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.

Weekly Music Challenge Day #30- If My Life Was A Movie, What Would The Soundtrack Be?

Hello there readers! First of all, an apology for no posts last week- I was working long shifts from dawn-mid afternoon, with socialising & sleep in between! Now I'm back & after a nice afternoon of retail therapy, I bring you tonight's blog post!

I've come to the end of my music challenge & tonight's final post is the second of my substitutes. To end the challenge, I've decided to take part in a music meme. It's called 'If My Life Was A Movie, What Would The Soundtrack Be?' & here are the rules:

1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)

2. Put it on shuffle

3. Press play

4. For every question below, type the song that’s playing

5. When you go to a new question, press the next button

6. Don’t lie and try to pretend you’re cool …

I'll confess, I have altered this before I started & have a playlist of some of my most played songs to use as opposed to my whole iTunes library as there are some songs on there that I haven't really listened to, so I couldn't imagine how they'd sound if they'd come up. I think that's fair enough, right? Anyway, enough of that, let's get on with this soundtrack, with an added commentary from yours truly:

Opening Credits:

'Jackson' by Johnny Cash

Well this could be misleading- will the audience think I'm going to Jackson, or be wondering why I'm married before the film's even started? Bit of an odd starter, but good song!

First Day At School:

'For Baltimore' by All Time Low

Hmm, I don't think this fits the situation. Not at all.

Falling In Love:

'When The Lights Go Dim' by The Hitchers

Seeing as this song starts with a verse about shooting your friends, I really don't think this is fitting either. Although it could link to someone after the second verse? This person whose friends think they're a pest, but I fall in love with them? Could be interesting...

Breaking Up: 

'In Your Cage' by Cinema Bizarre

So someone's stuck in the comfort zone of their mind, could be me, could be them? Either way this could make for a good montage backing with sad clips. 

Prom:

'Dirty Rotten Bastards' by Green Day

Now this would be an amazing prom song- punk prom! If this had been out & played at my actual prom, this would have been epic! 

Mental Breakdown:

'Tears In Vegas' by Cinema Bizarre

I think this is the most fitting so far. I can imagine I've run to escape life in Vegas & then my breakdown happens accompanied by this. Would be very dramatic.

Flashbacks:

'Play Play Play...' by Blowsight

Could tie in nicely with the last one? Could show all the fun moments before going on a downward spiral in Vegas, then spliced in images of me getting my shit together. Pretty good montage right there!

Getting Back Together:

'Angel Blue' by Green Day

This works well. Looks like the punk(ish?) couple are back together. Am going to assume they're a punky type from the 'Falling In Love' song.

Wedding Scene:

'Fell For You' by Green Day

Quite fitting, even if it is singing more about imagining being with someone that actually marrying them. But it could be the aftermath of all that imagining. Aww!

Final Battle:

'This Pain' by Blowsight

Now this would make a great battle song. Have no idea what I'd be battling, but whatever it is, this song fits like a glove!

Death Scene:

'My Obsession' by Cinema Bizarre

Well this is a bit odd, although the slow tempo & pianos make it kind of fitting? Could be the love of my life singing it to my as I die, that's how I see this one working.

Funeral Song:

'La Generique Fin' by Cinema Bizarre
Seeing as it's a finale song anyway, it kind of works, a bit whimsical for a funeral though.

End Credits:

'Thought Of Bride' by Blowsight
I think this makes a good credits song, gives the audience a chance to rock out after the film. Based on the other songs, fits well!

Finale:

'Man In Black' by Johnny Cash
Oh what a tune! Could be explaining why I wear black a lot? Or not, my reasons aren't as deep as Mr Cash's!

And there we have it folks! The soundtrack of my life plus the end of the music challenge! But not to fear, Music Monday's will continue- I'll just have to find something else to blog about!

Readers, why don't you take this mini challenge? Follow the rules & post your life's soundtrack in the comments below!

