New year, new me.

At the start of the year I made a series of resolutions like read 52 books this year (success, read 107) and get 10 a*s (not success).

Everyone believes that with the new year brings around the opportunity to be a new person. I don't agree with changing yourself over a period of 24 hours because I don't believe it works; we slip back into old habits. When I stopped eating meat it was a process that took about a year. I just started cutting back gradually on meat until I stopped all together. People who I've known who stopped immediately now eat meat again.

I've changed a lot in this past year, more than ever. I am more confident, happier and I'd like to believe that I am stronger, braver, overall (if I dare say it) more gryffindor. I think we can make resolutions to make little decisions that over time changes us.

This year has been amazing. Last January I performed with my band in front of 250 people. I finally reached a pretty decent level of skiing. I moved house. I earned enough money for a new camera. I went from a C to an A in ad maths in a week. I managed to organise 3 weeks of work experience in the hardest field with no contacts through cold calling. I finally got diagnosed with a syndrome that helps me understand everything about my body and I've finally got help. I got really good gcses. I moved school. I passed my theory test. I performed in the school musical. I made a load of new friends. I started a blog. I'm doing well at school. I started reading again. And I am grateful for every little thing that's made me so happy this past year.

What do I want for 2014?

I want to do well academically.
I want to get interviews for medicine.
I want to start writing a novel.
I want to get well enough to go to South Africa with Biology.
I want to write more.
I want to write more reviews.
I want to blog more consistently.
I want to do more for my future.
I want to take more photos.
I want to keep my room tidy.
I want to be productive.
I want to stop being terrified of growing up.

I'm going to be 18 and that's mental.
The only difference between me now and me on September 27th is that people have to buy me more expensive presents and I'll actually be allowed to buy sparklers from Sainsburys.

If 2014 is as great as post gcse 2013 has been I am looking forward to it.

Happy new years

Sophie xxx

Review: Beastly by Alex Flinn

I haven't done a book review since, what? march?, but I decided I wanted to do more book reviews and the like because reading is such a major part of my life and not writing about it doesn't really make sense.

I really wanted to read a fairytale retelling, preferably YA because I having such a YA phase at the moment, but had no idea where to start. The main recommendation on goodreads is Ella Enchanted but my sister told me it wasn't good and also I've heard it's more middle school than YA and this is far more complicated than I wanted it to be. I just wanted to read a modern fairytale retelling.

I decided to read Beastly by Alex Flynn which I knew had been made into an Vanessa Hudgens movie three years ago (which wasn't the thing that made me buy the book funnily enough).

Beastly is a YA modern day retelling of Beauty and the Beast set in NYC about Kyle, a wealthy, spoilt, attractive guy who meets a witch in his English class. She curses him and turns him into a "beast," to quote Twisted, "a wolf-bear-thing" and he must make a girl fall in love with him, he must love her in return and they must kiss in two years in order to break the spell.

I really really liked this and it grew on me especially with the introduction of Kyle's blind tutor, Will, the rose garden and the overall mushy-ness of the later chapters. It was warm and fuzzy and I really liked that. The plot twists were well thought out and not obvious when often YA novels lack a good plot twist.

Beauty and the Beast has never been my all-time-favourite fairytale though Disney's Belle has always been the princess I am most like and as a result I feel very protective over the story. The story was very cleverly woven around the original tale. I also really liked the references to books. I loved the symbolism of the roses all the way through out the book and the relationship between good deeds and roses.

There were some niggles I had with the book though, the web chats between different fairytale creatures were a bit annoying and diverged from the plot more than I wanted it to. Also there was very little subtlety with the character development which is a shame because the character development was the main part of the plot and if the little comments could have been left out it would have felt like the author (or her publishing team) was not treating me like an idiot.

I would read this book even if you have seen the movie because I've read the movie plot synopsis (thanks, Wikipedia) and it's not as good as the book. I would also recommend just buying this because the cover is gorgeous.

I would highly recommend this as an introduction to modern day retellings but I would encourage you to know the original story, not just the Disney one (I'm sorry, Disney, I really really love you).

I gave this book four stars as it was really, really good but just not fantastic-excuse-me-the-world-needs-to-read-this-book-no-matter-what.


