Gallivanting...at Reading Festival

On Thursday, all packed up with a bag that was probably big enough to fit me in it, wellie-and-shorts-clad, I headed off to Reading Festival for the second year in a row- and I can honestly say that it totally topped last year's experience (and not just because of my age making it a hell of a lot easier to get a bit squiffy).
Before going I decided that I'd see the bands I wanted to see regardless of everyone else's plans- and I'm so glad that I did that. It did mean I spent a fair bit of time by myself wandering around and feeling a little bit awkward, but once the music started everything was forgotten and amazing. Stupidly, I didn't take my camera to the arena once so I only have a few campsite photos to offer BUT I was lucky enough to see some awesome music- although at times the crowds were a little bit too boisterous for it to be enjoyable (namely when I got a split lip during Foals- Inhaler and had to leave the crowd with bloody hands)!
My definite highlights included; Biffy Clyro- Biblical/Bubbles (and the whole damn set), Alt-j- Fitzpleasure, Tame Impala- Elephant (their set was possibly my favourite of the weekend), Disclosure- White Noise, White Lies- Farewell to the Fairground, the amazing noodles I had on the last day, and then of course making it home safe and sound to my bed.
I really did have the most amazing weekend ever- literally the only thing that could have made it better would be if Foo Fighters had been there like last year! Here's to more festivals- hopefully going to take advantage of living in Southampton next year and head to Isle of Wight or Bestival.

Campsite fun

Pre-Disclosure drinks

The very lovely Holls

I assure you we didn't spend the whole festival in these clothes- although some people possibly did -we just didn't bother taking any pictures until we were all looking a bit dishevelled on the last day! I'm so excited for seeing more live music in the near future, it made me so happy this weekend- I've already booked a ticket to see Frightened Rabbit at Southampton in November. Happy festivalling!

Quote of the Day

“I think it’s very healthy to spend time alone. You need to know how to be alone and not be defined by another person.”

-Olivia Wilde

Book Review: Schindler's Ark

I've had my eye on this novel for sometime now, as I've always found information/literature surrounding the Holocaust really interesting- despite not knowing all that much about it! Admittedly, an additional reason for fancying Shindler's Ark is the 'hype' surrounding the film- everyone seems to rave about it as one of the greats, and as a general rule I try to read the novel before seeing the film.

As a whole, I didn't enjoy this quite as much as I thought I would. I think it's probably because I read a lot at work so was frequently interrupted by customers and it made it pretty difficult to properly get into it. Towards the end though, I did feel a lot more drawn in and found myself making more effort to indulge in reading sessions. The narrative is an amazing and impressive one, Schindler as a character (especially as it is based on true events) is heroic and invites the full trust of the reader, which was really nice whilst reading. I did however find that there were a few to many characters to form real emotional attachments to anyone other than the constant of Schindler, although maybe that's reflective of the fast paced moving of prisoners from camp to camp and the fragility of life (or something to that effect at least!).

Something I found most interesting about the novel was a question posed towards the conclusion of the novel- the question of whether the SS officers acted merely under duty, or under their own human nature. Quite possibly it's a mixture of the two, depending on who we are dealing with- but I found it quite thought provoking despite being a passing comment within the narrative. 

Overall, I did enjoy Schindler's Ark, and had I devoted more time to it I probably would have enjoyed it even more. If you are interested in historical happenings/the Holocaust/heroic tales, then I would definitely recommend this novel. Next up is something a little lighter in the form of Rachel Joyce's The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry which I have heard lovely things about.

List V: Things to look forward to

Due to results/getting into uni, everything is a little bit exciting now and I have a lot to look forward to- and I have some lovely plans aside from university things too! Having things to look forward to is ace, especially as I feel I should be making the most of my time at home before I bugger off to Southampton. 

• Reading Festival

I went to Reading last year, and it was an amazing weekend. I can't wait to go again this year with two of my closest friends, and if anything, I think it could top last year! Recently I've been a bit rubbish at getting tickets for anything, so the last gig I went to was months ago- I can't wait to immerse myself in great music and hopefully discover some new stuff too.

• A stay with Granny

My Granny is possibly my favourite person in the world, and we've always gotten on amazingly well. At the beginning of September I'm going to stay with her for a couple of days, which will mean lovely walks on the beach with the dogs, exploring cute little shops, and hopefully lots of ice cream!

