once a bookworm, always a bookworm.

during my practicum teaching, i visited the school library every chance i got. libraries have always been the most sacred + magical of places to me, but the ones in a school are even better. i haven't had the opportunity to be in a primary school library since my own school days so this was one of my first stops.

i was in the library one afternoon with my class + i couldn't hold myself back any longer. i started trawling the shelves for the books i must've read a hundred times when i was a kid.

much to my delight, i found these gems.

needless to say, i borrowed all of them + spent a wonderful weekend reading them. ah, nothing makes me as happy as reading. once a bookworm, always a bookworm.

cordially,

claudia owl.

hiatus.

whew, what a crazy couple of months its been! they weren't wrong when they said doing a masters was hard. and i've been doing six subjects instead of the recommended four. am i crazy? i'm not far off after that crazy semester! of course, it isn't over yet. the next three weeks are devoted to prac (whoop!) + i have two more assignments. but still, the end of semester is in sight!

the last couple of months, whilst difficult, have been kind of amazing too. So, i've compiled a list of the best things i've experienced this semester.

1. friends. where would i be without my friends? we've supported each other, laughed together + exchanged stories of weekends spent doing assignments + complaining about the early starts (5am? really?). i feel very lucky to know such great people.

2. prac. finally, i'm getting into the classroom + i've loved every minute so far. i am so meant to be a teacher. and i am SO close to achieving my goal! ah, victory!

3. graduation. my friends + i finished our previous degree + we are officially now postgraduates. we feel very grown-up.

life is pretty sweet right now.

cordially,

claudia owl

the importance of family.

yesterday, my family and i had a reunion of sorts. it didn't exactly go to plan, due to unpredictable weather + a whole bunch of family members backing out because of aforementioned unpredictable weather. nonetheless, once we had found sufficient shelter from the rain (thanks to my awesome brother + his girlfriend) the day was one to be remembered.

it's hard to choose my favourite moment, whether it was seeing my grandma + her sister sharing technology tips, or my cousin-in-law being duped into trying some crazy-hot chilli sauce of my brother's.

what was not hard to realise was that family matters, especially when you get to catch up with family you don't see very often. it's cool because despite time apart, they can still remember when you were a baby, a toddler and precocious 4-year-old all at once. and everyone knows that food brings people together. my  aunt can always be counted on for providing us all with a spectacular banquet.

i was sad to go home at the end of the day. isn't it always like that when you've been around great people all day? i'm very lucky to be blessed with the family i have + even though i didn't choose them i think i still would if i was given the choice.

cordially,

claudia owl.

getting ready [and a homage to stationary].

i go back to uni in two weeks + i'm starting my masters. i'm doing the accelerated study mode, so i need to be super-duper prepared. luckily, i have no problem being organised. rather, being too organised may be the case. i have a confession to make, in fact. i have quite the love affair with stationary. i love being ordered, so stationary sings my song.

this time of year always brings the lure of new notebooks:

 along with brightly coloured pens + highlighters:

 meanwhile, cute stationary seems to have taken a-hold of me.

 i am sure i'm not the only one who is a closet stationary nerd.

cordially,

claudia owl.

my grandmother's house.

when i was a kid, i was at my grandmother's a lot. my mum was raising us on her own, so my grandmother's house become our second home. even though i'm now an adult, it's still my favourite place to be.

she's an amazing woman, involved in all sorts of handicrafts:

and she has collected the most whimsical, darling things including some gossiping squirrels...

...an opera-singing kitten...

...and a haughty rooster.

no wonder i loved visiting her when i was a kid!

cordially,

claudia owl.

beating the bullies.

i would like to share something today. its something very important to me, because it has shaped the person i am today + it was one of the biggest things i've had to overcome. i was bullied in high school.

even though a few years have passed since i left high school, the other night it came rushing back when i was out somewhere + i saw a girl that used to bully me.

now bullying, as everyone knows, comes in many forms. it can be physical, emotional, psychological, a mixture of all those or something different entirely. it can affect you for years afterward, even if it wasn't physical. its the emotional scars that last the longest.

when i started high school, i had come from another primary school to everyone else so that automatically made me a target. it didn't help that i dressed differently to the other girls - a long skirt, shirt tucked in. i was introverted, highly academic + committed to my studies + i got along well with my teachers. all of these things also made me a target. i am not describing any of this in self-pity or regret. in fact, these are now traits that i pride myself on + i am glad i have retained them. however, high school is not a place to be different + if you are, you need to make damn sure you're in a group of other different people so that you don't become so noticeable.

