Better Late Than Never...

Why hello there old friends, it's been a pretty long time since my last post (major apologies, kisses, bouquets of tulips to you) but here I am, back better late than never, and ready to blog, blog, blog about things that you may want to read, read, read (or not)!

So, what was the cause of my delay? Well, that massive, time consuming, often pain in the butt thing which happens to be my degree, and I am unbelievably relieved to say that second year is officially OVER! I feel very weird saying that. A good weird, but nonetheless it seems like this morning I enrolled at uni, and to think that I'm going to be spending the next few months planning my dissertation is beyond crazy. It's so strange to think I spent literally everyday of the academic year wanting to either a) be in bed, b) fighting dragons c) anywhere but uni, and to be at a point where the summer is officially on my door step is a complete state of JAMOHDIJDOKMONISJOSMosoM.

What will I be doing with my endless amount of time with no exams, classes, 9am lectures sent from hell? I am so glad you asked. Here is a mini list of things I'm planning on doing, and may even be writing about right here for you to read in the very near future:

It's Been A While

Hello Everyone,
I'm really sorry that I've been pretty absent in the last few weeks, let's just say that uni is currently taking up 93% of my time.
Here's a summary of what I've been up to:

• Filling in my dissertation proposal which fills me with complete ANXIETY! I decided that I'm going to major in Creative Writing mainly because if I have to do anymore research into novels written in the Victorian Era I will sacrifice myself to Satan.
• I finished my film assignment which consisted of me shit talking the MTV adaptation of Wuthering Heights, showing my allegiance to team Heathcliff and listening to Kate Bush on repeat until I reached the word limit.
• I've begun my revision for my English exam and realised how little reading I've actually done this year and also how sassy women have been in literature in previous generations.
• Planning my final Creative Writing Assignments, which at 60% each and roughly 4000 words each plus research are making me question my decisions in the first point. Ghost stories are difficult but monologues are actually a NIGHTMARE!
• I did find some time to go to London recently and have a failed 5SOS attempt because, ya know they decided to go to Sydney! But I got to hang out with my favourite people so I couldn't complain. Plus I won a donut on the McDonalds Monopoly so...

I'm looking forward to the end of May when I have time to chill, tidy the pile of crap on my bedroom floor, sort out my wardrobe in time for summer and just hang out with my EMOS!
Thank you for being patient with my posts I promise this summer they will increase by approximately 32%
Until next time,
thank you for reading,
Aimee :) x

The American Adventure: Two Year Anniversary

Hello everyone,

So this week marks two years since me, two of my cousins and my cousin's girlfriend embarked on our American Adventure to Boston and New York and I'm going to try in as little words as possible give you a highlight in to what was the craziest week of my life.

So, to start with I should mention that this trip would have been nothing without the Irish Dancing World's. Each year they take place in a different location, for example I believe last year was London and this year is Montreal and in 2013 (gosh I really cannot believe it was that long ago) the World's were held in Boston. As it's been a life goal of mine to visit America for as long as I can remember, and as it tied in to near my 18th birthday, I was lucky enough to tag along.

All Time Low Acoustic @ Hippodrome, Kingston

Hello Everyone,
Sorry it's been a few days since my last post things have been pretty busy lately but here I am, ready to tell you about RAD AS FUCK show that was All Time Low's acoustic gig in Kingston.
First things first, I have to point out that it was Emmy's birthday and I'm glad we got to have such an insanely great time watching one of our favourite bands, along with Georgina.

Tea Break: A Student Society

Hello Everyone,
Apologies for my lack of posts recently (can I get a 'hell NO' for assignments and overtime?).
I thought I would use this post to talk to you about a really cool website you should all be tuned in to. I might be a little (ok VERY) biased given that I contribute articles for the site, but I'm going to use this post to tell you a little bit about Tea Break, a society based at my university.

