Day 2

Well, with leaving school and burning notes I've been quite busy and haven't written what I was meant to. Sorry about that!

30 Day ChallengeDay 2-10 Likes and Dislikes
This is difficult to narrow down but heregoes...
10 Likes

1. Tea-I love tea and don't know what I'd do without it
2. Watching films-I'd really love to be an actress and films inspire me hugley however I don't think I'm ever going to become an actress, unfortunately.
3. Reading-I also love writing and books help me learn new techniques and ways of writing. I love reading so much, that whenever I finish a book I feel like I'm parting ways with a good friend.
4. Te sea-I've lived by the sea all my life and dearly love the rugged coastline I live next to. I don't think I could ever live away from the sea, not even if I was in the nicest, most idyllic place on earth.
5. Stories coming true- I love it when the thing you've dreamed of or read about in fairy tales for years and years actually happens in real life-it's such a great feeling!
6. History-the past is so interesting and I think knowing about it is key to a good future. If we don't learn from the past, how can we have a successful present?
7. Fashion-I really do like clothes. That's it really, I just adore fashion.
8. British rom-coms-I just prefer them to American ones. Being British, it's nice to see that our awkwardness can actually be very funny and likeable and this is shown best of all in our rom-coms.
9. The sun-rarely seen in Wales, warm and responsible for keeping us alive and well.
10. Architecture- I really like the buildings around me, all the artwork that has gone into them and more.

I could go on for ages and ages but it only says 10 likes...
10 Dislikes

1. Beans-I'm talking about baked beans. The smelly like round things that are covered in a high-calorie sauce and feel like you're eating a small, furry insect.
2. Arrogance
3. People who move their feet up and down
4. People who talk over the TV-hello parents
5. Social class
6. My face
7. Crowded shops
8. 1960s architecture
9. Looking overdressed
10. Hypocrites

Again I could go on for years and years but I'd rather not bore you.





Tumblr 30 Day Letter Challenge
Your Crush
Dear Who ever you are,
I have no idea who you are, what you look like or why I like you. But , You, I hope you like me as much I like you. I tend to like people a lot when I have a crush on them and try and impress them at every chance I get. However, this does tend to go wrong very often, so if I seem loud, or meand or reserved it's because I'm nervous around you-I hope that you understand that. Maybe we'll go out sometime or something? Who ever you are, I hope the future me has picked well and won't get hurt.
Love,
Beth

30 Day Writing Challenge
Write a fan-fictionThis really is a challenge. I don't like fan-fictions and personally I find that they ruin a good book or TV show. I cringe when I read them and have always felt that I'd never, ever be able to write one myself. But a challenge is a challenge so I'll just have to give what I've got. I warn you, this will not be good.

30 Day Challenges

I am aware that I haven't posted since last year...I feel like I've abandoned you! I've been so busy doing and studying for my final exams that I haven't really had time to be creative and musical and thoughtful. However, over the last few months I've become very philosophical so you may have to look at my thoughts...deep.
But, now that my exams are over, I am off school and everyone else is in it. So, just in case I get bored or can't meet up with my friends at all, I've set myself a number of 30 day challenges to do and I thought I'd broadcast the results on here. The reason I've picked more than one of the 30 Day Challenges is because I really want to let my creative juices flow as the say. So here goes...
Writing Challenge
1. Write a short autobiography
My name is Elizabeth Thomas and I am from South Wales, Britain NOT in England. I can speak Welsh and English and I've lived here all my life. I have wanderlust but am reasonably scared of travel, perhaps that's what fuels it...I have dark blond hair and very, very green eyes. I am incredibly small for my age and quite tanned. I absolutely adore the sea and feel so lucky that I live right on the door step of a number of great beaches and a wild, rugged coastline that's used as a set in many TV series' and films. I've always aspired to be a writer and still do. I hope to go to UCL to English or history. If I don't know what I want to do with my life y then, I'm going to keep doing exams until I have enough qualifications to do anything. Maths is by far my weakest subject but history and languages are my best. I love music and remember tunes, rhythms and lyrics pretty quickly. I play the violin, am learning the ukulele and after that I hope to learn the guitar. If I could live anywhere, I'd pick a seaside town like Brighton. I don't  know, I just really want to live in a three storey town house by the sea. I'm a pretty good judge of character and judge people's characters correctly about 80% of the time. I cannot stand arrogance-EVER. I am a Christian but be warned-if you try to take up a debate with me, don't expect me to be all sheepish. I always try to reason with the other side but stand up for my beliefs always. In a debate, I never tell the other side they're wrong or refuse to accept their ideas. However, one belief I hold strong is that there is a fine line between accepting an idea and believing in it. Most people seem to want me to believe in all their ideas and think that by doing this I am "accepting" them. Another one of my pet hates. I love tea, biology, detective books, day time TV, the cinema, Dr Who and so much more I couldn't possibly write it all down. I like Charlie McDonnell and Alex Day very much and think they're hilarious. I could go on forever but I won't. The end.

