Spring 2016: Breakdown of my Classes at USC

Hey all,

Remember that video from last semester in which I talk about all my classes? Well, here's the same thing, just for my spring semester! Except that you've probably noticed by now how awkward I am IRL and as much as I would love to make videos on YouTube, even if they're just for my blog, it's just not happening. Not right now at least. So instead of having to stare at my face for 20 entire minutes, I have everything down, the classic way, just how I used to!

My schedule for spring 2016

So far, I've been lucky to say that I've liked each and every one of my classes at USC and I've learned SO MUCH in them. Well, more in some than in others, but y'know, nothing is perfect. Interestingly (and slightly concerningly), none of my favorite classes were classes for my major, but then again all my major classes were more basic intro-type ones, so that may change. I hope it will. Anyway, without further ado (and not in any specific order):

CORE 112 | Thematic Option Honors Program: Writing Seminar II


Aka my favorite class at USC. This was basically the honors alternative to USC's upper-division writing requirement, in which we read contemporary literature (and watched films!), discussed it in class, and wrote papers on it. The class culminated in a 12-page seminar paper for which we did our own research, and wrote an annotated bibliography and literary review (I think?). Some of us were even selected to present one of our papers at the annual TO research conference (the theme this year was 'Something Must Be Done'). My class was called "Home Sweet Haunted Home" and dealt with the various definitions of haunting and home, which go way beyond ghosts and what people traditionally consider "haunted houses". My conference paper, for example, dealt with the presentation of cultural liminality as a source of unwantedness in the novel 'White is for Witching' by Helen Oyeyemi. And if that sounds too complicated, here's the published abstract of my paper:

Grade received: A

CTWR 412 | Introduction to Screenwriting

What was meant to be my favorite class this semester ended up being, sadly, my least favorite. As you might recall, I didn't end up getting into this class, as it was completely full by the time I could register, but a spot opened up during the first week of classes, and I quickly grabbed it. 412 is basically a workshop. You write a screenplay for every single class, have it read out loud in class, receive "suggestions" (i.e. criticism), and rewrite it for the next class, along with an entirely new screenplay. Now, I loved my professor, the legendary Jason E. Squire, I loved the people in my class, but I didn't love how I basically learnt nothing, except for the fact that short scripts are not for me. But I sort of knew that already. For someone mainly interested in TV writing and character development, 3-page scripts can be a hassle. In addition, grading is kind of arbitrary and doesn't really make sense. However, you need this class for the Screenwriting minor, it's two units, so you might as well just get it over with. Depending on the people in your class, you might even read some hilarious scripts -- I definitely did!

Grade received: A- (RIP 4.0 GPA, you will be forever missed)

CTCS 191 | Introduction to Television and Video

A class mainly about the TV industry. I learned a lot about advertising and net neutrality and syndication and a bunch of things I've already forgotten, as well as about the history of American television, from the network to the matrix era. I now know why ESPN is doomed. I also know why television is the new television. Summed up, it's an OK class and even if you're like me and not that interested in the business/industry side of things, you learn things that are good to know. Plus, you get to watch a bunch of awesome TV shows, like Mr. Robot and Freaks and Geeks (forever my love). Also, you get to do fun stuff for your project/research paper, like come up with a TV show pitch, or write about the absolutely terrible MTV adaptation of your favorite British TV series, like I did.

(My paper was titled "Controversy and Catastrophe: The Failure to Adapt E4's Skins for the US Audience" and if you ever want to read it, just let me know. Also, I included the quote “‘Oh, you’re American?’ ‘Yes, I am. Metaphorically.’” from Season 2, because I couldn't not.)