• My last shift at work

I really do enjoy my job, the people I work with and the people who come into the pub, but I'm looking forward to not having a job for a bit. However, I am working right up until the weekend before I go to Southampton so I'm sure celebrations will be in store!

• University

It goes without saying that I am ridiculously excited for going to university- it's something I've always wanted to do, and now it's properly set in stone it seems a bit surreal. I'm looking forward to new people, new surroundings, new reading, and new challenges. I'd honestly leave tomorrow if I could!

Okay, so this isn't an overly extensive list but I feel like I have a lot more to look forward to than just this! I'm sure I will keep updating/blogging about all things to come- especially Reading and Granny's. I really need to make the most of this next month before everything changes (yikes).

Quote of the Day

“Make your own Bible. Select and collect all the words and sentences that in all your readings have been to you like the blast of a trumpet.”

—	Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thoughts on...results and university

As many of you probably know, today was A Level (and AS) results day, meaning the day a lot of us found out whether or not we had gotten into our chosen university. It's safe to say that last night was a pretty sleepless one- dozing off at 2, waking up at 4, dozing off, waking up at 6 to check Maths results (B, good), then snoozing until UCAS clearing went live at 7.30. I found out that I now have a place at Southampton University to study English and I am over the moon, because I really had my heart set on it- but I still had to face collecting my English and Media results that- despite getting my place- I was still pretty worried about. As it turns out, I had no reason to worry at all. My overall grades were an A* in English Lit, A* in Media, and Bs in Maths and Extended Project- and I really couldn't be happier. The funny thing was that the only person who was actually surprised with these results was myself, everyone around me had expected me to do as well as I did- which I guess points out my major flaw in being my own worst critic. Of course it would have been lovely to have done better in Maths, but I can't really complain and I'm so proud of myself because the hours of revision and tears and tantrums and stress actually paid off- and I think I got the grades I deserved. Collecting results was lovely, because all of my friends had also gotten into university and I am so proud of each and every one of them (even though I'm going to miss them horribly).

Now everything is very real. I will definitely be moving to Southampton on 21st September. I'm not going to come home until December. I will have to make new friends. I will have to get back into the swing of academia. I will have to work hard again. To be fair, it isn't the work I'm worried about. I'm more worried about making new friends and making good first impressions on people- and steering away from the temptation of embracing my introverted tendencies and hiding away in my room with a book. That said, I am really looking forward to going. I need new challenges, new surroundings, new people...and I think this will be good for me. Next steps will be finding out my accommodation, buying all the bits and bobs necessary for university, and then buggering off to have an ace time!

I hope everyone got the results they wanted and is off to where they want to go. We did it- we beat A Levels! Well done to all.

An excitable me after very little sleep

Gallivanting...à Paris

 It was actually back in February 2012 that I last went to Paris, but I thought I'd grace you with a post about it anyway because I was thinking about the trip the other day. I went with the school for the second time, after already having gone in 2010, and again the trip was absolutely ace. You could pretty much name any tourist attraction in Paris (Arc de Triomph, Eiffel Tower, Pompidou, Notre Dame, Louvre, Sacre Coeur etc etc) and yes, we would have visited it- which resulted in a lot of tired, and sometimes moany, students. I understand that we had to make the most of our time there, and it was amazing having the opportunity to visit four museums in one day, but it really made me want to be there alone without the pressure of the clock and attempts to cram as much as possible into a fairly short space of time. The weather was also a bit of an issue, Paris in February is very, very chilly so I spent the majority of the time with around four layers on feeling a little bit snowman-esque. Nevertheless, both trips were wonderful and I am definitely going to get myself there again at some point in the near(ish) future!

View from atop the Eiffel Tower

Who doesn't need a free hug from time to time?

Evidence of snowman clobber

Pretty Parisian streets and Bekky being a tourist

"Lovers' Bridge" (or something to that effect)- couples put padlocks with initials onto the bridge to symbolise their love. Romantic, eh?

I love the narrow streets of Paris, and thought this bike looked pretty cute propped up in the corner

 I don't really have as many photos as I would like to because I stupidly didn't transfer them over from my old laptop when it gave up the ghost- but thought I'd go along with the post anyway! Next up: Schindler's Ark review (when I've finished it) as well as a results based post come Thursday if I'm happy!