Ground Control to Major Tom...

First of all I shall apologise for my lack of posting on this blog recently. If you're looking for regular updates and pretty pictures please visit my tumblr www.strangecharm94.tumblr.com :)

Today I want to talk about space exploration and why I think it's something we as a species should be pushing for and take an interest in. If you're a regular reader of my blog you'll realise I mention space a hell of a lot. Well that's because it is one of many things that remains important and close to my heart. When I was younger my Dad used to take me on astronomy courses at a local observatory, although at the age of around eleven/twelve I could never really contemplate the vastly complex science being discussed, it inspired me at this age to find out more and even now I'm desperate to get back into astronomy.

As part of this interest I watched a brief documentary version of the moon landings and longed to have been around when it had happened as it was such an achievement for mankind. You'd have thought by now we'd be pushing even more boundaries, trying to take that one step further into the frontiers of space but instead our united interest in space exploration has declined...we're all too busy worried about our own individual stability, which I completely understand but where on earth is the fun in that? Don't we want to do something historic this decade? Because that's what happened during the space race, so why can't it happen again? Who knows what we could achieve if we just had financial backing and the interest of the public once more.

Sure there are problems on Earth that we need to address such as poverty, cancer and AIDS however I am positive that there are plenty of potential financial backers out there...think about the millions footballers get paid just to kick about a ball by rich managers, or bankers who despite getting us into a recession still get their bonuses. Or how about events such as Eurovision (which in my opinion is pointless and already determined by political backgrounds), surely we could use funding for those projects to both help our Earthly problems and reach for the stars.

Basically I want to be a part of history. I don't want to believe that the days of manned space exploration are as good as dead. I don't want to believe that we don't care any longer, that it's just the past. Science can be developed through space programmes, society hooked and inspired, children given hopes and dreams... we shouldn't give up on this. The only limits are those we put in our own path.

Sorry I got passionate there and went off on one again! Anyway I'm off on D of E tomorrow for 5 days, carrying a rucksack over 16kg in mass...this shall be my own personal mission I guess! Wish me luck!

Allons-y Alonso.

I won't let you close enough to hurt me...

For me the past couple of days have been hard. Yesterday I spent the day lounging in the obscure heat with a picnic in honour of one of my close friends who sadly is leaving us. It was a brilliant way to say goodbye, and I'm convinced the goodbye is not forever, but you never really understand how much people play an important part in your life until they're gone and it's too late.

Also today I woke up, positive today would be another well-spent day. My mood was quickly ruined however by some a very stressing discovery. I don't really want to talk about the details as most of you who read this blog will probably know something about them. I just felt like saying, I feel completely let down by those who I put my faith in and trusted. By nature I'm a pretty anxious person and the news I've had today will probably bug me until everything has been outlined clearly. I'm so sick of things like this happening. Honestly, it can really make you realise just how precarious situations in life can be. Really hope things will be sorted soon, because if they are not, life will continue to go on...after all isn't life rather like a show where all the men and women are players?  I will but on my brave face and as usual if someone says "How are you?"
I'll place on that fake persona and reply "I'm fine thank you, yourself?"
At least if things don't work out as I want them to I will still have those amazing friends with me whatever happens, and their company I shall be glad of.

Sorry for this gloomy post.  I'll probably talk about one of the things I'm getting really into at the moment...
Astronomy and Cosmology.

I've been reading Wonders Of The Universe by Professor Brian Cox this holiday and its so inspiring. Seriously, I'm taking physics next year and this part of it excites the inner nerd in me. The universe is just so fascinating, reading about how rocks also have tides, the first space flights, how weight changes even of earth, and the false dawn make you contemplate just how vastly complex this universe can be. Additionally every time I try to think how vast space is my mind struggles to even imagine it, whilst causing me to recognise just how small we are in comparison to the solar system, milky way galaxy, the local group, and the universe. Perhaps human minds were never designed to envision these great scales...but that does not stop us trying. I seriously would love to get into astrophysics someday...unfortunately I'm not confident in my maths therefore I believe it would be a difficult struggle.
A quote from Carl Sagan at the back of this book sums up my feelings on both life and the cosmos, both with complex structures in their own right.

"Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known."- Carl Sagan 

Hubble Deep Space Image

"

I didn't realise how bittersweet this could be.

Yesterday it was prom. The day I'd spent ages planning all the minute details for, looking forwards to it in the midst of exam season, researching possible hairstyles and make up ideas. Initially I didn't think I'd make prom out to be a big deal, but now I have realised its importance to me. This event fulfilled a part of me which secretly longs to dress myself up and pretend that there is nothing else of greater importance in my life, almost transporting me back to the ideas of historical court balls and such...I've been reading too much historical fiction recently. In addition it provided another excuse to celebrate with my truly wonderful best friends the end of an era, the beginning of a new one and the continuation of lasting friendship into the future.

