Of results and hyperventalation.

 Image from WeHeartIt.

I woke up on results day thinking "shit".
I had seriously mentally prepared myself for the worst. I was going to be happy with one A, two Bs and whatever I could scrape from media studies, but I was terrified of not even getting that. I know it's "only" the A/S's and it doesn't determine where I go to university just yet, but due to predicted grades and all that malarkey it's definitely going to affect the offers I get.

So, I got into the hall, and opened the envelope (after hiding with Emma in the corner). Thirty seconds later, having actually read the stuff, I was literally hyperventilating.
It wasn't what I had hoped for.
It was better than I could ever have expected.
The long and short of it is:-
Music - A
Media - A
English lit - A
Japanese - B.
I was NOT expecting three As. I thought I'd be lucky to scrape one. And the lack of Cs on the list means that I can apply to the universities I like AND take the three subjects I love. Bye bye media studies!
Well done all!

Today's music has been on the brain for ages.

Peace&Love

Of joy and wanderlust.

 Image from WeHeartIt.

Hmmm. Summer.
Well, it's great not being in school, but I haven't really been doing, well, anything in particular. Ok so I've been drawing stuff inspired by northern mythology and playing me ukelele but yeah. Also I read Wuthering Heights and it was SO GOOD. But not as good as generally socialising. Everyone seems to be away or booked up, and I am stuck in England, looking wistfully at pictures of the Nordic countries. One day...
On the plus side, I have a couple of mates to meet up with, and in mid August I will be spending a couple in days in the good old Pariiiis (where I've never actually been before and am very excited about.

Also, I just got the news that I passed my music theory this time round! On top of that, I got a merit. I am very pleased with this, and that's one less thing to worry about when university hunting.
I know I haven't been writing very faithfully on this lately, but now the exams are over and done with I should have more time as a distraction from the distinct lack of boyfriend as he too is off on holiday next week. It was our nine months today, how time flies...

Today's music is in spirit of the aforementioned book.

Peace&Love

Of days out and not caring less.

 Image from WeHeartIt.

Today was a good day.
Again :).
I went up to town. Took like an hour to get there due to train's Sunday services, but ah well. I was in the same carriage as Georgie for a lot of it, not ever realising until we both stood up, saw each other and looked suprised. Epic fail.
We were then joined by Emma, and later by Andy, upon walking up to meet him. The next two hours or so were spent joking around in the park, until Emma and Andy left to go and watch the football. Having no interest in this, Georgie and myself walked through what had become something of a ghost town due to the aforementioned football, hung out in Starbucks for a while and did a bit of shopping. Well, she did, I only had money for George's birthday present. I am now officially broke. Yay. We were then amused by the person on the train who was playing Rihanna so loudly that it managed to out-drown Hypocrisy. That's almost impressive. The simple things in life are always the best.

And yeah, we lost the football epically, and it's a shame, but fucking stupid referee aside I think people are taking it way too seriously. Especially in that there's going to be some kind of formal inquest into why we did so shite. I'm kind of in the "it's only a game" mentality. Plus, if you've seen Mark Webber's death-defying crash after hitting Heikki Kovalainen in the F1 today, you will understand why I find the football pretty dull. Thank God he's ok.

Today's music is from one of Mr Heino's various solo gigs. If he released an album of this stuff, I'd so buy it. Great for the summer.

Peace&Love

Of sun, sun and sun! (THIS POST IS FULL OF HAPPINESS.)

Images from WeHeartIt.

