A Guide to a Junior High School Dance

I logged into my blog today and started wondering about ideas of what to write. And of course, I had nothing. I could write about more of my strange interests or the meaning of life but they didn't seem to inspire me. But then I thought and thought and thought some more and realised now is the time. The time to delve deep into my deep dark endless abyss of embarrassing moments. And what better place to start than the most dangerous place for an awkward high-schooler. A dance. And so ladies and gentlemen, it is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that I proudly present...

Lily's totally reliable guide to surviving a high school dance

I hope you enjoy.

1. Don't worry about someone having the same dress as you. The lighting will be dim and the crowds disguise the fact your dress is the same as someone else's. But if your best friend is the one who is wearing the same dress as you after you showed her your dress weeks ago, take back everything I said.

2. If you want/don't want boys to ask you to dance then do/don't walk through the crowds of people alone. They are way more likely to ask you if there are no other girls around to laugh at them.

3. Make the most of the free food but be sure to check your face after eating because you don't want someone loudly pointing out that you have icing on your nose or something green in your teeth. I learnt this the hard way.

4. If someone asks you to dance, remember that it takes a LOT of courage to do so. The first time someone asked me to dance came as a shock because I am an awkward potato. I had no idea what to say and quickly found a stupid excuse to leave the situation. I will forever be sorry to the boy I said no to because later I saw him looking sad on his own. I wish I could travel back in time and say that I am an awkward wreck and it was in no way his fault.

5. Avoid siblings that may have also come to the dance. They will either make fun of you or glare at you. Unless of course, the two of you are really tight, in which case I am jealous.

6. DON'T STALK THE PERSON YOU LIKE!!!! It will probably come across as creepy. But if you get the chance to talk to them TAKE IT! If you go to as single sex school this especially applies because you may not see them until the next dance. (I have no social life)

7. Probably the most important tip, REMEMBER EVERY DETAIL. If, like me you go to a single sex school this will be the only interesting thing to talk about for the whole year. This tip is also important so you can get one-up on your older brother when you tell someone you saw him kissing some girl. I have no regrets.

I hope you have found this guide an insightful and informing window into the struggles of a girl who has no idea what she is doing in social situations. Please don't make the same mistakes I did. 

Farewell, from Lily 

17 Facts About Me

Hi Guys!

I was wondering about what to write today, and I realised that none of you know anything about me, apart from the fact I am really awkward and obsessed with musicals. And so to rectify that problem, here are seventeen facts about me.

1. I have a massive family. The number of first and second cousins I have is more than 50!

2. I identify as demisexual, which means that you can only feel attracted to people you have an emotional connection with. This explains why I have had no celebrity crushes in my lifetime.

3. I play the clarinet and am doing Trinity grade 6 this year. I am mildly freaking out about it.

4. My dream job would have to be something in the film/theatre industry or a writer. I just love the creative process of coming up with your own detailed world.

5. I can sing all the parts of 'Zero To Hero' from Disney's Hercules at a great speed.

6. Despite the fact I am reserved and usually avoid risks, I am a complete adrenaline junkie. I love rollercoasters to water sports to everything in between. It's kind of like I have this internal battle every time I am presented with an option to do something daring, and my crazy side wins out.

7. I love horse riding and horse treks, but I have no desire to own my own horse. My parents are greatly relieved about this.

8. I have hazel eyes and used to be extremely proud of them when I was little, before I found out they are extremely common.

9. I have long, straight, mid-brown hair that reaches just past my waist. It is a nightmare to wash but it just feels so nice brushing around your shoulders.

10. I have freckles everywhere. And in summer I don't tan, I just get more freckles.

11. I have been writing a diary on and off since I was eleven. I find it so funny to read back and see what my life was like then.

12. My favourite music artist is Of Monsters and Men. Fingers crossed they will have new music soon!

13. I would love to travel the world and go on a student exchange in my lifetime. I often dream about having an adventure in a far off country.

14. I drink hot drinks so quickly it isn't funny. I need to make them extra hot or I will drink them a million miles an hour.

15. Following on from the last one, my favourite hot drink is Milo, which is kind of a malt-ish hot chocolate. I think you can only get it in New Zealand and Australia, but correct me if I am wrong.

16. I sometimes wonder if I am slightly OCD, because I can't help organising and rearranging things. The pencils in my pencil tin must have all their labels facing the right way, and all my books on my bookshelf must be in height order. It's almost like I am on automatic pilot.

17. There are seventeen facts about me because my lucky number is seventeen and my birthday is on the seventeenth of January! (Only a few more days till I am fifteen!)

