White Trousers

Yesterday, I wore my pair of new white trousers for the first time and I love them. They are slightly cropped and like jeans in style. They are perfect for summer days when it's quite cold but still sunny and you need warmth without being wintery. Currently, they are in many of the shops. Here are some I found on the internet.

These are actually white skinny
jeans, not trousers but they
create a similar sort of look.
Joe Browns, £29.95

These are high waisted full length slim
trousers. The buttons at the top give them
extra detail.
New Look, £19.99

These cropped 7/8 trousers are the most like
mine. I love their simplicity.
New Look, £19.99

These are a bit different as they
are cropped capri trousers, perfect
for when the weather is a bit hotter.
Peacocks, £14

These trousers are full length
 unlike some of the ones above. They
are made of a linen material.
Next, £28

I am a Subway Fan

I had subway for lunch today! I HAD to try out their new filling, barbeque pulled pork, to see if it was as good as the others. It was tasty, but not as nice as some of the other fillings. Personally, I like either chicken chunks or turkey slices with lettuce. Subway's one of my favourite places to eat when out shopping with friends as it is cheap, quick and healthier than other fast foods like MacDonalds. They have a huge range of possible combinations so there is something for everyone (except perhaps vegetarians, they can have a boring cheese salad, an unappetising veggie patti or an overpriced plain salad). Most people like the food there too as it's basically just sandwiches so even if you are in larger groups it is suitable. I say this because I really like KFC but none of my friends like it there so we never go when out shopping together. I haven't had one of their cookies yet but they look really good.

Do you like Subway? If not, what's your favourite fast food.

Sherlock Holmes

You have probably heard about the legendary character of Sherlock Holmes, who solves mysteries with the powers of deduction. There have been several films/TV series based on the original books and I like watching the BBC drama. It is in my head at the moment as we watched the first series at the sleepover. Benadict Cumberbatch (who is one of my favourite actors) plays Sherlock and Martin Freeman plays Doctor Watson. They are an unlikely but working pair and I love the little moments of comedy between them.

On a more dramatic side, every episode is packed with death and danger. I love how Sherlock revels in this while everyone else has to go along with it! I like to guess along with him, trying to work out the mystery. Normally, this would not be considered as a show for teenagers, but I think it can definitely be enjoyed by our age group.

Here is a clip of some of his best bits.

PS. On Britain's got talent, one of the girls wore the New Look yellow dress from one of my  previous posts in her group's VT!

Perfect Day Out

As I mentioned yesterday, I went to Paulton's Park today! It was brilliant, we went on all the rides I wanted except for the newest roller coaster. As it was new, it had really long queues and we did not want to go on it that badly as it was very basic. We went on The Edge, The Cobra, Magma and the The Raging River Ride ( 4 times) amongst others. It was great to be there with all my friends, all screaming together ( more me than anyone else!).

I think my favourite was The Edge, a 43 mph thrill ride where you sit on the edge of a 40 seater circular platform while you travel along a track that is nearly vertical in places. I am much braver than I used to be! I also love the log flume (Raging River Ride). The last time we went on it people squirted at us so we got even wetter than the first 3 times put together! Do you have a favourite ride?

After, we went back to my friends house which is where I am now. I know I said I would post later but another friend has lent me her laptop so I thought I would catch you up sooner. Overall, we ate a lot, screamed at lot and laughed a lot.

Paulton's Park

Tomorrow, I am going to Paulton's park with my friends. It was one of their birthday's last week so her mum is taking us as a treat. I have been there several times before and I love it! I went a few times when I was younger and once as a loosely science based school trip (the teacher's excuse for a day off). As there are only a few scary rides there, some people don't think it's that great. I don't like rides that are really extreme or go upside down though so it's perfect for me and they have other rides that aren't so scary but are still a lot of fun. I'm really looking forward to it. It does however, mean that I have to get up as I have to at my friend's house for 8.30!

After that, I am going to a different friend's house for a sleepover. This does mean that I won't be able to blog though, but I will fill you all in on everything that happens Friday evening. Do you like Paulton's park, or do you prefer bigger theme parks?

My Favourite Shops

I often talk about what I have bought when I have been shopping or nice clothes I have found on the internet. To find these easily though, you need a list of good clothes shops on hand. Here is a list of my favourite shops.

