Goodbye 2014

Hello there! So I've already written an end of year post but I decided that I needed to re write it for numerous reasons. 2015 is just hours away and for some people in the world it is already upon them, so I thought I'd share with you my thoughts on how 2014 went for me.

This year has been pretty amazing overall, I've fulfilled many of my dreams and aspirations during 2014 such as seeing Taylor Swift live and getting good GCSE results. I have also had amazing opportunities such as, performing on a West End stage (I still can't believe I get to say that!) and visiting my favourite city in the world London multiple times. I've also learned this year that certain New Year's Resolutions are pointless. My resolutions for this year were to stress less and stop worrying about the smallest of things. The truth is that this year has been the most stressful year of my entire life and sometimes stress is ok because if you're not worried about important things e.g. exam results then it means you don't care or you're not bothered about them. Instead set yourself fun aims or targets such as: visiting a new city, trying a new hobby or activity that you haven't tried before, watching a new tv show or writing a diary. I can guarantee you will have way more fun.

My aims/targets for the New Year are to:

1. Meet up with twitter friends 
2. Visit a new country
3. Meet one of my idols (this probably won't happen but you can't blame a girl for trying haha)

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and I hope you have an amazing 2015! See you next year!

Happy New Year!

xx Beth xx

Nina Nesbitt - Angel Cakes of Delight Tour

Hello there! So on Monday 8th December me and my best friend Rhianna made our way over to Birmingham to see the lovely Nina Nesbitt!

We arrived just after 5pm and made our way to the venue (Glee Club) leaving the chaos of the train station behind us. At first we couldn't find out where the queue was and nearly broke into the building by accident, whilst three people just stood and watched (it was such a fail!)

Eventually we found the queue, which snaked around various buildings, and excitedly joined it! Sadly we narrowly missed out on getting to meet Nina as the first 30 people in the queue got meet and greet wristbands and we were around 40 (so close yet so far!) Patiently we waited in the freezing December night for around 1 hour and 45 mins. The people with meet and greet wristbands went in to meet Nina at around 6:10pm and came out about 6:50pm. Before we knew it, it was 7pm and time to go in!

The 200 people in the queue eagerly hurried towards the door practically throwing their tickets at the door man, desperate to get good seats as it was unreserved seating. We immediately ran to some seats and managed to get on the third row! Once we'd claimed our sacred seats I went to investigate what was being sold on the merchandise stand. Nina's mum was running the merchandise stand and was the loveliest person ever! I told her that she'd retweeted my tweet and she replied saying she loved meeting people who she's retweeted! From the merchandise stand I bought the cutest pillowcase ever with the lyrics from 'Hold You' on it. The pillowcase also came with a free signed bauble by Nina herself!

The support acts were fantastic! Tommy Ashby, Kerri Watt and Billy Lockett all took to the stage at various times and wowed everyone with their talent. At 9pm Nina finally came out to play her beautiful set! It was hilarious as when she came out she sat down and said that she'd forgotten something so she went back off stage and returned with a pack of Haribos! Apparently a guy called Dave in the audience had been repeatedly tweeting her saying he was hungry so she'd brought him so food! (She's so adorable bless her!) Her set was absolutely stunning, her voice sounded as angelic as it always does! Here are some photos I took:

After the magical gig had finished we had to wait around a while to get picked up. During this time people were trying to steal stuff off of the stage, one woman was literally begging Nina's sound engineer and mum to let her daughter meet Nina (it didn't work haha) also we got to meet the lovely Tommy Ashby and Billy Lockett!

The night was so fantastic! The fact that it was a small, acoustic gig made it intimate and very personal which was an amazing experience. I can't wait to hear Nina's next album and hopefully meet her some time in the future!

xx Beth xx

Becoming Aware of Inequality in Society

Hello there! So over the past three years, ever since I've joined tumblr I have become aware of inequality in society. You see the thing is once you're educated about issues such as: homophobia, racism, misogyny etc. then you start to hear it coming out of your friend's and family's mouths, it becomes something you hear every day as if it's normal and that is the worst.