It still hasn't hit me yet that this event was to mark the end of my years at Belvoir. I'm still not convinced inside that it is the end... I just can't imagine a different atmosphere next year, but I know I must. For me I guess when it will hit me is exam results day on the 25th August, because everything will have fallen into place, some people I will never see again and for some of them I won't really care, but then there are those who have always been there like background noise even if I did not know them well, providing some structure and regularity to proceedings each and every day for five years.

Prom was simply amazing. I only wished it had lasted so much longer, truly this was one of the few parties that I wish could have continued right into the early hours of the morning, as suddenly the lethargy of the days before disappeared, I felt incredible surrounded by the people who have helped to make my life so brilliant at the moment and everyone looked so stunning! My only regret for the night was that I didn't take money for a professional photograph, as our picture was truly beautiful...oh well, I'll have to get the photos I took printed off to keep them somewhere safe and special. It's not often I feel confident, but last night I got up and danced, took photos, smiled and laughed...I'm not used to such magical moments...

Anyway, enough waffle from me, I know you're secretly just wanting pictures :)

Ellen, Me and Charlie before we went to prom. Don't they just look so gorgeous!

Back of my dress and hair.

Front of dress and hair complete with tiara :) Thank you so much to my mother for making me this dress, it is simply lovely and felt so special. I hated when I had to take it off when I got home, near broke my heart. Also thank you to my mother for surprising me the day before prom by buying me that beautiful bag to match. If you haven't guessed I love my Mum she is simply wonderful and talented in so many ways.

The girles- Alice, Charlie, Me and Ellen

Sim Sim and me.

Again the simply gorgeous people I have met in my time at Belvoir.
Ellen, Me, Sarah, Charlie, Alice

Please don't drive me blind.

3 more exams to go then summer. That's about all that keeps me going when I'm buried beneath heaps of simultaneous equations, trigonometry, fomulae and everything else I despise about maths. Oh and I need to get back to some geography soon!

I'm already looking forwards to next friday when I shall be able to say I never have to take a maths exam ever again. On a side note, I've also painted my nails a TARDIS blue in preparation for the mid-series finale of Dr Who on Saturday, also to test out the nail polish for prom. I really like it, so it may just be staying a while :)

As for prom dress progress, it's going really well. My dress is nearly done, boning has been put in place for support, detailing added, lining put in and I've tried it on to ensure a nice fit. All that's left is to add the bow, find shoes and jewellery and learn how to apply make-up to the desired effect of a smoky-eye. I've never been one for finding make-up easy to apply. I'm not posting pictures just yet because I don't want to ruin the surprise just yet :D

That's about it for today. I have nothing more of much interest to say!
Allons-y Alonso.

Find a new way of seeing...

It's another day of sitting here doing basically nothing. I've spent the days mainly sat here catching up on some reading...a luxury I had to forfeit when GCSE's began. Oh and watching Dr Who episodes trying to figure out what the hell is going on with Amy Pond.

Additionally it's been a while since the last intellectual blog post. So now I'm going to go off on a tangent- feel free to skip to the end for milk and cookies (which will be virtual).

As the title suggest I'm thinking about the way we see things. It's been an interest of mine for a while now, the way we think and act...
In this little blog post I'll talk about how willing the media are to jump to conclusions that the end of the world is nigh, pretty much everyday. Everyone remember the Swine Flu scare right? When predictions were of thousands dead by the end of August, every story on the news was related, all those signs and adverts placed in countless lifts warning us that "coughs and sneezes spread diseases". I praise the government for their quick intervention, as if that had been an actual epidemic swift action would be needed, however in the end I believe the reason such widespread panic ensued was due to the portrayal the media made of a few deaths making a situation seem even more desperate.

And then there was the Large Hadron Collider which was going to cause a black hole and destroy the world...yeah right. Well I've since seen evidence which confirms the inpracticality of this conclusion. It isn't scientifically viable. Another story without a taken from a rumour and blown up into full scale mass panic.

What about all those foods that cause cancer then you see in the columns of various newspapers everyday. Half the time, you'll find these foods printed a couple of weeks later then claiming to be cures for cancer. The truth is that these things haven't been researched enough to come to an accurate, valid conclusion.

The rapture. Another example. All over the internet were comments of how the world would end, based upon one guys's predictions. Many people have predicted the end of the world, ever since early calendars were invented- has it ever happened?  So why should people choose to believe this obvious nonsense this time around?

