9 Things I Learnt in Japan

In November I was lucky enough to visit Japan with my family, namely Tokyo and Osaka and it was definitely an experience to remember. I ate a lot of ramen as well as some ramen and did I mention ramen? Without further ado I present NINE THINGS I LEARNT IN JAPAN:

look at all those lanes of traffic!

and the other side!

on the surprisingly uncrowded train

the amazing trees of japan!

1. Barely anyone can speak English but everyone is willing to help a stranger. The Japanese are incredibly friendly and very polite. Bowing is the norm. Workers will bow when leaving a shift, salespeople will bow when you look at them and bow so deeply that their nose touches their knees if you buy their product.
2. Everything is smaller in Japan. Living spaces, buses, cars, restaurants, etc. They even have mini trucks that look like they belong in the Lego Movie. Everything is also cuter in Japan. Even their police stations have adorable cartoon characters of police officers positioned outside. 
3. Peak hour is 11pm. The nightlife in Japan is well and truly alive.
4. Everything is cheaper in Japan. Food is cheaper, even souvenirs are relatively cheap. This is in comparison to the cost of living in Sydney (which is apparently one of the highest in the world :/). Strangely, the sushi in Japan is more expensive than, say, at a Sushi Train in Sydney.
5. Japan is NOT the most environmentally friendly country. Anything you purchase will be wrapped in plastic which is then placed into another plastic bag and sealed with plastic tape. They might even slip a few plastic bags into your plastic bag for future use.
6. The Japanese love their beef (and their fish of course but definitely the beef too). Also, almost every restaurant we went to gave us a glass of ice water upon arrival which I found surprising because I think I expected cups of steaming green tea (oops)
7. Many Japanese smoke cigarettes. And it's allowed INSIDE restaurants! Let's just say I've done my fair share of passive smoking the past week and found myself smelling like a smoker afterwards. 
8. Stairs, stairs and stairs. There are an infinite amount of stairs everywhere in Japan. In the train stations, in museums, in parks, in shopping centres, there is no way to escape them. I think my legs are more toned than ever from all the stairs! 
9. Japan has beautiful trees. 

the view from the bullet train from tokyo to osaka

This post is not intended to offend anyone. It's simply what I observed during my time in Japan which admittedly is a limited view of life over there. Please forgive my generalisations. All the photos were taken by ME so yay for me. I will hopefully be posting a review of Japan's Universal Studios and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter soon! If you've been to Japan or you found anything interesting, comment below! 

P.S. Sorry for all the exclamation marks in this post, I was simply too excited to share all this!

How To Survive Your Final Year Of Highschool

1. Do not attempt to retain a social life. This advice is gold and if you're like me, it won't be too hard either. There's no point trying to balance five things at once when clearly you are only capable of doing one thing at a time. Quit every single sporting activity you currently do. Get rid of any friends you have clinging to you. Family is the exception but try to get rid of as many of them as you can too. Oh, do you play an instrument? Quit it. Now. You want to have fun? Now's not the time.  


2. Procrastinate as much as humanely possible. This is a hard one to master but once you get the hang of it, you'll find yourself performing this task subconsciously. Procrastination has been scientifically proven to improve your intellect and can boost your marks in a matter of weeks. Just watch those rankings fly up! Make sure to start working on assignments two days before they are due. Three days is excessive and one day is extreme. Don't be an extremist.


3. Eat copious amounts of food to cope with stress. This is an obvious one and if you haven't already starting using this technique, you're going to fall behind! Winter is fast approaching (if you're in Australia) and fattening up and preparing for hibernation is essential. Fast food, lollies, chips and soft drinks are particularly effective in increasing those cholesterol levels that will lift your academic abilities. Healthy food- no one has time for that junk! (that was a pun btw)



P.S. If you haven't already realised, this post is not intended to help you in any way. In fact, you should disregard everything you just read for your own health and safety. Do try and retain your social life, avoid procrastination and eat healthily. I was only kidding (: 

Also, here is an irrelevant picture that I found on the internet because I feel like there's an unstated blogging rule that says one must include an image in a blog post.

story of my life

Film Review: Bright Star

Film: Bright Star

Director: Jane Campion

Starring: Ben Whishaw as John Keats
                    Abbie Cornish as Fanny Brawne
                    Paul Schneider as Charles Brown
                    Kerry Fox as Fanny's mother
                    Thomas Sangster as Samuel Brawne

Synopsis: The film is based on the last three years of the life of John Keats and his romantic relationship with Fanny Brawne. It is named after a sonnet written by Keats to Brawne.

