International Baccalaureate II - My Subject Choices

So, here I sit, having already filled the "Subject Choices" form in. I have been talking about this a lotw - ith my parents, friends, teachers... And now, I can finally say, that I believe I have really chosen the best subjects. Here are my choices:

English A1, SL (=Standard Level) - I never doubted I would take this subject at this particular level. I do enjoy literature, but I am not a native speaker, so HL (=Higher Level) would probably kill me.

German B, HL - At first, I was not sure if I should take German or my mother tongue. But then again, I have studied my mother tongue for 8 years, and I am obviously 100% fluent. As a matter of fact, I was always amongst the best in my class. So I reckon I do not need a certificate to be able to prove, that my knowledge of my mother tongue is sufficient. Now - if I did not even want to take German in the first place, why on Earth should I take it HL? The thing is this - I was almost sure I would take Maths HL. I love Maths (yes, I know it's weird :)), but I won't need it so much for my future career - in the case I stick to the stuff I want to do at this moment. And Maths HL is a very challenging course, so I thought I would take something easier. And German should not be too hard for me, considering I can already converse in this language.

Economics HL - Interesting and useful. If I decide to study at the university of economics, I will definitely find it profitable.

Chemistry SL - For some reason, I have always loved Chemistry. I know, that I will most probably never need it, but I really like it. Unlike Biology (the worst subject ever), it is based on Maths and one has to do many calculations etc. - and you do not need to memorize tons of random info. And it is not as difficult as Physics, so you can kind of relax and do your thing. Chilled.

Maths SL - I explained this already. If I feel like I am not getting enough information, I can always switch Maths with German :)

Philosophy HL - I am sure I will love this subject. Ever since I was little, I asked people stupid questions which can not be answered - so for once, someone will actually bother listening :))

I am slightly suicidal, so I will also be taking a 7th subject - Theatre SL. I love drama, and I know I could take it instead of Philosophy... But I really think, that I will like it this way. And again - if I don't, I can always switch :))
And guess what - I will have to do more than that. In the country I come from, we do not have IB - we have Matura. And I will have to have the Matura Equivalence certificate, just in case. That means two more subjects: History and Geography as an addition, outside of my timetable. And an IB student also has to attend TOK classes. Theory of Knowledge, that is. But I think, that I will have a tiny advantage as a student of Philosophy. A little meaningless plus :))
Anyway, I have to go & study Maths. I have 7 tests this week (Maths, French, German, Chemistry, Physics, English and History... aaaargh!), and I better get good grades on all of them.

Much love :)

xoxo

Hairstyle: Fringe.

I'm still not sure, whether I want a fringe or not. I tried looking for some pictures of celebrities with bangs, and I found more than I expected. It seems like it's a huge trend to get rid of your long hair and cover half of your face with the remains. Oh well, I just thought I'd share the images with you guys, since some of you might be undergoing the same terrible process of deciding ;)) Well, it's just hair, and it all eventually grows back...

Bang! Bang! Bangs!

I realize, that living with me in the past week must have been absolutely terrible. The only thing I talk about is getting a haircut. Now, this might sound OK to you. But most of my friends are male and anytime I try to talk about hair, the conversation follows the following pattern:

"I need to get a haircut." - "..." - "What do you think?" - "Hmmm.." - "Do you think, that I should cut it short? Do you think I would look good with bangs?" - "With what?" - "With a fringe." - "Eeeeh... I dunno." - "I'm also thinking I should colour it. Maybe I should finally try ginger. Or maybe highlights again?" - "Hmmm..." - "Or pink. But I'd have to bleach my hair before and.. Are you listening to me?" - "Huh? What did you say?"

It's just a waste of words :) So I thought I would try to share all this haircut crap with a bigger audience here, online. Luckily for you guys, I have just recently found THE haircut I need. And I re-discovered it today, on a really famous blogger - Karla (on the picture above). The following pictures are from a photoshoot called Outlaw Country, which I have seen in Elle and fallen in love with. The hairstyle is obviously the bestestest thing about it - however, the clothes are worth looking at.

