Goodbye 2015

Hello there, I can't quite believe I'm already writing this! It only seems like yesterday I was creating my resolutions for 2015! With 2016 rapidly approaching us it is time once again to reflect on the year gone by. This year has been pretty good overall (with the exception of Zayn leaving One Direction and all the other 1D drama but shhh we're not going to talk about that!)

I've miraculously managed to actually meet quite a few amazing people including West End stars such as: Beverley Knight, Rob Houchen and Zoe Doano. I also managed to meet the wonderful Carrie Hope Fletcher and also got to see her perform as Eponine in Les Miserables! This means I have actually fulfilled one of my resolutions for this year which was to meet at least one of the people I look up to!

Being invited to London by Beverley Knight to see her in Memphis the Musical and then going on stage after to meet her was also a major highlight of the year.

Another amazing opportunity I've had this year was getting to visit the historic city of Berlin and also the concentration camp of Auschwitz in Poland. This trip was truly significant and will stay with me forever.

I have actually managed to travel quite a lot this year, this is mainly thanks to university open days, and I have loved exploring new cities in both the UK and in Europe. New favourites of mine include: Manchester, Liverpool and Berlin.

2015 also saw the start of One Direction's break and another highlight this year has been seeing the boys live again in Birmingham (minus Zayn which was a tad weird.) I hadn't seen them since March 2013 as I was meant to go to the Where We Are Tour last year but was unfortunately ill so I was especially looking forward to seeing them again and had the best time ever!

Receiving offers from all of my university choices has also been extremely exciting and this time last year I honestly never thought it would never happen!

Seeing Dan and Phil on their tour in Salford was also a highlight as I've been watching their YouTube videos for over three years now so it was so lovely to actually see them in real life and witness a theatre full of teenagers singing along to Breaking Free from High School Musical!

So there we have it! Next year is already looking promising with many events lined up including: being a bridesmaid, going to Summer in the City, seeing Little Mix on tour and going to university!

See you in 2016! Happy New Year!

xx Beth xx

October aka The Month of New Music!

Hello there! It seems over the last couple of weeks every single artist ever decided to drop their new music and I'm certainly not complaining! So therefore I thought I'd share some of my favourite new tracks and albums with you.

Perfect - One Direction

This song actually destroyed me in the best and worst possible way. The chorus is extremely reminiscent of Taylor Swift's 'Style' which ruined my life especially since Harry and Taylor were my favourite couple ever when they dated. Also some of the lyrics made me enter a state of shock and awe as they are reminiscent of Taylor's song 'Wonderland':

Perfect: 'When I first saw you, from across the room, I could tell that you were curious'

Wonderland: 'Haven't you heard what becomes of curious minds?'

So yes I absolutely adore this song as it is basically Wonderland 2.0 and you can definitely tell Taylor was a major influence for this song! I cannot wait for 'Made in the A.M.' :D

Confident - Demi Lovato

I have been waiting for new Demi music for two years and so I was extremely hyped for this new album and Demi did certainly not disappoint!

It could be argued that 'Confident' is Demi's best album yet and I certainly agree. Her vocals on this album especially on tracks such as: 'Stone Cold', 'Lionheart' and 'Father' are absolutely breathtaking!

The balance of dance tracks and soulful ballads is perfect and even the more upbeat songs have meaningful lyrics.

Some of my favourite tracks include: 'Cool For the Summer', 'Stone Cold', 'Kingdom Come', 'Yes', 'Father' and 'Mr Hughes.'

Wasn't Expecting That - Jamie Lawson

I recently was lucky enough to attend One Direction's On The Road Again Tour (which was amazing by the way!) and their support act was an extremely talented humble guy called Jamie Lawson. 

I had heard a little bit about him before going to the show, he is the first person to be signed to Ed Sheeran's record label 'Gingerbread Man Records.' 

Of all the songs he played I was particularly drawn to 'Wasn't Expecting That' which is a heart wrenching bitter sweet tale of life and love. 

