ABOUT ME (MEME TIME!)

Post a picture of yourself and introduce yourself:

This was taken today so it’s as recent as it’s gonna get. Hello I am Claudia - but you all should know that by now. I’m hoping to get these new glasses, do you like them?

List 10 random facts about yourself:
♦ I really, really love baked beans.
♦ I have OCD when it comes to matching and arranging things.
♦ I always have my nails painted.
♦ I’d say I have about 300 photos up on my walls at home.
♦ I love doing the weekly grocery shop.
♦ I get really excited getting post.
♦ I fall for people far too easily.
♦ My pet-hate is when someone has the same stuff as me or copies me.
♦ My favourite time of year is between October - December.
♦ I only got my ears pierced last year - when I was 18.

List 3 people who have influenced you and describe how.
I shall only list one. This person is my Mother - who has been continually loving, positive, realistic and helped me make many important decisions in my life.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be and what would you do with it first?
Invisibility! #stalker

Describe your most embarrassing moment/An awkward moment that happened today or in the past:

I slipped and fell on stage in one of my high school’s musicals a couple of years ago - I usually say this is my embarrassing moment but the funny thing is I don’t remember it happening. 

Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears.

Spiders - This is a rather obvious one because so many people don’t like spiders. They are gross.
Dark, enclosed spaces - I think have a problem because both my Granny and Mum are claustrophobic in small enclosed places. I go weak at the knees and panic a lot when I’m in the dark and I’m ten times worse in a dark, small closed-in area. So I think I am claustrophobic. :(

Dying in a car accident - When I’m out on my own driving I always think of Jordan and it scares me if something like that happened to me. I mean this in the least selfish way possible. 

Describe your relationship with your parents.
Really good actually - which I’ve always been very thankful for. Mum and I would be very close - we would have a lot in common and would talk a lot. She’s like an older sister in a way because she’s more modern than most women her age. She expects good behaviour from Jared and I and would discipline us fairly, not that we’d do much wrong anyway.
However she talks too much though, and always thinks she’s right, even if she’s wrong. Both these can be very tiresome and causes problems in the house, more with Jared than me. (Because he also thinks he’s right, so there is conflict.) Having said that, she’s good fun to be with and a brilliant mother because I can’t imagine I would be the easiest person to live with either!
Dad’s more quiet around the house - he always looks like he is deep in thought. He can be very amusing and talks a lot when he’s in the right notion. He is very, very kind - his gruff exterior makes that difficult to see sometimes though. That’s not a bad thing though, I know his heart is in the right place. Me and him have had good laughs.
He works hard, probably too hard. Sometimes I wish that he would spend more time with us - and just abandon what must be done and take the opportunity when it’s here. Yes I understand work is important but it saddens me. That’s what annoys me most about my parents. I almost need to kick them up the ass just to get a day arranged to do anything. Dad can’t take off work often. We haven’t had a holiday for years. Surely we should make the most of these precious times together before it’s too late? It’s so difficult to get them motivated to do something extravagant or out of the ordinary - they are so set in their ways! It’s very frustrating.
However they both work hard and want to thank them for being amazing parents, sending and funding us to do everything from swimming, music lessons and speech and drama, prevailing us to do things we thought we could never accomplish and finally always always supporting, loving and caring for us.

If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?

*Shrugs* I really don’t know - I can’t imagine myself living anywhere in particular and the idea of living far away never appealed to me. Sorry, I am terribly boring.

Favorite Quotes:
"When looking for a husband or wife, here’s my advice: Run towards the Lord as fast as you can. If someone can keep up with you, introduce yourself." - Professor J. Jung

I read this quote frequently because there’s so much depth and wisdom in it that applies to my own life right now. I’m at that age where I maybe, maybe have or am about to meet the man I will marry - imagine that? Although this concept constantly meddles with my mind, I need to remember that God is in charge, and he will provide if the timing is right. This quote is perfect when my mind gets carried away and I forget that it's all up to God what happens.

