The past few days have been crazy and non stop for my birthday as well as the English weather reaching 30 degrees this weekend which is too much for me to handle, so i think its an indoors, air conditioned weekend for me.
On Friday i went to Covent Garden with a few friends for my birthday as i thought it appropriate to do something special for my 18th, considering i have not celebrated my birthday in five years going for lunch was something special. I had a table at a pizza place in Neals Yard on the recommendation of The Londoner, which to no surprise was a good bet. Homeslice is five minute walk from Covent Garden tube station and is perfect for a casual lunch, continued on my other blog What I Ate TODAYish.
The rest of the day was filled with miles of walking to different parks near the river and in soho, as well as stopping off at food places such as The Breakfast Club, Snog and many more throughout the afternoon and early evening. Friday evenings are the best because everyone sits outside along every stretch of pavement in the backstreets with friends drinking, chatting and people watching.
Neals Yard
Outside a Vans
20 inch pizza
Some map patterned wrapping paper
Boris bikes
Soho Square
Overall i think we were continuously walking for five or six hours only being lost half time and the other half with strong hunches of which direction to walk next. Thinking of sharing some of the best gifts i got for my 18th, as it was a special one.
I have been meaning to compose a music post since forever. Nevertheless, instead of posting my latest purchases i thought it would be less of an essay if i just posted a select few of my favourites at the moment. This playlist is not of my most recent discoveries but of songs i have been listening to for a while and fell confident to recommend. As a die hard Macklemore and Ryan Lewis fan this playlist could easily just consist of just there recent and past songs. However this would be pointless.
I must also reference SincerelyLara for the idea of presenting this playlist from her Tuesday Tunes.
Additionally, Hold Me from Tom Odell is a good song but his performance at the Burberry Prorsum in February is awesome. There is a more polished video of his performance, the first video; although i implore that you watch the full catwalk show, the second video. In the full catwalk show his live performance begins two thirds of the way through the show, as Paloma Faith fades he begins to play behinds the doors at the apex of the runway. As the doors open few people register there is a live performance, however after the first line of his song the whole room is focused upon the entrance of the runway; and i literally lost the use of my respiratory system.
Hold Me Tom Odell - Live At The Burberry Prorsum
Full Show Burberry Prorsum Womenswear A/W13
The day this post is published I’m my 18th birthday, so i thought i might schedule something in advance and give myself a day off.
Henley Royal Regatta is an annual rowing event each year in Henley that just turns into a mile long party along the Thames River with a bit of rowing on the side for an entire week. Thousands of people take to the banks of the river and boats of every kind take to the water. On Friday we took a friend’s boat out to the water in the late afternoon and on into the early evening as the sun was setting and the English summer sun became bearable. I had an absolute field trip with my camera taking nearly 700 photos; although i defiantly need to invest in an additional lens for a closer zoom.
Ice cream boat
The tiniest little tug on the river
The name of the boat is ‘Four Girls One Boat’ … no words
The Pimms Bus Bar
Riverside Champagne Tent
I like taking pictures of people without them focusing on the camera, but so many people waved at the camera and i loved it
Phyllis Court Club riverside seats
Rum and raisin ice cream
There are a crazy amount of photos in this post but it is a select few compared to the amount in my iPhoto event.
We all had such a chilled afternoon on the water with an abundance of strawberries, ice cream and percy pigs.
So i was recommended by a friend to listen to this electronic group that released some new stuff last month and i am now obsessed. They are a group of four french guys called 'C2C' who just toured the US finishing at Coachella on the 19th of April and are on there way to the UK. There album Tetra was released at the beginning of September last year and their deluxe album at the end of January of this year. There are 16 tracks, some that stand out above all others and others are just really solid mixes; my favourites being Down The Road and Happy. I highly recommend turning this up really loud when listening.
I have bought my ticket for the 20th of June where they play the HMV Forum in Camden as a little treat for myself after i finish my exams on the 14th. Something to look forward to!
However, every music video i watch post Macklemore and Ryan Lewis nothing quite has matched the aesthetic of their videos; saying that their music video for both Happy and Down The Road are very funny. Although if i do recommend to watch something from them, i would encourage you to look at the teaser video they released before the US tour.
