By the way

Just a side note: when you buy tuna dip from the cinema make sure that you get rid of the top lid before the lights are out, just in case you put it inside your bag by mistake while it is still full of tuna spread. Well, of course, I know about every stark detail of the consequences because this actually happened to me two days ago. Getting out your money to pay at some cash point with your purse smelling of fish is not one of the best feelings in the world!! From the optimistic point of view, the tuna and crackers pack was delicious. That makes the experience worth it!

Memoirs of a Geisha

Memoirs of a Geisha is a film of beauty. Beauty of landscapes, beauty of ideology, beauty of actors (except the sumo wrestlers of course! lol), anyway, beauty in all its forms. Altough rated only 6.8 on IMDb, I consider this movie one of the best that I have seen recently. It tells the story of a young poor girl who had to be separated from her family due to their miserable financial condition. The girl ends up in a Geisha school. These Japanese women are trained from childhood in conversation, dancing, and singing in order to entertain professional or social gatherings of men. This work did not carry with it the negative connotation as prostitution does in Europe and other countries. The work was considered as a privilegious one and above all, from various incidents during the film, the viewer gets to know that this is not about sex as Mother told Chiyo: "We do not sell flesh". As a little girl, Chiyo encountered a man who had bought her sweets and whom she loved for the rest of her life. She made it a point to meet him one day but destiny marred her plans by people who constantly corrupted her due to her innocence. However, after a whole sequence of breathtaking scenery she manages to at least have him in the end. Despite the fact that it is categorized under the genre of "Drama & Romance" and despite the happy ending this film is not the usual type of love story and certainly is suitable to any audience; male or female.

All is well that ends well

That's how the saying goes and I dare add that that's a fact. Life seems clearer now. Most of the personal problems are now over and I can therefore fully concentrate on more important things (i.e. exams). I have 4 of them this week. But I'm happy that they are near because that means that they will soon be a thing of the past. Also, I had a great weekend with boyfriend, family and friends. I can't ask for more. Moreover, my birthday is approaching bringing along with it dinners, cards and presents! I hardly can wait!! To put the cherry on the cake, our friend from Ireland confirmed that he will join us on the last weekend of our holiday in Wales. If I'm reckoning right, that will be the time when we're in Pembrokeshire including a day spent at the fun fair. I've no doubt that we're going to take those last 2 words as literally as we could. Voila` tout le monde raisonnable!!

Nostalgia

This is a bittersweet longing for things, persons, or situations of the past. It is also what I'm feeling lately when I'm studying. Flashbacks of what was happening in class or in my personal life keep getting at me with each page I turn. Not once or twice did I catch myself smiling sheepishly at the papers in front of me or else I feel the tears trickling down my face. I admit that the 2 years at Junior College were not the best school years I ever had. But when they are over and you realize that another chapter from your life is closed it's inevitable not to have such a sensation. I'm very sensitive these days. However, I always was the type of person that lives with memories from the past. I don't know, but they kind of make you feel more secure and give you courage and prosperity for the future. At the end of the day, it is a fact that you can escape reality by thinking of the past or of the future but you cannot escape your past because what is done is done and there is no turning back. Doing this too often might become dangerous I believe. I personally whish I was not so nostalgic. Sometimes I tend to compare present situations with past ones which is not always sensible since each experience is a new one and you have to live it as it is. So watch your balance please, Ms. Go Bananas!

This is the real thing now!

No more mock tests, assessments and things of the sort. It is the real thing now! The big day has come. Tomorrow I will have my French Oral exam. Since French is my forte I consider myself lucky of having an "easy" start. The exam needs preparation nonetheless because part of it deals with culture. But I'm sure I'll do well in this one. The worst has yet to come.

I received my last Academic Report and assessments from school. I didn't do bad at all with the result being as follows:

• English - 7
• French - 8
• Maltese - 6 (I know I deserve better in this subject and I revised the paper. I actually had one spelling mistake and some of the corrections by the teacher were wrong! Can you imagine that?)
• Sociology - 6 (Man I'm starting to hate this subject. Regardless of any attempt at improving I always keep getting this same mark. But perhaps this is what I merit)
• Environmental Science - 8
  

Anyway, this is all bullshit. At least, as far as English is concerned. For the last 2 years I haven't scored a mark below 6. However, in my annuals I only passed with 2 marks. This is the system here, you do well in tests and assignments but you fail in exams (as if!!) There are 2 possible solutions to this pathetic situation:

1. Teachers have been incompetent for the whole 2 years
2. Sense of fairness is a mystery for the board of examiners.

For the sake of practicality, I tend to lean towards the latter. I'm certain I'll have more to comment about this when the results are out. For the time being I rely on hope!

