Cool Campervans and Yet More Studying

I might be off school but that does not mean I get a rest. With homework and the exams coming up, I have plenty to keep me busy. Are you in this situation? Have a look at the this video by Dan Howell. It will make you laugh, and does also have a few helpful tips if you are struggling.

 

 

Today I also saw a wedding. My mum's friend from work was getting married and we went to watch her arrive at the church. She came in the best bridal car ever! She had a pale blue and white VW campervan with a posh cream interior. It had a ribbon on the front and lots of flowers decorating the inside. The groom had one too. I loved it, it was so unusual. It would be cool to arrive in something like that for prom! Have you ever seen one like that?

Why I Can't Wait For Me Before You

This Friday, the lastest romantic movie is coming out- Me Before You. This sweet but sad film looks really good. Have a look at the trailer:

And if that is not enough info, click here for the second one.

As well as staring Emilia Clarke (Louisa Clark) and Sam Claflin (Will Traynor), Jenna Coleman from Doctor Who also features in the film as the best friend of Louisa. I really like her as an actress and a person, so I can't wait to see her in the role.

I think I am going to really enjoy it because I like romantic stories, even if they are a bit sad. The story line reminds me a little of The Fault In Our Stars, with the illness and the main character never leaving the house until she found someone who understood her. I am really looking forward to it and I definitely want to see it at the cinema. Do you?

BGT Final Tonight!

Finally, I am off school for half term. Yesterday, we had to dress up as a film character. I went as Honey Lemon from big Hero 6, as she always wears yellow and that is my favourite colour. Strangely enough, I was the only girl in the whole school wearing a bright yellow dress, but no one was surprised. They all expect it from me now! In fact most people just came as themselves. Boring!

Tonight is the final of Britain's Got Talent. I have been watching all series but I am still not sure who I want to win. My two favourites are the magical Richard Jones and Jasmine Elcock. I also like sword swallowing Alex Magala. I am both scared and excited about what he will do in the final! This year, there are also 2 wild card acts who were originally sent home: Trip Hazard and ballet dancing couple Shannon and Peter. I loved both of these acts and I am very pleased they both got through. It will all be down to who does the best performance tonight! Will you be watching?

A Visit On Ventura

Today, I went for a day visit on the P&O ship Ventura, so we could have a tour of the ship before we travel on her this summer. On the way into Southampton, we saw the brand new Harmony Of The Seas, which is currently the biggest ship in the world. She is so big and bulky, she does not even look like a ship. Larger ships are usually square at the back, but most of them still have a nicely shaped front. Harmony Of The Seas looks more like a huge floating building. I don't think I would want to travel on her.

The next dock we came to was ours. As we parked, we could see the beautiful Ventura. Although she is quite a large ship, compared to the Harmony Of The Seas she seems quite small! After going through security, we were allowed to board for our guided tour of the ship. We started in the Atrium, a central area spanning 3 decks with shops and bars leading off. Next were the various bars and lounges, all with different themes, from a classic wine bar to an Eastern-inspired show lounge.

We got to see several different types of cabins, before being led up to the top decks for a look at the spa and lovely pool terrace. Near by is the all you can eat buffet and fully equipped Teen club. We were taken even higher up to see the sports area and yet another bar. Here, you could feel the movement of the ship swaying from side to side in the water.

After the tour, we were taken to one of the restaurants for a 3 course lunch. I had tomato soup, rib of beef and a delicious chocolate mousse dessert. Finally, we dissembarked via a very precarious set of stairs and back onto dry land. It was a great day out and I am very pleased we went. The visits are definitely worth doing, especially if you have never been on a P&O ship before. I can't wait for my holiday this summer now!

Bucket Lists

Bucket lists- a list of everything you want to do before you die. A little morbid really, although I understand that if you want to live life to the full you need to know what you want to achieve before that day comes. Most people who have bucket lists are adults, but you can start one as early on in your life as you want.

I don't have a bucket list as such, but I do have a list of ideas. Whenever I see something I want to do, I write it in a special notebook, but it is not a set thing. I am still adding to it regularly, and there are probably somethings on it I will one day remove. Also, it is not a true bucket list, because it only covers certain areas of my life, mostly travel and related experiences.

Some of the things on it are:
Ride on an elephant in India
See the Northern Lights
Be in a TV show's live audience
Visit Pompeii

I don't think everyone needs a bucket list, but I think it is a good idea to have a notebook of things you really want to do, as if you have them written down somewhere, I think you are more likely to do them one day.

Guys And Dolls At The Mayflower

On Wednesday, I went to a professional production of Guys and Dolls at the Mayflower along with the rest of the cast and crew from our school production. It was a really energetic musical, a lot of fun to watch and I think it will be even better to perform. The actress who plays Sarah was really, really good, especially in the Cuba scenes. I really liked Nathan and Nicely Nicely as well, they were both very funny.

The best bits though were the big musical numbers. Guys and Dolls, Luck Be A Lady and Sit Down You're Rocking The boat were all especially good. I also thought the love story between Sarah and Sky was played out very beautifully, it had the whole audience captivated.

Seeing the play definitely gave me ideas for my performance of Arvide and made me look forward to our opening night even more. Have you ever seen Guys and Dolls?