This video, the techniques and shots and style, inspire me to get back in the making videos so something might appear on here in a few months or so, depending on what i feel. As performers they look so excited at what they are doing, and the crowd look as though they are having a blast. Very excited for June as the venue is only 2000 people. Probably, would not take my camera to this and seeing as though my camera phone is in the shitter, might use a friends iPhone camera for the night, so look out for more of C2C!
Found this guy through my Facebook feed i think (which lately, just seems to be videos - is my Facebook trying to be Youtube). He is an English artist of the spoken word, which basically means he is a rapper with less backing music. Suli Breaks (sulibreezy - Youtube). And his videos are awesome. Most recently his videos have been on the modern perception of education and work, which is a subject i could really relate to. The lyrics are so well written and meaningful, it encourages you to be more open minded and widen your perspective of what you need in life and what we are told we want and do. His break through video i would regard as his viral video is - Why i hate school but love education, with nearly three million views at present. However my favourite video is - I will not let an exam result decide my fate, as at the moment thats how i am feeling with my university application.
Why I Hate School But Love Education
I Will Not Let An Exam Result Decide My Fate
On a lighter note, i started posting on my new blog yesterday which shows where and what i eat (when it is interesting enough) called What I Ate TODAYish. So in the future i will post on here about what i have done in the day or what i want to share and then put a link which will have my food, so this feed does not get cluttered with dinner plates.
So i have been away for just over a week now, and we are on an even date, so i thought i would make a post. My little unplanned break from my blog was due to the overwhelming amount of art coursework recently. Are deadline for all coursework over the past year in next Friday, so everyone including me, are beginning to loose out sanity as a result of the stress. Some self induced, most unavoidable stress. I had my fifteen hour exam piece on Monday and Tuesday which was dire but really productive, and hopefully when i exhibit my work for the moderator i may share my art from the past year on here. However, once this is over next week, it will give me a lot more time to focus on my remaining subjects as well as getting back into this.
Now, the reason i wanted to post so desperately instead of art coursework was to do a little round up of the draw my life videos that consumed Youtube since the beginning of January, the first being posted by Sam Pepper (i think) on the 8th January. Since then i have trawled through many of the videos as i thought it was a great way for the creators to connect with the viewers in a way that is not the normal, and the fact i am generally in terseted in other peoples past - not in a gossip like way rather that i just find it allows me more understanding of the person. I have not seen as many of them as i would like to, but i think i am getting there (almost). And what stuck me most prominently was the divorce rate of the parents of the creators. I allowed this to mull over in my mind and it gave me a confidence that how i feel, and how fifty percent of the children in families feel, right now is going to turn around. Even when you do not feel like the place you are in is escapable, i see all these people and think otherwise.
There was a saying that got thrown around a lot when i was younger, that is - if everybody put all there problems in a pile to swap for somebody else's problems, the likelihood is they would grab their own problems back. From this i feel like these recent videos have reinforced this for me, i the kindest way possible even though i feel like i am in the worst possible life scenario, i do not think i would want to swap with anyone else, as i know that right now i can handle what is going on around me.
So to finish this note a little lighter, i want to share my top five favourites that inspire me and give me hope and happiness.
1. Louis Cole - FunForLouis. An exception to the trend of separated parents, leads such a free and nomadic life and some of his vlogs are amazing.
2. Philip De Franco - SxePhil. His videos are the equivalent to the entertainment section in the morning paper.
3. Louise - Sprinkle Of Glitter. I think she is adorable and keeps a blog which is so good and constant (unlike my own).
4. Kate - Piddleass. I love her vlogs as she is not afraid to show the energetic, crazy side of her self , inside of us all.
5. Sam Pepper. Pranks and vlogs never fail to amuse. And he is really English.
So, this was quite a internet based blog as right now nothing in my life is at all interesting to any level of significance, which is disappointing. However, this summer i am not going abroad to get a full time job and might just get a part time job closer to home, which means i will have more time to read, adventure, work on my blogs and develop my art. I also need to sell a tonne of my clothes before i go to university.
