My Music Moment Of The Week

WARNING: CONTAINS MILD HINTS AT THE ENDING FOR ELEMENTARY SEASON 3

Hello readers! In tonight's Music Monday blog post, I'd like to share with you a brilliant music moment I had this weekend, a moment so great, in fact, that a part of me still can't believe my ears!

Let me start from the beginning- as you all (should) know, I am a fan of CBS Elementary & the music artist Keaton Henson, the latter I discovered thanks to another favourite show of mine, In The Flesh. One day, whilst browsing Keaton Henson related things on Pinterest, I came across the lyrics to the song 'Beekeeper', which I kind of felt drawn to due to as I wasn't in a great mood at the time. As well as this, the song reminded me of Sherlock Holmes in Elementary- the lyrics of the song speak of solitude, instability & tactlessness- personality traits that I think are very 'Sherlock' due to his nature & past of being a drug addict. Plus, the title of the song fits well as, in Elementary, he is a beekeeper, so I've always considered this a theme song for his character.

Moving forward to the Friday that's just gone. The Elementary Season 3 finale was up & I had to watch it or I'd spend the next week or so avoiding spoilers. It was a good episode, admittedly not as epic as previous season finales, but it was obvious that it was going to lead to a big setback for Sherlock's character. Cue the moment of Sherlock's downfall & guess which song starts playing? Beekeeper- & that, for me, just made the episode! I actually sat there, had to pause it because I was so delighted & inform my Mother of what was going on & how pleased I was. It played at such a poignant moment as well that is just fit so perfectly with the end of the season- it was just amazing! My own personal theme tune for Sherlock played right there on Elementary- a top moment!

Here's a link to the song for you all:

I hope you all enjoyed tonight's post- let me know in the comments if anything like this has ever happened to you!

Thanks for reading! :)

Happy Birthday Blog!

Good evening readers! As the title says, my blog is celebrating it's first birthday- a year & a day ago I published my first post & got this up & running as a means to express myself, document my life & share my opinions online, as well as keeping my mind focussed on something other than what a disappointing year of Uni I'd had. So without further ado, let's have a look back at the past year on this blog:

First Post- 'Three Cheers For Sweet, Sweet Freedom! (Plus An Introduction To The Blog)'

It's interesting to go back & read this first post. It seems odd to think a year ago I finished my first year of Uni, & although now I am officially done with it (& have been for the past 5 months), it's good to look back at that time & the fond memories I have. It was also the first time I officially brushed off the 'aspiring graphic designer' aspect of myself & decided to focus on just being me- something a year on I'm glad I did! Looking at my blog's stats (which I'll look at more in a bit), it shows that this post is the fifth most read, which I assume is because it's the first so I'm guessing it interested a fair few people! It's also interesting now to read about how I didn't want this blog to become like most of my previous blogs- unused & pretty much forgotten- however, it's gotten to the stage now where, although I do like to post at least once a week, I don't make it a priority- I'm not overly bothered if I do miss a week or so, although I will admit I do want to be a bit more active than I currently am!

The Weekly Music Challenge

This was one of my original ideas & themes for this blog. I found a challenge on Pinterest & used it as a guide for my weekly challenge. I like my music & although I wouldn't say I was a big 'music person', I wanted to share my opinions of my music taste & give my blog a main focus as well as my opinions on other matters & my personal life. Although it took longer than 30 weeks (due to gig reviews, missed posts & 'Tune Tuesdays'), I enjoyed taking it. Looking back, I think some things I could have answered differently, but maybe that's something to go back to in the future?

Pageviews & Top Posts

Since starting this blog, I've shared it on social media- mainly Facebook, Twitter & Google+, but have also shared it on Instagram, Tumblr & deviantArt. According to my all time states, I've had a total of 3298 pageviews, so I'd like to thank all of you out there that have taken the time to read my blog- it's much appreciated! My stats also show my top posts & according to said stats these are my top 3:

#3- 'An Introvert's Guide To Freshers' & '2015- A Good Year For Music'

These posts come in joint 3rd place with a total of 47 pageviews. My 'Freshers' post is one of my personal favourites & received a lot of good feedback from friends on Facebook. I felt this needed to be done- as explained in the post, I wish I'd had something like this when I started Uni, which is why I decided to write it. Although I'm no longer a Uni student, I'd still share this around & say it's one of my more useful posts- hopefully it'll be of use for students yet to come! 

