GCSE results

As you may know if you live in the UK tomorrow (22nd August) all of the thousands of teenagers who sat their GCSEs will be picking up their results: myself included. To say that I am nervous would be an exaggeration of the highest level. I was fine (well I say fine if you can say that not being able to sleep and having very vivid dreams about failure is fine) until I watched the news and they said that "GCSE results this year are significantly lower than previously due to examiners marking papers more harshly". Well thats just great, thanks for telling me that when I am already a bundle of nerves, is it really necessary?

Its no wonder that so many people my age are having breakdowns over things like results, not only do we have the massive pressure that several single letters can completely change our lives and will impact us forever in whatever we want to do, but then you have high nosed people making things ten times worse than it needs to be. At least give us some hope that we have passed rather than squish it before we even know the results ourselves.

Then not only do we have people in high places complaining, but we have those who are older than us telling us that GCSEs are not important and that A-Levels are harder etc. Well yes I am perfectly aware that A-Levels are harder, thats obvious, a monkey could work that out, but at the time you found GCSEs hard as well. I also would count all my chickens that you were just as nervous as I or anyone my age when you were picking up your results, so why don't you stop complaining and shut up.

So thats my small rant and I have everything crossed that I have got the grades that I want and that what they are saying is not as true as they say.

The Mortal Instruments- Cassandra Clare BOOK REVIEW

Possible spoilers if you’ve not read all of the books in the series

Fuelled by the release of the Mortal Instruments being made into a film franchise and by the recommendation from a friend I began reading these books a while ago.  The first in the series of five books (so far, I believe that there will be a sixth coming out soon) called The City of Bones kickstarts the series.

It follows the characters of Clary, Jace, Simon, Isabelle, Alec, Magnus and the standard villain Valentine. Clary realises pretty soon into the book that she isn’t the normal human that she thinks that she is but has Shadow Hunter blood in her, and Jace, Isabelle and Alec, similar to herself are Shadow hunters that only she can see, the only difference is that they are trained fighters and she is not. Simon is what the Shadow Hunters call a mundane. It’s a pretty good book with a pretty good plot. However, there is a twist at the end of this book that makes me want to cry, because it is just so horrendous and gross, if you’ve read the book then you will know exactly what I am talking about.

It’s neither ground breaking nor something to be ignored, as it clearly hasn’t been. I believe that the general consensus of this book and all of the others in the series is you either love it or you hate it. Of course, I have to be awkward and say that I am completely passive about this series of books.

The second in the series is City of Ashes. Originally I couldn’t even remember what had happened in this book and had to re-read the blurb and a synopsis online before I could refresh my memory: take that, as you will. It just goes to show that this is a building block in the series, a filler if you will, a book that needs to be there so the next makes sense but doesn’t really fulfil your needs. Clary and Jace’s ‘relationship’ makes me want to throw up, seriously that is messed up.

This book is a lot more fast paced than the first, I’ll give it that but then the first in a series of books is always fairly slow. Simon is really developing as a character now that he is a vampire. I feel as if the most disappointing character in the entire two books is Valentine; I am not scared of him, nor do I think he a very good villain, he’s by no means sneaky or conniving enough, considering he is supposed to be trying to overthrow the clave he’s pretty predictable. Villains in novels like Harry Potter, The Hunger Games even Twilight for goodness sake are characters that you fear and you are constantly worried for the character. You don’t know that everything will be solved and be okay but with this series you just know that they will sort everything out in a way that is so ridiculously simple its stupid.

Third is City of Glass, this is my favourite in the series. This shows the ‘gang’ going to Alicante to basically fight a war. Can I just remind you all that Clary is a non-trained Shadow Hunter with absolutely NO experience. Suddenly just because she can use Runes she is undefeatable and yet Jace, arguably the best Shadow Hunter there is gets killed, then brought back to life. Really? Oh and Valentine is defeated. Okay fine, I know this sounds like I am bashing the book but it was the best to read but possibly the one with the worst plot. So much happens that you’re left feeling like “what the hell just happened” and not in a good way. Also why is it that Clary always seems to be making out with people she thinks are her brothers? What is going on in the author’s mind?

The fourth book is City of Fallen Angels. This book is incredibly slow right until the very end when all the action happens within about 5 chapters. (that’s an estimate number, don’t quote me, but lets just say it wasn’t long enough and was squeezed into a ridiculously short space when it should have been the focus of the book). After the finishing the very last page you are left with the sentence on most people’s lips “seriously, are you being serious Clare? This is ridiculous”.

