52 Thoughts I Had While Rewatching Disney's Pinocchio

Hello Lovelies!

I'd like to start this post off by saying that I hadn't seen Pinocchio in over five years when I watched it... it's a little different than I remembered it. So, without further adieu, here is my train of thought during Pinocchio.

1. Why does Jiminy Cricket have a hillbilly accent? Isn't Pinocchio German?

2. Why did Geppetto give Pinocchio no mouth?

3. Ahh, he's painting on the mouth. Never mind.

4. Ooh, the fish and the cat don't like the name Pinocchio.

5. Geppetto really needs some company.

6. How is the fish so pretty? It's not fair, she's a fish!

7. Ah yes, an alarm clock where the alarm noise is a child screaming while his mother spanks him. Lovely. 

8. That pipe is literally as long as your arm, Geppetto. I'm concerned.

9. The cat is me. I am literally this cat. 

10. I'm pretty sure the Blue Fairy is just Snow White with blonde hair.

11. Geppetto, go back to bed. 

12. How are two foxes walking around and no one notices? Yet people notice Pinocchio is wooden...

13. I'm convinced the cat wants to be human and that's why he's jealous of Pinocchio.

14. For being a conscience, Jiminy's not very noble or good.

15. Lol, the cat/lion/fox/human thing is so stupid.

16. Yeah Pinocchio, don't be an actor. There's no money in that. Go to school.

17. How has Pinocchio become so famous in like 30 seconds?

18. Poor Pinocchio. All these girls want him and he looks terrified. 

19. The show runner just locked Pinocchio in a cage!

20. And now he's twerking. This is not good. 

22. The dolls are hanging by their necks and the lightning keeps flashing on their smiling faces. This is creepy. How is this a children's movie?

23. Poor Geppetto. He's all alone in his bathrobe in the rain trying to find his son.

24. How does a puppet blow his nose? What does he get? Splinters instead of boogers?

25. Ooh. Pinocchio's in trouble now. The Blue Fairy wants to know why Pinocchio didn't go to school.

26. How did his nose grow birds? Maybe he gets birds instead of boogers.

27. Ooh. His coins are bigger than the show runner/director's. Take his, fox people.

28. Did the man just say he's collecting stupid little boys? 

29. This is so not a children's movie.

30. Let me get this right. He's collecting stupid boys to take to a place called Pleasure Island where they never come back as boys. Please tell me I'm not the only one whose mind is going some place it shouldn't.

31. Pinocchio! Don't go to Pleasure Island; you won't be able to go school... I'm sensing a theme here. 

32. So Pleasure Island is basically a big carnival with free drinks and cakes.... can I go to Pleasure Island?

33. "Come here and smoke your heads off!" Who decided this was an appropriate movie for children?

34. "You buttered your bread, now sleep in it." I don't think that's how that phrase goes Jiminy.

35. The stupid-boy-collecting man is turning the stupid boys into donkeys. Okay. That's not what I was expecting. 

36. The real question is, why are there no girls here? Answer, because girls aren't this stupid apparently.

37. Oh, we're in trouble. Pinocchio's turning into a donkey. 

38. This is horrifying.

39. Finally. Go home Pinocchio. 

40. Where's Geppetto?

41. Oh, he was swallowed by a whale. Of course. I should have seen that coming. 

42. Pinocchio's going to drown himself to find the whale at the bottom of the sea. Right. That's logical.

43. Now he's dragging the rock that sunk him around with him. Is this supposed to be symbolic?

44. Aww, the sea horses are so cute!

45. "I never though it would end this way. Starving to death in the belly or a whale." I can't imagine many people would think it would end that way, Geppetto. 

46. They're literally making a fire in the belly of the whale just for the purpose of making it sneeze so they can get out. How stupid are these people? Why is the whale not burning on the inside? So many questions!

47. Oh. The whale's having a sneezing fit. This isn't good. The whale's the size of the hotel. 

48. "Oh no! Now he hates me!" Well if you wanted him to like you Geppetto, maybe you shouldn't have set your boat on fire in his belly. Not the best way to make friends.

49. No! Pinocchio's dead (although I'm a little confused as to how. Can't he breathe underwater?)

50. Oh please! You're going to save him? He hasn't been selfless, brave or true! He's been a brat.

51. Yeah, yeah, Pinocchio's alive. We get it.

52. Awww, Jiminy's got his gold badge. Good for him.

Well.