Letter Challenge
1.A letter to your best friend
Dear A,
Next year we would've known each other for 10 years-wow! I don't know where to start to be honest. Firstly you're so, so, soooo pretty inside and out! You're the nicest, kindest person in the world and everyone thinks that. I'm not even kidding, absolutely everyone says how nice you are. I'm so lucky to ave you as a best friend. It's funny ow we're so similar but opposite at the same time. We like the same things, we both love the beach, travel, creativity and photography.  It's great to be able to share these interests with you and talk about our faith together. I hope I can come to Singapore with you one day like you've always wanted. I know you wanted me to come this year, but Iceland got in the way. At least we'll get to spend your birthday doing something totally amazing! I can't wait to go on this trip! I'm so happy we're going to Sixth Form together although we only have a 1 in 4 chance of being in the same class which is a shame. Good luck with A-Level art! You're going to do amazingly well and I'm going to miss our art lessons together so much! Also, if you don't get a distinction this year, there must be something wrong with the examining board! Anyway, our prom is soon and I'm so glad to be sharing it with you! Your dress is amazing and you'll look stunning. I don't actually know where I'm going with this letter! So I'm going to summarise. I feel so incredibly lucky to have a best friend as nice as you when I am so weird and awkward and horrible altogether. I can talk to you about asolutely everything and I hope the feeling is mutual. You've been there for me through thick and thin and I'm always here for you. I can't wait to hang out with you this summer and just have  the best time and seriously hope you're in my phsycology class next year. So here's to my beautiful, amazing best friend who'll probably never read this but it doesn't matter because I've told this to you before anyway. I can't wait for what we have in store and hope we're always best friends and never lose touch.
Love Beth

I'm also doing the general 30 day challenge but day one was "write some basic things about yourself" which I've really already done. So I won't bore you with the details...

Bombay Bicycle Club

I'd heard of these for a while but never really bothered to listen to them. Now I'm not sure why I didn't!
I mean, number one-their name is amazing, number two-the boys in the band are hot (and I am jealous of Lucy Rose, she's so pretty!) and number three the music is possibly the most relaxing, chill thing I've ever heard. They're album is now out to buy-I saw it in HMV if you don't believe me!

They're new song Shuffle is probably my favourite...

Happy 9/10/11

Happy 9/10/11 everybody! I've been finding new bands and songs lately so be prepared for lots of music related posts.
 Recently, I got a lift home from a friends mum who said that my friend had gone to Cardiff to see the Wombats. I didn't know who they were so I Googled them when I got home. They are now one of my favourite bands!

 I think its the accents that do it for me and also Matthew Murphy's hair. But the lyrics are clever and funny at times. The songs beats and instruments vary through out which I like-a lot. I'd recommend Kill the Director and Joy Division. They're my favourite out of the lot.

Pixlr

Right then people, another photography post it is! So, my dad was reading Which and he came across "The Best Photo Editing Sites". I find Photoshop a little complicated as a beginner photographer and its quite expensive so we don't have it at the moment, but the review said that Pixlr was just as good, free and maybe a little simpler to use! Well I just finished editing my first photo (now my FB profile picture) so I may as well let you see the results....I think that maybe my skin is better in the first version and the vignette is a little big but I can edit that next time. I highly reccomend Pixlr for beginner photo editers!



Before Editing



After Editing



Polyvore

Okay, so I'm going to do another non-music related post. This time its about Polyvore. Polyvore is basically a fashion website for budding stylists and whatever. You don't really design anything but you put outfits together. The great thing about Polyvore, is that it is FREE and really easy to use! All you have to do is set up a profile and get to know it. You can view other people's sets too. Once you've made a set, you can publish it and people can view it, like and comment. To get more comments and likes on a set, I recommend getting as many contacts as possible! The other great thing is that all the clothes on Polyvore are REAL!So you can go out and buy the outfit you made later...I'm obsessed with Polyvore and I hope that you'll enjoy it too!
VENT
Sorry to spring this on you but I really need a vent. I'm fed up of being treated like a dumb, immature, freak by people who have barely spoken to me before. And you know what the funny thing is? I get A*s and A grades in exams! My lowest grade has been a C. I'm just as mature as anyone else in my year. I have my inside jokes with my friends, I laugh at funny things and I take a serious approach to anything I need to. I act the same as the people who judge me (obviously I try not to judge people and I treat people equally). We have the same fashion and music tastes and I've noticed how similar we are over the past few years. If people didn't judge me by my looks (I'm really no great looking) they might actually like me. Okay, vent over :)