Notice the Alexander Wang heels on the last picture! *in love*. (I think, that Gala has the same ones!) Oh well, I'm still not sure about the fringe. I reckon it must get pretty annoying after a while. Do any of you have experience with it? Let me know!
PS: This is what my hair looks like atm:
No fringe or yes fringe? :))

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

Bianca: Where did you come from? Planet "Loser"?
Kat: As opposed to Planet "Look At Me, Look At Me"?

I just came across a photoshoot called "Virgin & Vamp" by Ellen von Unwerth, which appeared in the German Vogue in August 2001. And I happen to fancy it. Not that it's inimitably unique or path-breaking in any way - and despite my love for Ellen's work, I would not say her photographs are innovative - but it is just a cute little compare&contrast documentary. What I see, is a dainty recreation of "10 Things I Hate About You", which is one of my favourite high-school movies. I have always been a big fan of Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles was equally fabulous in this film (I believe she got a lot of recognition, after having played this role).

Patrick: What is it with this chick, she have beer flavored nipples?

Virgin & Vamp - by ab5inth7 on Polyvore.com

Bianca: You don't buy black lingerie unless you want someone to see it.

Cameron: Just 'cause you're beautiful, that doesn't mean that you can treat people like they don't matter.

Virgin & Vamp 2 - by ab5inth7 on Polyvore.com

Bianca: There's a difference between like and love.
Because, I like my Skechers, but I love my Prada backpack.
Chastity: But I love my Skechers.
Bianca: That's because you don't have a Prada backpack.

All the quotes are obviously from "1o Things I Hate About You" ... And the polyvore sets are made by me, as you probably figured out :))

Lastly I want to post the beautiful poem, in which Kat addresses Patrick:

I hate the way you talk to me, and the way you cut your hair.
I hate the way you drive my car. I hate it when you stare.
I hate your big dumb combat boots, and the way you read my mind.
I hate you so much it makes me sick; it even makes me rhyme.
I hate it, I hate the way you're always right. I hate it when you lie.
I hate it when you make me laugh, even worse when you make me cry.
I hate it when you're not around, and the fact that you didn't call.
But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you.
Not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all.

Art isn't something you marry. It's something you rape. (Edgar Degas)

Tick!
I just successfully finished one thing from my March Wishlist :) I have finally seen the exhibition of Alfons Mucha's paintings in Belvedere. I am absolutely stunned - I did know some of his works, but only the "typical" ones, in a style that is very identical to the one of the image above (Bieres de la Meuse, 1897). Black thick lines around objects, beautiful girls with long hair, flamboyant flowers, elaborate ornaments and detailed backgrounds. Colourful and really pretty. But it seems like my dear Alfons was able to draw anything. So I saw also some pretty depressive canvas, with references to plague, death, suicide... slightly morbid, but magnificent. Well, we all know the beautiful, classic Mucha portraits. But I tried searching for ones, that are different&rare, one way or another. Here are some of my finds:

Mucha also designed tableware, furniture and jewelry. That guy was simply too talented :) I was surprised to see, that amongst all the paintings, there were many sketches and studies. I'm guessing Alfons Mucha must have been a very careful planner - and damn, it certainly paid off.

The exposition was really diverse and there was a lot to see - posters, paintings, sketches, books, illustrations, jewelry, sculptures, and also enormously huge canvas, that covered the entire wall! If you happen to be in Vienna, don't miss this, because it is a breath-taking experience.

Fashion Gala 09 - Edward Cullen Rocks the Runway

I may possibly be one of the most hyper people you will never physically meet. OK, lets set the boundaries a little lower - I'm one of those annoying little people, who can't sit still for one second (now you're probably wondering how I wrote this article... :)) And I must admit, that despite the fact that as a high-school student I should hate it, I like our school. Yes, there are times when I despise it - like when I get my Biology test back; when I find out we have a Common Assesment the next day or when I'm told I failed my French oral exam. But even a little annoying person like me can find a large number of activities to do at our school. And the one I'm gonna talk about is probably my absolute favourite :)

The annual Fashion Gala is a fun sort of fundraising. Any kid in the school is welcome to sign up as a model or a designer. And then... well, then they either model or design, according to their previous choice :D (yes, I'm truly wonderful at explaining things). Unlike last year, I decided to do both.

