoon! Anywho, I'm going out tomorrow, so best be off to write this English essay on Oliver Twist and try and do some more revision (it's only October and I already have tests and exams to revise for!) Hope everyone's doing well, it's getting so cold already and so dark at like seven o'clock! I am not relishing the upcoming few months! Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

P.S. This song is I'm In Here, by Sia! She is such a great singer, her music makes me really want to think and to contemplate, sort of like it gives me clarity or something. Listen to her here!

A Sunday Smile

2010-10-08T22:09:00.001+01:00

Thanks to those who commented on my drawing and everything, it's such an affirming thing so thanks so much! Anyway, just wanted to show you a couple of photos of two items I bought in America, at the outlets in Chicago. I bought a beautiful Ralph Lauren cable knit jumper for 60 USD and then I snapped up an amazing bargain on some beige trousers for 15 USD!

Right now, school and homework is taking up my time, as is reading, watching Gossip Girl, Ugly Betty and The Apprentice and sleeping... So glad to be getting into blogging again, it's so good to have another outlet to just vent or comment on things and to just talk. It feels good. I can't believe I've had this blog for only just over a year, feels like a lifetime!

Happy blogging!
Chloe xxx

P.S. It's not Sunday, but the title of this post is 'A Sunday Smile', a brilliant song by Beirut. Go check it out! :-)

Drawing

2010-10-03T23:20:00.001+01:00

As usual, school is becoming the very bane of my entire life right now. This lack in posting is most likely linked to my decreasing number of followers, sorry guys! Anyway, I'm making a proper effort to start posting more regularly, even if it doesn't seem like it. This post is gonna be a sort of showcase of the first few bits of artwork I've done in my project thus far.

It's based on footwear, culture, planting your roots and stuff like that, I suppose. It's really interesting and I think it's so good to do a creative subject at GCSE, just to have that sort of creative outlet.

As I said, I've been pretty busy lately and blogging really has taken a backseat. I keep saying that I'll start posting more often, but I dunno. Hopefully, I will from here on in! Yesterday, I chilled out and read Oliver Twist and did housework for my momma. Just a lazy day and then I watched the new series of Strictly Come Dancing (I seriously love that programme!) Today, I watched Ugly Betty and then in the afternoon, I went out with my sister, mum and two friends for ice cream. I had hot brownie with two scoops, it was so nice. But now I have a cold and the weather is all terrible!

Anywho, the weekend has gone really quickly, but half term is in three weeks so hopefully I will be a bit more interesting by the time half term comes round.

Happy blogging!
Chloe xxx

A Change Is Gonna Come

2010-09-20T12:25:00.010+01:00

My blog posting has become even less frequent, for some unbeknownst reason! Well, school has been keeping me preoccupied and with year ten comes its massive workload. I've had to read Oliver Twist, do countless pieces of homework and extracurriculars in school too, such as Amnesty, Charity Taskforce, Debating club and Netball. On Wednesday 15th, I went on a Maths trip to Birmingham Uni. Then on Friday and today (Monday), we have teacher training days which are great and on Saturday, I went to my friend's quiz night to raise money for her trip to Sweden.

Other than all that, things have been pretty quiet around here. September is a busy month, next week I'm going out for food and ice cream with friends which is good. Haven't taken many photos lately, which is sad, but I will try and take some soon when the occasion warrants some picture taking.

I've been watching lots of films lately. Watched Lost In Translation, 10 Things I Hate About You, A Walk To Remember, Jumper and Envy over the past couple of weeks. Haven't had a chance to finish reading On The Road because I've had to read Oliver Twist for English.

I just love all of these photos, they're reminiscent of.. something special, something a little extraordinary. I don't really know what. I'm really intrigued by film, so hopefully for Christmas, I'll be looking into getting maybe a Holga or a Diana. Maybe even a Fuji Instax if my purse strings will allow it.

I'll try and get an outfit post in soon and I hope all you bloggers are keeping well. Happy blogging!
Chloe xxx

P.S. The title of this post is a great song by Sam Cooke. Fantastic bluesy, old-school soul. Listen to it and I defy you not to get a little bit teary. :-)

September

2010-09-07T23:06:00.003+01:00

Hi all! So it's September. After an amazing holiday in America and lots of great moments throughout the summer, it was inevitable that it would end soon. On the 24th August, I went into school to get a few GCSE results and I obtained:

A* in ICT (100%!)
A* in Chemistry module
A* in Physics module
A in Biology module

So all in all, not too bad! Anyway, went to a sleepover the day before we got back to school. Went back on Thursday 2nd September, which seemed a bit pointless since it was only a two day week. Lessons started properly on Monday and I can already see the workload increasing exponentially over the next two years. I've already had five pieces of work in the last two days which doesn't bode well, not to mention being busy with debating society and now Amnesty International, netball, etc. Anyway, apart from that, life's been pretty normal.

For now, here are just a few photos that I took about a month ago when it was about 5 ish in the morning. I couldn't stop looking at the sky and I just thought that it looked so captivating. Also, the other photo is one of when I cut my fringe!

I'll be back to post at the weekend, maybe something a little more interesting, but no promises. I've still been checking out everyone's blogs and it's interesting how people are taking the whole back-to-school thing. Funnily enough, I don't mind it too much even though this next year is going to be ridiculously hard. But anyway, will be back soon!

Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

New York, New York

2010-08-31T19:02:00.005+01:00

So, here is the rest of my American adventure, with the latter part being in New York City, the city that never sleeps (it really is true).

On the 19th August, early on in the morning, we set off to New York City. Our hotel was right by Times Square and easy walking distance to loads of lovely places. We got settled in and ate in Times Square and then walked around various places and had a nap.
Then at 7ish, I got ready to go to BROADWAY to see WICKED at the Gershwin Theatre! And let me tell you, that night was one for the history books. Honestly, one of the best nights of my life, Wicked was everything I wanted it to be and more. (Apologies for the clichés, but I honestly don't care because it was amazing!) Anyway, the storyline was amazing and our seats were great as they were really near the front and they were 'partial view', but I didn't miss a thing! I literally got goosebumps during Defying Gravity, the song before the interval. It was such an amazing feeling at the end when the cast received a standing ovation from everyone. I will definitely be making my way back to Broadway to watch Wicked again!
On the 20th August, we set off with breakfast and then walked around Times Square. We went past Madame Tussaud's and Ripley's. We went to the Rockefeller Centre and walked around that area before making our way to Central Park. We stayed there for a good hour or so soaking in the sun and listening to a Japanese singer in training. There were ducks and terrapins in the pond and we sat on the boulders. Then we got hungry and went towards China Town where we found a restaurant to eat at. We went for bubble tea afterwards and then ended the day by walking around New York and chilling at the hotel afterwards.

On the 21st August, we had breakfast yet again and headed out to the tube station in Times Square to get the train to the harbour where we'd be able to get to Liberty Island. We waited around 2 hours to get onto the ferry and then we arrived on Liberty Island where we could see the Statue of Liberty. Afterwards, we took another trip to China Town for food and bubble tea. Then, it was time for more sight seeing with Brooklyn Bridge, The Financial District (Wall Street, NY Stock Exchange, etc.) and Ground Zero. Whilst the others made their way back to the hotel, a few of us went on to go to Times Square at night time to take pictures and eat ice cream. Then we returned back to our hotel and at around 2 am, we all gathered in one hotel room and had a sort of leaving party. My aunty and her boyf went to buy pizza, chips and drinks whilst we all chatted and reminisced.

And finally, on our last day, we had a few hours to spare so us kids went to Ripley's Odditorium in Times Square. It was a really interesting place and we did a laser race which was really fun too! Then we went to a BBQ restaurant where I had this amazing steak and tried this steak burger (Americans really know how to do burgers, I'll give them that). After lunch, we got all our things from the hotel and made our way to the Subway, but it started raining so hard, it was ridiculous. We got soaked and our tubes were cancelled so we had to walk and get loads of other trains to try to get to the Air Train to JFK. After lots of stress, we got changed at the airport and then boarded our plane.

WICKED!

NYC, Central Park, Rockefeller, Times Square

NYC, Liberty Island, Brooklyn Bridge, Ground Zero

Hope you like the photos! Enough writing for me now, I'm off to a sleepover at my friend's house.
Happy blogging!
Chloe xxx

Back to reality!

2010-08-25T20:35:00.003+01:00

Hi all! I got back from holiday on the 23rd in true British style with torrential weather bestowed upon my arrival. I had such an amazing time in America and it was honestly such a great two and a bit weeks with my family. I already miss everyone and truly cherish family.