Thanks for reading! :D

Weekly Music Challenge Day #29- A Song That Would Play During The Apocalypse

Hello all & welcome to tonight's penultimate edition of the weekly song challenge! This is the first of my substituted challenges & I have tonight decided I'd share with you a song I think would be fitting for the end of the world, which is this:

'It's The End Of The World As We Know It' by R.E.M

Because if this didn't play as the world was ending, I'd feel disappointed.

There we are readers, now what tune would you like to hear at the end of the world? Feel free to comment below!

Weekly Music Challenge Day #28- My Favourite Song This Time Last Year

Hello my good readers & welcome back to another Music Monday. I'm reaching the end of my challenge now & this is the last item from the original list- the next two parts of this challenge are substitutes for songs I couldn't find/didn't want to do.

Tonight's challenge is to find my favourite song from this time last year. Now this is a tough one as I can't really recall what song was prominent in my mind at this point last year! But thanks to Instagram, I was able to go back & found a doodle based on this song, drawn around a year ago:

'Last Man On The Moon' by SR-71

Whether or not it was my favourite song, I can't recall, but it must have had some level of favouritism if I did a doodle on it, which is this:

So readers, do you remember your favourite song from this time last year? If you do, then leave a comment below!

Thanks for reading!

Tune Tuesday- "The Best Today"

Good evening readers! As you can see, there is no Music Monday this week, as I was out last night having a lovely catch up with my friend Georgia, followed by settling down to watch 'House of Fools' with my Mum once I got in. Plus was busy with other bits & bobs during the day, which is why this week's music post is another edition of Tune Tuesday, where I share a song that's been going through my head the past few days. Here's this week's song:

'The Best Today' by Keaton Henson

I was listening to his 'Birthdays' album the other week & this song has just stuck with me. Tells the tale of a man (well, I assume it's a man as I figure the song's coming from Henson's own perspective) who notices a beautiful woman out of the train window. He starts wondering about her life before the train pulls off. A very nice song, with beautiful guitaring & lyrical imagery.

And there we have it. Music Monday should return next week as I continue my music challenge.

Thank you for reading!

Introducing... Project 365!

Hey there readers! Tonight's post is an exciting one for me as I finally get to share with you my new project! For ages now I've wanted to do my own creative project, but due to Uni & the amount of coursework I had to do I never had time for it. Now that I'm no longer at Uni, thus having no more coursework, I have plenty of time of my hands to explore my creativity!

One thing I enjoy is photography- it's an art form I've admired since I was young & I was lucky enough to receive a Nikon D3000 DSLR for Christmas in 2011. This came in handy as part of my college course involved learning photography with a DSLR. I did a lot of photography work at college, but since leaving & starting Uni, I've hardly done any. I had one photography project in my first year, but since then I've hardly had time to explore my skills or use my camera. When I left Uni, I used the remains of an entitlement card I had (a card with funds on given by the University to buy supplies) to purchase a 50mm lens, which is said to be good for macro photography- something I want to explore further. Now that I have the time as well as the equipment, I decided I'd finally getting round to doing this:

Some of you may have heard of this before, but for those of you that haven't, allow me to explain.

It is what it suggests- you take a photo a day for a year. I felt this would be a good idea as it gives me something to focus on in my free time, allowing me to build on my photography skills & put my camera to good use! I've wanted to do it for ages but, as I said earlier, Uni got in the way. I did plan on starting at the beginning of the year, but I had a lot going on, which is why I've left it until now. 

I started my project on the 1st of this month as I wanted to collide my start with the beginning of a month. So far it's going well, I've taken some good photos & been having fun experimenting with my new lens. The photos are (& will be) a mix of things- some will be more 'artsy', others will be more like snapshots of everyday life, & I'm sure there will be plenty of my cats! The preview image above shows shots from my first 12 images, all of which can be viewed in full on my deviantArt page, which is where I'm uploading the project to. If you're a fellow deviant, why not give me a watch? I'll watch back!