She should have stopped writing these books after City of Glass. It makes no sense to carry it on, the main villain is dead, and everything has been resolved. Why bring up a can of worms now? Clary and Jace’s relationship is again a huge source of annoyance for me but for a completely different reason than last time. This time is because it is foolish- they finally are able to have each other in a non-gross way and yet they find fault with each other and there’s yet another reason why they cant be together.

URGHHHHHHHHHH there are so many faults in these books. I haven’t read the fifth one, I have it waiting on my shelf but I don’t think it will be read any time soon. This is another case of what I was talking about here when the author wants to milk the story for as long as possible but in short she/he weakens the plot by doing so. I think that you should read these books and come to your own conclusion because apart from the fourth book, whilst I was reading, I was fairly happy with the story, its only when I sat down to write this review that I realised the faults with it. So my advice is to read them and never review them.

If you don’t want to take my view for this then I suggest you go on Goodreads and read the reviews left by others on there; there’s definitely some interesting ones on there for your entertainment.

The problems with Twilight (book/film review)

Before I start, I understand that some people may not like the stuff that I like and love Twilight; but that's okay, I respect that you have a different opinion to my own and so you in turn should do the same. Right so now that little snippet is out of the way, on to more pressing matters, like why Twilight is so bad.

Lets start with the books since that is where this whole franchise started from in the first place. I have read the first and last book (Twilight and Breaking Dawn) all the way through and to be fair the last book is not all that bad, but even the best book in the series has some seriously disturbing things in it, but more on that later. I got about half way through the second book (New Moon) and I had to stop reading: it was so boring. Literally, one of the most boring, unimaginative and downright irritating books I have ever had the misfortune to read. I didn't even attempt reading the third book (Eclipse) because many regard the third as the worst book and to be perfectly honest, I don't see how it could have gotten worse than New Moon, but I was not willing to give it the chance.
Twilight- book one- This is the first book in the saga and its pretty adequate to say the least, it is not extremely exciting but neither is it extremely boring. The storyline is weak and the characters lacking but I didn't stop reading which was the main thing.
New Moon- book two- This was the worst book and coincidently the worst film in the series. It took everything in me to get halfway through the book and then I had to give up: something, I hasten to add I never do when it comes to books. The fact that Bella basically had a mental breakdown because Edward left her is utterly ridiculous; Bella is just pathetic and shows how much of a weak character and role model that she is. Take Hermione for example, she continued to fight alongside Harry to find the Horcruxes despite Ron walking out. She, unlike Bella, didn't completely breakdown and become suicidal- trying to kill herself by jumping off a cliff just to catch sight of her beloved Edward.
Eclipse- book three- Cannot comment because I have not read it. What I will say however, is that I know someone who used to be obsessed with Twilight and even she did not read Eclipse, so what does that tell you?
Breaking Dawn- book four- As I said before I didn't mind it, in fact I will probably re-read it eventually, you know when I'm desperate. The main problem with this book is the whole Jacob part: sorry, but he actually imprinted on a baby? What? Why would you even think that that is okay to write? It's creepy, she's a baby, am I the only one who thinks that this is really, really weird and just such bad writing? It really brings down the book as a whole which could have been a fairly sufficient ending to a very, very average saga.

As for the films, well that's a whole new kettle of fish, the cast is appalling and the acting (well if you can call that acting) is rubbish, unmoving and just one dimensional. Robert Pattinson who plays Edward Cullen just looks bored throughout all of the films; he just looks very stiff and I know that this is partly to do with the fact that he is playing a vampire but after reading the books I was so surprised to see how different Edward is in the books compared to the film. I am very much as they say (and I do cringe as I type this, fear not) on team Jacob in the films but certainly team Edward in the books. Its no secret that Pattinson isn't exactly Twilight's biggest fan and to be honest I think (obviously money aside) he regrets being part of this franchise because he will henceforth be known as the 'sparkly vampire' at least he will be in my eyes. Kristen Stewart: well, what can I say about her without being completely rude...probably nothing, so I will leave my opinion about her to your imagination. However, I will give her the fact that she is a lot better in the last film (Breaking Dawn part 2) and if she had done all of the films to that standard then the films as whole probably wouldn't have sucked (ha ha) as much. The rest of the cast, I can see no major problems with and are all fairly decent actors.
A huge problem for me as a viewer about the films is the shocking 'thing' that was supposed to be Renesmee, I know its hard to get a baby to be so animated and she is supposed to be very clever for her age but seriously, it was the creepiest thing I have ever seen. They could have just got girls who looked similar to play the child at different stages of her life because after all we don't all look exactly the same as we did as a baby, but apparently this child does...
I know this is probably the most negative review that I have written, but even I cant deny the success of the franchise, despite me not completely understanding why when there are such incredible books out there that haven't had half as much recognition. However, I don't think that given 5 years it will have made that much of a lasting impression, sorry Twihards.