So from where I left off on my last post, we set off on our journey to the ranch in rural Chicago on the 13th August. It was really hot there and we started with some fishing and I caught my first ever fish! It was a very proud moment and it was actually really exciting :-) Later on, we ate loads of food and gathered to listen to some of the group sing and play guitar. After that, we all piled out into the garden to get a camp fire going. We toasted beef franks and marshmallows, which were delicious. Overall, a fantastic day. On the 14th, we did some more fishing and also went out on the pedalo into the water which was great fun! We left later that day and it was such a lovely experience.

Over the duration of our last few days in Chicago, we went to Michigan Avenue for some shopping as well as trips to Target and Jewel Osco. We also went to the cinemas twice in two consecutive days. We saw Inception (which didn't really live up to all the hype, for me) and also Eat Pray Love (which, again, was disappointing, although it's Julia Roberts so hey). The weather was amazing and breezy for the last few days and I am definitely making my way back to Chicago at some point in my life.

I'll be back to look back on the latter part of my trip in New York City! For now, here are some photos from my trip!

At the outlets: Gap t-shirt, Portobello Market skirt and Doc Marten's.

So that's all for now! Like I said, the New York part of my holiday will be coming shortly. Hope you all like the photos, they're only a small selection from the 600+ that were taken! I will also be talking about my results for 4 GCSE's that I took this year (I'm in Year 9) and yeah! Other than that, it's been a great summer and I'll be looking forward to a week of doing nothing before school starts!

Happy blogging!
Chloe xxx

Chicagooooo

2010-08-13T03:28:00.002+01:00

Hi, all! So, basically got here on Saturday 7th and I've been having a great time. The weather is stunning and there are so many great sights to explore. On Sunday, we went to the Chicago outlets and I got two amazing buys from Ralph Lauren: A pair of beige cropped trousers for an amazing $15 and then a cable knit jumper for $60!

On Monday, we went to the Field Museum and then went for dinner at a restaurant in Korea Town. On Tuesday, we went to Lincoln Park Zoo and then had steaks at home. Yesterday, we went for a 10 mile walk and went to the beach by Lake Michigan and then ate tacos later on (I've developed a newfound love for tacos, seriously). Today, we went for food in China Town and then some of us went to Michigan Avenue for a couple of hours to shop a little bit. My holiday in Chicago has been amazing so far and I love it here, even though the heat is something that I'm not used to at all. Tomorrow, we're going to a proper rural ranch in Chicago and we're gonna be fishing, toasting marshmallows and stuff.. I'm so excited!

Here's just a quick picture of me by the beautiful Lake Michigan!

Hope everyone's summers are going brilliantly. Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

A tale of two cities...

2010-08-09T17:38:00.002+01:00

Hi all! I'm currently blogging from Chicago (first city!) and I'm loving every second of it. Yesterday, we went to outlets and I got some amazing buys, which I will share with you really soon! Also, I woke up an hour ago to Oreo ice cream for breakfast and now I'm going to get tacos for lunch!

And as promised, here is the second part of my London (second city!) adventures.
On Monday 2nd August, we did some more sight-seeing, mostly around Waterloo, the South bank and Blackfriars, along the embankment the pier and the bridges and then the Tate Modern. We also walked around pretty much the entirety of Central London and sat in Victoria Embankment Gardens to eat lunch, bought from an eatery called Wasabi. By the end, my feet were hurting like hell, but it was a lot of fun too!

So yeah, just keeping it short and sweet for now, I'll try and post again soon. And now I have to go! Hope everyone is having an amazing summer! Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

London Part 1

2010-08-05T21:51:00.000+01:00

So I got back from London on Tuesday night, but I've mostly just been recuperating and catching up on missed television so haven't really had much chance to blog. And it looks like I won't be blogging too much in the next two weeks as I'm going to America on Saturday morning (our flight is at 6 am, as a matter of fact) so blogging may become very sparse or just fizzle out all together.

Anyway, back to the subject in hand, I had a really great time in London with my sister, my aunt and her boyfriend. We arrived on Friday 30th July, after a 2-3 car journey, and being too exhausted to do much else, we drove out for a family bucket at KFC. This was exceedingly delicious as I do have a rather embarrassing penchant for deep-fried chicken. Then we chilled out for a bit before checking out recipes of what to cook and then going on a massive shop at Sainsbury's. After some trouble with the self-service check outs, we were on our way home to chill out and play scrabble!

On Saturday, we went to Portobello Market for some shopping! I got a really lovely dress, my sister got a dress and suede shoes and my aunty got a top, shorts and a pair of shoes! We bought two rounds of Gregg's and sat on a street in Portobello to eat it all. Then we got back and ate out at a French restaurant where I had a really lovely Gressingham's duck leg with dauphinoise potatoes and vegetables. Amazing day!

On Sunday 1st August, we went to play badminton at a rented court which was really fun! We were all about equally matched which made it really entertaining. Afterwards, we were just way too tired to do anything so we stayed in and played loads of Guitar Hero and Singstar, which was good. Then we watched television and went into the garden for a sing song as my aunty's boyfriend can play the guitar. Here are some photos!

In West Hampstead

Sitting in the streets of Portobello

Portobello art

Portobello

Portobello

Sing-song in the garden

West Hampstead

Before dinner!

I saw my dream car in Portobello!

Chloe xxx

P.S. Part 2 will be coming up soon! I'm now off to do a few things and contemplate starting packing since I shall be leaving tomorrow night and I still haven't done anything! Also, just a heads up that I cut my hair again recently and got a full fringe, feeling quite happy with myself at the moment ;-)

Blogging from London Town!

2010-07-26T23:55:00.008+01:00

Hello, bloggers, bloggees, bloggians, bloggaroonis, bloggicans, etc. I am currently blogging from London Town! I've just come back from Portobello Market and in true Blue Peter style, I want to show you a post that I prepared earlier. I would like to show you my haul of blazers and bags. Some of them are designer, from which I have acquired mostly from gifts and inherited from my mother.

My favourite bag of all time, it's Louis Vuitton and was my mother's, which she bought from Paris over ten years ago. I love it!

Gucci messenger bag from my

Gifted floral bag from Urban Outfitters

Gifted suede Vanson bag from my uncle

My sister's black Urban Outfitters satchel

Now, onto the blazers...

Burberry blazer from my mother

Gifted Marc by Marc Jacobs blazer

Gifted MaxMara blazer

And lastly, my favourite blouse!

This Malene Birger blouse was bought for my birthday from Selfridges sale, from £150 down to £27!

So here are just a few of my favourite items! I'm off to play Guitar Hero and then dinner somewhere local. I'm really enjoying my few days here in London! Today, we went to Portobello Market and then tomorrow, we'll be off to do some sight-seeing in Central London and then also go to the Tate Modern and some galleries. I'll report back with photos and various tales later on.

Hope you're all enjoying your summer! Happy blogging!
Chloe xxx

Catch Me If You Can

2010-07-26T22:59:00.004+01:00

Hey bloggians! Sorry I haven't blogged for a while, even though I thought I would do so more, now that it's the summer holidays, but I've been awfully lazy and just basically done nothing. I went out yesterday with the family and sorted out holiday stuff and then went to play tennis with my sister, brother and father. Other than that, I've been having a complete Gossip Girl marathon on the internet, because I've missed loads of the episodes so felt that now was the right time to start! Anyway, thanks for all the congratulations on my last post about my awards, feels great to have people supporting me!

Anyway, lack of doing things = lack of blogging.
Actually, doing lots of things = lack of blogging too.

It seems that blogging at regular intervals is a pretty hefty feat. One which I am aiming to conquer soon as I'll be doing lots of things and when I'm off in London and America, I am guaranteed to have internet access so hopefully, lots more blogging! Anyway, here are a few photos over the last week or so:

I love orchids! They're my favourite flowers, along with freesias and roses.

Cookie Dough ice cream and a film on a hot, humid day = perfect.

Vanity in all its pride and glory... Not really.

Really simple outfit, to be honest. A H&M shirt underneath which was a mere £3 in the sale. And my favourite Gap top which was £5 in the sale.

Me on a school trip, at the theatre in Manchester, getting a latte and waiting for Charley's Aunt to commence. My outfit is a black sheer dress with a slip underneath from Debenham's sale and a gifted Marc by Marc Jacobs blazer.

Today, I did gardening for my mother and also cleared out my wardrobe. Then a little more chilling and now I'm writing this blog! Tomorrow is going to be dedicated to doing nothing apart from take photos and eat food. Then on Wednesday, I'm going shopping with my sister and a friend. Cue lots of window shopping and sighing at overpriced clothes and DSLR cameras. I really really really want one, but lack of funds are preventing me from doing so! Then I'm off to my grandma's on Thursday to sort out America stuff with my aunty and then off to London on Friday. Can't wait!