It's sunny! In England!
Needless to say I am in a very good mood right now.
I had a great weekend too - Saturday I went into town with Carmen to see a bunch of local bands (RAP-FUNK FTW) and got thrown filthy looks by posh women in a tie shop. I'm sorry, but I thought that the discussion of how Lady Gaga's Alejandro was actually a protest against the persecution of homosexuals was a pretty intelligent conversation. Sunday was town again with George, we got lost somehow and ended up in a children's playground. And all the while, the sun was shining. Summer's a-comin'... at last! Cue feelings of pure elation!
Tomorrow I'm off to investigate Nottingham uni which I'm really looking forward to, and City of London on Saturday. IF I MISS THE DOCTOR WHO FINALE I WILL CRY. But it doesn't really matter. It'll be on iPlayer.
Yesterday it actually hit me that I'm so close to seventeen. If there's one thing I've learnt in the past year, it's not to take anything or anyone for granted. And things don't just come to you. You have to grab hold of them with both hands and never let them go.

Not only am I in a good mood, but seeing other people happy is great too. Congratulations are in order to Smiffy! And Jukka Nevalainen.

Such a mood has to be accompanied by Brother Firetribe, so that's the music for today. I don't see my love of this man's vocal chords ending any time soon. Just to warn you.

Peace&Love

Of freedom and dread.

 Image from WeHeartIt.

A/S exams.
Finished.

Well, thank the Gods or giant lack thereof for that! It's a fairly strange feeling though. I woke up on Thursday (the first day of freedom) and didn't know what the hell to do with myself. I still don't entirely, in fact all I've done was blown the whole of May's budget (due to not going out at all that month, not the most sensible thing to do I know), and before I knew what was happening, I was tossed back into school to start A2s.
All I know is, I cannot stand media studies.
I knew that already. But I seriously cannot wait to drop it. It's not even that there's anything wrong with it, exactly, it's just... not for me. On the plus side, I'm loving the rest of my subjects. Writing and music and languages, oh my!

I've also been really tired recently. I'm not sure why exactly, but it's probably just the shock of being thrust headfirst back into the old routine again. Coca cola is still the only thing keeping me awake, to be honest. That, my friends, and rock n' roll.

George is in Holland for the next few days (I am insanely jealous), but I'm seeing him on Sunday. The town I almost live in is also having some kind of culture festival which for some reason I'd never investigated, but Carmen the Barman is going to show me the stuff on Saturday, which should be great.

I also have creative block, and I feel the urge to do this thing up again. I don't entirely know how yet though.

Today's music is a tad different from my normal listenings - Sugahspank! A few Greek bloggers I follow have been mentioning her, so I decided to have a listen.

Peace&Love

And while we're here, the problem with loving music from another country is when a Dio memorial gala pops up at a club you've wanted to visit for ages in which Marco Awesome Hietala, Tuple Epic Samela, Pekka Gorgeous Heino and Jarkko Fabulous Ahola are playing, and you're two time zones away from it and also a year-and-three-weeks (woah seriously?!) too young for it anyway. Daaaaaang.

Of detective shows and anticipation.

 Image from WeHeartIt.

Three down.
One to go.
Today was English literature. Two long hours of it. I think it went alright, although I hate a fair few of the texts. Still, got to answer the main question on Thomas Fabulous Hardy.
Media tomorrow. Oh God. Not much I can do about that.
And then.
It'll all be over (for this year, anyhow).
So I will hopefully have something more interesting to say. As it is, I am curled up on the sofa, cup-a-soup in one hand, watching Luther (I bloody love detective programmes). It's barely summer yet, but somehow watching this makes me wish it was winter again. And I wish I was by the river Thames, with my coat and hat. And my friends. And George. I've had an absolutely phemomenal lack of social life over the past month. Still, end of exams will be immediately followed by mammoth shopping trips and Hayley's birthday piss up. And a haircut at last.

Anyway, Luther is fabulous (and has a fabulous theme tune), I have nothing more to say here, so here's some Stratovarius. Rock n' roll is a fabulous thing.

