Let the Halloween countdown begin!

Hey guys! With Halloween pretty much just around the corner, I felt a Halloween post was due. Now, personally, I never do anything for Halloween. I've been Trick or Treating a couple of times but that didn't do much for me if I'm completely honest. You're just taking sweets off of strangers, right? For children, it's all fun and laughs. But as you get older, you go more towards pumpkins carving rather than knocking on strangers doors. This year, I am determined to carve a pumpkin and do more Halloween activities rather than sit around and do nothing. So I thought I'd put some ideas out there for you guys too!

Note: I do not own any of these images. These images have been sourced from Tumblr, Pinterest and Totshop on Facebook.

Pumpkin carving

Now, there are different types of pumpkins carvings which people seem to go for. First, you have your stereotypical pumpkins. Usually, very simple designs.

Next, you have your weird and whacky.

You have the pretty awesome. This has to be one of my favourites!

Then you have your decoratively designed pumpkins.

And finally, my personal favourite, you have the ones which are just decorated to look pretty and amazing.

Alternatives to pumpkin carving

Let's be honest, not everyone wants to carve a pumpkins for many reasons.. Too messy, don't like pumpkins etc. So I've found a few alternatives to pumpkin carving.

We have the orange carving. Smaller than a pumpkin but big enough to do something with!

Then, we have the bakers option of cake making, decorating and other food-based fun.

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Cats - The Musical

Hey guys! So the other day, my best friend of over ten years, Louise, and her twin, Chesca, turned 20. The big two oh! Scary thought. We decided to travel to Bristol to watch Cats The Musical at the Hippodrome on the Monday night to celebrate their birthday.Go out in style etc! I even wore a dress, we definitely went out with some form of style..

Now, going back a few years, me and Louise watched Cats The Musical back in the day of primary school in Year 6 back when we had to roll the TV and Video Player in on a trolley - that shows how long ago it was! We were looking at something in Literacy which linked into Macavity in Cats and, as a treat, our teacher let us watch it. I absolutely loved it and watched it over and over again whenever I went to my Grandparent's house for a short period of time. Such a good musical.

So yeah. After a well overdue trip to Nandos and filling ourselves up, we headed out to do a bit of last minute shopping before the shops in Bristol closed and headed to the Hippodrome. Oh what a journey that was! The cold and wet streets of Bristol in the dark were a delight to walk down.. Then we arrived at the Hippodrome, where we were met by a small crowd also waiting to go in. We got their a bit early so we went to the very nice Piano Bar next to the theatre, very civilised in there! Felt very out of place... We waited in there until they opened the doors, then we were off!

Has to be said, we had amazing seats! We were sat on the end of the the fifth row so we had the best view possible. I thought sitting on the aisle seat would be the best for me, oh how wrong I was.. Turns out a lot of the characters liked going up and down the aisles! We were scared witless seeing cats with glowing eyes coming down the aisle next to us, my god. Quite a sinister thing having people with glow-in-the-dark goggles running near you. Definitely one way to open the show!

Watching the show was simply mind-blowing, we absolutely loved it! Let's just say it takes a very comfortable man to wear tights and face paint on a stage in front of hundreds of people. Can't really complain with a few of them, definitely got a bit hot under the collar with a couple of them! In particular, had my eye on the Macavity character. As I said to Louise: 

'I wonder if he has a six-pack under there...'

They were amazing though, every single actor up there! We were so hooked throughout. The makeup, the stage itself, the characters.. All so mind-blowing and beyond epic. I would definitely recommend this musical. Hands down, one of the best I've ever seen and an all time childhood favourite!

College lessons part 2.

Hey guys! Been majorly slacking in my blogging recently thanks to college work (definitely influenced this post!). So I thought I would start off with a post continuing from my previous college post which can be read here. For those who go to university or college, this will definitely appeal to you! Well, hopefully..

1. Music is your motivation

No matter how motivated or unmotivated you are, music will always help. They'll always be a playlist or two which will keep you going throughout the day.

2. The library will always save you

Whether it's your escape route or your saviour, you can always rely on the library. If you've forgotten to do your work or need an excuse to leave, the library is the one.

3. You will forever judge other people

You will judge people, and people will judge you. Draw attention to yourself and you're heading for a downwards spiral. 