That was something.

A little different than I remember.

Okay, a lot different than I remember.

Moral of the story: Stay in school kids.

Up next: Bambi

Astoria - My Review

Hello Lovelies!

So one of my favourite bands released their new album about a month back and it's beautiful. It's so raw and real, I'm in awe of the songwriting. I'm going to do a review of my favourites ordered by their appearance on the album, although that's going to be very, very hard because literally every song is my favourite. However, I thought you should all have a bit of backstory before you listen, so you can appreciate the beauty and pain in this album.

Basically, "Astoria" is the past four years for Josh and the highs and lows that he went through. Having Call Me Maybe become huge, being nominated at the Grammys, going on arena tours and getting engaged. His mother being diagnosed with Dementia, his fiancee leaving him, spending lots of time in and out of the hospital, losing his motivation and drive. This album is pretty much his diary of the past two years. He got tons of people who had been there with him in the crappy parts to actually play and sing little bits on the album. If you want to find out more, the video below goes into the making of Astoria (there is a bit of swearing in it, be forewarned).

1. Astoria

For some stupid reason, I can't upload the video directly from YouTube, so you'll have to click this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDuZ5bs4g1s . 

If you know Marianas Trench, you'll know that their opening songs and their closing songs are always the best. This one is no different. It's a medley of a whole bunch of different styles and really intense and it definitely sets the scene for the rest of the album to follow. 3:00-4:30 is the best part of the song in my humble opinion, because minor key and his falsetto. Language warning if you don't like that kind of thing.

2. Burning Up

Alright, so none of the videos will embed in my post. You'll have to click the links if you want to hear them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=423Dln7tZ10

I heard the chorus first on a little preview and was immediately grinning. It's totally got the 80s party vibe and his high notes here are beautiful. I love, love the cockiness in the line "Don't say you don't miss me that much, don't say I don't still make you blush". It's about a relationship that maybe it's going the greatest. Then the guy is saying, "Is this really that bad? Are you really going to call this off? You can see the chemistry we have, don't deny it." 

3. This Means War

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dkD9COPTcU

I can relate slightly to this one and it's another upbeat song. The way I see it, it's about two people who used to have chemistry, who would banter a lot. Then they moved away and kind of lost touch, then when they'd see each other again, they'd be all polite. They'd ask each other how they were doing and ask about their lives. But the chorus is talks about missing the bantering, the chemistry, the "war". It's fun. I like it.

4. Dearly Departed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fKYW_ALPVg

Don't even get me started on this one. Ugh, it's so beautiful and simple and I love it so much. It's just a ukulele and a violin. It's him singing about his relationship with his fiancee. It hits me right in the feels every time I listen to it. The bridge is the best part of the whole song because it has references to all of the songs he wrote for her. If you're not a Trencher, I've written the lyrics of the bridge below, and bolded the song references, just because you have to see this. It's amazing.

"Every masterpiece I'd write again
You'll always be my porcelain
I crossed my heart
But I stuttered too
So truth or dare
Was I good to you
Haven't had enough of you all to myself
Still right beside you
In sickness and health
For ever after
You will be my home
And there's no place like home"

5. While We're Young

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1Aap4cj7jk

This one is beautiful. It's the one that you get your lighters out for when they play it live. It's slow, but not soft. There's a different sort of vibe, less put together. I don't know how to describe it. It's more... messy? The guitars aren't perfectly mixed and it sounds so good. The song's about being in a relationship and slowly growing apart. The slow fade. The chorus talks about how they're young and it should be the time of their lives, but they miss each other. 

6. Forget Me Not

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ctp75pgQcF0

I tear up every time I hear this song. My parents can't listen to it without crying. Basically, don't listen to it unless you're ready to feel all the feels. Josh wrote this song about his mother and how she's slowly forgetting him. He says he isn't ready for it all, he still needs his mum, but he's going to be there for her. He'll help her back into the bed and be her forget-me-not. It's beautiful and so sad. 