YouTube is taking over the world

YouTube has recently broken away from funny cat videos to a way of actually earning a very decent living. With the YouTube community growing by the day and more and more channels being set up to achieve this dream you must ask yourself this: where did it all come from? And do these so called creators deserve the insane perks that they receive?

Whether you are making vlogs (video blogs), videos about make-up, singing videos or whatever else takes your fancy, one thing is clear: if you make good content or are attractive get ready for the big bucks. If you can get the balance right then you could be earning an estimated £100,000 per annum, although this figure could be more or less than the actual amount and is just an estimate after doing some research. Unless you are part of the YouTube partner scheme (which you are eligible for after you have passed 3000+ subscribers and once you have signed up, advertisers can then advertise on your videos and channel and that is how you make the money) they are very quiet about the sum of money that they receive. Although it must be substantial enough for the majority of them to have no other job except YouTube. 

We also know that YouTubers can make enough to purchase houses as told to the viewer on one of Charlie 

McDonnell (charlieissocoollike) videos, he stated that the money he has received from his videos has enabled him to put a mortgage down on a house. Bare in mind that Charlie has had no other job and began making videos as a teenager, so has had no other income. Charlie has recently surpassed 2,000,000 subscribers and he barely posts a video every month, yes, his content is good but how come he gets all of this by doing hardly anything?

Inside of this huge community you have a bunch of them who have hit the big time in terms of YouTube fame. They all of course know each other; probably through their swanky gatherings or conventions which always seem to be held for them. All of them have over 100,000 subscribers and that number is growing constantly.

So what is so appealing about sitting in front of a camera and getting subscribers? Well to be perfectly honest I can't see hardly any drawbacks to it: It is literally the dream job. You not only get to work from home, you get sent free stuff from companies to try out and review, you get invited to VIP events and red carpets and you get paid probably more than an average 9-5 worker for doing about 90% less work; you don't even have to have any qualifications. The only very minor drawback is that you can get some hate on the videos you create however, the thousands of fans that you have will completely heckle that person anyway. 

The thing that I find amazing these days is that YouTubers are actually treated like celebrities. Tayna Burr (pixi2woo) held a gathering and actually had to leave because of the enormity of the people that came along, security had to escort her out. What? Why? that's ridiculous she is a normal person literally like you and me. So for them to be getting the same treatment as celebrities is a little ridiculous. 

Dan and Phil (danisnotonfire and amazingphil) now have a regular slot on a prime time radio show on BBC radio one. Two YouTubers from the USA Elle and Blair Fowler (allthatglitters21 and juicystar07) have had a two book deal, a phone line, a make-up line, a clothing line and a shoe line all because they make videos. Normal people have to work damn hard to get all of that and it seems to me as if YouTubers are just handed that on a plate. They don't have any more talent than anyone else but because they have a successful channel they can get into all of this despite having no training, qualifications or even aptitude for the task, it's another case of celebrity syndrome and just want you for your name, but then to the general public who are older than 30 and don't watch YouTube they are nobodies. I am not disputing that they may work hard once they have gotten into their projects but then shouldn't they have had to work just as hard if not harder to get into the actual project? 

I understand that there is a lot more to making a video than just sitting in front of a camera, but some YouTubers now have the arrogance to actually employ someone to edit their videos for them? Excuse you but how tenacious can you get? You don't do anything else in the day except make a video so don't take it for granted and do your own dirty work. Also, when YouTubers complain that they are stressed? I'm sorry my dear, but I don't think you quite realise what stress is, when you get the luxury of having completely flexible hours, a job doing something you enjoy, a job that you have total control over,  a job with good money, need I go on? I'm not sure that you are in significant position to complain about being stressed.