My music post is a more recent one & one of the better ones I think I've published recently. I really liked talking about why this year's great for my taste in music & sharing my thoughts & this is something I want to work on in future posts.

#2- 'Not So Fun In The Sun- Reasons Why Summer Can Be Annoying'

This is another of my favourite posts that I published & it comes in with a total of 88 pageviews! Thanks! I'm so glad this one got the views it did as it's one I'm very pleased with! For starters, all the points are self illustrated, which was fun to do! Secondly, I enjoyed talking about my feelings for summer- I felt the negative aspects were something that needed to be put out there & would provide a different stance on summer blogs. Now it's coming up to summer again I'm starting to think back to points I raised- the awful fashion, the vanity- the season begins!

#1- 'A New Year, A New Beginning (And The Return From My Hiatus)'

The post that details the end of my life at Uni & end of graphic design career ambition rocks in at a total of 98 pageviews, possibly because a) it was the first post of 2015 & b) detailed the start of the current chapter of my life. This is probably my biggest post & the one where I got the most personal- sure, I'd mentioned other things in other posts before, but in this I was open about why I left education & made the biggest decision of my life to date.

Personal Favourites

'"Stockholm Sweden, Rock Home Leadin'"- My Story With Blowsight & Seeing Them Live'

The reason why this ranks as a personal favourite is because it's a solid memory of the greatest weekend of the past year. Those of you that know me IRL will know that 2014 really wasn't great for me, but my weekend away in Sweden seeing one of my favourite bands live (& meeting them!) was incredible! As well as reviewing the gig I went to, I shared my story of how I got into the band in the first place- hopefully it encouraged a few of you readers out there to check them out as well!

'The Sims: You're Playing It Wrong!'

This one I like purely because it is a bit silly. Let's face it- there is no wrong way to play The Sims. However, I was inspired by a conversation I once had & decided I'd share my advice on making the most out of this game & the various methods I've heard that people do use to play it. This wasn't meant to be taken seriously- it was an advice piece but really, I wouldn't expect people to read this & go "well, best try that way of playing The Sims, I might enjoy it more!". Each to their own, & happy Simming!

The Future Of The Blog

I thought I'd conclude this celebratory post by discussing it's future, something that I'm not 100% sure of. As I said above, I haven't been using it as much as I originally intended- this is because I've been working a lot & not having a great personal life recently, as well as focussing my attention on other things, like my Project 365 (which is going pretty well!). I do want to continue blogging & I do have ideas for future posts, but a part of me isn't really feeling it as much any more. I don't just want to blog for the sake of blogging as I've felt posts where this has been done haven't been particularly well written or interesting & I do want to start being more organised & plan blog posts. For now, I'll see how it goes. Music Mondays & Tune Tuesdays will be a main theme & hopefully I'll come up with some good Friday posts. Or maybe I'll just blog whenever, regardless of day?

One thing I am wondering is what you guys, my readers, want to see more of on this blog. Do you want more music related posts, product reviews, TV or film reviews or more insights into what I'm up to these days? Let me know in the comments below!

Thank you for reading! :)

Tune Tuesday- "Kimwildesongtitle"

Hello readers! Apologies for the week's hiatus, it's been pretty busy for me & on top of that had a lot going on, but tonight I return for another edition of 'Tune Tuesday', sharing with you a song that's been floating through my mind the past few days:

'Kimwildesongtitle' by The Hitchers

Been listening to them a bit these past few days, & for some reason this song's been stuck in my head a lot. Weird, as it isn't one of my usual ones that gets stuck there, nor does it come into the bracket of their songs that I use to relieve a bad mood. But a good song nonetheless.

There we are readers, my Tune for the week, what's yours? Why not leave a comment below?