Exams Are Looming

Exams have a habit of sneaking up on you when you least expect it. I have just had a lovely weekend of reading and relaxation, but it is not going to last. Up until now I have been safe in the knowledge that summer exams are ages away. All through the first half of the summer term you tell yourself, "Oh, I don't have to worry about exams yet, we have only just come back from Easter." Then suddenly, when you realise it is not long before half term (yay), you decide you should probably check how long you've got. That is when you notice you only have 4 weeks until the week of terror starts.

As I am year 10 now, we will be have exam style papers (eek!) and will be graded with GCSE grades (scary). It is good that they are giving us plenty of practise for the real thing, but at the same time, I want to enjoy what I have left of year 10 before I am thrown head first into year 11. Although, I am still going to work for the good grades, I am not going to panic too much as it is not our GCSE's yet. I need one more summer of calm before I can cope with that!

Top 10 TV Shows

I am not a person who watches a lot of TV, but there are some shows I just can't miss. Here is a list of my favourite TV shows, from first position to 10th.

1. Doctor Who
2. The Big Bang Theory
3. Brooklyn 99
4. The Great British Bake Off
5. Sherlock Holmes
6. 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
7. Saturday Night Takeaway
8. TFI Friday
9. Strictly Come Dancing
10. I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here

Do you like these shows? What are you favourites?

Summer Nail Art

Lovely weather where I am! I have been sitting on the swing chair in my back garden eating an ice lolly. The heat was not so great earlier on though, when we had to play rounders! I can't complain though, as I have been skiving all day: I spent the morning in choir practising for an event tomorrow, then we had PSHE after lunch and PE for the rest of the afternoon. Overall, much better than my usual days of sitting inside doing maths.

As my nail art posts have all been very popular, I have decided to do one based on designs perfect for spring and summer. These are my favourite designs from the internet. With half term coming up, why not try one out? I will warn you though, some of these will not be easy!



   

The Goldbergs

One of the programs I am watching at the moment is the Goldbergs. The series is centred around a funny but chaos family, who are always fighting with each other and doing mad things. Worst of all is the mother, who is very over protective (I definitely relate to this) and loves nothing more than to complain. The dad is the opposite, grumpy and uninvolved, although he does intervene when it is important. However, they still love each other and do get along some of the time.

As it is set in the 80s, my parents can relate to the series because that was when they were teenagers. This means I can see what their lives were like when they were my age. It is also interesting to see how much things have changed! I really like the program as I love the characters and it being set 30 years ago makes it more interesting. It really makes me laugh as well. It's on Tuesday nights on E4 if you want to watch it.

Travel Plans and Preparations

Finally, we have proper warm weather! It is really sunny where I am. First sundress opportunity! I am wearing my new navy spotty one I bought in Windsor. It is only a couple of months till the summer holidays now. I am going on 2 trips- a school adventure camp in Wales and a cruise to Spain and Portugal. Today, I bought a new suitcase for both. It is quite big and bright pink with white spots. I really like it, it is not plain and boring like most suitcases, it is really pretty.

One of the things I have noticed lately is that you can get all sorts of colourful beach towels with unusual designs, many inspired by travel. They are perfect for a summer spent home or away. Here are a few of my favourites. They are all from Debenhams, they were £20, now £12.

This colourful beach scene is
very summery.

This bold flip flop pattern
makes a statement.
 

This towel features an inspiring message
that will make you want to head to faraway destinations.

Zayn - Leave Your Hair Alone!

Before Zayn Malik left 1 Direction, he had very nice dark hair, which suited his olive skin. In fact, it was one of the things I liked most about him. He had always changed the length and style frequently, but the colour remained the same. Now he has gone solo (making them 2 directions!) he can't stop messing about with it! First it was very short and alarming green, then he went to a golden blond. Next he chose an ashy grey (just why!) before having the tips a very dramatic pink. Now, he has switched to ash blond.

If you have very nice hair, why mess about with it until it is just plain scary? Why turn grey before you get old? I think if he sorted out his hair, people might take him more seriously. His new song is not doing badly in the charts as it is, but then that might just be because of all the 1D fans who are missing the boys. What do you think of Zayn's dramatic style change?

A Colourful Uplift

I think we all spend a lot of time in life wanting what we haven't got and ignoring what we have. Teens, adults and even kids do it. Our pessimistic sides find faults in the good things we have and yet can't see the flaws in other peoples situations. I think we would all be a lot happier if we focused on the positives.

Take school, for example. Something a lot of teens hate. So OK, there is homework, algebra, the kids you don't like and boring assemblies. But there is also your favourite subject (art class for me), seeing your friends everyday and that teacher you like that makes lessons fun.

I think one of the things that makes me feel the most positive is colour. I find bright oranges, sunshine yellows and striking turquoises really uplifting. So, I bought a school bag covered in every colour of the rainbow. That way, when I am sitting in maths wondering when I can escape, I have something to cheer me up! What makes you feel happier?

Summer Playlist

This is my playlist of feel good, summery songs for the (hopefully) sunny days ahead.

Best Day Of My Life              American Authors
I'm Yours                                Jason Mraz
Budapest                                 George Ezra
Last Night                               The Vamps
Rather Be                                Clean Bandit
Tenerife Sea                            Ed Sheeran
Riptide                                     Vance Joy
Cheerleader                             OMI
Dangerous Love                      Fuse ODG
Oh My Love                           The Score
Someone New                         Hozier
Hey Everybody                       5 Seconds Of Summer

What are your favourite songs for summer?