Welcome to my world.

Hi there, I'm an 18 year old Londoner currently attending Sixth Form. As you can tell from my URL, I love irony. And doughnuts. I'm an aspiring music/travel/magazine/ journalist and I love writing. I'll try to update this blog regularly with some of my work and music reviews so feel free to drop by! Adios x

[iloveironyanddoughnuts]

Couldn't get a good view but here's a crappy vid of Three Days Grace singing Pain :') #emoaf #threedaysgrace #pain (at O2 Forum Kentish Town)

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Obviously I didn't get any good pics of the actual band from last week's gig seeing Three Days Grace so here's a cool pic of the stage. Lighting is on point. #threedaysgrace #concert #theforum #stage #band (at O2 Forum Kentish Town)

[iloveironyanddoughnuts]

WHAT IS YOUR EARLIEST HUMAN MEMORY?

My third birthday :)

[iloveironyanddoughnuts]

WAG 1 TALIBAN

Wag2 famalaam

[iloveironyanddoughnuts]

Ohh the irony, procrastinating whilst reading your blog! Good luck with your exams! - Love from your Secret Admirer x

LOL can you not T_T Go and play minecraft or something XD x

[iloveironyanddoughnuts]

Always wanted to see what a fellow anime girl looks like :D

You don't even watch anime so shut up xD

[iloveironyanddoughnuts]

"This webpage has a redirect loop" when you click on personal to see what you look like :(

No pictures just some deep thoughts I'm afraid ;)

[iloveironyanddoughnuts]

Sara Bareillas - Brave

#song recommendation 

[iloveironyanddoughnuts]

Expert's guide to complete procrastination when you should be studying

So you've stumbled on this post telling you how to waste your life away doing something completely meaningless and you wish to know how to proceed?

1. Food – Well you can’t revise when you’re hungry right? What if you pass out…or something? Go and grab something to eat! To be on the safe side, you should keep eating until you can’t feel your stomach. Better to be safe than sorry, who knows what a lack of sugar could do your brain. Pick up that chocolate bar kid…and pick up two more.

2. YouTube Videos – You can’t start revision until you’re emotionally ready and willing. What better way to ensure that then some good old fashioned YouTube Videos? My personal favourites are Dan&Phil, Emma Blackery, Superwoman etc. Keep going until you’ve seen all their videos back to back!

3. Tidy desk – Cluttered workplace = Cluttered mind. Do you think Einstein became a genius living in a pigsty? The answer is no! You need to make sure your desk/table/whatever is tidy and clutter free. You also need to organise and colour code all your pens, line your books up in alphabetical order and just generally make sure your work space is clean and has you geared up for some efficient revision! Repeat decluttering process 3X for maximum results.

4. Take breaks – That super annoying girl who gets straight A’s in your Biology class didn’t revise seven hours a day non stop! She made sure she took several breaks so the information processed in her head and she didn’t feel like she was going to burn out. That means you should probably follow suit and take plenty of breaks too. Long, three day minimum breaks.

5. Go for walks – Fresh air and a nice brisk walk is just what the doctor prescribed for exam period which reduces most of us to extreme stress cases. To ensure you get enough exercise and a break from looking at your books 24/7 make sure your walk lasts a decent amount. Let’s say a couple of hours. Try and throw in a shopping trip as well just in case you don’t feel ready to return home.

6. Paint your nails - Extremely therapeutic. Nuff’ said

7. Sleep - Goes without saying that you should be getting that necessary twelve hour sleeping period so you don’t wake up feeling like a zombie when you should have ideally have a fresh mind for revision. Oh and two hour naps twice a day are also essential. Can’t have you falling asleep on your maths book can we?

[iloveironyanddoughnuts]

Lana Del Ray - West Coast

When I first heard this track, I didn't know what to expect. Instead of Lana's signature moody. melancholic style I was faced with her sultry voice accompanied by pulsing guitar riffs. The song stars off slow and sexy, Lana drawls playfully "Down on the West Coast, they got a sayin'". It rapidly changes tone and becomes slower and more dream like with Lana's ear dazzling voice sweeping soundly over the slow blues like melody "Ooh baby I'm in love". Think cruising down the highway, think lounging on a deckchair, eyes closed and letting the sun combined with Lana's voice take you in it's embrace. A chilled out mellow summer tune. Lana Del Ray's comeback looks set to be magnificent. 