Grade received: A

CTCS 201 | History of International Cinema II

I added this class after dropping my not-so-great sound studies class, and I absolutely loved it. It's basically about international cinema after World War II, beginning with Italian Neorealism and ending with Hong Kong cinema, while also discussing concepts such as art cinema, pop art, Camp, post-modernism and auteur theory. A lot of people hated it, since it's essentially a history class with some film theory in it, but as I love history and art cinema and international films, I wasn't among the #haters. The films we watch are hit-or-miss, but mostly classics that film students just "need" to see, but I'm not gonna lie, some of them have made it on my top 10 list (that said -- should I write a list of my favorite films??). Also, I wrote a research paper on the intersection of Dutch national cinema and liminal spaces, and my TA told me to submit it to undergraduate conferences and I was on f!@#$&*g Cloud 9. Oh, the small moments of happiness in life! The midterm and final were irrationally difficult, though.

Grade Received: A

AMST 101 | Race and Class in Los Angeles

This was a General Education class that also fulfills my Forensics and Criminality minor lower-division requirement, and it sounded sort of interesting, so I decided to take it. And I was not disappointed. It wasn't really what I thought it would be, as it was essentially a history class, but honestly, I'd make this class mandatory for everyone at USC, or even everyone who lives in Los Angeles. I learned so, so, SO much about the society I live in and how it came to be and all the injustice the people of Southern California have faced, and it gave me an entirely new perspective on the region. I felt so engaged in this class -- despite the 100+ pages of reading and quizzes every week -- that I even considered changing my major to American Studies for a second. Yup, that's right. Tl;dr, the class can get boring and the professor is really long-winded, but I still felt that I learnt a lot and everyone should take AMST 101.

Grade Received: A

Those that didn't make the cut:

Here's the deal: dropping a class is OK. It happens. If you feel that it is irrationally difficult for you, that it's pointless, that you're not interested in it, that you can't contribute anything to it and you're not engaged, and if it's not necessary for your major or you can take a different version of it, then drop it. Drop it like it's hot.

My CORE 101 class, Symbols and Conceptual Systems: Aural Culture, was a class like that. I wasn't too keen on taking it in the first place, it sounded interesting but not that interesting, and I know that there were 101s more suitable for me. This wasn't a bad class, I have multiple friends who were in it and loved it, and I'm not saying it wasn't interesting, but I didn't understand a word of the readings and I felt like I couldn't contribute a word in discussion. So I dropped it. That simple.

I also dropped CTPR 409: Practicum in Television Production (aka the Trojan Vision class) so I could take Screenwriting. Not a big deal, since I was still working on a Trojan Vision show, and since I can take it anytime in the future and it's not necessary for my major/minors.

Oh, and while we're at it, I'm also dropping my second major, Narrative Studies, and doing the Screenwriting minor instead, along with my Forensics and Criminality minor. I felt like I needed to focus more on TV writing, which is what I eventually want to do, and although NARS has some cool literature classes, the requirements I had left for that major weren't particularly relevant to what I want to do. Now, I can focus on TV writing, continue my Russian classes, and even have place for some electives. I know that having two majors would seem more fancy than having two minors, but I'm not in college to hoard degrees. I'm here to (mostly) study what is relevant to what I want to do with my life, or what is more useful.

What the future holds:

Here are my classes for my first semester sophomore year:

CORE 101 | Symbols and Conceptual Systems: Icons (field trip to Disneyland, about how things become icons, apparently a great class but harsh grading)
CORE 103 | The Process of Change in Science: Searching for Life in the Universe: Mars and Beyond (Thematic Option science requirement, apparently AMAZING, field trip to NASA JPL)
CTCS 200 | History of International Cinema I (major requirement, lots of silent films, professor apparently terrible, already have nightmares about this class)
CTCS 464 | Film and/or Television Genres: Shot on Location (class for my major about the role of locations in cinema, or something like that)
LING 210 | Introduction to Linguistics (Quantitative Reasoning GE, taking Pass/No Pass)

19 Things...

That's right everyone, it is that time of the year! Today is June 8, 2016, the day before June 9, 2016, which happens to be my 20th birthday. Crazy, isn't it? I'll no longer be able to vote at the Teen Choice Awards. Not that I had done so in the past five years, but -- y'know -- it was good to have the option.

