Thinking Onto Paper: 158 Friends

158 friends. That's what I see. I guess it's the first thing anyone sees. How many friends they have. They meet someone for the first time, say, at a party. They talk to them and, stuff getting their number. In this day and age, they just find out their name. Then they log onto Facebook and search and add them.

This is something I sometimes do, but I only press 'Send Friend Request' if I've met them on numerous occasions. Otherwise, in reply to the request, should they choose to accept it, you get the incredibly awkward wall post saying 'Hey, thanks for the add, do I know you?' and you have to go and explain how you know them, and you have two possible answers: 'Ohh, that's right, heyy!!' or 'Don't remember, sorry :S.' And if it's the latter, you explain some more and they still don't remember and then you just give up and all hope is lost.

Or, to put it simply, they don't add you at all.

I like to think I'm smart about who I add, but the truth is I'm not really. I don't think many people are these days. I mean, I don't go around adding random people, but I can easily name people who would. People who I see around all the time but don't necessarily talk to... that's the majority of my friend's list. At my school, I only talk to the people I hang around with. You tend not to hang outside your stereotype. That's just how high school works, whether you're conscious of it or not.

158 friends- but are they really friends? A friend is supposed to be 'a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.' Most of the people on my friends list, and on most other people's, don't fit this criteria. 

I suppose it's all for image. Everyone wants to look good to their peers; to seem desirable. They want to have the best clothes, best make-up, popularity- in the form of their Facebook profile.

But what is popularity, really? In movies, it's always the petite, blonde, head cheerleader who everyone secretly hates. According to the dictionary, popularity is 'being popular- regarded with great favour, approval or affection, especially by the general public.' Somehow, this doesn't fit with the stereotype of popular people you see in movies or on TV shows.

Somewhere along the line, someone's gotten it wrong. Real life can't be defined by something straight-forward, like a dictionary, however much this displeases me. For instance, love- it's defined as 'a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.' But it's a lot more complicated than that. I couldn't begin to explain it if I tried.

How can this be so? How could Google ever be wrong*?

This is the question that haunts me- why are 'popular people' never really popular at all? Why is it the ones who are truly popular by definition that are deemed 'uncool' or 'unpopular'?

It is a twisted world we live in...

*Well, technically, Google could never be wrong as it is merely a search provider and does not provide answers. It simply gives you sources to find the answers you seek.

The Latest And Greatest!

Hey guys, I have some new bands, as usual.

• Allstar Weekend: I first saw them on Disney channel during the ads when my sister was watching Hannah Montana or one of those shows. I rarely watch TV, so I'm pretty sure it was an omen that I was watching it at that instant. Then a video clip came on for Allstar Weekend. Yeah, go ahead and groan about those typical Disney bands- but you'd be wrong. Not all Disney is... well, Disney. Just look at Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez (who are, by far, the ultimate Disney girls). But Allstar Weekend- I've never, ever seen a better boy band on Disney. Sure, there was the Jonas Brothers, and yes, I admit, I do have a CD of theirs, but Allstar Weekend suits my tastes more. And I like to think I have a really good taste in music. They have three songs on iTunes thus far: A Different Side Of Me (which featured on The Last Song- the book was really good, even if I did get laughed at for reading it), Dance Forever (which sounds like a boppier, poppier version of TMGR!) and Come Down With Love (which I listen to all. The. Time.). Look up, listen and love.
• Sparks The Rescue: I've already admitted to my weakness for Fearless Records. All their bands are ah-ma-zing. We Love Like Vampires and Autumn are the two I've heard. They went through my head again and again. My sister, who thinks I don't listen to enough popular, well known stuff, actually sings along with me to these songs. Their sound is a bit more difficult to explain. It's not as heavy as some of the stuff I listen to, and they're not really electronic or pop. They're alternative, but that still doesn't pin point why I adore these guys. You should definitely look them up.
• Party At Her Place!: They're electronic and unsigned, but they should be! I'm generally not a really big fan of electronic, but I've found the exception. I found out they existed through Facebook friend requests, got curious and loved what I heard! Their five songs on iTunes are on an album called The Invite. I love the fact that it's all themed, party style! And the songs definitely make you want to party. They're recent; the album only came out in 2010, so they've got plenty of chance to dominate the music scene, and I hope they do!

A couple of other mentions: I started up a second blog; if you love my entertainment (and hopefully, entertainING!) posts, the other one's a more serious side of me, called Dreamer's Place and more about my life. I've tried a different style of writing- if it sucks really badly, please let me know so I can change it! Please follow!

