The Good News

Ohkay, I was supposed to do this yesterday, but I was unexpectedly detained at my aunty's house after tuition....and I came home at 9pm, and after a day of helping them move into their new house, I was sort of exhausted. But today, people. Today. 

Today I tell you about the FORMAL!!!

Firstly, I'll confess that there won't be many photos. I realised it kind of reminds me of my time in Sri Lanka, like, those memories are so precious I can't bring myself to share them. Only, I'm still going to write about it. And I mean, it just feels weird. I haven't shown photos of moi before, and I just can't bring myself to do it now. Also, I don't think photos captured the 'spirit' of the night, and... I have an embarrassing confession. Well, it's more of an embarrassing realisation, because I didn't actually know I was doing it.

Well, basically... I pout.

Okay, not like this. A little more subtle.

='_'= I didn't/don't mean it! I realised this retrospectively. For the whole night, I actually thought I'd mastered some semblance of a normal smile, but only recently, going through all the photos, I realised it was not a normal smile at all. It was a POUT. EW. I FEEL LIKE SUCH A TEENAGER. But in my defense, I think it's kind of... genetic. 'Cause as I was looking at the photos, I realised this sort've-smile looked kind of familiar... and when I checked some photos of Sri Lanka.... turns out I have a second cousin who does the same thing. So there.

Okay, this post is not about pouts and photos, it's about THE FORMAL.

So for those who don't know, I guess the way to explain what the formal is is to say it's... basically like the Australian version of the prom/grad? It's a dance, on your final year of high school, with the girls in pretty dresses and the guys in their tuxes, and there's a limo (or in our case, a party bus), fancy food, photoshoots and funny awards (like 'Most Likely To End Up In Prison'). It's sort of a celebration of the final year, a glamorous night to dress up and be merry.

And mine just went perfectly. Really. If I was talking about it, like actually talking, I'd be gushing. I don't think I ever gush. And I'd probably be starry eyed, and maybe even a little giggly.

... okay, not giggly. Don't think I can do giggly.

So it was last Friday, and we 'unofficially' got the day off. I mean, they say it's still a school day, but it's more of a joke because clearly it's going to take a whole day for a girl to get ready, and clearly no guys are going to be coming if the other half of the year level isn't. I didn't understand why it took a whole day to get ready, until I heard the appointments everyone had, from 9 in the morning... hair, nails, tans, eyebrows, makeup... blah blah blah. I can tell you now I was spared most of that, thank God.

(Fun note: my friend Jasmine actually asked me how I was doing my hair... I was like, well. Well. I think I'm going to get streaks in, I'll probably straighten it, but maybe I'll curl it instead, and then I'll pull it in some fancy bun... and then I'll undo that all and put on my headscarf.)

So I spent the day cleaning the house, and around 2pm, Creepy Z came along. Makeup lady.

I hate makeup, I really do. My sister had specified that there was no way I was getting out of it, and my mother was backing her, and I kind of knew there was no way I could get out of it, so I resigned myself to letting her paint my face. I'll admit though, that a) it kinda feels nice when makeup is getting put on you... all tickly and stuff. When it's actually on, not so much. And b), Creepy Z is amazing, and although I didn't dare look in the mirror the whole time, I trusted she would do a wonderful job, and from what others said, it was.

(Fun note: did I mention all the appointments? Yes, every girl had a makeup appointment with some specialist or expert or whatnot. Mine was done by a girl one year level below me... no one noticed the difference. Hahaha.)

So anyhow, because my face has almost never been touched by makeup, Creepy Z had to experiment a few times, and during that time, 'Furby' came along. The 'hijab stylist', or my sister's friend. She I love the most, because she totally had my back with the simplicity thing. You see, my dress was this.... 

It was unbelievably hard getting a picture of the whole thing; it's so long...

Behold, my very first 'selfie'. Now, see how long it is?

And my sister wanted gold, gold, gold. I may not be a fashionista, but I really couldn't see how gold worked. So anyway, my sister was shoving a gold bracelet over to start with, and then Furby was like: 'Oh, come on, her dress is all like Game of Thrones, and this bracelet is all Kuch Kuch Hota Hai... no. Just no.'