I hope you enjoyed finding a little bit more about me! If you liked it, I might consider doing some more facts about me in the future. Do any of you guys have any funny quirks or habits? I would love to hear about them down in the comments, so we can all be a little bit strange together.

Lots of Love,

From Lily

Brothers!

Hi guys!

The new year comes with all kinds of change, but rather than thinking about it, I'll just write a post about one of the constants in my life. Brothers.

I have three brothers, one older, two younger. I love them all a lot, but they all have an uncanny ability to drive me up the wall. Sometimes I feel like a lone knight that must weather the trials of my siblings in solitude. I have also been asked every single variant of the question, 'don't you wish you had a sister?' about a million times. (The answer is I have never known any different, but I do wish I could have a sister to share clothes with)

But I thought instead of complaining about them, I would share my knowledge about how I deal with them. So ladies and gentlemen, here is...

Lily's Totally Reliable Guide: The Do's and Don'ts of Brothers

Brother #1: Dominating Dunderhead

Do: Take time that is not tainted by arguments to say something genuine or nice. Believe it or not, teenage boys are sometimes as unsure of themselves as teenage girls!

Don't: Let them walk all over you. As soon as you start following their orders, they'll walk over you. Say, 'don't tell me what to do, it isn't your job' and walk away. It's also important to not get angry, so you have the moral high ground when parents get involved.
How do you stay calm? Just mutter some variant of 'I am one with the force and the force is with me' over and over and you'll be absolutely fine.

Also don't throw a pineapple at them. I speak from experience when I say they will never let you hear the end of it.

Brother #2: The 13 year old smart aleck

Do: Spend time making jokes and having a good time with them, as the arguments aren't nearly as bad when you have a bank of inside jokes to draw from. You should also enjoy this time before they dive into the depths of teenagehood.

Don't: Get angry and insult them. My brother is a very sensitive soul inside, and a few choice words about his appearance can make him really hurt. I have seen my older brother do it and it is not nice. Remember you need to be the bigger person and you have the power to deflect the argument into something positive.

Brother #3: Constant Crier

Do: Remember that babies are not in control of their actions and don't have a long term memory. So just enjoy time with them before they learn how to hold a grudge.

Don't: Get angry. Just pass him on to someone else or leave him in his bed for a while. He can't hurt himself there. You may wonder how it is possible to get angry at a three month old baby, but I assure you it is very easy when they have been screaming in your ear for a quarter of an hour.

So there you have it folks! You are now equipped to deal with any kind of brother. Now you are prepared if your parents decide to adopt or just spring out a surprise third one like they did to me.

I hope all of you are having the most lovely holidays ever and I hope you have an amazing 2017!

Goodbye, But not for long!

Lily

If My Life Was a Musical

Hi guys!

Recently, I’ve been completely obsessed with musicals. It all started when I went to see Annie a couple of years ago in Wellington. I was entranced by the dancing, the music and all of the sets. You can get lost in the story that is playing out right before your eyes. I also liked how people could spontaneously break into song without being judged. 

And, as they say, the rest was history. I am now a self confessed musical nerd and I love all musicals from Into the Woods to Hairspray and everything in between. And if that wasn’t enough, I recently auditioned for my school musical and am pleased to say I got in! So now all of my waking hours are spent jamming to Footloose. I have no regrets. (I also have rehearsal this morning and I really should be looking over my music.)

So, the natural progression in my musical journey is to make my own musical.

Before you ask, yes friends, I am in that deep. So here is the list of songs for Lily, the musical. 

1. Moving house again! - A feverish, exited song about adventures.

2. Stop annoying me!/Brothers - A soulful ballad requesting my brothers to leave me alone.

3. The new girl - A song sung by the school chorus not unlike ‘Belle’ from Beauty and the Beast

4. Just let me read - As the title says.

5. An optimist like me - 

Molly: I'm not a pessimist, I'm a realist!

Me: Look on the bright side Molly

Me: It only gets better from here

Me: Turn that frown upside down

Me:Be an optimist like me!  

Molly: That doesn’t even rhyme.

6. Just overcommitted - This could be the soundtrack to my life.

7. No-one understands me/I’m not an emo! - Dramatic soulful ballad questioning if I will ever find someone who understands and accepts my weirdness.

8. Awkward/What a klutz - An  a cappella number with harmonies consisted of the words: ‘ Sorry! I am so so sorry!’ 

9. Stop annoying me - Reprise

10. One in a Million - Dramatic finale song.


I hope you are enlightened and inspired by this list of songs. I sure had a lot of fun writing them.
If your life was a musical, what songs would you sing? What genre would it be? Do you have any favourite musicals? Let me know down in the comments!
Au Revoir, Lily

Mental Escape

Hi guys!