Film trailer

Late night ramblings

It's 11.30pm and the rain is hitting the roof of my room and it's really loud. That's not a bad thing. I love the sound of rain. It makes me feel safe and protected. Listening to the rain in the almost-dark makes me feel serene.

I help the boys read at the junior part of my school. I think they're 9ish. We were reading a bit of Michael Morpurgo and he came across the word serene and asked me what it meant. I knew what it meant but couldn't explain it. Well done Sophie.

I am planning to do a massive book blog post at the end of this year as I'm really proud of how much I've read. I literally was reading a book and week at the start of the year and now look at me, 100 books later. I'm bracing myself as it's going to be a lot of photography but I'm looking forward to it.

I want to write more as part of my new years resolution.

Holy moly this year I'm turning 18. 18. I'm not mature enough to be an adult. Why are you letting me vote? Why are you letting me buy sparklers (confession: more excited about sparklers than alcohol)?

Oh, it must be nice to be normal.

Free Rice

It is currently the Project for Awesome, the annual internet charity event run by the Vlogbrothers (John and Hank Green).  It is the true measure of how wonderful the internet truly is, not all this doom and gloom and trolls that everyone thinks about.

I was browsing my subscriptions and came across NerdyandQuirky's video in which she discussed the website free rice. 

Free Rice is an online trivia multiple choice website where every answer you get 10 grains of rice will be donated to someone in a LEDC. The grains of rice are payed for by the adverts on the bottom of the game and very quickly you can pay for someones food who is less well off. Everybody wins. You become more educated (the Biology one is super hard and I do AS level Bio) and people all over the world are fed.

If you want to procrastinate why not go on free rice?

I have included the banner below and there is also a banner in my side bar of my blog. Both should take you to the website.

DFTBA

Teenage Vulnerability

I had a dream that all my teachers kept up with all my social media accounts.

According to dream dictionary dreaming of twitter means I want to be better connected. I don't really want the staff room to have daily discussions on my Frozen obsession in 140 characters or my preference for my apricot coloured cardie.

When we write to the internet, we do not write to the world, we write to ourselves. Of course you've heard this with the endless cyberbullying phse sessions and internet deportment lectures "do not put drunk pictures on your facebook" etc etc. But for the non-cyberbullyers among us who ignore those lectures and decide it would be a better use of our time to play with our nails it is still relevant,  but not in the way our school sees it.

We view our internet homes as private. Secluded. Not noticeable. We don't put drunk photos as our profile pictures or empathise with the "legalise cannabis party" on twitter. But we are personal. We let others in. I don't believe that my school year read this blog (if you do, hi. Yeah. This has suddenly got awkward.) and I am far less private on here than I am irl. But I like it here. I like my small amount of internet hits that are mainly from Russia.

And yes, I won't deny, I would be mortified if my teachers told me that they liked my blog post on "meeting people off the internet" and should I really be volunteering to teach the younger boys about internet safety?

It's because my blog is like my bedroom. It is the closest anyone will ever get to having a metaphysical version of my personality. That vulnerability that is specific to opening up to someone is very present on the internet.

I don't regret anything I've written on the Internet. I just am aware of how vulnerable I am on here. Not that I'll ever show it. I just like writing.

Rip Socially Awkward Sophie

If you visit my blog regularly (if so thank you) you'll notice a couple of teensy changes. One thing, I've changed the design. Also I changed the name and url of the blog.

Why?

I wanted a change, I guess. I like it more. It isn't as soft but I'm cool with that. I've also spent about half an hour trying to make it snow on the blog but no luck.

I've changed a lot in the last term. I went back to my old school on Thursday and I felt different. I am now described as "smiley" which has never been me and I feel more confident about my ability as a person. I sing on public transport, much to the annoyance of my fellow passengers of the 7.25am train. I walk differently (admittedly that might be to do with the intense physiotherapy I have but still). I feel infinitely happy most of the time and happiness is the most precious commodity. I'm so lucky with that.

I apologise for the lack of posts. School (can I call it college as it is a school but I'm in sixth form oh the conundrums of my life) has been mental, I got a week long migraine (which is pretty stressful), had three Biology practical exams, been in the school musical and had to keep up with AS levels. I've got mocks in January, help me, but I want to post more.