Anyway, if you are interested click here to view the project so far- each image comes with an explanation behind it so you know why I took it. I hope you enjoy my work, I'm sure I'll be keeping you posted on the project as I go along!

That's all for tonight folks! If any of you have any projects you'd like to share feel free to post in the comments section below! 

Thank you for reading! :D

Weekly Music Challenge Day #27- A Song From My Childhood

Hello readers! Another Monday, another post to the music challenge, with today's theme being a song from my childhood. Seeing as I was a "90s kid", as they put it, I think the following song is appropriate:

'Reach' by S Club 7

I'll admit, when I was a kid I liked S Club, & this was a song that I had on CD, plus it played at every school disco I went to.

So there we have it for tonight's post. What are your childhood songs my readers? Leave a comment below:

Happy Birthday To My Cats!

Hello all! Tonight's blog post is dedicated to my cats, Xenux & Jeepster, who today are celebrating their 7th birthday! Well, by celebrate, I mean they got on with their usual, everyday cat lives, whilst myself, my Mum & Sister treated them.

First of all, allow me to introduce you to my cats:

This is Xenux, my male cat:

This is Jeepster, my female cat:

They're brother & sister & we will have had them for 7 years this April. Although we're not 100% sure what their actual birthday is, they were 6 weeks old when we got them & we worked out that their birthday was most likely March 6th, which is the day we've been celebrating for the past 7 years.

One of the first pictures taken of the cats. Jeepster is on the left, Xenux on the right.

Now for some pictures of this year's celebrations:

I made them both a card featuring a caricature of a black cat, with one having a red hat for Xen & a pink hat for Jeep (to match their collar colours).

I bought them some nice Sheba dinners for their tea, which is always a treat for them! Usually we get them a salmon flavoured dome, but this year I got them both a tuna dome & salmon tub, as well as muscles for Xen & prawns for Jeep- a treat from my Grandparents. I suggested surrounding the muscles & prawns around the dome, but my sister then said I should put the dome on top of the salmon dish, which I did. These are our "cat cakes":

And here are the cats enjoying their birthday "cakes":

All in all, I think they've enjoyed their birthday. They've been outside, spent most of the afternoon asleep & had a delicious dinner!

Happy birthday Xenux & Jeepster- I do love you both lots! :D

Me & Jeep. :)

Me & Xen :)

Weekly Music Challenge Day #26- A Song I Can Play On An Instrument

Thanks for watching- hope you liked it! :)

The Sims 4- A Review

Hello readers! Back to the more general posts tonight, & what a better way to get back into these than with another review? Two in a week- aren't you lucky! :) This is something I've wanted to write up for ages, as the experience I'm reviewing did happen almost a month ago, however, what with life being a bit all up in the air at the moment, I haven't had the chance to do so. But now that I have, let's crack on with it!

Tonight I'm giving another talk within the realms of my all-time favourite game series- The Sims. You may or may not know, but back at the end of January, in order to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the game, Maxis released a free 48-hour trial of The Sims 4 on Origin. I'd never been majorly excited by The Sims 4, from things I read & from seeing early screenshots I just didn't like the look of it- felt the graphics looked too cartoony & the fact that there were loading screens back in it again really put me off, seeing as the game had progressed to open world in Sims 3. However, a free trial is something to take advantage of & I was curious to give it a go- it is The Sims, after all!

I don't think I used the full 48 hours, but I think I managed to experience enough of the game in order to give it a review. As I only had a short while to explore, I wasn't able to go full-story mode like I do in Sims 3, however, I did create a brother & sister duo & gave them their own stories that I worked on whilst exploring the game. Overall, it wasn't as bad as I initially thought it might be, but if I'm being honest I still prefer Sims 3. Sims 4 did have good points, although the not-so-good points outweighed the good for me. Allow me to elaborate:

Good Points

• Emotions- The new emotions are my favourite feature of Sims 4, & what I believe is the most prominent in this latest addition. For those of you that don't know, Sims don't tend to have a lot of emotion- it's normally good, bad or in-between. In Sims 3, the mood can be affected by certain events, such as negative or positive life experiences. In Sims 4, there are a variety of emotions- inspired, flirty, sad & confident are some I experienced- again brought on by life experiences the Sims have. Unlike with it's predecessors, these emotions are more complex, allowing for new wishes to be made & they can even control actions. A Sim whose feeling confident, for example, has the option to "pee like a champ" (really, that's what it says!) & sad Sims can express their sorrows in the medium of art. By far the best thing about this game!