Only last week a group of British YouTubers got to go on a tour to the Harry Potter Studio Tour completely for free, had goodie bags and even had a free hotel with free food all thrown in as well. Why? Some of them didn't even like Harry potter, so why not give something like that to fans who love it and will in short get more joy out of it? This doesn't just go for YouTubers but celebrities as well; why give them stuff just because of who they are?

Another thing, it seems to me that if you are attractive (especially if you're a boy) you will go far on YouTube even if you make rubbish content. So get an attractive face and then you will be partying with the big boys soon enough.

Although I have been extremely negative in this post I will still continue to watch their content because it can be entertaining and sometimes, more often than not better than TV but I know that someone who is reading this post may think that I am being jealous: maybe I am. However, I still believe that YouTube shouldn't give creators enough money that it is their sole work as it belittles the work that others without YouTube channels have to put in to get to where they are. Or perhaps this might be a brand new way and quick slide to get into fame? Who knows? Only time will tell. I suppose if you are lucky enough to be the minority that have hundreds of thousands of subscribers you should be patted on the back because clearly I am missing something that should allow you to make such massive revenue from it.

Irritation for the human race

The human race can be the most obnoxious, irritating and just damn right rude things you will ever encouter in your life. Yes, we have good things, but this post is going to focus on the bad: call me a pessimist, I don't care.
Down below I have complied a list of things that people do that really make me want to lose all of my morals and punch the person in the face. I am not saying I am not guilty of doing all of these things because lets face it I have probably done all of these things, but they still annoy the crap out of me.

*disclaimer; may be some foul language but it is kept to a minimum and also this is not my best writing, instead it was written as a rant, I apologise, half decent blog posts will resume as normal shortly*

• people who think they are better than everyone else

Why? Who gave you divine right to think you are better than anyone else? Who do you think you are? Just because you may have a better upbringing/more money/better morals etc, so what? You are just a bad a person as they are but just for a whole different reason. 

• stubbornness

I respect morals and holding your ground, but there comes a point where its just like, COME ON, loosen up stop being selfish and ignorant. Because that's what stubbornness effectively is it's just being selfish, when it gets to the point where you actually stop others for having fun because you wont do things any other way except your own.

• when you can actually smell the bulls**t when someone is sprouting a story to you 

(excuse the potty mouth, but I believe it was necessary)

I don't understand why you would want to tell a story that is completely made up just to make you look good. NO, just don't do it, don't lie, you WILL get caught out and end up looking like a complete idiot. Just don't do it, if you feel yourself wanting to tell a story of lies, go into another room and put a bin on your head.

• people who kiss ass 

Look, I get it, you like this person but the sun does not shine out of their ass. You just sound like an idiot when all you do is compliment them, especially when what you're saying is complete rubbish. Stooooop it please, for your sake if not my own because I will sit on you.

• people who make fun of others just because they are different and make them uncomfortable

Welcome to high school this should be renamed as. Seriously, what gave certain teenagers the right to make others feel unnecessarily uncomfortable just because they don't want to go out and smoke weed and get drunk but would rather do other things? The amount of times someone in my school would take the mick out of me for liking Harry Potter or anything else remotely nerdy was ridiculous: so what if I don't like the same things as you, chances are I probably think you're a dick, so just stop talking to me if you're going to be a douche about me.

• people who just constantly have to be right about everything

Let me just tell you one thing; you are never right all the time, so my dear, just accept that the probability of you being wrong is possible, just accept it and move away. Especially if there is evidence to prove you are wrong, don't for the love of God keep arguing because you look like a ninny. 

• those that have so much anger towards a person but never confront the person

What is the point of just being angry with someone and never telling them? If you tell them they might realise that they are being annoying and stop or if they don't agree with you then they will just leave your life, after all if you have so much anger towards them you wont care if they leave. Don't be bitchy behind their back because you will be caught out and you will look like the bad guy. So step up and stop getting walked all over please, have some self-respect.

• indirect statues/tweets 

Oh God, if there's one thing that makes me want to crumple up the internet over it is indirect statues or tweets. To start off, if you are never going to say it to their face then please DON'T just say it over the internet. Be a grown up about it all and tell the person instead of just hiding behind a computer screen. If you feel like doing an indirect, write it out, then delete it and step away from the internet until you have calmed down.