Life at the moment

I can't say that I'm really living at the moment. It's more a sort of a routine-based existence. This is the third consecutive day dedicated from 8.30am to 7.00pm to studying. The only variety is what to study, yes a very inviting choice indeed! This type of existence has to continue till the 18th of May, that is the date when I'll finish my exams and that is almost a month from now. A month!! A month like this!! But then again, that is not enough. Other personal problems and stuff surface just in times like these when your moral is already rock bottom. However, I have those special persons in my life which make my life worth living for. They are there, ALWAYS, even when they are going through bad times themselves. These people I thank from the bottom of my heart and I will love you and cherish you for the rest of time!!

Camping Adventure

It has been agreed that most, or at least, part of our holiday will be dedicated to camping with all its activities. We have been very busy preparing ourselves with camping equipment. For instance, the picture shows the first tent that my boyfriend and I can call ours, since we usually lend one from our friends when we camp locally. But we decided now that it is only appropriate to buy ourselves one and only God knows what will happen inside that tent ;-) Other gadgets bought were sleeping bags, towels, raincoats, torches etc etc. However I realized that I may have one problem when it comes to packing. My sleeping bag is not very compressible and it will take most of my luggage bag. Moreover, we're limited with the space in the rented mini-van so we cannot afford a lot of huge bulky bags. As a result, after considering many options, I concluded that I have to change the jeans trrousers that I usually wear when travelling with other light casual trousers which I'm in lack of. It's not so bad on second thought since this will mean more clothes in my wardrobe :)

Our journey by map

This is how our journey will look like virtually (and obviously approximately). My interpretation is based on the towns and places to visit and not the actual routes since we haven't figured that out yet. Click on the image for a larger view.

It just happens

It just happens to me that I say something while I actually mean another. Sometimes this may be harmless but at times it can become very awkward. This was the case yesterday when I realized that one of my friends was offended by something I had said. It was just a matter of how to position words in a sentence but when speaking one tends to attach less importance to thinking no matter how much one repeats to oneself to THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK . However, I was really disturbed by the situation that I fell silent for the rest of the night. Shit happens!!

Wales - Holiday Plan

This is the plan we came up with this weekend. It is still open to alterations but it seems very plausible. The list goes as follows:

1. first day to discover Llandudno and Colwyn Bay: 8th June
   
2. 2 days on the isle of Anglesey: 9-10th June
   
3. 4 days in Snowdonia National Park: 11-14th June
   
4. 3 days travelling to and exploring Pembrokeshire (including Oakwood Fun Fair): 15-17th June
   
5. a day in Llangollen for some water sport: 18th June
   
6. a day saved for shopping in Manchester: 19th June
   

Night at the Farm

We spent Good Friday's night around a table drinking wine, munching some food and discussing any topic that comes our way. On top of the agenda was the planning of our holiday in Wales the coming June. Only 2 months are left and until Friday we didn't even have a clue on where to visit and what to do. This might be an adventure in itself but since one of our friend's will join us from Ireland we have to give him our schedule so that he matches it with his. Some of us took this planning seriously, so seriously that they wrote in such a hurried and anxious way that only they themselves could have read what was written :P Anyways, I still have to get my copy of the plan which will be posted later. For anyone from and around Wales or those who have any experience of travelling there, I'll be very glad if you'll post your comments on any help or suggestions

Celebrating Good Friday's Eve

We celebrate Good Friday today in my country. The day before people visit 7 different churches as the tradition goes. Since my friends and I are not very religious we decided to celebrate the day, or rather the night, in our own style. One of our friends came up with the idea that instead of visiting 7 churches we should drink 7 different alcoholic drinks before finally settling on a particular one for the whole night. We started with white wine and passed on to shooters and you know the mixture there. Even the barman passed a comment on how much brave and courageous we must be in order to embark on such an adventure !! I was supposed to dedicate this morning to studying but with all this bubbling and all in my stomach I'm not sure I'll succeed. I'm opting for French Grammar to day because I don't find it as very intensive. Tonight we're sleeping over at my bf's farmhouse with our friends, I'm very looking forward for it!!

welcoming myself to blogs!!

I'm so pissed off from studying for my A-levels that I needed something to alienate myself in. I considered no better option than to start my adventure with blogging. I was tempted by the idea after almost a month reading blogs from a friend and I must admit I wait eagerly for his next post. I'm just experimenting for the time being so don't expect anything special right now.I'm liking the idea though :)