Oh my gosh, I just loove Christmas so so much, that fact that it takes a year to come each time its horrible and so long, but when it comes around, I really milk it and fully engage in Christmassy activities and try to be very merry and pick up the Christmas spirit. My family this year have been a bit slow and so recently, to try get them as excited as I am, I have complied a huuuge playlist of carols (but not the boring ones) and am literally playing it everywhere. It is in my car, my mom's car, my laptop, my docking station, in the kitchen, I just play it all the time, haha, but I really am enjoying these carols and they really have done a great job of picking up the Christmas spirit.
So I thought I'd share with you some of my favourite Christmas 'carols' on my playlist at the moment. A lot of them are by more contemporary artists (a lot of Michael Buble and Glee so apologies upfront if you don't like these two) but I tend to love the more upbeat renditions of some of the classics and some of the newer ones.
1) HERE COMES SANTA CLAUS- Glee
2) JINGLE BELL ROCK- Glee
3) SANTA BABY- Taylor Swift
4) IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS- Michael Buble
5) MISTLETOE- Justin Bieber
6) UNDERNEATH THE TREE- Kelly Clarkson
7) SANTA CLAUS IN COMING TO TOWN- Glee
8) HAPPY CHRISTMAS (WAR IS OVER)- Maroon 5
9) LET IT SNOW- GLEE
10) ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU- Michael Buble
11) ROCKING AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE- Glee
12) IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME- Band Aid
13) O HOLY NIGHT- Glee
14) SHAKE UP CHRISTMAS- Train
Oh my gosh, and I have so many more!
If I don't post before Wednesday, I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and a brilliant day with loads of delicious food, presents and family and friends!
I love summer, I can honestly say that I always just feel so much happier and upbeat when it is warm out and sunny. I did a 'What I Love About Winter' post too because I genuinely love both. But the fact that summer not only falls over Christmas but my birthday too, just makes it such a happy time of the year, and so I must say that I am a summer gal. In Cape Town, I think we really have the best balance, in terms of weather... in summer (december-march) it is hot, sunny and really lovely usually, in winter (june-august) it is wet and rainy and windy- and so in general, just as I get sick of one of the seasons, the next one starts coming. So here is my list of what I looove about summer... 1) DRIVING WITH THE WINDOWS DOWN When the heat is actually too unbearable to wait for the air con to kick in... I have found, since I recently started driving, that I love to drive with the window down when it is warm. I can't explain why at all, but there's something about it, that makes me so happy! I may be different when you're the driver, so I don't know if I'd feel the same as a passenger? But just having a rush of cool air blow through your face on a boiling day, is amazing! 2) THE SMELL OF BRAAIS IN THE AIR "Braai" is a very South African word, which means exactly the same thing as barbecue. I love the smell of the fire in the air, and you can tell that everyone is having one that afternoon. It is just a lovely smell that really reminds me of summer and usually a laid-back and pleasant afternoon/evening enjoying time with friends and family. 3) FRESHLY CUT GRASS Another weird thing, is the sound of lawnmowers, and the smell of freshly cut grass. Again, I just link this sound to hot days, and all around my neighbourhood there's like the faint buzz of people mowing their lawn, that for me, as weird as it is, has really warm connotations of a lovely summer's day. 4) FIREFLIES One of my most favourite parts of the day in summer is at dusk when it is still light, but the sun is kind of going down and casts like these bright rays of lights through the trees. And in my garden, I always see little fireflies dancing and flittering about and it's just so pretty. I don't actually think they're fireflies as they don't light up or anything, so little moths I guess, haha. 5) LIGHT I love how the days are so much longer in summer. I usually wake up a lot earlier just by instinct of the light and can stay up till much later. In mid-summer here is gets dark around 8-8:30, which is a lot better than like 6pm in winter! 6) SWIMMING Summer here in Cape Town are usually really hot, and I love nothing more than an entire day in the pool. Our pool is solar heated, so the hotter the day, the better because then it isn't freezing and is usually perfect to just spend the whole day just dipping in and out. I love swimming and my friends and I always have get togethers to just spend the day lounging by the pool. 7) SUMMER CLOTHING Ahh, shorts, dresses, skirts, playsuits, sandals, Tshirts and bikinis- I just loove summer clothing. I think that it is a lot easier and quicker and it's nice to get rid of the never-ending layers of winter. 8) THE BEACH I love swimming in the sea, just floating over the waves and soaking up the sun. And I also love going for long beach walks (how romantic, haha) or playing beach bats and just having a good time. 9) SUMMER BREAK AND CHRISTMAS Over our summer holidays, we have a long time off school and so it is always such a nice time of the year to go away or relax at home, enjoying the weather. I also loove Christmas, it is my favourite holiday and even though the idea of a 'white Christmas' is great, for me, I much prefer having Christmas in summer when we can swim and wear dresses and eat outside, etc. Also, my birthday is over summer break (in January) and so I always look forward to that too. 10 ) MY HAMMOCK IN THE SUN We always hang up our hammock in the sun near our pool, and I love lazing in it or reading a magazine and then just hopping into the pool when it gets too hot.
