Christmas Party Outfits

The season of the Christmas party is upon us, so I have searched the web for the best party pieces on the high street. Comment and tell me which are your favourites. I went to my first party of the season last Friday night. I went to the SNAP Christmas party and it was fab. More about that later. Happy partying!

I love this dress! It has sleeves and is not too short so you won't be cold.
However, the off the shoulder look means you are not too covered up!
Wear it with thick black tights for extra warmth.
£14.99, New Look

This cool jacket will also keep you warm as well as making a statement.
I like the fur!
£34.99, New Look

This dark red dress has a lacy bodice and skater skirt.
It also comes in black.
£19.99, New Look

These sparkly shoes are perfect for completing any party outfit-
providing you can walk in them.
They come in silver and gold.
£34.99, New Look

This jumper will add some sparkle to your jeans.
It has a V at the back as well as the front.
£14, Peacocks

This LBD is simple but fab. It features a wrap skirt.
You will need either a mild night or a very warm jacket
 to wear it without freezing though!
£19.99, New Look

These cool black skinnies can be paired with any evening top.
£14, Peacocks

I love this simple sparkly clutch.
It would look great with the silver sparkly heels above.
£10, Peacocks

#OursToLose

Climate change- a big problem. A world wide problem, in fact. And so it makes sense that individuals, especially teens often feel a little powerless to help. We also may feel as if it is a problem that's far from home, that won't effect us. But neither of those are true. Climate change will effect everyone of us if we allow it to happen, which is why leaders from over 190 countries are meeting from the 30th of November to the 11th of December. They are trying to create a global legally binding climate treaty. To find out more click here to see this video.

So where is our say in this? Well, there are several ways ordinary people are getting involved to tell the government that we want them to agree on action. Over 3 million people have already signed a petition to say that they want to keep global warming below a 2 degree increase by switching to 100% green energy by 2050. Click here to sign it. Tomorrow, many Greenpeace activists are marching in London and other parts of the country to show how much people care about the environment.

Will you be showing your support for everything that is #OursToLose?

Russell Brand

Russell Brand- TV presenter, comedian, actor, columnist, radio presenter, writer, YouTuber and public activist. Bit of an all rounder really. Originally, he was just an entertainer, but in the last 6 years he has been focusing more on politics and writing. From his questionable children's books to his campaigns against various political leaders, he is very controversial, with most people seeming to love or hate him. He is also famous for his drug problems, and now supports various schemes to help them.

Mostly I like him because he is pushing for change and won't give up on what he believes in. However, I disagree completely with what is perhaps his most famous campaign. He said not voting in elections will bring about a political revolution. The thing is, for that to happen (assuming that it could happen at all!), a huge % of the population would have to not vote. That would take years of campaigning to happen and in the mean time we would have no control over who ran the country. Even if you don't believe any of them are any good, surely you can still vote for the least worst. Even he must have realised how mad he was though, as just before the last election, he gave up on the idea completely and told everyone to vote Labour.

What do you think of Russell Brand? Do you love him or hate him?

Goodbye Clara Oswald

Warning- massive spoiler alert for Doctor Who fans who have not watched last Saturday's episode.

This Doctor Who episode was the sadest yet this series as Clara Oswald died. Although she was not my favourite assistant, I still really liked her. I liked the fact she worked in a school, as it made her more relatable to teens and I loved her storyline with Danny Pink. I also liked the fact she was clever and had a really good dynamic with the previous doctor. I don't think the new doctor is as good as Matt Smith, he is not as funny or kind and is too old to have any sort of romance with Clara.

This leaves one big question: who is the new assistant going to be. Although the rumors say it will be Maisie Williams, who plays the character Me, I don't think it can be. The Doctor was so angry with her at the end of the last episode I don't think he will ever take her travelling. So if it is not her, who is it? What do you think?

Christmas is Coming - Debenhams

Here is the next instalment of my Christmas gift guide. With only 5 weeks to go (ahhh....panic!) we are looking at Debenhams.

