3rd decade.

From 2010.

Exhibiting my work for the first time.

Making new friends and finding out who my real ones are.

Losing a bit of weight and toning up.

Braving Glastonbury and enjoying myself, not to mention the bitchin' tan.

Paris, my first holiday booked and planned without the help of my family.

Recruiting strangers and eventually a respectable amount of people for a Photography project.

First proper Photography job, even if it was only for Malden Fortnight and The Village Voice, it brought me work shooting at a birthday party.

A bit more confidence, I'd like to think it means I'll eventually be able to call myself outgoing.

Managing to keep up this blog and becoming better at writing.

Turning 21 and having a great birthday party with all my family around me, then being whisked off.

Getting closer to my sister.

Taking more photos!

Seeing 2011 in with more spots than I've had in my life and ghastly roots.

It might even be another New Years Eve in with boyf, Bucks Fizz and nibbles. I'm not really sure how much I care about this, it's nice to be a bit boring as I've not seen him for an extended period of time at all this holiday.
I'm looking forward to everything exciting next year is already promising; Disneyland Paris again, graduating, final exhibition, finding a real job with a career path, perhaps even moving out. eep!

2011.

So, I guess it's New Years Eve tomorrow.
I went to Oxford Street yesterday and I don't see what all the fuss is about. Nothing I bought was in the sale but I am very pleased with all my new things anyway.

I found Carnaby Street like the tourist I am, and I bought Moon a lovely t-shirt, just because it was very 'him'.





I also bought a cross stitch from Topshop, I guess that was in the sale but I'm not sure how much it really counts. I finished doing all the hearts last night, it gets much harder from there. I kind of went a bit mad in Topshop and got some new pyjamas, earrings and socks and a really comfy cardigan for my Afternoon tea at Claridges on Monday - which I'm excited for.

I thought a bit about doing a 'my year in photos' post but there were about 50 images and I didn't feel I could narrow it down much more and that's too many for one post when the photos are so small on here. But this has probably been the best year for taking photos so far. I haven't really thought about New Years Resolutions yet, but I might just write them down rather than sharing them with the world.

I have decided my next University project is going to be about the science of dreams — I'm quite excited but I need to figure out how it's going to work.

Snow Time-lapse.

December 2010 Blizzard Timelapse from Michael Black on Vimeo via PetaPixel.

Here is a time-lapse video by Michael Black that takes place over 20 hours of a blizzard that hit the East Coast of the USA. I'm definitely surprised that everyone is still complaining about the snow in the UK.

Christmas 2010.

So, my sister made the whole Christmas lunch for most of the family, it was very tasty but I didn't pace myself very well. My few days off from dissertationing are about to come to an end and I've got to get on with the final push.

Anyway, here are some photos for your pleasure from Christmas eve/day/Boxing day. I dressed the table, which is why there are so many photos of it. The Christmas tree candle was from Paperchase and it was a pretty nice investment, it burns down the middle, really slowly, so I think that it will last a long time.

© Ruth Johnston 2010.

I won't list all my Christmas presents or anything but I have some favourites. Moon got me a lovely organiser and David Attenborough's autobiography as well as some perfume and other lovely things. I also got some Euros for Paris in January and lots of tasty treats and pretty things. The Toy Story boxset is in the post, so I'm really looking forward to that too.

Here is a photo of my cat before we sent her to stay with one of my uncles while another uncle was staying with two of his (five) dogs.

I guess Christmas was a bit more stressful than it usually is, but I still enjoyed it once I let some of the more over-opinionated statements wash over me.

Snow Joke.

I braved the snow to get home yesterday, it was all melty and slushy in Portsmouth but made the 10 minute walk to the station around 20 minutes. I blame the amount of books I had to take home, not to mention the heavy presents, at least my arms are feeling super toned right now.
Surprisingly, it only took a little bit longer to get back than it would have on a non-whitemare day, so good job South West trains. Woking is a weird train station.

© Ruth Johnston 2010.

All my Christmas shopping is out of the way and I've sat through my second viewing of A Muppets Christmas Carol. I feel so Christmas, but I have to spend the next few days working on my horrid dissertation.

Home Stretch: Part 2.

Once again feeling incredibly overwhelmed.
Here is the proposed final layout for the half-Chinese images, "Where are your parents from?". I didn't intentionally place myself in the middle but I didn't want to be first or too close to my sister, it looks a bit strange because I'm wearing one of the brightest colours, but I think as I'm the main starting point, it's a fine to say it's the layout in my Project Report, even if it isn't necessarily going to be the final, final exhibition layout. In any case, other people aren't necessarily going to know that it's me straight away anyway.

© Ruth Johnston 2010.

I had to use one of the classrooms so forgive the fact that the lighting in these is a bit weird - I'm sure that by the time 'exhibition time' rolls around they'll be put in a clean, crisp spot.
Here is the text I have written to go at the beginning of the series:

This is not a study, it is an exploration to discover if there are others like me, and if there are others who feel the way I do. It’s strange to formally acknowledge my position as a British half-Chinese person. I am happy to be half-Chinese and have something different about me, but I also remember being very unhappy about it too. When I say that my mother is Chinese, which is all people really want to know, I am usually then asked whether I can speak it, when I say, “No, but i can understand quite a lot”, I am met with a disappointed “oh”, as though I’m the only person in the world who never learnt Chinese.