“She is out there. My Cinderella. She is real. She exists. I pray for her constantly. May God satisfy the desires of her heart, draw her close, consume her. May He claim her passions, her identity, her refuge, her hopes, her strengths and weaknesses, every fiber of her being. May she treasure and cherish her Saviour more than anything of this world and cling to His will with every ounce of her stamina. By all that she is, does, and strives to be, may He draw near to her and she to Him.” - Adam Young

This is another encouraging quote and messes with my emotions quite a lot when I read it. Maybe this is another #Claudiaisfussy moment but wow, to find a guy that would think of his future wife like that would be glorious. I simply don’t want to waste my life on other guys if I knew he cared for me like this! It gives me goosebumps.

If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
I would like to be a parrot because they are colourful and can fly. 

What is your dream job, and why?

I have a number of jobs that I secretly would like to do - I don’t tell many people of these plans because I don’t know what I’m meant to be doing with my life and I’m not really a career-ambitious person. However I shall spill the beans with you today since it’s part of the meme:
Teacher - Believe it or not, I’ve always had it in my mind to be a teacher. I love kids - they are so cool and I want to inspire them! The whole idea of teaching something I like really appeals to me though - like even teaching others to use photoshop or computer programs would be class, because I would be passionate at what I’m teaching - and that’s important.
Boss of a Big Business - I’m a good leader when I know what I’m talking about. I would love to be a boss of a magazine company or something I actually care about. Y‘know, just looking good and bossing people around - a bit like Miranda Priestly. Power is fun. And I may have money too, which would be a nice bonus. But most importantly I would have a career at something I’m good at and know what I’m talking about.
Part Time Graphic Designer - Although I love the idea of a big office job, I would be just as happy (actually, probably happier because I wouldn’t be dying of stress) being a housewife and doing some part-time graphic/web design and animation. Like my own little mini business. So I’d have a bit of income but can work when suits me, and also would be able to keep house and spend time with my children.

Yey.

TIMING

Right, it’s time for another catch-up post. 

Fused:

Team Adventurers!

I was reading old posts of mine and saw how I was unsure if I was going to do Fused, the Summer Bible Club which runs for two weeks at the end of July in Newcastle. Now, I am SO GLAD I did! It was absolutely marvelous! I met lots of cool people on the team and felt I fitted in so much better than last year. I even used my talents to help Jo to make t-shirts for our team, the Adventurers. (left) They look so class, is it weird I feel proud? Also the fortnight helped my walk with God; which I was worried about before I left because I felt I wouldn’t be able to teach others if I was neglecting my own faith.
The kids were little sweethearts, we helped with the Primary 4-7s, so they were old enough to listen and behave but still were young and easy to talk to. The girls loved my jewelry and wanted to try on my rings - it was so cute. I had my own Small Group this year - a group of round 7 or 8 girls. This really boosted my confidence because I usually turn into a big, nervous mess when I have to lead anything. By the end of the two weeks, three of the girls gave their life to Christ, two of them which I prayed with. I was so emotional when I came home I sobbed - it’s such an extraordinary thing to witness and share in someone’s life. Other kids made professions too, please keep these kids in your prayers.

With some of my Small Group

If that wasn’t enough for my brain to handle - I SPOKE at the front during the two Josh’s talk...VOLUNTARILY. If you know me at all, there’s no flipping way I would want to speak in front of a crowd unless I had to - but I just felt the timing was right, or else I was losing my mind.
Jeremy, Jo and myself were asked to speak about how God transformed our lives.
Even as I was standing up, I was still unsure what I was going to say, and as I look back on it, I hardly remember what I DID say - basically I spoke about settling into university - having to make new friends and rely on God when alone. I couldn’t have possibly constructed all those sentences in my head logically and articulate them clearly without the power of the Holy Spirit. God is so good. 

So glad I filled in that form back in May time - or else I wouldn’t have be involved in two of the most wonderful weeks of my summer! Time well spent!

