My Life This Year (aka, Year 12)

I am so so so so so incredibly sorry that I haven't done a blog post in AGES. I am terrible at this. It isn't just these posts that I am falling behind on, but also my vlogs and also my covers. Year 12 involves a lot of study and homework. Therefore, my life has been pretty boring and I haven't been doing a lot of stuff that is vlog-worthy or decent enough to update you on here. I haven't even been shopping for weeks... also because I don't have a lot of money and when I do have money, I either spend it on lunch at school, phone credit, or I put like half of it towards a certain saving goal. Hopefully by the term break in two weeks, I will be able to do some shopping.

I don't even know what this post is going to be about, but I thought I would do something to show that I am still alive. I guess I will just talk about Year 12...

So far it has been okay... not great but okay. I think we are all feeling the pressure and stress that comes with this year. There is A LOT of work to do and not all of it is set homework. What I need to do more of myself is extra study, like writing notes about classes to help when it comes to exam revision time. I also need to stop procrastinating. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely things I am enjoying about this year, but there are those few things that I am not.

So with all of this, I am going to take my experience and use it to help any of you in school and heading towards the final two years of school, or just generally. You probably will have been told all of this before by teachers/parents, but I will just re-enforce it.

1. Choose subjects you need for any further study and tertiary education and make sure you enjoy them. Don't pick subjects just because you have friends doing them. You will make new friends in all your classes. There is one subject I am doing which, halfway through last year, I started not to like any more and I didn't want to pick it for this year, but there were no other subjects my school offered that I wanted to do. So I just stuck at it. It's too late for me to drop it now so I have to finish it and do what I can in it. There is no use stressing, worrying and complaining over your subjects, it will impact how you will go when it comes to the end of Year 12.  
2. Plan each night's set of homework and study and make sure you do it. This will help you keep on top of all your work. I am guilty of leaving pretty much everything to the day or two before and am finishing it after 10pm. This isn't good. If you have free/study periods/lessons, use them well. My friend makes a list of everything she aims to get done in that free and I think that is a great idea. If you work better in your school environment than you do at home, stay back in the library once or twice a week for an hour or so to get work done. That then will give you more time at home to do your own thing and chill or if you feel like it, to do more study!!
3. Get a good night's sleep. You should get around 8/9 hours sleep. Studying/finishing off work late at night and cramming doesn't help. You will probably forget the majority of it all in the morning and won't be able to concentrate in class the next day. Constantly not getting enough sleep with just keep adding to your sleep deprivation and will make your condition much worse. Drink chamomile tea or a glass of milk before going to bed, these will help relax you. Also, if you can, have a shower or bath before going to bed. This will also relax you AND give you more time in the morning.
4. Eat well. Have breakfast, and a decent one too. Breakfast helps your metabolism and brain function. Eat your fruit and veg and drink plenty of water. 
5. Take a break every now and then. Don't study in massive blocks of time. Do around 50-an hour of study/homework then take a 10 minute break and keep repeating for however long you need to study to do your homework for the night. Also take time out to enjoy life. Go to parties, go out shopping, do whatever to keep your life in balance. Just don't go getting drunk every weekend. Doing work whilst hungover is probably not the best thing (that bit isn't from experience btw). 

So there you go. Just a few things to hopefully help you at school, especially in your final year or so. I will hopefully have another vlog up on here sometime soon and hopefully another cover up on here soon as well. 

Best of luck with all your study and schooling and I shall talk to you all again soon.

Peace & Love

Rachel xoxo

Looking Back on 2013

I have seen a few of my friends and others either writing a blog post or making a video looking back on their 2013, so I thought I would join them.

It was a hard and challenging year for me. I had moved interstate from Hobart to Melbourne in December of 2012 which I was really excited and happy about as Melbourne is my original home and most of my family and old friends live here. However when it came time to go to school, I realised that especially going into Year 11, moving schools is not that easy to do as it was for me at least in Grade 2. One thing I am very grateful and happy for is knowing at least one person to hang out with at break times. Having her helped me mix with the right people and build my foundation of making new friends. I am also happy with the friends I was able to make in my classes.

First term was going well, but once the first set of holidays finished, I realised how much I actually had to put in for one of my subjects and came to the conclusion that that subject wasn't for me and I had my first (of quite a few) breakdowns over school. Luckily once I started term 2, I was able to drop the subject and gain a study period which I am so very happy about. It gave me extra time to finish bits of homework so I had less to do at home. Second term was pretty good overall with rehearsals for our school production and kind of feeling like I did belong here. But it didn't stay that way.

In the winter break I found out that the guy I liked didn't like me back which really did hurt me as it was the first time I had told a guy I liked him and he was probably the first guy I had actually really like, and the weekend after I found out he was going out with a friend of mine so I decided to give them both space. I decided to stop sitting with that group and started to hang out with people I ended up feeling more comfortable with. The start of term 3 also saw the beginnings of a lot of unnecessary drama between my friends.  During this time I was also losing a lot of motivation for school and I wanted to do other things and I seriously did consider dropping out. However mum pulled me back together and pushed forward.