11) SUNBLOCK This is super weird, but I love the smell of sunblock because it always brings up happy memories of going on our boat in the big river at our holiday house or long days on the beach or picnics in the sun. 12) LONG WALKS I love going for walks, I find the time so good to renew my mind and to have a really good think. And I love walking with my dogs through the greenbelt, or the park or beach and just thinking. 13) SUMMER FOODS In summer, some of my favourite foods are always around like watermelon, ice-cream, raspberries and loads of other summery goodies!
I have been planning another cheeky little post for a while now but it is taking me quite a while, so I thought I'd do this, because recently I have just heard loads of absolutely brilliant cover versions, some by pretty professional bands and others by complete random YouTubers (who are so good they deserve to be famous!)... so here we go!
The first one is an Australian girl called Andie... Her YouTube channel is amazing! She is clearly just one of those people who are naturally very musical. She is crazy talented at guitar and has a beautiful voice!! Check out her channel... but these two are my personal favourites.
This her cover of Royals by Lorde....
and her cover of Wake Me Up by Avicii
Okay, so the next one is actually a band, they are relatively well-known and were actually on the Ellen show this/last week.. They are just beyond fantastic. I actually don't have words to properly explain how great they are and I wish I could post all their stuff here, so please, do yourself a favour and check out their channel!
This is a really creative and fun one, but even then, you can't miss how musically brilliant it is...
Everyone seems to be doing covers of this song (Royals) recently, and I'm sorry I'm posting it twice, but their version is impeccable!
Next is the beatboxer from Pentatonix. Surprisingly from what you'd assume, he is the most fantastic cello player. He takes a classical instrument as such, and combines it with beatboxing and more modern, pop-py songs. Really so clever! I love this cover of Heart Attack by Demi Lovato!
Love.
Another, less well-known artist who does some great covers is a Swedish (I think) guy called Roomie. I have heard about 10 really amazing covers and the rest are just not songs that I would usually enjoy. But the ones he gets right, so brilliant! Sorry that I keep repeating songs, it is purely coincidence!
When I heard this cover of Heart Attack, I am not even joking, I think I replayed it about 25 times!
Also very nice, a collaboration with friends....their cover of Katy Perry;s Unconditionally. Also check out his cover with a few friends of Wake Me Up.
Katherine Hughes is another YouTuber, who was also on Disney's Next Big Thing a year or two ago, I also lovve her voice! She's also posted some pretty great original songs on her channel too, so definitely check them out!
Her cover of Put Your Records On by Corrine Bailey
And, combined with two others, a nice little cover of Love Somebody by Maroon 5.
Moving up a little into what I would like to classify as absolutely bloody brilliant is Boyce Avenue. He does the most perfect covers, and the two that I am going to post here are with Beatrice Miller, who I think that such a stunning voice and was on last season of X Factor USA.
Their cover of We Can't Stop- much better than the original I believe!
