My Piggy Bank

I was recently given a piggy bank by my mother, as a reward for studying for my end of school exams at the end of the year. It's beautiful- white porcelain with multi-coloured polka dots.

Already, I have stolen $100 out of the bottom of my piggy. Nice try Mum!

Viva La Perth

Today a received an offer to live in Perth, Western Australia for a gap year, to stay with a family of 5 soon to be 6 to be a part time nanny!

I have been wondering what my next step will be after I finish school. I think I want to go to uni, but I always thought that after year 12 I would be ready- that it would be a natural step, but it doesn't feel like that. I just feel so exhausted, so tired- like I've been doing the same thing over and over again. I want a break.

So I thought about taking a gap year (after applying for uni and then differing). For my HSC I am studying Italian, so I thought it would be great to go to Italy and backpack around, taking the trains and going to exotic places. One of my good friends wants to go to Greece and spend some time going island hoping, so my idea of going to Europe sounded like a plan.

After plotting and planning about Italy, it suddenly hit me that it was going to be hard and lonely, fending for myself in the big world. The longest I have spend away from home and family was when I went with my school Wind Ensemble to Germany, Austria and Czech Republic for 12 days. Maybe going from the comfort and security of my safe Sydney home and luxurious private girl;s school to the dirt and grime of trains and youth hostels was too much too soon. Not to mention too expensive.

In a small house in Shenton Park, Perth, Western Australia, Australia lives the Shiner family. They have offered to house me and feed me in exchange for 10 hours of babysitting a week. In my spare time I could study part time at the university or work a part time job for extra money. This extra money could be saving to travel back to Sydney (approx $500 return) or just to go into the bank for later. The Shiners also live close to the railway, so I wouldn't have to buy a car (but I could get a scooter license, but I'll have to look into it).

I think taking a gap year in Perth is a wonderful compromise between staying at home and studying and backpacking around Europe.
But it would be great to go to Italy. One day..

Tongue Piercing?

Recently, I have been feeling restless, fidgety, maybe even rebellious. I want to do something a bit different, a bit edgy- something out of my comfort zone, which I have been sitting smugly in for quite some time now. Being in my final year at school, I feel its time for a change...

The initial piercing looks terrifying, with the big needle and the all of the wincing faces on youtube, but getting a tongue piercing looks almost fun. On one hand it would be really cool to have a suprise for new friends, something to whip out and start a conversation with, but on the other hand, having a stranger stab through my tongue with a metal bar almost sounds canabalistic.

I would not get one for 'functionality' but for decoration soley. I think its different and weird but arty and cool at the same time. I have two pairs of earings in my lobes and have previously had the top of my cartilige pierced, but it has since grown over due to school not letting me have one, and me forgetting to put an earing in it during weekends.

I have been thinking of getting a tattoo after leaving school, but have come to the decision that a tattoo is too permanent, whereas a peircing can be taken out.

I know tongue piercings will initially hurt.
I know healing takes ages and its hard to talk, eat, breathe.
I know they close up really fast if you leave it out.
I know they are hard to hide from school/work (I wont have to hide it from my parents or from church, their cool with it).


So what do you think? Should I get my tongue pierced?