• when people suddenly start caring when something happens but didn't give a crap about you before

For example, a boy in my year's father has died from a long battle of cancer; no one cared before he died, now all of a sudden everyone is trying to pretend like they know him. Well no, I'm sorry but if you didn't care before, I'm pretty sure that the boy only wants his friends around him at this sad time. I encourage people to pay their respects but don't over step it and act like their best friend when you have barely uttered a word beforehand. Its like the same thing with suicide; no one cares when they are alive, but as soon as they are dead, suddenly they were the best thing since sliced bread. If you really thought that, how about telling them when they can still respond to you.

• people who say they didn't study/revise when they actually spent months revising. WHAT IS THE POINT IN LYING ABOUT THAT?

There is no shame in revising, everyone does it at some point. You don't seem more smart just because you say you haven't revised and then get full marks, you just look like a liar. You're not Einstein so please do not try to fool me that you are.

• people who never ever say sorry even when they know they are wrong

All it is is one word, if you know you are in the wrong, swallow your pride and say sorry because otherwise you drag the argument out longer than it needs to be and you end up looking like a bellend. In the end people will respect you more for admitting you're wrong that being arrogant and insisting you're right.

That will be all for now, but my God if you had seen the first draft of this it was just a collection of obscenities and keyboard smashes because these are the most annoying and irritating traits that people have. There are obviously many more, but these are the collection that have been annoying me recently. I can only apologise but this was written when I was in rant mode, so I apologise for the lack of good writing, but its good to have a moan everyone once in a while, especially when then human population is as annoying as it it.

My opinion on Doctor Who

*This article is inspired because of this article here* whilst I cant honestly say I wholeheartedly agree with the article. There are parts that I do sadly agree with; I say this because I love Doctor Who I honestly do, however, when I say that I am talking more so about the earlier series (1-4). I watch it every week that it is on and I will be buying the series when it comes on out on Itunes. That being said, I cant honestly say that I am 100% happy with the direction that Doctor Who has taken in the past few years. I want to clear one thing up, I don't think that Doctor Who is sexist just because the companions follow the Doctor around. Isn't that the whole point of the companion role? The Doctor is supposed to be a hero and I don't see what is wrong with that.

My biggest problem with Matt Smith's Doctor is that he doesn't seem to have any emotion and in fact the reason why the finale of the seventh series was so good was because it showed the Doctor showing emotion like the good old days of Nine and Ten. He connected with the audience which I don't think he has done all series and to be perfectly honest I haven't liked this series very much. Its left me feeling bored and deflated whereas older episodes left me feeling exhilarated and as if I had been travelling at 100 mph. I don't believe that it is Matt Smith's fault I think its more so the scripts fault.

The best thing about the old companions (Rose, Martha and Donna) is that they had their moments of weakness but they all aided to help save the world on numerous occasions. Amy and Clara haven't had this kind of moment of saving the world but only moments of weakness and being the damsel in distress or in Clara's defence she obviously helped to save the Doctor but that's about as far as her heroic efforts go. Doctor Who used to be about the saving the universe with the help of his friends from inside his little blue box. His life definitely wasn't at the heart of every single episode in a series.

Another thing I am not keen on is River Song. Her storyline into the Doctors life was ridiculously and unnecessarily complicated. I dislike her character a lot and I hate that she is married to the Doctor; they don't show nearly as much chemistry as Ten did with Rose for example and if the Doctor is supposed to be married to her then I would have expected fireworks. I hate that River can fly the TARDIS, because I'm sorry but that's the Doctors job. I just generally don't like her and think she is an annoying character who thinks that she is better than the Doctor.

The kids in this series were also pretty shocking. They were completely and utterly stereotypical which made them one dimensional and boring. You didn't feel connected to them at any point during the 'Nightmare in Silver' episode and just thought that they were pointless and with hundreds of thousands of children all over the world who would kill to be in an episode of Doctor who it makes me question why they chose these two children above anyone else.

I watch Doctor Who more so out of routine but I do still get excited about episodes only to get disappointed 45 minutes later. I feel that Moffat sometimes writes some cracking episodes but then the amount of not so great episodes completely outnumber that. Its upsetting to see that Doctor Who has gone downhill because it really has. Take my dad for example, he has watched Doctor Who since he was about 5 years old and has been an avid fan ending after series 5. He now doesn't have the time of day for it because he doesn't like the writing and the monsters and boring and repetitive and I must say I agree with him.