[iloveironyanddoughnuts]

GCSE Grade System Faces Dramatic Shake Up

Ofqual have revealed that in 2017 they plan to introduce a new 1-9 numbered grade system with 9 being equivalent to an A*. An A grade would be a level 7 and a C would be level  4. In a shocking twist, only half of the students currently receiving A*’s now would receive a level 9. Therefore, only 3% of the nation would receive an A* making it one of the hardest exam shake ups in history for the nation. These changes will all correlate with the tougher wave of GCSE exams which will also take place in 2017 starting with subjects:  maths, English language and English literature.

Ofqual’s Glenys Stacey argues it will improve the “calibration” of exams. The level 4 pass mark would also equate to the results of the international Pisa tests which will aid international comparisons.

Arguably, these new drastic changes to the system would urge the focus to be on exams and syllabuses rather than the actual process of learning. Students are facing enough stress as it is with A-Levels which more or less determine whether they get into the university of their choice, the new GCSE’s will just add another layer of stress and panic. This new shake up will also make it unnecessarily harder for students to gain an A*. In my opinion, the system shouldn't change as GCSE’s are already difficult enough as students can sometimes end up doing fifteen exams in the space of two months! 

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Fall Out Boy, Wembley Arena, 20/3/13 *Gig Review*

Following their five year hiatus, Fall Out Boy made a massive comeback with their fifth studio album in 2013 and predictably, long time fans reacted with both shock and excitement that their favourite band was back

The 'Save Rock and Roll' tour sold out within hours and I was lucky enough to bag a ticket to go and see the masters of pop punk perform their hits. 

The day arrived and feeling excited, I made my way promptly to Wembley Arena with four friends, complete with the necessary combination of patent Doc Martens and dramatic eye make up. 

The first opening act to perform were 'New Politics' an American alternative rock band who were unfamiliar to me. After the first song however, I was laughing, 'head banging' and screaming along with everyone else. The lead singer David had infectious energy and proceeded to throw his guitar wildly in the air several times and call out to the crowd.

The second act happened to be 'The Pretty Reckless' who luckily are one of my favourite bands and I was looking forward greatly to seeing them there. Taylor Momsen, the lead singer, bizarrely began her set with a few minutes of heavy moaning before bursting into song. The energy was immense and although their set went on for a bit too long, I really enjoyed seeing them live. 

Finally. The main course of the night had arrived. 'Fall Out Boy' made an impressive entrance, drowned out by the cacophony of 'scene' kids screaming. They opened with 'The Phoenix'. The massive screens at the front made it possible for everyone to get a good view of the action and made the whole experience more enjoyable as with songs like 'This Aint A Scene' where the words of the chorus were pictured on screen. The bass was intense and my heart was reverberating every second as the vibrations were constantly being drummed through my body. It was refreshing hearing Patrick Stump's voice live and seeing the actual Patrick Stump in the flesh. The drummer was also brilliant and he had his own soul ripping solo. 

After a few songs, there was a blackout and Fall Out Boy had migrated to the back of the arena. They were sat in chairs and intimately sang a few acoustic numbers like 'Sophomore Slump'. It definitely made the whole experience more harmonious and had the crowd singing along and waving their hands rather than the frantic pushing and shoving which had happened just moments earlier when they'd performed their 'rowdier' numbers. 

On the whole, the experience of a standing ticket was an exhausting one and being pushed and shoved is inevitable! However, I felt that the standing ticket allowed me a better view - somewhat ironic as I am barely 5 ft and struggled to see without damaging my neck - as I was much closer than the people who were sitting were. Needless to say, I did not participate in the dreaded 'mosh pit' as I did not want my face to be marred for life!

An amazing experience and it couldn't have been better. 

[iloveironyanddoughnuts]

International Women's Day

As a gender, we have been subjected to intolerable suffering and unfairness for decades. It’s hard to believe that only in 1928 did the government give women the right to vote. At what cost though? The Suffragettes were an organisation of activists that aimed to change society for the better by fighting for equality.  A group of hard hitting feminists standing up for what they believe in no matter what the cost. Emmeline Pankhurst, a well-known suffragette, subjected herself to hunger strike and was arrested on numerous occasions. Emily Davidson sacrificed her life and was killed by the King’s horses in Derby all because she was appealing to the King for a right that she was entitled to have. Thousands of Suffragettes were imprisoned for fighting the unlawful patriarchal society. These women all sacrificed something for the greater good and given women the same political rights as men.