So I'm writing a list of things I want to do on the blog and hopefully I won't lose all my creativity with all maths and science a levels.

I want to write more about books, review books and talk about my hauls. I want to post pictures that I take and write about things I love and even just posts I'll post as revision but you can learn something too and I want to wrap up my reading year in style (who's looking forward to the masterpost?).

2014 is swiftly decending on us and that terrifies me because I'm going to be 18 and these AS levels will affect whether I get into medicine as this is my final shot (dear unis, if you're reading my blog, one) congratulations because it's pretty hard to find and two) I really really really want to be a doctor so please let me in, love Sophie). But 2014 should still be filled with things I love, London and reading and lie ins and walks and mince pie and brandy ice cream and greek food and Twisted and yes, I'll say it, school and my wonderful friends and Taylor Swift and nails inc.

This blog post is basically a stream of consciousness,  but I like to believe it is a well 

written stream of consciousness.

I've missed you blog.

See you asap.

Sophie xxx

Sweater Weather Tag

Yeah, this is a youtube tag but Kayley Hyde did it on a blog post so I shall follow her with that.
And yes, I'm in an italic-y mood.

1. Favorite candle scent?
I don't actually buy scented candles because my mum doesn't like them and I live at home because I'm 17. I really really love the smell of smoke though so I could light matches all day long. Bunsen burners are the best bit of chemistry practicals. Especially when you use them to extract limonene. 

2. Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?
I absolutely loathe tea, only like european hot chocolate and coffee is just slightly too strong. My huge problem is I don't like milk.

3. What's the best fall memory you have?
Does my birthday count?

In all seriousness, there's this street in my village with these massive horse chestnut trees and every autumn we'd go pick up conkers and it was lovely.

4. Which makeup trend do you prefer: dark lips or winged eyeliner? 
Winged eyeliner. All I have done this week is make my eyes look like Lily Allen's from her new video.

5. Best fragrance for fall?
I only ever wear one "fragrance" and it's malalia from hollister

6. Favorite Thanksgiving food?
I'm British so I don't celebrate thanksgiving though I love Sainsbury's cinnamon and raisin bagels that they sell across the road from my school.

7. What is autumn weather like where you live?
Cold, at the moment. However, it means I get to sit next to the radiator in maths and wear my Gryffindor jumper to school and wear apricot and khaki.

8. Most worn sweater?
Oh wow this is like Sophie's Choice.
This one from Urban Outfitters is my current favourite. I love Urban Outfitters.

9. Must-have nail polish this fall?
I just got Nail's Inc nail diary as my mum and dad are amazing so probably St Martin's Lane from Nails Inc.

10. Football games or jumping in leaf piles?
Leaves, obviously.

11. Skinny jeans or leggings?
Skinny jeans, obviously.

12. Combat boots or Uggs?
Combat boots, obviously. I love my DM's.

13. Is pumpkin spice worth the hype?
Never had it *cringes*

14. Favorite fall TV show?
I'm watching Bob's Burgers a lot at the moment. And, as always, Scrubs.

15. What song really gets you into the fall spirit?

I'm listening to a lot of Fiona Apple at the moment, as well as Keane, The Cinematic Orchestra and Imagine Dragons.

Gif tastic

On Remembrance Day

Every year for as long as I can remember I have attended my school's remembrance service. Since I officially "started school" I've been to four different schools and every year I stood through the two minutes silence not really understanding it. People died and I understood that and I'd heard the statistics of how many were lost. I still didn't relate to it. These were people from a different era and I have never lived through a war that I have perceived to affect me and when I was younger I couldn't feel anything for the hundreds of thousands of people who died and I would feel guilty about this but I still couldn't feel any empathy.

Three years ago my school took me on a week long history trip to France and Belgium which had been romantically named "The Chateau Trip." We were stating in this "chateau" which happened to be a large house with dorm rooms in the outbuildings. It was essentially a youth hostel trip to learn about the first world war and we visited several large graveyards to do with the Somme. In particular we visited this huge British (and the commonwealth if I remember correctly) graveyard. All you could see was row my row of white gravestones and at the back a round wall with names of bodies that weren't found. This made an impression at the time but mainly the feeling of peace you get rarely. However I came back home, only thinking of the large amounts of chocolate I had bought in Ypres and what was the start of my friendship group collapsing into anarchy. That big white graveyard left my mind and wouldn't return for another year.

