Tag Challenge: Day 20: A Hobby of Yours

Day 20: My Hobby

After this blog, and my writing, you might have guessed, but playing Video Games is one of my favourite hobbies. Despite that I'm actually quite a fussy gamer. My boyfriend and my brother are both HUGE gamers, and love everything from racing, to first person shoot-em-ups etc and they have collections of games that are practically sky high. Me,on the other hand, well, I'm only really a fan of RPG's...I must save so much money being so picky hehe, but boy did it make it difficult to write a top ten favourite game list...but, here it is, in no particular order!

Persona 4

Kingdom Hearts 2

The World Ends With You

Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core + Special Edition PSP (all mine :D)

Final Fantasy X-2

Final Fantasy VIII

Final Fantasy XII

The Secret of Monkey Island

Star Ocean: First Departure

Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales

 

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Yet Another Pretty Tag

Hey guys, here's another tag challenge for you, which I "acquired" so-to-speak from Dreams that Glitter. I liked this one, because it has a mish-mash of beauty and non-beauty related questions :)
Enjoy.

1. What is your favourite fashion magazine?
Oh lord. Please don't hate me, but I honestly can not stand Fashion magazines. They're just not me at all. And to be fair, they're not really aimed at people like me (fat girls that don't quite fit the idea they like to convey in most these magazines). I alsohave huge issues with how much photoshopping goes on in these magazines, it's not natural, and it's not healthy.

2. Who is your favourite singer/band?

Now this is an easy question! Linkin Park of course! Roll on November 10th at the O2 Arena..woohoo!

3. Who is your favourite youtube guru?

This a tough one. I don't think I can choose just one, but here are my Top Three:

• Lauren Luke
• XSparkage
• Michelle Phan

4. What is your favourite makeup product?

At the minute, my Anita Grant, Lippy Pucker. Nowthat the weather has started getting a little chilly, my lips have begun to suffer, and these are the perfect solution.

5. Where would you like to live?

Somewhere rural, in a nice little village, with mountains in the distance, and overlooking a river or lake.

Something like this, perhaps:

6. What is your favourite film?

Oh come on, I'm a Film Geek, I really can't pick just one! Although, I will say that I have a weird "craving to watch this film, right now:

 The character of Caroline, is an absolute legend, especially when she dresses up as a Christmas Tree! Haha, classic! I couldn't find a clip of that scene, but he'sone that is just as good!

7. How many pairs of shoes do you own?

Eek... I have no idea...hmm, let me think:

• Brown pumps
• Gold pumps
• Red and white wedges
• Brown wedges
• Grey Boots
• Winter Walking Boots
• Summer Walking Boots
• Roman Sandals
• Brown trainers
• Pink trainers
• Gym trainers
• "Ball" Shoes
• Black Pumps
• Purple Pumps

I think that's it, which to be fair, isn't really that bad compared to a lot of girls :)

 8. What is your favourite colour?

 Lilac! Woohoo!

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The Hottie and the Nottie: September

My gosh, September already! It's weird thinking about September, because it's the month when the School Year begins, and even though I graduated five years ago, I still find it strange to not be starting a new Academic Year in September. But, it's not just education that tends to start for me in September, because September always seems to be a month of new beginnings in my life...not really sure what this month is going to bring me, but I'm excited to find out.

But, anyway, whilst I sit here patiently waiting (in Wales, where I'm on holiday of course!) I'll have a run down of what I'm loving and loathing this new month!

Loving

Boots. I know it seems way to early to be looking at boots, but it's definitely started getting chilly, and the shops have started bringing in their Autumn wardrobes, so it's a good time to mention these.
 The great thing about boots, is that it doesn't matter if you prefer boots with a big heel, a small heel or completely flat, you are guaranteed to find a boot that you love, just like these ones from New Look for £19.99 that I'm loving, and think are an absolute bargain.
 It's easy to spend a fortune on boots when it starts getting chilly, so I'm thrilled to have found these ones.
 Another great thing about boots is that you can buy a size larger and wear lovely cosy warm socks to keep your feet toasty warm.

