TAG // MUSIC MEMORIES

Hey guys!

I was browsing through my YouTube subscriptions box the other day, as I usually do when I get bored and have some free time, and I stumbled across THIS TAG, as created by Zoe London and Sophie Eggleton. It looked really fun, so I decided to give it a go myself on here (as I don’t have a YouTube channel and don’t plan on having one for the foreseeable future, aha)

So, let’s get started! I tag any of you who like music and think that this tag sounds like fun too :D 

1 – MY WORST GIG EXPERIENCE?

I think I only have a couple, really!

There were a few times when I was younger, when I ended up missing the last train home, so ended up getting stuck in London (once in St Albans too, oops) and had to get my dad to pick me up! The only other bad things I can think of is gigs where I’ve ended up with concussion or a sprained ankle – surprisingly, there’s been a few of those – and the time when I went to a festival v last minute – literally I got told I was going at around 2.30am on the day – and I couldn’t take a friend with me, so that dampened the experience a lot. 

2 – A MUSIC VIDEO THAT BLEW MY MIND?

I think it’s probably Basket Case by Green Day. I remember the first time I saw it and I was mesmerised by it, and it was the first time I’d ever thought about a music video in much detail, so I’m pretty sure it was that! 

3 – A GIG THAT MADE ME LOSE MY SH*T?

One of my all-time favourite shows to this day is when You Me At Six played The Final Night Of Sin. I’d been seeing them since they were tiny, before TOYC, so to see them sell out this massive venue was such a proud moment for me. I remember being in the crowd and just not caring about anything, just singing along to every song (and crying to a few too, oops). Definitely one of my best memories, and gigs, to this day! 

4 – THE BAND I WISHED I COULD JOIN?

I’m pretty sure that at some point, I’ve wanted to be in most of the bands I’ve liked, haha! Let’s just say You Me At Six cause they’re the band I always chose to sing at college for assignments! I'm also pretty sure I wanted to be in Green Day too!

5 – A SONG THAT REMINDS ME OF A PARTNER/FRIEND/FAMILY MEMBER?

Oh God, I have a lot of these, I’m just going to choose three though or we’ll be here forever!

River People by Madina Lake reminds me of my cousin, Emily – we met at a Madina Lake show and it was an amazing night, and she’s been there for me through so much, and this is one of her fave ML songs so yeah!

Rather Be by Clean Bandit reminds me of my best friend Lisa – Dan and Phil always used to play it on their radio show, and we used to watch it religiously and text each other the whole time it was on, so this is probably the one song from that time that reminds me of her.

Finally – this is a band that most of you won’t know, but I spent a large chunk of my teenage years seeing this band a ridiculous amount of times in loads of different places, and dragged so many of my friends with me too (sorry guys!) So, the final song, which reminds me of all the people I dragged with me to their shows, is Fires by The Chase! 

6 – BEST GIG EVER?

My best gig ever is definitely AFI related, but I can’t decide which show I liked best – when I saw them for the first time ever, at Give It A Name festival in 2007, or when they played in Birmingham when they did the Crash Love tour in 2010.

Obviously, GIAN has so many amazing memories attached – I spent all day at the barrier, desperately clinging on to try and keep my spot in the middle, and the security tried lifting me out just before they came on until me and some lovely people around me convinced them not to, Then the people around me were really nice during the show, making sure I was okay, and I sobbed my eyes out when they played Silver and Cold.

Birmingham was also amazing – I was freezing cold the whole time I was queueing, to the point where me and Vicky had to go and buy blankets because it was so cold. Then, we managed to get to the barrier, to the right. Even though there was a group of girls who were trying to push me off barrier, and who stole my set list at the end (luckily, the security guard got me another one off the stage and made sure I got it, even when they were trying to snatch that one too) it was still an amazing show – they played most of my favourite songs, I cried at Silver and Cold again (I don’t think I’ll ever NOT cry at that song), most of the crowd were lovely and didn’t push too much, and I met 3 of the band after the show! 

7 – THE LAST SONG I LISTENED TO?

It’s actually playing right now, and it’s Girl’s Not Grey by AFI, funnily enough <3 
I think that Sing The Sorrow is probably my favourite album of theirs, go check it out if you haven't already!

8 – A SONG THAT SUMS ME UP?

I genuinely have no idea, aha. I’d like to think it’s something really cool, but I’m pretty boring and average really, aha. I’m just going to say Silver and Cold by AFI, as they’ve been a massive part of my life for so long, and it’s my favourite song by them, so I’d like to think I could be summed up by them! 

9 – WHAT MUSIC ERA DO I WISH I WAS AROUND FOR?

I kind of wish I was around for the last 80s/early 90s, as there’s so many bands whose music I loved around that kind of timestamp, so it’d have been to experience it in that era instead of decades later.

10 – A SURPRISING MUSIC RELATED FACT ABOUT ME?

Some people find it surprising that I took Music Technology at college! Also, I was in two different music videos when I was in my teens (two different bands as well) which was pretty fun, and two good experiences! 

