Making a Difference

As young people, it can be hard to get our voices heard on issues that are important to us. We are the people who will have to live in this world in the future, and yet we have little role in shaping it. But there are still ways for us to make a difference. One of the reasons I write this blog is to give myself a voice. This sense of how writing can give you a sense of purpose is illustrated beautifully by this quote:

"Whatever we write, we are reaching out. We are declaring that we are not alone on this planet, and that we have something to share, something to say. Our writing survives us, even if nobody ever reads a word of it. Because we have given back, we have reflected our truth. We have mattered."

Larry Brooks

 

There are other things you can do that will make even more of an impact. There are many sites with online petitions that you can sign. These can be found on all sorts of issues. Greenpeace usually have ones on a range of ongoing environmental campaigns. Currently, you can sign to protect Indonesian rain forests, whales and the environmental laws created by the EU, which could be dropped now we have left.

 

You can also raise awareness of these issues by sharing them on social networking sites. If you really want to get involved, you could always write to an MP.

 

So even though we are still only teens, there are lots of ways we can make sure our voice is heard, to help create a world we want to live in as adults.

Autumnal Dresses

Although the weather is getting colder, we can still wear dresses! These casual autumnal styles from around the web are perfect for wearing with leggings or tights and ankle boots.

This cool shirt dress could be worn
in the day or evening.
New Look, £24.99

This stripey jumper dress is perfect for colder days.
New Look, £24.99

I love denim dresses, and the longer sleeves on this one
allows it to be worn well into Winter.
New Look, £19.99

This dress is very casual. I love the layered skirt.
Animal, £45

This jumper dress could be worn casually in the day
or dressed up for evening.
H&M, £12.99

I love the rich colour of this dress.
H&M, £12.99

This cool jumper dress has cut out details in the arms.
Topshop, £49.99

The Problem With Pre-conceptions

Reputations are not always true.

There have been several occasions over the past few years, when a place or person with a bad reputation has been totally different to what people expect. It can be a school, a college, a person in your class or a singer. Whatever or whoever they are, you can't just judge them by what you hear about them.

There is a college near where I live that I have visited and thought was perfect for me. Not too big, good at the subjects I am interested in and only a short walk up the road. My cousin went there and loved it (she got two As and a B). And yet because they have had problems in the past, everyone I spoke to told me I shouldn't go there. People who had never been anywhere near the place were telling me to avoid it. My school have every prospectus in their library but theirs. They are always giving out leaflets advertising open days, but not for that college.

So I have ignored them. Because I believe that reputations do not match reality. And I encourage you to do the same in your lives, get the real information for yourself instead of listening to the rumours.

The Apprentice Is Back

This Thursday, The Apprentice returns with 16 new candidates for Lord Sugar to terrify challenge. If you can't wait till then, have a look at the video below. Matt Edmondson has done hilarious interviews with the new group, revealing that some of them are nutters have a few, er, quirks.

Click here to watch it on BBC iPlayer.

I love the show because Lord Sugar can be really funny in the board room, especially when they make stupid mistakes. Are you looking forward to The Apprentice?

A Trip To Shakespeare's Globe

Today, I went to London on a school trip to The Globe theatre with a small group from my year. We saw Macbeth. It was brilliant! The theatre it's self looks really authentic. It has been built exactly like the original, complete with a thatched roof and wooden balconies. We had tickets for the standing area, which meant we were right at the front. Sometimes the actors even walked through the crowd.

The play was very dramatic. It was set in the original place and time, but with some modern jokes and references. I loved the 3 witches, and the drunk porter was hilarious. It was great to see the play in the way people would have seen it when Shakespeare first wrote it.

It is a unique experience that I recommend to any theatre lover, even if you are not that into Shakespeare. And to those who are forced to study his plays and are hating it, Shakespeare is a lot more fun to watch than read about!

Liven Up Your Weekend

Now we have been back at school a couple of weeks, I'm guessing you are needing something to brighten things up a bit. Here are some lively, energetic (and loud!) songs to take your mind off the weeks you have just had and the school year ahead.

Don't Stop -                    5SOS
Good Grief -                   Bastille
Last Night -                    The Vamps
Hey Everybody -            5SOS
Teenagers -                     My Chemical Romance
Ex's and Ohs -                Elle King
Geronimo -                     Shepard
Shut Up and Dance -      Walk The Moon
Written Off -                   The Vamps
Just Like Fire -                Pink
Cake By the Ocean -       DNCE
She Looks So Perfect -   5SOS

Ping Pong Madness!

Today, we had a very strange PE lesson. As most of the people in my year were on fixtures, the few that were left did table tennis in the Gym. However, as the PE teachers were needed for the fixtures as well, our session was supervised by normal teachers.

The first session was calm, with us all playing by the conventional rules. By the second period we were ready to mix things up a bit! We were just getting starting on a "Round the World" game, where you play in a large group and run to the other side of the table after hitting the ball. Our mad psychology teacher had turned up to keep an eye on us, and decided she wanted to join in! Only problem was, she caused chaos and did quite a lot of screaming!

For the final period, we had a science teacher who let us play a manic version of dodge ball. However, she forgot to remind us of the all important rule that you can only hit people below the waist! As a result, we had 2 injured students and 1 annoyed teacher. It was a lot of fun though!

So, not the normal PE session, but I think it was much more fun. I love a bit of chaos!

The Problem With My School is...

I go to a school that is 5 miles from my house and it can be quite a pain sometimes. Here are 10 reasons why going to a school that is not local can be a problem.

1. You waste more time travelling.
2. You don't have the freedom and independence of walking to and from school.
3. You don't get to chat, while you are walking, to your friends (and the boys) away from everyone else.
4. Your friends don't usually live near you either.
5. You can't just walk to your friend's houses, you have to rely on lifts and buses.
6. It is not convenient to just meet up with them for an hour.
7. All meet ups have to be pre-arranged, not spur of the moment.
8. When the school bus decides not to show up, you have a bit of a problem!
9. You are much more reliant on your parents than you want to be.
10. You lose touch with the kids you grew up with.

However, it should be noted that there is one positive to living far from your school: you are more likely to get the day off if it snows!

Do you live near your school? Or do you have the same problem as me?

The Bridget Experience

Sorry I haven't posted this week, it has been my first full week back at school and I have been very busy with homework. The joys of year 11 - not!

Today I saw the new Bridget Jones Film, Bridget Jones's Baby at the cinema. It was even better than I thought it would be. It was really funny, it had everyone laughing out loud in the cinema! It also had some really cool music, especially when Bridget goes to a festival that she is a little unprepared for.

The film is centred around Bridget's new life as a successful single women in her 40s. She gets accidentally pregnant, but is not sure whether the baby belongs to her ex Mark Darcy, or the millionaire Jack she meets at the festival.

My favourite moment is when Bridget meets Ed Sheeran and she has no idea who he is, suggesting he might be someone who works in Starbucks! Although her attempts at public speaking and Mark and Jack's method of carrying her to the hospital are also brilliant.

It is the best film I have seen for a while and I think anyone who wants a laugh should go and see it!

Bake Off Is Back!

The Great British Bake Off is back again for a 7th season. It is one of my favourite TV shows and this year is just as good as I had hoped it would be. After 3 weeks, we are starting to see who could do well. I love Candice, but she can be very inconsistant. Some of the boys can be very experimental with flavours, which usually works out well, although I don't think I fancy the chocolate and chilli bread from this weeks episode. Val is my favourite for the entertainment factor, although she has turned out some very good bakes, even winning the bread week technical challenge.

It looks like it could be anyone in the final. Who is your favourite?