New Look - Practically every fashion post I do contains at least one item from New Look. They have a huge range of modern clothes, many of which are perfect for teens.
Items I have shown from there: yellow summer dress, sunglasses, all of the items on the summer shoes post.

Peacocks - This shop is my first port of call for cheap, casual clothes. I have got several of my favourite tops from Peacocks over the years and I love their colourful, simple styles.
Items I have shown from there: bright summer T-shirts (yellow and turquoise).

Joe Brown's - This is a new one for me. I had never heard of this online store before until my dad gave me a mini brochure of their's that he found in a newspaper. Most of their clothes are a bit weird or too old for us but some of the clothes are really nice.
Items I have shown from there: dark blue summer dress and denim summer dress.

I do also shop in ASDA, Next, M&Co and some others but these are my main ones for blog posts. Where do you shop?

Summer Dresses

With the recent warmer weather, it will not be long before we are in summer dress season. When you are a teen, finding the right summer dress can be hard as some are very little girly or too old for us. Also, many of us don't like things that are too girly or fussy and many summer dresses are. Here is my selection of summer dresses. I have tried to get a varied mix so hopefully everyone will be able to find something they like.

I have shown this dress before in my summer
clothes post and just had to put it in this one
as well because I love it! My favourite colour
is yellow and I really like the higher neckline and
skater skirt.
New Look, £14.99

This simple dress is basic but
beautiful. I love the colour and the
simple summery design.
New Look, £19.99

This printed dress is in a darker
colour, perfect for those who
are not so keen as me on wearing bright
yellow! The white pattern and strappy style
still keeps it summery through.
Joe Brown's, £29.95

This dress is a bit different to those pictured
 above. It is less girly and a bit more
practical. However, it could still easily
be worn on summer days and makes the
perfect alternative dress for those
who don't like things too sweet.
Joe Brown's, £44.95

Britain's Got Talent Final Auditions

As I type this, I am watching the judges whittle down the successful audition acts into their final 40. I don't know how they are going to choose this year as there have been so many amazing acts. I don't know what my favourite act of the series is but I know that I have a favourite from this show. It's the acting dog that was amazing! They have had lots of dancing dogs and dogs that do tricks before, but never have they had one that is the star of it's very own drama. Watch them here if you've missed it.

Normally, I disagree with some of the judges decisions, but this year I think they have done a good job. I do think though that there are a couple of people they shouldn't have put through. That doesn't mean I want their job though! I am really looking forward to watching the semi finals! Do you watch Britain's Got Talent? What do you think of the tonight's show?

Revision

It was my last day at school today. Yayyyyyy. I love school holidays. Unfortunately, as I have already mentioned, I have end of year tests coming up. These are now only 2 weeks away. Scary. I always do quite a lot of revision on the build up to tests, especially in this half term. I don't make timetables because I find them too restrictive but I have come up with a system that means I can revise when I want but still know what subjects I need to do.

Most of my friends don't revise much (or not at all in some cases) which puts me in a bit of a difficult position. They all want to go shopping and do fun stuff in the holidays while between family stuff and school stuff I'm busy. I am doing some things with them as we are going to Paultons Park for my friend's birthday and we are having a sleepover. Still, it does take quite a lot of will power to stay at home and study when your friends are going bowling and planning shopping trips the weekend before the exams. Do you have this problem or are you not so bothered about revision?

Eye Dazzle

When I'm going out for the evening, I like my make-up to be bold and sometimes sparkly. To achieve this you can just buy glittery eye shadows. However, in my experience although they look really sparkly in the pot, they never look as good on. You can buy this stuff called eye dazzle which is much better. It is a loose powder eye glitter that looks very glittery on the eye even though it is not that impressive in the pot. There is one problem with it: because it is more of a shimmer powder than eye shadow, you can often see the skin through them with paler colours as they are semi-transparent. What I do is put an eye shadow, in the closest colour I can find, on first and then dust the powder on top for extra sparkle. My favourite colour is the gold one as it's perfect for parties. Have you ever tried these?

School Of Rock

I realised today that I haven't done a book or film review for a long time and as I am typing this while watching a film (that I have seen before) I thought it was the perfect opportunity. The film in question is the School Of Rock. Click here to see the trailer. Its about a music mad guy (played by Jack Black) who pretends to be a teacher so he can use his class to create a band. They enter Battle of the Bands but it doesn't all go to plan. Click here for a video of him teaching the class.