Hope you're all having amazing holidays! Happy blogging!
Chloe xxx

P.S. Did any of you catch Catch Me If You Can on BBC the other night? A Spielberg film based on the true life story of Frank Abagnale, Jr., a man who conned millions of money out of forging cheques and took on the role of many different identities and careers. I absolutely loved this film and I urge you all to see it!

"The life I want, there is no shortcut. "

2010-07-21T18:28:00.006+01:00

Hello! So the end of school is very nearly here. I leave school tomorrow at lunch time as it's a half day and I can't wait, but at the same time, I really don't want this year to end. This week has been really good though, as well as my weekend. I chilled out on Saturday after the sleepover and then went for ice cream on Sunday with my sister, mum and some friends. I had a Ferrero Rocher sundae and shared some hot chocolate fudge cake and waffles! Then this week, school's finally been winding down due to the end of school. Missed out loads of lesson because of book return and Speech Day rehearsal. It was Speech Day this afternoon and I received my three awards for Form Academic, Maths and French. I also met Ben Wright, a Political Correspondent for the BBC who was a former pupil at my school and I received £30 worth of book vouchers in total. Can't wait to raid Waterstones for some great reads for this summer!

Here are some photos of my art and some randoms from this last week:

This is a drawing of my entire form. It's a little hard for you to see the likeness between the actual people, but many people have said that it really looks like their real-life counterparts and I was amazed at the positive responses! This is a last farewell to my Year 9 form and I did a photocopy for everyone, too.

Edie Sedgwick. Originally meant to be a clock in Tech, but decided against it. Painting took forever as I'm not so great with a paint brush!

Very, very, very old piece which was up on the walls in the Art corridor. Supposed to be a little surrealist depicting a large Doc Martens boot (pencil) in the middle of an eerie, quaint London street with a sun set in the background!

Me in a Burberry shirt from my father and leggings - simple outfit for Art Day.

My name in the Speech Day programme!

Autograph from Ben Wright, former pupil and BBC Political Correspondent!

I have just been eating some Ben & Jerry's Cookie Dough ice cream and watching An Education. Seriously, that film is amazing and Carey Mulligan is beautiful. She's such a wonderful actress, I understand why she is so fully deserving of her BAFTA for her lead role. Therefore, the title of this post is a line from Carey Mulligan (as Jenny Millar) talking to her teacher after missing out on her chance to go to Oxford University. I don't particularly want to give any more spoilers, just go watch it!

Anyway, now I'm just thinking of which books to buy. I already know that I want to buy On The Road by Jack Kerouac and Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs. I have a longer list, but I'm not sure about some of them. Any recommendations?
Now I'm off to do some drawing with my new-found free time as I printed off a load of pictures earlier today and can't wait to get started! Hope everyone is doing well and I can't believe it's very nearly summer. In 9 days, I'll be off to London for 5 days: mostly for shopping and sight-seeing, but also decorating my aunty's new flat, baking cakes, playing scrabble. The usual. I get back on August 4th and then I go to America on August 7th, which doesn't leave me much time to pack!

Hope everyone's summers are going great! Happy blogging!
Chloe xxx

Quelqu'un M'a Dit

2010-07-17T16:28:00.003+01:00

Hey guys! It's been a pretty rubbish week due to my new form group for Year 10 and various other things with that. I don't want to bore you with my qualms and worries, but it's not been such a good week because of it. I really love my current form (9SS) and everyone in it. We only have a week left together and I know I'm gonna cry loads on the last day. Even though I'm excited for summer, I just want to prolong the next week because I love everyone in my form and how much we all get on. I hate change! This week was supposed to be really fun (Enrichment Week), where we're off timetable, but it kind of got ruined by the new form groupings. On Monday, we had a forensic science day. Tuesday was a design and technology day. Wednesday, we went to Manchester for a theatre visit named Charley's Aunt. Thursday, we had an art day which was good. Friday, a day of well-being. Only a week of school left!

Anyway, here are some photos from Friday when we went for a sleepover at my friend, Kirsty's house, had a major healthy food fest at McDonald's and went to see Eclipse!

I'm gonna finish an Art piece and show you a few pieces of work in my next post, as well as some other photos. Also, I almost forgot to say, we have Junior Speech Day on Thursday (I think) and I received three awards this year! I received the Form Academic Prize for the third year in a row, I won the Maths Prize and the French Prize. I'll get £15 book voucher for each prize, so I'm really happy with that, haha. Other than that, went to a sleepover last night and then I'm going out for ice cream on Sunday. My family bought a new car (BMW 3 Series) so we'll take it for a test drive! Have a lovely weekend!

Happy blogging!
Chloe xxx

P.S. Quelqu'un M'a Dit is such a beautiful song featured on the 500 Days of Summer soundtrack. I know I go on about that film so much, but I don't care. It's such a lovely song, sung by the beautiful Carla Bruni (Sarkozy's wife). It really makes me happy and actually relish the French language!

Anyone Else But You

2010-07-10T12:59:00.007+01:00

Hey guys! I've had a pretty good week. I'm finally better from my two-week-long cold, but I got my braces extended which isn't exactly fun and I've had to resort to eating soft food. School's finally winding down now and there's only two weeks of school left (next week is Enrichment Week which hardly counts) so yeah, it should be really good. It's been really chilled out and the weather's nice.

On a geekier note, I got my end of year grade letter and I acquired 12 A*s (in Maths, English, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Art, Latin, French, History, Geography, Tech, RE) and 3 As (ICT, Music, PE) so I was really pleased with that! I also received my English oral mark in discussion, I received 52/54 and in my Original Writing coursework, I received 26/27 A* Commended Work, which I was really happy about! All in all, it's been a good week in the education department.
Here are some quite random photos I took last week:

The bracelet that one of my best friends, Gabi, got me from Glastonbury. The colourful pop art bag is one from Camden, courtesy of my aunty Helen.

Rewatching 500 Days of Summer and my beloved Dell Inspiron

The Erdem bag which was free with Harper's Bazaar this month

Eating noodles and borrowing my brother's iPod touch

I was tagged by the lovely Em at Jersey and the Monkey. Do check out her blog because she's such a lovely girl! This is primarily a make-up based tag titled: What is your beauty style?

1. What is your beauty style? (Natural, trendy, etc.)
Very, very, very natural! I rarely ever wear make-up as it just wreaks havoc with my skin as well as the fact that I'm far too lazy to bother spending time trying to apply make-up.
2. Where do you get your beauty inspiration from?
Following on from the previous question, I don't particularly have a beauty style, so it's hard to be inspired too. If I had to choose something, I'd probably say magazines and blogs.

3. What beauty products do you have the most of?
Nail varnish!

4. What's your favourite/holy grail for:
Eyes: Benefit mascara and Benefit kohl eyeliner
Lips: Vaseline! (Boring, I know)
Cheeks: Johnson's or The Body Shop
Nails: Rimmel 60 Seconds, particularly in dark blue, red, black and silver

5. Three favourite brands of the moment?
Benefit
Rimmel
The Body Shop

Anyway, I've just been to a sleepover and now recuperating at home. I'll post pictures later this week. We also went to see Eclipse which I will talk about in a later post. I still have a few bits and bobs to do before school finishes in two weeks time, which is a bit annoying, but not earth-shattering. This time in four weeks, I'll be off to America and I seriously can't wait. I'm going to London on the 30th July for a few days so that should be good. Other than that, I'm getting into the summer spirit and can't wait for it to begin.

Hope everyone's enjoying their summer so far. Happy blogging!
Chloe xxx

P.S. Rewatching Juno and falling in love with Ellen Page and The Moldy Peaches. Anyone Else But You is the sweetest song and it always puts a massive smile on a face.

Mushaboom

2010-07-04T15:16:00.007+01:00

Bloggers! So, I'm pretty happy right now because I gained my 100th follower a few minutes ago and being the sad case that I am, I've decided to share the happy news with you all. It's a pretty big deal to me since I've had my blog for a while now and it's always incredibly reaffirming to see that people actually take an interest into what I have to say. Basically, what I'm trying to say is: thank you!

I had a pretty good week this week as my cold is slowly going away, never to return again (hopefully) so that's good. On Friday, it was Sports Day which was held at Birmingham Uni which was alright. My house (Roach) won Sports Day and I also won the relay too, so that was pretty good, but now I have hell to pay for not warming up as my legs and tummy are aching so badly. Afterwards, I went to Abi's with Abi, Kirsty and Christy. We just did nothing and chilled out, went to the park, ordered an Indian takeaway and then me being the ill person that I am, went to bed at a mere twelve o'clock whilst the others stayed awake without me! I really did need the sleep though so yeah, then we woke up and ate loads of toast and juice, then it was off home. I got some magazines the other day with nice freebies so I'll show you those in a later post, but here are some photos from Friday!

