The rules of Fashion are made to be broken.

Well, most of the time anyway.

I honestly think that if you follow every rule in the book, you are boring. Have some creativity! If someone tells you that you can't wear those shoes with that dress, then wear it. Who cares about what people think, the only opinion that matters is yours.

I believe in taking risks when it comes to fashion. So what if you make mistakes, how else are you going to learn? Fashion is a form of self expression. It can convey our mood and personality to the people around us. This is why it is important to make it your own.

If I ever inspire the people reading this, I hope to inspire you to be individual with your style. Don't be afraid to push to boundaries a little bit, be adventurous and daring. After all, rules are made to be broken.

Love,
Phoebe xo

Even when we think we've seen it all, life can still surprise us.

I am so grateful for all my friends right now. I was hit with some sad news tonight and I have been a bit of a mess and my amazing friends stepped in and helped me out.

Firstly, I want to say a massive thank you to you guys again, you know who you are! You are all so nice and it is great to know that I have people here looking out for me and supporting me when it really matters. It is always nice to see that the people you love and trust are there for you, through the good times and even the bad. I want to remind you all that I will always be here for you no matter what!

My friends are my rocks. The way they handle the things I put them through is incredible. I can be completely irrational and crazy and it's nice to know that they are here for me despite all that. My friends that have been there since day one are even more special to me. I hate to break it to you guys, but you are officially stuck with me. Good luck. I'm just kidding, I'm not that awful.... I hope.

It is always important to recognise your real friends from your fake ones. Life is precious which is why it is important to spend your time on people who love you and have your best interests at heart, people who will stay by your side through the good, bad and the ugly. Don't waste your time on someone who is only there for the good times and doesn't appreciate you. The hands of time cannot be turned back so don't waste countless hours on people who aren't worth it. Find your true friends and stick with them. I know from experience that your life will be a whole lot better!

Valentine's Day

I'm a bit of an anti-Valentine's day person, so sorry to rain on your parade if you are really into it this year. I honestly think that people in relationships take Valentine's Day a bit too seriously in the sense that they decide to shower their partner in love, chocolate, flowers and cheesy presents, like ginormous stuffed bears that are good for nothing, except wasting space on one specific day. I personally think that if you are with someone that you truly love, then you should treat everyday like Valentine's Day. I think if you only wait for one day to show how much you care for someone, then you mustn't care about them that much.


I am currently single so I spent today sans boyfriend but I was at school with my friends and we had fun. Right now that is all I need, a group of amazing friends. Besides, with me being in year 11 this year, I barely have time to myself, let alone enough time to spend with a boyfriend. I am enjoying being single at the moment and I am in no rush to get a boyfriend. 

Love is meant to be special, so it isn't something that I want to rush into while I'm still young. I know that the guy who I will marry is out there somewhere and when I meet him, I know it will be amazing. Once a hopeless romantic, always a hopeless romantic. 


Nevertheless, I hope you all had a good day.

26 days and counting...

Have you ever been so excited for something that it is all you ever think about? I am currently in one of those phases.

Every year since Grade 5, a bunch of my friends and I have been going up to Bathurst for a Mother/Daughter Horse riding weekend at a property owned by one of my moms best friends. This year marks the 7th year, so it is basically a tradition now. Every year I get more and more excited about it and this year I feel like I am about to explode! I am so ecstatic about this you have no idea!!! This year's weekend is scheduled for the 10th & 11th of March. 26 days and counting...

The group that goes with us has shrunk to about 10 girls and their mothers, so in total there are about 18 of us (there are two sets of twins, me and Em being one, and therefore two less mothers). It is nice that it is small and I only ever see most of the girls once a year when we go on this weekend. It is always a really fun weekend. We go horse riding about four times over the two days and the rest of the time is spent swimming, chilling in the spa, watching Disney Channel and Nickelodeon (Suite Life On Deck and Spongebob are our ultimate faves), feeding the ducks/pigs/horses/sheep etc., laughing, talking, roasting marshmallows, creating new and delicious culinary creations (last time we made "Smoreos" which are pretty self-explanatory), taking photos and videos, wearing our pyjamas and ugg boots.... a lot, singing, playing Truth or Dare, dancing, playing foosball, playing pool/billiards, playing table tennis, playing actual tennis with a giant mushroom and occasionally a tennis ball, freezing our asses off in the winter weather, getting dizzy on the tire swing, being loud (we scream rather than speak to each other because we are hyperactive and full of sugar) and eating junk food galore! As you can see it is jam-packed and totally fun!