It's really funny because the school he teaches is a really posh private school and the kids only play classical music and have no idea what he is talking about. However, after a few weeks of his unconventional classes, they are rocking out and editing their school uniform, much to the annoyance of their head teacher. One of my favourite bits is his corridor surveillance system to stop her finding out what's going on. My favourite character is Summer because she bosses the teacher about at the start when he doesn't teach them any maths and ends up being the band's manager. Have you ever seen this film? What do you think of it? Do you have a film of your own to recommend in the comments?

Music Videos

As you all know, I love pop music, and most of these songs come with music videos. Sometimes these are quite basic, but some are a like mini movies, especially Micheal Jackson's. They are usually huge productions. Thriller is particularly long and everyone remembers it because of the dancing zombies. However, my favourite music videos aren't necessarily the ones that are the most impressive. I like the ones that have a good idea behind them. Here are my top 5 music videos.

Tayor Swift- Everything Has Changed - I love this video because it is so sweet and reminds me of a friend I had in infants. I really like the concept, its so simple yet original.

Ed Sheeran - Thinking Out Loud - Apparently, Ed Sheeran spent ages learning to dance and lost loads of weight doing this video. I think it's really romantic, perfect for the song. Some of the choreography is very clever, like when he pretends she's a guitar.

Olly Murs - Seasons - This video is really clever, the way the seasons change around them as they argue, dance and finally kiss.

Meghan Trainor - Lips Are Moving - All though this video is quite simple, I like it because it is very arty and colourful. All her videos are good but I think this is my favourite.

Ed Sheeran - Lego House - In this video the crazy fan Ron Weasley gate crashes one of Ed's gigs. It is very unique and I really like it!

Open Day Snacks

At my school today, it was open day and I went in to help out. We are supposed to spend the morning angelicly informing parents and doing various educational activities. We do this when there are prospective parents around, but really it is more of a who-can-steal-the-most-food competition. There were two sources of snacks, the MFL multi-cultural food cafe and the main hall. The teachers don't mind us eating a bit of food from the cafe so long as we are not too greedy.

The hall is a bit of a different matter. The food in there is for the parents and although we have never actually been told not to eat it, it is definitely implied by our headteacher. She usually stands either in the entrance or by the refreshments table so she can keep an eye on us. There are also two senior prefects holding doors and standing guard. We never go in at the beginning when it is full of parents but at the end I usually try and get in. I did manage to get some cake when she was talking to a parent. I think she saw me but there was nothing she could do about it.

Food was not the only excitement. Out history teacher brought his two children in and we had a piglet dissection in the biology lab. On the field, a mini farm was set up complete with a sheep, lambs, a goat with her babies, ducks and ducklings, two pigs, chickens and donkeys. My mad physics teacher is a major animal lover and cuddled one of the lambs. She made me take photos on her phone and considered running away with it.

All in all, it was a very fun day. Do you ever help out at school open mornings?

Summer Shoes

The weather definitely has not been summery today, so to put us back in the summer mood, I have found a selection of gorgeous summer shoes. They're all from one of my favourite shops, New Look. Where I am, it is supposed to be nice at the weekend, so maybe we can slip on some sandals then!

These shoes are a cross between sandals and flip
flops. I love the colour, it's really summery. The
silver bits are a nice touch too.
£7.99

The silver colour makes these a bit dressy.
They have quite a bit of a heel but it is not too
tall and it is square so you can still walk.
£19.99

This shoe also has a medium height square heel.
I love the crossover straps as they make them
 more interesting and unusual.
 £27.99

These summer flats are a bit more fancy than ballet
pumps but they are not too fussy. The ankle strap makes
them more practical as they won't fall off your foot.
£15.99

Cats Make You Laugh Out Loud

As I type this, I am watching the TV show "Cats Make You Laugh Out Loud". Because there are so many videos on the internet featuring funny cats, they have dedicated a TV show to showing them. Mostly, it's clips of them doing funny things but they also show videos from big feline youtube stars. Next time, they are focusing on dogs, but as I am more of a cat person, I think I will prefer the first couple of episodes. By the time you are reading this, it will have finished but you can watch it here.

I loved it. It definitely lives up to it's name as I was rolling around the sofa with laughter through out the programme. It combines two of my favourite things on TV, cats and comedy.

Car Crash !