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This adorable pup can be heated up in the microwave
 to keep little siblings warm.
He is so cute!
Was £15, now £9

Suduko puzzle cube- to challenge even the most
annoyingly clever relative.
£5

I love this hot chocolate set: such a simple idea,
but perfect when the weather is as freezing as it is today.
£8.50

This mini bath is a less conventional gift set.
£6

Two lattes that you can enjoy at home-
perfect for a coffee loving parent.
£16.50

No room for a full size table? Buy them the mini version.
Was £25 now £15

Performing

I have loved performing almost all my life. From singing in choir, to drama school shows, I have spent quite bit of time on stage. I think my favourite role was Lady Jane Seymour, as I got to wear a queen's dress and sing solo! That was for a school show, but I also went to a drama club out of school. There we had annual shows as well as entering local competitions. I have also played St George and another time I was a cat. I am currently in the school choir.

I think the reason I love singing so much is because there is always a moment when you hear the sound you or your group are making and you think "that sounds pretty good". And then you think "we're making that sound". It just feels great.

Are you a performer?

I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here

Another year brings another season of Ant and Dec's celebrity torture show. This year, the line up includes Hollyoaks star Georgia, fashion expert Susannah and, arriving on yesterday's show, Made in Chelsea's idiotic Spencer. So far, we have already had tantrums from Lady C, aeroplane drops and flirting from Georgia and George.

I especially love the comments from Ant and Dec, they are soooo funny when they take the mick out of each other and the contestants. My favourite part though was when they were trying to explain to the Australian crew about phones, apps and internet but the crew thought they were magic talking boxes! ITV could never do the show without them. With many more days in the Jungle to come anything could happen. Will you be watching?

Fallout 4

After my Animal Lovers post, I have had several requests at school to write about particular topics and dedicate my posts to people. The most popular request was for something on computer games. I have already done a post on computer games a few months ago. Click here to read it.

One of my most avid readers said he wanted me to talk about Fallout 4, which is currently the 2nd most popular X-box 1 game. I have never actually played this, but I have been finding out about it today. One of the things that I hate about some games is that the character seems to be killing for sport. I think this is crazy, as I don't see how that could be a fun activity.

In fallout 4, your character is just trying to survive in this dystopian post-apocalyptic future. With dystopian teen fiction such as the Hunger Games at an all time high, it is not surprising that it is such a popular game. It's still rated 18 though, so perhaps not the best topic for a teenage blog. But then it is no secret now that many teens and even younger kids play 18 games.

Are you a fan of the Fallout series?

Fake Tattoos

As we are under 18, we can't get tattoos yet. Also, there are very few things that I would want on me for the rest of my life. Fake or non permanent ones mean you can get the same effect without worrying. I think the transfer ones are best. They last longest and look really realistic. Sometimes they can last for up to 2 weeks, whereas the glitter ones only last a few days. Also, they don't look like real tattoos at all! I have tried the pens as well, but they wash off very easily. Henna is a much better alternative. These are some cool ones I found on the internet.



These simple chain tattoos are perfect to wear round
your wrist or ankle.
Top Shop, £8

These tattoos are also designed to look like jewellery.
I love the metallic look.
River Island, £5

These elaborate tattoos are really pretty.
Claire's, Was £4.50, now £3

These tattoos are more realistic as they are
coloured pictures. I love the roses.
Claire's, was £4.50, now £3

Difficult Decisions

Some of you may remember that about 6 months ago, I blogged about the difficulties teens can have when choosing our options. Now, as I am well into my GCSE courses, I am thinking about college.

As your A-levels and other qualifications at that level directly effect what uni courses you can do and what jobs you can get, I think they are piling to much on us at this age. Although I have some idea of what I want to be when I am older, I don't know what uni courses I want to do or even if I want to go to uni. Some of my friends have no idea. Yet we are expected to decide the 4 subjects that we want to continue with in just a years time.