Song sharing time!
I found this video last weekend thought i deserved a share.
This is their remix to their own song, which on its own is awesome but i love the cover even more. They have a bunch of other cover of songs which are good, but this is number one for me. And this is the first time they play on the giant guitar, previously they were all trying to play on an average size guitar, i think.
Everything at the moment is so busy due to exams coming up, and i am off my Easter holiday tomorrow and back to school - so obviously last minute panic as i finally realise i have done no homework over the three week break. New, better post on the 16th.
HAVE A GOOD DAY!
The weather is finally beginning to warm up in England, which is such relief as i feel i have not seen the sunshine in months. So, as per Briton, last week we got out the barbecue and had the first summer lunch of the year - ambitious. It was a good day, not really that hot, but warm enough. I think it is a British thing, as soon as enough people start to see the sun and it reaches 18 degrees Celsius, its basically considered summer in Britain. This also shows how much work i have been doing lately, revision for A2 exams next month (shitting bricks), as the only interesting thing in my life to blog about is a lunch i made last week. Wohoo!
Steaks
Rosemary and oil for potatoes
Ready to go on the BBQ
Doctor Who stamps
The main reason why my first barbecue of the year is so fascinating is the fact that the following day, there were blizzards and snow. So that was a quick English summer, i hope you can join us all again next year!
AND exciting news! I got the 50th Anniversary Doctor Who Memorial Stamps! Such internal excitement, i was shameless when purchasing them in the post office, FEELS. Also there were three more stamps of villains from doctor who - a dalek, a weeping statue and another i can not remember at this moment.
So as promised, for i do not know how many weeks now, i finally went to Stonehenge and Avebury Henge. I think it may have been the grimmest day of my Easter holiday, which was disappointing as i thought it might reduce the impact of the images for my art exam. However, i feel like the white sky really contributed to the sharp, grey of the rocks and would allow the viewer to focus more on the tone, shape and texture of the rock rather than the environment that the rocks were in. God this sounds like my art evaluation already. Chill.
After an early start to get out of the house early to allow for the journey to Wiltshire, my brother and sister were still in bed at 9.00am, so we did not end up leaving the house until 11.00am, which put a bit of a delay on my schedule but nevertheless we got out the house in the end. After following the directions on the Maps app for iPhone religiously we made it to Avebury Henge, which boasts that it is the largest stone circle in Europe, the weather cheered up - mildly i must emphasise. It comprises of three circles, one big circle with two circles in the larger one, and a ditch around the larger circle which used to be a moat - i think. I packed and distributed a lunch for everyone, including the dog, and we went off adventuring.
Original layout of Avebury, published in a late 19th century edition of the Swedish encyclopaedia. Original illustration by John Martin, based on an illustration by John Britton (copied from Wikipedia, such a go to)
Because you obviously need a sign to the biggest stone circle in Europe. Just incase you miss it!
Following the signs to where?
The outer circle and moat
Very polite sign...
…Which my dog soon disobeyed
Just been doing some graphite drawings, mind my grubby hands
I do not quite understand the use of the adjective 'scheduled' ancient monument
My dog bounding along in the most disobedient manner
Rocks from the inner circle
I think my hair gave up at this point
However throughout the duration of this excursion i had to keep focused as this, primarily, was a trip for observation and photography for my art examination in two weeks (or three). So here is a small batch of photos i may use - out of six hundred and fifty photos i did take. They all look quite boring, but my main aim is to take a textured layered subject piece and transform it into a two dimensional pattern.
The main reason i wanted to go to Avebury was because, unlike Stonehenge, you may touch the rocks and get great photos. Whereas at Stonehenge you can only walk round the circle at a distance and for a fee. Therefore we stood out side the area so i could just get a few shots of the place as it was imperative to tie my entire project together. You can especially see in these photos how dull the weather was, although it had taken a turn for the worse at this point in the day.
I realise now that this is a post which has been over filled with photographs, but i took so many photographs i therefore feel the need to share an excessive amount.
And now i am not really sure how to finish up this post, most commonly i fill this bit in with a ramble about my blog problems. Not today Interneters.