I hope you enjoyed this post – please feel free to let me know if you do it too, as I’m nosy and would like to see what other people put too!

Breakfast // Quick & Healthy Ideas

 Hey guys!

So, I've decided that one of the things I wanted to do this year is blog about more recipes and food ideas - I've always really loved baking, for example, but it's never really been something that I've blogged about, even though I love reading other people's foodie blogs and drooling over the gorgeous pictures of delicious looking food!

I thought I'd kick things off with a quick post about some quick and healthy breakfast ideas! So why start with breakfast?

For starters, breakfast is the first meal of the day, so it naturally makes sense to start there. Also, a few years back, I stopped eating breakfast as often. I know there’s a lot of people like me out there, who either don’t have time for breakfast in the mornings, or just can’t face eating when they get up – but breakfast is pretty much the most important meal of the day, as it sets you up for the day ahead, so I've made it a goal of mine to start eating breakfast every day again this year, even if it’s just something small like a banana with a cup of tea.
I usually don’t like eating as soon as I wake up – I like to have a cup of tea and take a bit of time to wake up before I even think about eating – and I’ll usually have something like a couple of slices of toast, some porridge, or occasionally something cooked like sausage and egg! I personally get bored of food if I’m eating the same things too often (I don’t know if any of you feel the same, but my brother could – and does – happily eat the same things day in, day out) so I decided to look up some quick, easy and healthy breakfast recipes that I could try, and I thought that I’d try some with you too! 

First things first –  

smoothies! 

I’d been wanting a specific blender for a while – my dad has the same one (as well as a NutriBullet now) and I like using it when I stay at his – and I finally bought one just after Christmas! It's the Breville Blend Active VBL062, I do believe, and I love it! 

I’ve actually been having smoothies most mornings since New Year, and I keep playing around with different combinations of ingredients! The good thing about making your own smoothies is that you know that there should be less sugar in them than shop bought ones. One of my current favourite recipes is 200ml water, 200ml whole milk (the cups for my blender came with measurements on the side, so you can see how much stuff you’re putting in, and they recommend you don’t fill it above the 600ml mark!) a small handful of spinach or kale, and a small handful of frozen berries (you can use fresh fruit if you want to, but recently I’ve been using frozen because I find it easier). If you want to make it a bit more filling, you can also add a scoop of unflavoured protein powder or 1 – 2 tablespoons of oats. You can pretty much add whatever you want, though – almonds and other nuts, seeds, supplements…whatever you like! Just make sure you blend it well if you put oats in!

 
The second thing is

 overnight oats! 

I’ve seen pictures of this online so often, and it always looks so delicious and tasty! You simply put some oats into a jar or bowl (around 50g is the average on most recipes I’ve seen for this) and add some fruit, nuts, seeds, etc and mix in. Then, top it up with some milk (most recipes seem to suggest almond milk or something similar, but I don’t like the taste of nuts so I usually use whole milk), give it a stir and leave it in the fridge overnight to soften and soak. Then, the next day, simply grab the bowl or jar from the fridge and voila, instant breakfast! (You can also warm it up in the microwave if you don’t like cold porridge).

The final breakfast idea on my list sounds a bit weird, but I see people raving about this all the time – 

avocado and poached eggs on toast. 

Avocado is full of good fats, so it’s a good thing to try and eat fairly regularly. Simply make some toast – wholemeal or seeded bread is best – then add some kind of spread (we usually use olive oil spread at home). Scoop out the insides of an avocado and crush it, then spread it on the toast. Poach a couple of eggs as normal, put them on top, then season and eat – simple! I've only had this a handful of times, and it's pretty nice but also pretty rich and creamy so I don't like to eat it too often!

There’s so many other amazing healthy recipes out there, but these are just some of my favourites – hopefully I'll be trying out (and sharing) some more soon! 

What kind of healthy breakfast recipes do you have, and will you be trying any of these? Let me know!

7 Songs That Shaped My Life

Hey guys!

Today, I thought I’d write a post about music – specifically, 7 of my favourite songs of all time! 

I always think it’s really interesting to see what songs people like, and why they like them so much – whether it’s because they bring back memories, or they just find the song really good and think others might like it too. In all honesty, the majority of my choices are from when I was a teenager (I still love most, if not all, of the bands/songs included) and they’re probably mainly rock/pop punk. There’s also a song missing from this list – I don’t want to go into details but it was a song I used to listen to so much as a teenager and I loved it, but the band no longer exist because of the actions of the lead singer and so I don’t listen to it any more, and haven’t in years. 

Anyway, without further ado, let’s get started! 

SILVER AND COLD // AFI

I think this was the second or third AFI song I ever heard – Girl’s Not Grey was the first – but it’s the one that I love the most. I just find that there’s something so beautiful about this song, and I like the fact that it’s a more relaxed, gentle AFI song for the most part. Plus, it’s the only AFI song that always makes me cry when I see them live.