Emotions example: This is a painting my Sims did when he was sad. Very moving...

• Multitasking- Finally Sims have the ability to multi-task! Admittedly, they can do so a bit in Sims 3, but much like emotions, this is more prominent in Sims 4. Not a particularly major point in comparison to emotions, but I liked it.

• Graphics weren't as bad as I expected- One thing that put me off initially was the way the game looked. As I said earlier, it looked more cartoony, much like the versions of the game you'd see on social media as opposed to the game itself. Whilst actually playing though, it looked alright, I liked how the characters look, didn't look as flat & horrible as how I first saw them & their surroundings in screen shots.

My Sim, Greg. I want his hair...

Here we see Greg's sister, Glenda (green hair) playing chess in the park.

Not So Good Points

• Lack of customisation- One thing that's great about Sims 3 is the ability to have a huge amount of control over customising objects- from clothes to furniture- there are a number of textures & colours to choose from. In Sims 4, this is gone. Outfits & furniture can be customised, but the customisations have already been selected. For example, you can change the colour of a shirt, but the colour you can change it to has already been pre-selected.

• Create-A-Sim- The way Sims are created is another big part of the game. More areas of the body can be customised, however, I found navigating this new feature a bit tricky, especially with the face. The trick, I learned, is to click on the highlighted area of the body & then enlarge or reduce that area. Although this particular ability to customise is great, I personally prefer the use of sliders & diagrams, as found in Sims 3, as this enables a better selection of certain areas & allows an easier selection of finer details.

Took a few minutes to get Greg's face together. With glasses on I think he resembles a character in 'The League of Gentlemen'

• Build mode- To be fair, I'm not the biggest user of build mode anyway, I prefer playing with the Sims than building, but I thought I'd customise the initial house I bought in order to explore it, & although it wasn't much different to before, I found putting the roof on quite difficult & took me a few attempts. I wasn't overly impressed.

My addition to the original house. Thankfully, they kept the blueprint tool, which is something I liked about the new Build Mode.

• Loading screens- Now this is the worst! As I mentioned before, in Sims 3, the series progressed from the loading screens between lots to an open world, so this was one of the initial things that put me off the game & also my least favourite part of it. For starters, it's restricting- every time you want to go somewhere you have to wait a few minutes & stare at a loading screen. Plus, there's hardly anywhere to go in Sims 4, in comparison to the many community lots in Sims 3. Also, I feel it's taking a step back in terms of the Sims games- the open world is what drives the game forward in Sims 3, so to go back to loading screens in Sims 4 really is a shame.

In conclusion- I don't think Sims 4 is worth it. If Maxis had built on the emotions & somehow worked that into Sims 3 (which, as well as the open world & high customisation, has pretty much everything in expansion packs, including time travel), then they'd have an amazing game. Instead, they sacrificed one key element for another, & although the new element makes for a new & interesting game play, it also makes the game lose it's fun slightly by regressing to the singular lots format of Sims 1 & 2.

That's my view readers. Have any of you played Sims 4? If so, what do you think?

Thank you for reading! :)

Here's a better image of Glenda. Again, I want her hair!

Never Mind The B*llocks, Here's A Gig Review

Good evening readers! Seeing as I haven't yet gotten round to making the next part of my music challenge, I thought I'd treat you all to another gig review this evening, seeing as I haven't done one in ages.

