Sunday 28 June 2009

Of festival seasons past and present

I love festival season. I've been watching Glastonbury all this weekend (Blur are on soon ♥). So here are some of my favourite gig videos.

Florence And The Machine - Rabbit Heart. 
This isn't from Glastonbury since those aren't on YouTube yet but I saw them therereally liked them! This is live though. and

Nightwish - Ghost Love Score - RMJ Party Camp.
Favourite band of all time.

The Prodigy - Omen - Isle Of Wight 2009
My dance-junkie brother showed me this and I thought it was quite cool.

System Of A Down - Psycho - Big Day Out 2002
Yeah I know this isn't recent but it's a great video.

Peace & Love

Friday 26 June 2009

Of sudden news and growing up

I finished work experience today, so summer has now officially started. I learnt about teaching and music. And that I shouldn't become stupidly attatched to people in the space of five days. My supervisors were both really friendly and I didn't want to leave... but I've been very tired so I guess it was time. It's weird being at work instead of school... I've always had a fear of leaving full time education and experiencing the "real world" and I'm still in school for another two years and then I'm going to uni, if all goes to plan... so I was expecting to hate it, but I didn't! Maybe I'm growing up...

Also, a man who has been in and out of the media throughout my entire life and longer passed away either late last night or early this morning. Rest in peace Mr Michael Jackson. I'm kind of in shock because you always hear so much about him. I won't explain who he is because I doubt there's anyone out there who doesn't know. His music has never been something I've really listened to apart from the occasional song, but he was an absolute legend and changed the face of music.

So yeah. Here's Scream.
Michael Jackson & Janet Jackson - Scream

Peace & Love

Monday 22 June 2009

Of Gamelan and new experiences

Today I had my first day of a week of work experience. I'm kind of loitering in the music department of a relatively nearby comprehensive school for the week. The only thing I knew about it was that my employer for the week was friends with the music reacher at my school... turns out she's a former pupil so we could kind of relate straight away. The pair of them have apparently been discussing my vocal chords over the phone, ooerrr... everyone's really nice and it's a lot of fun despite sitting through three hours straight of the Gamelan project, which I remember from when I was in Year 7 :)
I'm desperate to know how everyone else got on, but my phone is temporarily out of action. I know from the facial book that Aly had to clean 86 litter trays.

Peace & Love

Sunday 21 June 2009

Of vodka and vocals

Yesterday evening I went to the karaoke bar with my family, my friend Hayley and her extended family for her 16th birthday. I sang a couple of songs, I have videos but YouTube hates me. I don't drink, but everyone else (save my Dad, my brother and Hayley's 7 year old sister) did. Well, I say Hayley's other sister drank, but it was just taking sips of other peoples when they weren't looking. Everyone else downed like six vodkas each or something. So yeah it was a fun night. Now I'm really tired and I've run out of make up remover so I kind of resemble a panda.

Peace & Love

Saturday 20 June 2009

Of motivation and inspiration

It is a truth universally acknowledged that lying only brings about hurt and pain.
So I'm not going to pretend that I love you.
Or at least, I'm not in love with you.
You're just another person, another cloud in the sky over London...

... but something in the worlds you create paint a portrait of my soul.
Bearing in mind that you have no idea what goes on in my head.

May you never know.

You bring about a change in me.

The bright smoke of your eyes makes me feel like I'm drowning in pure liquid oxygen, yet having no desire to escape this fate.

The harmonies emitted from your slender fingertips make me want to scream my heart out, cry my eyes out, and grin like a psychopath all at the same time.

Every time you speak, some strange chemical is injected into my bloodstream that makes my heart ache for you. Even if you talk of something completely trivial.

I can imagine you hear crap like this all the time, but you are the only reason I get up in the morning ready for the bliss the day will bring, and the only reason I've ever cried myself to sleep.

You've taken long strands of my DNA and arranged them into the words and stanzas that light up my soul.

You provide me with an escape route, a beautiful sanctuary without violence or pain that I can use to find my release.

I visit it so often its concrete path has become worn with my footsteps.

I long for you to find what makes you happy and completes you, but at the same time am afraid that it will change you.

It's selfish, but it's true.

When I was on the verge of giving up my hopes and dreams and sacrificing myself to reality, you came into my mind, twisting your fingers through your dark tangle of hair and politely requested that I stop being such a dumbass.

I've never thought of giving up again.

Your very expression makes me feel like an over-excited three year old, an angsty teenager and an adult who's seen it all and more, all in the same instant.