Peace&Love

Of Eurovision raves and sexual innuendos

There are no words to describe how funny the Eurovision song contest was last night.
For this reason, I will first sum it up in quotes:
"Wow, she even looks like a volcano!"
"SHUT UP EVERYONE, THERE'S A FINN!"
"Can I smell your Woo-Woo, in the least sexual way intended?"
"And this is the problem with being an island."
And of course...
"STRIP ERIK STRIP!"
(Sorry Emma, couldn't find the moment on YouTube :P)

Basically, Smiffy, myself, Carmen, Goggles, Becky, Dan and Joel had a Eurovision based rave, and some of us marked the entrants out of twenty.The UK, of course, had a spectacularly shit entry, and we all actually went up in cheers when Belarus got the twelve points that put us into last place. Personal favourites were Moldova, Greece, Turkey, France, Bosnia&Herzegovina and Georgia. My boyfriend, who is fully aware of my obsession with Finnish music, will not stop taunting me about that fact that they didn't even make it to the final. Nearly all of Spain's points came from the random gatecrasher who jumped on stage. Armenia divided male and female opinions, let's just say ;). We all started doing aerobics to the French entry. I think I headbanged a bit too hard (the back of my neck really hurts!), but at least didn't have the earring-to-the-eye mishap that Georgie did.

I can't possible recal the hilariousness of the whole night, so here's Moldova for you. We were VERY distracted by the violinist.

Peace&Love

Of mashed up brains and acousitc guitars.

 Image from WeHeartIt.

My music exam is tomorrow.
...
If I hear another tonic pedal note, I think I'm going to have a break down.
Still, I can't really complain. This is the subject I've chosen to do after all, possibly for a long, long time after I leave school, if I decide to do a Masters degree. This is how I made my bed, I swear to God I'll lie in it!
Still, not a big revision fan. Who is? Today has consisted of attempting to digest my music anthology, and Van Morrison on repeat before I literally had to dash to the toilet so Mum didn't notice me blasting my ears out with ANYTHING ELSE. There are some music pieces I like. Van Morrison is not one of them.
I miss GCSE revision. Then it was like, revise for half an hour and then watch Poirot. Not any more!
Still, this time tomorrow, it'll all be over. And on Saturday it's time for a Eurovision fest. Apparently Finland got knocked out in the semi finals, so now I will be supporting France. Because I can. Because, let's face it, our entry is shite.

Sometimes I think my life would be so much more eventful if JD from Scrubs was narrating it. Or if not, if some guy with an acoustic guitar followed me around everywhere and sang the soundtrack to my life. AND I'D WANT HIM TO SOUND LIKE THIS:

Peace&Love

Of good causes and achievement.

Yesterday, I achieved the unthinkable.
For me anyway. Most people who know be will be fully aware that I am not a sporty person. I am also incredibly unfit. I can't run 30 metres to the train station from my house without feeling like I'm going to have an athsma attack. And I don't ever suffer from athsma.
However, yesterday, through a mixture of walking, jogging and even some running, I, er, travelled five kilometres on foot in only fourty minutes. And why did I undergo such an insane task?

Hayley, myself and Emma, pre-run.

The answer is, for the prevention of cancer. This was the Race for Life, where you get people to sponsor you to run, jog or walk for five kilometres and all the money is given to Cancer Research UK. It's an all-woman event, but it'll raise money to fund research into all types of cancer. 

We were each given an number to stick on our front, and also a label for your back. On this label, you could write the names of specific people that you were racing for.

That was a strange experience. There were over three thousand people there, and on their backs were the names of all the people they knew who had died of or are suffering from the disease. Some of them had whole lists of people, some just a few, and some had summed it up be writing "the 1 in 3" or something along those lines. That got me thinking. Cancer affects so many people, I knew that already, but this kind of put everything in perspective for me. There's musicians that I've already mentioned on here, Dio, McLaren, and Andrew Lloyd Webber is also living with the disease. And then it's affected me too - an English teacher at my school passed away from the disease when I was in year ten, and so did my grandmother in 2006. Her's was the name I put on my label.

So, I feel like I've really achieved something, and at the same time I know that it's not a purely selfish feat, and it is going to help other people everywhere. Now I just need all my friends to pay up!

