Strictly's New Star

Strictly is back again! Last year, it was Giovanni that was getting all the female attention. This time, there are some more new dancers being introduced to the show, and one of them is the amazing 21 year old AJ Pritchard. He is definitely some competition for Giovanni in the hottness department.


Originally, he loved extreme sports such as snowboarding and mountainboarding, but after a broken arm, he took up dancing instead. He has been competing professionally since he was 12 and won the National Youth Championships 3 times running. His professional dance partner, Chloe Hewitt, is also joining strictly this year.

I am definitely going to be keeping an eye on AJ this series. I think he is going to be my new favourite - and not just because of his dancing!

Pets With Attitude

My cat thinks he rules the house. He thinks that he is the king, and can't understand why we don't run our lives around him. And that got me thinking, he can't be the only pet with an attitude problem. Have a look at these. Bumble is not alone!

 

  

Book VS Film

For me, there is always one answer:

Book!

Partly, this is because I have always liked reading. But there are other reasons too. With a book, you get details. How the characters think and feel, their background and who they are. This is especially true of first person stories, and works even better in books where some chapters are written from the point of view of other characters. Also, when they adapt longer books for films, they often cut out scenes, leaving movie only fans without the full story.

An example of this is "Me Before You", where lots of the scenes that explain the main character's home life are cut. They don't even mention the important event in her past that caused her to live such a mundane life up until she met Will. Where the book is in first person with some chapters narrated by other characters, you get a much better insight into these people's lives than you do at the cinema.

Finally, film makers CHANGE THINGS. Sometimes they just change odd scenes to fit in with what works on screen, but sometimes the film can be UNRECOGNISABLE! Personally, I would much rather read the original version than see what someone thinks the story should be like.

Do you prefer the books or the films? Why?

Chilled Out Tracks

As we come to the last few days of the summer holidays, it is our last chance to relax for a while. These are my favourite stripped back, calm songs for chilled out summer afternoons.

Wake Me Up -         Ed Sheeran
Buzzcut Season -     Lorde
Tenerife Sea -          Ed Sheeran
Let It Go -                James Bay
I'm Yours -              Jason Mraz
All Of The Stars -    Ed Sheeran
Video Games -         Lana Del Rey
Shout About It -       The Vamps
Chasing Cars -         Snow Patrol
The Parting Glass-   Ed Sheeran (the secret track on the end of Ed Sheeran's first album. Click here if you have never heard it.)

The Catalogue Of The Universe

Up until now, I have only ever read books written in the British Isles and USA. Recently, however, I decided it might be interesting to go for books written in other countries. Through reading stories, you get more of an idea of what it is like to actually live in a place than just by reading about people's travels to the area. You can know what it is like to be a part of that world.

These are some of the reasons why I read the award-winning Catalogue Of The Universe a few weeks ago. The story is set in a small city in 1980s New Zealand, which is where and when the book was written by Margaret Mahy. It is about the main character Angela May and her search for the father she never met, which is supported by her best friend Tycho. While Tycho lives an ordinary life with his parents and brother in the inner city, Angela's unusual home is far up on the hillside, in a world without flushing toilets or proper roads. It is interesting to see how varied the lives of these people are.

I think what I like most about this book is how the writer still finds time to discuss big philosophical ideas in a book that is quite fast paced. It can make the book quite hard to keep up with sometimes, but it makes it a much more interesting read. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to read something a bit different.

Funny GCSE Answers

This year, I will be taking my GCSEs. I am panicking a little about this, but finding these on the internet has definitely cheered me up. These are my favourite funny GCSE answers. Hopefully you will find them as funny as I have, if not, at least you will know what not to write when your turn comes.

Ed's Feline Friend

Cats and Ed Sheeran are two of my favourite things in the world. So, as you can imagine, I have fallen in love with Ed's video for Drunk. There are cats everywhere, and one of then looks like my Bumble! See for yourself:

 

 

I like lots of Ed Sheeran music videos, but I think this is my favourite. I wish my cat could do all of that! Are you a cat person?



The Best School Uniform Customiser

Although I hate to say this, the summer is nearly over. This September, I am going into year 11, which I am dreading. However, with a new school year approaching, at least we have a chance to get some cool new stuff for the year ahead. With school uniform stopping us expressing ourselves via our clothing, our schoolbags should make a statement. Here are some of my favourites from around the web.

I love brightly coloured bags like this!
Perfect for customising boring school uniform.
Animal, £26

I love the patterns on this across the body bag.
The hints of light blue lifts the mostly grey colour pallet.
Animal, £30

This bag features more bright colours and unusual patterns.
H&M, £19.99

I like the contrast of the simple rose pattern against the black.
Next, £40

This bag is definitely eye-catching.
The colours on this bag are almost exploding towards you.
Next, £22

10 Things You Will Only Understand If You Live By The Beach

I have lived near the sea all my life and I am very used to the way of life in English sea side towns. If you live by the ocean too, you will probably relate to these 10 things. If not, it will show that the life of a teen who lives by the water isn't like a permenant holiday. Maybe that's our fault though for taking it all for granted. Anyway, these are 10 things you will only understand if you live by the beach.

1. That the locals don't spend all summer on the beach.
2. Sea roads might have nice views in summer, but they are terrifying to drive down in winter storms.
3. That it can be nice and calm in the rest of the town, but the beach will still be unbelievably windy.
4. That whenever family come to visit, they always want to go to the beach, even if it is boxing day!
5. The sea is FREEZING for 80% of the year.
6. That beach houses are crazy expensive.
7. The amount of damage that can be done in one storm.
8. That lifeboat crews are amazing people.
9. How overpriced ice cream is.
10. That it is an awesome way to live!

The Shellac Experience

While I was on holiday, I had a Shellac pedicure in the ship's spa. I have never had Shellac done before. It is painted on like normal nail vanish and then hardened under a UV lamp. It has 4 layers: base, 2 coats of colour and top coat. Each is hardened individually. The colour choice was limited, but then that probably varies depending on where you go. I chose bright yellow.

I am really pleased I had it done because it looks great and did not take as long as I was expecting. It is hard to paint your own toe nails! Also, it has been over a week now and they are still chip free, as promised. They are glossier than normal nail varnish too. However, what they don't tell you until after you have it done is that you have to soak your nails in acetone to get it off! I think I am going to have bright yellow toes for a while. I would definitely have it again, but probably only for a special occasion as it was quite expensive. Have you ever tried Shellac?