Why print stories when we can't be sure the conclusions are true at all. My answer to this would be that it's because deep down, wired into our minds as human beings we love scary stories. We revel in the hysteria caused by a new threat in our stable lifestyles. It gives us something to gossip about in the streets or with neighbours. Draws us together as worldwide race of human beings (granted this may only be on twitter where we voice our concerns and poke fun at some ridiculous ideas), plus it sells papers. After all we secretly all love pouring over these stories even if to mock them.

Next time you read something predicting the end of our existance, think to yourself- how much of this is hype, research your facts and think twice before buying into the mass hype that will undoubtedly unfold.

But love is blind, and lovers cannot see, The pretty follies that they themselves commit.

Taking a well deserved break from the relentless schedule of revision, I decided to take a trip to Shakespeare country to see the RSC perform The Merchant Of Venice, and look around some of the pretty historical houses around there.

I've always been kind of a sucker for Shakespeare plays, I just love the drama of them and rhythm of the words when spoken. It's hard to explain to people who just see these plays as just to be studied in english why I love them so much, because although the language is old fashioned it's a reminder of our heritage, a lost past, and in fact many of the words we use every day were actually first heard in the lines of these plays. I guess I'm also a romantic at heart, I love these tales of ages gone and imagining how life must have been before society relied on technology. Not just this, but Shakespeare is still relevant and can be modern...

The Merchant Of Venice was actually set in Las Vegas, the characters wore modern clothing, played in a casino, there was an Elvis impersonator as one of the servants, the leading lady Portia and her maid in waiting even host a game show to decide whom she shall marry-popping up out of the floor on a sofa, on air signs, cameras and everything. The actors were fantastic, and made Shakespeare enjoyable and understandable. At one point there's a lads night out with the boys dressing up as Batman, Yoda and a giant teddy in order to rescue Jessica, one of the love interests. Oh and a bit of Babra Striesand playing in the car as the group drive over to "Belmont", head banging all the way. Seriously the best play I've ever seen, if you ever get the chance you should really see one of the RSC productions!

Afterwards I spent the rest of my time in Stratford checking out the historical buildings, including Shakespeare's birthplace, Anne Hathaways cottage, and Nash's House. They were all beautiful Tudor style houses and were so interesting to look around and see how times have changed.

Outside Shakespeare's Birthplace


Romeo and Juliet in one of the many gardens in Stratford Upon Avon

RSC Tower in distance and River Avon

Pretty Tudor gardens at Nash House



Anne Hathaway's Cottage- I wish I could own a house like this someday!

The best years of my life.

Yesterday was one of the toughest days in my entire life. Saying goodbye to a place that has become my second home and the people who have become my extended family was never going to be easy, but I had never imagined it would be as heartbreaking as it was.

Over the past five years I've spent at Belvoir High so much of me has changed, I feel more confident, more mature, more accepted and more able to make my own decisions about where I want this life to go. The circle of friends I met in my time there are the most amazing people I could have ever wished to meet, forget celebrities, meeting friends who are as true as mine is the real honour and pleasure. Unknowingly I entered the school seeking a great perhaps- and I think I found it and found myself. They say the high school days are the best in your life. Part of me wants to believe this is true because I've had an incredible time, the other half of me doesn't because my high school days are at their end now.

I'm ready to move on to the next chapter of my life, but this chapter has been the one with the twisty-turny plots, the time where the main character discovers how the pieces of the puzzle fit together, and the one you know will always be a key to the finished book. Some of my friends will join me next year at the same sixth and we shall continue in education with each other, but to those who have chosen to start the next stage separatly I wish them the best of luck and know that although our days together at Belvoir High are over our friendship is not.

I'll never foget yesterday. It will be one of those days close to my heart until the day I die, because the sense of unity so lacking in todays modern world was present in the hearts of every year 11. We laughed at the same memories, hugged each other in a fond reminder of friendship, cried at the same prospect of change, gave applause to those who had made our years worthwhile, and found happiness in the good luck messages of others. It was a rare moment...a moment that makes life valuable.

Away from contemplating the meaning of life which is a bit too deep for early saturday morning. I also had a great time celebrating the end of an era with all my best friends present. We went for a lovely meal and discussed a range of topics, rainbows actually being circular, the looks of a certain waitor, hot nerds, the possibitlity of alien life, and the rapture which is supposedly going to happen today (not!) It was the best send off for our time so far with each other possible.

Sorry for the length of todays blog, I just needed to express myself upon this monumental time.
To finish I will leave you all with this...

Good things don't always soften the bad things, but vice versa, the bad things don't necessarily spoil the good things or make them unimportant. - 11th Doctor

This quote basically sums up the memories of Belvoir, there were highs and lows-the lows never ruined the good memories but were not appreciated at the time, however the lows were needed to make me who I am today just as much as the indescribable highs.