The Dark Knight Rises:
Haha I’m very late with this one! I am a massive fan of great GREAT films - like blockbuster films - I guess most people are but it seems to be that most of my favourite films are legendary ones (the other genres would include Classics, Disney or Asian cinema) So naturally The Dark Knight trilogy is included in this legendary list. (Other films include Inception, The Social Network, Slumdog Millionaire and Harry Potter.)
I was very, very excited about this one from geeking out so much in 2008 after seeing the second of the series. It was later I also realised that Batman Begins was the first of the trilogy - not sure how I didn’t realise that before, whoops! 

It was outstanding as expected - it was like a big yummy sandwich with all my favourite actors - Christian Bale (with his amazing sexy mouth) Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman and Michael Caine. Then to top it all off with a small cameo of the wonderful Cillian Murphy as Dr. Crane. (I actually love that man - he’s very charismatic and so striking, could watch him for hours.) So yeah, amazing. I hope to see it again before I go back to university - so if anybody wants to go... hit me up.


The Amazing Andrew Garfield:
Let’s put it this way - it was a mistake seeing The Dark Knight Rises before The Amazing Spiderman. I was very excited because I am a long time Andrew Garfield fan and have waited two years after hearing he was cast as the lead. I really did enjoy this though, it was better than I was expecting... but maybe I’m just being biased. No seriously, it’s worth a watch.

Granny Gordon:
Unfortunately I have even more bad news since my last update. My Great Granny, Ethel (also known as The Granulator!) passed away at the grand age of 93 on the 11th August 2012. The pain was pretty raw since Granny Green’s death so it was horrible that we had to go through it all again. She had fell and broke her hip a few days before, but wasn’t well enough for an operation so she was in hospital. She also suffered from dementia and other health issues, so it appeared she was getting worse each day.
Thankfully I took up the opportunity of visiting her in hospital the day before she died. Even though her condition was deteriorating, I wanted to see her, I was kinda scared though. Astonishing to us all, she was her usual witty, humourous and slightly forgetful self! It was a joy to see her like that, and being able to remember her that way is something I’m incredibly thankful for. She will be sorely missed. 

Family:
Despite losing two members of my family this summer, I feel like I’ve built many new relationships with other family members. Here the impact of death has brought the Green family/McCullough family closer. To be honest, before I wouldn’t really have called my relatives family - because I never saw them and they knew very little about me, same vice-versa. Poor Granny Green would have done anything for the four of us to socialise with the others, but it was only through her death did that become possible. Same with the McCullough family - it was through Granny Gordon’s death brought us altogether as one. Hopefully these relationships will last. It was God’s perfect timing that Charles (my cousin), his wife Kate and 1 year old Stanley arrived from England and were able to see Granny Gordon for the last time, the weekend before she died. It was also my first time meeting Stanley, this was exciting because we haven’t had a baby in the family since Jared was born. My other cousins Gregor and Gareth and their ladies, Sharon and Kirsty also arrived down that weekend too so it was a big get-together for all of us. Above is a photo of us all that weekend, hoorah.

Titanic:

I visited the Titanic Belfast last week with my Parents and Jared. This is a new building opened this year to mark the 100 year anniversary of the sinking of the world’s biggest ship. This is situated in the Titanic Quarter, beside where the Titanic’s was built. The building has 6 floors of galleries containing a variety of interactive media including CGI, film, audio, artifacts and replicas. This was interesting for me. Each gallery was well designed and used varied ways to display the historical details of the ship’s construction, launch, maiden voyage and tragic end.
It certainly was a visitor experience - the whole place was packed too. It was a great day out, but wouldn’t be something you’d return to for a few years at least. I think if you’re really interested in history it’ll be very enjoyable to read everything (like my dad), otherwise it’s a great day out - recommended!

Yay,

- Claudia

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

I am now 19, this gives me 365 days of being a teenager left.