7. End of Era

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FYqqtwTFFo

Kay, I love this song for so many reasons. First, so many references to other songs in other albums. Porcelain, Masterpiece Theatre, Ever After, Celebrity Status, they're all in there. And it makes me so happy listening to it because I feel like so many artists kinda throw out their old music when they make new stuff, almost ashamed of it. With these guys, they embrace it. They make it part of who they are today. Second, I absolutely love the medley, the way they managed to combine so many different styles of music into an amazing piece of art. Just when you think it can't get cooler, it does. Then I love the lyrics and the meaning. It's all about not forgetting your past but moving on and saying goodbye. He's saying goodbye to the past couple years of his life, his "Astoria". He's grown up, he's moved on, he needs to say goodbye to his past. The first song sang "Tell me I survive you, Astoria". Then this one sings "How did we survive you, Astoria?" A conclusion. An ending. I could literally copy and paste the entire song lyrics here, but I've narrowed it down to three lines that I absolutely love.

"I'm so afraid of trying something new

Cause every start begins with saying goodbye to you"

"(How did we survive)

We went through hell in Astoria
(How did we survive)
We lost ourselves in Astoria
(How did we survive)
I gave in to sickness
Can you find forgiveness
For a dear old friend
So Astoria can end"

"I hope you know that I don't blame you my dear friend

Always will love you still
But Astoria must end"

Anyways. This album is amazing and beautiful and this was possibly the hardest album review I've had to write because there are ten amazing songs I didn't even include in this list. You should all go listen to it, because it's priceless.

Sounds Good Feels Good - My Review

Hello Lovelies!

So, if you're like me and may or may not be part of the 5SOS fam, then you know that they may or may not have released a beautiful masterpiece a little while back. And if you're like me, you may or may not have sobbed and laughed and been ridiculously proud all at the same time. So! If after reading that description and you've decided that you ARE in fact like me, then stick around, because I'm about to dive head first into the Sounds Good Feels Good album. I'll list my favourites in the order they appear on the album.

1. Permanent Vacation

This one seriously reminds me of the song "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" by Alan Jackson. It's got the whole, "Screw what people say. I'm doing things my way and I'm taking a break" vibe going on. It's fun. It's peppy. It's upbeat. But it's definitely a step up from She Looks So Perfect.

2. Waste the Night  

In my humble opinion, I think the best part of this song is the chorus and the interlude. It's kind of sappy, I'm not going to lie, but I still like it. It's about needing someone's love and not wanting to make the same mistakes as last time by leaving them. Last time they wasted the night and they don't want to do that this time. The interlude is just pretty. I have no idea what they're saying, but it's pretty.

3. Castaway

This one probably has the rockiest vibe on the album, even if it's not the heaviest. The lyrics do nothing for me really, I just love the beat, especially in the pre-chorus. The pre-chorus lyrics are pretty good too actually, so I retract my statement. They're about how someone left them with nothing but empty picture frames. It's got a vibe of another band, but I can't quite place it. Anyone have any ideas?

4. Broken Home

I could go on for ages about the beauty and pain in this song. And I'm pretty sure like many other people, it took me a few times before I could listen to it without breaking down and sobbing. It's about a girl who's grew up in a home where her parents were always fighting and screaming and she was dying. She's looking back on her time there and it still hurts. The chorus, ugh, the chorus. I'm tearing up as I think about it now. It's her talking directly to her parents. It saddens me to think about just how many people can relate to this song. Even if you aren't a 5SOS fan, listen to this song. It's really beautiful and real.

"Hey mum, hey dad
When did this end?
Where did you lose your happiness?
I'm here alone inside of this broken home
Who's right, who's wrong
Who really cares?
The fault, the blame, the pain's still there
I'm here alone inside of this broken home, this broken home"

5. Invisible

Yet another beautifully written song. Man, these guys really surprised me with the depth in their lyrics this time around. I mean, I knew they were good writers, but we went from them writing songs like Don't Stop, to this. This song is about not knowing who you are and being torn between your dreams. The chorus is, "Who am I? Who am I when don't know myself?" I don't know, it's a very relatable song, especially when you're having to choose between stuff that you love. And the violins at the end are just gorgeous.

6. Airplanes

Michael. Just Michael. He's on fire in this song and I'm so proud of him and he sounds so good. My Dad listened to this and said it reminded him of a band he listened to growing up, so that gives you an idea of the vibe. It's really cool. It's totally different than anything they'd written before. It's a very lyrical song. In a weird way, it kind of reminds me of Mary Poppins? I don't know. Just listen to the song. 