At the weekend my cousin was in a car accident. She was driving round a roundabout when another car that was going too fast decided to change lanes. It tried to cut infront of her but ended up crashing into the side of my cousin's car with such force that her car spun round twice and onto the middle of the roundabout. The women driving then tried to make out it was my cousin's fault even though she was clearly at fault herself. My cousin is 18 and has not even had her car a year yet but it has already been written off. Luckily, she was not injured. The other women was twice her age.

In a few years, we will be learning to drive and going out on the roads for the first time. It made me realise that no matter how careful you are, there will be plenty of idiots and dangerous drivers who could easily injure you badly. Even if you escape unharmed like my cousin, it is still a very stressful experience. How do you feel about this? Please comment with your views on the topic.

ICT Test Tomorrow

I can't write much tonight because I need to get some sleep for my ICT test tomorrow. All the rest of the tests we are doing this term are just standard end of year tests, but as there is no ICT GCSE at my school anymore, we are all taking a Foundational Skills Level 2 this year. It will be the first exam I have ever taken where the results will be going on my CV. We will also have invigilators from outside of school for the first time too.

We did a mock test last week ( I passed), but I am still not confident that I will pass this time. Anything could go wrong, and it is very scary that this is my one chance at getting it right when it matters. I hope this gets easier as I get older, otherwise GCSEs are going to be very nerve racking. A fortnight or so of tests that will change your life. Have you experienced this yet, or are you lucky enough to have never sat a test of this importance?

Election Results

As I'm sure you all know, the Conservatives won the general election. It is the first time in ages that they have had complete control of the government as last time there was a co-alition. Before that labour ruled for many years. That was not the only change yesterday. Many more people voted this year. 66% of people voted in Britain overall and the figures were even higher in Scotland. More people voted this year than in the last 3 elections. In two areas, over 80% of people voted. Also, more young people voted. 58% of people aged 18-25 voted, 6% more than  last year's 52%. Some parties are now saying they want to give 16 and 17 year olds the right to vote, but as the Conservative party isn't one of them, we won't be seeing that happening any time soon.

I'm not sure really whether I think it is a good idea for 16 and 17 year olds to vote or not. The problem is, different people are mature enough to vote at different ages. While some people might be perfectly able to make a sensible decision at 16, others still may not be ready at 18. However, as this is impossible to judge fairly, the voting age has to be a set limit. This means keeping it at 18 may be holding some people back while for others it is a necessary precaution.

Funny Insurance Claims

Due to the popularity of my "funny test answers" post, I have decided to do something similar today with insurance claims. When people write insurance claims, they have to write EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED, which can lead to some interesting reading...
              

"Going to work at 7am this morning I drove out of my drive straight into a bus. The bus was 5 minutes early.." (Thanks N Bradley)

"I started to slow down but the traffic was more stationary than I thought."

 The claimant had collided with a cow. The questions and answers on the claim form were - Q: What warning was given by you? A: Horn. Q: What warning was given by the other party? A: Moo.

"I didn't think the speed limit applied after midnight"                                               

Q: Do you engage in motorcycling, hunting or any other pastimes of a hazardous nature? A: "I Watch the Lottery Show and listen to Terry Wogan."

"Windscreen broken. Cause unknown. Probably Voodoo."

          "The car in front hit the pedestrian but he got up so I hit him again"

          "A truck backed through my windshield into my wife's face"
      
           "A pedestrian hit me and went under my car"                  

"In an attempt to kill a fly, I drove into a telephone pole."

"An invisible car came out of nowhere, struck my car and vanished."                                                                                                                           

"Coming home I drove into the wrong house and collided with a tree I don't have.  

          "I thought my window was down, but I found it was up when I put my head through it."

"The guy was all over the road. I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him."

 "As I approached an intersection a sign suddenly appeared in a place where no stop sign had ever appeared before."

           "To avoid hitting the bumper of the car in front I struck a pedestrian."

"I was sure the old fellow would never make it to the other side of the road when I struck him."

          "The pedestrian had no idea which way to run as I ran over him."                       

"I saw a slow moving, sad faced old gentleman as he bounced off the roof of my car.                       

 "The gentleman behind me struck me on the backside. He then went to rest in a bush with just his rear end showing. "

 "The accident happened when the right front door of a car came round the corner without giving a signal."

 "The pedestrian ran for the pavement, but I got him."

 "I bumped into a lamp-post which was obscured by human beings."

