2014: A Look Back

I was going to do a similar post to Louise’s, going through each month and picking out the things I’ve done. But seeing as I did a monthly recap, I thought doing a post like that would just be a recap of the recaps! I did however want to reflect on the year that was 2014.

It was, like many years, a year of highs and lows. But this time it was different due to living a different country. This is the first time since 1990 that I’ve spent an entire year not living in Ireland, having moved there in 1991. The move was scary but exciting, something that I wanted to definitely try but being a homebird just made it that slightly bit harder for me, as I would often ache to be home. Before getting a job, I found myself slipping into a lonely and dark place at times. I had no friends, my boyfriend was often at work until 10 in the evening,depending on his shift, I had no real reason to leave the house unless it was to go to the library, as I had no money or no one to spend time with. Luckily there was one person I knew when I moved here, a neighbour of my boyfriend’s from back home in Ireland. EG and her boyfriend met up with us and helped so much, so thank you thank you! In February I decided I needed to get out of the house more and so joined a local knitting group. These girls have been the best, I clicked instantly with them and they’ve become great friends. I look forward to knitting every time it’s on, it’s given me something to look forward to and has helped with my creativity too. So thank you Sarah, Amy and all the other girls (who I’m not naming on here by name, like most other people, purely because I don’t know if they’d like to be named, not because I don’t appreciate them!).

Like I said before, I’m a homebird and I have a big family I’m close to. I’m lucky to have some family members close to me here. My uncle and his wife don’t live far and have been very kind to me and my boyfriend, meeting up with us and offering their help. I have a brother in London, who I talk to on a nearly daily basis and have seen several times. I have various cousins in London who have let me stay with them, offered advice and just been there if needed. I now also have another cousin and her boyfriend who is living in Manchester, we’ve met twice since November and no doubt will meet many other times this year. It’s just really nice to have that extra person in my friend circle and someone from home too. And of course there’s been the family that have not been around me physically, my parents, siblings and other family members back home, who have been so so encouraging, supportive in many different ways and while it breaks my heart to leave whenever I visit, I just love going home to see them all. So to all my family (and I include my boyfriend’s family in this too), thank you so so much.

Speaking of those not physically near me, there’s my friend’s from back home who have just been so amazing. Especially KS, my closest friend, who has just been there whenever I need her. They say a great friendship is just being able to click back into place whenever you have not seen each other in a long time and that just happens with us all the time. It’s like I haven’t gone and I love how stepping into her family’s homes still feels like it has throughout the years, like stepping into the house of my second family. Thank you KS and family, for everything over the years. And to all my other school friends who have been there over the year. This year has been a special year to us, having lost a friend 10 years ago, but here we are, ten years later and still friends, despite now being scattered around the place. Having dinner together over Christmas was so much fun, I just loved how things were the same, all the laughter and memories we have together. Here’s to another 10 years!

And if I’m talking about friends not being physically around me, then I can’t forget my ‘internet friends’. To Sharon, Chloe and Roisin especially, thank you for being such great friends. Despite not having met you (yet!), I consider you some of my closest friends. Ye are so kind and encouraging and I love reading your posts and Tweets. Another set of internet friends are my LoSo ones, a group of ladies I’ve known from a forum for over ten years now. They remain some of the most interesting, funny, supportive and exceptionally kind people, who have listened to my thoughts and problems over the years and have encouraged me all the way. Thank you lovely LoSo ladies! Other new people this year include people who I met at the Pinterest event (Anyonita being my baking partner and fellow blogger from Manchester), the new bloggers I discovered from Rosalilum’s BEDM, the #bookbloggers and the bloggers I met at various other events, including Plastic Rosaries, Miss Pond, Prorebel, Lily Kitten, Susan Styles You, Painted Nails and Baking Scales, Of Beauty and Nothingness and many others. And of course, last but not least, Rebecca from The Lucky Rainbow! Talking about clicking instantly, the first time we met we stayed over 6 hours chatting to each other! It was so so exciting to find an Irish person in a similar position to me and I can’t wait to meet you more this year!

