Read the book before the movie?

If I got a pound for every time someone told me to read the book before watching the movie, I'd be super rich by now.

You've all probably heard of 'The Fault in Our Stars', if not seen it or read it and I've heard so many people raving about it that I really want to go see it. I made plans to see it with my sisters this Saturday but then I accidently let slip that I hadn't read the book yet and then get this, my sisters banned me from watching it until I'd read the book!

The film poster for the book by John Green

I personally don't see what all the commotion is about because, with some films, I feel like reading the book before watching the movie would ruin it for me. For example :- The Mortal Instruments City of Bones. I went and saw the movie and absolutey loved it which encouraged me to read the books. Once I'd finished all the books, I watched the film again and realised how cronic it really was. If you ask me, I feel like I did it the right way round because if I had read the books before, I wouldn't have enjoyed the film and if I hadn't watched the film I wouldn't have read the books.

People say that you ruin the storyline for yourself if you watch the movie first but I don't think that's true. I didn't read any of the Harry Potter books before watching the movies bar 'The Deathly Hallows' and I think that it actually ruined the last film for me because I had all these expectations of what it should be like and I was very aware when they missed a detail or a character. However, saying that, I don't feel like watching the movies ruined the books for me because it was almost a whole different story reading the books because there were all these extra details and mini stories that weren't included in the films that suprised me and made me even more interested in the story.

So what do you think? Should I read The Fault in Our Stars before watching the movie? Will I ruin it for myself? I don't know!!!! Help me!

Alfie Deyes is one smart cookie when it come to revision!

Riiight.... so it might have been a while since I posted. I assure you it was for a good reason though.

I've just finished my GCSE's! I could've posted during them but the general quality of my writing would have been significantly worse so it was one or the other I'm afraid. I'm sorry and all that and now let's move on.

So seeing as though I've just finished exams, Imma make this post about revision. I'm not just saying this but, at the beginning of my exams my attitude towards revision was absolutely crap. I wouldn't revise for the subjects which I was sort of confident on and any revision I would do would be on the night before the exam.

I was adamant that I did not need to revise and that I could rely on the stuff I'd started learning 2 years ago.

Oh how wrong I was. And as a consequence to my ignorance I'm sure my results will have suffered and I'm really not proud of this. I looked all over the internet for some kind of push to make me more willing to sit down and revise but anything I came across was more of an instruction manual on 'How to Revise' and I found that this didn't help me at all.

I was at a loss of what to do because whenever I tried to revise, I'd get distracted or I'd just give up. I really wanted to revise but I found that, as silly as this sounds, it just wasn't physically possible for me.

Then I watched a YouTube video called 'Being a Teenager' by a YouTuber called Alfie Deyes. This was really one of the first things I watched that actually got through to me because of a various number of reasons.
1) I wasn't actually looking for help or advise when I came across this video. I was just browsing through my subscriptions and this video happened to be there.
 I think that this made me more open to suggestion or help because I wasn't in that mind set of self despair yet.
2) This video was more of a personal response to the problem as apposed to a post which feels like it could have been written by a teacher being paid based on your success.
I think it got through to me more because I felt like this dude could relate to me and if the things he was listing helped him, maybe they'd help me also.

The main thing that got through to me in this video was that he put revision into perspective for me. He said
"I could've done so much better if I could have been bothered to."  
Thinking about this, I know it's so true. I told myself that this wasn't the truth with me because I did want to and I could be bothered to revise but really, whenever I tried, it was my own laziness getting in the way.

He also touched on the fact that for instance, if you have 8 days until your exam - you should revise for all those 8 days because in the long term, 8 days out of your life is nothing. This really hit me because no one had ever said that to me before. All I'd heard is "You should revise more" and "You'll regret it if you don't" and that's all fair and well but having someone say that compared to your whole life, the time you spend revising is nothing, that gave me more inspiration to actually try.

I'm not going to ramble on any more but if you're going through the same thing as I was please just take a few minutes of your time to watch the video (I'll link it below) because it really helped me and I'm not saying that it was the only thing to help me but it definitely set me off on the right tracks.

If you want to talk with me more about this please feel free because let's face it, now that I'm off school for 10 weeks I can literally devote all my time into helping people get past their problems. I'll be ecstatic if this even helps only one person because if it helps them succeed then it was worth it.

Thanks for reading!! I'll try to post more. xx

Alfie Deyes you are one smart cookie!          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hfizo6m21JA

Larry Stylinson?

I watched a movie called 'We Bought a Zoo' yesterday. I have a line from it in my head and I can't get it out and it's really annoying. Plus one of the actors looked a lot like one of my friends at school... weird really. It's good, you should watch it!

Anywaaayyy...