Also, last time I was at my neighbour's place, we were listening to the amazing New Perspective by the talented Panic At The Disco, when out of the blue, she suggested we start a band. Turns out B2 was thinking what B1 was thinking (yeah, don't know why I just made a reference to Bananas In Pyjamas), because I thought that idea was awesome- and I'd been thinkking similarly. We want to write our own songs, but we want to be similar to our favourite bands like Paramore, My Chemical Romance, Evanescence and everything else fabulous. Only catch is, we're not quite sure what to name it! I made two suggestions, both beginning with 'Forbidden' and she came up with another four. I've put up a poll, so have your say- what should we be called? Feel free to comment to give any other suggestions too!

Sayonara, fellow ninjas! xoxo

She Said, She Said... These Songs Are Awesome!

Hey all, sorry I haven't posted in a while; my internet's been a bit dodgy! This one might be a bit longer because there's heaps of stuff on the music scene I want to share!

Thanks to whoever it waas that told me to make a Facebook roughly two years ago- I'm addicted. On the bright side, it means I have an extra way to stay connected with some of the raddest bands out there, which means more to share with you guys!

I was on the page for the awesome band The Never Ever and I saw that their first ever official video clip was going to be coming out very soon. Hey Kt is of of my favourite songs right now so of course, I started counting down. Then as soon as I saw the link to it was up, I got really excited.

I watched the clip... then I pressed repeat and watched it again and again! The video is just. That. Good. Especiallly when you take into consideration that these guys are unsigned. They've only been on the music scene for just over a year and they are doing a fantastic job. I highly recommend that you watch their video and keep your ears open for them! They are sure to be the next greatest Aussie power-pop band!

And now, ladies and gentlemen (or, as far as I'm aware, gentleman!), for the amazing clip you've all been waiting for:

Amazing, right? Blast The Stereo! Tell your friends, tell your enemies, scream it from the rooftops- THE NEVER EVER ARE AMAZING!! You can hear some of their other amazing songs here!

I got to use that iTunes card I said was screaming my name- I used it all just seconds after signing off the last post, actually- on some songs you just have to hear!

• Brand New Eyes- Paramore: I finally finished the whole album. I love every song on it; it's been on extremely high rotation! I adore Brick By Boring Brick and Ignorance particularly! If you've been living under a rock for several years and you have no idea who Paramore is- shame on you! You should at the very least know Decode, the hit song that graced the credits of Twlight. If you didn't know that, you can still regain your dignity- you can fall in love with every single one of their songs the way I did.
• What Do You Want From Me- Forever the Sickest Kids: A source of inspiration for two amazing bands, The Monster Goes Rawrr! and The Never Ever for a really good reason! I'll bet you've heard this song before, even if you didn't know the band by name. I was doing my research when this name came up, so I looked into it. I just happened to preview this song, and the thoughts running through my head were literally: 'OMG! I KNOW THIS SONG! IT'S AWESOME! OMG I FINALLY KNOW WHAT SONG IT IS!' This preceded some really awful, off-key singing which I'll spare you.
• Painting Flowers- All Time Low: TMGR and TNE both also stated that they count All Time Low as one of their influences (see post above), and all three share a great sound! Painting Flowers was from the Alice In Wonderland soundtrack, which is where I fell in love with it first. "I wanna see your face and know I made it home..." it's plain to see how The Monster Goes Rawrr got their Black Belt In Awesome! Listen to All Time Low if you like any of the bands I've suggested earlier this post.
• The Dressing Room- Breathe Carolina: I don't know how many people have an iPod touch or an iPhone, but if you do, download the free app Tap Tap Revenge 4. This is how I found out about Breathe Carolina. I just played the song and realised how amazing it was. They're signed to the fabulous record label Fearless Records and are regular contributors to the Punk Goes Pop series. I personally think that most of the covers are better than the originals. Breathe Carolina have two albums on iTunes which you should get onto  listening to, stat.
• New Perspective- Panic! At The Disco: I've been a Panic! fan since awesome neighbour introduced me to them when I was eleven. She has all their songs so far- except for this one. I played them for Smiley which marked the beginning of three-way shared love. I've sorta, kinda been stalking their website because two of the original members, Spencer and Brendon were apparently going to continue on as Panic, while Ryan and Jon formed The Young Veins and I was waiting for the latest. The latest has arrived, in the form of New Perspective and they have their third album, Vices and Virtues set for release on March 22nd. Can't wait!
• Like A G6- The Cataracts, Far East Movement and Dev: My sister is always exasperated by my choice in music. I rarely buy something well known unless it's a Short Stack or Paramore song or the like, which frustrates her. She was rather impressed by my deciding to buy this song. It's catchy and she bought a fair few good pop songs last iTunes card. So because I'm a nice sister, I bought it. Cue the 'aww, you're such a nice sister.' Mwahaha.

