Saturday, 20 February 2016

Sing like No One's Listening

Greetings and felicitations

I'm starting to write this blog whilst on a 2 hour long car journey. The point of me telling you this?

I LOVE to sing in the car - it's fun and it connects you to people, whether it's the singer on the radio, or people you are with!

However I didn't always sing with other people in the vicinity - when I'm on my own just call me Adele and be done with it; but I used to get SO embarrassed when others might hear me! My husband didn't hear me sing full pelt for years, I think one day he came home as i was having a singing session with a diva and once the seal was broken he always heard me sing, and he has also loosened up and will really go for it if the moment takes him.

Then one day I was being driven somewhere by my friend (not mentioning any names) and they astounded me with their car singing. I don't know how to say this without sounding like a meanie, but I don't think they would get through the first round of X Factor... BUT I feel so special when they sing with me there, there is so much feeling, confidence and they truly sing like no one is listening. They are free.

From that day I always sing like no one's listening because it is a very liberating thing to do! I sing in the shower, I sing in the car, I sing at work (my colleagues are used to it now) I sing when I am peeing, I sing while I'm doing the housework, I sing mid conversation if someone makes the mistake of saying a song lyric! I even have an app called Smule Karaoke which means I can sing with other people from all over the world.

I feel so magical when I sing along to a song I love,  if I can hit all the notes, then great; if not it just gives me something to work on!

I have asked on social media what people would say their favourite song to sing along to is - and the reason why. So it's only fair that I join in!


Rolling In The Deep - Adele

I can put my own stamp on it whilst feeling like a total diva! I decided that I would lay myself bare (not literally) by recording myself singing this song!


That was so fun! I may have to do it again sometime! No judging I didn't practice, I just went for it!

Here is what others said is their favourite song to sing along to and why...

Space Oddity - David Bowie
'Because it's an emotional story.'

 Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
'Because Freddie.'
'Because it's Queen and everyone joins in.'
'Because it's so complicated and I'm determined to get it completely right one day.'

 Dear Future Husband - Meghan Trainor
'because it reminds me of me LOL.'

 I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing - Aerosmith
'Reason: belting out a tune and thinking you're Bruce Willis. And saving the world.'

 Your Sex Is On Fire - King Of Leon
'she likes to play the drums and let it all out.'

 She's Royal - Taurus Riley
'Just because I looooooovveee it'

 Carry On Wayward Son - Kansas
'Because it's Kansas... That should be reason enough.'

 The Bad Touch - The Bloodhound Gang
'Reminds me of when me and Claire started dating'

 Can't Nobody - Kelly Rowland
'Because no one can do it like me!!'
So there you go, lots of different types of songs that people love to sing! What's YOUR favourite song to sing in the shower?



*I would like to thank everyone who replied to my strange request.


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Tuesday, 2 February 2016

My Best Friend

Greetings and felicitations

It has been a very long time since I have been here with you, telling you things about myself! I hope you haven't missed me too much!

This post is going to be about exactly what the title says. My best friend.

I want to tell you a little bit about why I have decided to write this post, and why now. 

As close friends of mine will know, I have been suffering with depression and anxiety, and I am working towards conquering it - because I want to be the old me again! I wanted to write this blog a long time ago, and recently I have been motivated again to finally put fingers to keys.

I am going to list down the things which my best friend gives to me, and why these things are important. I hope my best friend reads this, as I'm sure they will know who they are!

Support & Encouragement

My friend supports me in so many ways, whether it be to give me the kind words that I need after making a difficult decision, or just being a listening ear after a tough day. They are there for me. When I have lost people close to me, they have always let me know that they are there in different ways, whether it is just a text out of the blue to ask if I'm ok; or whether they arrange to come and pick me up and take me away to help cheer me up - they support me. I am an unusual individual, I have many ear piercings that make people squirm; wonderful ideas about writing books or scripts, about new crafting ventures and simply anything and everything. My best friend never judges me and says 'do whatever makes you happy.' When I try something new, I can tell my friend all about it, and they will give me so much encouragement and the support to let me know that they have faith in me with whatever I decide to do, and that they are genuinely proud of me when I accomplish my goals. That is a wonderful feeling. 