I recently discovered a craze amongst the One Direction fandom called 'Larry Stylinson'. For those who don't know what this is, it's a ship between two members of 1D, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson. For those who don't know what a ship is, it's the belief or hope that two people are in a romantic relationship. Understand?? Goody! Let's carry on then.

Look at them - They're so cute!

I first came across this ship ages ago when it came up on the related vidoes bit on YouTube and I was in one of those moods where I was so bored that I'd watch anything. At that point I wasn't really in to One Direction but around a year and a half later, when I'd started liking them, I came across it again and that's when I realised how big this craze is.

If you go on YouTube, there are millions of 'Larry Proof' videos where people have put as many points together as they can which apparently prove that Harry and Louis are in a relationship. I can't deny that they are very convincing and they can lead you to believe that the guys are gay for eachother, I've been there. But there are are an astonishing amount of people who genuinely think that Harry and Louis are in a relationship and these people are willing to go to any lenghts to defend their opinions. This had lead to fights between fans and lots of discomfort for the boys.

I don't actually know what to think about 'Larry' because, on one hand, they are so cute together and I'd totally love it if they were actually in a relationship however, on the other hand, I respect the fact that they are both in relationships with girls. I've seen some of the hate that Eleanor (Louis' girlfriend) has got and it honestly disgusts me.

Let me explain to you what the Larry shippers think of Eleanor. They believe that she is a 'beard' - a man or woman used as a cover for a gay partner. They actually think that 1D's management had paid Eleanor to act like a girlfirend to give the impression that Louis is straight. Larry shippers take this as a personal insult and go out of their way to be as horrible to Eleanor as possible. I mean look at this...

This is just one example of millions of messages sent to Eleanor. I think it's disgusting - even if she was a so called 'beard' for Louis, she would only be doing it to help him. I don't believe that Louis hates her and I think that she sounds like a lovely person so I really hate the fact that she's getting so much hate when she's done nothing wrong.

Another thing is that people who devote their lives to finding Larry proof have started to label anything as proof. For example - when Louis talks to Harry or even looks at him the whole internet blows up saying stuff like "OMG, they're so in love! Look at how they looked at eachother". Now I don't know about you but I'm willing to be swayed by some actually convincing evidence but most of what I see now-a-days are just moments where they glance at eachother! That's not proof, it's life!

I'm definitely not saying that Larry is absolutely not true, I'm in the middle, but what I am saying is that it doesn't have to be one or the other. Yes, Harry and Louis may like eachother - I dunno, but no, this doesn't mean that everytime they look at eachother, they're secretly eye f****** eachother and no, it doesn't mean that every girl they talk to is some bitch forcing them to act straight.

I think that people need to take a step back and allow the guys to be themselves. They've actually admitted that all the heat of the Larry stuff has affected the way they act with eachother in public and I think that's really sad. They're obviously really good friends and I don't think it's fair that they have to guard themselves in public of the fear that someone will make the rumours worse.

That's all! Don't send me any hate please! I'm just trying to see in the middle here... I'll leave you with a cute picture of them and I'll let you make up your own minds about what you think.

Awwwee, how cute? Matching blankets!

 

Byeee!

I Sure Hope I'll Never Forget Where I Belong

So this post is my review on a certain song by a boy band that some of you might of heard of. I won't be surprised if you don't know who they are. They're called One Direction... Yeah, my bad. If you haven't heard if them, you've probably been living under a rock for the last few years.

Anywaaays... The song which I'm reviewing is called 'Don't Forget Where You Belong' and it's basically putting out a message that no matter how big and sucessful 1D get and no matter how long they're away from home, they'll always remember where they came from. *sigh*  I know, I had my own little 'awe that's so cute' moment too.

The song was actually written by one of my favourite bands 'McFly' whom I've been a fan of for longer than I can imagine. I actually discovered 1D through another song that McFly wrote for them off their first album called 'I Want'. You should check that out too! My point is that all the material that McFly have ever produced for 1D has been top class so when I found out that they'd wrote 'Don't Forget Where You Belong' too, I knew it was going to be great before I even heard it.

One thing I like about this song is the bridge (the bit in the middle) because it is shared between Louis and Zayn and I think that their voices go really well together. I also like that they sing that bit together without any harmonies because, don't get me wrong, I do love all the fancy harmonising but I think the fact that there were no harmonies in that bit gives it a kind of raw, simple side which helps get the message across.

This song also had a good strong drum beat which means it's easy to tap along to - good news for all the musically challenged people like me. Infact, I find that the whole song has more notable parts for the instruments than most of the other songs. I don't know if this is because it was written by 4 musicians but I do know that I like it.