Ever since I was little, I have always been in love with magic. All my interests were supernatural and weird. And I will never grow out of this, so it's not very surprising I chose vampirism as the theme of my collection. Perfect timing - the film premiere of Twilight is still within the field of my fellow students's remembrance and I'm sure, that Edward Cullen will stay there for quite some time :)

I will definitely try to get some better snaps of my collection, however these are the best ones I have at this very moment.
My models were fab and the makeup was ah-mazing, I dare say. Just the black lipstick stained like hell and was almost impossible to remove from any surface - once I found that out, I started to run around, giving people kisses on the cheek. Yes, I know I'm a mean person :))

March 2009 Wishlist

• Balmain Studded Heels (s/s 09) ... but there is no way I'm getting these beauties for i-dunno-how-many bucks :)) But you know what? It doesn't even matter to me!

Look at this! :O :D :P I la la la love these shoes. Besides, my friends will be so happy when I get them, because they think that the purchase will make me shut up about shoes. (and they're wrong :)))

• I love everything about this outfit! It's from the movie Confessions of a Shopaholic, starring Isla Fisher. And guess who was the stylist? Patricia Field! I don't like these kind of movies (although I shouldn't say this, considering I haven't watched the film YET), but I need to watch this, just for the sake of the amazing clothes, innit. <3>

• I really want to see the Alfons Mucha exhibition! Him and Klimt are certainly my favourite Art Noveau artists. Plus he is Czech, and that makes him awesome :)) His works are going to be in the Belvedere Palace (Vienna) until 1 June, and I do not want to miss the opportunity to see them.

  

• I want to - or should say I have to? - fill in a really scary form this week. My IB choices. I am not hundred percent positive about what subjects I will take... and I should be!

F*%k IB, I'm going to Hogwarts.

• We you're in IB the phrase "I got five hours of action last night" means something completely different.
  
• This is IB, you may pick 2 of the following:
  
  1. Good Grades
  2. Enough Sleep
  3. A Social Life
  
  

©2004-2009 ~DeepestEnigma

... OK, I guess you guys are wondering what the f&*k is this article talking about. Don't worry, be happy, I'm just about to explain it.

The IB (International Baccalaureate) is a pre-university educational programme, usually taught in international school - oh yes, I did copy this sentence from my beloved Wikipedia.
It is almost unbelievable how many jokes on IB's expense are to be found on the internet. And now imagine, that a young innocent high school student accidentally stumbles upon them. A kid, who is required to complete a IB Subject Choices form by the end of this March. You've guessed it right - it's me.

The whole IB drama started ages ago... At the moment, I'm 15 years old and I'm in Grade 10. And you know what comes next? Grades 11 and 12, in other words the IB! And you know what that means? That I, and all of my fellow 10th-graders, have to start thinking about the subjects we will study in the next two years. You might think "Fine, just choose something easy, pass and then ... waweeeewa, off to college." But the IB founders obviously lacked a sense of humour and decided, that making other people's lifes miserable sounds like fun (so let me tell you - it isn't nice). So not only we have 6 groups of subjects we have to pick from - at the same time, we have to have 6 subjects, 3 of them at Standard Level, 3 of them at Higher Level.
You think you won't need Mathematics and Sciences if you want to study History of Art? You're probably right, but guess what - that's bad luck for you. These Group 4 and Group 5 subjects are r.e.q.u.i.r.e.d.

I must say I have absolutely nothing against the IB. I like the idea and I don't mind having a bit (a lot) more work to do. However, it is sort of freaky (f*%#ing scary, actually) to have to decide about my future at the age of 15. Because - there are so many 'becauses' it makes my head spin -I have to pick out the right Subject Choices in order to study something I want to study in the future. And that, naturally, requires consciously knowing what is it, that I really want to study. Aaaargh!

©2008-2009 ~smilie-terrorist

Our school did attempt to help us, poor students. We had IB counsellors come from I-dunno-where - every single student had a 40 minute interview with them, we did test, more tests and even more tests... Overall, it was fairly interesting, and helpful also - especially for people like me, who have no idea what to do. The six career areas suggested by them were: Drama Related, Managerial, Mathematics Based, Languages Based, Politics Based, Music Related, Publishing and Administrative. Hahaha, but I warn you - I ain't as boring as it might seem... Maths, Politics :)) I will write a more myself-related IB article soon!