Anyway, once again, like last year, I wrote a list of 19 things I did that happened to me at 19, this time in chronological order. And once again, like last year, I've decided to post it on this little blog of mine. So here goes nothing...

At 19, I...

1. High-fived Dan Smith from Bastille! 
2. Spoke at a nationally televised protest for my high school.
3. Got my own bank account (lol) #adultthings
4. Moved to Los Angeles, CA.
5. Started college at USC, as a Cinematic Arts major.
6. Joined the Silks section of the USC Trojan Marching Band.
7. Started taking Russian classes.
8. Went to my first (and hopefully last) college party, which was scary af.
9. Swam in the ocean.
10. Traveled to Chicago (and San Francisco and San Diego).
11. Performed in the ucla (sucks!) pre-game and halftime shows (with Slash!).
12. Started the One Second(ish) a Day project.
13. Saw my idol/favorite artist, Patti Smith, live.
14. Worked as a script supervisor (and BTS photographer) on the Emmy* award-winning TV series CON (and was the only person not to miss a single day on set!).
15. Was selected to be a Resident Assistant.
16. Was interviewed on the radio.
17. Went to Disneyland.
18. Presented my work at a research conference.
19. Made the Dean's List (twice!)

(BTW, posts about the second half of this list are in progress)

So yep, there you have it (OMG, I had those exact words last year and totally didn't remember). Pretty adventurous year, I must say. Although I slightly altered this list from the one I wrote down into my little notebook, because who really wants to read about heartbreaks and awkward elevator rides and former friends who drink wine out of Starbucks cups in Glendale coffee shops, but anyway, I digress-- Let's try again: although I slightly altered this list and replaced a few very personal details, it's a pretty comprehensive one, and I can confidently say that this was pretty much the first year when I didn't take forever to think of things I hadn't done before, and when I didn't need any filler points, because those are terrible and obvious.

BUT, to end this post on a more positive note, this year has hands down been one of the best, if not actually the best one of my life. I finally got to live the life I had been dreaming of and working towards for over five years, and I couldn't be more grateful. Wait what. Ugh melodrama, gotta up yer game, Layra. Tis not yer style. OK, I think this is a sign. A sign to stop writing. So bye. See you all when I'm 20. Farewell. Over and out. Seriously, though, see you soon, everyone! Thanks for sticking around and not leaving this blog a ghost town!

Also, here are some photos, so you guys don't strain your imagination too much:

  

(16) On the radio.                                       (17) Disneyland w/ MLA and SaRAh

(6) The Holiday Bowl Parade with the band.

(14) My Script Supervisor Name Tag

(15) My RA Selection Decision

(18) My Research Paper Abstract

(2) Not my best look, but hey, that's me! On TV! In defense of a good cause!

(13) Yes, I actually saw Patti Smith. It was all real. AND I ran into Fabi <3.

(10) Yours truly, in Chicago (feat. random kid who color coordinated his outfit with mine)

*College Emmy

One Second(ish) a Day

Well hello, my friends!

Long time, no see, right? Have you been dying to know what I've been up to these past six months? Have you been worrying that I've abandoned my precious little blog? Do you even remember who I am? And if you do, are you as sad as I am that I haven't updated in so long? If you are, then here's your long sought-after update, only half a year after my last one, but the first of many to come this summer! Without further ado, let's get into it:

On January 1st, I started a little project, affectionately titled ‘One Second(ish) a Day,’ in which I film around one second of my day, every single day. Back when I started, I didn't really know where I was going with it, I thought it would just be, for the lack of a better word, fun. As it is, however, my friends over in the Production division were coincidentally given a similar (OK, the exact same) task this semester, giving the whole project an entirely new meaning. They had to do it, it was an actual assignment for them, and if filming snippets of your day is an actual task in film school, then I'll definitely be getting something out of it. The only difference was, of course, that while I casually got to document whatever ridiculous/boring/amazing/stupid thing I was doing that day, they were stressing over their shots not being cinematic enough, or their projects not telling a story, meaning that most of them were relieved to have it over with when the semester ended. I, on the other hand, absolutely love filming my seconds, and decided to continue it indefinitely! Yet since I cannot post a video that is still currently in production, please lay back, grab your popcorn, and enjoy part one of my project, starting on January 1st and ending the day I boarded the plane back to Budapest (sadly) in May.