I slept through the two minute silence that year. I had an agonising infection of tonsillitis and had to go to the local minor injuries late that evening so I slept in until 11.40. Still, I wasn't upset that I'd missed the silence.

Year 10 came around after the past nightmarish 6 months and that year I stood up in those two minutes. The trumpet sounded and suddenly it hit me. The 14 past years of not empathising were hit by this mass of emotion that I'd never felt. The big white graveyard had affected me.

I feel like we need experiences to relate.

I feel like we can't understand atrocities unless something links us to them.

I feel like we need to be educated.

I don't know what this blog will do, but hopefully it will do some good.

My Love for Musicals

So, my first blog post. My name is Heather and I am completely new to this, so I apologise if you find this post completely uninteresting! However I have decided to write about the thing I am most passionate about in life, in the hope that some of you will feel the same way: Musicals. I appreciate many don’t understand the point of people randomly bursting into song and dance, but I love it. In my opinion there is a song for every occasion, whether the occasion be having a shower, going on a date, or simply making lunch.

I wish my life was a musical. To be fair, I do sing. A lot.

Singing is the only way to truly express one’s feelings. It does so in a way words fail to do. When the conversation runs dry with a boy you like, you have to resort to awkward silence. However, in a musical, you can sing.  It doesn’t matter whether the song is an unaccompanied 2 line tune, or whether is it a huge chorus number with sparkles, dancing and jazz hands. People sing because words alone have nowhere else to go.

Musicals have memorable songs that you simply cannot get out of your head and they have incredible dance numbers that inspire you to dance even when you can’t. I have just taken up dance lessons, and trust me it is 1000x harder than they make it look! Most importantly the leading man is always remarkably romantic, and there is ALWAYS a happy ending. I challenge you to think of a musical in which there is not a positive message at the end!

Whilst what I am saying may be unbelievably cheesy, that is the point of a musical. And that is why I love them. As I am writing this I have ‘I whistle a happy tune, and every single time, the happiness in the tune, convinces me that I’m not afraid’ rolling around my head. Bet I have it stuck in your head too.

So that’s all I had to say. All that is left is to thank Sophie for letting me do this! Adieu, adieu, to you and you and you. 

In defence of: Fiction

I was in Biology the other day when my friend asked me the question: "why do you read fiction?" She reads non-fiction solidly in one particular area, and that's great for her, but I don't want that.

I replied with "I want to read everything." I went to Cheltenham Literature Festival early this month which was absolutely fantastic and Maureen Johnson said the big difference between YA readers and adult readers was that YA readers were better (contrary to public opinion) because they were less close minded. YA readers contact the author and they are a lively and thoughtful readership. I want to be this demographic. I want to be openminded and lively and thoughtful and I don't want to limit myself. If I just read science-fiction and fantasy (like everyone at my school) I would never have read John Green or David Levithan or Jeffrey Eugenides or Mark Haddon. Likewise, if I had only ever read contemporary fiction I wouldn't have read Ernest Cline or Orson Scott Card.

I feel like fiction is regarded as lower quality than non-fiction and that those who read non-fiction are brighter and more educated. I feel these judgements aren't fair on fiction. I find that fiction is better written as authors place more emphasis on how the words sound, if their sentences are nice to read and with non-fiction it's placed on the facts. To read fiction you are probably reading for pleasure and how is that not educated? It is the most educated thing of all. You are doing something academic for fun instead of watching tv or spending all evening watching youtube videos *cough* or playing Call of Duty.

Fiction gets a bad rap because it is used for many people as a method of escaping their day to days life in an unhealthy way. I know when I'm having a rough time I do immerse myself in Harry Potter especially and will spend a lot of time on Mugglenet. However, I don't think that reading fiction and escaping reality is a bad thing (in moderation). I read something on ScienceDaily about how reading improves health in sick individuals. I don't see how non-fiction boosts these things in the same way.

I read Fahrenheit 451 this summer which was the only dystopian book to ever really hit home (that said, I have never read 1984 and that's supposed to be terrifying). Fahrenheit 451 was written in the 1960's but the prophecies that were made in that book have started to come true. We are reading less as a society. This is where we have to let fiction step in. It's enjoyable and this will stop us from turning into that society.