It is always nice to get out of the city, put everything on hold and escape out to the country. An added bonus about rural New South Wales is that I get hardly any phone reception, so no one can contact me, disturb my peace and disrupt all the fun that I am having.

I have been friends with these girls since primary school, so I definitely cherish their friendship and don't want to lose contact with them. Well, most anyway. One of the girls we go with is my ex-best friend and we can't not invite her because most of us are still good friends with her twin sister. Talk about dilemma, right? If I didn't have to invite her, I wouldn't but seeing as I have to, I just have to make do, mostly by just ignoring her, which is pretty much what I did during the last year of our friendship before our fallout. Oh, snap. Nevertheless, it is still awkward. Last time, she kept trying to talk to me which makes it hard for me to stick to my whole "ignore her" plan. I'm hoping this year will go smoothly with zero awkward encounters... or zero encounters period. I actually had a dream the other night that she dived across the couch and strangled me in front of everyone and I completely flipped out and was screaming to everyone about how crazy she was. Lets hope that doesn't happen. But, in the off chance that it does, I now know how to react to it (thank you sub-conscience).


I'll post some pictures and tell you my stories when I get back.

          

Around the world; France.

As a self-confessed world traveller/travelaholic I thought I should make some posts on here about some of the divine places that I have been lucky enough to visit during my 16 years. I am fortunate enough to have parents who take me and my siblings overseas almost every year, to amazing places unlike anywhere I have ever been before.

One of my absolute favourite places that I have been to has to be France. It is such a beautiful country full of the most incredible little towns and the people are so nice. My favourite cities in France are Auxerre and of course, Paris.

Auxerre
Auxerre is a small, medieval town located in North-Central France. My family and I visited it when we were driving from Paris to Switzerland. It is the cutest little town I have ever been to! It is like some of the little towns in Tuscany, Italy which is all the more reason to love it! The locals, Auxerrois as they are known, were also incredibly kind and friendly which is always really nice when you are travelling in a foreign country. I definitely want to go back one day, preferably when I am fluent in French!

Paris
Paris was amazing too, but on another level. Paris is a big, busy city and the architecture is absolutely breathtaking. All the buildings are of a similar style and they are just beautiful. It was said that Hitler refused to bomb Paris during World War II because it was such a beautiful city, and once you have been there, you can totally understand where he is coming from. One of the things I noticed was that the Parisians dress very elegantly. They look classy no matter what, which makes it harder for the rest of us. No wonder it is a city celebrated for its fashion designers.

These are some of my favourite places in Paris:

Ladurée
Ladurée is a must-visit during your stay in Paris. Their macaroons are to die for! It is pretty popular so there may be a queue, but let me tell you that it is completely worth the wait! Even just being in the shop is amazing. Their deserts are so perfectly made, it is almost a shame to eat them. But luckily, they taste better than they look, if that is even possible. I highly advise getting some caramel, chocolate and raspberry macaroons, ils sont fabuleux!! You may gain a few kilos, but it is totally worth it! 

The Musée de Louvre
Located on the Right Bank of the Seine, the Louvre is pretty much in the heart of Paris. The building in itself is a work of art. It echos the architectural style of the city and therefore doesn't look out of place or like an eyesore. The art inside it is some of the most famous and most beautiful in the world. Some of the paintings and sculptures date back hundreds of years which is incredible to think that they are showcased today and people still want to see them. My favourite piece was the Victoire de Samothrace (Winged Victory of Samothrace). To me, it stood out from the rest and is by far my favourite piece of art ever. It is at the top of a staircase which is at the end of a hallway and from the second I saw it 500 metres away from me, I was drawn to it. It is so detailed and powerful. All you Audrey fans may recognise it from her movie Funny Face.