Goodbye Belvoir, thanks for everything.
(Well okay I'll be back on tuesday to take an exam but things won't be the same!)

You open my eyes...

Taking a short break from last minute biology revision to post this, as I feel once again I've neglected my blog :(  So this week has literally been hell, so far I've had four exams in three days- english, music and french! It is a great feeling to know that from now on I shall never have to "describe the rhythm of the accompaniment" or listen to phrases such as "J'deteste ca." ever again... french and music are over for good.

Another thing that saddens me is the fact that Vampire Diaries is over until the autumn so I now have nothing to occupy my tuesday evenings, although it must be said the season finale was brilliant and I loved every second...oh well I'll just have to watch DVD's now for entertainment. Also, the episode of Dr Who last Saturday has now become possibly one of my favourites, I loved the dialogue, costumes, set, acting...pretty much everything!

I can't believe I've only got 2 more official days left at Belvoir before I go on study leave, its crazy! I've spent five years there and it has still not hit me that after my last exam on the 17th June (Geography) I'll never be returning to Belvoir in my blazer and tie every again, instead I will be preparing to take those first steps in sixth form education- which will of course require a shopping spree for interchangeable daily clothes :)

Well I better be getting back to my revision as there is a textbook and numerous pages of notes awaiting my immediate attention and concentration...wish me luck tommorow in my exam!

Allons-y Alonso.

Me and my beautiful "best friend" the biology revision guide.

The ship of fools is sailing into the nevermore...

It's been a while since I've updated this blog...and I feel kind of guilty, but that's what happens when you suddenly realise GCSE exams start next week, you begin to panic and have to spend most nights trying to somehow balance out revision for several different subjects. It's true, I haven't really had much of a life the past month, I'm just praying summer will make up for it. Right, well there's so much to discuss.

I must admit I did have quite a pleasant surprise last month though. As you probably know from various past blog posts, I'm quite into my sciences...so my Dad decided it would be beneficial to take me and Charlie to see the uncaged monkeys tour which featured Professor Brian Cox, Dara O Brien, Robin Ince, Ben Goldacre, Chris Addison and loads of others who mixed comedy and science. Honestly it was brilliant just to be in a room full of like minded nerdy people and was probably one of the funniest nights of comedy.

It's just hit me I have six days left at Belvoir, and that fact truly breaks my heart. In the end I guess it shows to never take time for granted,because no matter what you do the clock is ticking and before you know it, its time to take those brave steps into a brand new world whilst still clinging to the memories of the past and the people you love the most. Undoubtedly, I think the past five years will be something close to my heart for the rest of my life, without them I'd be a completely different person. In that time I've changed so much from the shy, nervous, quiet girl...into well, I guess a more confident, happy, talkative individual and if you know me no doubt you will have noticed these changes. All I've got to do now is get through these exams and enjoy the remaining few days with my friends as the same school.

Revision wise, I think I'm doing okay...I've focused mainly on the exams important to me, which means subjects such as music I'm dreading the exams for, especially as my teacher was totally uninspiring for the past two years, simply reading worksheets out aloud and calling it teaching...so now none of the information remains in my memory... great looks like I've got some cramming to do.

I want to leave you with some more pictures and quotes before going back to my world of mindmaps.

We'd belong there.

I've returned from my D of E silver hike and I have to say it was probably one of the most gruelling things I've done in my life. Walking and camping for three days with a heavy 70 litre rucksack through the Derbyshire countryside (which is VERY hilly) in the heat of the sun, across great stretches of fields, footpaths and bridleways with multiple styles designed for stick people was not really my idea of fun. However I was with three other lovely people and together as a team we made it, despite troubles such as waiting a whole hour for water to boil for pasta, one of us being ill (yet bravely deciding to carry on) and having our tent attacked by sheep in the middle of the night. It was a great experience and something definitely worth writing about. I guess its part of seeking the great perhaps.

Today I've returned to the normal routine, and have started with the hardcore revision again, today starting with english and biology. I don't mind English Lit revision as it mainly consisted of sitting out in the sunshine in the grounds of the nearby Belton House, a big country mansion, and re-reading Of Mice and Men, writing down important quotes in preparation for practice exam essays. To be honest I quite like Of Mice and Men, even if pretty much everyone else in my class hates it. I guess I like the way George and Lennie are looking for their great perhaps too by wanting to "live off the fatta the land" and "get their piece of heaven" and how they use their dreams as an escape from reality much like one of my favourtite quotes "imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia", I think their friendship really is truly remarkable, even if their dreams are shattered by a cruel twist of fate. But that makes the point you see these characters are not in control of their lives, they are realistic and fate decides the outcome of the novel despite "best laid plans". I seriously think people would perhaps enjoy this book if it weren't so analysed already, if we weren't told what every single sentence represents, if we were allowed to explore it for ourselves and instead of answering essay questions, write down our impressions of the novel and what it means to us.