So what is Tea Break?
Tea Break (formerly HerDMU) is an online magazine/blog, written for students (and anyone between the ages of around 15-30) by students. In a similar fashion to sites like BuzzFeed and Hello Giggles, Tea Break produce a whole range of articles, falling under categories including fashion, music, book reviews, recipes and topics of debate in pop culture and news headlines. Anna Landi, our very cool chair woman, founded the society during her first year of studying and from there recruited several editors and contributors to ensure that the site has a constant flow of posts.

Reminiscing 5SOS @ HMV Institute Birmingham

Hello Everyone!


Earlier this week marked one year since I saw 5SOS on their first UK headlining tour at the HMV Institute in Birmingham.
It's safe to say that Timehop was pretty EMO on Monday morning as I scrolled through photos of me, Georgina and Vanessa queuing and videos of what was one of the best gigs I've been to. As a result of my overwhelming emo nostalgia, I thought it would be interesting to write a post which takes a trip down memory lane.

The Book Tag

Hello Everyone!

So yesterday my friend Georgia tagged me in a post she wrote all about BOOKS and given that my degree has something to do with reading a lot (though most of the time it's me pretending to read the books that nobody else in the world would ever read) I was happy to be tagged for a post I have a passion for.

At first I thought it would just be some cool tag which would involve me writing about my favourite books, but it's actually radder than that. Georgia has created some pretty interesting topics which  forced me to narrow down the realm of wider reading I've done in my life. There's also an options for me to give a shout-out to some books I'd much rather burn than ever read again!

You can read Georgia's book tag here ...

So here goes

Your favourite childhood book

This was one of the trickiest topics for me to think about because I feel like I read so widely as a child it's hard to narrow down a number one favourite. Having said that, I have decided that The Witches by Roald Dahl is being awarded this accolade. Firstly because any book by Roald Dahl is worthy of being my favourite book from childhood and also because it was the first book that introduced me to the world of witchcraft, however simple it may seem. I have vivid memories of repeatedly reading this book during primary school and even now I look to Dahl for inspiration when writing.

A book with a background story to it

This is more of an emo background story than a super interesting event but when I was younger I hated a lot of things about my life which were mostly related to how I thought about myself, there wasn't anything particularly wrong happening, just more negative thoughts. I came across alot of books on Tumblr, some which will feature later in this post and one of them was It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini. There was something about the way he wrote that book that spoke to me on a profound level, an experience consisting of me mentally saying YES SOMEONE GETS IT. I was always so proud of the fact Ned had created a succesful career from his own struggles and how his work inspires people like me on a daily basis. I was really pretentious when the book got made into a film and kind of put it away in my drawer for a few years. Just over a year ago, Ned Vizzini died as a result of suicide and it broke my tiny heart. I was devastated that a person that had helped me believe it gets better couldn't make themselves better, no matter how hard they tried. I would urge anyone to read this book, mentally stable or not. In the summer I want to power read all of Ned's work and give his talent the credit it deserves.

University: A Positivity Speedbump

Hello Everyone,

I know the point in this blog is for me to try and be as positive as possible, and talk about the things that help fuel my happiness, but right now I need to talk about something that sometimes hinders my road to positivity, and that's the speed bump of university!

For as long as I can remember, I never intended on going to university. Even when the university fees were £3000 ( a shit ton less than they are now) I wasn't interested. Mainly because my life plan was to get a job, save up money and travel and then potentially move abroad with an uber cool boyfriend. But reality (mainly the lack of job prospect and uber cool boys in my life) kicked in and I got to 17 and had to make a decision. I never thought I was smart. My GCSE predicted grades weren't good and I had a hard time fitting in during high school, so the notion of willingly staying in education seemed the complete opposite of how I wanted to spend my life.

Then, on results day I pretty much got the opposite to the grades I had been predicted and all of my teachers changed their minds as to how capable I would be at achieving good grades at A Level and beyond. I sat with the head of year and picked my options- History (which I had to do because French wasn't offered) English Literature Media Studies and Psychology. I loved A Level. I loved learning, I love theories and I love writing essays where I get to choose what I want to say. I did pretty well in my A Levels and when it came to UCAS applications I knew that I wanted to go to university and study film.