It then came to spring break and during this time I decided to forget about all the bad stuff and focus on being happy. I only had one more term left before I finished Year 11 and it was a pretty short term. Exams were coming up so I didn't worry too much about what was going on and to just get the year over and done with. For most of my exams I am happy with what I got, but others I know I could have done a lot better in.

So, overall for school, 2013 hasn't been the best. There was too much drama than was necessary, my study habits dropped a lot and finding the right group of friends was difficult. However, there was a lot outside of school and a bit to do with school that was great!!

In school, I became a class captain for my homeroom, I took part in my school production and got to perform in a proper theatre and I have made some really great friends who have helped my settle in and get me through the past year.

Outside of school, I have missed my friends in Hobart so so so so so very much, but I have been able to Skype them when we feel we need to chat and I have also been able to have them visit me here. In April, my friend Alex came over and stayed with me for a weekend and in October my chummy, Sarah, came to stay with me for a week, during which we saw One Direction in concert. I could not have asked for any better person than Sarah to come to see 1D live with me. This past year I have also been able to see my brothers, Shaun and Kieran a great deal more than when I was living in Hobart. I have also been able to spend a lot more time with my two little nieces, Celeste and Louisa. It has been so lovely watching them grow this year and I look forward to watching them grow even more.

In 2013 I have learnt that school is hard work and in the last two years you cannot really afford to slack off too much, BUT you do have people that love you and will help and support you through anything and are always there to talk to when you need it.

Although for me, it has not been the best year I have had overall (I guess that happens every now and then) but there has been quite a few amazing and memorable moments and a lot more that I can use to learn from.

I am, to be honest, scared but also looking forward for what 2014 has in store for me and the people around me. It is going to be a massive year with lots and lots of hard work needing to be done, but I hope in a years time, when I most likely will be doing this blog post again, that I will look back on this year and say that it has been a great year.

Peace & Love,
Rachel xoxo

2014

As the New Year approaches I am starting to think of everything that will be happening for me in 2014. Next year I will be going to see Parmore in concert, turning 18 (and becoming an adult and legal), and the biggest of all, completing my final year of school! I am sure a lot more will be happening but I haven't planned or thought of anything more yet.

So as this next year is going to be a big one for me, I thought it would be nice to let you follow me around for the whole year. Yes that does mean vlogging. All my vlogs will be uploaded to my second channel Rachel Vlogs.

However, because I will be busy with school, I won't be uploading a vlog everyday, more like once a week or once a fortnight, but I will be trying my best to make them as regular as possible.

If you have an idea of what I could call my series of vlogs for next year, your suggestion are very much appreciated.

So if you want to follow me around and go on my 2014 journey with me, please subscribe to my channel and tell your friends about it too!

So until then,
Peace & Love,
Rachel xoxo

Happy Holidays!!

So today I finished school for the year and now have two months of holidays to look forward to!! I have quite a fair bit planned. Not necessarily events but stuff I would to do. However, because I did two weeks of Year 12 transition in my last two weeks of school, I do have some holiday homework that needs to be completed before I go back next year. But despite that, here are a few things I am planning to do over the summer break!

• DECORATE MY ROOM!

I don't know to what extent my parents would let me go in decorating but it has been almost three months since I moved into this house and I haven't done anything to my room to make it mine. One reason was because Dad had just gotten it repainted before we moved but I still feel like I need to do something to personalise it.

• CREATE A DREAM BOARD!

Over the past year I have thought more about what I would like to do in my life and what I would like to achieve, and me being a big dreamer, I thought it would be nice to create something to put in writing and list/make a note of all my dreams and goals I have for the future ("starting from next year" future). I feel as if that putting these dreams in writing would make them official goals and not just something that I think about once and then give up on or forget about. When I eventually move out of this house in a few years time, I could then put all those dreams into a folder or scrapbook and then I could look back on them in years to come and see what I have achieved so far to ones I am still working on. These goals/dreams range from the smallest, like passing Year 12/getting a good ATAR, to the big, like singing/writing songs with many great artists.

• START AN ONLINE STORE!

I got this idea off my friend Jordan to start a little online store to earn some more money and to give me a chance to be a little more creative as well. I was thinking of selling handmade flower crowns or decorative items. Whether or not this plan goes through is up to how much time I have and if I have enough money to start off and for postage stuff. If it doesn't happen this summer, I will try to make it happen when I finish Year 12 next year.

• MY HOMEROOM TEACHER'S WEDDING!