4. Buses are unreliable

Let's face it, public transport is useless. When is a bus ever on time?

5. Social networking will always distract you

 I can vouch for this. Having my laptop or iPod in college forever draws me into checking the latest tweets or messages.

6. Having a car will keep you sane

No one wants to be stuck in college, having a car is your only hope for a quick and easy escape! Plus you can go out at lunch, no one wants to be stuck in a packed canteen for lunch when there's a KFC or McDonalds down the road...

7. Coming in with a hangover or lack of sleep will kill you

Let's be honest, waking up with a hangover or lack of sleep is bad enough. Dragging your sorry backside out of bed with a hangover or lack of sleep is beyond painful! Why bother when you can go out on the weekend instead? Plus, no one wants to be dealing with your little strops when you're too hungover to function.

8. Your phone will always try and get your attention

Hearing your phone or seeing it flash will simply cry for attention. Attention seeking thing.

9. Friends are essential

I can't function without friends, I can't see how anyone can if I'm honest! Friends keep you going through the day and can easily turn your worst days from bad to good at the best of times. I know I couldn't survive college without my girls, they definitely keep me going through the toughest days! Plus, if they have cars, you have your lift to junk food..


10. Banter is key

At the root of all friendships is banter. How can you survive without it?! Ripping into each other and insulting each other is one of the basics of a great friendship. It also makes the college days so much brighter and fun when you're spending the entire day laughing with and insulting each other for a bit of fun!

A Few Music Covers You Should Listen To..

Hey guys! Been a while since I did a proper music post so I thought I would recommend some awesome covers I've heard lately that I had to share with you guys. I recently heard some of these covers and fell in love with them instantly, whereas, some I heard a few years ago and still listen to today. So here we go!

1. Superbass - The Downtown Fiction (cover on Nicki Minaj)

 (source: YouTube)

2. Just The Way You Are - Pierce The Veil (cover of Bruno Mars)

(source: YouTube)

3. F**k You - Sleeping With Sirens (cover of Cee Lo Green)

(source: YouTube)

4. In My Head - Mayday Parade (cover of Jason Derulo)

 (source: YouTube)

For fans of Mayday Parade, I would also recommend their cover of Somebody That I Used To Know.

(source: YouTube)

5. Bad Romance - Artist vs. Poet (cover of Lady Gaga) 

(source: YouTube)

Enjoy, bromigos!

The release of Baby Peter's mum.

Hey guys! For today's 'Society Dictates', I'm going to be looking at the recent news regarding the release of Baby P's mum. After spending up to 5 years in detention and prison, Tracey Connelly is being released thanks to the decision of the Parole Board.

 

(source: BBC News)

I watched this on the BBC News last night and again on the debate on ITV's This Morning earlier and I just sat and watched in absolute shock as they were discussing the issue. This woman abused, neglected and murdered her child, what right does she have to be released?! Admittedly, she was neglected and abused herself as a child, but is that really an excuse for the death of Baby P? When he died, Baby P had over 50 injuries on his body, ranging from broken bones to bruises and burns. Even though he was visited by outside agencies around 80 times (police, social workers etc), they still failed to see the signs of abuse. In all fairness, Tracey was far from stupid and covered up bruises with chocolate when the social workers visited.. But still, these agencies could've done something to prevent his death if they actually communicated with each other to save that poor, suffering child. He sadly died in August 2007. After the death, Tracey Connelly, her boyfriend, Steven Barker, and her brother, Jason Owen were all arrested and convicted for the same offence. 

 

(source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/baby-p-mum-tracey-connelly-2345633)

Watching the debate on This Morning made me think though, how much will Baby P's mum actually suffer for what she did? For starters, she was in prison for nearly 5 years for the death of her own child. Now she's been released, tax payer's are paying for her to have a new identity, but what will that do? Everyone will know who she is by what she looks like, will they not?! Even though she looks 'different' to her police mugshot, chances are she will still be recognisable to the public eye. If she decides to have children, they will instantly be put into care as she is a danger to any child now, let's be honest! So that'll be awkward if she ever finds someone who wants children for them to find out what she did to her own little boy. She has lots of 'conditions' she must follow to avoid being called back to prison. Frankly, I hope she does get called back to prison.

