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Music Monday // Album Review

Hey there guys, so I want to start doing a weekly thing called Music Mondays. Every Monday I will be recommending some music to you guys; whether its a new song I love, my favourite album or a singer I have discovered. Today Music Monday is going to be about my two most favourite albums. They are my favourites at the moment, but I have a feeling they will be favourites for along time to come! I just love them that much!

The first album I have been loving is Taylor Swift's 1989. I have never been a huge fan of Taylor, i often found her songs boring or too 'girly'. By girly, I mean that most of her old songs were very whiny and had a love story behind them. Her new album is so much fiercer! Granted, it is still based around boys and love, but songs like Bad Blood and Blank Space show a different side to the Taylor people think they knew. The CD cost me £7 from Amazon and came with a free audio version which was great for my phone! I first brought the CD, having only listened to two of the songs on there (Blank Space and Shake It Off). I brought the CD because it was the only way to access the other songs, as they weren't on YouTube yet. Boy, am i glad i brought it! Her album cover is gorgeous, I am absolutely in love with the Polaroid style of it. Plus the CD came with a lyric book, which contained little Polaroid pictures of Taylor at rehearsals and finding inspiration for her songs. There are 13 songs on the album. 

Another album I have been loving  is the Mamma Mia Soundtrack. Mamma Mia is my favourite film and my favourite musical. The songs from it, just make the movie for me. Ultimately, I realised the only way for me to get the official songs (ones that didn't have speaking from the movie in between) was to buy the album. It only cost £3 from Ebay, and came newly packaged.If you are a Mamma Mia fan, you will definitely want this album. It is a basic must have for people who are a huge fan of the film and songs. The album has all 17 songs from the film, including The Name of The Game, sung by Amanda Seyfried, which isn't featured in the film.

That's all for today's post, I hope you guys are enjoying my blog. I know I am enjoying blogging and I'm really getting back into it! Niamh x

Q&A - College Style

Q&A - College and grades

So quite recently my cousin sparked off an idea for a blog post. She asked me to help a advise her with what to take at college for her GCSE option choices. I'm really bad at making decisions so took a long time to choose my options. However I am so glad I took my time! I enjoy all the subjects I choose. The first option I picked was one I knew i would love from the start; Drama. I was not offered drama at high school, but loved doing it and had been a member of a Physical Theater Company for 2 years. First of, I would advise you to take drama, but only if it interests you. It is a lot of hard work and hours after school. Plus you learn so much, lots of words and phrases that you have to remember, on top of lines! I also was lucky enough to be in a drama group with people I love. I get along with all of them, and I am no longer shy around them. Once you get to know people, it's hard to be shy around them!

The second option I picked was Art. I have a love for art, particularly art that has a message or meaning and is  done in pencil. I find pencil easiest to work with. Art GCSE is based around a certain subject. For example, my college's art GCSE is based around Natural Forms. This could be humans, nature, landscapes, etc. I am focusing on human art forms and have currently filled a third of the sketchbook I am working in. All our work is done in the sketchbook (or on larger A2+ paper). A good point to Art GCSE is that all your work counts; you don't have to stress about doing well in one test. A bad point is that it is a lot of work, especially out of school. You often have to finish projects at home, but it is very satisfying when you have done!

My third option was History. I had a history teacher at high school that i absolutely loved. She made everything fun and interesting. This is why I was worried about picking History. I wondered if I only enjoyed the subject because of the teacher. But when I thought about it, I realised I had such a strong love for history. The idea of black and white film, different eras and peoples backgrounds interests me more than anything. I'd find myself walking down the street, people watching, and thinking: 'I wonder what her story is'. I'm a people pleaser, and think one of the best ways to please people is to know their background.  This way, you can't make mistakes that might upset them and you know exactly what they love! So, i eventually chose history and I am so glad I did! I love all types of history from war, to Chinese Governments. However, my favourite type of history is American history and the Tudor Times (which you don't actually cover at college). Most college's curriculum is the same and based on World War Two, America in the 1920's and other, more recent history. 

My final option is Textiles. Now I struggled hugely to find this las option. Originally I thought media would be a good idea; I wanted to be in film and loved photography. However I decided against it when I went for a taster day. It was very boring in my opinion and was a lot of written work, rather than experimenting with cameras. Ultimately I chose textiles. Now textiles is a lot of work; I'm currently on a time schedule to finish. Waistcoat and long skirt for a fashion show. Saying there is a lot of work, doesn't mean it isn't fun. We are left to get on with the work, something I appreciate as an impatient person. Plus it's a fun GCSE, as I am making the outfit to do a fashion show at the Athena! Be warned, textiles is a mix of sewing/ practical work, and written work. You do have to be creative as you do lots of artistic portfolios containing design ideas. 
So as you can see, my college lets me chose 4 options. Some chose more, some chose less. This was just a detailed description of my options, to let people know. I hope this post helps people moving to college, who are struggling to choose their options. Even for those that aren't struggling, this should be a nice insite into four of the many options you can pick.

I'll be back soon, Niamh x