To my boyfriend, who I’ve been with for 9 years. This move has been tough at times on us, but we’ve stuck together and worked things out. He’s been a rock of support for me, in some many ways, and I don’t think I would have survived a move abroad if I hadn’t made it with him. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Finally to myself. Ok, so I’m not going to thank myself really, but there has been so much growth this year. Despite this being tough on me emotionally and mentally at times, I have also grown in confidence, learnt new things about myself and have started to be less harsh on myself. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, maybe it’s because I watched a lot of Rupaul’s Drag Race (thanks Amy!), but I’m beginning not to see myself as an enemy, but as a friend. Here’s hoping 2015 will be another interesting year!

Being Adventurous #BEDM

I’m glad this was a topic for Blog Every Day in May because it’s something that’s been on my mind for a while. I’m not an adventurous person by nature, I’m a home bird and I’m pretty cautious. I don’t like spicy foods, not a huge fan of surprises, I generally like having a plan when going somewhere, I nearly always order the exact same thing at a takeaway. I’m quite safe. But I wasn’t always! I think pack to childhood and how I’d have no hesitation to climb a tree, to explore new areas, to hop on a skateboard or cycle with no hands. I used to close my gates and walk across the top and pretend I was a gymnast! The other week I scared myself half to death trying to stand on a table to fix the curtains! Basically, as I got older any sense of adventure or bravery just seemed to melt away. This is probably because it’s a by-product of growing older, becoming more aware of dangers and how to survive them.

But the past few years have seen me lose my sense of fear and assertiveness. A few months ago, I had a list of things I’m afraid or hesitant to do. Most are very mundane and ridiculous really, but I made an effort for a month to be a bit braver. And I did get about half the stuff crossed off the list! But then I kinda forgot and I’ve slipped back to my normal sense. So I’m going to make a pledge here to be a bit more brave.

1. Try and stop being so scared to make phone calls.

There’s almost nothing I hate doing more but ringing strangers. I know, sounds ridiculous, but it really makes me anxious and I have to plan what I’m going to say so I don’t sound stupid on the phone trying to find the words to say something. So I put it off and it makes me feel even more anxious. I’m going to try and nip that in the bud!

2. Be more brave with make up looks.

I never wear bold colours on my lips, in fact sometimes I just don’t wear anything. Though I have tons of different shades in my makeup bag. I’m really conscious of how small my lips are but I’m going to try take my cousins advice on this. When talking to her about her bold lipstick and why I don’t wear it, she said life is too short to give a damn and worry. And she’s right. So I’m wearing a bright shade this evening when I go to knitting group!

3. Stop being afraid to make bread

Ya, sounds ridiculous again but I’m so hesitant to make yeast breads as I’ve failed before and the whole process is daunting. But I need to realise that I won’t get any better if I don’t practice! Same goes for candy making and using sugar thermometers.

4. Stop being a wimp when it comes to food

Yes, I need to try some food I’ve never tried before. I have been better these past few years, especially compared to how fussy a child I was, but I still should try new things, especially seafood. But will I ever be able to order anything but a korma from an Indian?! Who knows, I am in love with kormas.

5. Be more crafty

I like crafting but because I’m not great at it, I hesitate as I don’t want to ruin perfectly nice materials! Which is crazy. I also hesitate because mine doesn’t turn out perfectly (case and point these bird magnets). I have a long list of Pinterest projects I want to try and that I’m going to try.

6. Go with the flow more

Be more willing to be fast and loose, to not have a plan. It can lead to fun things and new adventures.

To round this out, I do want to point out that I’m not a complete wimp! I have gone on many rollercoasters and rides despite not liking heights (something that always surprises my boyfriend as he doesn’t think it’s really ‘me’), I talk to strangers when out and about and I’m not afraid of it, I tried surfing 2 summers ago, I jumped off a huge height into the sea when exploring an island last summer, I put a snake around my shoulders despite being afraid of them and I used to going on adventures with friends, where we’d drive around exploring and finding new places. I suppose I just need to exercise my adventurous side more often!

will.i.am Suing Pharrell For Using The Phrase ‘I Am’

I don’t often talk about celebrity issues here, in fact I don’t think I ever have. I don’t want to be another blog OMGing and WTFing over, say, North West and how it’s a ridiculous name. But this article on ShortList earlier caught my eye and I’ve been thinking about it all day.