Should've Been Us - Tori Kelly

Tori Kelly has one of the most incredible voices I have ever heard and she is of course the queen of riffs and runs. I first heard of her through her cover of Pretty Young Thing by Michael Jackson on YouTube in which she does an absolutely insane riff! Go watch it you won't regret it! (The riff is at 2 mins 20 secs) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsVNgB_DS_g 

Tori's album has just come out in the UK and one of my favourite songs off of it is 'Should've Been Us.' It has such a funky beat and reminds me of the 90s for some reason? 

Some of my other new favourite songs include:

Ocean - Lauren Aquilina

Sweet Nothing - Gabrielle Aplin

Love Me Like You - Little Mix

xx Beth xx

Regarding Saving Mr Banks

Hello there! I have recently fallen in love with the heart breaking yet brilliant film 'Saving Mr Banks' which documents Disney's 20 year mission to obtain the film rights of P.L. Travers' book 'Mary Poppins.'

For anyone who loves 'Mary Poppins' this film gives a real insight into who inspired the beloved characters: Mary Poppins, Bert and of course Mr Banks and the rest of the Banks'. You begin to understand that Mary Poppins didn't come to save the children, she came to save their father and reconnect him with his family. 

We learn through flashbacks in the film that Travers' own father suffered from alcohol misuse and suffered a short, bleak end to his life due to his stressful job as a bank manager. Her father is clearly reflected in the character of Mr Banks, however Travers (played by Emma Thompson) changed Mr Banks' ending to a happier more pleasant one and I think this may have been her way of seeing her father, who she adored dearly, live on. 

As a result of the hardship Travers suffered in her early years we see she has become very headstrong and abrupt, she refuses to let Walt Disney (played by Tom Hanks) turn Mary Poppins into one of his "silly cartoons" and also claims that "Mary Poppins does not sing" which causes trouble for the Sherman brothers. However, by the end of the film we come to understand why Travers was so protective of her characters and we see that she has become more accepting of Disney and his work, even though she famously disliked the film.

This is a must see for anyone who is a big fan of 'Mary Poppins', it will tear at your heartstrings but from it you will begin to understand everything.

xx Beth xx

Trip to Berlin and Krakow

Hello there! This last week has been unforgettable, and I wanted to share with you some pictures of the incredible experiences I have gained from my visits to Berlin and Krakow.

Reichstag and Walking Tour of Berlin 

Exterior of Reichstag

Russian graffiti in the Reichstag written by the Soviet Union in World War Two.

Bullet holes from World War Two.

Check point Charlie.

One of the three remaining sections of the Berlin wall.

Brandenburg Gate.

Haus der Wannsee-Konferenz

This is the house in which the Nazis held their meetings and came up with the 'final solution'.

Soviet War Memorial and Berlin Wall

Krakow

Visiting Auschwitz and Birkenau

On Sunday we visited the infamous sites of Auschwitz and Birkenau. I cannot even begin to explain to you what I felt that day. Our first stop was Auschwitz, which used to be Army Barracks before the Nazis occupied it and turned it into a concentration camp. Shockingly it was rather commercialised and close to civilisation, I was expecting it to be in the middle of nowhere but it was in fact surrounded by restaurants, shops and houses.

During our extremely emotional walk around Auschwitz we walked through an actual gas chamber that was used to murder over 1.5 million innocent people. The atmosphere in that room was one of the darkest things I have ever felt in my life. In the old barracks there were displays of people's belongings such as: suitcases, shoes and even people's hair. The humungous piles of these items really made me realise the scale of the horrors carried out by the Nazis. 

We then made our way over to the second camp, Birkenau. The sheer size of Birkenau was very overwhelming and daunting, it's many times larger than Auschwitz. This purpose built death camp was more isolated than the previous camp but still relatively close to civilisation. A single ominous train track runs through the entrance and ends in the middle of the camp, this is where selection for either death or living would have taken place. The huts in which people would have been expected to live in were absolutely horrendous and resembled sheds in which you would expect animals to be kept in. Towards the end of the holocaust the Nazis tried to destroy any evidence of what they were doing in Birkenau, so they destroyed the gas chambers and to this day the remains of them lie in the same place and position that they did in 1945. 