            "The accident was caused by me waving to the man I hit last week."
                           
           "I knocked over a man; he admitted it was his fault for he had been knocked down before."

I was in hysterics when I read these. What do you think?

Polling Day!

You probably already know that today is polling day. All over the UK, people are going to polling stations to cast their vote. However, in the past years, only about 60% of people have voted in the general election. Many of those who don't vote are under 25 but this year there has been several campaigns to try and change this. As E4 is considered a younger persons channel, they have not shown any TV programs all day. All that is on the screen is a very board man called Darren who's job it is to make sure E4 is turned off and subtitles to tell you what's going on.

Later on this evening, BBC1 and ITV1 will show you the people counting votes and telling you the results as they come in. If you think that's a bit boring, you could watch Channel 4's alternative election night. All evening they are showing topical comedy shows including a special edition of Goggle Box. After 7 O'clock, E4 will run as normal and as today is a Quite Big Thursday, there will be brand new episodes of The Big Bang Theory, 2 Broke Girls and Brooklyn 99.

Also, I have put a Polling day themed poll on my blog. As usually, it is not available on mobile view. Alternatively, you can share your views on voting via the comments.

Cocktails

Last night I went to my best friend's birthday party at TGI Fridays. I love it there, the food is very nice, especially the puddings. However, the best thing about TGIs is the cocktails and mocktails. My Mum says their cocktails are really nice and I believe her because they are very popular. As they have quite a lot of mocktails on the menu, which are also very good, it means us teenagers aren't left out of the fun. I had an amazing cocktail called Raspberry Sublime. It was made of real raspberries, mint leaves, lime juice, sugar syrup, soda water and ice.  In the photo below, it is the drink on the left.

 

 

TGIs is perfect for a teenage birthday party. You can dress up a bit but you don't have to if you don't want to and as I have mentioned above, the drinks menu caters for our age group. When we are older, it could also be a potential 18th birthday party location. Have you ever been to TGI Fridays?

Celebrity Juice

My parents usually watch TV in the evenings about the time I am going to bed. Sometimes, I stay up and watch a bit of what they are watching, especially if it is something good like Celebrity Juice. I love Keith Lemon, he is so funny. I watch Through The Key Hole as well, mostly because he's in it. On Celebrity Juice, his funny (and sometimes evil) games and jokes make me laugh out loud. Some of my favourites are:

Is Joey Essex Thick?
Helen Vs Joey
Keith Vs Beast Seal
Keith Vs Beast Horse

Another thing he likes doing is taking the mick out of people. This is very funny but sometimes I think it is cruel, especially when he does it to Fern. I don't think her nose is that big. He can also be very, very rude, which usually leads to even more comedy. Do you watch Celebrity Juice? What's your favourite game?

Cooking For The Family

As I have already mentioned in previous posts, we do Home Ec at school and I love it. Now when you get to about 12 and you've done a bit of cooking at school it can go 2 ways:
1. Your parents love your cooking and get you to make them something about once a fortnight.
2.  Or your parents never want to eat your food again (or see the mess you can make in a kitchen) and ban you from touching their cooker.

I come in the first category and luckily, as I like cooking, am more than happy to make dinner once in a while (providing there is nothing good on telly). Recently, I have cooked a chilli and today I am making a shepherds pie. I generally use the recipes from Home Ec although occasionally me and my Dad team up to make a cake.

I have added a poll on the topic. It is not available on mobile view so you will have to look on a computer or switch your phone to desktop view and zoom in. Do you like cooking or do you try your hardest to stay out of the kitchen?

Funny Test Answers

Now we are in May, it's not long till the summer exams. For me, these are just annual tests but for some of us, it's our GCSE's. To cheer us all up, I have found some of the best funny test answers.

Meghan Trainor

Meghan Trainor is a fairly new star. I loved her first hit "All About The Bass" and thought "Lips Are Moving" was good too. Now she has a new one, "Dear Future Husband" and I am already falling in love with it. It seems every song she releases is a big hit. Her songs are all modern, fresh and perfect to sing or dance along to. I love her videos, they are all so bright and colourful, especially "Lips Are Moving".

I like Meghan herself because she is not afraid to be a bit different. She's not trying to look like a model or make really sexy videos, she's being more like herself. She's the perfect idol for teenage girls as she is not putting pressure on us about weight and image in the way other stars do. If anything, she does the total opposite.