So far so good right? Well no. Just because women now have political rights doesn’t mean we should stop there. What about women’s social rights? They are constantly belittled by men and objectified by the media. Nuts, Loaded, etc. need I go on? Social norms are constantly rearing their ugly heads too. When a male sleeps around, they are deemed ‘players’ and congratulated. Yet when a woman partakes in sexual behaviour, she is labelled a ‘slag’. Children are socialised from an early age about the roles males and females must have. Women must be the head nurturers and do all the housework. There isn’t much deviation from this, especially in traditional families. Socially, women are criticised, condemned and made to feel like they can’t do as much as men – or even more- without being scrutinised and constantly judged. The problem lies in agencies of socialisation such as family and education where children are first introduced to social norms and expectations. The media is also a key factor that structures our thinking.

Many are under the illusion being a feminist means being a ‘man basher’ and allowing women to get away with everything. As a keen feminist I would dismiss that idea immediately. Feminism is essentially about men and women being equal. The only way we can build an equal society is by not judging or labelling people – whether a man or woman – and introducing open minded thinking where people can do as they please, whether that differs from gender expectations or not.

Girls, this means asserting your rights and putting your foot down. Yes I mean that literally, stiletto heels are ideal for hurting that lout next time he tells you to “get back into the kitchen”. 

[iloveironyanddoughnuts]

BBC 3 Set to be Axed

The news that the BBC is getting rid of their youth targeted channel BBC 3 frustrated me. This is the channel that has produced comedy gems such as ‘Gavin and Stacy’ and ‘Pramface’. Just because the youth are virtually voiceless in putting their views forward about these sorts of corporate decisions doesn’t mean no one should listen to them! In some cases, the BBC have listened to the public about decisions involving axing radio stations such as Asian Network and backtracked on their decision. Well lots of people have taken to Twitter to complain and started the trend “#SaveBBC3”. Get your vote in now and sign the petition:  www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/to-the-bbc-trust-save-bbc3

[iloveironyanddoughnuts]

The aftermath of mock week

So I had my mocks last week and blimey, I'm expecting Ds in all my subjects. I had a week to try and stuff all my revision in bite sized chunks as well as eat, sleep, watch movies and try to get the perfect balance between Half Term and The Week Before My Mocks. As you can tell I failed.

Don't get me wrong, I attempted to revise. But I've never been one of those people who can revise continuously for a short space of time. Procrastination takes over and I end up watching Youtubers and pretending not to notice the time. *sellotapes black card on bottom right corner of laptop*

It kicked in sometime last week that I was going to university soon and I realised something very very important. I really wanted to get those bloody grades. Not only that, I wanted to surpass them. I wanted to exceed the shitty grades my teachers had predicted me. I wanted to be proud of my results and the only way I could do that is by working my ass off to achieve higher than I possibly could. So of course, I spent hours pouring over TSR - The Student Room - for tips on how to revise for my subjects. I would definitely recommend that website. You can find lots of help for subjects you're struggling in and make new friends along the way, yay. *cue sarcastic cheering*. 

So as of tomorrow I am going to (attempt) to put my all in making my goals come true. 

To end this post, I decided to put a shitty IG worthy sunset picture with a truly inspirational quote. You can almost taste the sarcasm. 

[iloveironyanddoughnuts]

NINA NESBITT *PEROXIDE* REVIEW

After being discovered at only sixteen by Ed Sheeran, Nina Nesbitt has surely carved a name out for herself. Jake Bugg, One Direction and Sheeran were all roped in to help her on her debut album ‘Peroxide’ and she also recorded  a cover of Fleetwood’s Mac ‘Don’t Stop’ for a John Lewis advert.

Blonde and bubbly, it’s easy to see why the teen starlet’s fans have coined the term ‘Nesbians’ for themselves. The catchy, ‘Stay Out’ is the epitome of sass and targets teenagers who have a “rolling stones tee but only know one song”.  ‘Two Worlds Away’ and ‘The Hardest Part’ showcase Nesbitt’s softer side and her acoustic capabilities are clear.

Some of the pop begins to fall flat though.  Her lead single ‘Selfies’ eradicates your ears with its sugary pop and lifeless lyrics about deciding which filter to use to win back a lover. Down with the kids obviously.

On the whole, Nina is easily likeable; she has the country-acoustic  Taylor Swift sounding instruments in her song with the soft sounding Scottish confidence of a singer who knows what she’s doing and loving every minute of it.