Also, Happy Independence Day/4th Of July! I'm feeling pretty positive about the next few weeks, there are less than three weeks of school left, with one week of Enrichment Activities (commencing on 12th July) which is basically a week off school timetable to do various activities. Then I'm gonna try and plan some fun things before I go to London on the first week and then to America on Aug 7th. I might also be going to a festival in Chicago called Lollapalooza which sounds fun and there are some good bands going so hopefully I'll be going to that! I'm really excited, but for now, I'm going to try and enjoy the rest of this Sunday and write a commentary for my English coursework. I don't sound very enthused, do I? Anyway, hope everyone's enjoying their summer (if it's started already, lucky you!), the sun's gone in for a few days and I kind of miss it now that I'm on the mend.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! Happy blogging!
Chloe xxx

P.S. Listen to the title of this blog post, Mushaboom by Feist. She is Leslie Feist, linked with Broken Social Scene (who I love, by the way). I was just rewatching 500 Days of Summer on DVD and I loved this song and have been listening to it on repeat for a while. Lovely lyrics, lovely voice. Listen to it!

I Am A Rock

2010-06-29T19:56:00.006+01:00

Dearest bloggers.

First off, I'm ill. And I'm not even a hypochondriac, because I'm not. It's just that I am ill and it's summer (which, might I add, is uncharacteristically hot that it's not even funny anymore), so it's not particularly ideal. Do I sound ratty? I feel ratty. Not only that, but my hayfever is flaring up again and no amount of loratadine will protect my eyes from becoming all red and blotchy. I tried eye drops the other day, I have officially caught Rachel Green disease (Friends reference, if you didn't get that).
Anywho, despite much blowing my nose off and sniffling and coughing, I do have some good news. I had the last GCSEs that I will have this year (Chemistry, Physics and Biology) on Monday. The relief is so overwhelming that I want to hug all of you, but I won't in case I infect you all with my horrible pathogens. Yeah, I'm contagious, in the truest sense of the word.

I also had a magnificent weekend, despite my failing immune system. I chilled out on Friday and then I went out in the afternoon on Saturday with some family friends. We went to Pizza Express and I had a goats' cheese, spinach and cameralised onion pizza and then a caramel sundae thing, it was very yummy. I got back at about nine, but then my mother, sister and I went on an adventure with some more of our friends and we stayed out until like one a.m., I love my family!

And seeing as I didn't want to be boring and do an all text post (because words are like, so overrated), here's a photo of the lovely Louis Vuitton wallet that my mum's friend gave her since she never used it. My mother is besotted with it and I'm happy because I get to share it with her!

Also a few photos of me whilst I was bored at home (before the dreaded illness kicked in)!

Currently, I have English coursework to do, but it's not too bad. Thanks for all the lovely comments on my review, by the way, they've been included in my coursework (no need for any panicked faces!) so all is good. I'm going on holiday soon after school ends (23 days!) so yeah, all is good. Life is pretty good if I don't factor in the illness and the hot weather. I hope everyone else is having a lovely summer and enjoying the hot weather instead of being a moody grouch like myself. I promise I'll be back to normal soon enough. Gonna try and have me a nice week, read some books and chill out and then I'm off to a celebratory sleepover on Friday with my friends.

Happy blogging and have a great week!
Chloe xxx

P.S. This post is sort of a dedication to the lovely, lovely, lovely Sarah Starlight (AKA Sarah Fennell, AKA coolest, most inspirational girl in the entire world) at Austentatious Memoirs. She is honestly the most eloquent, articulate person I know and she is a sweetheart. Check out her Literary Hideaway post, because it's a crime not to.

P.P.S. The title of the post is sort of the song which is keeping me alive (not literally, obviously), because I want to remind myself that I am a rock. Rocks are cool and I want to be a rock, because I'm pretty sure that rocks are healthy and don't get ill. Also, Simon & Garfunkel rock. I'm off for some Vitamin C, water and a box of tissues. How much more quintessentially ill do I want to get? I know.

(500) Days of Summer

2010-06-23T18:16:00.005+01:00

Hello, bloggers! As stated in my previous post, here is my review on the film, (500) Days of Summer. First of all, I have to say that I completely adored it from the very moment that I watched it in September last year. Writing this review has even given me the excuse to buy it on DVD.
…Hey, it’s still for educational purposes! Even if I do have to watch it five times back-to-back, it’s purely for “analysis” and if I just so happen to enjoy it, you most definitely won’t hear me complaining!

Firstly, this film is incredibly heartfelt and honestly one of the best films I’ve seen in a long time. The fact that the film begins with the line: ‘This is a story of boy meets girl. But you should know up front, this is not a love story’ just makes me fall in love with it even more. I remember Joseph Gordon-Levitt being very similar in the film, 10 Things I Hate About You, where he plays the cute social outcast, to how he is in 500 Days. The male lead is fantastic in his depiction as this creative, yet pathetically romantic man called Tom Hansen, who is completely and utterly in love with Summer Finn. She’s played by Zooey Deschanel, who has appeared as a cynical indie chick in just about every film of hers that I've seen (Failure To Launch, Elf, Crash, Yes Man, etc.). So if you've seen her in one of these roles, imagine that multiplied by ten billion. She is just the epitome of cool. Seriously, she scores off the chart of cool-ness.

Back to the actual review... The film is basically a rom-com with a twist. Everything that we girls dream about – well, I know I do – seems to occur in this film: a besotted boy who takes you on dates to IKEA and actually likes the same music that you do, i.e. The Smiths?! It seems too good to be true and thankfully, it is. Summer turns away from the love that Tom bombards her with, leaving poor Tom sporting a broken heart and a hangover. But even though I love Tom’s character, I don’t see Summer as the bad guy in the equation (and this isn’t just because of Zooey), but because I understood where she was coming from.
When you know that you love someone, you just know. Summer didn’t and that was the problem. No questions asked.

Even though I haven’t been in anywhere near the same situation as Tom and Summer, I found 500 Days really easy to relate to. Most parts were profoundly funny; Tom’s dance number almost had me in hysterics. Every time I thought that something was going to happen, I was instantly surprised by a sudden turn of events. Rachel, Tom’s sister, was wise beyond her years and consoled him as if he were the younger sibling, not the other way around. Tom’s friends were also fantastic in their roles as they brought so much humour to the depressing time that is heartbreak.

500 Days has already been hailed by Nick Hornby as ‘the most true-to-life romantic comedy of the past 20 years’. Nick Hornby is one of my favourite writers and I have already written about High Fidelity in a recent post (see here), so I invariably loved 500 Days of Summer too.

For me though, so many highlights of the film were related to music. This film is basically an analogy for a great song. For example, I loved it when Tom was wearing an array of Joy Division t-shirts (I’m also hoping to acquire one myself very soon). There was also the shot of matching Morrissey covers in both Tom and Summer’s childhood rooms. There were Joseph’s and Zooey’s renditions of both Nancy Sinatra’s Sugar Town and The Pixie’s Here Comes Your Man, respectively, which I found to be particularly endearing. Or the fact that I recognised Belle & Sebastian amongst the many quotable lines:
‘Colour my life with the chaos of trouble.’
It was all of these little things that made me smile and it’s always a good feeling to recognise something from a film – I felt very wise by the end!

The soundtrack was also, I imagine, the musical equivalent to the invention of the wheel. Some of my favourite artists were featured in the film, including: Regina Spektor, The Smiths, Simon & Garfunkel and The Pixies.

I have to say that during the end credits of the film, I completely disagreed with the opening line: ‘This is a story of boy meets girl. But you should know up front, this is not a love story’. I personally thought that it was, most definitely, a love story. Perhaps it wasn’t the most conventional of romantic-comedies, with its dry humour, splashes of satire and unpredictability. I was constantly waiting in anticipation to see what would happen next, but became distracted by my incessant laughing, due to the numerous wise cracks that appeared throughout. I loved that it was different and didn’t conform to the stereotype of a summer feel-good film, even though I ended up feeling amazingly optimistic. Which is quite a feat for a pessimistic person like myself. I loved it.

On a parting note, for those of you who haven’t yet been graced by the cinematic, dramatic and musical prowess which is so evidently present in said film, I urge you all to go buy the DVD. I really don’t want to have to shun any of my blog-readers, because I love you all very much, but seriously, don’t make me come back there..
Feel like challenging me? Don't.
This is a definite must-see! Go, go, go!

