Dubai - Life Stager

In July 2012, the Kershaw family holiday plan was to travel to Dubai for 5 days, England for 2 weeks, and Malta for the last 5 days. First, we took off on a plane destined to land in Abu Dhabi. As we were flying in, I looked out the window to witness the amazing cities and sights of Dubai from above. When we arrived at the airport after a _ hour flight, we stacked up on all the typical Arabian juices being sold. We tried a variety of cardamom milk, date shake, cranberry-apple muesli milk and other eccentric concoctions. The taxi we took from the airport was pastel pink, being driven by a friendly Arabian lady also in pink and white, who took us to our hotel nearby the canal.

The Arabian Courtyard was a grande, modernised hotel amongst the other typical Arabian architecture. We were welcomed in by a friendly doorman named *NAME* and sat on low couches drinking herbal tea whilst awaiting our room. Our room came with a view of the city, monuments, structures and rivers. We settled in, unpacked, explored the streets and local area. We had to be extremely conscious of what we were wearing as Dubai is much stricter than Australia in clothing and decency laws.

The following day, we took a trip to the famous Aquaventure waterpark Atlantis. This is located on a man-made island in the shape of a palm tree. We travelled in the skylift around the park and floated in rings around the water maze. We also visited the aquarium where you could float through the tank of sharks in a floaty ring through a see-through tunnel. Afterwards, we swam in the Arabian Sea which is far more salt concentrated than the Pacific Ocean near Australia, resulting in my being encrusted with salt for the remainder of the day.

The next day, we travelled by river-boat to the other side of the canal to see the famous markets typical of Dubai. We traipsed through the shops, being pulled into almost every single one by shopkeepers who kept referring to us as 'Kangaroo' with pointed fingers as their limited English vocabulary would allow. Shops were selling scarves, head wraps, cushion covers and fancy sequinned hats. We tried on multiple different combinations of stylish Arabian clothes and eventually bought a scarf for my sister and cushion covers for the whole family. One desperate shopkeeper even referred to my dad as his 'long lost brother' and invited my sister to a beach party that night! After the long day, as we were just about to sail back to our side of the canal, one shopkeeper who took a liking to me even chased after me and gave me a complementary scarf!

The following day we decided to explore the markets on our side of the canal. I tried on diamonte anklets, pointy elf shoes, feathered rings, head jewellery and more. We also sampled traditional Arabian spices and herbs whilst wandering the busy streets.

The next day was our wildlife safari trip. A junky four wheel drive drove us violently over the sand hills of the Arabian desert. At one point we literally were facing down at 90 degrees and our front bumper bar touched the ground! When we arrived, we saw a hawk show where the birds are trained to swoop and fetch meat. The heat was scorching and the humidity made the air hardly bearable to breathe. We rode around on camels and then entered the camp isolated in the middle of the desert. The sand was covered in carpets and low cushioned seats and tables. We devoured a traditional Arabian feast and got our henna done by professionals. Belly dancers jiggled away in the sunset as candles were lit and the festive celebrations continued. When it was finally pitch dark, all the lights were blown out and the entire camp stargazed in silence. Outside of the city, the night sky was so clear and the stars glowed so bright. Exploring the site, we found an area dotted with shishas. We weren't sure whether that kind of thing was legal in Dubai as we didn't have that much experience. It was labelled as 'apple flavour' and other teenagers were doing it, so we assumed it wasn't tobacco and safe (we still don't know to this day...). We tried it and it actually tasted quite pleasant and left a smoky apple-juice flavour in my mouth. The night ended late with a rocky trip back in the four wheel drive to our hotel.

The following day we went to the world's largest shopping centre! With inside iceskating rinks, aquariums, waterfalls and even a whole hallway for only gold products! Afterwards we witnessed the world's tallest building - the Burj Khalifa -  which is 828m tall with 163 floors!

It was hard parting with the magnificent country of Dubai to continue on to England, but I will always carry with me my memories of our time there.

Books, Books, Books - Hedonist

One of the first things you should know about me is that I am a big reader. Take that back; a huge reader. If there was a definition of what makes a book lover, I'm 110% sure I am it. I've been an avid reader since birth. Lolita, The Book Thief, Flipped, The Bell Jar, Spectacular Now, The Future Of Us, The Notebook, The Truth About Forever, 13 Reasons Why, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. So many books, so little time. 