As for the rest of the holidays, I can't say they sound particularly appealing...just revision, revision, revision, although I hope I can get a get together of all my friends at some point so we can spend this last official school holiday with each other. I really can't believe how fast time is passing now, when we return there will only be a few short days until we have officially left and go on study leave. It's a horrible thought almost as it means my life will be moving forwards at a rate I can't control. The people I love will stay in my life I will make sure of it (I'm talking to you my best friends!), the ones whom I never really cared for will probably disappear until some high school reunion or a chance meeting in a supermarket, and the people I am yet to meet will appear on the horizon. In a metaphorical sense we're all migrants like the characters in Of Mice and Men, we have very little control over our fate, we move through life without much choice, and it is the best friends we have who will stick by us in all circumstances and whom we hope will share our dreams to find a place where we'd all belong.

wow. I went off on a tangent there. I'll leave you with some pictures and quotes to finish off todays blog because its been a while, and my tumblr is filling up with all these wonderful quotes and pictures!

"There is no such thing as a bad idea- only poorly executed awesome ones"- Damon, The Vampire Diaries

"Everywhere we look, complex magic of nature blazes before our eyes." - 11th Doctor


"Perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as understood"- George Orwell, 1984

"In dreams we enter a world which is entirely our own"- Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter

"You just use the future to escape the present"- John Green, Looking For Alaska

"We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well, death will tremble to take us"

"What am I supposed to do when the best part of me was always you?"

April Showers? More like April Sunshine :)

I haven't blogged in a few days, sorry guys- I've been making the most of the weekend sunshine and unusually warm weather, so much so that I've got sunburn in the process :(  Not much really happened today, so I'll just ramble about the weekend.

Saturday was amazing, I spent the whole day with my best friend Charlie who visited for a sleepover! She gave me the sourest, most evil sweet I've ever tasted to see my reaction (which was me with watering eyes, and disposing of said sweet quickly) which I'd been dared to taste. Then, we went outside into the summer sun to eat some rather tasty ice lollies I had made the day before, as expected they were delicious and brought back memories of  previous summers spent eating ice creams as a child...ahhh memories.

Next we went indoors and had a bit of a film fest, watching my favourite childhood movie Spirit, and later Mamma Mia which was showing on TV. Finally after a day out in Nottingham, my parents returned with a chinese for us to quickly munch on before heading back upstairs to catch an episode of Merlin before we went to bed.

In the morning (after having a strange dream about visiting NASA with my triple science set and overpriced snacks on the return flight from America), I went riding as per usual, although my legs are now dead from the amount of non-stirrup work I had to do, once again I was on the lovely Marj who at least didn't try to chuck me off whilst in so much agony :L

The rest of the day was spent productively, much to my surprise as with the summery weather, I could go outside to revise Biology, Chemistry and Physics which was actually a pleasant experience for once due to the fresh air and sun. Therefore bring on the summer weather more often- I may actually get through the tons of revision that way!

Cool shadow picture thingy.

Summer sunshine! :)

Me and Charlie and the lollies!

All the strange, strange creatures...

Another music inspired title for my blog, this time one of the pieces from dr.who, which I am so excited is returning on 23rd April. I'm proud to admit that I have been watching that show pretty much every summer since it was brought back with Ecclestone as Nine, though my fave doctor is Ten, his performances were so amazingly believable, I like Matt Smith as  Eleven and I think he'll only get better as the series progress, but I think he needs time to develop into the role a bit more.

Anyway onto today...
So I get back from a lesson of additional maths  (which I'm not sure why I bothered taking it anyway it can get that confusing), and return to PE to find they've taken away the option to do trampolining. Therefore I was forced to go on a bike ride out into the countryside, I believe it will be a nice gentle pace and good fun out in the sunshine...only to find the bike is awful, the pace hard to keep up with, my chest is tight from asthma and my legs end up aching for hours afterwards. This is when I realise why I hated cycling in the first place, and haven't ridden one properly in around two years. Can't say todays experience made me want to participate in cycling again.

I'm loving the weather at the moment though, its so nice to just sit here in shorts and a strappy top blogging. And the weekend is looking so promising, my best friend is spending the weekend with me and we've proabably got a million and one plans for such a short period of time! :) Bring on the weekend I say!

Purpose.