Singer and The Voice UK judge will.i.am is apparently suing artist Pharrell because he’s used the words ‘I’ and ‘Am’ next to each other. Seriously. It’s all because Pharrell has a company called ‘i am OTHER’, which amongst other things, has a YouTube channel (which has the hilarious Awkward Black Girl series, though that’s a whole different post). will.i.am (real name William James Adams, such a normal name right? I think I’m going to call him by that) believes that the fact Pharrell is to use the phrase ‘i am’ as a logo for products will have the following effect. "The registration of the mark . . . is likely to dilute the I AM mark and the WILL.I.AM mark".

What?! Does Mr Adams really believe that people are going to think the above? Look, I get it, will.i.am is a very clever thing for someone called William to do, hahaha. I like the fact he’s even made it his website, it works especially well on the likes of Twitter, where typing will.i.am automatically hyperlinks the website. But he doesn’t own the phrase I Am. What is he going to do? Sue Eimear Quinn for her song ‘I Am the Voice’ (surely people who hear the phrases ‘I Am’ and ‘The Voice’ only thing of will.i.am). Sue Chesney Hawkins for his song ‘The One And Only’ because he believes that only he should have the right to sing ‘I Am the One and Only’? Because honestly I think Simon Amstell did it better.

Or maybe he’ll try sue the pet food company Iams and take it over for himself?

(look, I’m not great at this stuff but you get the idea!). I just find the idea of celebrities getting their knickers in a twist over catchphrases laughable. Take Paris Hilton when she trademarked ‘That’s Hot’ and then sued Hallmark for using it in a card. I suppose it was a clever move by Hilton but not like she needed the money! Or maybe she did, it’s not like I know these things.

Anyway, I am firmly team Pharrell on this case. He looks amazing for 40 years old, I love his music and the music he’s produced, I touched him once at a concert (just on the hand! Get your mind out of the gutter) and he doesn’t have a ridiculous square missing out of the corner of his hair like Mr Adams. Hey, maybe that’s the next thing will.i.am can trademark, his hair do! And finally, to bid you adieu I leave you with one of my favourite songs that contain I Am. Peaceout!

Childs Play (Your Inner Child)

I watched the above video on YouTube last week and it really struck a chord with me. It’s all about the games we’d play as children, the silly things we did to entertain ourselves. And I realised that it wasn’t something I did when I was younger but it’s still something I do from time to time!

The video opens with games the narrator and his sister used to play in the car. I did these too, both of them. I used to ‘chop’ all the hedges and trees to the same height. Or failing that I’d pretend someone was travelling beside the car, doing somersaults and flips on all the objects so they wouldn’t touch the ground. I still do this when I’m a passenger in a car.

And while I no longer try to stop a stopwatch on the exact ‘perfect’ time, I do try and get my petrol pump to stop at the exact number!

To entertain myself going down the street, I would try not step in cracks, limit myself to 2 steps per pavement stone and balance along the curb. I’ve been known to do the balance thing when walking back to a friends house after a night out! When I was around 7 I would also walk across the top of my closed gate, something I don’t think I’d try do now!

I would run and (unsuccessfully) try to touch leaves and other things at heights, try to successfully predict when the light will turn green, hold my breath will going through a tunnel (something my boyfriend and I still do to this day!).

I would get the sweeping brush, line it up against the couch so it was at an angle and try and walk up it! I would turn off the light at night and try to run into my bed as quick as I could so the monsters wouldn’t ‘get’ me. I used to tuck my teddies in with blankets so they wouldn’t get cold. I used to sleep my head under the covers as I was afraid that people such as my teachers had a secret view into my bedroom at night! (that one is quite weird I admit!). And I wouldn’t let my feet out of the bed covers in case they got eaten.