Back to School

Oh frabjous day. Not. I will be going into my last year of GCSEs which is terrible as it means I won't be posting on here very much. Year 11 is going to be a lot tougher than last year according to the teachers. I didn't think that was humanly possible after revising for 4 HOURS A NIGHT in Year 10.
 This is why I can't stand it when old fogies say that GCSEs are far too easy now. They had two years to revise everything whereas now they changed to having major exams every few months. I'd like to see them sit AQA Physics Module 1 when they'd just only turned 14. Grr.
 Well if you're looking for a post on music you won't get one (for once). I think its time I did other things than just write about songs.
 So...photography is pretty cool. Its another thing that interests me LOADS and I wish I was as good as some people. I have a Flickr account but I'm nothing special. I HAVE to find the time to take some pictures or buying my SLR Canon would have been a complete waste. There's some amazing talent out there so I'm going to link you to just a few of my favourite photographers on Flickr.
-Rona Keller
- Kitty Gallannaugh
That's all for now but I'll post more discoveries as I find them.
I think that photography is a wonderful hobby to have as it lets you be creative and capture all the beautiful things in life (how cliche of me). Plus, if you like technology and whut nut, cameras and photo editors are good things to use and interesting etc etc.

That British Indian Summer

Sorry for my lack of posting! I've had a busy holiday. First a week in field, then a week in Italy, ditto Devon and now I am home and desperately trying to get over my emetophobia and panic attacks.
Well I hope, for once, that we don't have an Indian Summer in Britain this year. Its my last year of GCSEs and I don't want good weather tempting me from my studies.
I actually made a "Summer Bucket List" this year which, in my opinion, was very organised of me. Anyway one of the things on my list was "discover a new band". I have. They are INCREDIBE. Your argument is invalid. So here they are...THE VELVET UNDERGROUND!!!

They are wonderful in every way and make me as calm as a millpond and as cool as a cucumber whenever I listen to them! This song is so subtle in the way they sing aand the guitar is so soft... I have no more to say! There are too many emotions this song makes me feel...

This Ginger got Soul

I heard this song on a music channel just a few days after it came out. I fell in love with it instantly and couldn't stop singing it. I'm so happy that this has done so well. The lyrics are brilliant and I'm happy that somebody isn't singing about sex for once! People really neeed to take a leaf out of Mr Ed Sheeran's book and write decent lyrics! Also good on you Ed, you've really shown that ginger's have got souls haha. I can't wait to get A-Team onto my i-pod.

Another Lovely Find...

Even though this song advertises Hellman's mayonise, I think its simply wonderful! Sorry for the cheesyness but I do! Its lovely. I think its a great song to dance to as well as chill to, dream to, play in the background of your day to day life. Tim Myers has a lovely soft, sweet voice but even if he wasn't singing, I would be happy listening to the instrumental. Its sweet and uplifting and has a nice layered textured. Anoter great find!

Fabulous Voice...

I was just watching my week day fix of Ugly Betty when this song came on at the end.  I thought it was lovely! The singer, Jasmine Ash has such a unique and quirky voice. I love this kind of singing whic almost sounds broken-but in a good way obviously! I seriously wish that I could sing!

 Also, well done to Jai for winning Britain's Got Talent and to Ronan Parke for coming second! Both had amazing voices and were so lovely. I actually hid behind the sofa when the final results were coming out because I couldn't  bear the tension.

Abbey Road Studios

I can't believe this happened, I really can't! After I returned from a disastrous Duke of Edinburgh expedition, my dad told me he was going to London. The next day, we got a phone call:
"Hey Beth, I'm in Abbey Road studios right now for that guitar thing and so is John Simm and Coldplay!"
My dad writes for a guitar magazine, Acoustic , in his spare time. He does guitar reviews and stuff and if you've read it before, you've probably come across one of his articles.
Anyway, I was completely gutted I didn't get to go! It was an "Invitation Only" kind of event and only 40 people (including dad) could go. And he couldn't get anybodies autographs either as it would have seemed annoying.
I don't think anybody believed me though. I guess they were thinking "she wishes!" as there are a lot of "musicians" I know who think that they are the next big thing and if anybodies dad was going to be going to a guitar convention at Abbey Road Studios it would be theirs! Its just nice to know that I am connected with that big world of musicians....

Neopolitan Dreams

This was the first good song I found on an advert. I remember it very clearly. I was twelve and a washing powder advert came on the TV. I was more interested in the music in the background than the woman's extra white sheets. I thought it was a lovely song and it irritated me that I didn't know what it was. The next time it came on I memorised some of the lyrics, wrote them down and later Googled them. I clicked on "videos" and the song came up straight away. I have been obsessed ever since. I tried to find the music video as it is as quirky as Lisa Mitchel's voice but I couldn't. Try and YouTube it later. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

I fianlly found it!