You motivate my life.
You inspire my words.

You give me the hope I can always cling to, no matter what.

And yet all I can possibly do in return is say two words which in this context mean the world.

Thank You

Peace & Love

Thursday 18 June 2009

Of epic journeys and orchestral masterpieces

Yesterday, Hayley, Becky, some of Hayley's friends (Issi and Ellen) and I went out for the day to Hastings.
The day started with the train getting cancelled. Since we had to make one train change and people were getting on said train at four different stops, you can imagine that this caused no end of trouble. Hayley and I had to wait for half an hour at our local station, frantically trying to call people to let them know not to get on the train orignally planned. Then we wait ANOTHER half an hour with Becky for a train to Hastings that passes through the stop where Issi was getting on. THEN it emerged that Ellen had got on the train we were supposed to get in the first place so she had to get off at Issi's stop and wait for like an hour for Hayley, Becky and I to get there! On the train, we killed time by sorting Becky's massive collection of train tickets into alphabetical order, and watching the guy who was standing outside scratching his crotch.

Eventually we got there, bought chips and sat on the beach. Hayley went paddling and Becky picked up several pebbles. We also found an empty beer can and what looked horribly like a severed hand (we came to the conclusion that it was a glove but nobody wanted to touch it and check.) Then, we went on some rides at the fairground - the ghost train and the kiddies caterpillar ride, in which Becky got too "intimate" with everybody.

We also went shopping, where Hayley and Issi bought collosal lollies and I became the proud owner of a dinosaur t-shirt and purple tights from New Look. Hayley also bought a t-shirt, and Becky bought one for her and one for her boyfriend. We spent I don't know how long trying to figure out what size he was (in which time we texted him to ask) and eventually decided on small. Two minutes after leaving the shop, he texts back to inform us that he is medium. However, we couldn't return it since there were no mediums in stock, so Becky said he'd have to live with it.

--Music Junkiness--
I absolutely love the fusion of heavy metal with orchestra -coughnightwishcough- and I am actually addicted to Serj Tankian's voice (he's a solo artist who used to sing for metal band System Of A Down). So you can imagine how ecstatic I was when Youtube greeted me with the following teaser from his upcoming live DVD.

Serj Tankian - Feed Us

Peace & Love

Monday 15 June 2009

Of the arts and System Of A Down

Yesterday, my friend Aly and I went to an art convention at Kensington Gardens in London.
It was a day of drawing, writing, getting blisters, chatting to random people, navigating tube stations, eating croissants and walking through subways singing System Of A Down.

Peace & Love

Friday 12 June 2009

Of movie days and facial books

Had a great day today - my friend Hayley came round and we... ate pizza and watched various movies and Lee Evans! It was seriously funny! I was happy because I'm always bored(it's when both my parents work) and she was happy because in an empty house on Friday she got to use my internet since hers doesn't work and she hadn't been on thefacial book for months... and we were happy because meeting up is always happy times so it was a win-win situation!

Peace & Love

Wednesday 10 June 2009

Of summer plans and end of eras

My exams are officially OVER. I had physics today (and I think it went really well), and now I'm officially in the summer holidays! (They start early for my year.) I have work experience soon, but other than that, I get to do f*ck all until 15th August when my family and I are going on holiday to Spain.
Hmm... I'm a little unsure what to do with myself now. Over summer, I plan to do the following things:

.Get another set of ear piercings 
.Get highlights done 
.Go Camden-ing with Emi
.Have a birthday picnic!
.Write some music to go with lyrics 
.Give up several bad habits
.See Blur! (2nd July here I come!)
.Get my exam results... somehow or other (I'm away on results day)
.And... various other things. (Hayley and I have plans to have a teapot decorating session!)
.Get the band started up

Peace & Love

Tuesday 9 June 2009

Of For My Pain and supermarkets

--Music Junkiness--
Today I FINALLY took the time out to give For My Pain... a listen, and wasn't disappointed. Autumn Harmony was on the brain like all day and I was singing it while walking round Sainsbury's.

For My Pain - Autumn Harmony

Speaking of Sainsbury's, I swear those trolleys are waaay too hard to steer. I nearly ran some kid over with it. Oops. There is now actually a reality TV programme over here which is based around random workers going and running Sainsburys. Inventively, it's called "I'm running Sainsburys." Excuse me, but I'm running Sainsburys! (In my own head anyway...) It's my friends birthday today but I've been either sleeping or revising practically all day... need to find my phone and text her... more tomorrow when I can actually say how physics went.