OR WATCH ON YOUTUBE. I'D PREFER YOU WATCH IT ON YOUTUBE, HONESTLY. ON FULL SCREEN.

Yes, on days when nothing happened, I just made stupid faces. Don't judge.

Also, yes, I know about the app. I don't use it, though, because sometimes my videos are longer than one second, cuz YOLO, and sometimes I use more than one video for one day. And because that would be too convenient and I don't do convenient obviously.

Winter in California

Summary of my winter break: Waking up at noon. Eating cereal without milk. Assuming the Internet browsing position. Watching Vlogmas videos and living vicariously through them. Noticing that it's 7 PM already. Eating a Babybel. Watching a bad movie, because good movies make me feel too many things. Crying anyway, because feelings. Also, (500) Days of Summer was just too soon. Not writing my RA application. Attempting and failing to take care of my friend's basil tree. Going to sleep at 2 AM. Repeating all of this the next day.

Of course, there were exceptions. I went to Target once. I went to get food a couple of times, though that was only after my trip to San Diego (more on that later) and me realizing that I sorta need to eat, and not just live on corn flakes without milk. I also went to The Grove to get into the Christmas mood on the 23rd, that was sorta nice, and you can see some photos of that here:

My roommate invited me to spend the 24th with her family, and since she is the best and I really didn't want to spend Christmas Eve alone in my dorm room, and also since it seemed like a good idea, I of course said yes. And it was a good decision, except that there were some minor problems. 

See, after The Grove, I didn't go to sleep. I spent the entire night Skyping my family, watching them decorate the Christmas tree, watching them eat their Christmas dinner, watching all the food and then looking at my empty fridge, singing Christmas carols with them, and then repeating the same thing with my dad's family. Just after my dad lit the sparklers on the Christmas tree and we sang one full song before my Internet started lagging, however, my roommate texted me that they were on their way.

And I was tired AF. So tired that I even fell asleep at one point during the day. As on the party, the whole thing was pretty informal. We were eating on paper plates with plastic forks and playing Apples to Apples all day, which is, well, quite unlike what we do with my family, because you all know my family. We wear fancy dresses and high-heels and usually spend 15 minutes driving around in circles before arriving at my uncle's house not to disturb the meticulously planned order of arrival, we all drink expensive champagne while standing upright in the middle of the room and eat using such a wide range of silverware that I'm always afraid that the spoon I'm using to eat my soup with is in fact some obscure fish knife. But I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with that, of course, this is what I'm used to, and this is what I love. That said, I really loved how laid back everything was at Joanna's. Except that everybody was speaking Spanish and although I mostly understood what they were saying to me, there was no way I could reply. There are only three things I can say in Spanish, and I am pretty sure "I am a girl","I am pregnant" and "rice" weren't answers to the questions they were asking me. Yep. Apart from that, I also started randomly crying on two separate occasions  because although Joanna and her boyfriend were adorable together and I'm so happy for them, they kept reminding me of how f@#$%!&g heartbroken I was am, and since we all know how I emotional I am, it was given that there were gonna be tears. Oh well. Just a piece of advice here: your failed relationship is not something you want to be reminded of on Christmas Eve.

