Dream Catchers

Today I went shopping with my best friend. We haven't been for ages, and we got some really cool stuff. I bought a new top, a choker necklace, 2 semi- precious stones, 2 bangles and a small dream catcher.

I really like dream catchers, as they often have very intricate and colourful designs. I also like the idea behind them, of letting the dreams pass through the feathers and trapping the nightmares in the web. This is the second dream catcher I have bought, so I now have a small bright blue one and a larger pink one. My friend collects them and has lots in all different colours. Here are some of my favourite designs from the internet.

Exploring The Unconventional

Most of the music we are introduced to via the radio, the TV and the charts is the stuff that is most popular. Usually these songs are pretty good, but just because it is famous doesn't mean it is the best. Sometimes we can find great music by exploring the more unknown artists and finding something a bit different.

One of my close friends is always introducing me to Indie music, as well as other folk and rock performers. We love comparing new finds. These are some of my favourites:

Banana Pancakes -                           Jack Johnsone
Oh My Love -                                  The Score
Lost Kid -                                         The Apache Relay
Youth -                                             Daughter
Up All Night -                                  Alex Claire
Kids Don't Wanna Come Home -    Declan McKenna

Feline Yoga

I have always wanted to try yoga. I liked the idea of doing something so calm and relaxing. The problem was, as I did not know any yoga myself, I would need to go to a beginners class. However, I have now realised all I needed to do was get a little help from my cat, Bumble. He can do all sorts of yoga poses.



Do the Pigeon..

And now the Savasana

 



  

 





And reach up!





         

Now time for twisting sage pose!



 

All Things Cheesy

This week, I asked you all for blog topic requests and I received a surprising suggestion. One of you wanted me to write about cheese. Now I do like cheese; I love cheddar and am always happy to eat a bit of Dairylea or Philadelphia. But I never realised it had such a big following that people would want me to write blog posts about it. It seems though, there are others who love cheese this much. Michael McIntyre's son, for instance.

 

 



But for some, this love of cheese goes even further. Tim Minchin loves cheese so much he has written a song about it. Click below for a hilarious cheese themed musical number.

 

I hope that has satisfied the cheese lovers among you. If any of you have any more blog topic requests, post them below!

Is Our Free Time Still Our Own?

As I am now getting nearer to the start of my GCSEs, I am becoming hampered with school work more and more. Homework, controlled assessments and revision mean I am going to have little free time over the next few weeks. Scariest of all though, is that is doesn't stop in the holidays. Next week is my half term (yay) and it does not look like I will be getting much of a break then either.

This has all got me thinking. It seems that our free time is not really our own anymore. If they want us to do well, surely we should be allowed plenty of time to do things that make us happy, to get lots of sleep, to socialise. Because if you are really stressed out, tired or unhappy you can't focus on revision anyway.

I am lucky, this does not affect me as badly as it will some others. My parents don't put lots of pressure on me and as I mostly get good grades, the school's expectations don't stress me out as much as they do some people. But not everyone is in this situation.

I could sit here and say that the solution to this is changing the school system, but that isn't going to happen any time soon. But we can change how we respond to the pressure. The thing is, the stress can only get to you if you let it. So yes, you might be forced into doing extra work, but the work won't make you stressed if you decide you won't let it. So ignore their nagging, spend a bit of time doing what you enjoy and hopefully, we can all stay sane until June when we can all have a nice long summer.

A New Record!

I have now reached 10 000 pageviews!

I have been writing this blog for just over 2 years now, and when I first started I never thought it would be this popular! I was surprised when I reached my first 500 views. I am so pleased that people are interested enough in what I post to keep checking it and telling their friends. `

These pageviews have come from all over the world. Although 6819 of them are from within the UK, the rest come from all sorts of places. I have had 1059 from the USA, as well as lots from continental Europe and some from more exotic locations.

I plan to keep blogging, but I am always in need of new ideas. If you have any suggestions for topics, write them in the comments below. Thank you to everyone who reads this and to everyone who has shared it online. Please keep doing so!

Challenging Conformity

One of the subjects I study at school is psychology, and something we have been studying in the past week has got me thinking. We have been learning about conformity. About how we all seek to be the same as those around us, part of the group, one of the accepted ones. And I have decided I must be a little unusual, as I am a bit of a non-conformist. I often do things that are completely different to what everyone else is doing. These are the sorts of things I mean:

• Wearing very colourful/unusual clothing that stands out amongst my friends black and grey hoodies. This is a frequent source of complaints from the friends who are seen out in public with me. They love it really!
• Not having any social media (unless you count the blog).
• Singing and dancing like crazy along to music even when others aren't.
• Choosing not to wear a traditional prom dress to Prom.

Why am I like this? Well, I guess I must worry a lot less about what other people think than most other people. But I think it is actually the main reason why I am happier than most people. Yes, I am a optimist, and I guess that must have something to do with it, but mostly I think it is because I dress, sing, and generally live exactly the way I want to. If being free to be yourself does not make you happy, what will?

So I encourage you to try it, to stop worrying about what everyone else is doing and just do what pleases you: what feels right, what you believe in ,what makes you happy. Try it over the next week, because I think it will change your life much more than you think.

Not This Again!

When Fifty Shades Of Grey was big, it was all people would talk about. I got pretty fed up - it's just a film. And now, I think we might be heading back to that point again, as they have made a sequel called Fifty Shades Darker. Surely this one can't get as much attention as the last one? Still, the film has inspired Ellen to make this hilarious parody. If only the film was as funny as this!

Little Mix- Losing Their Magic?

I have always loved Little Mix - from when they first appeared on the live shows of X factor to their latest album. But they seem to have changed their style. Their first to albums had a bit of a street dance feel, with heavy beats and raps in many of their songs. Lately, they have lost all that and become just another pop band.

Although Little Mix's new music is still good, they aren't unique any more. They are still popular, but there is nothing to make them stand out. Their older hits, like Wings and Move, are soooooo much better than Shout Out To My Ex. Most people must like their new pop style though, as they are now the worlds biggest girl band. Maybe that is the problem, artists get more money from being conventional, leaving us with less musical variety.

I am still a fan though. I am going to see them in concert in July with 2 of my friends, and I can't wait! It is the first concert I have ever been to.

Do you like Little Mix? What do you prefer, their old or new stuff?

My First Day As A College Girl

A couple of days ago, I spent a day at the college I want to go to next year. I had already had an interview and was planning to sit in on a few lessons to see if I wanted to take those subjects, as well as get an impression of the college as a whole. I had been looking forward to it, but it turned out to be even better than I thought it would be.

As I live close to the college, I walked there by myself. After years of getting the bus to school, it felt really weird. I love the idea of being able to get myself home so easily. Going into the school office alone was not so much  fun though! I was partnered up with a girl in her first year and she took me off to my first lesson, which was English Literature.

My guide was not in English Lit, so I sat with two of her friends. We sat at the back, sneeking chocolate and trying to make sense of Othello. I can't even tell you the things we talked about! I did manage to work out what was going on, and by the end I was loving the subject. I hung out with my guide and her other friends, before heading off to English Language together. This, as it turned out, was definitely not my sort of thing.

At lunch, I grabbed some food and a Costa, before sitting upstairs with my new friends. We all went to Psychology together in the afternoon, which I loved just as much as I thought I would. Then, I had a second interview to make my subject choices.

The staff were lovely, the atmosphere was really friendly, I could not have asked for more. I am now really looking forward to going to college in September, where I will be studying Graphic Design, English Literature and Psychology. If you get offered a taster day, go for it. It is a great way to find out what a college is really like and you will have fun doing it.