2013 has been a good year

Hello guys, so it's just occurred to me that it's been a bloody long time since I actually posted anything on here. Partly due to not having much time on my hands to write much, and partly due to not having much motivation or inspiration to think of anything to actually write anyway. But recently, I've had some time to reflect over the past year, on the things I should and shouldn't have done and said. 2013 has been a surprisingly good year for me. Apart from a few little blips here and there which have put dents in my armour, but other than that there's not much I can overly complain about (for a change). 

One of the major things that happened this year, was the fact that I finished my GCSE'S and left my secondary school (not physically, as the sixth form I attend is still on the same complex) but nevertheless. It's strange not seeing faces that have been around for the past 5 years, and you don't even realise it until they've left that you probably should have tried to make more of an effort with most of them. Even the people I didn't speak to, or at least didn't speak to a lot of the time, I miss. I'm glad those 5 years are now over. Sixth form is so much better in a lot of aspects, but in a way I wish we could go back to how easy the work was in the first two years of secondary! 

This was most of our year, a lot of people were busy getting shirts and books signed at this point...

Our English class, cute

I've met so many incredible people this year that I honestly never thought I'd get the chance to and I am so so thankful to be given those opportunities. Whether that's people I've made friends with through bands, through twitter and through gigs. I finally met Jo and Charlee properly after months of talking on twitter and Facebook, and I can't believe how lovely they are. I made some friends outside one of the gigs I attended and they happen to be some of the funniest girls I've ever met. I've made quite a few friends thanks to the 'EF' programme at school, and I know that I'll be absolutely distraught once they have to leave in June because they are such genuine, nice people that I'll probably not get the chance to see ever again, but most importantly I finally met Charlotte after 3 years of talking to via MSN (the good ol' days), Twitter, Facebook, Skype and text. 

My mum agreed to let her come and stay for a week in August, and Charlotte's parents were willing to drive her 5 hours through the country to come and visit, although by the end of the 5 hours (+ whatever traffic jams they got stuck in) they must have been exhausted! It was honestly the best 6 days I think I've ever had in my entire life. Everything was just so much more fun and I felt so comfortable in her presence. If you say to me 'I don't want a friend that lives the other side of the country because it's pointless' I can honestly say it's so worth it. It is difficult and it's not very nice when you can't spend time with each other, but when you do finally meet each other it's so fantastic.

Ticket from when we ventured to Brighton for the day ♥

Our first selfie together, in the cinema waiting for Kick Ass 2 to start! 

Decided to go bowling, realised we're completely useless at it...

Went to the apple store in Brighton, got let loose on the iMac's... 

Went to Eastbourne to show Charlotte where Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging was set

Went and got our photos taken in a photo booth on the day before Char went home :(

When I'm standing on the yellow line waiting at the station...

In May my brother got married to a lovely woman and I happened to be a bridesmaid... I can't say I was very thrilled with my hair and make up, or the fact I had to wear a floor length dress to be honest. Dressing up in that sense doesn't particularly appeal to me, so when the woman who did our hair/make up revealed the entire look to me on the morning of the wedding, I had a meltdown and nearly ended up sobbing my eyes out where I hated it so much. It was an incredibly emotional day for all of us who attended, but so worth it. By 6pm in the evening, I got changed into my jeans and denim jacket and got my sister to supply me with redbull and vodka throughout the rest of the evening... 

(from left-right), My gorgeous sister Tina, Her nanna Shirl, myself, my sister in law Cat, my brother, my fantastic mum and my brother and sister's dad Dave.

Decided to stand by a tree and tried to look pretty...

Sister in law with her fantastic bridesmaids *cough*

Hilary (bridesmaid 1), dearest brother lol, sister in law and I

I've also been to a fair few concerts this year, which I had an absolutely incredible time at.

I FINALLY SAW MCFLY. AFTER 10 YEARS OF SUPPORTING THEM AS A BAND. I FINALLY SAW THEM. I'm still in shock to be honest and it's been 5 months since! 

The Vamps and James Bourne supported McFly on their 'Memory Lane Tour' and both acts put on a fantastic show. McFly were incredible and I cannot wait until they announce the Album 6 tour.