I must make this worthwhile. Let’s list all the things that needs to be done.

1. Meet loads of new people.
2. Be nicer to my family.
3. Live for God.
4. Pass my exams.
5. Always try my best.
6. Reconnect with friends whom I have lost contact with.
7. Start sketching again.
8. Have faith in myself.
9. Have confidence in everything I do.
10. Stand up for what I believe in. 
11. Remain close with my friendship group from school.
12. Have a bit of romance in my life.
13. Eat more fruit.
14. Wear my retainer to bed.
15. Go on holiday.
16. Learn to cook.
17. Write letters.
18. Save money and spend it on something great.
19. Obtain my dream weight.
20. Become more inventive.
21. Buy a new pair of glasses.
22. Plan something awesome.
23. Learn how to use my graphics tablet.
24. Walk the dog more often.
25. Do something dramatic to my appearance.
26. Compliment others.
27. Get a job.
28. Take more photographs.
29. Continue to do my photo-of-the-day until 31st December 2012.
30. Spend more time with Jared.
31. Learn to drive.
32. Don’t stress.
33. Read more books!
34. Don’t worry.
35. Make more eye contact with others.
36. Redecorate the container.
37. Do something which would usually scare me.
38. Stop caring what others think of me or my interests.
39. Take vitamin tablet daily.
40. Go to a party.
41. Stop snacking, especially in the evening.
42. Travel alone.
43. Practice my signature because it's a mess.
44. Turn off the internet and dive into other hobbies.
45. Look after a plant.
46. Build up my physical strength.
47. Give money to the poor.
48. Get out of my comfort zone.
49. Make a movie.
50. Take make-up off before bed.
51. Go on holiday with friends before we all go our separate ways.
52. Spend less time online.
53. Recognize and praise the accomplishments of others.
54. Explore and widen my music taste.
55. Start baking more often.
56. Apologise for any wrong-doings.
57. Create a list of my favourite films.
58. Make more phone calls.
59. Work on being more flirty.
60. Pray consistently and earnestly.
61. Control my temper.
62. Drink less tea.
63. Stop being a horrible person.
64. Join an extracurricular activity.
65. Enjoy every day as much as possible.
66. Go to the beach.
67. Schedule some me-time.
68. Express how I really am to people I don’t know well.
69. Read my Bible regularly.
70. Smile at random people.
71. Stop, break and breathe.
72. Eat food from around the world.
73. Help out round the house.
74. Use the stairs instead of an escalator/lift.
75. Get experience a paid or voluntary job relating to my career.
76. Become less reliant on my mobile phone.
77. Stop being shy...
78. ...and even worse, snobby.
79. Tell someone I love them.
80. Practice willpower.
81. Sort out my skincare regime.
82. Look at the stars.
83. Keep secrets.
84. Turn down my music volume or I will go deaf.
85. Improve my posture.
86. Be more friendly and approachable.
87. Look after myself.
88. Spend more time with my Grandparents.
89. Continue to look for bargains, like a boss.
90. Bake a cake.
91. Watch different T.V shows.
92. Look after my hair.
93. Enjoy a bath.
94. Stop Facebook stalking.
95. Mend any broken relationships.
96. Keep my wardrobe organised.
97. Drink loadddsss of water.
98. Work on things early and get them done and out of the way.
99. Do what I love and what I want to do.
100. Live life to the fullest.

WISHES ONE

“When you wish upon a star

Makes no difference who you are

Anything your heart desires

Will come to you”

Firstly, I would like to say that I’m not copying James’ idea.

Secondly, I would like to say the first sentence was a lie.

Today begins the Wish blog post.

I think one of the worst things about growing up is that we stop wishing for things because it’s realised wishing does not work and we have to face up to reality. I detest maturity so I will discuss my most treasured wishes and dreams that I desire.

I wish for...health for my family present and future.

This really goes without explanation, but Mum always told me that your health is one of the most precious things you’ll have. So Mr Genie, I wish for good health.