At my school, we have the same homeroom and homeroom teacher in both Year 11 and 12 and in January, mine is getting married. She has invited our class to the ceremony which is making me really excited both for her and for me. It's been four years since I have been to a wedding and I cannot wait to go to this one. I absolutely love the atmosphere at weddings and I think the whole idea and the actual event is really lovely and happy. 

• PARAMORE CONCERT!

Two days after the wedding, Jordan (who I mentioned before) and I will be going to Paramore's Melbourne concert! I am so excited for this, not only because we will be seeing Paramore and we have fourth row seats, but also for the fact that I get to see Jordan again and I haven't seen her for almost a whole year! 

• NIDA ACTING WORKSHOP!

On the Saturday and Sunday after the concert, my friend Mikayla and I will be attending a two day acting workshop run by NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Art). NIDA is probably the biggest and most renowned Performing Arts collage in Australia which makes this such an amazing opportunity. I am also heaps excited for this because it'll be the very first time I actually meet Mikayla in person after talking to her for over a year on the internet! It will be great to go and will also be very helpful as we are both (well I think Mikayla is) doing Units 3 &4 VCE Drama in Year 12 and it will help us develop and improve the skills we need for Drama. 

So there are just a few things I have planned for my holidays! Hopefully the break will be fine and the weather is really good so I can also go to the beach a couple of times and spend a lot of time outside.  

If you are in Australia or elsewhere in the southern hemisphere, I hope you have a wonderful summer holiday, and if you are in the northern hemisphere, I hope the few weeks you do get off between terms are wonderful as well. I will probably say this again but I also hope that all of you have a happy, safe and wonderful Christmas. 

Peace & Love

Rachel  xoxo

Hey Hey!

Hiya everyone!

I feel like I have kind of neglected you all. I haven't posted anything in AGES!!! So I thought today I shall just give you all an update into what has happened over the last 2 or so weeks. This is gonna be such a short post because not much has actually happened haha.

From the 21st of September to the 6th of October I was on school holidays. On the 21st, as a kind of new start thing, I went and got my hair ombred, which, if you have no idea what it is, is when you dye the ends of your hair to look as if it is gradually becoming a different colour or shade. In my case, I went slightly darker at my roots and the top half of my hair and then from around half way down it gradually gets blonder. My hairdresser, Mel, did it really well so it isn't full on half and half, you can't really tell where exactly it starts to change.

Woo ombre hair!!!

The first week of the holidays was pretty average. Not much happened. BUT then on Monday the 30th of September, SARAH CAME OVER!!! YAYAYAYAY!!! (btw go and check out her blog here). As soon as I picked her up from the airport, we went straight to Chapel Street to go to TopShop and MAC. In TopShop I bought two shirts and in MAC I bought a 4 insert eyeshadow palette. I thought buying a 4 insert was a good way to start my MAC collection. Both Sarah and I were given advice about colours by one of the shop assistants and she helped us fill our palettes. The four colours I bought were 'All That Glitters', 'Woodwinked', 'Mystery' and 'Sketch' and I love all of them! I won't promise but I might do a little separate blog post on the palette and another make up product I have bought recently.

YAY SARAH CAME!!

On the Tuesday, Sarah and I got up nice and early and headed into the city for some (1D) site seeing and some more kind of shopping. We also met up with her boyfriend, Daniel, who was visiting family in Melbourne. Unfortunately we didn't spot One Direction or 5 Seconds of Summer (sad face), but we did have a lovely time and managed to score a free Starbucks drink each. After we were finished in the city, we said goodbye to Daniel and headed to Southland shopping centre to go and see This Is Us.

I met my boys when I saw This Is Us! :P

Then one of the best days in my life came! It was Wednesday, the 2nd of October. A day I will never EVER forget. It was the day Sarah and I were to see 5 Seconds of Summer and One Direction in the flesh and doing what they do best. IT WAS 1D CONCERT DAY!!! YAY!!! Sarah and I spent our day walking my dog, taking photos and we watched the Up All Night concert DVD as preparation. Then we headed off to Rod Laver Arena. I cannot describe how amazing the night was! We both had so much fun and I want to see them again!!!! Definitely the best night of my life!

1D and 5SOS were AMAZING!!!

With an amazing concert comes massive post concert depression. I legit woke up and almost cried. Don't laugh. I was overwhelmed. During the day, I took Sarah into my home suburb and showed her around. We also bumped into a few of my friends from school. Then it hit me. I felt so down and I actually did want to cry. And yes, I do still have PCD and it has been over a week since the concert. I don't think it will ever go away.

On the Friday, my brother came over with his two daughters and we played with them in the morning, and in the afternoon we went back to Southland for some late night shopping. We got some pizza for dinner and sat outside on my deck and chatted.