I've written 600 words about why I value fiction. To be honest, you've seen my blog, you already know that. So why do I read fiction? I read it to relax. When I finish a book it gives me a sense of accomplishment. I prefer it to TV because there is so much detail you can cram in and I love that. Most of all, with reading Fiction there is a community. A community that's strong. It bonds people together. I went to Waterstones today and the bookseller at the till and I had this easy conversation in a completely different way that an assistant at Topshop and I would have. I have friends where our friendships are bound and strengthened by books. Sophie. Neelam. Chitra.

I believe that Fiction is something that shouldn't be undervalued. It creates a force so strong you can't quantify.

Hi!
so my name's Aimee and Sophie has kindly offered to let me post some pictures of some f my nail art!
 I'm still learning and am desperately trying to improve my ability to paint my right hand because at the moment I am walking around with one hand painted reasonably well while my right.....well you can imagine....

I thought I'd start with a Halloween theme as that's coming up soon!! modeled by my brother's girlfriend this is just a basic black and white look, perfect for a party!

Thank you again Sophie!! x

Guest Bloggers

So the other day I announced that my friend Aimee would post pictures of her amazing nail art on my blog. I was excited because having more than one author on my blog was a really exciting concept for me because collaborating will always be something I really enjoy doing and I felt like my blog was picking up speed.

And then I got 500 views in a day.

It's mental. I thank each and everyone of you for that boost in figures. It means a lot to me because I'm very proud of my blog and it gave me a big confidence boost.

It got me thinking though.

I love collaborating. I want to do more collaborating within my blog because I know that I want to vary my content, and I do try to do that don't get me wrong, but I want this to be a good thing to read for you, not just for me to write.

I am friends with some incredibly talented people. I read their coursework last year and it was phenomenal. Some have blogs, some do not.

I have asked some of these friends to write pieces for my blog. They're writing on anything they want and it can take them as long as they want, so I can't promise release dates.

I'm slowly asking friends one by one so to spread them out but I'm really excited about this.

I hope you will be to.

Announcement of the CENTURY

My friend Aimee is super-talented at nail art. She's amazing at it and the stuff she creates looks amazingly professional, even her right hand.

So for the first time ever, this blog will have another author. Her name is Aimee Grace, we take the same train and we both go to the same school. She takes Biology, Chemistry, English and History.

She will post nail art on my blog and I'm super happy to have such a talented co-author.

Sophie out.

Autumn

I want to be a doctor #3 - The Drugs Don't Work review

So as a conscientious student with a book buying addiction I went to Daunt Books in Notting Hill and bought "The Drugs Don't Work - A Global Threat" by Professor Dame Sally C. Davies. I mainly did it because I haven't read any medical books since "The Emporer of All Maladies," which is size 7 font over 500 pages so I didn't finish it, and a little part of me that thought everyone in my school knows everything so I was trying to keep up (when in fact it's just the girl next to me who wants to go into Biochemistry when we have Chemistry and Biochemistry).

Did I enjoy the book? Not particularly.

Just to let you know my standard I have taken my Biology GCSE and got a grade I was really happy with and I am now studying Biology AS Level.

This book did not stretch me. It didn't stretch my sister. She's 13. It is incredibly basic and the science is very mundane (it literally tells you to wash your hands). The table at the back was quite interesting,  reading about the different antibiotics developed but everything else was very basic facts I had learned 3-5 years ago. I understand we have to raise awareness for the use of antibiotics but this book will not change anything.

We need PSAs. It's taught in schools, but only at GCSE, and many people drop Biology before this point. This book will not save the world. Only nerds, like myself, will venture into the medical section of the bookshop and we already know everything you tell us to a more advanced level.

It is quite an enjoyable read. I wouldn't say it's well written but it's enjoyable.

Penguin, why did you publish this? Is it because she has a title? Is it because publishers are not scientists? Or is it the fact you thought you could make a difference? If it's the last reason, I'm sorry for you. This is not the way to save the world. The Book Doesn't Work - A Global Threat.

The Blog Post Graveyard

Welcome to my Blogger app, a.k.a. my blog post graveyard. Come, take a look around.