Shared Interests

My best friend is like a clone of me. They love all of the things that I love! Gaming, 80's music, board games, retro games, glitter, unicorns, piercings, horror movies, crappy movies, makeup, animals, satire, silly apps like Dubsmash, puns (#punography), Eurovision, baking, fantasy (Lord of The Rings etc - I know what you were thinking!) walking through beautiful countryside, crafting, going on long drives, Its Always Sunny In Philadelphia, nail art, playing cards, history... the list goes on! I must say it is TOTALLY amazing to have a friend as cool as my best friend.

Closeness

Now, this isn't necessarily physical closeness - or even closeness in terms of proximity. But my best friend is close to me in many ways. When snuggled up we will hold hands or curl our feet together - to show that we are together. We will talk about our hopes and fears for the future, whether it be having children, progressing in life or making our parents proud. We have the same feelings about insecurity and feeling an outsider - yet together we are one and the same and totally inclusive. We talk about down days, and we talk about happy days, and know that we can tell each other anything. We are that close that even a reaction to something like a video will tell my best friend what exactly I am watching / listening to.

Wisdom & Knowledge

My best friend knows so much and has been through so much it's amazing. I can ask them about almost any trial or tribulation and they can help point me in the right direction. In the past I have asked my friend about helping me with financial advice (how to obtain a mortgage etc). They can see everything from everyone's point of view, and therefore can really help put situations into perspective, but still letting me make my own decisions about things - but with their knowledge. They have shown me how to hang pictures on he wall, how to hang curtains and change light bulbs, they have taught me how to be independent. At night when strange occurrences happen outside the window, they let me know that it is only a train, or a security mechanism that is probably triggered by a fox. 

Fun & Humour

I have a very strange sense of humour; sometimes it's very dark, and other times it is very slapstick and juvenile. One of my favourite games is Cards Against Humanity, but then at the same time I love a good old game of Mario Kart on the Wii. Believe me, my best friend makes EVERYTHING funnier! Whether it with their rubbish jokes, or whether it be an amusing impression, they never EVER fail to amuse. I can send my best friend a text message asking simply 'Send me something funny.' and I know within minutes I will be belly laughing  my socks off! Sometimes even how my friend says a relatively normal word like 'nail' I can be crying with laughter. As I have mentioned before, I love puns - and my friend will try their best to get puns in or send me pictures of puns. 

Love

Now, I think this one is an obvious thing that my best friend gives to me - but it is very important none the less. I know that things can happen between us that may upset one of the other - but we won't ever let it come between us. I know that the love between me and my best friend is real, and that I would be heartbroken if anything ever happened to them. I really appreciate them, but I wish I could tell them everyday in a way that didn't sound too creepy! To my best friend, I love you. And I know you love me too.

Reliability

My best friend is my rock. I know that when I really need them, they will be there. They will be there when I am in the hospital, waiting for me to come out of an operation so that they can come to see me. They will be there when major things happen in my life, putting themselves out there, even out of their comfort zone to help me. When I got married, my best friend was there every day, listening to my worries, helping me to organise everything, helping me to set the venue up and mot of all, they were there for me on the most important day of my life. I know that if I have an appointment that I'm not too sure that I want to go to, that they will come with me - even taking time off work to be there.

To avoid going on for TOO long - although I fear I may have already done that, I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog post, and that it has made you think about YOUR best friend - and what they bring to your life, and you to theirs. It is the best thing I have done for a long time, and I would like to publicly thank my best friends. for all of these things that you bring to my life and more. That's right - FRIENDS.




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Monday, 18 August 2014

What to do if you can’t get married and you don’t want to run?

Greetings and felicitations

Today's blog is a collaboration between myself and a lovely young lady that I had the pleasure of meeting at college. The majority of this blog has been directed by her – and hopefully this can inspire people who may feel sometimes that they aren't on the same road as everyone else. Then again, no road is the wrong road, as they all lead to somewhere!
Without further ado, I shall pass the blogular shaped baton...