Here are some links to find out more about 500 Days of Summer:
Official Website, Amazon, IMDB, Youtube Trailer, Wikipedia

Chloe xxx

P.S. I really did enjoy writing this review. Perhaps it might be an idea to turn this into a permanent feature of my blog. I’d really love to hear your thoughts on whether you’d like to see more reviews on all sorts of books, films, music, anything at all.

(All photos were found via Google Images and are copyrighted to (500) Days of Summer.)

Louie Louie

2010-06-19T17:52:00.004+01:00

Hey bloggers! So this week went pretty quickly and now I can't wait for Monday to be over since that will mean that IT is over foreverrrrr! I'm missing a wedding on Monday because of my exams, which is pretty rubbish, but it can't really be helped. Other than that, I've just been chilling this weekend and getting into a huge hype about the upcoming summer holidays: I already have so many plans that it's insane! Last summer, I spent weeks on end doing nothing and that's what prompted me to start a blog. (See! Good things do come out of boredom!) Anyway, my summer is going to be extra packed with a trip to London in the first or second week, then a trip to Manchester sometime, fun times with friends and then my trip to America on August 7th. I'm already making a list of things to buy over there, because America has everything and it's all so much cheaper!

Here are a few photos which I took last night at like ten o'clock. I absolutely love the summer night sky.

I was also in the car with my mother earlier in the week and I took a few more photos:

Song of the day is my title post: Louie Louie by The Kingsmen. Check the song out, it makes me want to get up and dance, even though I know it's not the best idea - I have no rhythm and my dancing skills are non-existent. Sorry to disappoint. Also featured on my Recently Played playlist are The Stranglers, Simon & Garfunkel (Greatest Hits, amazing), Joy Division and some Al Green!

Not much else to say, I'll be posting again next week maybe and then I'll be posting a review (as part of my media coursework!) Anyway, hi to my new followers, fellow bloggers, readers, et cetera. Hope you're all having a great weekend. Happy blogging!
Chloe xxx

P.S. My review for media coursework is definitely coming in my next post.

When the night feels my song

2010-06-15T17:54:00.008+01:00

Hello, dear bloggers! Just a quick little post, seeing as I have revision to be getting on with. Recently, we were talking about blog writing in English and I got very embarrassed about my blog - not sure why, but I just became really self-conscious about it! Kinda silly, really, but anyways, yeah. I guess I shouldn't really care what people think! Anywho, here are just a random assortment of photos from the vast number that I've accumulated from my camera and various other places too.

I like to think that I'm an owl... Wise?

I don't have anything very exciting to say now, other than the fact that in less than two weeks, I'll be free of anymore GCSEs this school year (I'm in year nine for those that were wondering!) Anywho, hope everyone's having a great week. Happy blogging!
Chloe xxx

P.S. A little "shout-out" to everyone in my form, especially Jack and Izzy (who are cool people...) and anyone else who has decided to read my blog. The title of this blog is also a song which Jack introduced to me, by a brilliant band called Bedouin Soundclash: they're brilliant so go check them out!

P.P.S. In English, we're doing our media coursework on different types of reviews and one of them will be in a blog style. I'll be posting one soon-ish on a music video, so watch this space!

P.P.P.S. I might start looking at different layouts of my blog, perhaps after the exams. I'm getting really bored of it, but I dunno if it'll mess things up or not. Any thoughts?

UPDATE: After coming across the new Template Designer, which is surprisingly easy to use and also some tweaking of the HTML with the ever-useful Google, I've managed to change my blog layout! I kinda miss the old one, but this new one is a lot thinner in width and it just feels more like a blog? This weekend, I'll try and add some more things to the sidebar and maybe change my header!

High Fidelity

2010-06-09T17:47:00.005+01:00

Bonjour, mes amis belles! I haven't blogged for about a week, but only because school started on Monday and you wouldn't believe how stressful the first day back was. More exams and revision and stuff which is endlessly boring and so seemingly sparse (whoops) that it really isn't worth mentioning for much longer. The weather has reverted back to its original, atypically-British state in all it's gloomy glory! Anyway, here is a long post since I will most likely not be posting for a little while, due to the aforementioned exams (Maths and Latin internal, then ICT GCSE and Chemistry, Physics and Biology modules) for the next few weeks. I know I said I wouldn't mention it, but I felt like doing so anyway! Anything other than actually doing it, anyway.

So here are just some photos of an outfit, showcasing my favourite blazer:

Burberry blazer from mother (from Bicester for £37!) and sheer dress from Debenhams (for £5!)
Apologies for the terrible quality, I used natural light which is sort of in short supply at the moment due to the rubbish weather!

Also as promised is my blog award and tags, from the lovely Jasmine over at :: Lavender's Green ::. I urge you all to have a look-see on her blog, I guarantee that you'll like what you see. And if I could, I would give this blog award/tag right back to her!

1. Who is your style icon?

In real life, my mother in her old days when she used to be impeccably dressed in lovely blazers, trousers and her designer bags! I've been very lucky in that I have inherited quite a number of gems from her and to me, she is incredibly stylish in that she knows what looks good and what doesn't. In terms of celebrities and renowned fashionistas, I really love Diane Kruger, Emma Watson and Rachel Bilson's style, as well as the lovable Alexa Chung. They all seem to have a sort of whimsical charm about them. Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen have their own look which I love. As for Mischa Barton, Sienna Miller, Kate Moss, Carey Mulligan, Chloe Sevigny and Leighton Meester: well, it goes without saying! The answer is that I have lots and lots and lots of style icons.

2. Which is your favourite socialite book?

I have no idea what a socialite book is?! Sorry!

3. Favourite party theme?

I quite like celebrity ones, I once went to one dressed as Amy Winehouse, which was fairly humorous, to say the very least!

4. Go to Halloween costume?
I've never celebrated Halloween before!

5. Extravagance you cannot live without?
Maybe my laptop or something, I'm not quite sure. I don't have too many extravagances of my own though, so maybe I can't answer this question too well!

6. Living person you admire.
My mother, probably. She is the most kind-natured human and even when she's getting on my nerves (which all parents undoubtedly do), I always remember that she is a great person. She's smart and funny and makes me smile a lot. Her approval and judgment means a lot to me.

7. Greatest fear(s).
The fear of failure, in just about everything. Failure to be happy, failure to reach my dreams and aspirations, failure to be good enough, failure to ever meet someone. A lot of things!

8. Traits you deplore in yourself.
I hate my hesitance and sometimes, my shy introversy. I wish I was fearless.

9. Which talent would you most love to have?

I would love to be able to play an instrument really well, or have an naturally great singing voice. Or be able to write great books, which have profound meanings and all the rest of it. Just something which would separate me from the norm.

10. Greatest Achievement?
My greatest achievement is probably winning the Academic Award and Latin Award last year, kinda sad and a little pathetic? Maybe just going through everything that I have experienced and finally getting to where I currently am.

I was also tagged by Jasmine to answer eight questions she has thought of. It is then my turn to think of eight questions and pass them on. Thanks again, Jasmine!

1. If you could have any super power, what would you choose and why?
It's probably the most atypical and generic super power, but I would love to be able to fly. Maybe it's because I dislike walking a great deal and it would just be a lot easier. But being able to grant wishes and read minds come a close second and third, respectively.

2. Would you rather forget all the memories you have, or never be able to make any more?
This is such a good question! I think that I would probably want to forget all of my memories. Whilst I do have some of the best memories ever, I think that this would make me more determined to make even better memories. I am a naturally sentimental person and memories mean a lot to me, but I would definitely prefer to be able to make more. There's no point to anything if you can't look back and feel happy or sad or any emotion at all.

3. If we learn from our mistakes, why are we so afraid to make them?

Perhaps the fear of not being good enough or being shunned for these said mistakes? There is some sort of reliability from doing things right and to make mistakes is kind of tipping the balance a little, I suppose. I am certainly one of those people who absolutely hates making mistakes and it's kind of embarrassing for me. Being able to get things right is a good feeling, I guess.

4. What is your favourite comfort food?

Everything! The most important variable is dependent on what food we have in. The ultimate comfort food has to be vanilla ice cream with golden syrup over it. Or just general junk food like KFC or something.

5. Tea or coffee?

Probably tea, since that's what I tend to drink the most at home. When I go out to a restaurant or a cafe, I tend to have a coffee or latte.

6. Where is your favourite place to visit?

Holiday-wise, my favourite places that I have visited are most definitely America, Japan and Italy.

7. What is your favourite store and what is your favourite item in that store?

It depends, for clothing stores, I love Selfridges because I simply love everything in there. But on an entirely different level, I love Waterstone's and there's one store in particular: Banker's Hall on New Street in Birmingham. It is one of the most beautiful buildings and of course, all the books are my favourite. There's one section in particular where I could spend all my time in.