Over here we have the angry posts written in a fit of annoyance. I say annoyance because if you read them you'll see they are written in a fit of rage at society and politicians. Yes, that's the one about Time magazine and their article about our generation. Moving on.

Here are the dorky posts. Oh, so you've noticed the 600 word post about how Percy Jackson makes me cry? Yes, people aren't invited here very often. No photos, please. Ah, the post about how I don't drink? Facinating, isn't is, and a little terrifying that I was going to be so open on the net. Yes, I am exhausted when I write these so I lack judgement.

This dark corner is entitled, things I've never started. Yes, some of the ideas are quite good aren't they? Why didn't I write them? I wanted to sleep really. Didn't have enough time to write them. Missed my own personal "deadline" for them. Regardless, it's usually ridiculous.

And finally, posts I've taken down. It's very small but quite entertaining.

I'm afraid that ends our tour. Exit through the gift shop. Thank you.

I want to be a doctor #2 - ObamaCare

ObamaCare came into action on October 1st in the USA and the other day I took the time to understand what this is, how it affects Americans and why on earth the government shut down.

The main issue with the US health system is that it's too expensive. It's main objective is making profit and that's not right. Yes, every business has to make money because that's how growth occurs however, when your profiteering hurts people, and it does, what you are doing is wrong. The US citizens pay more tax proportionately than the UK in health care which is perverse as our health care is free.

ObamaCare is not like the NHS. That suprised me. The NHS provides every British citizen with free health care. ObamaCare provides everyone with insurance. The basic idea is that everyone is entitled to health care so everyone must have insurance. If you are below a certain level of the poverty line the government pays for your insurance and that is what the Republicans are against. There are also different levels of insurance depending on how much coverage you want.

This means now it is illegal to not have health insurance. However, now less wealthy people who are just above this poverty line have to pay for insurance, meaning that these people now have the biggest problems.

But what I don't get is why, WHY, the American Government shut down over this. Why is one political party in America against health care for all? Why shouldn't people pay so your country is healthy? Even if you support capitalism in the extremes, don't you want a fitter workforce? Not giving people free health care is similar to cave man civilisation:

If you are ill then you die.

It just feels like there's a lack of compassion within the Republicans and I feel like that is the biggest problem with American society, not the obesity, not books that will "ruin your children", not alcohol, not TV. It is your lack of caring towards those that need it most.

So start your government up. You are fighting an argument that has a moral argument that is so crystal clear I wonder what you're trying to prove.

Care about your people and they will care for you.

letter from sleep

To all my readers last month:

Thank you.

I created a blog in January. I got a few page views a day. I was happy. 

In March I wrote a controversial piece on advertising and wow, I got 20 page views in a day. In May I had almost 500 pages views and that was my top month. 

Until September. 

I had 627 page views overall and 74 page views on one individual day.

You see, I love to write. 

It's odd because I'm taking three science and two maths a levels and I struggle with mixing numbers and words together. I always have.

But when I'm here just writing, I feel peace. I feel calm. It's like a diary but productive. I feel like I may interest some people and I would love it if my blog brought people happiness. 

Writing has always been a medium I enjoy just I write more when I'm happy (though just the last week I've had writers block, I'm still ecstatic most of the time). I prefer it to art. I'm starting to read more broadly. I'm trying to post broadly.

To do this, I'm thinking of setting a "theme" a month. This also ties in with my be more Rookie campaign. 

I understand this post is sort of a shambles but frankly it's late at night and I'm copying the deep sense of peace I feel at night onto paper.

Goodnight readers.

Sophie x

Thank you.

late night feelings.

A man has dreams of walking with giants
To carve his niche in the edifice of time
Before the mortar of his zeal
Has a chance to congeal
The cup is dashed from his lips
The flame is snuffed aborning
He's brought to rack and ruin in his prime
My world was calm, well ordered, exemplary
Then came this person, with chaos in her wake
And now my life's ambitions go with one fell blow
It's quite a bitter pill to take

A spoonful of sugar that is all it takes
It changes bread and water into tea and cakes
A spoonful of sugar goes a long, long way
'Ave yourself a 'ealthy 'elpin' ev'ry day
You're a man of 'igh position
Esteemed by your peers
And when your little tykes are cryin'
You 'aven't time to dry their tears
And see them grateful little faces
Smilin' up at you
Because their dad, 'e always knows
Just what to do

You've got to grind grind grind at that grindstone

Though child'ood slips like sand through a sieve
And all too soon they've up grown
And then they've flown
And it's too late for you to give
Just that spoonful of sugar
To 'elp the medicine go down
The medicine go down, the medicine go down.

