Justin Bieber - Boyfriend

I've never really understood the hype around Justin Bieber. He can sing but he's hardly the most talented male singer on the planet, in my opinion anyway. This song just proves me right. It's awful. I'm fairly certain he couldn't sound more like Justin Timberlake if he tried - although Justin Timberlake's better.

Usually with songs, I try and listen to the lyrics as much as possible but after the "rapping" at the beginning of the song, I struggled to even pay attention to the most of the song. I'm aware that he's young and wants to try new things but he should probably stick to what he's good at - singing. I'm also aware of the fact he's growing up, so he's bound to sound different vocally compared to his first released - 'One Time' - but it seems like he's losing what made him special. I'm not entirely sure what that was in the first place either.

The beat's catchy and it's probably going to get stuck in peoples heads however, unlike other songs, it's not something that's ever going to grow on me.

Overall, it's about a 1/5.

Things I've learnt about myself.

Okay, so as a kind of follow up from the whole ‘I’m growing up’ blog post, I’ve decided to do one about things that I’ve learnt about myself. Some of them aren’t altogether new things but perhaps things I didn’t realise quite so much, if that makes sense.

First off, I’m impatient. This is one of the things I’ve always kind of known but always tried to deny. The fact of the matter is there are times when I have the patience of a saint. For example, if I’m waiting for someone to give me things back that I’ve lent them. Prime example being about 3 years ago, I lent my friend some DVD’s. It’s only in the past year that I’ve started badgering him about giving them back. That’s patience if ever I heard of it! Then there are times when I have zero patience: waiting for my order to be taken at a restaurant, waiting to get my food at a restaurant, walking behind the slowest walker in the world, when I get up early and have to wait for everyone else to wake up.  That’s just a few.

Secondly – I’m not independent. I think there was once a time I liked to pretend I was independent but, really, I’m so far from it. I can manage going to the shops alone or going to a friend’s house or uni, provided I have my iPod, but other than that I struggle. There’s absolutely no way I could go shopping by myself. I’ve done it once or twice before and it was horrible. The mere thought of going for a walk alone is mildly terrifying. I have no idea how people do it, seriously. I’m going to attempt it later, so fingers crossed I get somewhere.

Not being independent is probably the one thing that I want to change most about myself. Well, it’s a tie between that and my low self-esteem, but it’s definitely first or second on my list. It’s not even healthy, if you think about it. I’m nearly 22 and I practically have to have my hand held in order to go anywhere or do anything. Hopefully this will change in the upcoming months.

Another thing I’ve noticed about myself is that I bite my tongue a lot. I’ve always done it but usually only if what I wanted to say would hurt someone else’s feelings. Recently though, I’ve been doing it at university or whatever. There’ll be something I’m dying to say and I won’t say it. I think that mostly stems from being in a class of 99% girls. Girls intimidate me. A lot. I could list a billion reasons why but I’m not going to. So this is going to be another thing I hope to change. Obviously, I would never intentionally set out to hurt somebody’s feelings so I’ll continue to bite my tongue in that respect (unless it REALLY needs to be said), but in terms of things that wouldn’t really affect anyone, it’s got to change.

This might surprise anyone I know who reads this but… I recently cleaned my room. I mean, proper cleaned it. I swept the floor and I polished the units and desk. In fact, even having a desk is amazing because it was so covered in junk before. Doing this has helped me realise how much I prefer being in a clean environment. It’s easier to work in it, it’s easier to find things, and it definitely looks a lot better. There have been times before when I’ve part-cleaned my room and told myself, and those around me, that I’d keep it clean but I never did. This time, though, I will.

I’ve also learnt that I really enjoy museums. Ever since going on a date with Dave to the Natural History Musuem, I’ve been desperate to go to more. I’ve googled museums countless times, noting down which ones I want to go to (the free ones, obviously!) and when they’re open. So when Dave’s back off tour and less busy, I’m going to drag him to as many as I can before he gets bored of them.

Lastly, I have the lowest self-esteem I’ve ever had in my life. When I was 12 years old, I wasn’t particularly confident, but I believed in myself and my abilities. I’m not entirely sure what’s happened since then to change it but something has. I now have no faith in myself or what I can do. I second guess everything and doubt everything. When Dave says nice things about me, I doubt them because I don’t see what he does. When friends tell me nice things, I doubt them too. It’s ridiculous and it needs to change.

So, yeah… This has been my follow-up blog post! Bye! 