Saturday came around and it was the day Sarah was to fly back to Hobart. In the morning, she helped me by being a model for my Studio Art photos and we filmed a few covers of songs. Then it was time to say goodbye (major sad face). I absolutely loved having her here with me and I am missing our late night 'would you rathers' and 'snog, marry, avoids'. But I will be seeing her again soon hopefully.

After that, it was time for me to do my holiday homework and get ready to go back to school and that is where I shall end this blog post.

I will talk to you all soon.

Peace & Love,
Rachel xoxo

My Idols!

Hiya everyone!!!

As you probably know, I love to sing and eventually would love to get into the industry... Hopefully.

Everyone has their idols, role models, people they look up to and aspire to be like. Whether it'd be business people, musicians, artists or actors, they take inspiration from their idols and then make their own with that.

So today I am going to share with you 4 of my idols.

The first is none other than Hayley Williams.

I don't know what not to say about her. She has an amazing voice. She can sing like any genre and it sounds perfect. She rocks any look she goes for whether it's be with her hair or fashion. She is absolutely stunning and uh.

Usually when you see girls breaking down when meeting One Direction or Justin Bieber you would probably say they are 'hormonal' and think that they need to just get over themselves, but if I were to meet Hayley, I would most likely start crying, at the least be shaking. I don't know but I have looked up to Hayley for years and meeting someone you admire and are inspired by so much, it would definitely get overwhelming.

In saying all that, here is ZEDD featuring the beautiful Hayley Williams; Stay the Night.

Is it weird that I remember the exact date I first heard an Ellie Goulding song?? Anyhoo my next idol is of course Ellie Goulding!

I'm probably gonna say this about all my idols but she is stunning and seriously has the voice of an angel. Her songs are absolutely beautiful and I feel like they suit my voice well which is a bonus. 

Here is the first Ellie Goulding song I ever heard; Starry Eyed.

Now, I know there are many people out there who get annoyed when people younger or the same age than them are more successful and are achieving more than them but for me, when it comes to Lorde, I cannot help but admire that and hope that one day that success will happen for me. That is one of the reasons why the New Zealander is one of my idols. 

Once again, she is stunning and her voice is amazing. I love her songs what they are about. I love how she tells it how it is. 

The song I am loving of hers at the moment is Tennis Court.

To add to these three, I think they all have an amazing stage presence and their shows and concerts are incredible. There is no disappointment when you see them live and for me, watching a live performance of theirs does give me an emotional high.

My fourth and final idol is a singer but also an actor and YouTuber. She is Carrie Hope Fletcher. She is my idol in all three of these categories and I couldn't pick a better one. She is (you guessed it) stunning, her voice is so incredibly beautiful and she never ever gives up on her dreams. When I watch her YouTube videos, I don't fee; like I'm just watching it, I feel like I am having a conversation with her and she always seems to talk about things I can relate to and/or agree with and she always makes me smile. For someone like me who loves singing, being in productions and making videos, she is most certainly one of my top idols. I seriously do not know why she isn't everyone's idol. 

Here is Carries' most recent video which is one I definitely agree with. 

So there, those are 4 of my idols. I do have a lot more but I feel these are the ones I look up to the most.

Who are your idols? Have you met any of your idols?

Anyway, until next time...

Peace & Love,

Rachel xoxo

High School Advice

Hiya everyone!

As it comes to the end of another school term for me, I thought I would take the time to reflect upon some of the things that happened during this past term.

I am not going to say exactly what happened this term, but I will use what I have learnt to help any of you.

If you find yourself feeling uncomfortable or not really included in your group of friends and you feel like an outsider, go and sit with others who you know you will fit better with, or, talk to your group about it and try and work it out. Out of your whole life, being at school is only a small portion. It is not worth it being uncomfortable. It will only make you feel more down and less interested. If you decide to move, let someone in your group know that you are and why you're doing it. If the group take it the wrong way and get the "you left us, you're not coming back" attitude, then they are not really being the best friends anyway. I'm not saying never talk to them again, they are still your friends depending on what has happened, just find a group that you know you will be included in more and have more fun with.

Secondly, if you find yourself in a bit of drama with someone and/or you don't like something someone in your group of friends or just anyone is doing or treating you, don't make the drama bigger. That is in someways what they want. It will just make things worse. Just give whoever is bothering you some space and focus on your school work and having a good time with the rest of your friends. Don't let it distract you from your main priority at school, which is learning, and if it starts getting too much, talk to someone you trust about it. No gossiping, just talk to let it out. Hopefully in time, you will be able to talk it out and try and work things through with the other person, but if that doesn't happen, again don't let it bother you.

Hopefully, this helps if any of you need it. I am in no way trying to dis anyone and I am not a professional advice giver but this is how I have dealt with similar situations. Just remember, never cause or make drama bigger. It just makes things worse. You are at school to learn, but, if you are unhappy or uncomfortable, you are not going to focus properly and you won't learn as well.

So until next time,
Peace & Love,
Rachel xoxo