2 days after McFly, I saw The Midnight Beast. I didn't have such a great time at this gig, but that was purely down to being separated from my friend by a girl from Poland with a rucksack on who proceeded to punch me for so much as asking her to move... 

"My name is Andrew Francis WAKELYYYYYY"

I then saw Room 94 on their '3 Brothers' 1 Kit' tour for which I had VIP for. One of the best nights of my life. This was the day I finally met Jo properly and we had the best fun taking the piss out of ourselves. We also met a group of girls outside the venue which were a riot! Room 94 never fail to put on a great show and they're always such darlings when you speak to them. I have so much respect for them as a band, and I just pray to god they don't decide to go on a bloody show like the X-Factor like Sam Callaghan, District 3 etc...

At the beginning of September, I saw The Last Carnival (one of the support acts from the Room 94 gig^) and they were great. We arrived early and met a group of ladies that were so much fun and we stayed with them throughout the entire gig and had a wonderful time. Got a chance to mull around and meet them afterwards, only resulted in meeting the guitarist Justin, who I may have called a 'dickhead' in Welsh, forgetting he was Welsh and could speak the language... Oops

This chick is an absolute legend

I also lost my day-festival virginity at the end of September. SD2 Festival was bloody great. The only thing that could've made it any better, would have been cider and The Saturday's not being on the set list. I went with my longest friend Becky, her wonderful Aunt Julie and Julie's friend Lisa. The Vamps, Conor Maynard and The Wanted all performed and made an excellent job of it. 

My idea of a perfect way to spend the day...

Go on Brad! 

Bradley strumming his guitar... 

"Brighton..... I'm HOME!"

Becky is a fantastic young lady, I adore her so much. She's more of a little sister to me!

First set of wheels... Dey see me rollin'

Avoiding having to listen to The Saturdays' set by going on the Chair-o-planes! 

♥

The final gig I went to, was Lawson. I was actually surprised as to how excellent they actually were live. Rushing through Brighton straight after college, dragging Becky by her arm to try and meet Room 94 (who happened to be supporting) before they got swarmed was totally worth it. Spent 30 minutes talking to Kieran and Kit with Charlee, Jo, Cat, Sophie, Becky and Lauren and got endless cuddles and photos taken.They had a perfect set, although they should've been on straight before Lawson rather than Paighton. 

During Paighton's set, Cat, Jo and I decided to bugger off and try and find something to drink and get some air. We found Sean in one of the 5 bars in the venue, he was having his photo taken with some fans but he walked off just as we arrived which absolutely sucked but nevertheless. 

We rushed out during the final song of Lawson's set to bag ourselves a place in the queue to meet Room 94 and have group photos and signatures. Kieran still remembers who I am and called me by my twitter add (alltimejay_) which he always does as a wind up. When I asked him to sign me, he signed my wrist just above my bracelets which was the cutest gesture ever. 

We did wait around after the gig to meet Lawson, but we had to leave incase we missed our train. If we'd have stayed an extra 20 minutes we would've met them, but it was either that or be stranded in the middle of Brighton over-night. 

Over the summer, I visited London, Brighton, Portsmouth and Eastbourne a lot. It's excellent living on the south east coast of England (the part of England which gets the most sun throughout the year on average) and being able to hop on a train to go wherever. I think I've felt like I've had a lot more freedom this year in comparison to other years. I love visiting London. I think it's due to living by the coast that makes it such an experience venturing into the city, I feel like such a tourist because I'm not used to it in the slightest.

I'm going to be rather disappointed when this year is over, I honestly don't want it to end. I just hope that 2014 proves to be just as good, if not even better.

Room 94 | 3 Brothers 1 Kit Tour Experience

On Wednesday July 17th, I went with two of my friends to see my favourite band Room 94 in concert on their 2013 summer tour with the title "3 Brothers 1 Kit Tour" 

Room 94 are an unsigned band which consists of 4 young lads from North London (UK). The band is made up of 3 brothers, Kieran Lemon (lead vocals and guitar), Dean Lemon (drums) and Sean Lemon (guitar) and are joined by their friend Kit Tanton who plays bass.

From left to right: Sean, Kieran, Dean and Kit

I first heard of Room 94 at the end of 2011 when I was browsing through twitter and they followed me. I listened to a few of their songs and instantly fell in love with the band and their music. It turned out that they were supporting a band called Twenty Twenty on tour who I had already booked tickets to see. So as you can imagine when I realised they were the support I was incredibly happy.

