2016 and what it might mean for me.

I've neglected this blog for far too long.

I'm in a strange sort of limbo at the moment, having been back from India a month, and heading off again in another month.

My noticeboard, which has evolved into something of a Travel Shrine. 

However, a few things to mention before I get into all of that;

• http://joyfulpostpanda.tumblr.com/ --> new artsy Tumblr thing, where I'll be posting edited images themed around all things India and travel. 
• This blog has officially hit 10,100 views! I can't really believe it, the little project I started at the age of 16 to showcase some GCSE Artwork is still going nearly 5 years later. I'd like to think that it's moved on a bit since then, but it remains a sort of hybrid between an online diary of sorts and a notebook of thoughts & ideas for me. Thanks as always to my regular followers, as well as anyone just dropping by (usually re-directed from Google Image searches, as my Blogger stats inform me!)

So, I didn't think that I'd been up to that much since returning from India, but I've actually been quite busy, travelling hundreds of miles up and down the country by train, visiting friends and family before I depart for another 5 months+ jaunt abroad, 

It's important to touch base with people in between these adventures, otherwise I worry that they'll think I've forgotten them. Plus so much has physically happened since they last saw me that I need to fill them in on some stuff (and vice versa) or we'll never be able to catch-up!

And what next?

Well, here's a small hint...

Not quite to scale, obviously. 

Rose-tinted heaven

Rose-tinted heaven

Found some of my old polyvore images from earlier in the year that I never got to publish on here, despite it being close to 1 'o' clock in the morning, I thought - why not? I need a good old clear out of my drafts, or "ghost posts" as I prefer to call them. Here are some creations that I never found the words for.

Reflection

Reflection by nikigirl

Friday the 13th! Unlucky for some but I've been lucky enough to have a pretty good day so far; in terms of school and home so here's to hoping the weekend is good too! (Although by default it WILL be good just because I don't have to get up at 7/ do any serious schoolwork :P)

First week back at school always makes me reflect on things a lot. You'd think the last week of term would have inspired the same, but I was too busy thinking about exams to really consider anything else. Instead, as I said, this week I realisied that time is moving away from me, faster than ever - only 12 school weeks left until I go on study leave and leave school forever! That's incredible considering all the weeks that went into the 7 years I've been at secondary school, not to mention the 7 years of schooling I had previous to that!

I calculated. *If* I get into the university I want to go to I only have 262 days left until my first day there, so that's;

22,636,800 seconds
377,280 minutes
6288 hours
37 weeks (rounded down)

Approximately! The crazy thing is, only 12 of those weeks include school, the rest is all studyleave/ holiday! Presuming I move into uni the weekend before Fresher's week - that's only 260 days left living at home! :O

Anyway, back to the present, this is where I must learn to live, one day at a time rather than in the past or the future - do you like the image? I deliberately included loads of symbols representing the passing of time, the hourglass, the pocket watch, the blossoms, the birds and even the girl...and then I added a couple of bows and a vintage photograph effect just because ;)

Enjoy the weekend!

And sometimes...dreams really do come true!

This is me by nikigirl

What an insane week! Times really do change - and quickly - only 4 days until Christmas! Anyway, now that the holiday season is in full swing it's made me really how much I've really achieved this year, and how happy I am of all the work I've done. Although we are perfectly entitled to anticipate the year ahead, let's not forget the year just passed, whether that be mistakes to learn from or achievements to be proud of!

This is a giant collaboration grid showing images of all the things I love, essentially it's the one image I'd like people to look at if they were to get a really good idea of who I am - it's basically an extended version of a collage I did some months back (http://notesfromadaydreambeliever.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2011-08-27T00:14:00-07:00&max-results=10), but obviously more up-to-date, as our perceptions of ourselves are different on a daily basis, and naturally they change dramatically over time.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I'm the happiest I've been in a long time, and that's something worth celebrating - let alone the fact that Christmas/ New Year are just around the corner! Bring on the festivities! :)

Simplicity

Sometimes the basics are the best.

Only 2 more days in school, 2 more exams, then it's Christmas!