Now this song can't win the title of my favourite song off Midnight Memories because that spot is taken by 'Better Than Words', purely because of Niall's "Tssssssss" sound however, it does take away two awards for:
Song with the best message       and
Musically best song

On a side note, I think it'd be pretty hard to forget where you belong. Don't you??
Great song 1D and congrats on the success of your new album!! Happy 2014 :) LucyLou

What I've Been Liking

Hey guys! I've just realized that I haven't posted for ages! I'm not going to give you all the 'I've been busy with school' crap beause the truth is, I've just been lazy. And I'm sorry. I hope you all had a good christmas!!

So christmas has been and gone and I've still to see some snow. We've had rain, sun, wind and even hail but still no snow! Is it so hard to ask for?? Just a little bit please! My christmas was not very eventful because I'm one of those people who won't arrange to meet friends during the holidays because I'm going to be stuck with them for 6 weeks when I get back to school. I  know. I'm really antisocial. Get over it. . .

So I'm going to talk about stuff that I've got into over the past few weeks because I've discovered quite a few new things that I'm really enjoying. Here we go!

MAKEUP

1. Maybelline Colossal Volume Express
I got this for christmas and I really love it. It works well and I think that it makes my lashes look really long but not fake. It's quite cheap at £7.99
2. Maybelline Great Lash Very Black
My nanan gave me this after she tried it and didn't like it but I think it's actually really good. It gives quite a natural look and it's only £4.99!
3. Benefit Hoola Bronzer
I got a little free sample of this in a christmas goodie bag and I really loved it so I went out and bought some more. It is rather expensive at £23.50 but it lasts a long time and it's really good.
4. Clinique Redness Solutions Foundation
I never wear a lot of foundation because I don't really need it but I came across this foundation which I mix with moisturiser and it gives me a really healthy looking glow. It's quite pricey but I think it's worth it at £24.

OTHER STUFF

1. Bath Bombs.
I was always one of those people who never wanted bath stuff for presents because I'd never use them but this christmas I just decided to try some bath bombs that I had stored away in my cupboard and I've discovered that I really like them! Especially when they turn the water another colour.
2. One Direction Midnight Memories
I've never been a huge 1D fan before but I listened to their latest albumthis christmas and I really like it. I am now a fan of One Direction but don't worry, I'm not going to be one of the girls who scream at them and send hate towards their significant others. My favourite song on their new album is 'Better Than Words' or 'Half a Heart'. It's £10.99 for the deluxe edition but that has all the best song on it so I'd recommend getting that one.
3. Fruit Salad
I know that this one is a wierd one but I've started having fruit salad for breakfast and I think that it's a great starter for the day because it releases energy slowly and it's super healthy and yummy. I like putting strawberries, grapes, apples and bananas in it along with some greek yoghurt or some sugar.

That's all for now. I'd say that I'll post again this week but knowing me, I'll probably be too lazy to do it but we'll see. I'll set myself a new years resolution to blog more. Have a good 2014 guys and try not to spend all your time on your phone like me. . . :\

My Favourite YouTubers

Heya! I'm going to give you a list of my all time favourite ever YouTubers today. It might be a bit long because it's like asking me to choose a favourite child... Nearly impossible! So without further ado, here are my top 10 YouTubers. Enjoy!

10. The Janoskians

(from left) Daniel, Luke, James, Beau, Jai

People have different opinions on the Janoskians. My sister, for one, thinks that they are rude wannabees that trend awful things on Twitter. I can see how some of the stuff that they do can be classed as rude however, I think that they are down to earth, nice guys that happen to make hilarious videos. Plus they're Australian. What more could you want?!

9. Troye Sivan

Another Aussie here! I didn't know about Troye up until recently when I watched him in a collaboration with another YouTuber. I then checked his channel out and god I'm glad I did. He's the funniest guy and he just hit 1 million subscribers. I didn't actually know he was Australian until he mentioned it cause he sounds really English. Check him out!

8. Marcus Butler

Look at that face... The first of many British YouTubers on this list. Marcus Butler is a funny guy with a weird accent and his videos are about anything and everything. He has an 'Ask Marcus Monday' as well as uploading a random video every week too. His videos always make me laugh and he looks weirdly good as a girl...

7. Sprinkle of Glitter

Sprinkle of Glitter (also know as Louise) is yet another British YouTuber. She focuses on fashion and beauty and she is literally the funniest person ever. One of my favourite videos of hers is when she's talking about times that she pooed her pants. It sounds disgusting but I was on the floor in laughter for about a day. She also has a beautiful baby girl called Darcy who is sometimes on her channel and who is totally adorable!

6. Tyler Oakley 

Tyler Oakley is an American YouTuber who is nearly at the 3 million subscribers mark. He has an unhealthy obsession with One Direction and he has the best accent in the world. He is very famous and he actually got to interview 1D twice! What I think is cute is the fact that he and Troye are best buddies. They call themselves Troyler. I ship it.