After Christmas Eve, I came back to my dorm and returned to my winter break shenanigans, preparing for the long awaited Bowl Game, which brings us to the third part of this post. USC was headed to the Holiday Bowl in San Diego this year, and of course, as a band member, I got to go as well. Now, you all know that I'm not the hugest football fan, so what I was looking forward to the most was 1) going to Disneyland before San Diego 2) getting to see San Diego and 3) getting to see *somebody* again. As it is, of course, none of these three things worked out, as 1) Disneyland was replaced by a Star Wars screening 2) apart from some sketchy streets and a harbor (?) with obnoxious seagulls, I barely saw any of San Diego and 3) I talked about one minute with said person.  Also, we had to perform in the rain, and spinning soaking wet flags is not fun, I had to sleep on the floor for two nights as, well, how do I put this, people did stuff in my bed, had coffee spilt on my uniform, and had the band director yell at us, as he decided to change the entire pre-game show last minute. But yeah, Dr. Bartner, blame it on the Silks... And on top of all that, we lost the game.

That said, there were some better moments. The view from our hotel was gorgeous, I had an amazing time with some of the Silks, I had decent food at Tender Greens after eating corn flakes for weeks, and had a privilege of witnessing a conversation in which our sketchy waiter asked my Chinese-German friend if she's Mexican, and then proceeded to talk to us in French. Also, the Wisconsin band was kinda cool and we almost hung out with them. The best part, though, was when we got to perform at the Holiday Bowl parade! It was just 28 minutes of smiling and doing cadence and spinning Tribute to Troy and people admiring us. You can see that below or on YouTube here, and you can even see me mess up walking at 1:40, because I suck. 

The parade.

The one picture I took in San Diego, from our hotel room.

And that is it really. Classes start next Monday. I have submitted my RA application. The dental students are back on campus (the greatest enemies of all SCA people), the dining halls are opening on Thursday (I actually miss dining hall food), and my roommate plans on coming back soon as well. I'll spend the rest of my break ice skating in Santa Monica, seeing Patti Smith on Saturday, freaking out about how my friend will react to seeing her plant again (I mean, at least it's still alive...) and probably crying. 

--

PS. This is sorta badly written. Sorry about that. It's 3 AM.

This Anachronistic Post from July

And there's also this anachronistic, never-before-seen post from July that I never finished and forgot to publish...

My Summer, in a Nutshell
by Layra A Sparks

My whirlwind of a summer started with the visa application process, with its fashionably late I-20 forms, unmentioned scholarships, unresponsive international student counselors, slow deliveries, worldwide technical glitches in the US visa system, rescheduled appointments, unconventional photo dimensions, automated phone systems, dads not keen on giving me bank statements, people attempting to enter the US embassy with pocket knives, and with crazy photo lab ladies telling me that they won't accept my visa photo because my ears aren't visible. That's right, my visa application was a succession of mini nervous breakdowns on my part, which were only tamed by the fact that my visa interviewer happened to be a USC alumna, and the interview she conducted lasted about two whole minutes and went as follows: "Which scholarship did you get? Are you going to do Thematic Option? Yes, I am a Trojan, fight on! I did TO, I loved it. You should get a pass for the football games. Which instrument are you going to play in the marching band? Silks, that's cool, well your visa has been approved." But before you start thinking everything went well after that, my visa was subsequently delivered to the crazy elderly lady next door. Interesting.

I didn't really have time to think about all this, though, because after getting my visa came the time for all the fun things that come with moving abroad to college - doctors appointments, blood tests, dental surgery, opening bank accounts abroad, getting health insurance sorted, yelling at employees of the National Tax and Customs Administration, buying plane tickets and wondering why one piece of extra check-in luggage costs $100 and why two pieces cost $400, saying goodbye to friends, and in midst of all this, getting a haircut that makes me look like a housewife from the 1950s.