8. What is your favourite item of clothing?
Out of all the clothing items that I own, perhaps my Malene Birger blouse which I got for my birthday from Selfridges for a very barginous £26! But if it wasn't just clothing, but accessories as well, it would have to be my Louis Vuitton bag which my mother gave me.

I pass this on to:
India at Oh, Beau
Sarah at Austentatious Memoirs
Mads at It's Okay To Procrastinate
Laura at A Fennel Designer
Poppy at Bears and Bunting
I would have included many more, but felt like five is a magic number here!

My questions for you are:
1. How would you describe yourself in five words?
2. What are your biggest aspirations?
3. Brains or brawn? ;)
4. Who is your greatest role model?
5. What are you most afraid of?
6. Where is your favourite place in the world?
7. Who frequently appears on your music playlists?
8. What is your favourite food?

And that's it for a few weeks, I reckon. I may just break this promise and go back to blogging instead of revising, but who knows. Funnily enough, in English, our new coursework will be based on media and we've been discussing blog writing compared to broadsheets and newspapers, it was quite interesting as I thought of all my fellow bloggers in the vast world that is The Blogosphere. On another note, I've reached 80 followers which is so lovely since I remember when I had about 14 and went crazy about it, so thank you! Until next time... Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

P.S. The blog title is High Fidelity, a novel by Nick Hornby, which I really loved. Lots of witty mannerisms, some depressing stuff, some funny stuff, some romantic gushy stuff and a whole load of fantastic music references in there, including the amazing Otis Redding. And just for that last reason alone, you should definitely go read it!

Mr. Blue

2010-06-03T16:32:00.003+01:00

Hey guys! Sorry for the lack of posting in about a week, there really hasn't been much to post about though and I didn't exactly want to bore you. This week has been really uneventful, I've just been going to sleep late, sleeping in til the afternoon and doing nothing of real consequence. I don't like this lack of routine, it's really annoying. The other day, I went to bed at about five am and then woke up at like half three in the afternoon, I have no idea why I do this to myself. Entirely pointless and I just end up staying up on msn and facebook, which is beyond ridiculous. I know it. But today's been okay as I cut my sister's hair and it turned out pretty well, even though it was possibly the most traumatic experience I've ever had. I am definitely not cut out for this hairdressing business (epic pun, by the way haha!)

Anyway, I just wanted to share a few photos from recently:

My outfits consists of:
Gap top - £5; UO paisley skirt - £20; Doc Marten's - Gift from friend; Louis Vuitton bag - From my mum

As said above and also in my previous post, these Doc Martens were given to me by one of my best friends, Abi. They used to be her mum's, who then gave them to Abi, but then she grew out of them and offered them to me. Much love!

C'mon, who doesn't love sushi?

I don't think I have much else to say, half term's quite boring. I had a good weekend last weekend, but that's about it. The weather's being so temperamental and just blah, so yeah. It's so typical of England to be mega sunny whilst we're at school, but then when we're on half term, it's all rainy and horrible. I bet it's gonna be like this in the summer, thank God I'm going on holiday on August 7th. I'm so excited, I think we're gonna go see Wicked on Broadway, during the time that we're in NYC, fingers crossed! Anyway, I always seem to ramble, so I'll stop now! Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

Oh, also, I got tagged and received a blog award recently, but I haven't gotten round to answering the all questions, some are still sitting unanswered in my Drafts. I will try and do them very soon and post them in the next post.

P.S. I added a new formspring.me widget on the side of this blog, I love receiving questions so it'd be great if you could ask me some? You don't have to sign up or anything and it's pretty interesting to see what comes up.

Last thing, I've been listening to loads of women singer-songwriters, lately. I love a man folk singer and all the rest, but lately, it's been a lot of Ingrid Michaelson and Catherine Feeny. The title of this post is "Mr. Blue" by Catherine Feeny. Check it out! My June playlist currently consists of Ingrid Michaelson, Catherine Feeny, Belle & Sebastian, Laura Marling, Johnny Flynn and Van Morrison (always!)
Rambling on, as always.. Anywho, toodle pip.

Like a prayer

2010-05-29T16:36:00.013+01:00

Hi all! It's half term now and so it's time for a lot of work, but also lots of fun this weekend! Anyway, just felt like a photo post because I have quite a lot from this week. We went on the trip to a Buddhist pagoda on Monday and it was such a nice sunny day, so it was really good. We met the nicest, wackiest Buddhist leader and a monk, we also did some meditation which was pretty good. Then we went for a walk around the reservoir and had lunch, so it turned out to be a great day: it was a lot better than school on a Monday morning!

The rest of the week has been fairly uneventful and then it was the end of school on Friday! So that was good and then I went to town with my sister, Christy and my friends, Abi and Gabi. We met up with Paddy and went to Cow (vintage shop) and shopped, then we went to eat at URBAN PIE! You may have seen my previous post on all things related to 'urban' and I can assure you, Urban Pie was definitely up there. I opted for the Angus Steak pie which was so lovely and succulent - apologies for getting all foodie and pretentious on you, but there's no better way to describe it! - as well as mash and lashings of gravy, all in a lovely box! It is generally just the loveliest place, with half price pies on Mondays to Fridays, after 5 pm. The atmosphere is lovely and I love it!
Anyway, afterwards, we went to do some more shopping and then got a lift to Abi's. Originally, Paddy and Gabi couldn't sleep over, but then the Sleepover Gods were finally on our side and they both did, as did Leo! We all chatted and generally joked around, which was fun. Then the boys went to sleep in the spare room and we planned to wake up at 5:45 am for a morning "jog" - this wasn't my idea, but it was fun anyway!
So with only a few hours sleep, we all chatted and then decided to take Sophie, the dog, for a walk as well. It was still pretty cold and raining slightly, but we just went and failed at playing frisbee. Then we walked back and ate lots of cereal, then sat around and watched some trashy television. Then we got changed and went for another walk, even though it was raining and then went back for tea, toast and croissants. Then we made decorations and chilled, until it was time to go home! Really nice start to the holidays, so yeah it was really good :)

This is me on the outside patio eating area of Urban Pie! I'm wearing:
Gap top - hand me down, borrowed cardigan, skirt - Urban Outfitters sale, Doc Marten boots - given to me!

Anyway, I'll have a better outfit picture post later, but right now, I'm eating some Frosties and chilling out. I checked out a book from the library, High Fidelity, by Nick Hornby. I read the blurb and it looks pretty good. Family came around today and we had a really nice day, so that was nice. Then seeing some family friends tomorrow, so that should be good too! Then the rest of this holiday will comprise of trying to revise and chilling out, I reckon. I just can't wait until the exams are over! Anyway, I'll try and post again in the next few days. Hope everyone has a great holiday and weekend. Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

P.S. How much does everyone love Madonna and "Like A Prayer"?! I completely love this song and we were all singing to the Glee version last night, it's such a great song. It's currently on repeat and it's such a good song! (Although, I am trying to ignore the various innuendos which are associated with this song.. Boys are so immature.) Still, I love Madonna and this song!

Lolita, light of my life

2010-05-23T15:44:00.007+01:00

Bonjour, mes amis belle! As always, thank you for the lovely comments on my blog - I was so astounded to see that so many people share my love for Gilmore Girls, I always thought that it was just my sister and I who loved Lorelai and Rory's sisterly antics! It was all lovely and I was saving that as some sort of 'special' post so that people can see what I like to get up to, what my hopes and aspirations are, etc.

Anyway, back to the point in hand, I had a really good day on Friday, went to my friend Abi's house with some people and met up with her friends who I met for the first time. Spent the day with the loveliest girls and boys! So it was really nice, we went to her house and got changed, ate ice creams, had a drink and chatted. Then we waited for a while for the boys to arrive, but they were late, of course. Then we went to the park and took photos, played rounders, football, etc and had some drinks, basically chilled out. Also, I got ridiculously scared when a kind of 'rough' girl came up to me and asked me where I got my skirt from, I thought she was gonna mug me or something! When I told her, she was like, oh okay then, and then walked off. My friend Abi's best friend, Paddy, said he was ready to hand me the rounders bat, haha. Then we walked back to Abi's, played Wii and had burgers and hot dogs. And a jelly fight since someone messed it up completely and that was it. We went outside again to play football and generally mess around. I laughed so much that day, so it was fun! I went home about ten-ish and it was such a great day! Here are some photos, hope you like them! :)

Also, I posted this photo on Lookbook.nu, I'd love it if you 'hyped' it! I don't really post much on there, but I would love to start doing it more, as I used to be really into it and there is so much inspiration on Lookbook!