We learn a lot about the Baby P case in childcare, along with many other cases which follow the same pattern. A child is abused, agencies fail to see this, the child suffers and, in many cases, dies. In my opinion, the mother should NOT have been released after only 5 years. I don't think anyone who has any connection in cases like this (child murder, child abuse of any kind) should get any less that 10-15 years in prison for what they've done. That child has barely had a chance to live and you deprive them of their right to live?! How selfish and deluded can you be. If anyone could do this to a child, they are a danger to themselves and to society in general. The fact that this is a story about a mother abusing and murdering her own child is absolutely disgusting and then only having 5 years in prison is a joke. What kind of message does our justice system give out when it lets people like her free?! No punishment is enough for her to suffer after what she's done, I just hope this has well and truly ruined her life.

For more on the Baby Peter case, visit the case timeline found on the BBC News website. 

I officially own the most awesome shirt in the world...

Hey guys! So, I've been looking online for more clothes recently as I'm a girl and forever in need of more clothing. Then I came across the most awesome shirt I have ever seen. My friend in America posted a picture of her new flip T-shirt (apparently this is a new craze) and I had to ask where she got it from. Turns out Amazon sells some awesome things, so I had a quick glance and there it was. The shirt. 

 

(source: www.amazon.co.uk)

Lets be honest, how awesome is this shirt?! My mind was set and I bought it instantly, how could I not? Arrived the other day when I was at placement. Came home and my brother simply said 'there's some post for you', and there it was wrapped up waiting for my. Within minutes, I ran upstairs and changed my shirt simply to show it off.

Of course, I wore it to college the next day and pretty much flashed the sloth at my entire class. Laughs were had that day! Such an awesome shirt and Amazon have a whole range of flip T-Shirts I could so easily buy and recommend, but you'll have to check them out yourselves. If I go on there, I'll buy another one and there's only so far my wages will stretch!

The Call

Hey guys! For the latest edition to the film reviews, I'm going to be looking at the latest release The Call, starring Halle Berry.

(source: YouTube)

This recent release looks at how 911 operators have to deal with some of the worst crimes and the impact it has on them as well as the victims. One operator, Jordan (Halle Berry) has to deal with a case which change her life and career completely. After connecting to an emergency call, she finds herself dealing with a terrified young girl who is trapped in her own house when someone is trying to break in. While on the phone to 911, the girl finds herself petrified and results in hiding in order to not be seen or found by the intruder. Just as they're about to leave, the phone gets disconnected and, in a frantic state, the operator calls back to check all is okay. However, this was a fatal error. After hearing the phone ring, the intruder returns upstairs and drags the girl out to her death with the operator with no one to blame but herself for making such an error.

 

(source: trailers.apple.com)

Six months later, Jordan finds herself teaching those who want to do work in the 911 'hive' and has to teach them the ropes of the job. When passing one operator who is frantically trying to calm someone down, she finds herself taking over and trying to help the case. Little does she realise, she is about to have a flood of memories overwhelm her as she finds herself dealing with another terrified girl on the phone. Rather than a house call, this victim finds themselves locked in her kidnapper's car. Can she save her?

(source: www.craveonline.com)

Now, I have never been so gripped throughout a film until I saw this.The Call has to be one of the best suspense builders and chilling thrillers of 2013. I had moments of fear, sadness and all round curiosity throughout. Would she save her? Would another girl die? If she did save her, how would she do it? This film really got me thinking though. How can people in this world be so messed up and damaged that they can go out and about and hurt of kill others? Watching the film really opened my mind up to how psychopaths and incredibly damaged people can so easily live a double life. So easy to hide from others, yet, be so destructive on themselves and their victims.

 

(source: YouTube)

The majority of serial killers and psychopaths has something severely wrong with them. They had a damaged past, they saw or suffered something which has scarred them for life, some trauma they may have witnessed.. So many different things can cause a person to feel they have no way out but to ruin the lives of others instead and not always in the most pleasant ways. Take this film, for example. The psychopath in this film kidnaps his victims for a reason (I won't spoil it for you all!) and then kills his victims because of something in his past and can easily hide it from his wife. How can anyone do that?

I know some people say, in anger of course (I hope), that they could easily kill someone. But, when it comes down to the reality, could you actually kill someone? Could you hide it and act completely normal? How people can do it, I'll never know.