Let's Catch Up, Shall We?

I haven't posted on this blog for quite some time now and for that, my deepest apologies. I've just been so uninspired and posting anything would have been a half hearted attempt. I'm currently preparing to enter into my final year of secondary school, which is extremely daunting and nerve racking. At the same time as being very nervous, I am also very excited, the end is almost here, after fourteen years of school, I'll finally be done.

I'll admit, hand on my heart, that college and the thought of "growing up" and entering the big bad world, scares the absolute life out of me, but I just cannot wait. This year will involve a hell of a lot of study, hard work, possibly even some tears but I know, or can dream, about how good it'll feel this time next year looking back and seeing all the hard work pay off.

I still have absolutely no idea what career or life path I'd like to peruse, still, with only a year left before I'll be there, doing whatever I eventually pick. So I am going to use this blog to explore the world in my own way, to hash things out and discover things about myself. Who knows, maybe one day I'll be a journalist and thankful for the experience of writing for an audience. So, I'll leave you with some quotes and images that I'm hoping will get me through this year.

Thanks for reading,

Emer x

Life Is But A Dream.

I've just finished watching Béyonce's latest documentary, Life Is But A Dream. I have so much respect for this woman and her outlook and opinions on life, I admire her as not just an incredible artist with a God given talent but also a human. Watching this has just strengthened my respect and admiration.

It's very touching to see her stripped back, talking about her emotions and thoughts quietly, as if she was talking to herself. I think we should be very grateful to her for allowing us to witness this. I've learnt a few things from Béyonce whilst watching this, I've learnt that even the most wealthiest people in the world go through day to day struggles in life, as she did with her Dad. I've learnt that life really is just about happiness and about being true and honest to yourself. I've also learnt to value the people in my life and that girl power really does exist. Below are some of my favourite bits of the documentary.

And in the last 10 minutes, we are introduced to Blue Ivy. The love Béyonce has for her daughter is fierce and it really shows. I think that this was an amazing piece of film and that everyone should watch it, even if you aren't draw to Béyonce musically, you'll definitely admire the person that she is.

Ben Howard, What A Beautiful Man.

I can't even remember how I stumbled across him, it was so long ago. But I do know that ever since then, I've been utterly obsessed with his sea like voice, it so velvety smooth with grains of salt in it and it's just pure heaven. I honestly think I've watched ever video he's ever been in on YouTube, from covers to acoustic sets. I watched him doing the festival circuit on my tv and I cried a bit at a few songs, probably a bit over the top but when I say obsessed I mean it.

His songs are pure brilliance, a little piece of heaven in my ears. No matter what mood I'm in, I pop in my earphones and get lost in a world filled with sunny days spent in the sea and summer nights spent sitting around a camp fire with an acoustic guitar. Some of his songs are my night time lullaby's and some of his songs are my inspiration on days when everything's a little bleak. He played The Olympia in Dublin last year and it broke my heart when I couldn't get a ticket, but hopefully when he gets back from his tour Stateside he'll come back.

Ben has an amazing technique of playing guitar which he uses in his songs Under The Same Sun and These Waters, when I first saw him play like this I was mesmerized, it's genius, intricate, beautiful if you will (as seen below.) The way he sings conveys so many emotions and memories. He deserves so much more recognition for his talent than he's given, but at the same time I want to keep him all to myself.

I think that's all I have to say about Ben, and if you haven't listened to him yet, I hope I've convinced you to give him a try, I promise you won't be disappointed. I'll leave you with a few of my favourite lyrics from his songs, hope you enjoyed this, bye :)

Les Misérables.

Last night, I went to see Les Misérables with most of the cast of West Side Story. I've never really looked into it before, so I didn't know the plot, just that it was set in Revolutionary France. I didn't have any expectations for it, as I had never seen the stage version and had nothing to compare it to, but even if I could of had expectations, they all would have been surpassed. Saying this film was amazing is an understatement, a diservice almost.

I love musicals, but this wasn't just a musical like Grease or Annie, this was a piece of art. Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway in Act One were just breathtaking, not only did they sing, and sing beautifully, they acted while doing it, putting all of their raw emotion into the film. It was quite moving really. I'm not going to get into the story too much just in case anyone reading this hasn't seen it yet, and if you haven't, you must, you really must.

The picture above has the lyrics of one of my favourite songs from the score, although, truth be told I loved every single one of them. I don't think I've ever been so moved watching a film, not even watching Forrest Gump. So many moments in the film broke my heart and a tip when going to see this would be to not wear much or any eye make up, it will be halfway down your face at the end I guarantee it. The end scene was just beautiful and that's all I have to say really, it was the first film I've seen in 2013 but I'm sure it'll be one of the best by far.