Just to lighten the mood a bit, today's music is the somewhat amusing sight of Tarot back in the eighties. Marco looks like he's wearing a poodle on his head!

Peace&Love

Of coming full circle.

 Image from WeHeartIt.

I had my first exam yesterday. Japanese A/S. I think it went alright, which is good. A million times better than the mock, so I'm pretty sure I've got more than an E this time round.
This got me thinking - it must've been almost a year since I started writing this thing. Upon checking, I discovered that sure enough, my first post here was made on the 25th May 2009. I initially started this thing up as a distraction from my GCSE exams (which now seem like they must've been so easy), and to avoid the unending shit that is daytime television whilst on study leave. Since then all kinds of things have happened to me, and now I'm back in exam season again. How time flies. What have I achieved in the past year?
Well, I've kept writing in this thing, unlike I ever have in diaries, which I guess shows some kind of commitment.
I've also gained some good GCSE grades, great additions to the iPod, and a boyfriend. I think it has been time well spent.
Well, right now it's stiflingly hot so I don't know why the hell I'm inside, plus the fact that I've only written two of the ten essays that have accumulated due to my spending all my time on Japanese.
I will leave you with today's music, one of the aforementioned fantastic iPod additions, the lovely Leverage.

Peace&Love

Of studying and losses to metal.

 Image from WeHeartIt.

Tuesday.
Japanese exam on Thursday.
This is followed by music, English and media.
I have been spending every waking moment of my life studying. If I get any more stressed, my head is actually going to explode.

Still, in a month's time, this'll all be over. It'll be summer, it'll be carefree, some of my friends might be able to drive so we can go anywhere. (My goal is Paris but due to lack of money I don't know how realistic this). Also, my family just got tickets to go and see Gorillaz in September. They used to be my favourite band, I haven't listened to them properly for a while now but I'm still excited. Plus it'll be Damon Albarn round #4.

I'm gonna try and get an early night as I have a whole day of Japanese revision ahead of me, but before I go, (sorry to end on a sad note) I have to mention Mr Ronnie James Dio, who passed away last weekend after a battle with stomach cancer. It's a sad day for rock and roll.
1942-2010. RIP

 Funny the things you notice after something like this happens. The first thing I noticed was that his wikipedia article had been re-written in the past tense. Today's music is Holy Diver.
Peace&Love

Of a week in pictures

Except Thursday. Nothing ever seems to happen on a Thursday...

Monday brought with it a pear shaped like a dick, much to the amusment of my friends.

Tuesday brought with it massive political change, and destroyed a lot of my faith in this country.

Wednesday brought with it the weirdest weather EVER.

Friday brought with it a party-in-the-park with a Peter-Pan-piss-up theme.

Well, that's all you'll be hearing from me for like a week. My Japanese exam is in like NO DAYS and I am bricking it, so I'll be spending most of my time revising.

Today's "music" is the only thing preventing me from having an exam induced breakdown.

Peace&Love

Of taking things seriously and cravings for cheesecake.

 Picture from WeHeartIt. I recently discovered this site. It's awesome.

Right now, I'm on home study. And I actually did some studying. This is me, taking things seriously. John Tavener has been thoroughly scrutinised. But hey, the sun is shining. For once. And I really fancy some cheesecake. I had some when I was at Wagamamas with Emma and Zoe (I can't do funny accents on my computer) and the other Emma and Ash and Moos and that other guy who's name I can't remember, and I've been craving it since then. Whoever decided to put cheese in a cake is actually a genius.

Sooo... we still have no government, so to speak. Political envy of the world? I think so. Or not.

Errrm I saw George for the first time in ages yesterday, which I guess was for an extremely belated six months. It was awesomesauce of course. We wandered around singing Eiffel 65 and talking about gene pools.

Exams are HIDEOUSLY CLOSE and due to my school being a monumental fuck up I have no study leave for the hardest one! Ah well.

So, home study is nearly over and I need to actually leave for school in less than twenty minutes, so goodbye for now.