F*CK! I'm (almost) In My Twenties

A few years back I stumbled upon a post on Tumblr which raved about a certain blog, which was run by the sister of one of my favourite musicians (Ezra Koenig, Vampire Weekend). So, I gave the blog a peek and was amazed by the online world which Emma Koenig had created. You can find Emma's blog here.
The blog was humorous, visual, and although I was closer to 15 than 20 at the time, was relatable. I envied this blood of Koenig which seemed to burn with creativity.
When I found out that Fuck! I'm In My Twenties was actually being released as a book I was delighted. I'm a huge fan of the Rookie Yearbook run by Tavi Gevinson, and thought Emma's blog was very similar in it's kitsch, cool style.
I decided I wanted this book for my 20th birthday, and I've waited. In the time since I first encountered Emma's blog I've completed my A Levels and embarked on my degree, and more than anything, I've joined the gloomy path to a teenageless life. A few years ago I liked the idea of Fuck! I'm In My Twenties, but now I feel like I'm living the life Emma describes.
I recently decided that with the amount of work related to my degree right now is so immensely agonising that I might not make it to 20, so, on a whim, I ordered Koenig's book, as well as the journal to accompany it.

Playlist Party: Top 25 Most Played

Hello Everyone,
So today I had a little epiphany whilst listening to Bastille, on my bus home from uni, that I would write a weekly playlist. I'm calling it Playlist Party, as oppose to Playlist Thursdays etc, as I'm 97% certain that I will never be able to stick to a day of the week.
I thought it might be a cool way of introducing you to the music I enjoy listening to. I think it's a great way to learn about people. If someone gives you access to their musical library I feel like they're letting you in on their life, their secrets and their memories, and I thought this little weekly segment (fingers crossed I will stick to it) might also introduce you to new music and sounds.
As an introduction I thought I would write about the top 25 most played songs on my iPod. The list has changed a lot over the years and I was actually surprised today, by some of the songs that popped up.
So without further ado, here it goes:

1. My Boy Builds Coffins by Florence and the Machine- Of all the songs that have come and gone over the years on this list, I've noticed that this song has always remained at the top. I fell in love with this song when I first purchased the album Lungs. I love the lyrics, they're incredibly poetic with a sinister tint and it's a song I never tire of listening to.

Teenage Dream: I Finally Saw All Time Low

Hi everyone,


This is going to be a very emo and probably embarrassing post filled with declarations of love and happiness because I FINALLY SAW ALL TIME LOW LIVE!


Back in 2007 I was idly watching an episode of E! News when a very odd music video advertised. It was a bunch of guys, half naked in a sauna, playing instruments and performing what sounded like a pretty awesome song. It turned out to be Coffee Shop Soundtrack by All Time Low and from that moment I've been hooked on their music.


Flash forward a couple of albums later, some very emo songs and a slight obsession with Alex Gaskarth which resulted in me creating us a Sims family, we are in 2011. I have a ticket to see them live at the O2 Academy in Birmingham. I am ready to rock out, dance, sing and sweat to death when I can't get a lift home and therefore cannot go to the gig.
I was devastated. I stared at photos of Zack Merrick and watched Straight to DVD on repeat for about a month solid.


Since that traumatic period in my emo life, I've met some EPIC people who have become my best friends and who all share a LOVE for ATL like me. Vanessa is the ATL queen, I live for her sass towards Alex, her stories about signings and her loving insults towards them, then there's Georgina who I could have potentially met at the show that never was. There's also Emmy who shares my interest in All Time Low and emo for therapy, and there's also Amy, who isn't too into ATL but who I love nonetheless.I decided that fate had bought this ATL gang of girls together and that we would all be able to see them and pop my ATL cherry. This didn't exactly go to plan given Vanessa's going back home to Spain, Georgina not being able to afford a ticket and Amy not really liking All Time Low. But it did leave me and Emmy with the chance to see them live, so we ordered our tickets and began our countdown.