Thanks for reading! :)

Tune Tuesday- "Along With You"

Hello all! Time for another Tune Tuesday & today's tune is a song I mentioned in my last Music Monday post. It's my favourite track on Dope Stars Inc.'s 'TeraPunk' album, which I was listening to earlier today.

'Along With You' by Dope Stars Inc.

I've thought this song is brilliant from the moment I heard it- the vocals, the tune, the lyrics- everything! I love the digital, cyberpunk feel it has, plus it reminds me of the 'laser-rhythm-a-con' instrument in The Sims 3: Into The Future.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

April- What I've Been Up To

Hey there my good readers! Here we are at the last Friday of the month & I thought to myself that I could do a new thing here on this blog. Well, new-ish as it is something I have done & others have done before. I have decided that the last Friday of the month shall be when I write up a personal post, sharing with you some of the things I've gotten up to for that month. So here we are for April's edition:

April has been a good month for me, had the chance to meet up with friends which is always nice! Been out for drinks or having coffee at home, but I have learned the valuable lesson of not having a massive, chocolate covered waffle with extra strawberries before drinking. Both myself & my friend felt ill & could only manage 1 drink, but still, was a good night!

This was a good idea at the time. Don't get me wrong, tasted great, just waaaay too sickly!

I also re-dyed my hair earlier this month. I tend to do so every 4 months or so, by which time it's faded quite a bit & my roots start to show. I also had it cut- the fringe needed putting back in place plus it needed a trim, only a little though as I am trying to grow it.

L-R- Before, taken the day before the cut, as you can see my hair is a faded red & the fringe is parting. Middle- dying in process, got an ASDA bag bandana on to protect my skin & was feeling like a pirate! Right- new cut & colour all done!

Art wise, Project 365 has been coming along nicely! Managed to get a photo every day, not all of them are great due to time contraints/lack of ideas, but I've stuck with it & that's the main thing- today will be day 55! To read more on my thoughts & feelings about it, take a read of my deviantArt journal, then why not take a look at what I've done so far by clicking this link here! I've also gotten round to posting some of my favourite bits I did whilst at Uni on there too- these can be found by going to my gallery.

In between doing all the above & working, I've also find time to return to my favourite game, The Sims. Was on there yesterday in fact & had a very good session! My story is progressing nicely although having free will & story progression on does cause some rather odd happenings, like my Sim & his Robot becoming romantically involved! Here's a shot of my Sim making a trait chip & being very pleased with himself:

Yep, am sad enough to capture my Sims in their finest moments.

There we have it, an insight into what I've been up to this month. Got my Grandad's birthday this weekend so will be celebrating that & then having a Michael J. Fox movie night with my Auntie.

What have you been up to readers? Feel free to share your misadventures in the comments below!

Thanks for reading! :D

2015- A Good Year For Music!

Hey there readers! Last week saw the end of my weekly music challenge, which has been the main theme of Music Mondays since the start of this blog. Now that it's over with, I can move onto talking about other things with regards to music.

In today's post I want to share with you why, for me, 2015 is a good year for music. I've been thinking to myself about this, as in the past month two artists I really like have released new material, plus I've heard of a few comebacks & a re-release.

Let's begin with what's already released & move on from there:

Jack Strify's 'ILLUSION' Re-Release

Towards end of last year, ex-Cinema Bizarre frontman Jack Strify set up an online crowdfund on Pledge Music in order to raise money to make his new album, 'ILLUSION'. Being a fan of his music- both in Cinema Bizarre & as a solo artist- I decided to pledge & received an original copy of the album last December. This copy was only given to those who pledged, & the full album's proper release is set for later this month- possibly in the next week! There isn't a lot of difference between the newer & older versions, apart from there's a new song called 'Face To Face' & the newer version includes Strify's own version of 'My Obsession', a song previously recorded & released with Cinema Bizarre. I'm excited to here these songs & fingers crossed he'll make his way to the UK on tour!