 Oh, and Yasmina Siadatan won The Apprentice.

Peace & Love

Monday 8 June 2009

Of revision and romanticide

Made some physics notes today. The exam is on Wednesday, and then I have no more exams for like, a year! 3 months of summer holiday (& a week of work experience) here I come!
I can't freakin' believe that the BNP have two seats in... whatever it was people were voting for. Are they mad?! I mean, I don't blame people for not voting labour, they've made a royal fuck of things, but the BNP are still a bunch of bloody racists! Grrrr... at least they're still pretty small, and I hope it stays that way.


--Music Junkiness--
I love this band so much. This is a video of them at a recent festival in Finland, they look absolutely freezing!
Nightwish - Romanticide live at Sauna Open Air


Peace & Love

Saturday 6 June 2009

Of a great big fat hairy rant ですね。

I made the hideous mistake of watching the news last night. Among all the "omg-we-don't-know-who-will-be-running-the-country-in-the-morning" political turmoil stuff, they had some guy who was saying that some people who visit holocaust memorial sites claim that it never happened, and worse, some people think that it happened and that it was right?! How, exactly, can the mass slaughter of that many innocent people be right? Some people are delusional I swear. This is why all the genocides need to be officially RECOGNISED, so that people can learn why it was wrong and prevent it from happening again! Ugh. This world makes me sick sometimes.

Ok rant over. But people need to be alerted to this kind of thing.

Peace & Love

Friday 5 June 2009

Of musicizing and vocalizing

Microphones are awesome.
I've been singing since I can remember and have been having lessons for four years. My first teacher taught me for most of this time, but she moved to another country and now I am being taught by a classical soprano. Saying that, I don't have a classical voice at all. I'm a mezzo-soprano. Anyway, here's a couple of covers.

Nightwish - Mother & Father (From The Poet And The Pendulum)



Evanescence - Breathe No More

And here's my crappy attempts at composing (it was meant to be minimalist but it really isn't.


Moi - Tunnel Vision

Peace & Love

Thursday 4 June 2009

Of James McQuillan and exams

James McQuillan got fired from The Apprentice last night! I was like "nooooooo!"
Ok, so he may not have been the best business man, but he was so sweet and came out with some hilarious stuff. WHAT A LEDGE! At school, me and a couple of my friends were practically in tears! When he got fired, he gives Sir Alan Sugar a huge grin and goes "It's been BRILLIANT!" AAAAAAAAA!
Ok so here is my mini tribute to James with the ledge quotes from last night.
"I look after people who spunk money up the wall"
"I bring ignorance to the table... but it's a good kind of ignorance"
"I don't want Sir Alan to kick me so hard up the arse that I have his toes for teeth"
James, you have been a LEDGE.

In other news, I only have one GCSE left to do! I had my last ever Chemistry exam today, and English language. Just physics left. Joy.

Peace & Love

Wednesday 3 June 2009

Of hayfever and giant covalent structures

I've tried everything. Tablets, eyedrops, Olbus Oil, nasal spray, you name it. However, pollen still insists on trying to make my face melt. Ugh. Puts a real downer on summer too.

"These allergens, or air-borne substances, cause the body to produce antibodies which release histamine. Histamines cause allergic reactions which produce hay fever symptoms such as sneezing, itchy eyes, sore throat, nasal congestion, running nose, fever, headaches, chest congestion and wheezing."

Why the hell do I get like... all of these?

I have my second English Language and Chemistry GCSEs tomorrow. Today will be dedicated to learning about giant covalent structures. I spent like all June's pocket money on a new sketchbook. Now I have none. And school finishes next week. Oops.

Peace & Love

Tuesday 2 June 2009

Of daytime TV and freaky people

I have been watching too much TV lately. Like, WAY too much. 
Especially Mock The Week. Hugh Dennis is the funniest man alive. And Russell Howard. And Michael McIntyre.

The Mighty Boosh will always be tops though. Jurgen Haabermaaster (Julian Barratt with a Danish accent) sounds uncannily like Serj Tankian.
I've also been semi-watching semi-ignoring Ashes To Ashes. Yes, bullet-induced comabeing transported to the eighties.  can result in
That's like all I watch, but in an attempt to be more social I've been going on the internet in the front room. Where my Mum likes to watch Bargain Hunt. All I can say is... the presenter kind of freaks me out.

Peace & Love