The Meaning Behind My URL.

I'm just procrastinating tonight, I should be studying but oh well. So, the story behind "Happiness is my aim", is that one day about a month ago, in Religion, we were learning about the parable "Who Moved My Cheese". It was a bit boring but then our teacher gave us question to "reflect" on the story. The basic plot is there's this cheese that the mice and little people have and it represents their happiness, blah blah blah. 

So one of the questions was "What does the 'Cheese' represent for you?" and I answered:

"For most people, finding 'cheese' might represent getting a good job or a nice house. I don't really know what the 'cheese' in my life is. There isn't much that I'm lost without, maybe my family but I do spend a lot of time away from them. And in the future there's nothing that if I don't get, my life won't be complete or fulfilled. Happiness is my aim, everything else is just a bonus."

That's really my own personal motto in life, it just popped into my head as I was answering the question. And it's true, my one goal in life is to be happy and whatever else I achieve is just a bonus, as long as I'm happy, I'm all good. 

Four More Years.

I never doubted you Obama. I think when it was announced, the whole world breathed a collective sigh of relief. I didn't pay too much attention to the campaigns, just the general ideas of both sides, and the fact that Romney was even elected to run for President astounded me. He was so totally against everything that's good for a country, good for people. 

For a while it seemed that it could go either way, that there was enough close minded, backward people who would vote in favor of Romney. Now that was a scary prospect. Obama just has everything right with campaign. Equality for people. Better chances for people to go to college. Better job opportunities. Healthcare for everyone so that people aren't in massive debt if they get sick. Women's rights to control their own health choices. The list goes on and on. To me he is the best President possible. 

In the concluding paragraph of his Victory Speech he said "The idea that, if you're willing to work hard, it doesn't matter who you are, or where you come from, or what you look like, or where you love. It doesn't matter if you're Black or White or Hispanic or Asian or Native American, or young or old, or rich or poor, able, disabled, gay or straight. You can make it here in America, if you're willing to try."

That right there is why I love him, his acceptance for all people, of all walks of life. We need more world leaders like him. Four more years, I can't wait.

You can watch the Victory Speech here.

Tattoos, Do They Really Matter?

I recently came across this photo, pretty thought provoking right? My parents have always been against me ever getting tattoos, even when I'm over 18. Maybe it's a generational thing, they weren't as common years ago but now the majority of people have at least one.

I personally love tattoos, I think they're a brilliant way of expressing yourself. Now, I do agree that some tattoos are tacky and just for show, no real meaning. In the future I do plan on getting a few tattoos and I've had some ideas brewing for a good few years. I think that if it means enough and you won't regret it ten years later, then why not? It's your body after all. 

Now, back to the photo, many people with tattoos don't get jobs because of them or people judge them before they get to know them purely because they chose to get a tattoo, which I personally think is absurd. Just because someone has a tattoo, it means they wouldn't do a job as well as someone with no tattoos? It makes no logical sense. 

If I went into a job interview with tattoos and the interviewer said that having them might decrease my chances of getting the job, I'd leave. Why would I want a work place that discriminates on people purely on image. 

So that's my two cents on tattoos. Hopefully on my 18th birthday I'll get one or two small tattoos to start me off. Exciting stuff.

The Perks of Being A Wallflower, A Review (Sort Of).

On Saturday I went to Cork with my mother, and after a day of shopping which resulted in sore feet and hungry tummies, we headed out to Mahon Point (a shopping centre with a cinema and Nando’s, perfection).

At first the plan was to just go to Nando’s but when I saw that the film had just started, that it was within reaching distance, I simply had to go, no question in my mind. Perhaps I should explain first, that The Perks is in my Top 5 Books Ever, it is so perfect and beautiful that I’ve read it multiple times and never get bored. If you haven’t read it, you must, seriously.

So we got our tickets and headed in. I was slightly nervous because Hollywood has a habit of turing good books into disastrous films. This nervousness continued till the tunnel scene, anyone who has seen the film or read the book knows what I’m talking about. They got everything perfect. It was almost as if Stephen Chbosky had hand picked everything in the film. The music, the clothes, how the actors portrayed the characters. I was over the moon. Charlie’s last letter was also perfect, you can watch a video here and hear it with clips of the film. It gives my shivers just reading it let alone hearing it.

“This one moment, when you know you’re not a sad story. You’re alive. And you stand up and see the light on the buildings and everything that makes you wonder and you’re listening to that song and drive with the people you love most in this world.
And in this moment, I swear, we are infinite.”

I’m not going to talk about the story or plot, go read the book and see the film. But I can promise you that it will move you to tears, laugh and give you that warm fuzzy feeling inside.