Dope Stars Inc.'s 'TeraPunk'

Released 13th February of this year, TeraPunk is Dope Stars Inc.'s latest release & it is brilliant! It continues with the more cyberpunk theme of 'Ultrawired' rather than the industrial sound of their work before & during '21st Century Slave'. The sound is just amazing & the album has a mix of tempos in the songs, but all of them have a high energy which is what kept me listening! My favourite tracks have to be 'Take It', 'Do It Yourself' & 'Along With You'. A fantastic album, definitely worth listening to, & another band I hope come to the UK!

All Time Low's 'Future Hearts'

These guys just keep getting better! Future Hearts was released earlier this month & it is incredible! I was hooked from the offset- the song 'Satellite' is just brilliant! This album, much like the albums I've previously mentioned, was on a bit of a repeat after it's release- it's just so good! You can definitely tell that All Time Low are getting more adventurous with this album- there's a mix of sounds in amongst their usual pop-punk style, which has matured even more on this album than it did with their last.

Breaking Benjamin's Return & Release of 'Dark Before Dawn'

Although the band have been reformed since last year, I was pleased to read a few weeks ago that they'd be releasing a new album entitled 'Dark Before Dawn'. Having not heard anything from them since 2010, I'm excited to hear their newer material, especially as the band line-up has changed since I last heard them! I've heard a clip from their new song 'Failure' & it sounds great! Fingers crossed this album will be easier to get hold of in the UK than their last! Will have to wait 'til June to find out!

The Return Of Blowsight?

Ever since seeing the band live in Sweden, I've been wondering what their future will be. I'd heard that the show would be the last time Mao, their bassist, would play with the band as he was moving on to work on his new band, Mindshift (which Fabz, the drummer, is also in). No announcements had been made on social media like they had when other band members had left, so I was left curious as to whether I had witnessed the last Blowsight gig. I had heard though that they were coming up with new material, which is why I didn't think the band had fully broken up.

Back in February, Nick posted a comment with regards to a new album, which was great to hear, although he wasn't sure when it would be ready, then in March he said the following in a status:

"New dudes. New band. I like. Get ready."

I'm guessing that means Blowsight will be back soon, hopefully at some point later this year! I'm sure they'll be amazing, as always, upon their return, & bring a whole new range of awesome songs! Looking forward to their return so much!

The Return Of Green Day?

Near the end of last year, Billie Jo Armstrong posted a photo on Instagram of letters & numbers in a hardware store, spelling out 'Green Day 15', with the caption "I'm in a hardware store in queens. and this is on my mind." This was good to hear, however, not a lot was mentioned since, until about a month ago I read they were jamming again, with bassist Mike Dirnt confirming that they're "gearing up to kick ass again". I know they've recently played a set in their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, so I'm hoping that we'll be seeing a new Green Day album (& tour) later this year or even early next! Gotta love Green Day!

That's why I think this year is great for music- especially if Blowsight & Green Day return, I mean, who wouldn't be ecstatic to see their favourite bands come back in the same year? Even more awesome if they ended up playing together. But let's not speculate on that too much!

What makes this year great for your music readers? Are you excited to hear a new album or have heard something amazing you'd like to share? Then why not comment below!

Thank you for reading! :)

Note: Images are not mine & I take no credit for them.

Pet Peeves- When I'm Driving

Hello all! Today's a bit of a special day for me as it marks the 6th month that I've been able to drive- half a year has flown by quite quickly!

Driving is great & having this new found skill & independence has been a great convenience in my life. It's nice being able to get myself from A to B without having to always rely on other people &/or public transport. It makes going out for the day a lot easier too, knowing I can just get in my car & go & not be waiting for busses etc- means I can have more spontaneous trips out if I wish! (Which I did do this Monday.)

However, along with this new sense of freedom comes a new set of annoyances & my personal pet peeves while driving are the topic of tonight's post. In no particular order, here they are:

Cyclists

Although I said "in no particular order", I will admit that cyclists are my top annoyance when I'm on the road. As a driver I find them a nuisance because they are too slow & can be a pain to overtake in certain situations (e.g- on bends & bridges). Personally, I do not think that cyclists should share a road with cars, I feel that in doing so they are a danger to themselves & motorists. A slight wobble could have them out on front of a car, which wouldn't be great for either party. Then you get the idiots who just cylce all over the place, not even sticking to the designated cycle lane- these are the worst!

