Third Visit on Holiday - The National Museum of Scotland - Edinburgh

Hey guys!

I hope that you've been enjoying the pictures so far of my holiday that I've been able to show you! I had an absolutely wonderful time! For the day that we spent in Edinburgh, we went to three main places so here's the second place: The National Museum of Scotland!

I loved the place though
we were pretty tired and in need of food when we arrived. The building itself was absolutely stunning and we found some pretty interesting artefacts such as Dolly the Sheep! I also bought a beautiful ring for myself and it was a great memorandum for our visit!

Here are some of the pictures! :D

I hope that you guys enjoyed this post! If you did or didn't, please leave your thoughts in the comments and I hope to speak to you soon! :)

Second Stop on Holiday - The Botanical Gardens - Edinburgh

After we stayed for a day in Newcastle, we went to Glasgow for a day but as we spent a lot of the day shopping, there wasn't really much to see. Anyway, the day after we spent the day in Edinburgh and the first place we went to was the Botanical Gardens and the flowers and plants were beautiful.

Here are a few snaps and I hope that you enjoy them!

I hope that you guys enjoyed this post! Please leave your thoughts below and I'll catch you guys soon! :)

Results Day - Realities and What Happened To Me

Hey guys! I hope that you're all fine and dandy and that if you collected your results in the past two weeks that you got the results that you wanted!

So, for me, it was my GCSE year this year and I went to collect my results last Thursday which is the day that this is being written. I feel like I may have told you guys this before but I want to do Medicine at university and it goes without saying that you need top marks for that. So when I say I didn't get the grades I wanted, I got some A's and not A*'s, it's not me being ungrateful, no, not at all! It's me saying that my dream may be crumbling and that some of those A's really could've been A*'s!

I was writing this post to tell you guys all about my problems but honestly, I feel like I've inflicted my own personal misery on too many people! So instead, I'm going to list all the things I'm proud of myself for, for my results! Please join in in the comments so we can share the joy and not dwell on the despair!

Okay, here goes!

1. For the four subjects I'm taking next year I got 2 A's and 2 A*'s - isn't that great groundwork? :D It's making me especially ready and rearing to go so I can smash A Levels :D
2. For History which was one of my A*'s I got 100% on two of the papers. I was a wreck before those papers because unlike many of the subjects, you have to know exact facts because almost nothing is given to you and you can't just rely on what they've given you so I'm so happy that I actually managed to do well in those exams!
3. In my English Lit where I also got an A, the only thing that stopped me from getting an A* was my hatred for poetry and my really bad teacher. 3/4 texts I actually got an A* but I got a C in my poetry so if you discount the poetry, I actually did pretty well! I have no idea how I'm writing this, please don't judge me!
4. I got an A* in Physics which is my worst science! Get in there!
5. Despite the fact I got an A in my RE which was one of my best subjects (I did get an A* in the mock) I actually got full marks on the module I usually drop the most in? I don't know how that works but hell, maybe that's an achievement in itself!
6. I also got an A* in French which I'm taking next year and I'm so excited for it and yayayayay!

I really hope that you guys can understand where I'm coming from and that you can please listen to me objectively. It's very easy on the internet to get hate for 'not being appreciative' but it's like anything that you dream about, no matter what you want to become. If you don't do well enough in any sort of test, you're bound to feel low but often, whatever happened, happened for good reason.

I hope to speak to you guys soon, Take Care and be proud of how far you've come and right now, don't worry about how far there is left to go, just stand and appreciate the moment, on top of that mountain :D

Sixth on the List: 1984 By George Orwell

Hey guys! I hope that you're well!

So recently I finished reading 1984 by George Orwell and I thought it was an awesome book, especially seeing as though it was written in 1949. It's a really interesting read because it's one of the earlier dystopian fantasies and is a lot more poignant than today's dystopias because the phenomenon he writes about in his book is worldwide rather than just based in England (like the Slated series which I wrote about here) or in America like the Hunger Games for example. It's worldwide and that means that all of the destruction and the hypocrisy and hatred is widespread.

Just a few details about the book before I continue:

• The main character, Winston Smith, works for the Ministry of Truth, constantly changing the past so that it fits the reality of the present. This in itself means that history is constantly being changed.
• In most rooms, especially in the rooms of those who work for The Party, there is a telescreen. These are present in homes as well as at work places and they are constantly producing noise, whether that be bulletins of news or music or things that make no sense what so ever. They are also like cameras in the way that they can 'see' you and can hear everything you say that is above a whisper.
• This means that you have to completely control your face and your expression because anything that gives you away as someone who is secretly against The Party can lead you to disappear. Because of the fact they can remove facts from everywhere, they literally erase you from history and this means that anyone who knew you won't ever have known what happened to you. This happens to Winston's parents and he always blamed himself because he was a selfish child.
• The head of The Party is known as Big Brother and this is where the expression 'Big Brother is Watching You' was coined.

