Why I Am Studying Local

Next week I am starting college and I am very excited. I have been doing some clothes shopping in readiness, as many shops already have their Autumn collections in. So far, I have a new shirt, a jumper and some jeans as well as some new T-shirts I bought throughout the summer.

One of the great things about my college is that it is so near to me. I will be able to walk there in 15 minutes every day. I could have gone to a more prestigious college further away like some of my friends, but I chose not too. This is why.

If I had chosen to travel a long way, I would lose up to 2 hours a day of time for studying and socialising. Many of my new friends would live miles away, and I would spend a small fortune on bus and train fares. True, the college might be slightly better, but there was not enough difference to make it worth the journey.

So instead, I chose to stay local and go to the same college as my mum and cousin went to. I can go home to study in free periods, walk to friends houses and save time. The walking should help me stay slim too. And hopefully this time next week I will be pleased with this decision.

How did you choose your college?

Bumble The Music Critic

As many of you already know, I have a beautiful cat called Bumble. He is very clever and has very good taste in music!

I like playing keyboard, and often when I am playing Bumble is in the room. Today he was sitting in his favourite chair when I started playing. The first song I played was Just The Way You Are by Bruno Mars, and he laid down and listened to it happily. The next song, Price Tag by Jessie Jay made him sit up and look very grumpy, even slapping me with his paw when I tried to stroke him. But when I played Lily Allen's version of Somewhere Only We Know, he laid down, shut his eyes and looked very happy. He always does, I think that is his favourite song. However, Budapest had him sitting back up and scowling at me!

Bumble reacting to the music I play is a regular thing. Once when I sung along whilst I played Frozen's Let It Go he meowed like he was in pain, and when I rushed to see what the matter was, he gave me a look of "Thank God That Is Over", before asking to go out. He loves Lily Allen but can't stand Frozen - this cat has taste!

Do your pets react when you play music?

Raised By Wolves

This summer, I have become hooked on Channel 4's Raised By Wolves. The Sit-Com is about the life of a large and chaotic family living on a Wolverhampton council estate. It is written by 2 sisters who actually had a similar upbringing, which is what makes it so believable as well as hilarious.

The 6 children are all named after celebrities and all have very different characters. Aretha, is clever, sarcastic and driven mad by Jermaine, her dramatic, sex mad sister. The next youngest is Yoko, who is shy, kind and psychic. Then there are 3 young children: Wyatt, Mariah and the baby Cher. They all live with mum Della and their Grandad.

Whilst the story lines are unique and hilarious, it is these characters that really make the program brilliant. I recommend it to anyone who wants a good laugh. It is available on All 4.

Do you love Raised By Wolves?

A Peculiar Read

I have just finished reading the Book Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs and I have loved it! The book is a fantasy one, but is set in the real world and is therefore quite realistic. As the story is told by a 16 year old, it has a mature, young adult feel, despite many of the characters being children. Like John Greens writing, but with a fantasy twist!

The book is about a 16 year old who travels to the abandoned orphanage where his Grandad grew up to discover the truth about his childhood. He realises the stories his Grandad told him about monsters and children with peculiar talents are true, and that he has a big decision to make.

What makes it unusual though is that the story is told through vintage photographs as well as writing. The photos are all original vintage snapshots and they make the mystery even more intriguing. They are one of the main things that makes the book stand out and makes it worth a read.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy stories or mysteries.

I Am Officially A Student!

A couple of days ago, I collected my exam results. I was mostly pleased, as although some of my results were not as good as I had hoped, there were some nice surprises as well. After celebrating that evening with pizza, I enrolled at my college the next day.

When I first arrived, they gave me a test! I thought I had done all the tests I needed to do for a while! Now spelling is not my strong point, so this did make me panic a little, but I was fine with the reading and comprehension parts, so it was ok overall. They were just trying to find out if I needed any specialist support whilst I was at the college.

Then I had another interview to check I could still do my courses with my results and sort out my paperwork. As I am part of the college's Aspire program, I got to meet the Principle who is in charge of the scheme too. This was a little scary, but he was very friendly. Finally, I got my college ID and officially became part of the college. Now I am very excited for September!

Are you excited to be going to college!

Results Day Nerves

In two days time, I will be receiving my GCSE results. As it has been two months since my exams, I can't wait to find out. I am a little nervous though. Although the exams seemed to go ok and my mock results were good, that doesn't stop me being unsure as sometimes results can be unexpected. The one I am particularly concerned about is English Lit, as I need a 6 in it to be allowed to do it at A level, and with the new exams that could be difficult.