I do feel that cyclists would be better suited to the pavements with pedestrians- the way I see it, their speeds are more matched in comparison to cars & bikes, however, I do see that cyclists would then become a nuisance to pedestrians. The best solution would be to have separate roads for bikes, which I believe they have in Sweden & Vancouver, ones that actually separate cyclists from actual roads, thus reducing danger & annoyance.

This sort of set up would make life easier for both car drivers & cyclists.

Lorries

Lorries- the cyclists of the motorway, as I put them. I say that as, like cyclists, they are slow & annoying. Driving on the motorway can be a pain enough without having to encounter lorries, but unfortunately they seem to always be on there, being slow, causing stopping distances to be reduced & thus reducing the speed of the car driver. Even more annoying is when they're in the middle lane- it's bad enough that I feel pressured to go quite fast in that lane anyway, even worse when there's a lorry causing you to drive slower to maintain a good stopping distance!

Much like cyclists, I think lorries should have their own roads. I do know that they are unable (due to their mass) to drive faster than 50mph, but I think separate motorways/lanes would be better for them than causing a nuisance to car drivers.

Top annoying lorry situation right there.

Oblivious Pedestrians

Urgh! These are a pain- plus they are notorious in one of my local towns! See, I'm a very cautious road crosser, I tend not to cross unless the road is pretty clear & even then I get across ASAP & am always checking for oncoming traffic. These oblivious types are the complete opposite- they just saunter across the road, not even bothering to check for oncoming traffic, sometimes even taking risks & crossing in stupid places! Really gets on my nerves- I don't think everyone should be as cautious as me, but we were all taught the "green cross code" as young children- would be nice if some of us could remember it in adulthood!

Prime example of an oblivious pedestrian.

Impatient Beepers

These people really need to recall their beginner days as a driver & the rule of "pull out of/cross a junction when you feel it's safe to do so". Note the key word "you", which is subjective to each of us. Some people (like myself) are a bit more cautious than others; learner drivers especially. People who beep impatiently are very off-putting, pressuring other drivers into making a decision that they don't feel comfortable with. Plus, this added pressure doesn't help the driver being beeped- it can make them feel pretty angst up &/or enraged, which aren't good states to drive in! And for the record, beeping won't get anyone anywhere faster- it just shows you up for the impatient twat that you are!

Think before you beep folks, don't cause stress to other road users.

Inconveniently Parked Vehicles

Admittedly, in certain areas, where parking spaces are few, this is a situation that can't be helped. That doesn't stop it being annoying & it's difficult to navigate a road where one half is taken up by parked cars! This is the case in a road near where I live, one which I encounter on pretty much every trip to & from work. Coming back is a pain as all the traffic is on the left-hand side of the road, which also blocks the turning into the road, meaning that giving way to oncoming traffic can also be an absolute pain.

Bends & bridges are also not great places to park. Turning into a road & then having to get round a parked car isn't ideal, & having to manoeuvre around cars parked downhill on a bridge is also a pain. Again, I can see why, in some cases, people do have to park inconveniently, but it isn't great for those of us actually on the road.

I feel sorry for anyone coming down roads like this that has to face oncoming traffic.

People Who Don't Indicate

This one annoyed me even before I became a driver! It's simple as pie- if you're going to turn, please use your signal so that those of us behind you & anyone wishing to cross the road knows where you're going! It also lets people know that you're changing lane & not just driving like a lunatic across the motorway. Granted, it can be something we forget, but it's something that shouldn't be completed forgotten. It's common courtesy, in my book, to let other road users know where you're going.

This stick is there for a reason, please use it.

And there we have it folks, my pet peeves as a driver. To my fellow drivers out there, what are your pet peeves? Do you share any opinions with myself? Feel free to leave a comment below!

Thank you for reading! :)

Note: I take no credit for images on this blog, all of them were found on Google & belong to their respectful owners.