The episodes are as I say repetitive and too confusing, Doctor Who is supposed to be a children's programme and to be honest I'm sure that grown adults find it confusing and hard to follow. I just miss the old fun Doctor Who where the companion was just as important as the Doctor and who was just as badass and fearless as him. I loved when The Doctor showed emotion and learned from the companions, rather than now when he is the only main character and the companion is just someone he takes along for a ride. (Also why do none of the new companions actually travel with the Doctor all the time? (Like Rose and Donna and Martha did).

The recent series has seen the Doctor on the hunt to try and save his real name from ever being identified, this story had the ability to be amazing: So far it hasn't been. I understand that it has all been in the run up for the fiftieth but come on! add some excitement! Doctor Who isn't about him, its about saving the planet and those far beyond our planet!

I think that Moffat should just stick to writing Sherlock because he does a stellar job doing that but I wish he had left Doctor Who alone. I feel as if this is a really negative review and I am sorry for that but I wouldn't for a moment make you think that I don't love Doctor Who because I certainly do although I do feel as if its going through a rough patch. But I will continue to watch because its Doctor Who and its bound to get better again sometime soon I just hope I don't have to wait 2000 years like Rory did.

Question and Answer time aka its time to get deep

What is one thing you would like to accomplish before your next birthday?

My birthday is less than a month away now, but my life will be considerably different by the time it comes around which is pretty scary to think about. However, by the time I am sixteen I will have very nearly finished my GCSEs and will only have one exam left. That is mad in my eyes because I've worked so hard and so far my entire education has lead up to this point and in less than a month I will be finished with that part of my life. My childhood will well and truly be over by this time and I will be considered an adult and to be perfectly honest that scares the crap out of me. So yes, actually, I believe I would have accomplished a lot by this time. However, if we are talking about next year, I hope to be getting ready to learn to drive, be making a good start in my A-Levels, making more of an effort to make new friends, trying new experiences and just growing as a person. My brother really started to change into the person he is today when he went in to the sixth form and I really hope the same happens to me. If my life is still very much the same as it is now, then I will feel like I really haven't achieved anything at all.

What would you say is your best quality? What do you think you’re really good at? What do you think you’re really bad at?

I would say my best quality is I am an extremely loyal person and I'm not necessarily afraid to say what I think and this is why this blog is such a good thing for me, a place that I can openly state my opinion and no one really cares. However, the fact that I say what I think can often get me into trouble. Isn't it strange that our best qualities can sometimes be our biggest downfalls? I think on a personal level I am good at listening and trying to give relevant advice to people in most cases, but when it comes to taking my own advice, that never goes very well. The worst quality and the thing I am worst at is the fact that I have an extremely short temper and that makes me do stupid things that I regret. 

Are you a bad person? Are you nice to everyone? 

Does this mean that because you are not always nice to everyone that you are a bad person? I really don't think so. I think that the way you treat people depends on the way you yourself are treated. If someone is horrible to you should you really be expected to let them walk all over you? No I don't think you should have to deal with that, however, I do think that occasionally you do just have to accept that some people are just nasty people and you will never get a civil word from them, so to show that you are the better person you need to just ignore what they say. If I have learnt anything this year it’s how to keep my mouth shut to avoid an argument. 

A quote you try to live by:

"Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." -Albus Dumbledore (JK Rowling)

In my eyes, someone's favourite quote or a quote that they try to live by says so much about a person. It could come from like mine a favourite book, film or TV show, music lyric or just a quote from anything at all it just helps you to really understand a person a little bit more and it shows you what motivates them to carry on when they are struggling 

Right so now I have gone so deep I am almost at the bottom of the ocean, I will leave it there for now.

Travel writing- Egypt

A word of advice: never go to Egypt in the middle of August. I found this out the hard way, after having severe sunburn almost immediately after stepping off the plane. The heat hits you very fast, and very hard in the face; you instantly start taking all the layers that you possibly can off without being indecent. The heat never decreases and you feel like you are constantly in an oven.

Although it’s not all bad, Egypt, enriched with history and myth, always keeps you on your toes and intrigued. An absolute must if you're visiting Egypt is to see the pyramids in Cairo. To see history right in front of your eyes on such a massive magnitude is incredible; something that you will never forget. The problem with the pyramids is that when you are marvelling at the exquisite features ahead of you, the street traders come out to play. A friendly tip is that if you completely ignore them, they will go away, if you so much as show as spot of interest or even eye contact, they will follow you around until you outwardly tell them to leave you alone: although this is not fool proof as most can't speak English. So don't buy anything unless the tour guide himself recommends it, or else you will be offered to be traded for five camels in exchange for a piece of rock from the ground: an offer I’m pretty sure my parents were considering.

