“I can’t deal with this anymore; I swear I’m going to drop out of school instead.”

“The AMOUNT of assessments that I’ve gotten, I’m not even going to try. Who cares if I flunk it?”

“Studying? Again? I’d much rather throw bricks at zombies in Minecraft or sit there and binge-watch the newest season of Stranger Things.”

Every night, she swims through murky waters,

A helpless, smiling, witness under the starry sky,

The monotone shades of a world long gone,

The loss of colour like the absence in her mind.

What if you aren’t the one supposed to be fighting all these zombies, soul-eating ghosts, or whatever it is with these blue lights and death?

Or, what if you’re Mikey, with OCD and anxiety, who just wants to graduate and work up the nerve to ask out his sister’s best friend, Henna, before the school explodes? Again?

Or maybe, there truly are problems bigger than your own life, and you just have to fight it out on your own.

Even if you have a couple of strange, possibly magical friends…

Worshipped by mountain lions.

• The Rest Of Us Just Live Here, by Patrick Ness

“UNO CATCH”

“NOT AGAIN”

When I hear the word “berry”, I’d probably go running to pick one, given my inherent love for everything ending with the word “berry”. And when we discovered Berrima, a small town with a rich history, skirting the outskirts of NSW, we knew we had to go, especially to show our visiting family friends the inherent beauty contained within glittering, glamorous Sydney.

Set in a dystopian world where racial roles are reversed, two star-crossed lovers, Callum and Sephy fight for a more just, non-segregated world.

Crosses, like Sephy Hadley, dark-skinned and wealthy, hold great positions of power and privilege in their society. Additionally, Sephy is the daughter of famed politician, Kamal Hadley.

Strelitzia is my name,

A distant legacy to the green banana flames,

A beautiful bird in flight I display,

In every house, I always have my own way.

“Croak, croak, cRoAaKkKKKKKK”

-The Frog In Our Backyard, 2023

Who doesn’t love a spot of gardening? The very fresh sight of dew on flowers (which you grew) and raindrops of leaves (which you probably didn’t grow) gives you a sense of inherent pride and happiness, to see some of your creations come to life. In my situation, this happened when we moved to a new house, with our very own backyard and front yard, a black canvas to paint over and experiment on.

Another baking experience, another unexpected (but delicious) result. A week ago, I decided to try my amateur hand at making a new kind of dessert, one that differed from the cupcakes and cakes. I have a special liking for pudding, so once I saw that recipe popping up in my inbox, I knew I had to try it. Besides, I had a huge oven, and a newly minted batch of ingredients and equipment at my disposal. I was far too eager to give up the opportunity of combining two of my favorite foods, chocolate, and pudding together to resist. Thus, I rushed down instantly, badgering my startled mother to clean the oven so I could begin creating my concoction as soon as possible.