Meeting a Survivor of the Holocaust

We had the honour to meet a wonderful, inspirational woman called Lydia on Monday. Lydia found herself in Auschwitz-Birkenau when she was just a child. She told us the story of how her mother had worked outside the camp during the day and found food hidden by the local people in the bushes. Her mother would sneak the food back into the camp and feed it to Lydia under the cover of night. Unfortunately Lydia never saw her mother again after the camp had been liberated and she had to be given a whole new identity as she couldn't remember her name or her age. It's due to her mother that she's alive today.

It's safe to say that visiting Berlin and Krakow is an experience that I will never forget for the rest of my life and if you really, truly want to understand what Auschwitz and Birkenau are like, you need to visit yourself because it is a very personal experience.

xx Beth xx

SCOTUS Legalises Gay Marriage!

Hello there! One of the most significant moments in American history has just occurred - GAY MARRIAGE IS NOW LEGAL AND A HUMAN RIGHT IN ALL 50 US STATES!

This absolutely revolutionary news means that no longer will gay couples be denied the right to marry the one they love, no longer will they be discriminated against in the church and this makes me unbelievably happy! Hopefully this will encourage more and more people to come out and not be afraid to embrace who they are!

This is the amazing statement that was delivered by the Supreme Court of the United States:

26th June 2015 is a date that our children will be reading about in history textbooks in the future and will be remembered for centuries. I am so proud that I have witnessed and experienced such an iconic event in my lifetime.

The LGBTQ+ community still has a long way to go but this is certainly a phenomenal event in LBGTQ+ history!

Here's to a fairer, equal future for everyone!

xx Beth xx

How To: Survive Exams

Hello there! So I have just recently finished my last AS exam! Luckily this year my exams only lasted for two or three weeks whereas my GCSE exams last year lasted for about two months! Despite the exam period being so short this year for me it was still some of the worst weeks of my life so far (not going to lie!) However I have learnt some techniques and tips from doing my GCSEs last year and also my AS Levels that may, or may not, be of use to you if you still have some exams left to do!

Beth's Guide to Surviving Exam Season

1. Get a good night's sleep the night before your exam! - DO NOT and I repeat DO NOT STAY UP CRAMMING ALL NIGHT IT WILL JUST CONFUSE YOUR BRAIN!

2. Go to as many revision sessions as possible. - Your teachers are there for a reason and they will be willing to go over anything that you don't understand. Don't be afraid to use them!

3. Take regular breaks when revising! - Your brain can only hold twenty minutes worth of information at a time! (Fact from my sociology teacher who is scarily intelligent and knows literally everything.)

4. Do old exam papers when revising. - You can easily get hold of these on your exam board's website. This will tell you what topics have come up in the past and may give an indicator to what might possibly come up in your exam! (Especially for essay based subjects such as English and History) It will also prepare you for the layout of your exam paper.

5. On the day of your exam make sure to arrive at your school/college with plenty of time to spare. - You don't want to be running around stressing right before your exam.

6. There's only so much you can do. - Don't spend every single hour of every single day staring into your revision notes because it will probably do more harm than good.

7. I know this is really not easy but try and stay positive! - This period of your life won't last forever, it's only temporary. Instead of walking into an exam thinking 'Oh my god I'm going to fail.' (I have done this before by the way) try and give yourself a motivational in the mirror the morning of your exam, it will put you in a much better mood believe me!

I hope this was somewhat useful? Remember to look after yourself and I hope all your remaining exams go well!

xx Beth xx

Why Would Anyone Support UKIP?

Hello there! It's only a few weeks till the UK's General Election which means over the next few weeks people aged eighteen and over will be making their final decisions on which party to vote for. As you may know the right wing, controversial party UKIP has a chance to win a large number of seats in parliament, which is a terrifying thought. It baffles me how people such as my parents could ever agree with any of Nigel Farage's disgraceful policies and opinions.

Here are some unnerving facts about UKIP:

- Their chief immigration spokesman , thinks that all UK Muslims should sign up to a special code of conduct, and wants mosque building to be banned.