Anyway, I am home sick today and I don't feel all that fantastic, so I'm going to go lie down in bed and read The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks- yes, I am now obsessed with Nicholas Sparks novels. Don't tease me.

Sayonara, fellow ninjas! xoxo

Smells Like Team Spirit...

Before I post, I would like to point out that I am in no way an athletic person. Competitive? Definitely. I want to be the top at everything I can. Most sports, I don't really mind not winning because I'm generally the last to finish. These tend to include track and field and other things I have absolutely no skill at.

However, I'm not so competitive that I'll slag off people who beat me, and I won't try to put them off their game. I like to win, fair and square. This kind of competitiveness is not always a bad thing. It means I can always be counted on to participate, and it helps me to be the best I can.

Today was the school swimming carnival. I'm in the blue team, as are Lemur and Blondie. We decided to get into the team spirit. This meant we had bright blue eyeshadow, massive C's on our foreheads, stripes on our faces and pom poms. And in my case, there was the bright, sparkly blue nailpolish, which has yet to be removed.

I entered every race I could enter. And I placed too... last place. Oh well. It's not that I'm a bad swimmer; it's just that I haven't trained in a pretty long time. And of course, when you're swimming in A divison (the top ones) without training, against some of the girls in our grade who train almost every day.... well, you're not going to come first, obviously. But you get points towards getting your team's name on the plaque, which is the main reason you're there, other than to have fun. And that's what matters.

Another good point is that all your mates are hanging around with you all day, and there's heaps of crazy photo opportunities. Some of the photos are really good ones that may capture you looking like a complete babe in a bikini, and some you just look... horrible. Such as my epic photo bomb, where I did my duck lips, closed eyes... and it looked awful. The other photo bomb of the day would go to two of the guys who bombed Lemur's and my photo.

Anyway, I have an iTunes voucher screaming at me that it wants to be used, so I'm going to sign off.

Sayonara, fellow ninjas! xoxo

Calling All Writers!

My sister came home from school a few days ago, excited about a writing competition her teacher had told her class about. She was really excited about it.

As you know, I love to write, so I was interested in it too. When I found out that the competition was for grades Prep through to Year 12, I checked out the website. The prizes are mad. First prize is $1000 cash (half to you, half to the school- darn! But it’s still a lot of money). But of course, that’s not all. As well as the cash, you can choose whether you want a Nintendo DS and one game, a Nintendo Wii and a game, a Sony digital camera and a 1GB memory card or an 8GB iPod nano and a $100 music voucher! How good is that?! Second prize is $250 in cash; third is $150 and 15 finalists will receive $20. You can enter a short story or a poem- but no more than one entry per person!

If this sounds good to you, and you’re a born writer like myself, you should definitely enter. Here’s a link to the website, Write4Fun! But make sure you get your stories and poems in before March 30th!

I'm entering a story I wrote for English class last year, which I got full marks for. I had to cut it down to meet the word limit- now it's not a word over or under 500- and now it's ready to go!

Let me know if you decide to enter the comp!

Sayonara, fellow ninjas! xoxo

Awesomest Stuff In The World Right Now!

I haven't posted in about a week- sorry, guys! But I haven't completely slacked off; I've been looking up the hottest new stuff on the block. This time, it's a mixture of all the world's coolest stuff.

Trading Yesterday- So I was excited to go on exchange to New Zealand, but even more so (if that was possible!) when I found out my exchange sister had such good taste in music! I listened to some of the songs by bands she likes and they are awesome! This band is downright awesome. They only have one song on iTunes, which is the legendary One Day. But I did my research- they have a lot more songs that you can hear on YouTube. Here's their song Love Song Requiem, which is amazing: 



Anyway, you should look up more of their songs, which you will find on their MySpace page here.

A Rocket to the Moon- Fans of Never Shout Never, look no further than A Rocket to the Moon! This is another band I heard about from my sister-to-be. Their album On Your Side is features twelve awesome tracks that you will love. Every single song. I honestly can't single out any two or five out of all of them; it's too hard. It's usually not that difficult to find a stand-out song, but these guys are too good. Look them up; you won't regret it. Promise. 