Holidays. Personally, I think that September is a great time of year to go on holiday, because typically the weather is still pretty nice, and with the kids being back at School, it's quieter and holidays tend to be a little bit cheaper. And absolutely nothing could beat the Welsh countryside and it's cute Welsh towns and villages. I have had a (literal) lifetime love affair with Snowdonia and I'm so glad to be back.

Image via WikipediaGhost Hunters. I'm not fortunate enough to have Digital TV (I just have Freeview), so I'm forced to enjoy this online when it airs in America, but I absolutely love this show. I know a lot of people think that it's faked, but whether it is or not I still think the show is great, and it never fails to freak me out. I'm so glad that it's back after a summer break!


Loathing

My Weight. This is something that I don't really talk about in my blog, mainly because I worry that if I talk  about it I'll get a load of "how can you write a beauty blog when you're nothing but a fat cow", but it's not really about anyone else, it's about me. I know I'm fat, and I know it's my fault, I just wish that I could take control and handle it. I think I just need someone  to kick me up the arse and not give up on pushing me....I really wish I could afford a personal trainer :-)

The end of Big Brother. Over the past ten years, I'vehad a very love-hate relationship with Big Brother. It's had it's brilliant times,and it's had it's bad, and even though I think that the show is definitely past it's best, I am really going to miss it. This really is the end of an era, because for the past ten years, all through my GCSEs, A Levels, Degree etc Big Brother has been the centre of my summer. It sounds sad, but I dunno what I'm gonna do next summer haha...

"Geek Chic" Glasses. The irritating thing about this fashion for "geek" glasses, is that you just know that a large amount of the fashionable people that wear them (albeit not all of them), first of all generally don't even need glasses, and secondly, probably bullied or at least teased kids for wearing similar things, during their school days. It's funny how something can become cool once a "fashionable" person starts wearing it. In a way it shows how superficial a lot of people are.




 

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Tag Challenge: Day 16: A Song that makes me Cry

Day 16: A Song that makes me Cry

I was going to be really cliche in my song choice, and choose Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U" (don't you think that song was really ahead of it's time, with the txt tlk haha...I've never noticed that before!!) But, earlier today I was actually reminded of a more powerful song that never, ever fails to create the Queen of Blubberville.

The thing is though, that I cry at anything: films, soaps, songs...EVERYTHING! So, I'm amazed that I managed to get this down to just one song.

Buuut, unfortunately, I am going to be cliche in one thing: Yup, my choice comes from a video game, and yup, it is a Final Fantasy....who would have ever guessed!!

1000 Words by Jade from Sweetbox (Final Fantasy X-2)

Everytime I hear this incredibly powerful song, and it hits the final chorus, I just can't help but cry. It is just so incredibly sad (in more ways than one!) And the funny thing is that you don't even have to listen to the English version to truly appreciate the song, although it helps. Koda Kumi's Japanese version is just as immensely emotive.

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Tag Challenge: Day 13: Fictional Books

Day 13:  I know what I don't like...

When I first saw what todays tag was, I thought "oooh, favourite book", but hmm...didn't I just do that a few Tags ago?? Now,why would I be boring enough to write about another favourite book? Well, I could quite easily, because I have so many books that I could have picked, but instead, I've decided to have a little rant about fiction today.

But, first, I'll just give advance warning that this is a Rant Blog, and if you're a fan of Jodi Picoult or Stephenie Meyer (ugh!) you might not want to read this! And yes, yes I am a self-confessed Book Snob!!

I've been a huge book lover since I was old enough to read, but one thing that I've grown to detest, is how damned picky I've become over books. When I was a kid and pretty much through the first half of my teens I could read practically everything about anything, and I basically did just that. Hit A Levels and Uni, and things have really turned around. I think the problem is that I know what I like, and I know what I don't like. And, I do not like flowery, cliche writing.