What were your favourites?? 

What's Up Apps

Hello Lovelies!

I'm a pretty big fan of apps. Not a huge fan, but pretty big. Anything that can make my life easier or more interesting is pretty cool by my standards. Recently, I've downloaded maybe... (checks phone) three new apps and they're all really cool so I thought I would share them with you. Now, I'm fairly behind on things. So while I'm going, "This new app is so cool!" you may be thinking, "Sarah, that app's been out for six months." Bear with me.

2048

I love word games, but I typically hate math games, which is why I was kind of surprised that I enjoyed this game as much as I did. It reminds me of those tile games where you have an image and then they mix up the image and you have to slide the tiles to make the image right again. Does anyone know what they're called?
Anywho, I'm rambling again. It's a number game where to goal is to add same tiles together to eventually reach the 2048 tile. Every time you slide a tile, a new tile comes onto the grid. If you fill up the grid with numbers that don't match the ones next to each other you lose. It's a lot harder than it seems! Or maybe that's just my lack of mathematical skills.








The Hunt

The picture pretty much describes the app. I heard about this one from a youtuber, don't ask me which one because I honestly don't remember. Here it is only showing clothing, but you can upload pretty much any item on this app and people from all over will look for where you can buy it. It's handy and it actually works really well. You can also look through other people's 'hunts' to find the items for them or see what others have found. You can set price points or choose whether you want people to look for an exact match or just something close to your item.


Spotify

Admittedly, I have known about this app for a while now. It was kind of always in the background on facebook or twitter or youtube, etc. But a few nights ago I thought, "You know what? Imma try this and see what I think." So I did. And it's genius. If you're like me and tend to like under rocks, I shall explain it to you. And if you know exactly what this is, you can see me rave and laugh at my behind-the-timeness. You can sign up for free and make playlists on the app. Then you can look at other people's playlists and see what they've created. Or you can go and listen to the Spotify's pre-made playlists, which I have been really enjoying. You just select a genre or mood and it'll play you like five hours of that kind of music. I love this app because I'm discovering all sorts of new music. It doesn't just play the top 50, which is why I'm liking it more than youtube. Also, you can listen to it and have your phone/ipod/device on sleep mode or be using a different app. And it'll still play!



Alright, there you go! The apps that I'm enjoying at the moment! I would highly, highly recommend Spotify. The Hunt is really great for finding stuff you see on Tumblr. And 2048 is a strategy game that is a lot of fun and makes you think.

Until next time!

Song of the Day - Backseat Serenade by All Time Low

I'm really enjoying this song right now. It's so intense and just awesome. I love the driving beat.

The Best Musician of All Time

Hello Lovelies,

I'm so happy. It's a PE day and it's my birthday and I'm going to see Mockingjay Part 1 tomorrow and I was listening to Daughtry and then I thought I would go back and look over my old blog posts.

So, I was looking overthem and I had a momentary heart attack when I realized, I HAVE NEVER DONE A POST ON DAUGHTRY! Daughtry is my all time favourite band and has been for about five years. I own almost every song they've ever put out.

I have two types of likes when it comes to musical artists. I have those I properly fangirl over, as in "OHMYGOODNESSWHYMUSTYOUBESOATTRACTIVEANDYOURMUSICANDGAHH." Bands like 5 Seconds of Summer and kind of One Direction (although the latter is starting to transfer to the other kind of like).

Then I have the other type, where I am in love with their music. I may not know the age, birth place or birthday of every member. Heck, I can't even name the backup musicians in Daughtry. But their music is something I can relate to on every level. It's what I listen to when I'm happy, when I'm sad, when I'm excited. Just, all the time. I couldn't care less about their looks, I just love the music they produce. It's amazingly written, I love the lyrics and the melodies and the vibes. Ed Sheeran fits this and so does Daughtry.

This is Daughtry.

I could rant and rave about how amazing they are until I'm blue in the face. But I'll spare you the lecture and show you the music instead. By the way, you need to know that I have managed to take four albums, over 50 songs and compile them into a small blog post. I think I deserve an award that says, "You are the Queen of narrowing things down to fit into your blog posts" or something like that. But heads up, this is going to be a long post.

I'm going to start with my favourites from his first album, titled "Daughtry".