Charlie McDonnell- Best thing to come out of YouTube since thecomputernerd01 and SecretAgentBob, honestly. Random? Check. Entertaining? Check. Good-looking? Check, check, check!! (Sorry to any guys who are reading this). I first found out about the goodness that is him on the lovely Sarah's blog, Alone On Cloud Nine. You should definitely have a look at this one, because not only does she have wonderful taste in YouTube videos, she voted Ninja (In Training) the most colourful blog of the week! Here's a video by the talented Charlie McDonnell:

Vanilla Malt Milkshakes- Maybe not the most relevant thing to feature on an entertainment blog, but these are heavenly. I haven't had a chocolate milkshake once since trying one. I usually get one whenever I go to Donut King or out for breakfast (unless wherever I go with my family is selling white hot chocolate. That is even better than regular hot chocolate, I swear).

Velociraptors- This is relevant to entertainment, really. I bet I'm not the only one who gets incredibly bored on a regular basis. Actually, I know for a fact I'm not the only one, because my neighbour showed me this lovely art. Whenever you get bored, this is the perfect way to pass time- be a velociraptor! For anyone like my sister who hasn't heard of them before and thinks I made them up: they're real (or were, seeing as dinosaurs are actually extinct nowadays). That is how I spend my time- being my sister's pet velociraptor, or getting funny looks in the school courtyard because of my raptor-like habits.

Anyway, I should probably be off. I had a big night out last night with my best friends, plus I've got a bit of boy drama at the moment! Whoever has any kind of expertise in that field- please email me here!

Sayonara, fellow ninjas! xoxo

Always Young At Heart

No matter how old you get- well perhaps it does, beyond your teenage years, but that's beside the point- you will always love doing the same stuff you used to. Sure, Barbies and Hot Wheels have been packed away in a box and either handed down to younger siblings or been sold, but there's some stuff that you never seem to grow out of.

For example, in Religion today, our teacher gave us a mandala to colour in. In other words, we coloured in a circular pattern with textas or coloured pencils. We love those. They're easy work- they take a whole lesson and they don't require any brain work besides choosing which colour to put where. It makes you realise that when you get to about ten and think 'oh, ew, colouring in is for little kids,' you never really stopped loving it.

Another good example is TV shows you used to watch before you started school. Sure you mightn't really watch them anymore, but you still remember them very clearly, especially the theme songs. Like the time in Year Seven when my friends and I were all sitting around a table in class and started singing the theme song for the Teletubbies. We still do that sometimes. I used to watch Playschool religiously as well, and I can recall heaps of their songs and stuff, as well as The Wiggles and Hi-5. Yeah, it's a bit embarrassing to admit those last three, but they're true.

And not just TV shows. What about movies? How many teenagers went to see Toy Story 3? A lot, I hear. Not me, but that was because I had my first best friend in the history of the world est. 2002 who lives far, far away from me with me, and we wanted to go shopping instead of movie-ing.

Characters is a big one too. In Jay Jays, there's character t-shirts through the whole store. Cookie Monster, at one point Barbie I think, Elmo, Oscar The Grouch, Hello Kitty (which is a character I want on a t-shirt)... they're endless.

I think I've proved my point that teenagers are closer to being kids than the 'responsible, young adults' many adults tell us we should be. Enjoy being young while you are- but don't ignore homework, chores or any other set work!

Sayonara, fellow ninjas! xoxo

PS- hope you like the new layout and header; the fact that the old one didn't do what I wanted it to inspired me to change it. Let me know what you think!  

I Can't Think Of Anything Else To Write...

As the title may explain, I have no idea what to write. So, I just went on Facebook and filled out one of those survey-thingamajigs. Hope it doesn't bore you too much...

1. What was the highlight of your week? Probably cracking everyone up at lunchtimes

2. Whose car were you in last? Mum's

3. When is the next time you will kiss someone? I don't know; depends whether they like me or not (and it's driving me crazy not knowing!)

4. What color shirt are you wearing? Not wearing a shirt- for those of you who are assuming something that is not right, it's because I'm wearing a dress. And it's blue with flowers on it.