Kids In Glass Houses - Diamond Days

Those Welsh rockers have finally done it again. When I first heard of them, back in '08, their single 'Give Me What I Want' managed to get stuck in my head for weeks, possibly even months. Although I've heard songs of theirs since then, nothing ever managed to repeat itself in my head like that song. Until now.

'Diamond Days' is one of the best songs I've heard from Kids In Glass Houses, ever. In fact, right now, it's one of my favourite songs from the past few years. There's just something about it that makes me want to dance - possibly the fact it reminds me of this song. I could be wrong. Or maybe it's the fact that the lead female in the video (none other than Georgia Horsley; model and girlfriend of 1/4 of McFly) dances at the beginning. I'm easily influenced when it comes to dancing to good songs.

Usually, when I listen to songs, I can't help but listen to the bass guitar. That's not the case with this song. I hear amazing vocals and drumming, when I close my eyes, makes me wish I was in the crowd at a KIGH gig. If anybody could make that happen, I'd love you. Forever. Or at least until the gig was over.

When I like a song, I can list a thousand (slight dramatisation) of reasons as to why. Other than the fact this song makes me want to dance and is catchy as anything, I can't. I think that's part of the reason why I like it so much though. I want to keep listening to it so that I can work out just what it is about it that makes me tick. If anyone has any suggestions, hit me up! All I know is that whenever I open my iTunes, this is the first song I play. If I open YouTube, this is one of the first videos I search for. It's been stuck in my head for weeks now. It's unhealthy and I love every second of it.

Here's hoping the next release from Kids In Glass Houses will be this amazing.

Song of the week.

Jason Mraz - I Won't Give Up

I'm not sure what I prefer more - the song or the video. There's been an influx of official lyrics videos from artists recently but this has to be the most creative of them all. Usually it's just the lyrics flying about on the screen - like a funky karaoke. This one, however, breaks that trend. It tells a story that relates to the song and, in some ways, is better than the official video (which can be viewed here). 

As the name of the song suggests, the single is all about not giving up - about doing what you can for that special person, helping them however you can. It's about fighting for what you want and not just giving up at the first hurdle. The melody does this song such incredible justice; it tells the story perfectly. It starts off slow, describing how the other person makes them feel and what they like about them. The melody then gradually builds and becomes more intense, just like the relationship that's being sung about. By the end, the melody is fast-paced as Mraz describes how the relationship might not have worked the way they wanted, but that he's still there for them. It's really quite beautiful.

Mraz's vocals on this track are flawless too. The emotion in his voice is evident for anyone to hear but not so over-whelming that the listener starts to feel as though it's all false. Something else that makes this track so beautiful is the fact it's not overloaded with instruments. For the most part, it is just him and a guitar, telling a story we can all relate to. 

We've all fought hard for something that might not have worked out in the end, but it was worth it in one way or another - that's another thing that makes the track so listenable - we've all been there at some point in our lives, whether it's a relationship or a friendship and it's helped shape who we are today. 

Prior to this single, I'd only heard one other song from Mraz - 'I'm Yours' - and I played the song so much I got bored of it. I've had 'I Won't Give Up' on repeat for days now and it still has the ability to reduce me to tears. This song deserves to become a big hit! 

Sophie Kinsella - I've Got Your Number

Blurb

I've lost it. :( The only thing in the world I wasn’t supposed to lose. My engagement ring. It’s been in Magnus’s family for three generations. And now the very same day his parents are coming, I’ve lost it. the very same day. Do not Hyperventilate, Poppy. Stay positive!! :)

A couple of glasses of bubbly with the girls at a charity do and Poppy’s life has gone into meltdown. Not only has she lost her engagement ring, but in the panic that followed, she’s lost her phone too. As she paces shakily around the hotel foyer she spots an abandoned phone in a bin. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number with the hotel staff. It was meant to be!

Except the phone’s owner, businessman Sam Roxton, doesn’t agree. He wants his phone back, and he doesn’t appreciate Poppy reading all his messages and wading into his personal life. As Poppy juggles wedding preparations, phone messages and hiding her left hand from Magnus and his parents, can things get any more tangled?

Review

I was lucky enough to win a signed copy of this book on Twitter. I don't often win things but, of the few things I have won, this has definitely been my favourite. I've only read two of Kinsella's previous novels and I couldn't put them down once I'd started. This was no different.