My time left at Belvoir High is dwindling, I've counted I have around 21 days left in which to finish modules, ask questions and spend time with my friends for those last precious lunchtimes before study leave. I really can't believe I will be leaving that place, nowadays it seems so natural to awaken, catch the bus, register with the form, do lessons, socialise with my friends...yet next year I'll be somewhere totally different with a whole new routine.

Thinking of routines, its weird how much as a species we've come to rely upon them.Without a daily ritual, you could ask the question...what's the point of our existance, as so many have done before. Never has anyone come up with a singular correct answer, and indeed we might not even know what correct is in this case. Our lives nowadays and for centuries have been based upon a role or routine, without a routine I believe we become disorientated, wandering aimlessly for some purposeful task- perhaps you could argue the point of our existance is to find something purposeful and make it our point! I've been thinking about my future a lot recently, and like many I feel the need to make a difference- to do something purposeful with my life.  I've wanted to be a vet since I was little, and ever since then I made my purpose to achieve that dream by working hard in class and getting experience. Sure, this may be my dream, and it will make a lot of difference to animals whom I may be able to help, but I also want to do something for people too...who know what that will be. I guess I'll have to take my opportunity in life and include it in the routine.

Now for my fave pictures of the day!

It's only been a year but it feels like a lifetime here...

We've moved into April now and the sudden realisation has hit me that exams are only next month. I've got a revision timetable which I intend to stick to, however looking at the amount of work I need to cover makes me full of anxiety...I'm one of those people who hates the unknown, and not knowing whether I'll be ready or not scares the hell out of me cause I really want to do well and get my target grades, especially in the subjects I love and want to take further such as Biology, Chemistry, Physics and English Lit.

Tommorow I shall get the telescope out if there's no cloud cover, kind of excited in a nerdy way! Apart from that guess my weekend will mainly be revision with breaks inbuilt for finishing off 1984- I'm really intrigued by this book, so desperate to know what happens!

I'm loving the feeling of spring though ,it especially feels close to Easter with all the cute baby lambs around (I saw one escape from a field earlier and there was some drama surrounding the way in which it was handled by the farmer which disturbed the whole English class), and with spring will eventually come summer! So excited for when I get my freedom again! I'm especially feeling the summer vibe with the Vaccines new album, I've pretty much fallen in love with their music since my friends introduced them to me!

Tonight I'm off to Explorers to take part in a cooking challenge- I've never really had much interest in making food, only ever really cared about eating it, so my cooking skill are somewhat limited, but it'll be an experience. I think we're cooking some sort of italian spinach lasagne and an apple tart for pudding- sounds nice!

Sorry my blog isn't particularly interesting today, wasn't too sure what to write about- maybe I'll find some interesting facts or something for you all for the next blog as a way of procrastinating from all the revison I'll have to do

If I can't convince you then nobody can I guess

Today's blog is dedicated to my wonderful best friend Charlie, as it's her birthday! Happy Birthday mon amis! (I've been practicing for my french speaking exam, can you tell?) The title of today's blog comes from A Lack Of Understanding by the Vaccines, which Charlie actually introduced me to.
So today's discussion is how our perceptions of people can change. I got thinking about this when the question was posed "I wonder if we all look and sound different to each person." Honestly I believe we do. At first you may think you hate a person, therefore it's natural you're brain will pick out traits to pin the hatred on, the way they speak, the sound of their laugh, their clothes style. But if you actually got to know a person perhaps you'd begin to see things differently, actually grow to like the sound of their laugh, the way they dress, the way they speak...it becomes lovable. To each person on this planet, I bet they all have a different perception of me, some will find my nerdy ways annoying, others will believe it defines me and makes me...well me. The truth is you can't please anyone, nor can you ever be seen by everyone in the same way.  When people call somone "ugly" they are making the assumption that everyone sees that same person in the same light when in fact they do not. Actually the person who finds the "ugly" person attractive could be their best friend stood right next to them. We can try our best to come across in a particular way, but never can we be sure that everyone interprets us in the way we'd like. It's a never ending battle. So if someone ever tries to bring you down with negative comments, switch off, close your eyes and think to yourself - to someone I am special, they just haven't found me yet.

If you wanna keep your heart then give me mine.

It's back to the normal routine today. I woke up, went to school, came home (although the bus came late so I got home later than planned) and started on the mountains of homework and revision I'm expected to complete.