1. Over You

I had this song on repeat for at least a year. I liked this guy but it had gone past the point of butterflies and into the point of "Flagnabbit! Why can't I get over you? I hate liking you!" Anywho, our friendship was kind of odd and fairly dysfunctional and I would sing this song over and over and when I finally did get over him, it was my victory song. I really like the song also as just a song, apart from my personal relation to it. It's very much a power song.

2. Crashed

I love this song. It's also my sister's favourite song by Daughtry. We'll turn this one up in the car and sing really loudly and roll the windows down. This one doesn't particularly have a personal connection, it's just a really good, rock song. Love the concept and the imagery. 

Honourable mentions: What About Now, Home, Used To, Feels Like Tonight

And now "Leave This Town". I think this one is probably my second favourite album by him. Or favourite. GAH, THIS IS SO HARD.

1. September

This is my favourite song. Ever. I have such a personal connection to this song. It's beautifully written. It starts off with a slower, almost regretful tone. As the song moves along, you realize that he's looking back on memories past, looking at where he is now and seeing that he is better off because of the memories. The guitars in this song add deepness to the song that no other instrument could capture. They become louder to emphasize different parts of the song and then quiet down to give the piece a thoughtful tone. The chimes at the beginning of the song give it an almost country fell. They make you feel like an old tumbleweed merely bounding along taking glances at things passed as you roll by. As the song draws to a close, the tempo slows, but in a peaceful way. It makes you feel like something has ended, that it’s final, that it’s finished. It's amazing and even after playing it over a thousand times (thanks iTunes for the count), I still get goosebumps listening to this song.

2. Tennessee Line

This song is almost more country sounding, a different feel for Daughtry. I really, really like this song and the nostalgic feel it has. It's very lyrical and melodic, definitely not beat driven like so many of his other songs are. And the fact that he's talking about Tennessee just makes it so much better. I really want to visit Tennessee one day. Anyone have any distant relatives that could put up with me for a week? ;)

3. No Surprise 

Yet another incredible power song. I love the way this song builds and grows. This one is also another one of my sister's favourites by Daughtry. The music video is also really cool. I like the way the band shots are set up.

Honourable mentions: Every Time You Turn Around, Open Up Your Eyes (sad), Learn My Lesson

Then Break the Spell...

1. Crawling Back to You

I really like the feel of this song, the way the melody starts so simply and the way it builds throughout the song. I also like the minor key of this song. It's not a super relatable song, but I like the way the lyrics are written. "Lessons learned/and bridges burned to the ground." Mwah! Amazing imperfect rhyme. Beautiful. And Daughtry's voice is just so intense.

2. Outta My Head

Alright, this one's very relatable. I would listen to this one with 'Over You'. First, I love the almost bare minimum feel. It's like they only used a set of drums, a guitar and him. Second, I love, love the message. I mean, it was like this guy had read every thought I'd ever had towards this guy and put them in a song. "Just when I think you're gone/You come back and turn it on/And just like a simple song/I can't get you outta my head". Definitely relatable. This album was filled with songs like this one and at the time it was completely relatable. Unfortunately for me, about two weeks after it was released,  I got kicked in the head and had a concussion for six months, which kinda put the binge listening on hold. 

There are so many great songs on this album! It's so hard to narrow them down!

3. Start of Something Good

This was a different sound for Daughtry, it contrasted with much of the album, but I'm really glad he included it. It has such an innocence and sweetness. I really like it, because it's sweet and sappy, but it talks about it just being the beginning, not the end, not a goal that's been achieved. I guess the only way I can think to describe it is innocent. It's about liking someone and being a bit nervous and not wanting to scare the other person away, but knowing that there's something between the two of you that's good and finally telling that person. 

Honourable mentions: Break the Spell (love this song, kinda like Outta My Head), Maybe We're Already Gone, Louder Than Ever

Alright, unless you are absolutely loving this and can't stop, go take a five minute break. Eat a cookie. Jog around your living room. Hug someone. We're three quarters of the way through!! 

Alright, final album and either my favourite or second favourite: Baptized! I literally love every song off this album. So you're going to get more than three songs. Sorry but not really that sorry. :*)

1. Waiting for Superman

I love, love, love this song so much. I love the beat and slightly more pop-y sound. I love the theme. I love the way he portrays the girl as imperfect. The lyrics are incredibly amazing. "She's talking to angels, counting the stars, making a wish on a passing car. She's dancing with strangers, falling apart, waiting for Superman to pick her up". The music video is so sweet as well. Every time I hear the line "And she smiles, oh the way she smiles" I smile. Every time. 