As a person in general, I tend to spend a lot of time with my head in the clouds. I daydream quite a lot, and it often gets to the point where I just have to smile and nod at the girl I walk to school with because I heard nothing she said.

And as a daydreamer, I think a lot about what it would be like to live somewhere else, or be someone else. What if I was born hundreds of years ago? What if I lived in an alternate universe? (The infinite multiverse theory- look it up) And so here are my reasons why I would be suited to life in an an old-timey fantasy universe.

1. Self-Sufficiency
A long held dream of mine has been to move into a cottage in the Scandinavian forests with only my beloved animals to keep me company. In an old-timey fantasy universe, everyone would live like this. I could grow all of my own food, map my surroundings and go on quests on horseback. And best of all? You could learn things by doing them, so there would be no school.

2. Capes would be socially acceptable.
Wouldn't this be nice? It's impossible to look anything but majestic whist wearing a billowing cape. Plus it would be like wearing a blanket around your shoulders all day. I see no downsides.

3. Less Stress
I just had a look and apparently 30% of teens classify themselves as stressed. And we all know that comes from the onslaught of schoolwork and pressure to to do well at life in general. In a fantasy universe, we would be free from all of this. I personally would love to drift away from the five assessments I have in the next two and a half weeks.

But sadly, life is life and we can't travel into alternate universes any time we want. However, this doesn't mean we can't escape the mundane. I escape all of the time by writing this blog, reading, watching my favourite shows, and being creative. It keeps me sane.

So what I'm getting to is that it's okay to escape. You don't have to be social or perfect all of the time, and no-one is going to judge you for taking a mental health day every once in a while. Or at least I won't. Do any of you feel like floating away from your responsibilities? Let me know down in the comments how you like to escape.

Have a great week!

From Lily

Doubt

I have a voice.
A muse.
A friend.

-ish
She keeps me out of trouble,
and I'm really thankful.

Kind of.

Doubt is there when I get too confident.
She's there to bring me down to earth when I get caught up in oversized plans.

But I admit she can be a bit of a problem.

She reminds me I can't quite
speak in class.
Perform.
Audition.
Stand up for myself.

I guess she is more than a bit of a problem.
I want her to leave, but then I have doubts.

or maybe that's doubt talking.

'Leave!' I say.
'You need me here,' she replies.

Maybe she's right.

Is she?
Or isn't she?

I don't know anymore.

That's what doubt can do to you.

But today, somehow, feels different.
I get up and stand in front of my mirror.
The girl staring back is ...

Pretty
Intelligent
Strong
Loyal
Confident,

And Loved.

Yes. That girl is me.

And then I wait for doubt's reply.




But I hear only silence, that is my confirmation.

---

Hi guys! I just felt really inspired to write this for all of the people like me, who doubt themselves.
Remember, you are amazing, and you can stop doubt holding you back.

Love from Lily xoxo

Awkward Silence

Welcome to the Lilyverse.

I have finally come up with a good intro. So be proud of me. The topic I wanted to rant discuss today is Awkward Silence. I happen to be a magnet for it. And not in a good way. I might be chatting casually with a friend when, without explanation, the silence ensues. I can't explain it at all! (Though it might explain why some people avoid talking to me).  Anyway, because it plagues me so much, I thought it might be time for another one of my totally reliable guides.
So, I proudly present ...

Lily's totally reliable guide for getting over Awkward Silence!

1. If the silence is really really awkward, just acknowledge it! Say something like 'That's awkward! I swear this always happens to me ... ' and then the two of you can bond over shared awkwardness.

2. Plan in advance! I know this sounds a little weird, but if you can plan in advance for a conversation, do it! Whenever I think I might meet my crush I plan ahead and think of questions I could ask him if we run out of things to say. Think along the lines of  'So have you seen the latest captain America movie?' or 'How is your exam preparation going?'

3. Don't get out your phone! Nothing says 'I really don't want to be here' more than checking your inbox.

4. If you feel like the conversation is ending, don't push it! Say a simple 'It was nice to talk to you! See you round!' and leave. This is my favoured option. As I am a total introvert at heart I prefer to leave rather than prolonging both of our suffering.

5. Comment on a shared experience. Something like: 'That service was really thought provoking' or 'Did that thunder wake you up last night?' or even 'Goldie will live on forever in all of our hearts. She was a wonderful fish.'  (I actually have had to use that last one. Don't even ask.)

6. Lastly, try and prevent the awkward silence in the first place by, a) Asking people about themselves the whole time, or b),  Not even entering in the conversation in the first place. Just kidding. Don't use that last one.

I hope this guide will help you on your way to social success! Just remember, awkward silence is inevitable sometimes, but you don't have to make it bigger than it already is.

Farewell, from Lily.