I wish for... the perfect man and to be eternally happy.

I feel I am losing hope in ever finding a man, I must confess. And yes, I know I am still young, but most married couples meet or start dating in their late teens/early twenties and this fact distresses me greatly because I am ALONE!! And in all seriousness, I would prefer just to settle down and get married than go to university. But where I exist, no man takes my fancy. (being fussy is my downfall and the explanation for my singleness #claudiaisfussy) so I am optimistic that university will open some doors in the dating world.

So I wish for some decent guy to sweep me off my feet. (If he’s strong enough that is.)

I wish that...I would win reasonable amount of money.

I think if I had unlimited wealth I would be very discontent, so instead I have wished to win a rational amount of money that would allow me to survive a standard way of living in the future. Something that would allow me to pay off a mortgage, a student loan or assist in build a house. Then I would still have to work to afford luxuries. Seems like a fair deal to me.

I wish...that I could play the violin.

Sadly, I have no interest in music since being forced to play piano as a child. “Claudia, playing piano is simple maths! Just count the beats as you play!” “I HATE MATHS. I HATE PIANO LESSONS. I HATE EVERYTHING. LEAVE ME ALONE” This caused so much anger and dispute I refused to learn anything else after that. Regrettably, I really do wish that I could play the violin.

I think violins are the best musical instruments in existence. There is nothing more attractive than a someone who can play a string instrument: they look very elegant and composed, it’s so engaging. Love it!

I wish for...a walk-in wardrobe.

To put this simply, I’ve wanted a walk-in wardrobe for many years of my life. The first time such a notion came into my head was when I was watching the ‘Sex and the City’ film with Emma N. When I saw Carrie Bradshaw’s new wardrobe that Mr Big gave her I died inside. There’s so much space to hold everything, and I could change clothes in my wardrobe area without garments flying everywhere and getting lost all over the place.

I wish for...my student loan to be paid off.

I haven’t even started university yet, and already I’m thinking of the debts that will troll me for the rest of my working life. I do not like worry, and would like all these silly debts to vanish.

I wish...I could be able to turn invisible at will.

I think having the power to turn invisible would come in very handy in certain situations. Sneaking in places and listening to people’s conversations could be interesting...but perhaps disturbing too.

I wish...I could travel to Korea/travel without worry.

I’m not sure if you knew this, but I would like to go to Korea?! (Sorry, I’m not very good at sarcasm, baha)

I know it would never happen because 1. It’s a lot of money. 2. I have no-one to go with. 3. It would be difficult to prepare. 4. I’m too afraid!

As much as I love my family, I feel slightly burdened that I have been so overprotected! Now I’m older I feel as though I am incapable of doing anything on my own which makes everything very frightening.

I just wish I could go there without all the hassle from everyone. :-/

I wish....I could become a metamorphmagus.

Only if you are cool enough would you know what this is. If you know who Nymphadora Tonks is (Ha! If, everyone should know who Tonks is!) Tonks is able to change her appearance at will. Imagine how awesome and useful that would be?? I could customise my hair colour and style to match my outfits!

Part 2 will continue....soon.

VENTURE

Hello,

I’m feeling terribly tired and grouchy but I’m forcing myself to do the routinely things I do every evening. (Check Twitter, Ningin, Blogger, Tumblr, Facebook)

We collected our Venture photography session photo frames this morning in Lisburn.

Because we spent over certain amount of money, we were given a number of photographs from the session free on a memory stick.I suppose we have bought rights of owning these photos. I can use them anyway I want.

Blogger is better than Facebook, so here they are! Jordan told me to upload them because I actually wasn’t going to bother.

Below are some of the photos that were uploaded onto the stick.

- Claudia

STARDUST

Oh blog! I’m in a very good mood! I don’t know why. But I felt inspired to write something so I try to never let that moment pass. I really should read Gatsby tonight, but I don’t really feel like it.