- One councillor suggested, and even wrote an angry letter, saying that the current Prime Minister's support for same sex marriage caused floods.

- UKIP issued a flyer saying a programme that discourages homophobia in British primary schools is a recruitment drive for "fresh blood" because "such people cannot produce their own kind"

- UKIP want to scrap paid maternity leave

- UKIP want to make it legal for employers to discriminate against race and gender.

- UKIP want to scrap regulations against sexual harassment in the workplace.

- UKIP want people who have been tested positive for HIV to be banned from migrating to the country.

- Nigel Farage openly attacked the EU president and called Belgium a "non-country."


So why do people support UKIP? The truth is that the people who support UKIP are scared. They feel intimated by growing problems in society. Nigel Farage is using this fear, the same technique Hitler used, to gain support and is also promoting xenophobia which is going to create a very toxic society. The truth is that some people cannot accept that the reason why: the NHS is on the brink of collapse, there are 700,000 people on zero hour contracts and a million people depend on food banks is a result of the self-serving Conservative government, not immigration!

If you're old enough to vote then I hope you manage to make an informed decision on who to vote for. Just please DO NOT VOTE FOR UKIP!

xx Beth xx

Memphis The Musical

Hello there! On Saturday me and my fellow Hairspray cast and crew members made the journey down to the glorious city of London to see Beverley Knight in 'Memphis The Musical'! Beverley used to go to my school when she was younger and has always kept in touch over the years. Our teachers invited her to come and watch our production of 'Hairspray' but sadly Beverley couldn't make it due to being in 'Memphis The Musical' so she very kindly invited us all down to London to watch her perform for free!

We set off from school (on a very packed coach!) just after 10am on Saturday morning and, after a very long break at a service station, sitting in lots of traffic and getting very excited when driving past North Gower Street (which is where Sherlock is filmed!), arrived at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London's West End at 2:15pm. Excitedly we made our way off the coach and piled into the theatre just in time for the 2:30pm matinee show.

The show overall was rather similar to 'Hairspray' but less cheesy and over the top! The cast were absolutely amazing (especially Beverley damn that girl can sing!) the songs were fantastic and one in particular made two of my teachers actually cry because it carried such a powerful message. The show was stunning from start to finish and I highly recommend it!

After the many standing ovations we all grouped back together and sat down in the theatre as we would be meeting Beverley Knight once she had got changed! Whilst we were waiting a very lovely man who worked on the show (I think he was the director?) talked to us, took any questions we had and even let us go on stage! After about fifteen minutes Beverley arrived in her hoodie and jeans and started talking to us all and expressed that she was sorry that she couldn't make it to 'Hairspray' and also told us that she had been looking forward to us coming to see her for ages! Someone decided that we should start singing 'You Can't Stop The Beat' and we all spontaneously broke out into song and dance on the stage (it was a bit cringey, I'm not going to lie haha) and Beverley said that she was glad she got to see a little taster of the show. Before we knew it, it was time to leave so we had a group picture with Beverley and she thanked us all for coming to see her and said that if we ever want to come again just to let her know!

Here are few pictures I took:

So to summarise my thoughts from this trip:
- Beverley Knight is an actual angel
- I really want to live in London
- I love the West End to pieces
- Memphis The Musical is really amazing
- Oxford Street is really confusing
- London is still my favourite UK city

xx Beth xx

Why You Shouldn't Go and Watch 'Fifty Shades of Grey' - trigger warning: abuse and rape

Hello there! So the highly anticipated film adaption of E.L James' erotica novel 'Fifty Shades of Grey' is being released in cinemas this weekend and I personally have only read a few pages of the book (I was too traumatised to read the whole thing!) but after doing some research it turns out that Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele's extremely bizarre relationship is in fact abusive. Critics have reported that the explicit sex scenes weren't the most shocking factor about this film but in fact it was the glorifying of the abusive and manipulative relationship between Christian and Anastasia.