Today's music is BLACK SABBATH. I should really stop watching so many programmes about metal.

Peace&Love

Of political failings and phenomenal lack of social life.

Haven't had much time to post here lately, due to mammoth amounts of revision I've only been reading stuff.
I've also been suprisingly interested in the general election.
So, when Gordon Brown became Prime Minister, he was a natural progression from Tony Blair and we didn't vote for him. We've just had an election, and due to there being no party with enough seats to form a government, Gordon Brown is STILL Prime Minister and we didn't vote for him this time either!
England evidentally has a clear idea of the concept of "democracy".
Whatever. Rather him than Cameron. But that's just my opinion. And Clegg owns them both.
Anyhow, I am very tired and writing this at some ungodly hour so I will be off.
Today's music has been stuck in my head for the past week.

Peace&Love

Of exhaustion and coca cola

The last two weeks have been the most hectic of my life:
Thursday: Music exam
Friday: Music exam
Monday: Media moderation, school concert
Tuesday: Music exam

And it goes on:
Wednesday: Japanese mock
Thursday: University convention
Friday: Music exam.

As Emma would say, FUCK MY LIIIIIIIFE! Still, I am beginning to gradually tick things off my stress list. I seriously need a notepad specifically for lists. I write lists of things to do, lists of stuff to buy, pointless lists like ranking orders of vocalists/countries to visit/political parties, and fuck knows what else.

Anyhow, due to the above list, I am absolutely exhausted. The only thing that stopped me from dropping off at like five o'clock was a can of coke. Woo, caffine! Yesterday we had the school concert, which was awesome (save the out of tune recorders, I didn't even know that was possible!) And I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor is bloody hard to sing without a northern accent.

Today's music is from Tarot's new album. For reasons unbeknownst to me I find the video absolutely hilarious, but the song is good :)



I'm also loving this:


Peace&Love

Of tediousness and preperation.

Well. I feel exhausted. I've texted more tonight that over the whole of the last two weeks, and my bag weighs a tonne. People I am ready for school. Not. And I can guarantee that all my essays are shocking.

The last few days have been literally filled with pessimism. Tuomas Holopainen once said "everything is possible. Even the impossible." Which in anyone else's life would be an optimistic notion. Not in mine. Hey, I was told it was impossible to fail Grade 5 music theory, but look what I've gone and done! (I'm over this enough to be able to laugh about it now.)

Nothing else to report. Today's music is from Massive Attack's new album. Feat. Damon Albarn.


Peace&Love

Of universities and the city.

I went up to London with George yesterday. Forgot Mum's camera of course, so here are my crappy phone pictures:

I was meant to live here. Seriously. Apparently I would've been if my family had been able to afford it.

Today, on the other hand, was spent ordering uni prospectuses, noting down open days etcetra etcetra. I ordered about twelve, but I have two uni's that I love (York and Nottingham) and one where I love the course but not so much the rest of the place (City of London. The trouble is, I'm constantly worrying that I'm aiming too high. York and Nottingham both have pretty much everything I'm looking for - courses with varying modules so you can get an all round view of the subject (music) while still focussing on certain areas, study abroad oppurtunities to places I' really interested in (Finland and Japan respectively), and they're in good locations. Plus they're quite far from where I live, and while I love my family, I don't particularly fancy living with them and commuting up to London every day. Which would be what would happen.

However, I need two As and a B for York, and one A and two Bs for Nottingham, and I don't know if I can manage it. Then there's the trouble of what subjects to take next year: I love English and I fucking HATE media studies, but should I take the one I like more, or suffer for a year if I'd be more likely to get into a decent uni? Ugh, this is such a mission! Help! At least I know the exact course I want to take...

Also, my thoughts go out to everyone in Poland following the plane crash that killed many important members of their government, including the president. May they all rest in peace.

Today's music is a Florence & The Machine demo. I like it way more than the final version!