The last treasure I laid my eyes on is Every Day by David Leviathan. I absolutely adored the concept of this book as it was written so brilliantly and thoughtfully. 
The main character wakes up in a new body each morning and is ripped from that body every night at midnight. It has happened their whole life so it's all they've ever known. They refer to themselves as A, taking on the lives of girls and boys, seeing life from every perspective possible. It has an element of something more that I just can't quite put into words. It reminded me of two other gems Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver and If I Stay by Gayle Forman, which I similarly adored and obsessed over. The plot is amazing, describing the emotions and thoughts of the character. I almost believed I was there, experiencing what they were experiencing in each new body. The ending however was so unpredictable, unexpected and abrupt. I won't ruin it for you though! You'll have to find out how it ends for yourself. 
This novel as a whole was an emotional roller coaster. Terrifying, romantic, thrilling, strange and yet beautiful all at once. David Leviathan has reached a new level of creativity and imagination with this entrancing tale that will captivate readers as they begin to comprehend the intricacies and complexities of life and love. I highly recommend this book to any teens or young readers and I can assure you it is one of the most moving books I have ever read. 

So stop reading this, get off your computer and go grab a life-changing book. I guarantee you won't regret it. 
I'm extremely excited to see what Sarah Dessen's Along For the Ride has in store for me! Here's to hoping I will learn something new and enjoy the ride!

One Year to Another - Life Stager

In February 2013, I began high school at St Clare's College. Despite starting off a couple days late, I caught up quickly with the feel of high school and began the year with a positive, excited vibe. After the first few weeks, the thrill of finally being a 'big kid' eventually passed and I started to feel the drain and exhaustion of working my hardest. I began to feel the typical moodiness of being a teenager and as I grew closer to my newfound friends, I grew further away from my family. I began to argue more often and was noticeably much more stubborn. It had finally dawned on me that for 6 hours a day, 5 days a week, 40 weeks a year for the next 6 years of my life; I would be sitting in a classroom. This didn't exactly stimulate any fabulous feelings, and at that moment, I made it my goal to just get through life day to day. Inside, I was stressed, but had decided not to do a thing about it. There was always one more thing I had to do on my list, one more friend to catch up with, one more piece of homework to complete. Just one more. This is how I began to live. Day to day I would only consider things that were either happening at the time or just about to happen. I ignored my future and pretty much forgot about how important it was. I sat at the back of class, was moderately quiet and kept my thoughts to myself for the most of the time. I continued in this way for most of the year, daydreaming and not really caring about my work or realising that it was important. I managed to keep up my grades to an average level, but if I had continued like this, I honestly don't think I would've coped much longer. At the conclusion of the year, my parent-teacher interviews told me a lot about how other people saw me. This inspired and motivated me to really strive for my best and consider (without stressing or taking it out on others) my future for the year ahead.

Early 2014, I began my second year of high school at St Clare's College. Despite having a rocky first year, I was happy to have a break from lazing around in the holidays and really get some productive work done. I felt so much more respected by my peers, teachers and girls in other years now that I wasn't one of the 'babies' of the school. I began with a positive, relaxed vibe and when I opened my eyes one Monday morning to get ready for just another school week, I realised 5 weeks of school had already passed. High school passes so incredibly fast and I realised that I needed to take the time to appreciate it. From then on, I made an effort every day to create a positive but focused atmosphere in class. I now make an effort to put up my hand and volunteer my thoughts and myself because I find that if you try new things, you learn so much more. I moved to the middle of class and made new friends who influence me in a good way. I made a new aim for myself to only surround myself with people who I find intellectually stimulating. So far I have succeeded, and I hope my friends find me one of those people too. I learnt how to cope and managed to find a balance between school, family, friends and sleep (phew).  Now in week 8 of term 1 of year 8, I still know that for 6 hours a day, 5 days a week, 40 weeks a year for the next 5 years of my life; I will be sitting in a classroom. But what's new is that this crazy fact no longer scares me. I feel prepared and am confident enough to say to life 'Bring It On'.