2. Wild Heart

The lyrics are what truly make this song. They're just so clever. I really love the message; I find it encouraging and sweet. It's basically about this girl who was so free and bright and smart and "wild" but her life hasn't been kind to her and her "wild heart" has been dimmed and he's saying, "I know you're still in there! I know you still have your wild heart. Take me back to it." Favourite lyrics from this song are "You would rock around the ball room/dance in the bar." I just think it's such a cool contrast and really clever. 

3. 18 Years

I really love this song. I know I keep saying that, but hey, that's what makes Daughtry my favourite artist. This song is so nostalgic, I love it. I love nostalgic songs. It's basically about these two people who were childhood friends and now they're older and looking back on their childhood/teen memories. The video above, is actually a music video I filmed, directed and edited and I'm actually pretty proud of it!

4. Cinderella 

This song hits me right in the feels. It's so adorable. It's this guy who is writing a song to his love but it's not poetical or perfect or even pretty. It's not deep or flowery. It's real. It's just... just listen to it. I can't explain it. It's a ukelele and this guy just singing to his girl. It's like he's trying to write something sweet and romantic but this is what he comes up with and it's way better.

Honourable mentions: Literally every other song. But at the top would be Baptized, I'll Fight, Broken Arrows and Traitor.

We did it!! Yay!! 

I loved writing this post and I hope you enjoyed reading it/listening to it! :) 

FOUR - My Review

Hello Lovelies!

So it's been almost a month... oops.

Life has been increasingly busy, but I'm back now! I have a whole slew of post ideas and a bit more free time, both good things!

So last night, One Direction's new album officially dropped. Because I was up doing school, I was able to listen to it and it's pretty good! So I figured I would do kinda what I did when Ed Sheeran's newest album came out and do a sort of review of my favourite songs. And just like before, the songs appear by the order they are on the album, not by preference.

1. Ready To Run

Recently, I've loved the idea of running away, not as escape, but just to be spontaneous. Just ditch everything and go on an adventure! This has some great lyrics that talk about that. "This time I'm ready to run/ escape from the city and follow the sun". It's not my favourite off the album, but it has a catchy vibe and some clever lyrics, so it makes the list.

2. Where Do Broken Hearts Go

I feel like all of the guys are vocally strong in this song. It really shows off the differences in their voices. That's probably my favourite part of this song, the vocals. It talks about making a mistake in a relationship, regretting it and trying to find them and make up. Having been single as a pringle my whole life, it isn't an incredibly relatable song, but the lyrics are really well written, lots of literary devices.


3. Fool's Gold

I really, really like this song. It talks about liking someone who doesn't feel the same way and isn't what they seem. It basically talks about the fact that you're falling for fool's gold. Even though you know what you see and what you feel isn't real. I know I can relate to this. It's a slower song and I really like the lyrics. I know I continually go on about lyrics but they can either make or break a song and I love 'em.

4. Night Changes

Hands down my favourite song off the album. First, I love the melody and vibe. The melody is really pretty and the vibe is so peaceful. It makes me think of skating on a lit rink at night while the snow is slowly falling and there's no wind. I can almost hear the sound of ice skates against the ice when I hear it. What I take away from the song is that we're getting older and things change so fast, but the relationship isn't going to change. And I really love some of the lyrics. Like "he's waiting/hides behind a cigarette" or "her mother doesn't like that kind of dress/reminds her of the missing piece of innocence she lost"? Pure geniusness. I love the nostalgic feel this song has.

5. Fireproof

I really liked this song when I first heard it and I still really like it. It's just a very happy, positive song without the bubblegum pop that One Direction has previously had. It has a more mature, acoustic sound to it. The harmonizing is really nice and the lyrics are cute.

6. Clouds

This is definitely a power song. Something to belt into a hairbrush on your bed, if you know what I mean. Definitely a more mature song. I like that it's really guitar driven and it has more of a minor sound to it. I think my favourite part is the verses, the chorus reminds me of Mary Poppins and I have absolutely no idea why. But whenever I listen to the chorus, I just think of Mr. Banks walking back from the bank. Speaking of which! Has anyone seen Saving Mr. Banks? If not, watch it! It's incredible.