The wait is hard, but it will be worth it, just a few more hours of revision, a few more cards to write, presents to wrap, decorations to display, and time will pass before I know it!

But I do love black & white photographs, and Paris, and pink things, and of course, the beautiful Emma Watson to set it all off :) this image is a reminder of why I should persevere - once it gets to the Christmas holidays I'll have loads more time for image editing!

Simplicity by nikigirl on polyvore.com

Day Dreamer

Day Dreamer by nikigirl

I may see in colour, but I still dream in black & white.

Can you miss being somewhere before you've even left?

The term nostalgia describes a yearning for the past, often in idealized form.

Sometimes I want to live in the past, literally.

Winter

Winter by nikigirl


So. This week, had a mock interview, driving lesson, helped at open evening at my school...much of the same.

Next week however couldn't be more different, I've got literally one day at school before I go and stay at one of the world's best universities and be interviewed by some of the most learned history academics in the world...it's going to be amazing. Intense. Hard work. But most of all intense, insanely beautiful, both the city and the university, intensely hard, the studying and anxiety, constantly challenging (like life itself) but hopefully ultimately rewarding! I really can't wait to meet some incredible people, and have one of the most interesting (in every possible way) experiences of my life so far!

Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice by nikigirl on polyvore.com

Play

Play by nikigirl featuring heart jewelry

I'm afraid I won't be uploading anything new for the next two weeks, in fact I won't be on here at all :( not entirely by choice, but exams must take priority, and so I'll put this up for you to remember me by, if anything it's almost as weird as the last :)

Something a bit different, experimenting with patterns, particularly those that are found in nature, using "sun spot" and "fractal" effects, to create these surreal, repeating and slightly geometric looking images, which randomly remind me of sort of Indian art & culture? I don't know, but I do rather like them :)

Edited the detail in this picture but did not take it :p, I just loved the idea of the fish in the bubble, the key, and finally the pebble-mesh background, which was blended with the original grain background of the photo I found :) It's all about the details, small print, fine lines, whatever you want to call it - much like life itself, it's the little things that really count.

Girly. Because I felt like it. It's been too long since I did any proper surreal stuff or cubism, for that matter, and this photo I found was too good to waste - I've always loved glass perfume bottles, especially coloured ones. They are the height of class :) still have Dior's "hypnotic poison" perfume I won at a raffle when I was about 10, and seriously did not know how expensive (and nice) perfume can be...

Perspective. Life depends on it.

Attempting to throw myself back into the school routine, and remind myself that in the bigger picture, getting up at half seven and working from nine 'til five, is actually for the greater good.

And of course, putting this into the perspective of the entire world, I guess it's not that much of a big deal :)

It's all a matter of perspective really.

I'm now officially 17. It's not all that different from being officially 16 really, except you can imagine you're like Zac Efron from 17 Again, except this is in fact my first time of being 17. Oh well, not so similar then.

Spent the last three days in Cambridge University on a shadowing scheme, so excuse me if I'm a bit head-in-the-clouds, and yes, when I get time I will do some art with some of the photos I took around the colleges :) Happy February everyone!

A change in the weather this week, and with it a change of heart, where I am it definitely feels colder, and the atmosphere these last few days seems pretty depressed - or maybe that's just me. Here's to the weekend and remembering that Spring must always follow Winter (even in England, eventually) and after that Summer will finally arrive; bringing with it a mass of sunshine, warm weather...and exams.....

Little bit of glitter for a very grey weekend, here's to getting through the winter blues, and seeing the beauty in everything...

Such a stressful week. Peace and quiet needed.

I just love this. It's my current desktop background, and it just about stops me from getting completely stressed out when I look at it. Just about. I found several stunning scenic photos and blended them, using the sunset colours, and am very happy with the result, so I thought I'd share it with everybody :)

Happy New Year 2011!

Happy New Year

(albeit a day late...) New Year is always a little daunting what with all those resolutions and promises, but New Year is also a completely new leaf, a second chance, a fresh start, I love the fact that you can just forget the bad parts (but remember the good times!) of last year and look to the future!

This piece is about the start of a story, a fairytale, so perhaps could 2011 be the start of a fairytale new year for all of us, regardless of 2010.