All of this makes the book really interesting to read because it really makes you explore the inner facets of who you are and why you believe what you believe and it makes the book really intriguing because it means that Winston is constantly analysing his rebelliousness inside him and is always analysing the society around himself and what it means to be part of it and how it works. The book in its entirety is really interesting for us in modern day because we can still see similar trends in the world today and it really sets out ideologies in black and white without any sugar coating.

So, all in all, if you're a fan of dystopias I would definitely recommend the book because it's really interesting and gripping and really challenges the motives of people around you and how the people who make the world run do what they do! Also, they have a different ideology on torture which I found really interesting and an awesome twist to the story but I won't spoil it for you! You'll have to find it our yourself :)

I hope that you guys enjoyed this post! If you did or didn't please leave your thoughts in the comments below so I can hear from you and I hope to speak to you soon!

First Stop on Holiday - Newcastle

Hey guys!

The week before last, I went on holiday to numerous places, one of which being Newcastle. I didn't get to take that many pictures in the city itself which was sad but the buildings are beautiful. Nevertheless, after we finished in the city centre, we went to a nearby beach. It made me incredibly happy because I haven't been to the beach in ages so here are a few snaps! :)

I hope that you guys enjoyed this post, I was on holiday for 5 days so I'll be doing posts every once a week or so as a break from my normal posts :) Speak to you guys soon! :)

The Past, The Present, The Future, The Now.

Hey guys!

I've just watched Will Darbyshire's new video which is entitled 'The Now'. Before I go on about his video, I would love to just give him a shout out to you wonderful people reading this post. His videos are always insightful and he just talks about a topic that has struck him and inspired him and I honestly think that the honesty and passion and drive with which he talks makes his videos completely and utterly awesome. On the upside too, they're never all that long, roughly around 3 minutes long so do check out his channel here :)

So his video (which is linked above) was talking about how important it is to live in 'The Now' and it's something I personally feel is important for us all to actively do. As I mentioned in a post previously, this coming September is probably the most daunting thing that I'm facing at the moment in my life. And yet, for me, before September lies two months in which I can have the time of my life. What I want to challenge myself and anyone else who's reading and has got the whole summer ahead of them, is to try and do something new or try and push yourself and make the most of everyday that comes at you.

For me, yesterday I went skateboarding with my best mate Chloë and then got on and did work and that for me was awesome because the more and more time I get to spend with her, the more I appreciate how absolutely blessed I am to have her in my life and the more time I want to spend with her this summer because a) being able to try (and unfortunately fail) at skateboarding with your bestie is probably the best way to do it and b) I've had so few awesome memories with her the past summers that I wish I could do more with her this summer.

Also, it feels like from now onwards, there's going to be more and more that's going to separate me from my friends, whether that just be the fact we go on to do different things in the future or even just from the onset in September when we start doing different subjects. Point being, I don't want to be afraid to create memories with people who make me happy and that is something I want to change from here on out :)

So what do you guys want to get from the present? What kind of new things do you want to experience? Is it something from the comfort of your own bedroom (don't get me wrong, a lot of my summer will be spent there too) or will you try something even more challenging? :o

I'll speak to you guys soon and thank you so much for reading!

A Slap in the Face: The Reality of War

Hey guys! Today's post is feeling a bit more morose, I guess you could say, than the posts I've been writing over the past week or so. I felt like with more reading, I escaped reality a bit too much for my own good, so I decided to write a post about something that feels like it's coming closer and closer to home: war.

You don't have to be all over media to know that war is something that is threatening many innocent people's lives on a day to day basis. I just hate knowing that innocent people happily fled their homes in the thousands and hundred of thousands because of threats made upon their lives by people who don't know them nor want to try and know them. Half a million people were displaced by the ISAS in Iraq, simply because they thought that leaving everything that they had and escaping with their lives was the one thing that was right and that could guarantee their lives. No-one should have to live that way.

I'm not going to preach or shove statistics in your faces because you know where you can find those.
It just struck me that I'm incredibly grateful to be living in a place where I'm accepted for who I am, where people are quite free to express themselves and be who they want to be. I feel like that liberty is something we don't really have the right to take for granted and all I wanted to say to you today is that please, do something good with your life because there are so many people in the world today who have the potential to become amazing, brilliant and talented people, but cannot do so simply because of where they have been born in the world.

Please, don't take opportunities for granted, even in the part of the world where we live in, opportunities don't come often for everyone. Cherish what you have and remember those who don't. Do what you can to be a good person so less people lose days when they could be happy and grateful, to days where they're knocked by people close and by people who don't know them. Keep your perspective in life :)

I hope that you guys liked this post, however different it's been from my normal content :)
It was brought on by Jack Harries having his camera equipment stolen from him in Kenya at gunpoint and it really hit me that people will want to hurt you whether they know you or not, if they are driven to believe so.

I'll speak to you soon :) Take Care of yourselves :)

Third on the List - Shattered, By Teri Terry (Slated #3)

Hey guys! So not many of you may know much about me so here's a little background about my life at the moment before I plunge into yet another book review/recommendation! I'm 16 years old and I'm from England. Many of you'd know that in England, at the age of 16, around May/June time kids here undergo a lot of exams, around 20 for most though it can vary depending on the subjects you take and whether you take any a year early. To cut to the chase, my exams finished last week (Hurrah!) and I'm now left with lots of time to do nothing much at all, hence why I've actually plunged head first into the books I've recently discovered from the bookstore and borrowed from the library.