And then we come to the classic ‘Don’t Touch the Lava’. It’s funny as I was playing this game last month in the Burren with two friends of mine!

This has reminded me of how many of the ‘games’ I still play and it makes me happy, as I think it’s important to be in touch with your inner child from time to time. But it’s also reminded me of how fearless you can be as a child. I used to walk across my closed gate when I was 7-8 and I was never afraid to do so. Now I don’t time I’d have the courage to try that! I would hop up on skateboards and the likes without fear. Now I see my younger siblings zipping around on whip sticks and yet when I’ve tried to go on them, I get straight off as it’s terrifying! It makes me sad how much fearless we become as we grow older and release responsibilities and other things like that. It’s certainly necessary but I hope I can tap into my inner child when I need it, to help me relax and play when things become to serious or too stressful. I suppose that’s the good thing about having younger siblings (or for some people nieces and nephews, children, grandchildren), they are great to be silly around!

Do you play any of these games? And how do you stay in contact with your inner child?

Memories and Music: The Bee Gees

It’s been ages since I’ve done a post like this. My last one was the Lauryn Hill one. I’ve been meaning to do for ages but just never got around to it. Until now, when on Twitter I saw the sad news that Robin Gibb from The Bee Gees had passed away. That’s the second big music loss this week, the first being the passing away of Donna Summer. So since I’m now listening to Bee Gee songs, I felt compelled to write about my memories and experiences.

I can’t remember the first time I ever heard The Bee Gees. My Mum used to have a vinyl of theirs and she recorded some of the songs from it onto a cassette tape (the other side had some Kristy McColl songs). It was one of the staple tapes she had for car journeys (along with Elton John and Jimmy Sommerville!). Because it was recorded from a vinyl, the sound was low and scratchy but I still enjoyed listening to it (most of the time anyway! Sometimes we used to beg to listen to the radio for more modern songs!). Only recently my boyfriend said ‘I didn’t know Massachusetts was a Bee Gees song!’ which shocked me as how could you not know it was one of their songs?!

When we were in the house we used to play the vinyl, often when my older cousins were babysitting and we used to dance around to the upbeat songs (one favourite was You Should Be Dancing). The Bee Gees were still release songs when I was that age, NOW 36 was one of my first CDs and their song Alone was on it.

Even if I hadn’t heard any Bee Gees as a child, I couldn’t help but be surrounded by cover versions as a child and a teenager. One of the first songs I ever remember recording off the radio (ah, those were the days!) was How Deep Is Your Love by Take That. I still love both versions of that song. The of course there was the Boyzone cover of Words (Used to love the video to it!), 911 version of More Than A Woman (I remember listening to late night radio and falling asleep to that!), Steps version of Tragedy (I bought the single and I knew the dance!), Jimmy Sommerville’s version of To Love Somebody, I Started a Joke by The Wallflowers (from the Zoolander soundtrack). There just a handful of covers done out of the Bee Gees back catalogue. All the versions I mentioned were ones that I listened to regularly.

The Bees Gees were more than a band though. They also wrote loads of songs for other people. The ones that are closest to me are Chain Reaction for Diana Ross, for which they sang backing vocals for. Though the Steps cover version was probably how I first came across that song! Emotion by Destiny’s Child was also another one written by them, Islands in The Stream by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton and Grease by Frankie Valli. This is my favourite song from Grease, I used to rewind the beginning of the VHS just so I could watch the beginning and listen to it again. And while we’re talking about films (and John Travolta ones at that!), how can you not mention Saturday Night Fever?! A bunch of Bee Gees (among others) rolled into one film with fabulous costumes and awesome dancing! Here’s a link to the iconic opening scene to Stayin’ Alive.

This Christmas gone by my siblings and I bought my aunt a Greatest Hits of Bee Gee songs. Which resulted in us all dancing around the kitchen to the music. And me doing gymnastic routines to Tragedy with the gymnastic ribbon my sister got as a present (best present ever!).

