20 Things To Do Before I turn 20!

Okay so in about 10 months I turn 20, I have just completed my firstly year of my degree and I realised there is so much I want to do while I have the chance. So I decided to create this list and I will stick to it, even if it kills me!

1) Get out of my comfort zone- whether this is wearing something I love but wouldn't usually wear or going somewhere on my own I would usually go to with someone else I want to get out of this zone or at least push it a little.

2) Try a new sport- I am the least sporty person I know, apart from the odd gymnastic lesson or karate for about a year I never really entertained sport I mean I loved dancing around and playing normal kids games but going swimming wasn't my idea of a great Saturday I'd much rather paint or make something. This is why I shall try a new sport and hopefully find one I love!

3) Get my health back on track- this is going to be the time I kick epilepsy's butt and tell my OCD where to go, pack my panic attacks bag and throw my anxiety out the door! I'm fed up of these dictating things when they really shouldn't. Even if it improves a little that will be a success.

4) Try a new food- I want to try something I can't pronounce or something I wouldn't normally eat I am so fussy when it comes to food I usually opt for my 'safe' options but I will try a new food and who knows it may become my new safe option.

5) See five new things- I want to see 5 new things whether this is 5 locations or 5 physical things like a building or statue I want to see them and I want to take in their beauty. 

6) Be happy with myself- Over the past few weeks I've suddenly become more content with myself yet I've also had really bad days where I literally hate everything about myself and I don't like those days at all so I will change that and I will become confident and happy!

7) Be kind to my skin- As a teenager I had really bad acne it was so bad that after a while even medical facial washes would not help or solve it so I kind of gave up and in that gave up on talking as much care as I could with my skin. This year that will stop and I will be kind to my skin after all you only get one.

8) Learn 5 new things- I'm not on about uni I'm on about things like a recipe, skill or hobby like knitting (it won't be knitting I tried several times and gave up)

9) Write- I love writing (hence why I started a blog) and I used to love to write poems and songs and stuff but unfortunately this took a back seat and I miss it so I will write to my hearts content.

10) Finish what I started- I have so many unfinished projects (books, crafts etc) and I really just want to finish them so I aim to finish 5 ideas (either new or old) before I turn 20.

11) Relax- I am a stress head I panic about things that happened years ago, I panic about things happening now and I panic about things that haven't even happened! I need to learn to take a step back, relax and accept help when I need it.

12) Trace my family tree- it's kinda hard when you only have one side of your family to ask but I vaguely know a little about my dad's side and I want to know more and learn more about my ancestors and family ties.

13) Relive some childhood memories- the best memories I have as a child are either one of the many times I was poorly and watched disney movies and had super noodles with sweet corn or just spent some quality time outside or with my family, so I want to do that again.

14) Write letters and put them away (read them at a later stage)- I want to be able to look back in years to come and remember what I was doing how I was feeling what I liked and didn't like, and laugh at how cringeworthy I was/am.

15) Spend quality time with my family- the fact is in a few more years I'll be moving out making a life of my own and this could be hundreds of miles away from them so while I have the chance I want to spend time with them and make quality memories.

16) Be more confident in what I do- I hate sharing my work because I never think it's good enough similar to my ideas. I need to start sharing and realise some pieces of work will be better than others but as long as I try my best that's all that matters.

17) Be happy- If something is making me unhappy then I need to stop whether that is a book or task I'm not on about quitting but if something that is supposed to make you happy isn't, it clearly isn't working and that needs changing.

18) Stand up for what I believe in- I can be quite argumentative but there are times I will shy away from confrontation I need to stop doing this and speak up because if I don't do something I may as well be the person doing wrong or if somebody isn't doing something wrong but I spot something someone needs bringing up on how will they know unless they are told. I will do this in a nice way though.

19) Find something to smile about at least once a day- this explains itself really.

20) Enjoy my last year being a teenager- this is it after this year I will never be a teenager again i will never be 19 I will never have a chance to relive those years so I intend to make it as good as it can be!

So that's it my 20 things to do before I turn 20 I may decide to blog about my progress throughout the next 10 months or just do 1 big blog at the end I'll see where the list takes me.

Too Short Too Soon?

Okay, so again I've been a little bit too busy but this time it was doing things I enjoy, but as I was watching TV this morning a segment came on the show about school girls wearing short skirts and how one school had banned skirts meaning girls must wear trousers. At the moment where I live it is in the mid to high twenties (Celsius) and clearly I would not be wearing Teflon trousers. 

Luckily I bid farewell to my school uniform 3 years ago, but to be honest, apart from the first 1 maybe 2 years of secondary school I didn't really follow the uniform anyway for a lot of different reasons, and I totally understand that me wearing a short skirt for the last year wasn't really 'appropriate'. However the reason the school has banned skirts is because it is  'too distracting for male teachers or pupils when the girls walk up stairs or sit down' I have 2 BIG issues with this statement. Firstly, why are they lookin? are we accepting a 'look but don't touch' policy. If that girl is wearing a uniform she is likely under 16 anyway, which makes it illegal and if she's too young to wear it as people say she's too young to be sexualised. Also why is it acceptable for a male teacher to wear a tight shirt but a female is seen as 'distracting' if she wears a short skirt because its too hot, or that's how she feels comfortable. I get there is children dressing too sexy, too soon but if we have a standard for one gender, there should be equal standards for the other gender. 

I understand rules are rules and in the 'real' world as school refers to it, there are consequences if you don't follow them, but what some teachers/people in general don't seem to understand is that the length of a skirt does not equal the person's IQ. Also people are bound to experiment with there style, its natural. I wore a short skirt, red lipstick and skinny jeans as part of my uniform. I also wore neon accessories for a while. Non of that makes me a bad person. Wearing a short skirt didn't mean I wanted people too look at me, it simply meant I wanted to wear a short skirt. My other issue with this is people are moaning that you can see a girls underwear with a short skirt or a tight skirt not if you wear tights or are careful (but again why look?), however if a gust of wind comes along, you can wear a long skirt and see a girls underwear.

Also, judging a young person is just as bad sometimes, that person may have finally gained some confidence, and you may have just torn them again. You can also blame the parents but when I first started wearing my skirt to school, I changed in the school toilets, so my mum never knew until I came home in the skirt, by which time it was far too late. It is also clear that me wearing jeans or a short skirt didn't impact my education or my ability to learn until it was brought up and I argued with the teacher. However its about discretion, I don't think its appropriate for primary school or even early secondary school children to be dressing provocative, but after a certain age, there isn't much you can do, they'll wear what they want, and by saying 'You must change for a man' its not really improving the situation or society. 

I also don't believe we would have this issue if females were not used as sexual objects. We seem to have this debate every summer, and every summer it sparks up the same response, which is fine put rules into place, but I know for me personally, if you'd have told me what to wear I'd of done the exact opposite, which I did, most of the time. Why can't school girls who are in there last ear of compulsory school wear what they like rather than be told there something they're not just because of what they wear? Or why can't men just grow up and deal with it rather than forcing girls to change what they wear or who they are?