In my trip to Waterstones a couple of weeks ago, I found out that one of the series' that I've been reading over the past couple of years had finally released its finale: Shattered. This goes for many of the series I've read and now I have a lovely stack of new books to read over the next few weeks!

As Shattered itself is the last of the trilogy, here's a few background details that you should know about the series and where it starts off with:

1. It's a dystopia, set in England (not America, shock horror!) around 30 years into the future.
2. It's based around a girl who's introduced to us as Kyla, who's been 'Slated' for being a young criminal over the age of 16.
3. In this world, Slating was introduced in order to remove the need to kill young criminals, rather they would have their memories slated and they would be attached with a chip in the brain and a Levo on their wrists to monitor their levels. This would be monitored by a number on the Levo and if it gets too high, or too low, it would cause the slated to black out, reducing the chances of them getting into fits of rage or becoming too upset.
4. The story is intriguing because Kyla starts to remember parts of her past that she shouldn't be able to remember and the story spirals on from there :)

Not to ruin anything for you but this world is amazing, simply because of the amount of mystery and unknown information that there is for your mind, as well as Kyla's mind, to feast on. Little details slip and so much is at stake that it's just brilliant. I finished the last of the trilogy in a matter of days which has been a rarity for me but I would thoroughly recommend the books if you love a) mystery, b) romance, c) dystopia style books and d) matters of morality (which is another theme that is explored thoroughly in the series) and e) the legendary 'Who am I?' question which is prevalent in this book, not just about personality but about what side Kyla wants to go on as well as the question of origin and her parentage.

I absolutely loved the series because it tackles issues that are so real and quite raw that you're just sucked in and pulled away with the wonder of the way life has become for people in this new England. It's questions what you should do and what is right and I honestly think that having to make the judgement yourself and wondering whether the characters' decisions are right is just amazing and I would thoroughly recommend the series.

If you'd like to find out more about the series, the link is here to the Goodreads synopsis/reviews of Slated,
the first book :) Thank you so much for reading! I hope that these kinds of posts are up your street and if you'd like me to do any other posts that you previously enjoyed, please do let me know in the comments!

I'll speak to you soon! Take Care :)

Flower Photography: A Hobby of Mine

So, as it was my birthday in February, I got a camera. It's not the most brilliant camera but it was definitely an upgrade from what our family's old camera used to be! I got into photographing the flowers in my front garden when I got a new phone the year before but having a camera with a decent amount of mega pixels was definitely on my wish list!

Anyway, to cut to the chase, our rose bush in our front garden has been flowering for the past month and over that time I've been taking some snaps of the flowers which are absolutely stunning, so I thought I would share them with you :)

I hope this offers a nice break from the normal long posts I tend to do so I hope you enjoy them!

My Thoughts on The World Cup

So, I'm not a massive football fan but ever since the last World Cup in South Africa 4 years ago, I've absolutely fallen in love with the tournament. I love the community spirit it brings and the fact that everyone plays for the place that they call home. I also love the way it gives teams that you never would've heard of, or players you've never seen play before, the chance to shine, even if they don't get through to the next round, they're given their time to shine and that's amazing.

It's also good because players can surprise and teams can surprise, like the infamous Spain vs Netherlands game that was shocking to everyone, considering the fact that Spain are the defending champions and they lost 5-1 to the Netherlands in their first match of the tournament! It shocked the lot of us but that's what makes it so awesome to watch, to see the talent that you didn't expect to see :) This was then topped off by Spain's shocking loss yesterday against Chile, 2-0 which was just madness for many. For me, having adored Spain last World Cup it was heart-breaking to see them lose but hats off to Chile! And that's completely and utterly what's to be loved about the tournament - you can never quite make the right prediction :D

I also loved the game on Sunday between Bosnia and Argentina. Bosnia, as they described before kick off at 11pm, is a country that has struggled with war in the past few years and the fact that they've managed to get a team together and qualified through to the World Cup which has given their people something to celebrate for and be happy about, is just phenomenal. What was yet still phenomenal is that if there hadn't been the accidental own goal three minutes into the game Bosnia and Argentina would've drawn. For all you non-footie people, the reason why this is such an awesome fact is that the other team are a World Class team with World Class players. Most people have heard of Messi, who is without exaggeration, a footie legend, and those of you more tuned to football would've heard of Aguero. Yes, the second goal was scored by Messi but just take a look at the amount of times Bosnia, a new team to the World Arena, managed to stop World Class players like Messi from taking their chances. It was brilliant to hear!

I'm sorry for rambling for so long about individual matches but the point is, it really brings out the team spirit in everyone and though most people wouldn't support one team, they can still appreciate the amount of effort and the amount of skill it takes for smaller countries and teams to be able to take on all of the big teams and that's what I love especially about the World Cup :D

Do any of you guys like football? Let me know! :)