It was only the other day that me and my family were sitting down watching I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here and one of the campmates, a man, was afraid of snakes and bugs etc. My dad decided to make a comment along the lines of 'he's such a girl!' I then challenged him asking 'Why is he a girl for disliking snakes and bugs?' and he couldn't give me an answer. Instead I was told to get off my high horse and to stop thinking I knew everything. Why is it that misogynistic phrases like 'You run like a girl' are casually thrown around as an insult?

It still baffles how words such as 'slut' and 'faggot' are carelessly thrown into normal, every day conversations and no one bats an eye lid. Another thing, when people suggest that someone who supports gay rights must be gay themselves. No. Lots of people also support animal rights. That doesn't mean that they're an animal!

Another issue that really gets on my nerves and I witness it every day is when people (let's be honest it's mainly teenage girls) label other girls as a 'slut' based on what they are wearing. To start with the definition of a 'slut' is a woman who has sex with many people. This should not be a thing to be ashamed of if it is consensual and genuine. It also shouldn't be anybody else's business.

I'd love to hear any of your own experiences with these kind of issues, feel free to leave a comment or tweet me with them if you like.

xx Beth xx

The Effect Mockingjay is Having on The World (CONTAINS SPOILERS)

Hello There! Yesterday I had the pleasure of going to watch 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay' at my local cinema and damn it was so good. It struck me whilst watching this powerful film that some of the events that were occurring struck an eerie echo of events that are actually happening in our world today.

For those of you who don't know 'Mockingjay' follows on from the second film 'Catching Fire' in the futuristic series 'The Hunger Games'. The main themes that are presented are: rebellion, revolution, war and uprising. The more I think about it the more I can see the scary resemblance between 'Mockingjay' and the real world so here are just a few connections I spotted:

1. The Bombing of an Unarmed Hospital - Gaza

In The Hunger Games:

During the film The Capitol bomb an unarmed hospital in District 8 killing all inside. 

In Real Life:

This instantly reminded me of the horrific events in Gaza in which unarmed civilians were/are being bombed by Israel and most significantly the bombing of an unarmed hospital which killed four. Sound familiar?

2. All Symbols that are Related to The Mockingjay Are Banned - Thailand

In The Hunger Games:

In the film we see President Snow order that anyone who uses any of the Mockingjay gestures or symbols will be executed.

In Real Life:

Interestingly, 'Mockingjay' has been banned from showing in Thailand as leaders fear an uprising/rebellion. Not only the film has been banned but so have the Mockingjay symbols and the famous three finger salute. Anyone who rebels against this will be arrested. Again, sound familiar? 

3. "If We Burn You Burn With Us" - Ferguson/St Louis

In The Hunger Games:

In the film Katniss angrily states "If we burn you burn with us!" which is the slogan of the book/film. 

In Real Life:

Powerfully, protesters in St Louis spray painted this exact slogan onto a building in disgust of the disgraceful shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson. It seems people are actually using this book/film to stand up and fight back against the state just like in the film, the people use Katniss (The Mockingjay) to fight back against the government. 

4. The Murder of an Innocent Black Child by the State - Ferguson

In The The Hunger Games:

Let's not forget why this revolution started in the first place. Rue. For those of you who don't know Rue was young black girl in the original Hunger Games who was killed in the games effectively by the government/state. This was the spark that started the rebellion. 

In Real Life:

Now in case you didn't know back in August an unarmed young black boy, Michael Brown was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri. He had his hands up and his last words were "I don't have a gun stop shooting." This has sparked protests and riots across the world. Since the cruel, racist murder of Michael Brown many more stories of young black children that have been murdered by the state have come to light, sparking even more protests. Once again, sound familiar? 

This film has honestly shocked me at how similar 'Mockingjay' actually is to the real world and i almost forgot that I was watching a dystopian fictional story as it seemed so relatable. I've even read the books so I knew what was going to happen but I never really realised just how much 'The Hunger Games' world is connected to our own world. 

Please please go and watch this film. 

It will change your outlook on the world. 

xx Beth xx

Hello There!

Hello there! So I've decided to create this new blog as I felt I needed a proper place to babble about a range of things. I will be posting a range of things such as: reviews, my concert/gig experiences, places I visit and my opinions on certain topics. I hope you enjoy reading this blog and I'm always open to ideas of what to post so don't be afraid to ask :) I will try and post as much as I can but I am currently doing my A Levels so bare with me! See you soon!

xx Beth xx