Cairo is an adventure in itself: the roads are manic and the drivers equally insane. Instead of there being two or three lines of traffic there is about seven, with each car trying to get in front of the other, like an episode of the Wacky Racers. So, you will thank yourself later that you booked this trip with a tour guide and can leave them to try and keep you alive: you are quite literally putting your life in their hands.

Once over the initial shock of the driving without any clear rules, you look around and see a city so very different from the UK. The inhabitants are clothed in items from the Islamic religion and all the women have their hair covered: although how they manage to stay covered with the intense heat, I'll never know. Something also remarkable is seeing camels used as a way of transportation; I was told that this was common and often cheaper than buying cars. It was still a massive cultural shock none the less and highly amusing to see bags of shopping tied to the camels hump. 

Egypt is a place you will never forget, possibly because you come home with burnt feet or because you have been in the presence of an incredible part of history: either way it’s a fantastic place to cross off the bucket list.

McFly- Memory Lane (The Best of McFly) CD REVIEW

I have been a fan of McFly for ages, so when they announced that they releasing their best selling and favourite songs on to one CD last Christmas time, I was extremely happy.

The songs on the CD are as follows.

1. Love is Easy

2. Shine a Light (radio edit) 

3. Party Girl 

4. Falling in Love (radio edit) 

5. Do Ya 

6. Lies 

7. One for the Radio 

8. The Heart Never Lies 

9. Transylvania 

10. Friday Night 

11. Stargirl 

12. Don’t Stop Me Now 

13. I’ll Be OK

14. All About You 

15. Room on the Third Floor 

16. Obviously 

17. Five Colours in Her Hair 

18. Do Watcha 

19. Cherry Cola

20. That Girl – original 2003 demo

21. Obviously – demo 2003 demo

22. Memory Lane 

All written and co-written by Mcfly with James Bourne Jason Perry, Julian Emery, Daniel Carter, Freddie Mercury, Ben Sargeant. 

Favourite songs on the album: The Heart Never Lies, All About You, Five Colours in Her Hair and Obviously- 2003 demo.

Least favourite songs on the album: Party Girl, Friday Night and Do Watcha.

Although the only new song on here is Love is Easy, this album is a must have for all fans of the band. It is great to listen to in the car because the songs are catchy and you always find yourself belting out the songs with your foot frantically tapping along with the beat. Would certainly recommend to anyone who enjoys well written, fun and slightly silly songs written and preformed by an extremely charismatic quartet.  

Taylor Swift- Red. REVIEW

My mum recently brought Taylor Swifts album Red. I sort of love and hate Taylor, but even so I thought I would listen to the songs on the album and give you my verdict.

Songs on the album

"State of Grace" written by Taylor Swift
"Red" Written by Taylor Swift
"Treacherous" written by Taylor Swift and Dan Wilson
"I Knew You Were Trouble" written by Taylor Swift, Max Martin and Shellback
"All Too Well" written by Taylor Swift and Liz Rose
"22" written by Taylor Swift, Max Martin and Shellback
"I Almost Do" written by Taylor Swift
"We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" written by Taylor Swift, Max Martin and Shellback
"Stay Stay Stay" written by Taylor Swift
"The Last Time" feat Gary Lightbody written by Taylor Swift, Gary Lightbody and Jacknife Lee
"Holy Ground" written by Taylor Swift
"Sad Beautiful Tragic" written by Taylor Swift
"The Lucky One" written by Taylor Swift
"Everything Has Changed" feat Ed Sheeran written by Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran
"Starlight" written by Taylor Swift
"Begin Again" written by Taylor Swift

Favourite songs on the album: "22", "Holy Ground" and "Everything Has Changed"

Least favourite songs on the album: "Treacherous" and "Sad Beautiful Tragic"

Although this album isn't ground breaking: it's okay. Neither good nor bad, nothing to really scream about. most of the songs are catchy but none are absolutely massive hits that will be around for years to come. I do really admire that Taylor Swift has written or co-written every single song on the album, not many singers can actually admit that they do that and it is something to be really proud about.
*edit* I am actually enjoying it a lot more the second time listening to it, still not the best album in the world but not half bad.