Thanks to Glee, a whole new generation have been introduced to Bee Gee songs. I hope they are inspired to go search out the originals. For more info on cover versions, go here, all of them are listed. I’ve added links to all the songs mentioned above (cover version links are under the name of the artist covering the song, the original versions are linked in the name of the song). There’s no denying that the Bee Gees have left an incredibly legacy and I’m grateful for all the memories they have given me.

Tagged!

So I got tagged the other day by Random Ramblings and Musings. The idea is easy, just answer the questions that you’ve been asked and then tag some more bloggers and write some questions for them to answer. Simples!

1. If you could introduce one new law what would it be?

Free cupcake day! Ok, so seriously there would probably be a few current laws I’d like to change but I can’t think of any new law (I’m so boring!).

2. What book do think everyone should read at least once, you know the one you read, fell in love with and have since taken to recommending it to people at every opportunity?

I honestly don’t think I have one. I’d recommend the Harry Potter, but then again most people have read it! The only thing that comes to mind is a book I got years ago with J-17 magazine. It was called Last Chance by Sarah Dessen (but now seems to go by the title Keeping the Moon). It’s the story about a 15 teen year old who goes to live with her aunt one summer and it’s all about images and fitting in. Or rather about being yourself, regardless of what others think. I read it about once a year or so.

3. If you could wake up tomorrow anywhere in the world, where would you be?

London, with the sun shining, my boyfriend next to me and a job I love to go to.

4. When was the last time you did something that scared you?

Well, I get such a fear of ringing people to make appointments etc. and I did that last week! I try force myself to do the same things that scary me like that. But in terms of facing a fear, probably getting back into a car and driving after my crash last year.

5. Are you a believer in always telling the truth, no matter what the consequences, or are there times when it’s best to keep your mouth shut?

I do think there are times when a white lie is called for. As I think the truth usually comes out after the reason for the white lie has been fulfilled and the good intentions can be seen.

Phew! That was kinda tough I must admit. And now for the really hard part, thinking of questions to ask back!

1. What’s your signature dish to cook/bake?

2. If you could see one band live, who would it be? (Regardless of if the band is still together, or if they split up, or if a member is dead)

3. What songs are you guilty pleasures?

4. Being too hot or being too cold?

5. Where did you first go abroad? (presuming you’ve been abroad!)

6. Was there any particular reason why you were given your first name?

Ok, and now to tag people!

Ate By Ate

winipedia

Labhaoise Ni Dhuibhir

Views from a tin bin

Feel free to answer but if it’s not your thing, no worries! Just a bit of fun!

11.11.11

Ah, what an interesting date! Looks so odd but at the same time looks so nice. So many people believe in the power of 1s. I know people who love it when they just happen to look at a clock and the is 11.11. Or their bill in the shop is 11.11. They make wishes when this number occurrence happens. I know 11.11.11 is probably a popular request for a wedding day and that so people will hope their baby is born this day.

I tried to research if anything interesting happened on 11.11.1111 (ah, the ultimate of 1 dates!), but nothing came up. However, 11th November is an interesting date of itself. Lots of interesting things have happened over the years.

- 1918 Official end of WWI, at 11am (11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month)

-1926 Route 66 in USA is established

- 1880 Bushranger Ned Kelly is hanged

- 1675 Gottfried Leibniz shows for the first time the area under a graph using integral calculus y = ƒ(x)

- 1992 Church of England vote to allow female priests

Leonardo DiCaprio, Stanley Tucci, Demi Moore and Calista Flockhart all share birthdays today. Today marks the death of Ned Kelly, Mary Mallon (a.k.a. Typhoid Mary) and Yasser Arafat. Today is also Remembrance Day (Poppy Day, Veterans Day, Armistice Day in other countries), a remembrance to the end of WWI and a mark of respect for those who fought and lost their life.

Do you have any special plans for today? Do you have any dates or numbers you think are luckier than others? If so, I’d love to hear!

 

(P.S. I got most these facts on Wikipedia, so please don’t be too hard on me if something isn’t entirely true!)