Peace&Love

Of lazy days and punk legends.

Today I had a lazy day. It sounds better than "downright boring".

If I'm wearing my paint encrusted, much too big hoodie, you can tell I'm not planning on going anywhere. I think the only times I've worn it in public were on the Japan trip, which it was for, and after Nightwish, because my hair was greasy with alchohol, pyrotechnic and Finn. So yeah, it has memories attatched.
I was housebound for the whole day due to having to wait for the washing machine repairman. We asked for a callout between eight and twelve. Guy turned up at two. And I have been all on my owny all day.
What have I done? Well I had an amazingly healthy lunch of ryvita, cheese string and cookies, I took some photos of some flowers in the garden (inspired by the sheer number of photography based blogs now gracing my following list, damn I wish I could take photos like that!), watched Outnumbered and Russell Howard's Good News (comedy - the only thing the British still do better than anywhere else), and some revision in my Leverage-pun infested notebook (nine colours, eight pages and two hours later and I'm still no closer to liking Van Morrison. And now I think I will play some Sims. Typically the one day I can't go out is the one day the sun is actually shining.

Today I heard the sad news that a punk legend and creator of the Sex Pistols (who are simultaneously one of the worst and best bands in existence), passed away. RIP Malcolm McLaren.

Today's music is in his honour.


Peace&Love

Of rebirth and art.

I SAW A DAFFODIL TODAY.
My life is so interesting.

So, Easter. Also my younger brother's birthday. A time of celebration, of thankfullness.

Of rebirth.

I've noticed that a few people have been turning over new leaves with their blogs and such, but I don't really want to do that. I like reflecting over what's already happened. Even though my computer made loads of shitting pointless typos in my old posts for no reason whatsoever.

What I have done, however, is started drawing again.

My confidence kind of took a massive knock when I did so shit in my GCSE, and I kind of haven't drawn anything properly since. Just doodling. But lately I realised, yeah my coursework and such was fucking awful, but the only way I can change that is by practicing.

I'm so glad I didn't do A Level. I would hate it. I would be knee deep in shit by now. I wouldn't be doing Japanese, which I've come to love. But the best part is that now I can just draw the things that I want, and not what's going to get me the most marks. I prefer to keep it as a hobby, since music's gone way past that now. It's got to the point where it's like the second most important thing in my life (after the people close to me). And that's sad.

Today's music is Serj Tankian, who remains in my last.fm top fifteen. Along with My Chemical Romance. And Vivaldi. And Sonata Arctica. I don't know how the fuck this happened.



Peace&Love

Of a newly revised bucket list.

- Study music at university.
- Tour Europe by train and visit every capital city.
- Learn to walk in slip on shoes.
- Join some kind of group of political activists.
- Join a band.
- See the Northern Lights.
- Read all the works of Shakespeare.
- Go scuba diving.
- Meet Tuomas Holopainen.
- Dye my hair some insane colour.

I'm sitting here surrounded by stray paper, a vegetarian cookbook and my beloved iPod. And it's bloody freezing.

Spring is finally upon us. I hate spring, basically due to the weather (I'm British, all I do is complain about the weather!). It's mild and rainy, the inbetween season. And I like extremes. Still, it's a time for new beginnings. I think I'm going to fiddle around with the colourscheme on this thing.

Easter holidays - a bittersweet feeling. On one hand it's great to be off school and to be able to go out and do all kinds of crazy things with my friends and boyfriend, but on the downside I will be spending nearly all of it working. A/S level exams are painfully close.

We didn't make the media deadline, which sucks. I don't want it to sound like I'm blaming someone else for my own mistakes, but to be honest, the teachers were the ones who never gave us any equimpment with which to do the aforementioned coursework, and thus it is ALL THEIR FAULT. Ah well... we're nearly done, so we'll be getting it in as soon as humanly possible.

Today's music is Leverage. Because the vocals from 3.34 to 3.45 made my heart skip a beat.


Peace & Love