Review: Perhaps one of the most moving films I have watched recently, Bright Star made me cringe, smile, laugh and teary eyed within its 119 minutes. The film is set in 1818, Hampstead and revolves around the heart-wrenching and impossible romance between John Keats, a poor, rather unpopular poet and Fanny Brawne, the eldest daughter of a widow with a talent for sewing. Fanny's younger siblings obediently follow her around in her endeavours to gain Keats' attention however her flirtatous nature does not sit well with Mr. Brown, Keat's writing associate. Soon, it becomes evident that the pair are deeply in love with each other and cannot be separated even by great distances. Inevitably, Keats becomes ill and dies, leaving Fanny in a state of distress and despair. The film ends with Fanny walking the path that she and her lover had walked many times, reciting the sonnet he had written for her: "Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art..."

Keats died at 25, believing he was a failure. Ironically, today he is recognised as one of the most influential Romantic poets and one of the most beloved of all English poets. Unfortunately, it seems that many of the most renowned composers today were only properly acknowledged after their death.

On a brighter note, did you know that Abbie Cornish, the actress who plays Fanny Brawne in Bright Star is Australian? I had no idea, her English accent is on point in the film!

3 Things People Need To Stop Doing

Wow, I can hear you mutter, here she goes again, complaining about what miffs her...
WOW! You're absolutely correct! However, I think there might be few things here that even you will agree with. So, without further adieu/ado (whichever you prefer), here are three things people need to stop doing before I personally kick them in the shins:

1. Being glued to their mobile device 

I am honestly impressed by the skills people exhibit these days, their ability to walk down two flights of stairs with their face pressed against their phone screen amazes me. The only downfall (haha get my pun? DOWNFALL cos they might fall down the stairs!) is that they walk at a snail's pace; a guy with one leg could hop down the stairs faster than the people who insist on texting/scrolling through something super important. It leaves the innocent people jiggling impatiently behind them as they meander their way down those stairs.

2. Reprimanding their children in public

 And I don't mean gentle warnings, I mean those parents who scream at their child in the middle of a restaurant, leaving the rest of us awkwardly looking everywhere but the scene unfolding. Not to mention the poor child, who is humiliated and probably sobbing by then. Parents, please be stern but reasonable when reprimanding your child, don't create an even bigger fuss that not only embarrasses yourself, but also everyone around you!

3. Not washing their hands after using the bathroom

Save us all from those people who put their filthy hands under the tap for one second and consider themselves 'clean'. Once again, the man with one leg could do better than you lot. How hard is it to get a bit of soap and scrub a dub dub and prevent all those nasty germs that exist in toilets from getting everywhere? What's worse, I've seen people in the food industry like waiters emerge from the toilet cubicle, observe their makeup in the mirror before walking out WITHOUT WASHING THEIR HANDS. Call me a germaphobe but you have to admit that it's just DISGUSTING (and rude; excuse me for saying this but I came to this restaurant to eat good food, not to ingest the bacteria you just gained from your visit to the loo.)


 

 

 

Book Review: The Blood Of Olympus

It brings me great sadness to say, I have officially finished the entire Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series. My journey with Percy Jackson began almost six years ago and now, with Rick Riordan's last book of the series, my journey has come to an end. Yes, I know I'm too old to be reading them anymore, everyone has advanced to sappy, romance novels and I'm still basking in the wonderful world of Greek and Roman mythology, but do you understand how much these books have impacted my life? I used to constantly envision myself as a demigod, living at Camp Half Blood, probably dating Percy. Would it be an exaggeration to say that finishing Blood of Olympus was like sealing off a part of my childhood? I think not. 




Onto the book itself, it was (as usual) an epic wave of demigod awesomeness and a few 
perfect Percabeth moments here and there. If you've never read Percy Jackson, you may be very confused right now. I highly recommend you go read it now. I don't have much else to say, except that when I realised I only had a few pages left, I didn't know whether to cry or to laugh. I realise that this isn't really a book review, more of a bumble of a words about my favourite series ever. 

Thank you Uncle Rick for filling my life with a fantastic world of demigods (as well as distracting me from my studies).