There's something about Kinsella's writing style that draws you in and keeps you hooked. Maybe it's because it's so relaxed, or maybe it's because you don't have to Google every other word to know what it means - either way, I love it. 

This book had me cringing, laughing and, towards the end, shedding the occasional tear. It's credit to Sophie Kinsella that, despite the overall plot being fairly obvious, there's still a few twists in there that keep you entertained. In fact, it's fair to say that even knowing the ending before you read it doesn't change your opinion of the book as a whole. Like I said, I even cried at the end. 

That being said, the whole book screamed 'Bridget Jones' to me. The main narrative is a young, female character who, rather clumsily, misplaces her engagement ring days before her fiance's parents are due to fly in. She's then made to feel, albeit unintentionally, as though she's not good enough for her fiance and begins to doubt it herself. Then she meets a man who changes all of that and they fall in love. Maybe it's just me that can see the slight comparisons to Bridget Jones, who knows? 

I initially started reading the book as light reading in the bath but when my baths began to take even longer than usual, I knew Kinsella had done it again. I wasn't going to be able to put the book down until I'd finished... And I didn't. 

There's parts in the book that hit me quite hard. Just as with the main character, Poppy, my mum died when I was fairly young and I refused to talk about it until I met someone who understood (although not quite in the same way as the novel). I also hate confrontation and letting people know how something really makes me feel - just like her. Maybe it's these similarities between myself and the main character that captured my attention so fully, I don't really know. What I do know, however, is that I'm desperately hoping Kinsella brings out a part 2. I want to know exactly what happened after! 

Growing Up.

I know it might seem quite strange that I feel like I'm finally growing up, given that I'm nearly 22 years of age, but I really do. There's lots of little things that make me feel this way and I guess this post is going to be based on them. At least, that's the intention. I tend to go off on one and I'll probably forget what I'm on about halfway through.

So, the first thing that makes me feel like I'm growing up is that fact I'm sitting at a desk, doing work (well, I was before I started this) and I'm enjoying it. I no longer want to wait until days before a deadline before I start doing work, I want to do it when I can and get it out the way so that I can check through what I've done and make any changes. In all my years of education, I have never wanted to do that before.

The second thing is that I'm now more willing to try things. Y'know how when you try and feed a young child vegetables, they sometimes throw a hissy fit - even though they don't know that they won't like them? Well, I was very much like that child (except I love vegetables). I was adamant I'd never go on a plane because I was sure I wouldn't like it, but now I'm willing to try. Okay, I'm not so keen on having to spend £80 on a passport, but I think it'll be worth it. Also, despite being a massive foodie, there's a lot of foods that I didn't like or wasn't willing to try, but that's changed now. I'm happy to try things and I almost look forward to it. I mean, I can now eat mushrooms. That alone is nothing short of a miracle.

Thirdly, I'm sitting in a clean room. It's not spotless, but it's really not that far from it. This is the first time I've had a clean room since moving into this room. I'm not entirely sure when I moved into it, but it was definitely a while ago. It's really lovely and it definitely helps to motivate me to do things.

As well as all of those things, I feel that, for the first time in my life, I'm in a proper, adult relationship. One where I trust him completely and I know that he's there for me whenever I need him. In my head, I've got big plans for us. Okay, they're not actually that big - they mainly consist of me having lots of pugs - but the point is, they're things that I want us to share. I want him to be by my side for a LONG time. I want to be 30 years old and waking up beside him. It's a scary thought, but really quite lovely too. Oh, and if he ever reads this, I'm going to have the nice office and you may share it with me. Okay?

What else has made me feel like I'm growing up recently? Oh yeah, the realisation that the reason I break down over stupid things sometimes is because I spend 99% of my time fighting how much I miss my mum and how much it hurts that she's gone, that sometimes I don't have enough fight left over for anything else. You'd think I'd have realised this sooner, given the fact it's been nearly 7 years since she died, but nope! I told Dave this last night and he said "Well I'm here to help you fight." It was probably one of the nicest things I've ever been told.

I think getting work published has also helped to make me feel more grown-up. It feels like a big thing, whenever I see my name next to something I've written. I can't really describe it, but it's a nice feeling. I guess it's reassuring, in a way; as though I'm good at what I want to do, or at least good enough to get it published.

Perhaps the biggest thing that's made me feel grown up would be the fact that I'll be leaving university in May and I'll have to get a job and pay bills and do all the things real grown-ups do. I'm half scared and half excited. It's an adventure, right? Bring it on!