The problem with a lot of more "popular" writing today, is that it just comes across as first draft-type material. The first draft is (obviously) what a writer should write without reading it back, ensuring that they finish it, not worrying too much about spelling, language, grammar, punctuation etc. Then they'd re-read it, realise how poor the writing is, so they go back through it and edit it meticulously, avoiding cliche and spelling errors.

So, in my mind:



First Draft: All about the story
Second Draft: Checking spelling, grammar and punctuation
Subsequent Drafts: Editing and omitting irrelevant chapters and dialogue


The last one, is the one that I think a lot of fiction writers (and their Editors) forget (or can't be bothered) to do a lot of the time. They seem too obsessed at releasing this instant bestseller that ticks every box (step forward authors that churn out novel after novel of over-emotive,  highly controversial topics, that are easy money), that they don't appear to take the time to realise that a lot of what is written just does nothing to the actual story. It doesn't move it forward, and a lot of the time gives us, the readers, information that we just do not need, or want, to know.


Why does Jodi Picoult get on my goat? 


Basically, for the same reason authors like John Grisham do. They write about ten books in a year (seriously, ten books??), all focusing on a topic that is guaranteed to hit a point with someone whether it's controversial or will just hit a woman's emotional side,which is fine, as long as the novel challenges something in a different way.

To me, writing like this is too easy, and it patronises us as the reader. We are better than this, and I'm sorry, but for me, Jodi Picoult's books read like Made-For-TV middle of the afternoon Channel Five films. Things that occur are so unbelievably unrealistic and drippy.

With Picoult, I feel nothing for the cliched characters,and I really couldn't care less about the apparently difficult choices they need to make.


Plus the topic choices that appear to just be far too easy, really bug me!


And, why does Stephenie Meyer annoy me?


Stephenie Meyer is an odd one. She has some really good ideas on a whole, but actually pieced together, she seems to lose something. She seems very good at building up tension, which admittedly a lot of writers actually can not do, but then when you think you're about the reach the big climax, it's all over and done with, because it all happened whilst Bella was stuck inside a tent. She leaves you feeling like you've spent all day climbing up a mountain, but just as you get to the top, where you're expecting to see a beautiful aerial view of the world below, Meyer pushes you off the side of the mountain, and you feel like you just wasted an entire day (and several hundred pages) for an absolute anti-climax!



Okay, so my ranting is over for the day! Oh, it is good to get it over with so early in the day!

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Tag Challenge; Day 07: A Photo that makes me Happy

Day 07 - A photo that makes you happy

Initially, I thought that that this Challenge was going to be difficult, but when I saw this picture, I knew it was the right one to talk about.

It's not the best quality, and it's not even my official Graduation photo, but it makes me happy. But, I guess I have to tell you the whole story, before this will make any sense.

My oldest brother is nine years older than me, and he headed off to Uni when I was nine myself. From that day when his little blue Metro whizzed out the drive, I knew that I was going to University. I didn't care how I got there, and I definitely didn't have a clue what I was going to study, but I was going to follow in my big brother's footsteps, and that was the end of it.

When my brother (eventually) graduated, my parents had his Graduation photo hung up on the wall in the Dining Room (this was a big deal, because we didn't have any family photos up anywhere around our house!!) and that was when my aim became not only to go to University, but to get a Graduation photo to go with my brothers!!

Fast forward to 2005, and graduating was one of the proudest days of my life. I hadn't graduated with a First, but I was still proud non-the-less. It was so surreal wearing the cap and gown, because I'd grown up watching American High School Graduations on TV and it was all really strange!

It was actually quite funny, because I was at that age when I had been dying my hair really random colours, but for Graduation I was determined that I would be normal brunette, purely because I didn't want to look back and regret it, because it looked ridiculous!!

Coincedentally, my photo never made it on to the Dining Room wall (my brother's came down, when my mum decorated and nothing went back up on the walls!!), but it still makes me happy whenever I go to my nana's and my official graduation photo is next to my brother's on her cabinet! Seeing the picture makes me so proud, and it makes me realise how much that I have achieved with my writing.

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