On Friday I took my Mum to see The Sex Pistols Experience, a tribute to the prominent punk band of the late 1970s. I'd first heard of the group about a year or so ago, when my friend's Dad went to see them at the same venue. After telling my Mum about it (& that Eddie Tenpole was support), she expressed a great interest, so when I saw they were back in town again (5 days after her birthday, in fact), I told my Mum & got us tickets as part of her birthday present. Enjoying the music of the Sex Pistols myself & being a fan of live music, I thought it would be a good night- & I was correct!

The Sex Pistols Experience in action!

Much like when my friend's Dad went to the concert, The Sex Pistols Experience (who I'll be referring to as SPE for short from now on) were suppoerted by Eddie Tenpole. I had only heard two of his songs briefly- 'Who Killed Bambi?' & 'Swords Of A Thousand Men'- so I wasn't really familiar with his music or persona. My Mum was very excited to see him though, so I had the feeling he would have been good- & he was amazing! In fact, I think I enjoyed him more than the SPE! He had a fantastic stage presence & kept the audience entertained both with music & humour & his guitar playing was brilliant- incorporating both rhythm & melody into his strumming.

Eddie Tenpole- absolutely brilliant!

Now onto the main act- the SPE themselves! Fantastic set, unfortunately as I was not around to see the actual Sex Pistols live I cannot give a comparison to the actual band, but to me they did a pretty good job! Their Johnny Rotten looked menacing throughout- he even had a staring contest with Mum at one point! The band possessed a great energy & kept the audience engaged- much like Eddie Tenpole they used humour as well as the music, making amusing remarks to audience members who called out to them.

Overall, it was a good night. I hadn't listened to any Sex Pistols music in a while, so was great to hear it again! (Plus it turns out I know more 'Never Mind The Bollocks...' lyrics than Mum!) It was also great to hear the music of Eddie Tenpole- will definitely be giving his music a re-listen in the near future!

And that's that. Stay tuned as I return to the music challenge next week, fingers crossed I'll be showing you all a little something!

Thanks for reading! :D

Weekly Music Challenge Day #25- A Song That I Wish I Could Play On An Instrument

Hey readers! Welcome back to another edition of Music Monday. Rejigging the list order again this week, as I have a little something planned for a certain part of the challenge.

Moving swiftly on, tonight's challenge is to find a song I wish I could play on an instrument. Now this I could easily write a list for- there are too many songs out there I wish I could play! Usually the reason I say I can't is because I can't find the chords- will admit I'm not always the best when it comes to playing by ear- so for my song choice today I'll choose this:

'Liver' by The Hitchers

The reason why I choose this song among all the others in my mental list of songs I wish I could play is because I was thinking about trying to play it the other day. Actually, I did Chordify it earlier & it turns out the chords are pretty easy, so will have to give it a go soon!

That's it folks. Why not tell me a song you wish you could play on an instrument?

Thanks for reading! :)

Weekly Music Challenge Day #24- A Song That Makes Me Laugh

Hey readers! Hope you all had a good weekend! Firstly, I'd like to that everyone for the positive feedback I received regarding my last post- this was mainly done on Facebook & I do appreciate all the nice comments & understanding of my decision.

Now it's time for the return of Music Mondays! In the next few weeks I'll be completing my music challenge, although will change the ending slightly as I skipped one of the challenges due to a rather morbid nature.

So, onto this week's post. It's a nice one this week & a very easy one- a song that makes me laugh:

'America, Fuck Yeah!' from the Team America Soundtrack

I think the general piss-take nature of this song is what makes me laugh, & the fact it's so stupid! Every time it comes on my iPod I chuckle to myself- I just find it amusing that I have it on there!

What's your funny song readers? Leave your comments below!

A New Year, A New Beginning (And The Return From My Hiatus)

Hello readers! I’ve finally decided to return from my hiatus & I apologise that it’s taken a while. Life has been a bit here, there & everywhere since my last post, been busy with various things & because of other things I haven’t really felt like blogging. In fact, I’ve attempted this post a few times, but each time I just haven’t felt it, however, I feel that what I’m going to say needs to be the first thing I blog about upon my return as it will give context to any future posts, plus will answer some questions that those of you that know me IRL may have.