During the book/film Christian:
- Stalks Ana, he finds out where she works, where she lives and even tracks her phone to see where she is!
- Takes advantage of Ana whilst she is drunk and cannot give consent for sex. - They're not even in a relationship at this point!
- Uses threatening and abusive language before they're even in a relationship!
- Isolates Ana from her friends and family, he tells her she cannot tell to anyone about what they do together.
- Is very possessive, he tells Ana she is his and no one else's, this very clearly shows he sees Ana as an object.
- Rapes Ana, she keeps telling him no but does he listen? NO. He instead threatens to tie her up and proceeds to rape her... HOW ROMANTIC!
- Has no consideration for Ana's feelings, Ana is a virgin she has no previous experiences of sex, she's obviously going to be nervous and yet when Christian is about to take her virginity he literally says (and this disgusts me so much) - "I'm going to fuck you now, Miss Steele." - WTF?!

I could go on for hours but I quite frankly haven't got the time or effort. It alarms me that many young couples will be going on Valentine's dates this Saturday and will be falsely educated on BDSM (most of the kinky stuff in both the book and the film has been written completely incorrectly, it is a Twilight Bella and Edward fanfiction after all) and means both men and women will be brainwashed into thinking that abusive relationships are 'romantic' and that the kinky acts shown in the film are 'normal' BDSM.

Please do not support this film it glorifies an abusive relationship and romanticises a domestic abuser.

xx Beth xx

PERFUME REVIEW: Incredible Things by Taylor Swift

Hello there! So on Wednesday Taylor Swift finally released her new fragrance 'Incredible Things' in the UK and I've managed to get my hands on a bottle! I was really excited for this new perfume as I have loved all of Taylor's previous fragrances and this one certainly did not disappoint! To me 'Incredible Things' radiates scents of vanilla, musk, flower petals and grapefruit. The scent also reminds me of the amazing smell of Lush bath bombs!

The packaging is very simple but effective, a white opaque bottle with a water colour silhouette of Taylor.

Once again Taylor has not disappointed with this incredible new fragrance (see what I did there haha) and I cannot wait to see what other delights Taylor has in store for us this year! 

xx Beth xx

Summer in the City 2015

Hello there! Happy New Year! So with tickets for the annual YouTube event Summer in the City going on sale tomorrow I thought I'd talk about my thoughts on the arrangements for this year's Summer in the City.

Originally Summer in the City was a small gathering in London's Hyde Park but so many people started turning up each year that eventually it became unsafe and therefore in 2012 moved to The Brewery and a ticketing system was introduced. Then in 2013 the event moved to the bigger venue of Alexandra Palace where it has been held for the last two years. At the start of this month it was announced that Summer in the City 2015 would be held at the even bigger venue of the ExCeL Centre in Central London and also that meet and greets would be ticketed meaning that viewers have to apply for meet and greet tickets online and then the people who have applied for the same YouTubers are randomly assigned tickets. I agree that this a fairer way to handle who gets to meet who and it also means people don't have to arrive super early to queue for meet and greets. I also hope that this means the volunteers will be more organised this year as I heard from numerous people that last year meet and greet tickets were meant to be given out before they opened the doors to Alexandra Palace but they didn't so people were randomly given tickets once they were inside!

I know a lot of people are disappointed that some of the really big YouTubers such as: Zoella, sprinkleofglitter and PointlessBlog are not attending Summer in the City this year but are instead attending their own YouTube event, AmityFest. I personally think this has come across as rather snobby as it's almost like they're implying that they're too good for Summer in the City and all the other smaller YouTubers and viewers. Plus they're probably going to charge the same price for tickets as Summer in the City just for them to talk at viewers on a stage for over two hours whereas Summer in the City will charge the same prices but it will cover a whole weekend in which you can:
meet internet friends, meet smaller YouTubers, see live performances on the main stage, attend panels and talks and meet bigger YouTubers as well! As a result of the 'UK YouTube Crew' not attending this year's Summer in the City many viewers have decided to not bother going which could result in lower numbers than expected.

I myself have never had the opportunity to attend Summer in the City but I urge anyone that is considering going to definitely go! Even if you're favourite YouTubers aren't attending you will still have an amazing time, especially if you meet up with internet friends!

xx Beth xx