And if that's not enough, my high school made national headlines when the government replaced its unanimously supported headteacher with a former teacher who left her graduating class, plagiarized her application and was appointed through nepotism. Now, as a person with a very strong sense of justice, I could not just let this happen without voicing my opinion, and no, posting a couple of semi-aggressive comments under articles doesn't count so when one of the teachers asked me to speak at a demonstration organized by some parents, I had to say yes. I had to do this for my school. I had to edit that badly written speech and make it into something more strongly worded, and I had to recite it in front of the media. That is right, you guys, I was on f!@#ing national television, with my name in published (or whatever you call that) and everything. Unfortunately, though, it was all pointless and the evil bitch is still reigning over my high school. Yeah, there's that. But we never give up.

Moving on. Just like last year, I took the train down to Sopron for the annual Volt festival, where - instead of the Arctic Monkeys - we saw Bastille this year. Well...it's not that it was bad, but it didn't quite live up to my expectations, and what probably hurt the most was that all the pictures I took turned out to be shit. I was so upset about the photos - and yes, taking photos is a huge part of concerts for me and please don't try to lecture me on how it takes away the joy of jumping up and down in a moshpit - that I couldn't enjoy the concert as much as I wanted to. I was also stuck in the third row, which meant that I was trampled on and pushed around half the time, but turned out to be extremely convenient when I got to HIGH FIVE DAN SMITH!!!!

Yep. I'm trying to finish this post in December and there's nothing else I can think of, so I'll just leave it here. Bye. 

PS. Sorry about the lack of photos, they're all on my other laptop. But check my twitter (@lillaspanyi), I have some there.

My First Semester at USC: Video Edition

Guys, it is with overwhelming exhilaration that I inform you: I am still alive.

I am still alive, I still go to USC, I'm still a Cinema major, I'm still in the marching band (oh wait! You guys didn't know that??? More on that later...), I'm still 5'7'', I still have curly hair (and it's still not purple), and I still love my little blog that nobody in the world reads.

What has changed, then, you might ask? Why haven't I posted anything since June? Well, let's see. I go to USC, I'm a Cinema major, I'm in the marching band, and nobody in the world reads my little blog. Also, I'm 5'7''. I'm sure that affects my writing somehow.

Yet if we look at the context of my previous posts, these are all just excuses. And yet while I admit that my first semester at USC had been an extremely wild ride, that's just another reason for me to write about it. Or, in this case, talk.

That is right guys. So much has happened over the past five months that there is no way I could write individual posts on everything, like, ain't nobody got time for that. So instead I decided to film a couple of videos in which I talk about everything that has happened, and try to be a bit more consistent my second semester.

And for now, I'll just leave those here. Oh, and just a few notes of warning: a lot of these were filmed over different time periods, so that is a thing. Also, editing is super rough and the videos are supposed to be HD but for some reason the resolution really sucks? I don't know why...iMovie is weird and I'm too broke for anything else right now. And also, I'm super-boring in person, sorry about that.

ALSO: You might want to watch them on YouTube, because Blogger sucks and it doesn't like videos.

Love you all.

Video #1 - Traveling from Budapest to USC. And some awful color correction.

Video #2 - Band Camp and My First Month at USC, I believe. And me looking awful.

Video #3 - MARCHING BAAAND.

Video #4 - School Life at USC and Such.

Video #5 - Life in LA and Me Failing to Focus the Camera

That is all for now.

This Blog Has NOT Been Abandoned

USC Class of 2019

I've been rewriting this post for the past three months. It just never sounds quite right, it's either too lengthy or too choppy, or I feel like I'm bragging or I go off on tangents, so for this reason, I've decided to keep it short and sweet.

I am more than proud to announce that I am officially a member of the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts Class of 2019!

I am in the 17.5% of students accepted to USC and in the 4% of students accepted to SCA. I am one of the 75 people accepted to major in Critical Studies. I am also one of the approx. 100 Trustee Scholars this year, meaning that I get a full-tuition scholarship for my four years at USC. And, additionally, I am also one of the 200 students who has been accepted to the Thematic Option Honors Program.

It has happened, and even though all of this might seem surreal, or even impossible, it has, and I'm so grateful for every single person who has helped me get here!