After watching Room 94 perform on the TT tour, I met them afterwards. I was pushed into Kieran which made me panic slightly, but Kieran told me he liked my shirt and my voice and hugged me but our chat was cut short as a girl fell into him (I think she may have had a few too many) so I made a quick escape and stood near Kit. Kit then asked me whether I was going to their summer tour that year, which unfortunately I couldn't go. Never the less, he gave me a leaflet and then carried on chatting to other girls who were mulling around waiting to get a photo with the support acts. 

I bought their mini album 'Loud Noises' at the merch stall and I was impressed with how great it was and slightly baffled as to why they weren't more popular. 

Following this gig I made sure to tweet the band account and the individual accounts telling them of the great experience, although I think I deleted these tweets ages ago as they no longer appear on twitter if I try and search through 7000 tweets of mine. 

The 'Loud Noises' album was probably my favourite album of that year. It was perfect to listen to when on long drives through the countryside, on the beach on a summers day, or on rainy days. It still is one of my favourite albums to this day (which is saying a lot, because I own plenty).

When I heard that Room 94 were supporting Lawson on their tour earlier this year, I was bummed because I couldn't get tickets and so many of my friends went. This only encouraged me to make sure that I got tickets when they did their headline tour this summer.

The tickets went on sale I made sure to snap 2 tickets up that day. Then they announced they were releasing VIP tickets and I was determined to get 2 tickets. I have to catch a train after all gigs and I wouldn't have had a chance to hang around and meet everyone afterwards as I'd miss my train so the VIP sounded like a great opportunity.

Luckily I managed to get the two VIP tickets I wanted, and it just so happened that my friend Jo had got a VIP ticket too. I first saw her at the TT gig on her birthday but I was too scared to approach her so I messaged her on twitter a few months back instead when I managed to find her! 

We agreed that we'd meet up during the day and wait for their tour bus to arrive after getting some lunch (which is exactly what we did).

The day of tour arrived, and naturally I was very excited. I made sure that my friend met me very early so I could get the bus and train into Brighton to meet Jo. 

I remember being quite apprehensive when waiting at Brighton station for Jo to meet us and I've got absolutely no idea why! 

After she arrived and we'd done the initial hugging and chatting we decided to go to and grab some lunch at Maccy D's, quickly pop into Hollister because my friend Harry wanted to grab some boxers in the sale and then go and wait by the venue. 

Turns out we arrived at the venue at 12.30 and had a very very long wait for the band to arrive. We saw 3 others girls wandering around which we could tell were going to the gig.

I managed to get burnt, but it was totally worth it. I think it was 3(ish) before Room 94 arrived at the venue but when we saw the tour bus go around to the back of the venue, I called out to two girls stood at the front to follow us. We made friends with them as they were incredibly lovely girls roughly the same age as us. 

We had to wait for 15 minutes round the back of the venue before the boys got out of the van and helped unpack the equipment for the evening.

Kieran was the first to come and talk to us then Dean. Kit wandered off for a cheeky cigarette and Sean went inside. We then decided it was probably best we go round to the front of the venue to ensure we got a good place in the queue. 

There was only us 5 who greeted the boys from the bus and 6 other girls outside the venue for over an hour before anybody else arrived but only 3 of us were VIP. We all made friends and agreed to meet up in the gig after we got out of VIP which we did towards the end of the night.

VIP was manic. There was more people than I'd expected there to be but it made it all the more fun. It took us 40 minutes to get a photo and chat with Kit and Sean and we ended up having 15 minutes to try and get Kieran and Dean in. They were surrounded by other fans which made it incredibly hard to but we managed to have a nice chat and have our photos taken. 

After the VIP meet and greet, Harry, Jo and I ran down the stairs and into the venue to ensure that we got first or second row which we did. There was two really lovely girls next to us (one of which looked like Carrie Fletcher but never the less) and we ended up serenading each other with All Time Low and One Direction lyrics when they were played into the venue.

We waited patiently for the first support act (The Ratells) to come on, who absolutely rocked the stage and interacted with the crowd a treat. The second support act was The Last Carnival who are local to us and are from Brighton. They were also fantastic!