What's happening tomorrow

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#18 - Go to Disney

I don't think words can quantify how much I love Disney World.

I own all these photos.

#17 - Try Churros

These are amazing. I had the frontierland churros at night and they were incredible.

Be More Rookie - Playlist - Autumn's Coming

As part of my "be more rookie" idea/project/inspiration I made a playlist on 8 tracks and then a pretty, handwritten track list. As part of my lack of sleep, I miss spelt Autumn. Apologies.

#13 - Read two books a week

#8 - Get my results and #9 - Get easily into my next school

I had to get a very high set of grades to get into my current school and I did, despite my round-the-clock migraines. I got in and I am so happy that I did because I could not be happier.

Open Day Issues

Tomorrow is my sixth form's open day.

Now, open days are not my forte. In year 6 I got a family who took four hours to go into five classrooms. In year 9 my friend Lucy and I tried to access our lockers, which had turned into a male loo (it was an all girls) and had to hide for five minutes while we heard everything that went on in the cubicles. In year 10 I couldn't hear my prospective students name so couldn't introduce her to any teachers.

But Sophie, you're in a levels now, surely you're in a subject classroom, and I mean, you know a lot now about Biology, it must be okay?

I am guiding.

I don't know my way around the school.

I don't know about any other subjects.

I will have to show round someone entering sixth form or I will be of no use.

I have never been into one building.

How am I going to talk knowledgeably?

I only know 11 teachers names.

This could be interesting.

Lord help my school.
I love it though. Hopefully that will come across.

Night.

Happy Birthday HJG

My day was fantastic. I was euphoric until...

I realised I'd forgotten it was Hermione Jean Granger's Birthday.

At this point I was wracked with guilt. Hermione is me. We have the same hair even (apart from mine is saved with hairdryers). I am in 6th form so I could have worn a piece of merchandise or something.

I AM 17 IN 8 DAYS WHY DO I CARE SO MUCH.

So, at 8.30pm I danced around my kitchen, badly, wearing my time turner, reblogging every Hermione gif ever and painting my nails red and gold.

And then I relealised, not only had I missed Hermiones Birthday but I'd missed Alaska Day.

So in apology here is your fictional character calender

January 10th - Alaska Day (wear white flowers in your hair)
March 1st - Ron Weasleys birthday
March 29th - Hazel Grace's half birthday
May 2nd - end of the Battle of Hogwarts
June 21st - summer solstice "you are the true son of the sea god" HOLD ME.
July 31st - Harry's Birthday
August 18th - Percy Jackson's birthday
September 1st - Hogwarts starting day (special note 2017 which is last scene ever recorded in HP books. I will be at Kings Cross)
September 19th - Hermione's Birthday
September 29th - Hazel Grace's Birthday

However, this does all beg the question:

Why am I such a dork?

Night.

On writing short posts

Would you be disappointed if my posts were more frequent but shorter?

I would still do essays but I would do short posts.

On tumblr you can get away with it.

On blogger, not so much.

I always feel I should write long posts.

I'm exhausted but incredibly happy at the same time.

I can't quite get my head around my constant levels of euphoria.

I have a lot of work.

And that's not fun.

But I'm happy.

I guess that's all that counts.

Why I'm not happy with a Harry Potter spinoff.

I've wanted this for 6 years now. I've wanted another Harry Potter book. I loved every page of the original series. And I've finally got what I've wanted. So why am I not happy?

1) it's a film. The Harry Potter films were good but they were nothing like the books. "Yeah but J K Rowling will be writing it." Doesn't matter. Harry is not sassy in the filns The best thing about the books were the wit, the level of detail and Dumbledore. The films lack these things.