Thankfully, I have my muics turned on to keep me going, and right now my playlist mainly consists of s.o stereo and a new song of theirs I've just found called "What You Wanted Me To Do" from which I've taken today's blog title. I wish I could tell you something exciting, but unfortuantely I don't have much news to share :(

All I will say on this blog today is that I am shocked by the books in the "young adult section. " I was looking online for ideas of books to read in the future, and found they're mostly supernatural romance novels with some sort of twist or another which will probably be predicatable. I'll admit I am a sucker for supernatural and myth stories, but when every single book you see is about the same subject, it just gets fustrating. It probably puts loads of people off reading because they can't find the right genre, instead they're stuck with romance or nothing. Therefore I think authors should get to work on writing original novels without twisting mythology or legends and putting some "hot supernatural male" into the equation. It's been done successfully by many other writers before and is no longer original. Rant over.

*sigh* On another note it's time to face learning a french speech, doing some chemistry titration questions, doing a creative task for music and the revision I've planned on my timetable. What a fun night this shall be.

S.O stereo

a day of food, friends, facts and fun.

For once my blog title isn't song lyrics, because I couldn't find a song that summed up today perfectly. So I woke up at 10, realised because the clocks had gone forward so I had to get a wriggle on to go to my riding lesson at 10.30. I rode Jaffa, a beautiful chestnut mare over a course of jumps and really improved my position. Hopefully by the end of the summer my riding will have improved even more.

Following this, I rushed to my best friends house for her birthday party. It was an amazing day! We watched both Juno and Kick-Ass, which I'd never seen before and really like now, whilst gorging masses of delicious food including the traditional banana flakes. I think I've never been so full in my entire life! We also got up to general shannanigans, watched some funny youtube vids and talked over skype to a friend we've not seen in a while from our tightly knit group and who will always remain part of our group, no matter the distance :)  I really love my friends to pieces, they really do make my life!

When I got home, it was time to watch Wonders of the Universe, I love the filming of this show, the backdrops and computer animations are awesome and beautiful whilst space has always fascinated me. I've kind of been inspired to get out the telescope again, I haven't in years since I did an astronomy course when I was about 13. Hopefully next weekend there will be no cloud cover so I will actually see something.

I also want to train pokemon. Maybe that could happen too.

Insert interesting blog title here...

As you can probably guess from the title of this blog, I've been neglecting my blog recently, mainly due to an overload of school work, deadlines and other things. Recently, I feel like my life has been on some time loop, because I'll wake up and every single day blends together they're that similar, I guess from now until 19th June when my last exam is, I'll just have to accept the fact that this will be the routine- I just have to grit my teeth and adapt. After all, I'm sure I'm not the only one out there who's made it through times like these.

On a positive note my ICT is finally done! I've spent so long doing it, so hopefully that time will have been well spent, because I'll never get it back! Also, the sun is shining again even in March, its so warm I can actually wear t-shirts and not get cold. I love this weather, its perfect for me, I did my paper round and the sun was setting, it was such a beautiful pink colour!  Bring on the summer if the weather stays like this!

I think the one thing I've missed the most during these past few months of constant work is writing. I've never been able to finish a whole story, but I actually used to write a lot. Mostly I just wrote down the first things that popped into my head for a couple of pages just for the pure enjoyment. I've often thought I'd like to be a writer, but then I'm not sure whether that would take away the fun of it because I like writing just for me. If I write just for myself my work doesn't have to be perfect or make complete sense or even have limits, its my imagination gone wild often. That's why I've set myself a challenge of as soon as exams are finished I'll continue with a story I've already began which has the potential I think to expand to novel size. Right now I refuse to tell you the storyline, but maybe I'll post it another time once the writing has kicked off again. I'm actually really excited about this as it'll give my summer some purpose amongst the days I plan to spend doing absolutely nothing at all.

Also on the summer list of stuff to do is:  read at least a few chapters of a book per day, meet up with my friends and have an amazing time together, do my d of e hike, have a go at writing poetry ( not quite sure how that's gonna work), hopefully have a loan horse again and go out on some awesome hacks in the countryside, update this blog at least a few times a week, go shopping  for clothes for sixth form. High expectations for this summer!

And you seem to, Break like time, So fragile on the inside....

It's the super moon tonight and its amazing how much we take our moon for granted, its only when some unusal occurence happens that we stop to think how beautiful this celestial body in space can be. I really wish I could get the telescope out now to look at it, its been so long since I've had time to appreciate how small we really are in comparison to the whole universe. Today the moon is only less than 2% closer to Earth and yet it feels so strange and wonderful, almost magical. I love it. Yesterday, I gazed out the window and saw my garden bathed in moonlight, so bright I could make out even the trees at the furthest corner of my garden, I wish I'd had someone to share that moment with, because it was one of those that I think left me in momentary awe.  Okay so if you want some facts about tonights supermoon:

Tonight the moon is 225,000 miles away from Earth, the gravity of the moon on Earth is only 3% stronger, tides are only 5% stronger, and the moon has nothing to do with any of the disasters we've had according to scientists, we just like seeing correlations where there aren't any to make some sense of the mess we find ourselves in.