Some of my friends are really panicking, but I am trying not to think about it too much, as I can't change what is in that envelope. By Thursday morning though, I think I will be in major freak out mode.

Are you about to receive exam results? Good luck if you are!

End Of Summer Sales

As we get closer to Autumn, the shops are full of end of summer sales. Whether it is to stock up for next year or get some cool stuff for the first few weeks of college, the end of summer sales are not to be missed. Here is the best of the end of season summer sales from around the web.

I love the bright colour of this unusual asymmetric top.
New Look, Was £12.99, Now £9

This summer beach dress is perfect if you are
going on a tropical holiday this Winter.
New Look, Was £22.99, Now £10

This top is perfect for Autumn nights out.
New Look, Was £17.99, Now £11

These sparkly sandals are simple but pretty.
Peacocks, Was £12, Now £6

This cool top is perfect for college.
Peacocks, Was £10, Now £7

These jeans have some ripped areas, but are not too extreme.
H&M, Was £19.99, Now £7.99

This denim skirt is perfect for a college girl.
It could be worn with thick tights for the Autumn.
H&M, Was £24.99, Now £16.99

I love the patterned pocket on this T-shirt.
Animal, Was £30, Now £15

This cool dress is also perfect for the start of college,
or for spending the last of summer on the beach.
Animal,  Was £40, Now £28

Lorde's New Release

Lorde has released her new single Perfect Places and I love it. It is one of the songs off her brilliant second album melodrama, which features the hit Green Light. While Green Light is more upbeat than the songs on her first album, Perfect Places has the same style as her earlier music. It is one of my new favourites. Have a listen.

Do you like Lorde's new album?

Adventures In Cornwall

Last week, I was on holiday in Cornwall with my parents. Like when I went to Wales last year, I have been a bit adventurous. On our first night we went for a walk along a river estuary, which was very quiet compared to where I live! Then the next day, we hit the beach to do some body boarding. I had done a little bit of body boarding before, but this was the first time I went out far enough from the shore to catch some bigger waves. I stayed in the water for 2 hours, and loved it! There were a lot of other teens doing it too. The perfect activity to escape your parents and do something exciting when on holiday!

The next day, we explored the town of Falmouth and did a bit of shopping. I bought a pink cord bracelet, a pair of earrings and a semi precious stone that is supposed to enhance your creative energy. I also had a go at some photography, as I am studying that as an A-level from September. The last morning, we explored some coves and coastal paths, which were beautiful, so different from the stony beaches back home!

Have you had an adventurous summer?

Where Has The Summer Gone?

Looking out my window right now, I am finding it hard to believe it is the middle of August. Based on the amount of rain we have had today, you would think it was January. It is too cold to wear any of my new clothes I have bought this holiday, and too rainy to risk wearing my new shoes anywhere. I am hoping it will cheer up soon!

Meanwhile, I have plenty of time to read the books for my A level English Literature class. As we have to study several texts, we have been given a list of the ones we are doing in year 1 to have a look at over the holidays. So far I have read A Thousand Splendid Suns, and I am part way through the Poetry anthology. As these are both modern texts, I have actually liked reading them. However, I am not so sure I will find the Victorian novel so easy to get though! I might leave that one until I have a teacher to help me understand it. My 4th text, a play called a Street Car Named Desire looks good though, and is very short, so I should be able to read that one easy enough.

College is approaching far to quickly for my liking. As my other two A levels are art subjects, I have not been given any work for those, but some of my friends who study sciences have been given actual homework. Between college work and the rain, it is hard to believe this is the summer holidays!
Have you been given any college work over the summer?

Bizarre But Brilliant

Whether it is a song, a TV show or a book, sometimes you like something for it's strangeness. It might be a song with lyrics that make no sense, or the weirdest book you ever read, but you still find yourself watching or listening to them again and again! Here is my list of Bizarre But Brilliant favourites.

Songs
Starfish And Coffee - Prince
Boneheads Bank Holiday - Oasis
Na Na Na - My Chemical Romance

TV
Black Books -
Comedy set in a book shop with a very eccentric owner. His assistant Manny is also strange, and the two of them together create some very funny situations. Available as a box set on All 4, which I am currently watching.
The IT Crowd -
Comedy set in a dysfunctional IT department. It is total chaos in the office, which is what makes it so very funny. Available as a box set on All 4, which I am currently watching.
Green Wing -
Comedy set in a hospital. It has some very bizarre characters, including some badly behaved doctors. Available as a box set on All 4.

Books
Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy-
A book that makes little sense and has such a mad plot is hard to get your head around it. I love it!
The Catalogue Of The Universe-
This one is strange because of the way it is written. It has both fast paced action and long philosophical meaning.