7. Act My Age

I'm not going to deny it, I laughed when I first heard this song. Hard. The intro started and I was in stitches. It's like pirate meets gospel meets 21st century meets 80s pop ballad. And then the bridge sounds like a Christmas song. And then you have some Snow White and the Seven Dwarves whistling. I know it sounds odd, and admittedly, it is odd. Very odd. But it's also very good. I can sort of imagine Merry and Pippin in a bar dancing on a table with their pints in this song.

Whole Album
I liked this album a bunch. There were some songs that I'm 'meh' about. Some of them sound pretty similar. The best word I can think of to describe this album is vibe. I know that isn't really specific but it just has lost of vibes. Happy vibes. Nostalgic vibes. Sad vibes. Vibey vibes. Generally, I do really like the new sound they're developing. I really hope that they'll be able to smoothly move from a boy band to a band band and I think they're doing a good job starting that transition.

Along for the Ride

Hello Lovelies!

I've only noticed now that I've started almost every blog post with this greeting. Haha, I'm just a liiiiittle slow.

Yesterday was a fairly long day. I didn't get much sleep the night before due to a cold I've been fighting and then I had to work from 9 to 5 at the library, which admittedly, isn't the worst spot to work for a book lover. ;)

Lately, as I've mentioned, I've hit a bit of a book block, I just can't find a book that really captures my interest. But I now have a fairly good sized list of new books thanks to all of you beautiful people and some of my friends. Today I took out 'Along for the Ride' by Sarah Dessen. I'm sorry to all the Sarah Dessen fans out there, but she really doesn't do much for me. I've read 'What Happened to Goodbye', 'This Lullaby' and 'Just Listen' and found that her books are fairly... flat, in my opinion, which is why I was doubtful when a friend recommended I read 'Along for the Ride'.

But it was on my cart to shelve and I didn't have any other new reading material, so I figured why not. I took it out and figured I would read it later that evening.

I actually really, really enjoyed it. I'm not going to try and review it because I either end up giving you all way too much information, or deliberately try to avoid giving a lot of information which then results in a very vague awkward paragraph. So I'm just going to give you my opinion and go from there. But be warned that I might end up giving you spoilers. I swear it's not on purpose!

Yes, I'm aware the cover looks
incredibly teen cliche. Bear with me.

   

     So the basis of the book is this girl goes down to visit her father, her stepmother and their new baby. Her parents had split a few years back and due to the amount of pressure on her to do well academically and the responsibility she felt for her parents' fighting and eventual split, she never had the opportunity to be a child or teen. Because of the stress she continually feels, she's an insomniac. She goes down to visit her Dad for her summer and meets people, namely Eli who is also an insomniac due to some issues of his own. They bond over their inability to sleep and together they recreate a childhood for her...ish. So that's kinda the book in a nutshell. 

     The reason I really liked it was because I found the characters had depth in this book. I didn't feel like I was reading Cinderella with a faceless prince for the billionth time. Eli isn't perfect but he's not the  'bad boy'. He's a normal guy who's had issues and comes across as genuine. Auden (who's the main character. I don't think I mentioned that. Oops) isn't a damsel in distress who can't do anything for herself and she isn't the perfect 21st century strong, independent, young woman who "doesn't need no man." She's hurt and broken but real. 

Their relationship as it develops is... different. Has anyone ever read 'Dash and Lili's Book of Dares'? It kind of reminded me of that. They bond over the oddest ways. Like, when he learns she's never been bowling and they bowl at 3 am. Or when she says that she's never had a food fight and they do that too. When she ends up having a breakdown one night, he doesn't sooth her with his 'beautiful words' or 'gentle kisses'. He's just there listening to her cry and telling her that it isn't her fault. When he deals with his pain from his past, she's there for him as well, not as a lover or fairy godmother, but as a friend. 

Oh! Oh! And they don't sleep together! Boom! I'm sorry, that's a big pet peeve of mine. I hate reading books where these seventeen year olds know each other for like maybe a month and are madly in love and then end up sleeping together.

She doesn't change her dreams for him. She still ends up doing what she was planning on doing at the beginning of the summer and they still keep in touch.  There was still crappiness at the end in both their lives, they knew things weren't going to be perfect but they were willing to keep going. And maybe even get some sleep. 