I have been picked on, and even singled out by people in the street because of the way I look. I’m proud of who I am, although I tend to resent the repetitive reaction to wanting to know ‘what I am’, some people are just curious. I am half-Chinese, I am British and I’m embracing exoticism.

Overall, I'm pretty much happy to say that I'm finished, and I feel like it's my best University project so far. At least at this stage in the game it had better be. I have been told to expect between a high 2:2 and low 2:1 for my dissertation, which I'm really not happy about, so I really want to do well with this project.
What annoyed me about my tutorial this morning was the fact that my tutor asked me about my practical project and how it was going and when I said it was nearly finished and how I wanted it done by the time I went home for Christmas, she then gave me more to look into and more to do. Eeep, I think I might take a chance and leave it out, she mentioned 'Identity', which does have a loose link to this, I suppose, but I think I've covered it in my interviews and research about mixed race people. I do still worry about whether I should do it but I'm really not sure that I have the time. Ahhh. I'd better slog my guts out until Friday, really.

Perfect bag.

I think when my next loan payment comes in, this is the first thing it's going on, I've sort of casually been on the look out for something like this for a while. It's practical and so beautiful.
How About Orange are doing a giveaway when you write a comment and what bag you want, but I wouldn't know what to say and there are 290 comments so far, so I'll just really consider buying one after Christmas. ♥

Home stretch.

I love this point in a uni project. I'm going to like it even more after my final tutorial on Wednesday.
I've spent the morning trimming down my final images and re-printing images that weren't quite up to scratch the first time round - so another £12 down the drain. My RDB is very nearly finished and then it's just the Project Report to get done and that's everything. Then I can begin to focus on the dreaded dissertation. Boo!

I sent one of my images to be mounted professionally onto foamex but it didn't arrive in time for the final crit so I had to mount another on foamboard as well. I like the paper they've used and I'm aware that I've done quite a shoddy mounting job, but I don't see a great deal of difference other than in the weight. I might just stock up on thinner self-adhesive mount-board and do it the easier (slightly cheaper) way. They also got the sizing wrong, so I just have a print of Gareth forever now anyway.

I have another ASK meeting in a bit. It will hopefully sort me out enough for my dissertation to be fantastic. I don't really like being told that I use 'weird phrasing'. Although, if I get a 2:1, I'll still be happy with it.

Text Me.

So, I've had quite a nice amount of praise for my work today, I'm very happy. I had a mini-breakdown and started to feel like I wasn't good enough, so the crit today really helped. I got some nice compliments on how the text to go with my images was written. Here are the Indesign layouts for the text panels, after I was told to tweak their style slightly. They'll probably get another makeover before the hand-in, I'm still a bit torn over the font size of the 'name' text.



If I can pull of the research for this, I might actually get a good mark. I hope I don't end up offending any of my subjects with their text, I mean it's paraphrased but I think I've stuck to what I talked about with them. It took me about a year to print of the text properly, but I think I've finally figured out why, but my printer and I did have a major falling out.

Fellow Maccabees fans should watch this http://www.channel4.com/programmes/on-track-with-seat/4od#3144521. It's delightful and there's been so little of The Maccabees for such a while, I've missed them so much. I've spent most of tonight listening to all their songs. LOVELY LOVELY! ♥

I missed another day of my 365 yesterday, so that's that challenge well and truly failed, I'm kind of getting sick of it to tell you the truth but there are only just over 3 weeks left to go so I'm not really sure what to do. I think it has served it's purpose and I am taking more photographs but I think it's had it's day and I'm going to call it quits. I've lasted a hell of a lot longer than others that I've seen. I'll upload the backlog and then I think that will be it — plus a closing statement obviously.

Even though it is really chilly, I quite like this weather, I like walking around in the morning and feeling ice crunch under my feet.

© Ruth Johnston 2010.

In further Ruth-related news, I have booked another trip to Paris for January, only it will be with my sister, we'll only be staying in and around Disneyland and it's just for the weekend. I booked it, but it's a Christmas present from our mum really, which means it's probably the best present I've ever had. I've also signed up to go to New York with my course in March. Apparently, this school year is a time to man up and go places. I am a bit sad because I'd hoped my first trip to New York would be romantic and with Moon, but at least this way I can scout out the best places and we can be really organised when we eventually get around to going together.
The sunset this afternoon was beautiful.

Additional Whitemare.

I think I've de-stressed myself, so it's back to work for this week and I hope I don't have another stupid episode.
I've planned to get my RDB out the way this week and to carry on with my dissertation right up until the hand-in. Pff.
So anyway, here are some photos left over from the 'Whitemare', all the snow is gone now but it is expected to get colder again this week, so we might be back where we started by the end of the week.
I really hope I'm able to get home with no hassle because I'm kind of looking forward to going home now.

Here is an egg that Moon dipped in beetroot juice

© Ruth Johnston 2010.

Busted out some Christmas songs. I quite like Boy Least Likely To's Christmas album, out of loyalty and the tinkly noise they make, but also because their single from the album, 'George and Andrew' is a great idea with a great video. If Cher wins X Factor, everyone should buy this to boycott her.

I know I said that I should put 'stop making to-do lists' on my to-do list, but right now I think I really need them.