5. How long is your hair? Shoulder length (never thought I'd be able to say that- it's been really long for years and years of my life)

6. Are you good looking? Well I don't think so, but feel free to disagree :P

7. Last movie you watched? It must've been Gulliver's Travels... didn't really appeal to me much.

8. Who were you with? My mum and sisters

9. Last thing you ate? Latina pasta- yum!

10. Last thing you drank? Solo (lemon squash)

11. When was the last time you had your heart broken? Um, last week probably

12. Who came over last? My beloved neighbour who will be my mate forever... <3 you

13. Are you happy right now? Pretty happy; yeah.

14. What did you say last? 'What we had, is just the most amazing thing' -they're song lyrics

15. Where is your phone? *ON THE VERGE OF HEART ATTACK* Oh, it's ok, it's charging in my room...

16. What color are your eyes? Blue

17. Are you left-handed? Psh, no way

19. Do you have any pets? I do

20. Favorite Vacation? Uh, that I've been on- Melbourne.

21. What do you dislike currently? Finding random stinging cuts on my legs and having bleeding chapped lips :(

22. What are you listening to? Five Years by Tonight Alive <3

23. If you could have one thing right now what would it be? The guy that I like <3

24. What is your favorite scent? Perfumes my neighbour (who I will labelled from now on as BFF, just because they're easy three letters and stand for something true) and I smell in Myer. A DKNY one that smells like apple, any Harajuku Lovers and my Kate by Kate Moss

25. Who makes you happiest? My BFF

26. What were you doing at midnight last night? Sleeping

27. When is your birthday? September

28. Who has the same phone as you? No one anymore; Lemur got a new one

29. Last time you went swimming in a pool? Well, I thought it would've been this afternoon, but I was at mum's work... on the holidays

30. Do you read your horoscope? Only in my magazines

31. Where was the last place you bought something? Jay Jays- that is my favourite shop. Oh wait, no- it was Icon. I bought a scarf

32. How do you feel about your hair right now? I like it short, but the kinks in the ends annoy me, 'cuz the air's been too moist to keep them straight

33. Do you bite your nails? Not anymore; now they're pretty long

34. Do you have any expensive jewelery? The most expensive would be Prouds probably.

36. Myspace or facebook? Facebook!

37. How fast have you driven a car? I'm not old enough to drive yet...

38. Have you ever smoked? No! I don't like smoking!

39. What was or is your favorite subject in school? I don't know, but as Blondy would tell you, I'm a nerd. Maybe English or Indonesian, or maybe Maths B. But I like Legal Studies now too, and I adore Textiles....

41. What type of boy or girl do you usually fall for? The really nice, creative ones. They're always creative. And it just so happens that they're all good looking

42. Do you have any hidden talents? Um... I don't know, but I would hope that I did!

43. Favorite Song? It changes, like, every day. Today it would be The Monster Goes Rawrr!'s cover of TiK ToK, Amazing by Cassie Davis or Mr. Brightside by The Killers.

44. Do you like to sing at all? Yes, very loudly! I will sing properly when I'm by myself (or in choir when I was in primary school) and when I'm with my crew- it's no more than screaming and wrecking my vocal cords.

45. Dream Job? Magazine editor

46. Where does most of your family live? New South Wales

47. Are you an only child or do you have siblings? Siblings, as you would've gathered earlier

48. Would you consider yourself to be spoiled? Nope; I buy pretty much all lmy own stuff

49. What was the first thing you thought when you woke up? I hate my alarm clock...

So there's 49 things you probably never knew about me, unless you know me in person. I think I should probably go to bed now, so yeah. I'm going to go to bed.

Sayonara, fellow ninjas! xoxo

YouTube Is Great

I've posted several times about music and once about books, but something else I love- YouTube. Generally when I hang out with my neighbour, she has some kind of video she wants to show me. Then it turns out to be really funny, and we go around quoting it all day and annoying our family members. So, what are some of these quotable videos you can find on the goodness that is YouTube? That's what I'm about to show you...

Fred

If you haven't seen these before- this is the first one.

thecomputernerd01

The first video by this guy I saw- my favourite so far.

Stanley and the Pineapple

Watch this one, guys. Funnier fruit than on The Annoying Orange.

Llamas With Hats

The first episode out of four. They're all good, but I like this one best.

Charlie The Unicorn

I am the purple unicorn and my neighbour is the pink one. There's three by secretagentbob.

Tim Hawkins

This is the first one I saw- my mum actually showed me it. It's a parody of the song 'Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)' by Green Day. He does heaps of Christian comedy, but it's not all churchy, it's just more polite than some other stuff you might see.

So there you have my top six. Check 'em out!

Sayonara, fellow ninjas! xoxo