it is no exaggeration when i say that i was bullied continually for the entire six years i attended my high school. i had previously been bullied at primary school as well, but not to such a scale that i had health or emotional disorders because of it.

in saying this, seeing that girl from high school the other night automatically caused my "flight" reaction + i wanted to hide. but then i thought you know what? she's not better than me. she's not prettier than me + she shouldn't be allowed to still make me feel this way. so i stepped away from hiding + i wasn't scared. she saw me + gave me the usual look up + down, jealousy written on her face. it was a good feeling to know how far i have come with no more fear or inferiority. i am now beating the bullies.

cordially,

claudia owl.

summer, i hate you; winter, i love you.

i was born in the (southern hemisphere) middle of summer + so i used to reckon that was why i loved summer so much. summer held so much promise, trips to the beach, splices + gaytimes + wearing dresses. but that was until mother nature decided to pitch a fit + throw crazy temperatures at us all.

it is true that i live in the "sunburnt country" but this has been taken to a whole new level in recent weeks. friday week ago, sydney recorded its highest ever temperature - a smouldering, scalding, scorching 45.6 degrees celsius. they even had to add new temperature colours to the heat map because the current ones just weren't hot enough.

basically, i now appreciate winter + its rugged-uppedness, its tundra landscapes + the opportunity to enjoy being human without wishing you have no skin because its just that darn hot. i think its safe to say that winter is my new favourite season.

cordially,

claudia owl

whiling away the hours.

i am on holidays at the moment + trying to enjoy every minute because next month i start my masters. the massive onslaught that this will be means that i won't just be able to sit + read a book all day. hence, i am making the most of these carefree hours.

for the first time ever i am reading a neil gaiman novel. i have previously studied + read two of his other books (wolves in the walls + coraline) which were good but do not compare to the one i am reading now - stardust.

the movie adaptation is one of my most favourite films, mainly because of claire danes being her usual amazing, beautiful self.

i only started the book the other night + already i've nearly finished. it is such a wonderful confection of imagination + colourful worlds, strung in a narrative like an arrangement of whimsical beads. i shall post a full review when i have (unfortunately) finished reading it.

cordially,

claudia owl

expanding my cooking repertoire.

moving out of home forced me to cook properly for myself for the first time in my life. there haven't been many hardships + i have found myself to be quite a baker. having quite a sweet tooth has veered me into the direction of the sweeter side of cooking which has often made me wish that delectable cakes + sugary biscuits were appropriate for dinner-time. but alas, they are not.

so, whilst i can whip up a red velvet cake + put fine detail into neenish tarts, cooking meals somewhat baulks me at times + i turn away from any kind of culinary wizardry + experimentation in the kitchen. in light of this, i am aiming to learn how to make some new meals that require starting from scratch + not using a recipe base/packet mix.

maybe someday i can make something like this...!

...but until then, i'll settle for mastering this.

cordially,

claudia owl

exciting new additions.

i caught up with the lovely miss l today + she has bestowed upon me two new books! i have been aware for a while that she bought them for me, but i received them today + there is nothing i love more than being given books!

 

i saw the movie adaptation of the perks of being a wallflower + i loved it. the acting alone was spectacular - emma watson can do no wrong in my opinion - + i have wanted to read the book for a long time. 

miss l gave me cloud atlas because she purchased a copy for herself + decided we should read it at the same time, book-club style. due to our mutual introversion we think our book club is the best book club because there aren't too many people involved! and so, let the reading begin.

cordially,

claudia owl

2013: year of the book

a couple of months ago, my friend miss l inspired me to read as many books as possible in one year - i believe she managed 50!

i have always been an avid reader, and i can't remember a time when i didn't read. books have been my solace, my friends + have made me the person i am today. i cannot spend enough hours reading them, and the remaining hours i spend talking about them + searching for more. as a side note, i highly recommend you visit here if you are a die-hard bookworm such as i. but i digress.

so, in the spirit of my friend miss l, i am going to attempt to read 50 (or more) books this year, and keeping track of  my progress  here with reviews + thoughts i have about my choices.

lastly, i have spent a few years here + there trying to start a blog, yet with no follow-through. let's see if i change that this year.

cordially,

claudia owl