I don't know, I guess I was just taken away by the realness of this book. I like reading real things. Real things make me happy.

Picture of the Day

This picture continually shows up on my Tumblr dashboard and every time I see it I think, "I really like this picture. I should grab it and save it to my computer." And I finally did it! Gold sticky star for me!
I don't know if it's the colours, the font of the words, the actual photograph or the use of the word 'darling' (which I absolutely love), but something about this picture just gets to me. There's no particular reason why I'm sharing it other than the fact that I really like it.

The Ginger Genius

Hello Lovelies!

I'm done exams! It feels amazing; I feel like the summer is a blank canvas and I get to choose what paint goes on it. Of course, one of my first official acts of summer was to binge watch Chuck on Netflix. Then I just slept. And then I went shopping today and bought two dresses which I am very happy about.

But one of the main things that really kicked off the summer for me was the release of Ed Sheeran's new album 'X'. I really, really like Ed Sheeran. He's a fantasticimagicorical songwriter, I love his voice and he's amazing on the guitar. His looks aren't really part of my Sheeran love because he looks too much like my brother. And that's just... weird.

I really love his new album so I thought I would post a link to my favourite songs off of it and then give a little spiel about them. Kinda sorta reviewish I guess? I won't do all of them because, let's be real, that would be an INSANELY long post. I think I have six I'm gonna put down here? I think.

So here are my favourites in the order they appear on the track list.


Don't

'Don't' is a power song. I like it enough that it makes this list but not enough that it's in the top like... five I guess. I love the rhythm of this song and the honesty of his lyrics. The PG version of this song is about him meeting this girl who he ends up caring about more than he thought he would and the girl played him and then left him for someone else. The only complaint I have about this song is that he has completely censored some of the lyrics. I didn't really like that because not only does it not make sense (Don't ____ with my love), but I thought it made the lyrics less powerful.

Photograph

'Photograph' is a beautiful love song. This is one of my favourite things about Ed Sheeran. When he writes love songs, they aren't monotonous or fake feeling like so much of today's pop music. The concept of this song is that love can hurt sometimes, but it can also heal. We need to keep holding on to love, even when it hurts. In this song, he and this girl are preserving their love in a photograph, holding it new and fresh. Again, the lyrics are beautiful, the guitar is beautiful, just beautiful all around.

Thinking Out Loud

I'm a sucker for the songs that talk about love being more than a fling or a "summer love" or a temporary thing. This song is in my top three. It's about him being in love with this girl and looking at their future when her "memory fades" and his "hair is all but gone" and saying that he falls in love with her more and more everyday. Both of my parents have commented that this song sounds a little bit like "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay".

Afire Love

This is hands down my favourite song off this album. It's incredibly sad and incredibly beautiful. The premise of this song is Ed as a child looking at his Grandfather who has Alzheimer's and dies. His father is trying to comfort him, telling him that it's not his fault that his Grandfather doesn't know his face. Then Ed remembers that his Grandma would tell him about when his Grandfather remembered her and the love that he showed her. If you don't listen to any other song on this list, listen to this one! It's beautiful.

Take It Back

Take It Back is a basically an acoustic rap of Ed's life. I don't know if something can be acoustically rap... he's rapping about his life while playing guitar. I just find this song very fascinating, I love looking at people's lives. And I love the literary devices in these lyrics (sorry! I know that sounds academic), it's an amazing piece of work from an English lover's perspective. Although I totally don't get the chorus lyrics, they just don't seem to match the rest of the song.

I See Fire

Not only does this song have a Celtic feel (I'm almost positive word to use there), not only is it by Ed Sheeran, but it was written for the Hobbit, which is part of the greatest series ever written. I feel like I've just completely summed up this song. I don't know what else to say.

So there you have it! I hope you've enjoyed this post, and even if you didn't, I loved going back and listening to all my favourites to collect my thoughts on them.

Oh! I've recently come into possession of some old records so expect a DIY coming soon, probably as soon as I figure out what to do with them. I'm gonna hang some on my wall but I'm thinking I'm gonna try and make one into a clock or try to do one of those neat bowl things.

Ta ta for now!

Pictures of the Day

Here! Have a collection of funny pictures.