Also, it can be hard to know what college you want to go to. I have been to an open evening recently, and it all looked really good, but I have nothing to compare that to yet as I have only been to one. Only a few colleges do the subjects I am looking at, so that is making my decision easier. Still, it can be very daunting as you will probably be there for 2 years of your life, and there are many more options than when you are looking at senior schools as you can travel further. I think I would rather go to a college nearer to me though. I also want to go to a college not a sixth form as I don't want to feel like I am still at school.

Are you looking at collegs yet?

The Apprentice

16 contestants, 2 teams, 1 boardroom. And 1 Lord Sugar looking for his new business partner. All you need for a great series of the apprentice. So far, the challenges have included a shopping spree in France and a pet show selling opportunity. With the girls bickering and their lack of planning, the boys seem to be on track to win. Recently, they have been in mixed teams but the girls are still being sent home. I want to support them, but they are a bit rubbish this year.

This year, we have Claude replacing Nick as one of Lord Sugar's advisers, which has certainly made things more interesting. He used to be the person they were all scared of during the interviews, and now they are all scared of what he will say in the boardroom. My favourite part of the show is the boardroom, when Lord Sugar tells them all what they did wrong. He can often be quite funny. The honest subtitles clips (found on BBC I player) are even funnier. They show you what the people are really thinking in the challenges.

Do you watch the apprentice?

Calling All Animal Lovers

I am doing this blog because it was spiecally requested by an animal loving friend of mine. I hope you all like it as much as I know she will!

As some of you already know, I am a major animal lover! I have already blogged about my cat called Bumble, who is very badly behaved but still lovely. If you haven't already read it, click here. Although cats are my favourite pets, I also like dogs, as well as most other animals. Tigers are my favourite animal.

At my school, we have 7 guinea pigs and 2 chickens and I help look after these. I am head of the chicken society and the friend who requested this blog is head of the guinea pig team. I love the fact we have animals in school, as I think it is great for people who don't have any pets. Also, the chickens are good for people like me who don't have the land for chickens but still really like them.
I also support animal welfare via organisations like Greenpeace and only eat free range eggs.

Are you an animal lover? Do you have animals at your school?

Why Shakespeare?

Many people believe, rightly or wrongly, that Shakespeare was the greatest writer that ever lived. So naturally, we study him at school. A LOT. Although I do have several friends who really like Shakespeare, many teenagers just don't feel the love for him. I think I have worked out why.

There simply isn't anything teens can relate to in Shakespearean plays. We have never experienced any medieval battles, we are unlikely to have killed a man and we don't know any Kings. Even the love stories aren't relevant because in most western countries in today's world we are free to marry who we choose. That and the complicated language means it is very hard for us to engage with the story.

Other more modern classics, such as Great Expectations and Lord Of The Flies are more understandable. We are all experiencing the challenges of growing up and will soon have to decide if we want to stay with our parents or move on to uni or else where like Pip in Great Expectations. The unreturned love he has for Estella and some of the difficulties Pip has because of his class are also still possible today. Lord Of The Flies is scarily relevant as it is quite possible that the same thing could happen to us if we were all stranded on an island or a school trip.

So does this mean we should study less Shakespeare? He is still an amazing writer and many young people do enjoy his work. I personally like A Midsummer's Night Dream and Romeo and Juliet, but not his other plays. However, I do think we should study things that are relevant to us as well.

Christmas Is Coming - Boots

For my third instalment of this Christmas gift guide, I will be looking at present idea's from Boots. They have lots of great gifts on 3 for 2 at this time of year. Here are some of my favourites.

This seriously cool Paul Frank pencil case is the
 perfect present for any teen.
£10

This tin contains 3 Sanctuary spa products.
It could be given to a mum, aunt or gran.
£8

Sisters or friends might love this cool hair kit.
£8
 

I think these novelty pencils are great. A really fun
Christmas present suitable for musical friends or relatives.
£5

These touch screen snowflake gloves are great for
gadget lovers this season.
£6.50

This cool VO5 set is perfect for brothers or friends
this Christmas.
£7