I read an article recently that made a joke about how people around their mid twenties will be barraged with statuses about marriage / reproduction; or running (marathons and the like).

One update will be an image of a lady beaming from ear to ear and dressed in a delightful white dress with all of her family around her, and the next will be of someone post-run with a sweaty picture of them; totally making me feel like I would actually keel over if I exerted that much energy in one go. I tried running once. Once was enough to know I can't do it.

As I was carting my sister off to her latest running event, the wonderful Color Run; I wondered to myself, what else is there to do but run Forrest Gump Style? Is this the only alternative to marriage and babies post university years? 

We've put our heads together and come up with some ideas for you.

Learn a new skill

Now, this doesn't need to be knitting or crocheting (seems to have become more popular amongst my nest building friends) but it can be; I for one would love to be able to create something that I could hang on the wall, for example; and when people come over be all gloating and say to myself, 'Yeah that's right... I made that!' 

If you can’t think of a skill to go for, try a few and see what works for you. I've noticed a few people have a go at playing an instrument, they might join a choir, or even start fishing but I’m not sure these are the new skills that I would have in mind for myself!

Travel

I’m aware that not everyone will have the money to do an around the world tour but even little journeys to places you wished to visit in the UK can suffice. Although I have not yet been brave enough to do it, travel doesn't necessarily require a companion either.

I have a few friends that have scoured the Earth for new experiences, going to places that most people can only dream of – and living there for months, sometimes years on end! I'd love to travel through the Far East, Australia, try to explore America and I would especially like to go to China to see the panda bears! I also think it is good to see cultures that are different from your own, to see how what you may find important may in fact be negligible in another person's eyes.

With travelling too, you can learn new languages – which I think is wonderful. There are things that you can say in another language that there is no equivalent in our own. You can find a few examples here 

Hiking / Walking

Much more up my street and it can be a nice temporary escape from your troubles. The latest buzz word I’ve come across is ‘mindfulness’ and being present in the moment, and what better place to be mindful than in nature (possibly even armed with a camera)? As an added bonus, you can feel less guilty about having a treat later on in the day.

If you think a walk around the Lickey Hills isn't too much of a challenge for you, you could even put yourself through some hardcore training and climb a big huge hill; Mount Everest, for example. It may seem like something that people could only dream about – but as a guy I went to college wrote in my Leaver's Book, 'Only those with dreams, have the chance to catch them.'

Collect and Build on Memories

Another thing I have noticed, is that all of a sudden old school toys and collectibles like Lego, Marvel comics and the cuteness that is My Little Pony, are back in 'vogue' for our age group (20 somethings). I guess this is just an extension to the more 'mature' hobbies like coin collecting and model building, with the added sense of nostalgia.

Quite a few people I know also have a stock of video games and consoles (myself included), from Sega Mega Drives to Nintendo 64s. They are always fun to play on with friends that you grew up playing them with!

Try a new experience

I don’t recommend drugs, etc (those of you who know who know me will know why that is) but maybe have a go at scuba diving or monster trucking? I can personally recommend the latter! 

Do something that takes you out of your comfort zone, like bungee jumping or singing karaoke! The more you broaden the places you've been and things that you're interested in doing, the more likely you are to find like minded people to share your life with!

But most of all...


"Things turn out best for people who make the best out of the way things turn out." - Unknown


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#100HappyDays - Pictures Galore.

Greetings and felicitations,

You are probably aware of his #100HappyDays trend, which helps people document one happy thing that has happened every day for 100 consecutive days. I didn't read the full rules and didn't realise you are supposed to add a picture with EVERY post, but I was more than halfway through and I didn't want to start again!

Anyway, I thought I would share some of the different things that I did with my #100HappyDays...



































































I'd like to point out that Twitter NEEDS A FRICKIN' EDIT FUNCTION!





















































































































































































































































































Now, I know that the more eagle eyed among you will have noticed that not ALL of them are here. That is because I was going through a tough time and sometimes the happiest moments of the day were not that interesting at all!

 Thank you for reading (I know it is a long slog) and I hope you enjoyed reading some of the things that made me happy!

 “Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom." - Marcel Proust
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