(Btw, I actually love KKHH... just saying :P )

So anyway, I was spared the gold - I had to wear some rings (that were thin, and they got put together to be look like one) and that was okay, and I wore a black bracelet too, which was also okay... and that was it. The hijab that Furby did was ahmazing, but um, I absolutely cannot find a picture of it - as in, on anyone else. I'm not really familiar with 'hijab styles' anyway, I kinda just usually wear mine the one way, so yeah... but it was pretty, like, black, but then she tied this similar dark reddish one around and made a flower out of it and and and, you guys...

I FELT LIKE A PRINCESS.

There, I said it ='_'=

But I can't help it. For once, just for once, I felt pretty perfect. Not exceptional... just, you know, nice.. so in my element...

... until I wore those heels. See, people, there's a reason why they tell you to practise wearing heels weeks earlier. Wearing them for the first time five minutes before you leave is a dreadful ordeal. DUDE, THEY WERE SO HIGH, I COULDN'T SEE THE GROUND. Okay, I'm kidding, but they were just awful, I was swaying and stumbling, and I still do not get the point of heels. Unfortunately, I had no time to get out of it, because I had to go pick up Star...

... and she looked like a modern day Cinderella. She was sort of offended, but really. Her dress was the same blue as Cindy, and her hair was pinned up (but not defying gravity, just... pinned up) and she had this shawl around her and she looked so lady like and everything!

Anyway, we headed to the Captain's house, where our group was meeting up, and I was just awestruck by how lovely everybody looked. I mean, I'd seen photos from the deb last year, and when the girls put on makeup... they looked awful. But this year, they all had it right - not too caked, and you could still recognise them. And the boys, the boys - a group of them had arranged their ties to be colour-coordinated, so that they made a rainbow, and it was so cute ♥

Then came that terrifying walk to the party bus, and I had to hitch up my dress and hang onto anything I could find for dear life, and I made it. I can't say I liked the bus bit much. In my head, no matter how many times everyone stressed it was a party bus, I could only picture it like a normal bus. But a party bus means the seats are along the sides, facing each other, and it's sort of squashy, and I felt uncomfortable with the boys, but what to do? There was a little TV playing all these old songs that I listened to as a child, but in that oblivion when all those dirty words never meant anything... and at that moment they did, unfortunately, and I was sort of mortified. Also, there were no windows. What is that?! Way to induce claustrophobia.

But we got there in one piece (the Cookie Monster from one of my old posts got sick, poor guy :P ), and people were milling at the elevators, waiting to go up, and there was lots of gushing. Then we got up there, and we had to go through security. Um, yeah, last year's group were apparently very Bad. 

Oh, SUPER PROUD MOMENT: Our year level is the only one in years who didn't have a single drunk. Yes! No one. See, every year, some idiot thinks it's funny to ge stoned and show up. They get sent home. I don't get the point of it; I mean, a) you miss out on the party, b) you're not even going to remember it. What a waste. But we didn't have a single one of those x)

So we get there, and it wasn't opened yet, so everyone was cramped into this foyer, and some people were getting their professional shots done, but the line was really long, plus we didn't want everyone watching, so our gang decided to save those photos for later. Then more of our friends caught sight of us, and there was a lot of screaming...

(Fun note: I'm pretty much the only one in high school who refuses to do 'casual dress days'. I'm just so lazy, and if it's for charity, I'd rather just give the money then get that kind of thing in return. So when people see me in 'normal' clothes, i.e. not school uniform, I tend to send them into shock. Sometimes there are spasms involved. I'm pretty sure people just assume I go home after school, plug myself in, shut down and recharge throughout the night for the next day...hm.)

And everyone was just like ZOMGSQUEE, YOULOOKSOPRETTY, ILOVEYOURDRESS, ILOVEYOURHAIR, ILOVEYOURMAKEUP, ILOVEYOURSHOESEVENTHOUGHICAN'TSEETHEMUNDERYOURDRESS, SQUEE, SQUEE, SQUEE, SELFIEEEE!

Yes, we were like this for pretty much the whole night.