2) this leads me on to my second point: Michael Gambon. No one has slaughtered a book-to-film adaptation like Dumbledore's final scene. I could have acted in it and would have played a more convincing Dumbledore despite being a 13 year old female at the time. Rowling included some beautiful lines AND GAMBON YOU KILLED THEM.

3) the plot finished. Move on. Rowling as released fantastic books recently, especially The Cuckoos Calling, but no, even though Harry was given the best ending in literature history we're still milking this. Make more merchandice. Don't release another film. Better yet, rebuild Wizarding World of Harry Potter with Disney, who have a far better set of Imagineers and attention to detail than Universal have ever had *disclaimer: do not sue me. Use the money you would have spent on a lawyer to make better rides*

4) Could there be a more obscure plotline than Newt Scalmander? Pick Degalus Diggle,  for goodness sake.

5) Harry Potter was beautiful. But don't get everyone's hopes up for this film as everybody has Gatsbied the last film (to Gatsby - to glorify something in your mind until it is guaranteed to fall short of that expectation) but I ask you, civilians!  Where was Kreacher in the last battle? Where was the wand fight infront of everyone? And a wand is like a gun, not a hose, spells do not fight each other.

I loved Harry Potter, but if you really love him, let him go.

In defence of: blogging while tired

My last two blogs have been posted this week and as you may have gathered,  I started a new school. Being new is exhausting, I'm learning everything all at once. As a result I'm blogging while being ridiculously exhausted and I'm loving the results.

When I am tired I'm not as inhibited while writing. I think less about what people will think of me, is this sentence moderated to death and will people judge me? As a result my blog posts are more me, like a diary without being to personal and deep because when exhausted I don't have strong emotions. Even now my sentences are meandering and do you know what? I love it. This is what I sound like. I feel genuine. I always try to write like me, for some reason I otherwise think I'm betraying myself and I hate that so even in emails to work experience I write like me.

Late night (well early now I wake up at 6 o clock) blogging is peaceful. All I can hear is the ticking of my clock, the occasional aeroplane, some cars if the wind is blowing the right way. It's really different after going from a city school to the countryside every day because the noise levels are so different. I was really aware of this today after an ambulance rushed past our biology lab. So try late night blogging and I promise you you won't regret it.

This was a sort of pointless post but I have a notice:
I moved around the design on my blog so now my old posts with pictures don't fit. I apologise profusely and will be putting them on Flickr as consolation.

Starting a New School

I started a new school today. Honestly, I would worry before each induction because change is scary. I left for sixth form so I left all my friends behind and went into the great wide somewhere.  What's weirdest? Their snapchats, showing life being the exact repetition of last year: playing on phones in lunch hour in the buildings I am so familiar with. Moaning about the already incresing stress. Rejoicing over the number of free periods.

Starting a new school is daunting. I'm going to attempt to give some advice on how to  manage your new school.

1. Learn where your lessons are before the lesson starts because post-bell stress is insane.
2. Ask for directions. Nobody's going to judge you if you can't find room 105.
3. If you can't remember someone's name, ask. Everyone is doing it and nobody gets offended as we can all only remember a small bunch of names, let alone their a level choices and previous schools.
4. Find a "buddy" before lunch and sit with them. Stress-free seat finding
5. Pretend to have buckets of confidence and know exactly what you're doing. I don't know if I do this for the younger years but it seems to work despite having the odd nervous giggling fit prompted by "oh-my-lord-where-am-I-going."
6. Socialise. Don't be exclusive. Talk to everyone and anyone as there's only a small window for random conversation time in a new year.
7. Try not to collapse into laughter with your science partner when something goes wrong. I can not confirm I have followed this piece of advice.
8. Learn where the most important places are in the school: food, your classroom, your locker, your common room. Learn the names of buildings and the room numbers inside of them.
9. Learn the door codes really fast. It's just embarrassing.
10. Try not to just talk to your old friends if any have moved with you or on technology. These new people are lovely and will be in your life for the next 2/3/4/5/7 years. Stay in touch with your old friends just be prepared to branch out.

Moving schools was the right choice for me. I'm really happy, despite being totally lost most of the time. Everyone's in it together and nothing brings people together like lack of direction.

One last piece of advice, don't tell people you make youtube on the first day. Give them the chance to think you're vaguely normal first *cringes at lunch outburst*

Sophie out.