The Champs-Elysées
Perhaps one of the most well-known shopping streets in Paris, the Champs-Elysées does not disappoint. The street is full of life and all the shops are worth having a look at. The added bonus about the Champs-Elysées is the fact that the Arc de Triomphe is at the end. The Arc is definitely worth walking all the way down the street for. It is so intricately decorated and surprisingly bigger than you might expect. 

Et voilà, my favourite places in France! I highly recommend visiting these two cities if you are ever in France. I know that when I go back one day, these will be the first two cities I go to!

I hope you enjoyed my first travel post, it shall be the first of many!

Merci pour lire!
Bisous,


               Phoebe xo


(Note: none of the photos used belong to me. I therefore do not take credit for them)

School days;

I've never really thought about it but I think that once I finish school late next year, I will actually miss it. Well, not school in general, but the routine. It has taken me about four years to perfect my routine but now that I have it down pat, I actually won't be needing to follow it much longer. Shame, right?

I am actually really happy that we wear school uniforms to school here in Australia. It makes getting ready in the morning at least ten times easier and you don't need to worry about judgemental people criticising an outfit you spent 20 minutes perfecting and piecing together. It also makes weekends more exciting as you obviously don't wear your uniform when you go out. Well, I guess you could but that would be weird...
And, by everyone wearing the same thing, you can express your individuality through your personality, rather than through the clothes you wear. I think that is truly important.

The other thing I have grown accustomed to over the years is teachers telling you what to do and which things to work on for homework. In university, you are pretty much left to your own devices when it comes to working out what you need to work on. Well, so I've heard. I'm not exactly the most focused person around so I think that university will be a big step up for me, especially if I am planning to do a fast-tracked course. For those who don't know what I'm talking about, I want to do a Journalism course, which generally spans four years, but the university I am planning to go to crams a four year course into two years. It's good that I will get it done in shorter time, but bad as it means that the workload will be bigger.

Love,
               Phoebe xo

Hello year 11!

Two days into the year and it is already busy as hell! I knew Year 11 would be busy but after two days? Seriously, what ever happened to a bludge week?!

I must say, my timetable is great. My subjects are: French, Design & Technology, Advanced English, Geography, General Maths and Modern History. I think they are a good mix and I am loving them already! I also have extremely good teachers this year, especially my maths teacher. Every time I tell someone I have her their jaws drop to the floor or they tell that I am lucky to be in her class/they learnt heaps from her/they wish she was teaching them (she was promoted to Deputy Head this year, so she is only taking one class, which is mine). I cannot describe how glad I am to have a decent maths teacher. I am not exactly pro-mathematics but with an amazing teacher, I am planning to top my class (hopefully the course, or even state) in the HSC. Fingers crosssed!

Another thing I am looking forward to about Year 11 is the free periods. Yes, I know, it's the small things in life hat make me happy. I get three every 10 day cycle and I also have Rec once a cycle, during which we do stuff like bowling, laser tag and classes at Fitness First. 

It may seem crazy, but I am actually excited about knuckling down and studying. I have an attention span shorter than any goldfish so motivation is key for me so I can concentrate and subsequently improve my marks. I am aiming sky-high for the HSC so I'm gonna need all the study hours I can get!! I think that the main motivation for me is university. I have my heart set on Bond University and I need to step it up a bit if I want to get in and graduate successfully. Luckily for me, Bond offers a half scholarship to one student in Year 12 each year so I will definitely apply for it and hope for the best! I have been told that it is not solely based on academic ability, but I know that a high ATAR will definitely improve my chances.

It is insane to think that this year is my second last year in high school. I cannot believe that I will be out of school and off into the big wide world in a year. When I put it that way, it kinda freaks me out! It feels like only yesterday that I started high school and now I'm a senior in my intimidating white ribbon. For those who don't know me, at my school you wear a blue hair ribbon if you are in the junior school and years 7, 8, 9 and 10. When you get to years eleven and twelve, you get to wear a white ribbon and can get a jumper with a red stripe around the neck. It is something you wait for ages for and it is totally worth the wait! I much prefer the white ribbon; I think it looks much better. Plus, it intimidates the new year 7's. 

Anyway, to those of you back at school, enjoy yourselves this year. I wish you all the best for everything you try. 

Love, 

               Phoebe xo