It's all about getting ready now (be on the lookout for posts on that), but I'm doing good. My visa has been approved, my plane ticket has been purchased, and although I still don't know how I'll be shipping 15 pairs of shoes, my rollerblades, and a memory foam pillow, I'm all set. More or less anyway.

So, introducing my new way to bid farewell to you all,

Fight On, Trojans!

Also, if you guys would like to know more about USC, the application process, and why I ended up choosing it, leave a comment below!

--

PS. Just FYI, my other options in the US were Kenyon College and the University of Pennsylvania, and although it was a tough choice with Penn, I decided that USC would be the best place to study film.

Late June Update: Birthday Fail, Finishing High School and Weekend Getaway

It has come to my attention that there are people who actually read this blog. Real people, living and breathing human beings. People who actually care to read about my boring life or maybe have nothing better to do, but it doesn't matter either way. Because when there are people willing to read, I'll have to give them (or, well, YOU) something to read, meaning that I have a good excuse to write a new post! So here goes...

Where did we leave it? Oh yes...

1) My Birthday

My mom and I decided to start the day with English breakfast - yes, I miss living in England that much - at my favorite restaurant. As it usually is, however, they'd run out of sausages and the rest of my sausageless breakfast was ice cold and my toast had fossilized in the making, so it didn't quite live up to my expectations, and you guys, I'd been dreaming of that breakfast for years. And although it might not seem that bad as of now, this was just a foreshadowing of the impending disaster.

Me and da food.

I don't know when taking photos of food became my thing, but at least it looked good.

After subtly wrapping my toast into a napkin, we took off to see the Sziget Eye, a rip-off of the London Eye in central Budapest and a best alternative I found to a theme park, since the theme park in this city has been notoriously closed down, with all its rides taken to the wasteland and melted into tramway tracks (I'm not even kidding, Budapest looks like a bombing site because of all the tramway extensions). Though based on my experience the last time I was there, it was all for the best. We bought two overpriced tickets, politely smiled when they mistook us for tourists, and living up to that, took photos we will never look at again, of the city we see every single day. After that, we had overpriced ice cream, my mom went home, I met up with one of my friends, and we went to Starbucks to study for our finals.

Moi.

I guess since I won't look at the photos, you guys could. Sorry for the bad colors, taken through glass and I couldn't bother with editing...

Boring Ferris wheel.

And thank goodness we did, because while we were peacefully sipping our vanilla frappuccinos on the leather couches, a F%*!@&G HUGE hailstorm had hit Budapest. And it hit it hard. There was pebble-sized ice everywhere. The streets were flooded. The wind was tearing out umbrellas from people's hands. Everyone was frantically searching for shelter. It was the apocalypse. After waiting half an hour in the tram stop for the storm to die down, however, I decided that I was either walking home or freezing on the spot, so I took off my platform sandals and walked (swam?) home barefoot. Yay.  (and this is where I plug in a Skins reference) 

And that's it for my 19th birthday.

2. Finishing High School

Part 1 - Finals: Ugh. If you didn't know already, in Hungary, school leaving exams have two parts: one written and one speaking test. Our class had three days to do the speaking tests, with thirteen people - including me - on the first one. And since with a very faulty reasoning they declared that the best come last, I was the very last person taking the exam that day, meaning that I was in school from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., frantically trying to revise everything I'd learnt in five years and thus probably annoying the poor parents who volunteered to make sandwiches. Soz mom.

When it was finally my turn, I had to draw two envelopes, and both of them ended up being the number 14, which is my lucky number so I thought I was all set. And, I mean, partly I was right, but although I did do well in Literature and History - my analysis of post-modernism in contemporary Hungarian short stories and my explanation of the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was spot-on - I completely bombed Grammar and Linguistics, as I could not say a word on the types of compound words. My teacher kept saying that "I must be tired" because "I knew it on the test". Just for the record, we were never tested on compound words.

