SURPRISE!

I'm either extremely gullible and naïve or my friends and family are the best liars in the world.

This week was my 18th birthday and I've been so excited about it, with a meal planned with some of my friends on Wednesday, a family meal at posh restaurant 'The Blue Strawberry' on Friday and a meal at TGIs with my 4 best friends on Saturday afternoon. Those plans included a large calorie count but a lovely way to celebrate my birthday! However, I was completely unaware that my friends and family had other plans of how I was to spend my Friday night!

I had already had one major surprise on Wednesday night when I opened the present from two of my best friends, Megan and Ciara to find a wireless modem box, which left me searching for any private joke about bad internet that might have led to them buying this for me and describing it as 'the best present ever'! They soon revealed that I needed to open the box and after attacking the sellotape with a knife I managed to get in, screaming and shaking when I found a ticket to see 'the love of my life' Jack Whitehall. Megan told me of how they had been scheming with my Mum to check I was free and I felt very proud of Ciara, who cannot be subtle to save her life for keeping it a complete secret.

As if I wasn't shocked enough by that, I was then hit by the massive shock that was Friday night! I was told that we had a table booked for the blue strawberry at 8.15 so I needed to get glammed up for orchestra so we could come home, pick up the boys and go. The lies were so convincing. My best friends Heather and Cat both told me they had plans with some of their friends that night and my Granddad said he had to leave early because he was feeling ill.

The moment I walked into my house and my friends jumped out shouting surprise is all a bit of a blur. I remember looking up and seeing my friend Charli and thinking 'what are you doing here?' then slowly realising that the room was filled with all of my best friends. Everyone was looking at me and I really didn't know what to say, I turned round to my mum with an accusing, 'what have you done' look, then I just started crying. It's all very cheesy and since that moment I have been incredibly emotional, crying at the thought of it, but it's an amazing feeling knowing that you have so many people in your life that want to make you happy. Lots of people have said to me this week 'I hope you have a good birthday because you truly deserve it'. I have no idea what I've done to deserve it but these people have made my birthday the best ever and they have made my life so far amazing.

Although my mum was very very worried that I would be crying for the wrong reason rather than endless happy tears. All week I have been saying how much I hate liars and although it is quite funny to think about me walking in and breaking down screaming, 'I can't trust anyone, why does everyone lie', that would have been disastrous. I didn't though and I've definitely been shown that even liars can be lovely.

Even though my birthday is now over I'm looking forward to a fantastic year spent with the very best friends in the world and my fabulous family. Thank you to everyone who made my birthday so special and being fantastic liars. It meant so much that everyone made such a massive effort from the boy who never goes to parties but came to mine; my awkward best friend who puts up with my constant embarrassing; my superstar cocktail waiter brother; the girl who I've been told nearly slipped up on many occasions but still kept it secret to the boy who put up with my unnecessary overreaction and all of you other schemers!

I'm a very lucky adult (although still 7 inside!)

Katy xxxxxx

First Impressions

Everyone says 'Don't judge a book by its cover' and I am starting to see the truth behind that saying. Whether you're referring to an actual book, a person or even a University, your first impression doesn't necessarily count for much!

Unfortunately, you don't always get the opportunity to change someone's first impression of you, which I'm beginning to find slightly worrying as I have recently discovered that a lot of people, usually male, take a little while to really 'get me'. Many people would describe me as quite talkative and my inability to tame the chatty, excitable Katy often leads to me sounding rather ditzy.I've recently been told by a few people that Jess (played by Zooey Deschanel)in New Girl, is 'just like me'. I take this as a massive compliment because New Girl is my new favourite TV show and I think Jess is lovely but she's not exactly a character that people would desire to be like. I really see the resemblance though and the way people react to her on first meeting is reminiscent of the way many people look at me on many occasions.

I don't blame anyone for having a negative first impression of me though because I don't think it means anything in the end. If you think about the first thing you thought of people who you're friends with now then they'll probably be very different to what you think now. When I was in year 9 I sat on an English table with 4 boys and only one girl. This girl seemed lovely and very intelligent but I remember thinking to myself that it was unlikely that we'd ever be close friends because 'she was too quiet for me'. That is a ridiculous thought and surprise, surprise completely untrue. That girl is now one of my best friends, a friend for life and certainly the person who I shared the best and funniest memories of school with.

Its not only people that you have first impressions of. I have changed my mind about which university I want to go to about 10 times. Although I'm not retracting the advice I gave in one of my previous blogs about what to base your University decision on when visiting on an open day, I would like to add that you need to be open minded that things might change. I received a rejection from the uni that was my top choice at the time I applied, however I soon found a new favourite, which then changed and has now changed again. I have visited my two most recent favourites twice now and they became my favourite after the second visit so what I'm trying to say is that first impressions are unreliable and we all need to become open to developing our thoughts on a person or a place or whatever we are faced with. If we didn't then we'd probably end up unhappy and alone, so I'm no longer relying on first impressions because that's not something I want.

Class of 2012

I didn't cry at my end of year 11 assembly.

I must have been 1 of about 10 out of over 200 students who didn't, I've never felt so unsatisfied. It was a sad assembly but I knew that the majority of us would be back at the same school for sixth form. What a time to gain a realistic mind! I wouldn't usually complain about not crying but when your whole year group are walking around hugging each other and blubbing "We have to keep in touch" you feel a bit left out. Plus, an awful repercussion of not crying on the day is that I got it all a month later while watching the video of our Head of Year's goodbye speech!

I don't think I felt like I was a big part of my year group then either. I'd always thought I was someone everyone knew. Not because I was mega popular or mega uncool or anything, but I just assumed everyone knew who I was. They didn't, I just spent a lot of time in the music department so the majority of people probably just knew me as 'that girl that has a pink music case of some sort'(for anyone that ever wondered and still doesn't know, it's a violin).

I feel very differently now. I'm still not someone who every single person in my year will know, but I'm not so sure that's a bad thing any more. I am so much more connected with my year group though and that's what's important. This year, I get to help organise loads of events and various other stuff for college with some really great people, some who I may have never even have spoken to if we hadn't have decided to get involved.

Everyone always says that no one cries at the year 13 leaving assembly but I think I probably will do. All it took was one look at the year 13 photo for me to start crying the other day so I feel like it's inevitable. There are only a handful of people who I can honestly say I wouldn't be able to tell you a single memory from my time at school with them and unfortunately I can't be so nonchalant about leaving this time because how many adults do you know that still see all of their school friends?

So even though it's not until May. Dear member of my year group, If you don't know who I am, I'll be the one blubbing in the corner.
Katy xxx