Also, my outfit consists of: Gap top: Hand-me-down, Skirt: £5 Portobello Market, Boots: DM from Abi, Bag: My sister's, Hat: Abi's! This outfit cost me a tenner, tops :)

Again, thank you all for the continued support, I am so grateful for it all. I hope you're all enjoying the wonderful weather, I am! And no proper school for me on Monday, I got chosen for this R.E. trip since I did well in the test and a few of my friends got chosen, so I'm envisaging a nice day in the glorious weather. Also, shout out to one of my best friends, Abi, for being the best and giving me her Doc Marten brown leather ankle boots, since she has grown out of them herself! I love her to bits and I am so grateful to her :) Anywho, that's about it, I'm off to enjoy the rest of my Sunday. Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend. Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

Me

2010-05-19T19:42:00.003+01:00

Hi everyone! Thank you all so much for the lovely comments on the previous post - I'm glad that so many of you share my immense love for white walls! And because of that, I thought I'd do an extra long post about things which I hope that I'll be able to get up to in the future. I really, really hope that these things pan out for me, because your life should be exactly how you want it to be, etc etc etc. I'm gonna try and not be too cliché in all of this, because I am actually a really clichéd person. At least I think I am. It's not always a bad thing though, there's a reason why clichés are clichés. Anyway, I guess these are sort of my hopes and dreams or something: I hope you like them as much as I do!

(A photo of myself in the beautiful sun - apologies for the vanity!)

I want to have a place fairly close to the city, close enough to feel like a part of the city, but also a little off the beaten track. Somewhere where I can call home, where I can feel safe and secluded from everyone else. I'm a natural introvert and I think this is perhaps what my inner introvert is telling me. It will be impeccably decorated and tidy, with white walls and large arced doorways, open plan and spacious.

(More photos from the brilliant Light Locations)

I want an entire room for books. I want a whole library, with books of every kind. It will be alphabetised and even organised by genre, to aid my neurotic self. The shelves will cover the entire wall. I'll have a sliding step ladder to reach the books on the highest shelf. There will be blown up posters of my favourite books' covers and a comfy seat for me to sit in to while away the hours and lose track of the time.

I want to be successful. I want a job in finance, one in which I'll be able to travel a lot and I'll be able to earn money to fund all of the things that I want to experience. I want one so I can be happy and repay my family for everything they've given me and also enough to create a new family of my own.

I want to be a known 'regular' at a local coffee shop close to where I'll live. It'll be the Luke's Diner to my Lorelai Gilmore (reference to Gilmore Girls = love) and I will have tried every thing there is to try. I'll have my own tab, which I will frequently run up with lattes and tea and chai. I will sit in my usual seat with a good book/magazine/newspaper, my reading glasses and a drink.

I want an old school bicycle. One with a little wicker basket. It won't be too big or too small for me -- it'll be just right. One which I can take for long rides in the sun. I will ride it too fast and feel dizzy, but the wind in my face and my hair will be so exhilarating that I won't care. I will take long bicycle rides on my own and with friends. I will teach my child how to ride a bike and it will be my proudest moment until the next time they choose to astound me even more.

I want to host a moustache party, amongst many other differently-themed dinner parties. I'll get lots of recipes from cookery books and do the perfect hostess thing. There'll be amuse-bouches, canapés, starters, mains, desserts, a cheeseboard and coffee afterwards. I will be the Dinner Party Queen. Of course, this is all dependent on whether I can cook or not, but fingers crossed!

I want to travel everywhere. I want to Canada, Australia, Thailand. I want to maybe live in New York City for a year or two; to quote Baz Luhrmann's Sunscreen Song:
"Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel." I can't wait to travel everywhere and experience new things. Things won't always go to plan, but the best thing will be going there, experiencing new things that I wouldn't otherwise have done and then going home to the place where you belong. That's what life should be about.

I want to write something. I am essentially a very logical, Maths and Chemistry type girl, but I love reading books and this is kind of encouraging some sort of part of me to write something. Anything. Reviews or even a novel, something which I can pour my brains and my heart into (not literally, 'cause I mean.. that's slightly ridiculous and gory.) I don't know though, I think I'm the least creative person going..

I want an old car. A really fantastic, old sports car. One which I can drive really quickly or just sit on the bonnet, when it's a nice sunny day, reading a book and sipping on a cold one. My top five consist of the:

Porsche 964 Coupe

BMW 507

Porsche 550

Jaguar E-type

Ferrari 365 Daytona

Most of all, I want to be happy. As happy as I can be by adhering to the supposed 'formula for happiness'. Apparently:
Happiness = P + (5xE) + (3xH)
To put it all into a little more context, P tands for Personal Characteristics, including outlook on life, adaptability and resilience. E stands for Existence and relates to health, financial stability and friendships. And H represents Higher Order needs, and covers self-esteem, expectations, ambitions and sense of humour. So it really is true that 'Money doesn't buy you happiness'. I think that it's really important to be happy and I think that most of us are so lucky. I know I may not sound it all the time, but I am really grateful for what I have. Everyone has their bad days, but hey, it's gotta become good at some point.

When I think of all the things that I've shown above, I can't wait to grow up. Obviously, I'm not naive enough to think that everything will be plain sailing from here on in. But I am willing to work hard and fight hard for everything I want, because 'life's too short' and I want to do it for myself and also my family.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my rambling post about all things to do with me, me, me. Heck, even this post is called 'Me'. But I couldn't really think of any other title and I dunno, I guess this is all about me. Sorry for being selfish, but hey, it's not healthy being selfless all the time! A little 'me' time is as good as anything else. Bear that in mind for the next time you feel like being selfish for a little while. Anywho, I think I've rambled on long enough and you definitely don't have to endure this for much longer. Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

White Walls

2010-05-16T08:55:00.007+01:00

I can't believe I'm up this early on a Sunday, but yeah, I thought I might as well write a blog post whilst I'm up. So I was ridiculously glad to see Friday and the end of the school week, but now it's Sunday all over again and the coming weeks seem ridiculously daunting. I want to sleep and do nothing except watch telly and read books. Revision is the worst kind of work possible, I'm not even kidding. Other than that though, things have been pretty boring and non-eventful.
The main reason that I felt like blogging today was that I wanted to share some really beautiful photos with you, of rooms with white (or cream) walls in. These photos are pretty much exactly how I imagine my house to be when I'm older.

(All photos copyrighted to Light Locations)

I'm in love with all of the photos. And now I'm going to be all sentimental and get all nostalgic looking at old photos on my laptop. I really miss having photos which you can hold and touch and get annoyed at others for smudging their fingerprints all over them. There's something great and tangible about them. I really wanna get an old film camera; something like a Holga or a Diana F+ or maybe even a Fuji Instax. I always wanted a Polaroid, but since the film is so expensive, I doubt it'd really be worth it. Maybe I should wait to save up for an actual DSLR before I can start thinking about stuff like that!

Anyway, that's it really. I hope you like the photos and I'll be back to blogging later on, either this week or definitely next weekend. Happy rest of Sunday and I hope your week will be a great one. Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

P.S. I wanted to share a new blogger with you guys, Sarah Starlight from Austentatious Memoirs. She is currently in Lower Sixth at my school and has always been incredibly supportive of my blog -- so thank you, Sarah! Not only that, but she literally just started blogging, which I was so happy to hear, and she will give you an insight into all things Irish, literature-ish, art-ish, fashion-ish, music-ish, poetic-ish and Sarah-ish. In her own words, she is a "self confessed literature lover, aspiring artist, tea addict and she really wishes she could play the ukulele." I think that's reason enough why you should go visit her blog.

Hair Cutting

2010-05-10T22:49:00.001+01:00

Hey guys, just wanted to do a pretty quick post - a little unlike what I normally do, but yeah. Just wanted to show you my hair, which I cut myself on Saturday. I don't really know what prompted me to do so, but I was really bored of my hair and just bored in general. I was a little unsure of it at first, but I quite liked it after a while and it's always nice for a bit of a change. After all, "Change is the spice of life!" as well as "Change is the only constant" and just to throw a third one into the mix, "Change is inevitable"! I feel really cheesy for saying that and relating that to a new haircut, but y'know.

Anyway, here's a photo of my hair. Apologies for the pretty terrible quality, but it's a webcam photo as I couldn't be bothered to get my camera and just general laziness. I didn't really plan on a full fringe, but I kinda think it suits me! I brush it to the side too and I thinned out the rest of my hair. The only problem with having to cut your own hair is that it's virtually impossible to get it all entirely even.

And since I've been saving lots of nice photos lately, here are a few more!