I'm so glad Room 94 picked The Ratells and The Last Carnival as support acts as they were both the kind of genre of music I'd pick to listen to anyway, and they were a great laugh.

Then Room 94 came on stage and as you can all imagine everybody became slightly erratic and the whole venue erupted with screaming girls (and a few boys who attended). 

I literally cannot fault the boys at all for their set or how they conducted themselves. They remain so genuine no matter how many fans they gain and always try to please everyone by adding some old songs and new songs to the set list.

I had an absolutely incredible night (even if I could barely hear or walk the following day and I've never been so sweaty in my entire life). I was able to share the experience with some lovely people and I also was able to meet some great people too. 

I will definitely keep attending Room 94 gigs for as long as they stay together. I know that being at one of their gigs is when I'm happiest and I was so sad when it came to an end. 

I'm seeing them again in October when they support Lawson on their autumn/winter tour and hopefully I'll be able to meet them before or after but we'll just have to play it by ear.

Were you a part of the tour?

Which date did you go to?

What were your thoughts?

McFly | The Memory Lane Tour Experience

I can honestly say that 16.05.13 was the best night of my entire life. Partly because Will Daley commented on my facebook photo complimenting me, but also because I was part of the Memory Lane Tour and finally got to see my idols after 10 years of waiting for the perfect opportunity. 

McFly have changed my life and I'm so thankful I was given the opportunity to revel in this fantastic experience with someone that McFly brought me a lot closer to. 

To say that we were excited was a bit of an understatement. For weeks and months before, we were going out of our minds so you can imagine how bad we were on the actual day! Unfortunately we had school so we had to contain the excitement somewhat, but as soon as we arrived at our homes and it was time to get ready, all hell broke loose. 

My mother put the Memory Lane CD on very loudly and helped me decide what to wear (finding something to wear to a concert is a very important, in case you overheat and end up fainting or something ridiculous). 

Then, at 6.20(ish) Ellie and her fantastic sister picked me up and that's when our journey to The Brighton Centre for the best night of our lives started. 

In the car, the three of us were utterly beside ourselves, although Ellie's sister was probably a little less excited than us and kept reminding us to 'chill' because it got to the point where we weren't even communicating through English language, we were literally squealing and flailing our arms around. 

When we finally arrived in Brighton and saw the queue outside the Brighton Centre, that's when it actually kicked in that we were seeing THE McFly. The four boys that were in Smash Hits magazines, Girl Talk magazines and on posters around my room when I was younger. 

After we parked the car, we practically ran down 12 flights of stairs (which after the concert, felt as though they were twice as high). Then we had to decide whether to join the massive queue at the front of the Centre or join the small queue at the back (even though we weren't entirely sure if that's where we were meant to go) but nevertheless that's where we decided to go. 

We joined the queue, and three representatives for Saint Kidd came and gave us some flyers and a sticker (which I've stuck in the back of my Unsaid Things copy). The queue moved rather quickly, which none of us were expecting. Then we got inside and saw the merch stall and started squealing... again. 

I bought a wristband and a poster which I was so chuffed as the merch was a little less expensive than I first thought it would be. There was literally so many people once we got inside the Brighton Centre, and I found myself looking around and keeping an eye out for people I knew would be going, although couldn't see any (until we actually got to our seats).

Whilst in the queue for the loos, Danny tweeted a photo of him stood in the middle of the centre facing the stage and you could see so many girls running around showing people whilst trying not to scream. 

The one thing I didn't understand was why you had to keep lids off of your bottles, although that's probably incase people got a bit frisky and decided to throw them on stage or at somebody else. 

Claire (Ellie's sister), Ellie and I 

Once we got to our seats, which weren't obstructed what so ever, it wasn't long before the first act (AKA JAMES FREAKIN BOURNE OF BUSTED) was introduced by 'Mr Ant-Tastic' and only a few of us on our side were stood up, which took the absolute piss to be quite fair. BUT, despite that, nearly everyone knew the words to Air Hostess and Year 3000 and it was simply magical.

After James had finished head banging to country music, which admittedly, was a little weird, Ant-Tastic came back onto the stage and got everybody hyped ready for The Vamps.