So if you're sat inside, and are planning on going straight to bed without taking a look at our sattelite on its "big night",  take a peek out from your window, see if you can spot it (it's pretty hard to miss unless you've got heavy cloud cover), and admire the beauty of the night. Our moon.

Everywhere I go I'm spellbound...

It's true, I'm "spellbound" by a lot of things in life. Like how amazing my friends are. These past few years, I've felt myself grow so much as a person, my confidence has soared, my happiness levels are higher than ever before despite the stress of exams, my weekends are more exciting and my life is better generally! I owe all these things to them. I think without the simply brilliant friends I have now, I would be a totally different person altogether. We've become so close, I feel I could trust them completely, and although I know that certain friends will be going to different sixth forms next year, I will wish them the best of luck and as I've said previously, will simply demand they keep in touch no matter what! Reflecting back on my years at my secondary school, I believe the best part has been the incredible people, I cannot sum them up in a few sentences they mean so much to me and probably always will. We've shared some fantastic and funny moments, moments which really do make you feel alive as a person, and I'm pretty sure these moments will continue to log themselves in my memory for a long time to come. So this blog is dedicated to you my beautiful, talented, awesome friends, thank you for being there and giving me such wonderful experiences.

I can break the chains that bind you....

"Your only identity is who you are in this moment, and who you are in this moment changes every moment"I found this quote whilst browsing Twitter one day, and ever since then its remained a favourite of mine. Because I can see the truth of it.

Identity defines us an individual, we all want to stand out, to be interesting people, however sometimes I think we try too hard to fit a certain model, to gain some sort of universally recognised stereotyped identity, but this undermines the point of individuality. To be unique you only need to be yourself, because there will be no one else on this planet with exactly the same tastes, thoughts, ideas, expressions and qualities. Sometimes I think society wants to give us an identity, to brand us with their perception of us, often we will be judged on outward appearances, fronts we put on around certain people, our social standing...but is this ever the real identity of a person...I think not. Personally, I think as the quote suggests our identity will change every moment, who we believe we are will alter several times a day, our ideas will change, our opinions will waver or only get stronger. No one can truly look at you and tell you your identity at a given moment, they can guess the characteristics that make you unique to them,  but to others the perception will be different, your identity to them will change.

With that, I urge us all to stop trying to fit stereotypes, we should just live our lives to the full, enjoying and celebrating our individual flaires, we shouldn't strive for a fixed indentity and in the process blend in with a flock of others reaching for exactly the same thing...a false identity.

"I've grown certain that the root of all fear is that we've been forced to deny who we are."
"Identity is such a crucial affair that one shouldn't rush into it."
"The identity of one changes with how one sees reality."

Use your words, not mine...

Okay, so I haven't blogged in a while, but the past few days have been pretty hectic and I've not had much and spare time. So in the post I'll give some reflection on the week.

It's not been too bad, although it seems time passed incredible slowly, I'm not sure whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, as a part of me wants GCSE's to be over so I can move on in my education, but another part wants time to stand still so that I don't have to face the fact that part of my friendship group will be separated from me at the end of the year, though I'm determined we must stay in touch no matter what!

Yesterday, I went on a trip to Cambridge University to do a science masterclass day. I've probably told my main readers pretty much everything that happened on that day by now, but in case you're just a one off reader or I haven't told you...it was amazing! The buildings are so pretty, the city itself is unique, as I don't believe I've ever seen so many bikes in my entire life, and of course the lectures I attended which were about famous scientists, insect reproduction, evolution and genetics, and explosions in space were all fantastic and I learnt loads of new information from them. It's definately confirmed to myself that whatever happens in the future, I want a career in some aspect of science.

Onto the world now, Japan has been hit by a massive earthquake which also triggered a tsunami, leaving many dead, missing or homeless. Please give keep them in your thoughts today. We are part of a bigger picture and although its easy to forget, we should remember that right now, no matter how bad we think our personal problems are, there's someone else out there who's worse off.

Summer is looking as if its coming closer, the weathers improving, the evenings are getting lighter, and the promise of future plans lingers in the air, a constant incentive to keep slogging away at work. I hope this coming summer will be the best yet, I hope that my daydreams about endless days spent in the company of friends and family will be true, as after all it is the promise these dreams give us that keeps us going.

None of these pictures are mine (full credit goes to amazing people on tumblr) but if you want more pics like these to see go to my tumblr http://www.strangecharm94.tumblr.com/ :)