Their cover of Katy Perry's Roar. Now, I can safely say that I must have listened to about 30 covers of this song in the last month, and without any even coming close, this is by far the best!!
Jayme Dee is a YouTuber who now has become relatively popular too, but I have loved her ever since the start and i don't think I've missed a video! Picking a couple of favourites was so hard, so do check out the rest here.... I do think that her channel has unfortunately gone a little down hill recently, but her older videos especially are awesome!
One of my favourites is her cover of LOVE by Nat King Cole...
and Sunday Morning by Maroon 5.
I am such a fan of videos like this one by Matthias Harris where every single noise you hear is made himself! Its a one man acapella of Bastille's Pompeii, and it really is very nice...
Walk Off the Earth, started with an innocent little YouTube channel, and now are on tours and have all their stuff on iTunes and what not, and are an increasingly more famous band. Some of my all time favourites of theirs are 1) Magic (Bob) and 2) I Knew You Were Trouble (Taylor Swift)
Lastly, the current season of X Factor USA has just started with live shows, and in the first live episode, two groups absolutely blew me away! The first is Alex and Sierra with their surprisingly good cover of Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke...
and the second group that I loove, and I predict could win the X FActor USA, is Restless Road. Three young ish guys all with incredible country voices. I may be a bit biased cause I love country, but wow, their cover of Roar by Katy Perry here is phenomenal!
So that's it... I am not exaggerating when I say that I had to force myself to stop now or else this post would be unbelievably long! But I have loads of other YouTubers who just get these covers spot on, so maybe another Cover post is in order, we'll see. But for now I hope you enjoy these bloody brilliant covers as much as I do!
I am currently in my second week of two that I have to study for my final school exams before I can matriculate and officially finish school once and for all. I have been studying a lot of English Literature recently because there is so much of it, and I write it in a week and a half. We do a lot of poetry, which i actually really enjoy, and one of my favourite poems is one called 'Old Folks Laugh'. I know this is a bit of an odd thing to post, but I wanted to share it with you, just because I am going mad from all the studying, so any procrastination is appreciated, and also because maybe you'll like it as much as I do. The poem is by Maya Angelou, who is an American woman who is an author and poet. She really just writes so beautifully, and I really recommend that you go onto Pinterest or We Heart It or something and search some of her quotes, as they are so beautiful too! Old Folks Laugh- Maya Angelou They have spend their content of simpering holding their lips this and that way, winding the lines between their brows. Old folks allow their bellies to jiggle like slow tambourines. The hollers rise and spill over any way they want. When old folks laugh, they free the world. They turn slowly, slyly knowing the best and the worst of remembering. Saliva glistens in the corners of their mouths, their heads wobble on brittle necks, but their laps are filled with memories. When old folks laugh, they consider the promise of dear painless death, and generously forgive life for happening to them. Make of it what you will, but I really like it. I think that it is such a lovely reflection of old people and a rather quaint but effective way of rebelling against the stereotype that old people are grumpy and unhappy. So anyway, very random, but I just thought I'd share it cause I have just been really enjoying studying it.
"I've learnt that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life. I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life". I've learned that sometimes life gives you a second chance. I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back. I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one. I've learned that everyday you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I learned that I still have a lot to learn. I learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." - Maya Angelou
So with the Emmys just recently showing, and me having just finished my holidays, I realised just how many TV series I'm watching at the moment. A whole lot of my favourites have just come back on (in America) so I'm frantically downloading and getting very excited that my favourite shows are back! I thought I'd share some of the ones I've been loving with you.
1) NEW GIRL
This is possibly the best show ever. I kind of consider it a more modern version of Friends, but I love it even more. Firstly I loove Zooey Deschanel and paired with the amazing Smidt and the rest of the characters, this show is actually just brilliance. It is pure comedy, very light-hearted and I cannot get enough of it. I feel like I can' even properly sell how good it is to people, so just take my word, if you're not watching it already, start this second... Season 3 has just started, but it is very easy to catch up, I like to use this site. Episodes are only 20 mins, so a perfect length for a good, genuine laugh.