The Vamps were unbelievable and I'm so thankful they were supporting McFly on tour. They performed 4 songs; Teenage Kicks, Cecelia, Little Things and Wild Heart and nailed every single one of them. I screamed a little too much when they came on, especially when they zoomed in on James' face and Trists' arms, and my voice had nearly gone by the end of their set.

Then there was a huge gap of time for everyone to go and get a drink, go to the loo etc etc. During this time one of my friends came over and found Ellie and I and told us of how she was close to James and he smiled when she screamed for him to marry her. 

Before long, the lights eventually went down and the whole centre erupted with screaming girls and people lighting up their phones or raising their hands in the air.

The set list, was perfect. 

Memory Lane (Acapella) 

That Girl

Star Girl

Transylvania 

5 Colours In Her Hair

Falling In Love

Room On The 3rd Floor

Obviously

Corrupted 

Nowhere Left To Run

Lies

I'll Be OK

Bubblewrap

Smile

Shine A Light

One For The Radio

Memory Lane

Love Is Easy

All About You

The Heart Never Lies 

There's only one thing I was slightly disappointed about, the fact they didn't play If U C Kate as it's one of my favourites but even so, it didn't make the night any less amazing. 

One of the highlights was definitely the entire Centre taking part in the YMCA. It made everyone feel completely ridiculous, but it was also incredibly fun! 

It was a sensational evening, and one I'll certainly never forget.

Were you a part of the Memory Lane Tour?

If so, which date did you go to?

Cheeky Summer Treats #1 |

These little gems, are absolutely perfect for a summer's evening sat out in the garden with a group of friends, to take to the beach or to take on a picnic!

They're incredibly easy and relatively cheap to put together and taste absolutely delicious.

All you need to do is buy a punnet of raspberries from your local market or supermarket for £1-£2 and buy two different packets of chocolate chips(either white and milk, white and dark, milk and dark etc) for £1.50-£2.50.

Then once you get home, find either cute cupcake cases or a pretty plate to put them on and simply slot the chocolate chips into the tops of the raspberries. 

The smooth chocolate contrasts with the sharp raspberry to make the perfect combination and think of it this way, you're getting 1/5 of your 5 a day, whilst being a little bit cheeky and having chocolate in doing so. 

What are your thoughts on this idea? 

Do you think it sounds good?

Never Let Me Go | Kazuo Ishiguro

“Memories, even your most precious ones, fade surprisingly quickly. But I don’t go along with that. The memories I value most, I don’t ever see them fading.” 

Kathy is 30 years old who's reserved adult life is interrupted by her past by her two friends from school, Ruth and Tommy. They grew up in a place called Hailsham, a remote and sheltered private school which happens to be cut off from the outside world. The Hailsham students are brought up to be happy and healthy and lead to believe their perfect childhood and health will one day be of service to society. 

Kathy reflects on her life at Hailsham after rekindling her friendship with Ruth, questioning the meaning behind her own life, her determination and her complex relationship with Tommy.

Her memory starts in the classrooms at Hailsham with the rest of the school's children, where creativity and a health are encouraged and supported. The children are completely isolated but seem content enough to carry on living their lives this way as it's all they've known and see it as normal. In fact the idea of the outside world thrills them, yet terrifies them at times.

The world only gets more confusing as the Hailsham children enter young adulthood and leave the confines of the school before accepting their inescapable fate to 'serve society'.  

From left; right: Keira Knightley as Ruth, Carey Mulligan as Kathy and Andrew Garfield as Tommy in the film adaptation of Never Let Me Go

The Verdict: 

The story and tone of Never Let Me Go is so unique that it doesn't fit a specific genre. 

Kathy's passive narrative style allows the sci-fi elements of the story to blend into the background with ease, whilst the reader concentrates on the completely human side to the story.

Her relationships with both Tommy and Ruth are so different and complex to each other, yet the three are peculiarly tied together until the very end.

This novel appears as quite simple, but Ishiguro manages to tie in themes of friendship, deceit, love and death, all while exploring the meaning of life and the idea of having a soul with the story getting increasingly complex the closer you look.

Never Let Me Go was adapted into a movie, featuring Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield and Keira Knightley as the main roles. It's a completely captivating and heartbreaking.

What are your thoughts?

Would you be interested in reading a book like this?

Have you already read it? 

If so, comment below with your thoughts!