So, what is it that I feel the need to tell you? Well, my readers, I have made my biggest life decision to date- I have left Uni. “But why?” You may ask, well, allow me to explain:

To get to the point, I’ve decided I don’t want to be a graphic designer anymore. Now this isn’t a decision I made overnight, I’ve been uncertain of this choice since the end of last academic year when I started this blog, & although I enjoyed my course more upon my return, I ultimately decided it isn’t for me. I’ve been studying graphic design & it had been my aspiration since I was about 14, which was when I first started messing around in Photoshop. At first, I thought it was all about making things look nice & interesting, but when I got to college I started to explore a little more in-depth into the subject- learning about grid systems, typography & although my college course had it’s down points, it was a great course & I learned loads, plus I made some great things. Although I could’ve left education there & attempted to find a job in industry, I felt I wasn’t quite ready for the “real world” & that going to University would enable me to enhance my skills & get me experience in the industry & contacts. Oh how wrong I was.

University, if anything, did nothing to benefit my graphic design skills. Sure, I learnt a little more about what graphic design entails & got a glimpse at what the industry is like, but I personally think I haven’t made anything portfolio worthy since college. As you may well know, as I’m sure I’ve blogged about this at some point, I had some really demotivational lecturers in my first year & I started to lose passion for it then & actually said to myself that if I still didn’t enjoy the course after this first semester, then I would leave. However, I ended up enjoying it more, but in the stress & pressure leading up to my hand-in, I realised that this wasn’t what I wanted in life, & although I enjoy making & designing things, I’m really not that interested in graphic design on a deeper level.

I felt that graphic design was taking over my life. In college, my free time was minimal due to the amount of coursework I was doing. University increased this lack of free time- I found I’d feel guilty if I took time out to do something I enjoy, like watching a TV show, as that could be time better spent on coursework. Or I wouldn’t text people or socialise much as I wanted to get on with my work. So I thought- is this what I really want to do for the rest of my life? Do I really want a job where I’m literally working full time? Lecturers in my first year went on about staying up until 4am to finish work & meet deadlines- that’s not what I want. Plus graphic design isn’t a stable career- you’re up against everyone else chasing clients. I don’t want that either.

Here’s what I do want from life:

What I want is a stable job. A job where I can work set shifts & at the end of that working day I can come home, relax, & have time to myself. Play Sims, watch TV, do art for fun! I want to go to bed at a reasonable hour & if I do stay up late, it’ll be because I’m engrossed in a book, a TV show or game of Sims, not because I’m worrying about if a typeface works or what paper stock I should use. I don’t want to be chasing clients & competing with someone for my next paycheck- I want to know what I’ll be earning each month & have something stable- as long as it keeps me, fed, sheltered & clothed then that is fine by me. And at the end of the day, that is what matters. That, & being happy.

So what am I doing now? I’m taking some time out. I have a part-time job where I can gain extra shifts, & when I’m not doing that I can do whatever I please! I’ve gotten back into reading & am getting through the Futurama seasons. It’s great being able to watch things, chill out & just sort things out- even go into work- & not have to think about coursework & deadlines & how time spent on other things is affecting that. Eventually, I’ll get a full-time job, but for now I feel I need a break. I just need to sit back, enjoy myself & have some quality Amy time. Sure, I’ll still do art, but it’ll be done on the side & it’ll be stuff that I enjoy. Who knows, I could start to earn a few more extra pennies if I put more things on my Redbubble (or even start an Etsy page)?

And there we have it. A new year, a new beginning for me. As for this blog, I do want to get back into it like I did, but posts may not always be Mondays & Fridays. I may start to do it more sporadically, however, I will continue my music challenge until it finishes. After that, I’ll see what happens.

Thank you all for reading, if you do have any more questions, feel free to ask in the comments section below. I’ll be back Monday with my Music Challenge. J