D'you know what I really love? Seeing a really amazing photo and wishing that I had taken it. Or reading a really amazing book and wishing that I had written it. Or listening to a really amazing song and wishing that I had written it. I feel that way a lot! I don't really class it as jealousy or envy, even though that's probably exactly what it is. I like feeling that way. I don't really know what I mean, actually.
Anyway, so this "short post" turned into a pretty long-ish one. It always does, I get too carried away with writing about my thoughts and stuff. I should probably get a diary, but I don't think I have the motivation to do anything like that. I like having a blog, you don't always have to write things every day and when you do, at least things will be semi-interesting -- at least, I hope they are. I'm rambling again, I guess. Should probably leave this one for now, have a great rest of the week - I know, I can't believe it's only Monday evening either. Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

Aim Above Morality

2010-05-07T19:19:00.004+01:00

Weekend again! This week has seriously dragged on, despite it only being a four day week. So, not a lot has happened apart from the election, which has riled me up no end. I stayed up until about one watching it on BBC1 (I also watched some of the Alternative one on C4: Carr, Mitchell and Brooker are too humorous to miss!) and that was pretty good. It was so tense and I'm a committed Labour advocate. I'm really glad that the Tories didn't get an overall majority of seats, but it was pretty gutting to see how large the swing was - I'm just praying for a LibLab coalition, right now. Politics is really very interesting and it pains me when people are ridiculously ignorant about the current affairs in their country - there's a reason why democracy was introduced! But, different strokes for different folks and all that.
Apart from that though, this week has been fairly good. I came second in my Physics test and I think I did well in my History assessment today, finished my Geography project and I think I also did pretty well in my English presentation: so all is good on that front. I just gotta do some revision and stuff, exams are coming up pretty soon. I can just never bring myself to do any. I've started going to tennis again and I think I've improved, got some good rallies going and I'm keeping fitter, so all is good. Also, I honestly can't wait for this summer! I'm gonna be going to London and hanging out in Hampstead, hopefully hit some nice charity shops and Oxford St. Then I'm going to America on 7th August, first to Chicago and then to NYC, I'm ridiculously excited!

That's all the news that I can think of at the moment, I guess. Another little thing, I wanted to show you my Louis Vuitton bag which got fixed a few weeks ago. I decided to do one of those: "What's Inside Your Bag?" type photos. There's not really a lot in there, in all honesty!

This my Louis Vuitton bag which my mum bought from Paris around 10 years ago. At the top is my Parker pen, a notepad, a packet of tissues, my leather wallet from Portobello Market for £3! On the right is the case to my Ray Ban Clubmaster sunglasses, my Lumix camera (very old!), Sony Ericsson phone, iPod (also old!), underneath that is my Hermes scarf from my mum.

Also, here are some photos that I really like:

And that's about it for this week. I'm got a new post which is mega long, saved in my drafts already, but I think that's for another time. Hope you all have a great weekend, I'm most likely gonna stay in and do some reading, watch telly, eat, sleep and chill out: a standard weekend for me. Too tired to do anything and the weather is annoyed me. Plus, feel like shying away from the horrors of the world, i.e. the David Camerons of the world. And on that happy note(!) - also, sarcasm is hard to convey via the written word, seriously - I wish you all well. Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

P.S. The title of this post is "Aim Above Morality" which is a part of the quote, "Aim above morality. Be not simply good, be good for something." - Henry David Thoreau. I just really like his quotes, they're brilliant: go check them out!

Promise you more than the Garden of Eden

2010-05-03T20:15:00.004+01:00

Hey bloggers! I was so happy to see the comments on the previous post.. I'm so glad I'm not alone in all my neuroticity. I got reminded that I have to label things with their correct labels and I always go to my friends' houses and tidy them up. It's kind of ridiculous and I think I'm the spit of Monica from Friends, I'm not even exaggerating. Still, there are worse things to be, I guess! Thanks for all the positive responses, they're always appreciated here.
Also, the title of this post is a song lyric from the song, She's Always A Woman - Billy Joel. I really like this song and the lyrics are just beautiful. Be sure to check it out, it's a lovely song.

So the end of this three day weekend is nearly to an end! I can't begin to explain how much I love three day weekends, it'd be so much better for everyone! But that's seriously unlikely to ever happen, like all my unrealistic dreams! Anyway, here are some photos from the other week when I went to my friend, Gabi's house and with my sister, to Caffe Nero, which was really nice.

I'm wearing: Top - £5, Gap; Leggings - £7, H&M; Jacket - hand-me-down, Gap: Pumps - hand-me-down, Topshop

I baked my cake for Chemistry.. It's pretty abysmal and it was also my second attempt, making it all the more worse, but it'll have to do. I now realise that my talents don't lie anywhere near the territory of baking which most women seem to have mastered easily. So whoever said that women belong in the kitchen are completely and utterly wrong. Or perhaps I'm the exception to this rule?! I'm determined to learn how to cook better when I'm older cause otherwise, what will happen to my children?! I dread to think of the consequences of my dreadful cooking.
Anyway, here is my domed cake to represent the structure of the earth. The different rings of different coloured icing are to represent the inner core, outer core, mantle and crust. Sorry for the Chemistry lesson, but I felt that an explanation was needed! I daren't try eating it either, as I'm not sure if I should risk it. Oh well, it was an experience!

(I apologise to the Queen of Baking: feel free to spit on the ground I walk on)

So anyway, it's school tomorrow which suxxx, but at least it's a four day week! And that's it really, hope you've all enjoyed the extra long weekend and wishing you all a great start to the week! Happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

P.S. I'm amazed at my 58 followers, thank you!

I am neurotic (and so are you)

2010-05-01T10:47:00.004+01:00

As once mentioned in one of my previous posts, I'm quite neurotic and have bouts of OCD from time to time. It's mostly to do with tidiness and things being neat and in certain orders. I also obsessively write lists of every kind: lists of what to do, lists of what I want to accomplish in ten years time, song playlists for all kinds of different occasions like my first car ride on my own or one to belt out or one for when I'm feeling low. Lists prepare me for the 'unknown', I guess. One day, I'll take photos of my lists and post them on here!
Anyway, I was in Urban Outfitters a while ago and saw this amazing book, entitled: "I am neurotic (and so are you)" I kinda wanted to buy it, but lack of funds prevented me from doing so (stupid money, always getting in the way..!)

These photos were all found in Google Images and are copyrighted to Lianna Kong, the photographer of her book - the actual neuroses were submitted by fellow neurotics all over the globe. You are not alone! To check out more neurotic antics, click here for the official website or here for the official tumblr. If you want to skip all that and just purchase the book, click here!

And the key word for today is: neurotic. Of course.
I think I've finished procrastinating now. Finally. Will be back to check in later, I guess, still gotta do prep for this History assessment! I'll also let you guys know how the structure of the earth cake for Chemistry goes down: fingers crossed! Hope you all have a wonderful extended weekend (thank God for bank holidays!) Happy first day of May and happy blogging!

Chloe xxx

Alas I Cannot Swim

2010-04-29T19:42:00.004+01:00

Ah! Currently procrastinating, big time. I'm trying (well, kinda - writing a blog post isn't really helping things if I'm honest) to prepare for a History assessment on theories as to who killed John F. Kennedy. To be honest, my inner geek is finding this kinda of interesting, but yeah, it's not really something which I'd choose to do. As well as that, school is kicking me in the arse at the moment, since I need to make a cake for Chemistry(!) to represent the structure of the earth. Seeing as my prowess in the kitchen leaves a lot to be desired, I'm trying to find really simple recipes on the internet to make a dome cake. Then I'm gonna have to get some supplies from Sainsbury's this weekend to try and do this and then make some prototypes and practice at the weekend, in time to make it for Wednesday! Envision dome cake with layers of different colours, etc. It could be a disaster, or I may actually make it into something half-decent, who knows? Also, I have a Physics test to revise for, which is just blah.

Anywho, I completely didn't imagine I could write about schoolwork so much - this is what procrastination does to you. Seriously. Anyway, I haven't got too much to say, I'll leave it to the weekend to say anything else. Here are some pictures from a few weeks ago, with the wicked NME edition with LAURA MARLING ON THE COVER. I love her so so so so so much, I'm her biggest fan. As well as her, she works with this amazing folk singer/songwriter, Johnny Flynn, who I am also a huge fan of. His songs are fantastic and just amazing. Check out his album, A Larum. It's been out a while, but never ceases to amaze me.

Also! I got a new laptop, since I shared one before, but now this one is practically mine. It's the Dell Inspiron 1545 and it's amazing! Whilst I don't particularly like Windows 7, it's alright as I've changed loads of settings so that it looks pretty much like Vista. I love it! Here are some more photos:

<3

Anyway, that's it for now - I'll try to post again this weekend, hopefully. Also, I've reached fifty followers, which is amazing so thank you! Happy Thursday - thank goodness it's Friday tomorrow! Happy blogging.

Chloe xxx