This song is one of the few that’s helped me through pretty much all the lows and bad times in my life – at one stage, I think I pretty much had it on repeat – and the song, and this band, mean an awful lot to me. 

Silver And Cold video

TAKE OFF YOUR COLOURS // YOU ME AT SIX

I went to the instore and signing at HMV in Oxford Street when this album came out, and I remember chatting with the band afterwards for a while with my friends. When I got home, I listened to this album straight away, and fell in love with all the songs, but for some reason, this one in particular. It’s one of the few songs that makes me smile every time I hear it, and it was always one of the high points of a You Me At Six show for me when they played it. It’s ridiculously catchy and upbeat, too – I constantly get it stuck in my head!

It has so many amazing memories attached to it, for me – hanging out with friends, meeting the band countless times in various places, summer time…just a lot of good things. 

Take Off Your Colours

WAKE ME UP WHEN SEPTEMBER ENDS // GREEN DAY

One year – I think it was the summer I was 13 – I spent pretty much the whole summer at my friends house with a couple of other friends. We went to her house practically every day, and she had a few guitars – all of us were obsessed with Green Day at that point, and it was not long after American Idiot came out, so we decided one day to try and learn how to play it. So, somehow, we figured out a way to play it that sounded right (I don’t think it was the proper way, but it sounded right) and practiced playing every day, till by the end of the summer, we could play it together in time and in tune.

I can’t actually remember how to play it any more – and we haven’t been friends for a long time now – but that song will always remind me of that summer. 

Wake Me Up When September Ends video

ADALIA // MADINA LAKE.

I liked Madina Lake for ages before the first time I managed to see them live – which was at Give It A Name festival in 2007 – and, when I heard they were doing a signing at the festival, me and my friend tried our hardest to meet them (even though we ended up missing the signing by a tiny fraction – we were in the queue and they cut it off just before us).

I saw them quite a few times over the years, and eventually – after a lot of hiccups along the way – I managed to meet them. I also got to meet one of my cousins thanks to Madina Lake (and me being grounded, if I remember correctly, aha).

Adalia is the song that stands out the most to me – not only is it the most ridiculously catchy song ever, but the lyrics are beautiful. Plus, when they played it live, their energy and stage presence was amazing! I also met my ex when they played at a festival I went to, so I have a lot to thank them for – not just the music, but also for helping me meet 2 very important people (as well as the band, who are absolute sweethearts).

Adalia

WELCOME TO THE BLACK PARADE // MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE.

I remember when this album came out and one of my best friends got it while we were out. Me, him and a couple of others went back to his and blared this song out, and we all sung along really badly and really loudly for ages.

This song mainly reminds me of weekends spent at my friend Joe’s, hanging out with my old friends, the times I experimented (badly) with black and red eye makeup and the whole “emo” phase I had.

I also remember how excited I was a few years back, when I won iTunes Festival tickets when My Chemical Romance were playing – I’d wanted to see them live for so long, and finally I got the chance to fulfil one of the dreams I’d had for years! They played a mix of old and new songs that night, which was amazing, and I felt so nostalgic throughout the whole show.

Even now, I can’t listen to this song without memories flooding back, and I still sing along (badly) when I hear it.

Welcome to The Black Parade video

WELCOME TO MY LIFE // SIMPLE PLAN

This band were introduced to me my one of my best friends at secondary school, and I remember I downloaded loads of their songs and burnt them onto a CD so I could listen to them on my Walkman on the way to school (yep, when I started school I still had a CD Walkman). This song in particular stood out to me, and the lyrics really struck a chord with me.

Years later, it still reminds me of some bad times – it’s a good anthem for if you’re feeling alone and like nothing matters – but it also reminds me of pulling through the bad times. It also reminds me that things will get better and to be optimistic. 

Welcome To My Life video

FIRES // THE CHASE.

Okay, so if you knew me when I was 15/16, you’ll know that I was obsessed with a local band I used to see called The Chase. I think I literally saw them about 30 times or more in the span of about a year – I used to go and see them in other places too, like Hitchin, Reading and Guildford, and occasionally I went alone.

This song was probably their most popular, and it was definitely my favourite by a long shot. I remember that Mikey (the lead singer) used to hold out the microphone into the crowd during the last part of the song, and I always used to try and fight my way towards it so that I could sing into it (I was always at the front, and I only ever managed to sing into the microphone once).

Sadly, they split up out of the blue – they literally played a show in Croydon (which luckily, I was at) and a few weeks later announced that they were splitting up. It was a massive shock to me – especially as they were pretty much my favourite band and they were working on an album too.

To this day, I still miss them, but I also still love this song. It has a ton of memories attached to it – singing it with various people, nearly getting run over in Brighton when I was singing it on the way to Dominoes, getting various injuries at The Chase shows, meeting Max from You Me At Six when they played a Christmas show with some other bands…the list goes on!

Fires video

So, there’s some of the songs that I love and which have a lot of significance to me.

Do you like any of these songs, too? What are some of the songs you love, and you feel have shaped your life? Let me know!