2) PRETTY LITTLE LIARS
This is a show I have constantly told you how much I am loving it. Each season is just as good, and the drama and astonishingly hot cast never fail to entertain. A lovely show that I personally consider my favourite along with New Girl. It is more of a girly show, but seriously brilliant, and while some may say predictable, I say 'who cares'- isn't every romcom on the circuit like that too?
3) COUGAR TOWN
The fantastic Courtney Cox has grown up a bit from Friends, but has not lost her humour. This show is most definitely not intellectually challenging and doesn't follow a very serious or dramatic plot, but it is a perfect 20 minute break from studying or work, or after a long day. It is very funny, and while very occasionally the humour is a little too obvious for me, I always watch it and you find yourself gradually watching more and more.
4) NCIS LA
This had literally just restarted in the US again, and I love it. Not only is it clever and actually requires one to follow on with a bit of intellect, but it also is packed with action and every episode I find myself super excited to watch and egging on the two characters that one day will (very obviously) fall in love. It really is just a great show, that I think is very unrecognised.
5) THE BIG BANG THEORY
Ah, I love love this show. It came back on this week, and I'm so excited to start again. Sheldon Cooper, the main character, is just too great for words, and along with the rest of the cast, it is just a hilarious show that for me, has become completely addictive. Again, the 20 min episodes are short and sweet, and always provide me with a good laugh.
6) THE BACHELOR
(I didn't include a picture, because I'm scared that if I google it, I will find out which girl wins, and that would just be a disaster! haha)
Season 17 has just restarted, and I can't wait to watch Sean, who let's just get out there, is unbelievably hot, and who he ends up picking to propose to. This is really a pretty crap show, utterly cliched, predictable, unrealistic and not actually reality, not to mention the fact the the so called 'quest for love' never works out. Buuut, I love it, and I bet you'll find that even thought you know its crap, you'll watch it anyway.
7) HAWAII FIVE-O
Also a show that I feel is underrated. I never hear people raving about it, but I think it's great. I love that it is absolutely packed with action and drama and what not.
8) REVENGE
One of those shows that I can't watch too much of at once, but when I do watch it, it is great. Clever, scheming and full of romance, drama and the life of those in the Hampton's, its a show that I really enjoy. Emily Vancamp really does a fantastic job playing the role of Emily Thorne/Amanda Clarke, and you'll find you can't help but love her.
So, that's it... I have left out a ton of other shows that I like because these are just ones that I have been watching recently, or have just come back on TV, that are some of my favourites. Enjoy!
So my friend Caroline did this really cool post on her blog compiling a rainbow of pictures from We Heart It and Tumblr, etc.- you can check it out here! So I always rave to you guys about Pinterest and how much I love it, and so of course, any opportunity to share pictures that I love with you, I will take hehe -so here is my Pinterest rainbow!
This tag is one that has been going around Youtube quite a lot recently, and so basically what the tag is, is all of your 'first things', experiences or things you owned or said all for the first time. I don't think I described that very well, but you'll see now now.
Here it goes...
1) FIRST PET
My first pet, that was mine, you know, like classified as my cat, not the family's, was my cat Fluffy. I got her from my parents for my sixth birthday, hence the terribly obvious name and she was a very sweet tortoiseshell. Or at least we thought. About 7 years ago (so I was around 11), she decided that she didn't like our family anymore and moved next door. That sounds bizarre but is completely true. She literally walked over there one day and refused to come back. And now she hisses at us if we go near her. So we basically 'gave' her to my neighbour and she is officially not mine anymore. But I'll always remember how exciting it was getting her on my birthday. My dad had fetched her the night before and then slept with her in his arms until my birthday the next morning, and I just thought that was so sweet, and she was one of my best birthday presents because she was a complete surprise.
2) FIRST CONCERT
The first concert that I went to was Billy Joel. Its funny because I was very young (well to go to a concert of his), I think about 10/11 and at the time I didn't know any of his music really. And its weird because now I love him and would have loved to go to the concert when I could properly remember it and knew the songs. But anyway, that was it and I still enjoyed it. I felt very grown up and yeah, it was quite exciting I guess.