5. Banana Jamana

BananaJamana is another American YouTuber who is AMAZING at art. Most of her videos are of her painting or drawing and every single thing she does looks so good. She's painted YouTubers like Danisnotonfire and amazingphil and they're so realistic. She has this habit of speaking really fast in her videos and I think she's the nicest, prettiest person ever.

4. JacksGap

(from left) Finn, Jack

JacksGap, JacksGap, 5 minutes of your life that you won't get back! That's their little jingle. Jack and Finn Harries, A.K.A JacksGap. Jack and Finn are identical twins from England and they have 3 million subscribers. Not only are they really cute, but they can penny board too.. If you're wondering what that is, it's basically skateboarding. Their channel is always full of laughs and entertainment.

3. ThatcherJoe

It's a British invasion! ThatcherJoe, or Joe Sugg, is one of those guys who has it all. He hit 1 million subscribers this year and he really deserved it. One of my favourite videos of his is his 'Lyrical Phone Prank' video where he phones his friends and can only recite the lyrics to a song whilst talking to them. It's so funny and I really think you should check it out.

2. PointlessBlog

Alfie Deyes. What to say. Alfie is my favourite male YouTuber because he's so entertaining and he's really sweet. His videos are never the same and there's always something for me to watch that cheers me up. He is at 1.5 million subscribers right now but I think that he's gonna get to 2 mil pretty soon. My favourite video of his is the 'Embarrassing phone calls' video where he has to phone his friends and say embarassing things to them.

1. Zoella

Zoe Sugg. The prettiest, nicest, luckiest girl ever. Why lucky?? ThatcherJoe is her brother and she is in a relationship with PointlessBlog. She's also best friends with Sprinkle of Glitter. Her channel is mainly about beauty and fashion but she does lots of videos where she messes about too. Her bedroom is the nicest room that I've ever seen and I'm jealous of it.

Right that's all for today but I missed out some other YouTubers so I might make a list of YouTubers to watch in the future! Byee x

Classic Christmas Ads

It's that time of year where the TV is overtaken by sleigh bells ringing, snow falling, lights twinkling and some pretty big deals all in time for christmas. I have to admit that I wait around for those special christmas ads that always make me smile and that get me in the christmassy mood. And here they are - My Top 5 Christmas Ads of 2013!

5.  Morrisons

 

Morrisons is a grocery store in the UK and it is known to be slightly more expensive than other chain supermarkets such as Sainsbury's or Tesco's. This years Xmas advert from them is one of my favourites from them for a while and it features a gingerbread man seranading the popular english presenters - Ant and Dec. He sings one of my favourite songs from the Disney film 'Beauty and the Beast' - Be Our Guest whilst dancing on a table full of delicious looking food. It's the cutest thing ever and it makes me feel so christmassy!

4.  M&S

Marks and Spencers (M&S) are a big chain shop in the UK that sell pretty much everything. They're quite expensive but they sell some great clothes and some of my favourite foods (Percy Pigs). They've based this ad on the story, Alice in Wonderland, but the so called 'Alice' is wearing a lot less clothes and the 'Mad Hatter' has to be one of the hottest guys I've seen for a while. They also got Helena Bonham Carter to be in it which is why it's number 4 for me. She is such a good actor and she's really pretty!

3.  Boots

The Boots Christmas advert is in third place for me because I love the story and the moral of it. Boots is a general health and beauty chain store in the UK. The advert focuses on a teenage boy who goes around his neighborhood dropping off anonymous presents to people that have helped him or done something for him. He leaves the presents on their doorsteps along with a little note explaining why they get a present and what they mean to him. My favourite one is where he drops off his present for his crush and the note says "Because you're the fittest girl in Year 10".

2. John Lewis

John Lewis always do the best Christmas adverts. They're always really cute and they always have a good moral. This years advert had a budget of £7 million and it's about a bear who's sad because he always misses Christmas as he's hibernating but then he meets a hare who gives him an alarm clock which wakes him up in time for him to see the Christmas tree. Lily Allen did a cover of Keanes 'Somewhere Only We Know' for the advert which went straight to  number one in the charts. It's such a good song and the whole advert is just so cute. You HAVE to watch it!

1.  Coca-Cola

What kind of person would I be if I didn't put the Coca-Cola advert in first place? This is the one advert that I look out for every winter because It's not Christmas until you've seen the Coke advert. I don't know why but it has always been and it will always be my favourite ever Christmas advert. You have to see it to understand and I can't explain it. It's just that feeling you get when you see all the Coca-Cola vans driving in a line through a snowy village. I love love love it!