But I guess her confusion with what she had and hadn't taught only worked for my advantage here, as I got almost maximum points. As I found out, the lowest percentage I got for a leaving exams is 90% (History writing was a b*tch), which is a crazy good percentage, especially since our marvelous government (notice the irony) made leaving tests extremely difficult this year, so that no one will get into university and everyone will have to do horrible menial tasks allowing them no time to think and thus creating a mob so easily influenced by demagogic promises, political rant over.

Fraaaahndz after we got our certificates (high school diplomas?) and an unsolicited copy of the Constitution of Hungary.

More fraaaahndz.

Me leaving the school building for the last time ever, holding my 6" 

shoes that I couldn't walk home in.

Part 2 - Senior banquet: Basically a huge and fancy dinner, which marked the last time we spent together as a high school class. That's it really, there's not much to say about it. It was held at an all-you-can-eat cafeteria. Some people were overdressed (ahem, me), some people were underdressed (ahem, Zsolt and his Bermuda shorts). I wish it had been more memorable, but it just wasn't. It was the last couple of hours we ever spent together as a class - and of course I cried, but as we all know I always cry - and it was quite underwhelming and anticlimactic.

I had no good photos of the banquet, so here's a rare selfie you guys never wanted to see. And yes, that's my bra strap.

3. Weekend Getaway

My dad decided that for the last time before I leave to the US of A, we should spend some quality time together with his family, and determined that the best place for that would be Győr, a city northwest Hungary. It was meant to be two days of water parks and hot tubs, but yet again - as it always is - that didn't happen. Instead, we spent our time walking around town, eating bad pizza wrapped in blankets, playing squash without knowing the rules or how to even use the equipment, and taking photos of potato bug statues in the middle of nowhere. And midst all that, even a random dog started following us around. FUNFUNFUN

This is how you abuse the "Exaggerated colors" filter on your camera.

That moon there is why I should have taken my tripod with me.

Potato bug statue. #sointeresting

My dad, verbatim: "Lilla already wasted an entire roll of film on the storks."

A church and power lines and the "Exaggerated colors' filter.

18 Things...

On the evening of June 8, 2009, the day before my 13th birthday, I started a little tradition. I wrote a little overview on my past year, and entwined it with my outlook on the next year. Then, to finish it off, I wrote a list of 12 things I did at 12. This was a pretty simplistic list, including buying my first pair of heels and falling in love for the first time, but it since it reflected my 12-year-old personality so much, and - let's admit it - was a pretty good idea, I decided to continue with it.

Although I consider the little reflection of my 18th year a little too personal to post, here is the list of things I did at 18:

18 things I did at 18:

1. Go to a music festival (two actually!)
2. See the Arctic Monkeys live
3. Get a drastic haircut (5" is pretty drastic for me...)
4. Get the ear piercings I'd wanted for the past 8 years (I was a hard-core 10-year-old) and get a disapproving stare from my mom every second day
5. Take the night bus for the first time (lol)
6. Have a graduation ball (a.k.a. prom)
7. Write and give several speeches (prom/graduation)
8. Have my senior portrait taken
9. Come up with an idea for our class tableau!
10. Create a YouTube channel (no videos yet, hey, gotta leave something for next year)
11. Write my best film analysis yet, on Holy Motors
12. Apply to university
13. Get accepted to my two top choice universities! (And six others)
14. AND get a full-tuition scholarship to USC!!
15. Travel to Los Angeles
16. Take final exams
17. Graduate high school (AND get the 'Student of the Year' award!)
18. So, erm, it's not what you think, I promise, but I'd like to keep the last one private ;)

There you have it! I know this is a forced, silly and repetitive list, but it's not that easy to think of 18 things that were unique to one year of my life. I think there are some pretty big things on there, which I'm incredibly proud of, and the rest, well, life is about the little things they say...

Stay tuned for another year of craziness, everyone!

I love you all!