I think that was the best part of the whole night: that atmosphere. I really think every girl felt like a princess (they all looked like it, that's for sure), and everyone was just so happy and fluffy and totally on Cloud 9...Compliments were flying, everyone wanted to talk to everyone, everyone was hugging, everyone was gushing, and it was just awkward pouts smiles all round.

So we get past that stage, into the actual venue, and the photographer wanted to take a group photo with everyone... which was near impossible, but we managed with people sitting, squatting, half squatting, three-quarter squatting, standing, and standing taller... you get the picture. Then we dispersed, to our seats.

We got our entrée - this cheesy pasta thing. Obviously it had some fancy name that I don't know about, but it tasted delish. The captains got up to do the awards, but there was this moment they called the Captain and I up, to thank us for helping (we made the sashes and the placecards), and at that moment, I had kicked off the killer heels under my table, so I had to scramble to get them on, and then stumble across the dance floor to the stage with everyone watching. Yeah. Mortifying. But I got a box of chocolates for my efforts.

The awards were announced, and then we went back to our seats. The DJ started playing some music, and this girl took a teacher to the dance floor and a few people joined, and it slowly turned to 'mingle time'...

Lotsandlotsofmingling.

Then it was dinner, and there was a choice of fancy chicken or lamb with fancy vegetables. Delish.

Then the party really started, and everyone was getting on the dancefloor. I am not a dancing person, certainly not in public...

(Fun note: the last time I was at a party that involved dancing, I spent the night hiding under a table, and a chair...)

... but I learnt the key was to remember everyone looks just as stupid as you, and as long as you don't think about it, you'll be okay. Oh, and it helps to have enthusiastic friends. Us girls made a group and I was bopping along while they pulled off these stupid moves, and we admired my friend Chamsi (who we'd forced this guy to bring along) who knew the words to every single song, like, every single song. From this century and the last. And every now and then, I'd shout above the hubbub to ask her what she'd just said to some song, and she'd pat me on the head and be like: 'Don't you worry.'

Lotsmoremingling. 

Our legal teacher had told us, the day before, that the key to a 'good formal' is when everyone is enthusiastic and chatty, and not taking photos the entire time. You have to mingle. So we mingled. Then they did the award 'Beauty and the Beast', which was decided by the teachers - oh, I forgot to mention, the theme was Hollywood. Nobody really takes it too seriously, but it manifests itself subtly in different ways, like the funny awards. So 'Beauty and the Beast' was a replacement for the King and Queen, and CAPTAIN GOT BEAUTY! I'm so proud of her, but also, duh. She deserved it; she looked so classy ^_^ And the guy who got Beast - no one saw that coming, but when he got it everyone thought duh as well.

Anyway, we got around to taking our professional shots. I really didn't want single ones, but the photographer lady was so forecfully enthusiastic, so I had to, and then Toothpick was standing behind her making faces, and the poor lady couldn't understand why I was glaring at her... and then I really did intentionally glare at her 'cause she wanted me to smile with my teeth and I absolutely cannot do that. So there was that. Then we had our girl group photo, and then we had our little 'original accelerated class' photo - like, people from my year 9 class. We managed to get some of the others, who had moved schools, to come along as well, and it was just so cute to be together again :)

And the whole night just flew by, it did. Little snippets are just stuck in my head. Like when the boys who were dancing in the middle of the dance floor picked up Raman and made him crowd surf - over such a small group,  you can't really, but it was cute. They did it to some other guy too. Oh, my super amazing English teacher, who had sworn he wouldn't hit the floor - well, he showed off some his moves later in the night too. All of us girls trying to take one group photo. Oh, this guy who'd worn a top hat and monocle. Dessert: crepes with raspberry syrup and ice cream. Teetering but never falling over in those heels. Toothpick attempting to insult me by saying that I completely ruined the ladylike effect by holding onto the wall when walking, but me grinning because that meant he thought I looked ladylike to start with.

Seriously, one of the best nights of my life. I had no inhibitions, I felt great, and you could just tell everyone else did too, and it really feels like a fairytale. I'm so going to miss everyone *sniff*

This night is sparkling, don't you let it go

I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home...♥

Peace in, 

Laila