Sometimes, I would like to read on the bus on the way to school/home time. I definitely would if the fools on the Annalong bus were not so savage and would refrain from throwing sausages, potato and many other Home Ec goods at the back of my head. Or if the little Primary School rats would shut their trashy mouth for two minutes. (In Primary School, I wouldn’t have been allowed to get a bus in my own! Actually, would I have even known how?)

Being a Prefect, you would think I should do something about this bad behaviour? Well, what is the point. Annalong students are the worst out of all the bus people, and shouting at them is exactly what they want so they could stir it up even more.

So I’ll just stick my earphones in like I do everyday and block out the many flaws in High School life. (And secretly mutter bad names under my breath.)

I’m looking forward to Saturday! I’m meeting my Uncle David (Deta, as we all call him) who lives in London. He’s over to visit us now but then is spending Christmas with his family. Ah! How I’ve missed him! He used to come down every Boxing Day when he lived in the same house as Uncle Gordon. I can’t wait to see him again. The snow better not ruin my plans.

I’m looking forward to Christmas! I don’t want anything in particular, I told my parents not to get me too much, because after all, I did get a car this year as well as so many trips and outings. I have a growing fear for Christmas too. That sounds really ridiculous, but I really don’t want to put weight on. I’m scared of putting on the weight I spent so long on losing. And it’s not going to be easy. Saturday 18th is Noelle’s birthday, which is a meal out. Sunday 19th we have our annual Burrendale meal which consists of delicious Turkey and Ham. Monday 20th is the S.U dinner, ANOTHER Christmas dinner. Then I think we can all guess what’s also on that week: Christmas parties= Junk Food, Christmas Eve= stuffing face with Quality Street, and the killer: Christmas Day. One more, we have a meal on Boxing Day due to more relatives arriving, so yeah I’m screwed!

I’m really getting back into using Last.fm again in school, when I’m working on I.C.T. I even got Noelle using it. Lately I’ve been listening to DBSK and JYJ loads, so it’s a really cool way of listening to more of their songs for free. Tumblr on the other hand, hasn’t been working this past week, and I’ve noticed a slight withdrawal symptom in me from not being able to reblog my favourite pictures. Sad, I know, but I love it!

Currently on the past snow days, I’ve been working on potential Portfolio work for my art interview. (D.V) It’s coming on well, but takes an awful lot of time. I don’t think my AS work is up to standards for this unit. It’s very annoying when it’s not up to standard, kinda makes me angry.

I just got an email through from Mr Harris: “UCAS sent” What does that mean? DOES THAT MEAN IT WASN’T SENT LAST MONDAY? oh no!

I was reading future posts that need to be posted. (Letters I have wrote, but because I’m posting them in order I can’t post them just yet) and saw A SPELLING MISTAKE. But it’s one I can’t alter because it’s in an image! It will make sense when it’s online. But aragh!

Did I tell you IRIS is over? Well it is. I wrote on Facebook the other night: “So that's the end of IRIS: I laughed, cried, shouted insanely and swooned. Definitely one of the best shows I've ever seen! Can't wait to see the movie version. :D” Which hit the nail on the head. It was so so good. I was far too emotional. They left a lot of blanks and gave us an ending that would making you cry out in despair, but are releasing a movie version of all 20 episodes which will hopefully put all the pieces together.

Mum, Jared and I decided to watch a film last night, it was this Kung-Fu/Western thing, wasn’t that good, but anyway, when we started it, Mum warned me “Now Claudia don’t take this in too much because I don’t want to encourage this sort of thing” Yeah Mum, because I have the hots for Jackie Chan.

Honestly! This is the same Mother who watched all 20 IRIS episodes with us and had favourite characters too! And the same Mother who stores a photo of fat-to-thin T.O.P in the treat cupboard to help her diet. Can’t say it works, but he’s there watching us...

My family is as crazy as I am.

And no, I still haven’t seen Harry Potter.