Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. No one is entitled to their own facts.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. No one is entitled to their own facts.

Half term! :) I have survived, once again, until the holidays. Now the word "holiday" is debatable, considering I will probably do as much work at home as I would in school, in preparation for exams, and in light of the work that teachers actually set :/, but hey, I'm at home, and that's about as good as it gets for now.

Strange to think that when it gets to the next holidays (May half-term) I won't be returning to school other than to sit exams! :o Where have my school days gone?

Anyway, this image is spring-like and therefore appropriate, especially considering the hot spell of weather we've just experienced here in England, if only it would last!

I guess all good things come to an end.

Dublin/ Ireland trip

top to bottom: Maynooth College (campus accomodation) cloisters, the view from my room at Maynooth,front of the accomodation building, pond/ garden in the middle of one of the buildings at Maynooth, Trinity College Dublin, Kilmainham Gaol

Got back from the Republic of Ireland (Eire) this evening! Had a hectic great few days staying at Maynooth Seminary/ University Campus (Nui Maigh Nuad) with a school History trip, and we went into Dublin (Baile Átha Cliath) to see some of the many sites of historical interest (and also the Guiness Factory :p), including;

Maynooth College, Kilmainham gaol, Croppies Acre (memorial to those that died in the 1798 Uprising) National Museum of History, Military cemetery, the General Post Office (1916 Easter Uprising), Great Famine memorial (An Gorta Mor), Trinity College Dublin, National Musuem of Archaelogy (Ard-Mhusaem na hEireann).

Also managed to fit in shopping trips, eating out and looking around some other generally famous areas in Dublin (Customs House, St. Stephen's green) which is pretty good considering we left school midday Thursday and returned home Saturday evening! I'm exhausted now but it was so worth it, really reminded me why I want to study History at university.

So hyped + happy right now! Give it 12 hours, after I've slept, and I'll remember how much work and catching up I have to do (not to mention unpacking...) but right now I'm still happy to be home.

Gaelic (Gaeilge) I've learnt:

agus --> and

lana --> lane

geata --> gate

geatai --> gates

aerofort --> airport

bear --> bar

biolanne --> restaurant

lathair shui pholbli --> public seating area

tascai --> taxi

mhusaem --> museum

caife --> cafe

siopa --> shop

failtiu --> (information) office

* apologises for the accents I've missed out, I honestly don't know how to get them on my keyboard!

So as you can see from the vocab, I've been living like a tourist these last few days and must now attempt to get back to normality, wish me luck!

Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.

by nikigirl on polyvore.com

Only 10 weeks left at school. Slightly disorientating considering I've been in school the last 12/13 years, and can't really remember not being at school. Scary times. Anyway, I thought this image was relevant to this week, it's Spring-like, floral, and has a kind of natural beauty, so it suits upcoming events like Mother's Day this sunday. This week wasn't too bad :p

Next week I'm going to Ireland! I keep forgetting :s which is bad, because it's a foreign country, and I'm getting a plane, and I have to pack...and get some euros (I'm going to Dublin, so the Republic of Ireland), I am excited though (when I remember that I'm actually going :)

Sorry for the short post, but I'm tired (it's been a long week/ I was out late last night for one of my friend's 18th's) and as you can see, I have a lot to organise! Happy St.Patrick's day for tomorrow everyone, and make sure your mum has a nice Mother's Day!

As scarce as the truth is, the supply has always been in excess of demand.

As scarce as the truth is, the supply has always been in excess of demand.

Insane week! Well, not quite insane, but you know what I mean, March is really starting to gather pace! To be fair, next week looks busier than the last (Mother's Day, various birthdays and outings etc.) but that's not a bad thing I guess, I just need to be prepared! There seems to have been quite a melancholy atmosphere around these last few days (possibly due to Jan. results day at school + coursework deadlines approaching?) so I'm glad the weekend has arrived, although I feel pretty good at the moment :) I have this calendar with daily quotes on, and somehow, it always manages to put the day in focus for me...

You know what the worst thing is? I made this image [above] so long ago I can't even remember the reasoning behind it, so I'm going to do what I always do, and interpret its meaning according to my current mood: the Audrey Hepburn quote = self-explanatory and 100% true, the camera/ postcard photo (I realise these items seem to feature in absolutely everything I make...maybe it's a sign?) are another reference to travel/ exploration, and the outfit shown is simple, no patterns, ordinary colours, blue jeans, just a classier version of something I would wear really :)

3000 views!

I am genuinely excited by the fact that I've now had over 3000 page views on this blog, which is pretty incredible considering that 99% of it is made up of random thoughts (usually abstract and with some kind of motivational overtone) that I would have expected to only make sense to me.

Saying that, I have no gurarantee that anyone actually viewing this blog actually knows/cares/ understands what I'm talking about. They might just like looking at pictures or something...


Speaking of which! It's been ages since I did any image editing on GIMP, so guess what I did last week? Yep, you're looking at it, and I know it's kind of "Valentine's-Day" themed, but love can last the whole year, right? The layers aren't quite as well-blended as I would have liked, but overall I'm quite happy with it, but that's mainly because of the quality of the original images, I think.