After weeks of searching Google and YouTube, having to listen to crappy 90s ballads and odd rap songs I have finally found the song I've been looking for! This is another song from an advert and I am obsessed! I don't know why...I think its the piano that did it for me or possibly the "badabaaaa badabaaaa"s in the middle of it. It is such a happy song and whenever I listen to it, I see myself skipping down the street with a Costa coffee and a baggy beanie or cartwheeling in a remote meadow in a floral playsuit. Just listen it deserves appreciation!

Where I Find Good Music

I guess most people would say "oh I listen to the radio" or "I watch the music channels. Kiss is my channel!" as my friend always tells me. But, to be honest, I find music channels a little bit boring. I always thought TV was for watching good programmes. And the only channels we seem to listen to in the car are Radio 2 and Radio 4. So if I don't listen to the radio or watch Kerrang or Kiss or whatever they'll come up with next what do I do? One word. Adverts. Nearly all of my favourite songs have been on adverts. For instance when my favourite song was Ellie Goulding's cover of Your Song , it was on the John Lewis advert for Christmas. And at the moment, I love the song on the new B&Q advert but annoyingly, I can't find out the title! And also I get songs from films. Like when I went to see I Am Number Four and they played Letters From the Sky at the end of the film and I fell in love with it. All I'm saying is, pay attention to the music in the background!

Orchestra Concert

I'm so sorry I haven't written in a while! I have been rehearsing for our Orchestra concert almost every night this week and the nights that I wasn't rehearsing, I was doing homework! Anyway, the concert was last night and went amazingly well! I play violin in "the Seconds". I doubt I'll ever be able to sit with my friends in "First violins" because I don't have lessons and I don't do grades but the violin teachers at the orchestra don't seem to understand...It was good though, even if we were only on for about twenty minutes. We kicked off the concert with "Rule Britannia" and moved on to "Welsh Anthems" (Bread of Heaven, International Velvet by Catatonia, Have a Nice day by Stereophonics and Delilah by Tom Jones) straight after which was a pretty good mix of Welsh songs in my opinion. Then we did Can Can from Orpheus in the Underworld, Land of Hope and Glory and finished with the Sailor's Hornpipe which got faster and faster. Then we had to play it again, even faster this time, so the audience could "join in". All they did was clap so it seemed pretty pointless to me. I don't actually want a rest tonight! I really want to go and play in orchestra again. I love playing music so much. Its wonderful to know your playing something that effects how somebody feels....

I have been doing the 30 day song challenge and just finished it. I highly recommend it as it forces you to really think about the songs you're choosing and explore your taste in music. It also brings back old favourties and helps you to find new favourites too. I didn't really like the idea of doing it on Facebook so I did it on Polyvore. I posted a set for each of the thirty days and linked it to the outfit I had made. You can see all of my thirty days here. Below are the themes for each day so you can this at home.
Day 1-Favourite song-Your song
Day 2-Least favourite song
Day 3-a song that makes you happy
Day 4- a Song that makes you sad
Day 05 – A song that reminds you of someone
Day 06 – A song that reminds of you of somewhere
Day 07 – A song that reminds you of a certain event
Day 08 – A song that you know all the words to
Day 09 – A song that you can dance to
Day 10 – A song that makes you fall asleep
Day 11 – A song from your favorite band
Day 12 – A song from a band you hate
Day 13 – A song that is a guilty pleasure
Day 14 – A song that no one would expect you to love
Day 15 – A song that describes you
Day 16 – A song that you used to love but now hate
Day 17 – A song that you hear often on the radio
Day 18 – A song that you wish you heard on the radio
Day 19 – A song from your favorite album
Day 20 – A song that you listen to when you’re angry
Day 21 – A song that you listen to when you’re happy
Day 22 – A song that you listen to when you’re sad
Day 23 – A song that you want to play at your wedding
Day 24 – A song that you want to play at your funeral
Day 25 – A song that makes you laugh
Day 26 – A song that you can play on an instrument
Day 27 – A song that you wish you could play
Day 28 – A song that makes you feel guilty
Day 29 – A song from your childhood
Day 30 – Your favorite song at this time last year

Through the Small Window

I never really thought I had much of an opinion or interest in music. Music was something that was always there and, though I was aware of it,I didn't really acknowledge its presence. I began to talk more and more about the music I was listening to, spending hours on YouTube listening and re-listening to my favourite songs. My friends never understood (and still don't) why I don't like all this R&B music,the stuff that everybody listens to. To tell you the truth I do like R&B-the real one though. It stands for "rhythm and blues" and started in the 1940s. Its definitely not the stuff we hear today. I'm full of  little picky facts like that...Anyway my mother told me to start this blog because of my interest. She came up with the name and everything. So, I guess I have drawn back the curtains and let you share my view through a small window.