Do you have any things you find bizarre but brilliant?

5 Surprises About The Summer After My GCSEs!

This summer is my longest one ever, as I have finished my GCSEs but do not have to start college until September. However, it came with a few surprises. Here are 5 things I did not know about this summer.

1. No matter how long it is, it still goes quicker than you expect. I am already over half way through my holiday and it does not feel like it!

2. I have not been able to see my friends as often as I wanted, due to them being on family holidays and adventure camps. I thought that a longer holiday would mean they were at home more, but it just meant most of them went away more!

3. Although school is finished, the looming of results day and the fact that everyone keeps asking how you think you did in your exams means you can't quite forget about it.

4. Although you don't have any homework to do, there is still reading for college and the sorting out of new college stuff.

5. Everyone seemed to think I would be bored with 10 weeks off, but between doing things with friends and family, reading, music, doing arty stuff, enjoying the weather and writing this blog, I have not been bored at all. If anything I haven't had enough time to do want I wanted! Good job I still have another 4 weeks off!

Even if it hasn't turned out quite how I expected it to, I am still having a great summer. How is your summer going?

Blind Date With A Book

A little while ago, I spotted these brown paper wrapped books on the shelves of Waitrose. They had no title, author or picture, just 5 words or phases to help you decide whether or not you want to buy the book. There were several books with different clues, and they intrigued me. My mum saw me looking at these and has bought me this one.

The book inside turned out to be "Britt-Marie Was Here", a book that I would not normally choose, but then I guess that is kind of the point! It looks interesting though. I will tell you more about it when I have read it!

On the 9th of August, it is Book Lovers Day, when many local libraries are holding events. Perhaps this is the perfect day to go on a blind date with a book? Have you every tried one?

My Tattoo Fascination

I have always been intrigued by tattoos. I love them partly just as artwork, but also because of how personal and meaningful they can be. I love the idea that they are a little a piece of artwork you can carry around on your skin, a little bit of your personality that is on display. I like the small and delicate ones best, as they are often very pretty and don't cover too much skin.

If I get a tattoo when I get older, I think I would want a sea shell like the one on the right, as I have grown up by the sea. I also like shells because they are small but have lots of intricate detail. Other tattoos I like are feathers and little bird silhouettes.

I think I would want to get it on the back of my shoulder, as that is a place that can be easily covered, but that people will still see in many tops and dresses. Also, it is apparently one of the least painful places to have it!

I also love watching Tattoo fixers and Tattoo artist of the year, as they create amazing designs that I could never draw on paper, let alone ink on skin. Some of them are very big though, I would never want a big one!

Do you want a tattoo?

Surprising Myths and Truths About Facebook

I put off joining Facebook for a long time, and part of that was because of various myths that turned out not to be true. Equally, I also had a few nasty surprises when I did eventually join. So, for those few who haven't joined Facebook yet, or anyone who wants to know how I am getting on with my adventures in social media, I have made a list of the myths and truths I have discovered about Facebook.

Myths
I heard lots of stories of arguments and fallings out, but so far have seen/ been part of none. However, this could be because I have left school.
I had been warned it was hard to keep photos private, but the privacy settings have been better than I expected.

Truths
Your news feed is not just full of your friends posts. It also contains posts by friends of friends, adverts and random stuff on popular pages, which when you just want to see what your friends are doing is very annoying.
Even with a relatively small number of friends, I still have a lot of stuff on my newsfeed, so I have to either check it several times a day or wade through lots of stuff each time I go on.
I joined Facebook to see what people are up to. Most people's posts seem to be more about things they have seen on the internet than what they are doing, apart from holiday photos.

Overall, I am pleased I joined Facebook, but would not have wanted to have done it any earlier and am not loving it as much as some of my friends do.

Animal's Graphic Tees

One of the things I love about Animal is their ornate T-shirt designs. From detailed dream catchers to drawings of flowers and shells, they are all eye catching and unusual. As an art student, they are perfect for college and may even give me inspiration for my future designs! Here are some of my favourites form their web page.


These two T-Shirts are some of their most eye catching, with designs that cover almost all of the top. I love the detail in the Eagle and the bold lines of the geometric design.


These two tops are slightly more toned down, with only one or two colours and smaller designs. They are both the sort of design you might find on a tattoo. The floral skull design is my personal favourite.

The dress is from Animal's kids department, but it is sold in sizes 11-12 and 13-14, so it is perfect for younger teens. The T-shirt is from the men's department. I love the Big Cats!

Do like graphic T-Shirts from Animal?