I haven't done a crazy amount this week (like every week) but it's still been pretty good, so I'm happy :) oh, and last weekend I went to a city I'd never been to before, and it was sunny, and the whole town turned out to be massive and had loads of different sections to it, so I had fun just exploring - it made me want summer now :( I miss just being able to roam around "foreign"/ new places, for hours, without a timetable and with the weather being nice...

Memories

Memories

I really like photos of people not looking at the camera, especially if they're looking into the distance, or taken from an interesting angle...I also have an obsession with putting clocks in the background of everything, and overlaying virtually every image I make with some sort of book/ photo montage?

The words "World", "adventure", and "travel" are also particularly relevant as I've just booked my summer holiday! A nice week somewhere sunny with a load of my closest friends - just what I need after finishing my final exams - and a great way to start what I hope will be a great summer :)

I also like putting mis-match frames around the different images, makes the whole thing look a lot less mainstream ;)

Speaking of summer, I've also paid for my end-of-school prom (!) which is only a few months away, which seems insane considering I can still remember my Year 11 prom so clearly...so I guess the title of this post may be "Memories" (well, it suits the image!) but really at the moment I'm focused a lot more on the future; which isn't always a bad thing.

Winter Can't Last Forever/ Reality Bites Back

Winter can't last forever...... by nikigirl

Can no longer deny the reality that a new, longer, harder, term at school is just around the corner as the holidays draw to a close! I'm trying to slowly make myself bored of being at home so that I don't mind having to get back into the whole working-week routine!

Nevertheless I've made the most of my time off school, and in a way I'll be glad to get back to seeing my friends daily, and being in a lively environment that is secondary school, filled with gossip, rumours and life in general. I genuinely miss school during the holidays, everything at school seems to have so much more purpose - right now I'm just listening to rainfall and thinking about work I should be doing....I think I'm actually more productive at school....

Included this image to remind myself of how I feel about the changing seasons/ going back to school - it's nearly Spring! This image has photos and postcards in it to remind me of the good times I had in Winter (New Year, Christmas, getting university offers) and also a camera to remind me to take more photos! I also included a lucky playing card and a compass, because I figured lucky playing card + compass = not losing my way/ staying on track this term!

If you're reading this, I hope you've enjoyed the past winter and are looking forward to the start of Spring, which is official in less than a month (the Vernal Equinox, to be technically correct) although I can't say the same for the weather - especially living in England!

Half term :)

Wintry Style (admittedly you'd probably need a jacket too!) by nikigirl

Happy days! Now I have a whole week off (although I've got enough schoolwork/ driving lessons etc. to be getting on with...) which is just what I need at the moment to be honest :) but I still feel pretty good, which is great for me because usually at the end of term I'm a mess, cracking up, crying, throwing things, but right now, I feel ok, tired (as in, I worked to the end of my mental endurance last term) but ok.

This is progress, compared to last year, where the end of every term seemed to signal the start of a stress-related meltdown!

So I'm happy that I don't feel as stressed as I used to (if that makes sense!) I'm finally back in control of my life!

& I just got back from seeing my sister perform Cabaret at school - they were all so good!

Anyway, this week's image/ fashion set symbolises satisfaction, neutral colours (white/cream/grey/lavender) and a simple enjoyment of life, which is the perfect style to compliment the bleakness of these freezing winter days...

...and although it may be winter, we'll always remember the sun :D

and......I'm 18! :D

And......I'M 18! :D by nikigirl featuring louis vuitton bags

So yesterday was my 18th and I feel so much more positive about life right now, which is kind of crazy considering everyone expects the day after a birthday to be depressing, but I always enjoy things more in retrospect! Seriously though, I had a great day, we're talking, family, friends, presents, champagne, cocktails, clubs, Nandos, a whole load of snow (resulting in some serious snow ball fights/ half-sober snow angels) and to top it all everyone else seemed to be having a great time too, which means a lot to me - my friends are so generous! <3

Oh yeah, and photo day was awkward, but it wasn't terrible - I guess some things really aren't as bad as they seem. ANYWAY, back to my 18th, I got a lovely new laptop which I'm typing this on now! I think it just became real to me that this is the year my adult life begins, and hopefully in less than 8 months time this very same laptop will be sitting in my university room with my somewhere! Exciting times ahead!

I'm literally sitting here surrounded by birthday cards/ balloons whilst typing in bed (for me, this is new - I've never had a laptop)....feels surreal, but good, especially with all of the snow still outside!


I love this image, I made it weeks ago in preparation for my 18th, I just thought it looked so chic and outgoing, it suited 18 as the age when you really start to live your own life (even though I don't normally like red) so this image, as well as being on my Polyvore, is also my desktop for my new laptop <3 !

Everyone reading this - have a great day!

People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges.

People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges. by nikigirl

Feeling a bit down this week :( I hate uncertainty......

In a week I'll be rapidly approaching my birthday!

This doesn't cheer me up at all, I have nothing arranged whatsoever :/

Even worse, we have school photos next week! As if it wasn't bad enough, we have to dress up. I don't like fancy dress, and I don't own anything suitable either...
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Drawing a line under all of that; this image is all about having your own style, and not being afraid to be yourself, even if you aren't bold or sassy or even particularly fashionable. It's supposed to be about the art behind the fashion, not the money, not the culture or the marketing. About the ideas people used to have and the way that they expressed them.


Things can't always be as bad as we imagine they are, can they?