3) FIRST CD
I have no idea what the first CD I ever listened to was, my mom used to make loads of mixed CDs with songs she liked and that's part of why I know so much old (60s-80s) music. But the first CD that I ever bought with my own money, was, as embarrassing as it is, a 'Barbie Summer Days' mixed Cd, or something like that. I don't remember a single song that was on it, but it was one of those general CDs (like the child equivalent to the 'Now's) with a whole lot of songs on it- songs by The Spice Girls, Hamster Dance, those type of thing are the only memories I have of what was on it, but I loved it to bits. My best friend had the 'pink' series and I had the 'blue' series and together we knew every song backwards.
4) FIRST MOVIE (AT THE CINEMA)
So the first movie I ever saw at the movies was when I was probably around 9, but I really can't be too sure. I went with my mom and again, felt very grown up watching a 'grown up' movie. The movie was Maid in Manhattan, which to date is still one that I really love, possibly because it was so special seeing it as my first movie. It had Jennifer Lopez in it, and was a pretty typical romcom, but I loved it and watched it numerous times after that.
5) FIRST FEAR
As far as I remember, my first fear was being scared of the dark. It was pretty bad too. Until I was 7, I shared a room with my younger brother because we lived in a small house with my parents and us before my other two siblings were born. So going into my own room was something I remember being absolutely terrified of. The ceiling was dark wood, which is pretty normal, but for some reason I hated it and thought that snakes and bad things could hide there (yes, clearly a bit of a wild imagination). So I was scared to turn out the light and not see the ceiling or what was around me. Even after we painted the ceiling white, I still was scared of the dark. I literally fell asleep with the light outside my window on the patio, the passage light outside my door and my bed side lamp all on. That is soo bright, I honestly don't know how I fell asleep! It's weird because now, I am actually still a bit afraid of absolute pitch pitch darkness. I could never sleep in such light, but when I got to bed, I like to leave my door a crack open, or something like that. But being immersed in darkness so dark that you can't even see when you're holding your hand up in front of you, still kind of freaks me out a bit.
6) FIRST GADGET
Hmm, I am not 100% sure, but as far as I remember it was one of those really really crap 'game boys' as we used to call them. The pixels were literally big squares on tiny screens and I think you just played games on them. My aunt brought them down from Canada, one for me, and one for my brother and we had a whole lot of games on stuffy disks, or that type of thing, that you put into them, and then you could play that game. What I remember of them, I spending most of my time trying to get it to work, and I am sure I'd go absolutely crazy if I were to use one now. This was way before we got things like cameras or cellphones or anything, in fact I think it was even before we got those 'walkman' things, like massive IPods that played a CD, yes this was older than those!
7) FIRST TOY
It was a knitted sailor doll called Sally that my grandpa (if I remember correctly) bought for me. I wouldn't quite call it a rag doll, and it was fairly big, but that type of thing. I was a girl dressed in a sailor outfit with a white hat, and yeah that's about all I remember of it, from what my mom tells me. We still actually have it hidden somewhere in the house, probably in a box of old things, but nonetheless, it is here somewhere.
8) FIRST CELEB CRUSH
I don't know who it was like before the age of 12, but after that I think it was Alex Pettyfer. I can't say I disapprove of my younger self's attraction, although it would definitely not be him now. But anyway, I think it was him, I liked his British accent and loved the movie Wild Child, that he was in.
9) FIRST BIG TRIP
I was about 4 I think and my parents, younger brother (the others weren't born yet) and I went to England. I don't remember very much at all. I have faint memories of going to lego land, of staying at a very pretty house in Oxford that had a pond with ducks in the garden and also some recollection of being at the airport- but that's about all I remember. I also remember going on one of those canal boats, I think that was in Yorkshire... but not sure. Although looking through photos, it looks like we had a lot of fun, and it was our first proper family trip.
