New Year, 'New Me'...

Hey people!!

I know my previous post was about New Year (I think...) but I want to write about how much I've changed in the past two years...

Two years ago, we had to choose our options for our GCSEs, and I chose art. I was really happy with that choice, but now I'm not so sure....

See, two years ago, I was listening to stuff like Taylor Swift and James Blunt. I had a 'normal' hair cut, and didn't wear much make-up. I couldn't stand outfits with no colour (as in wearing all black). I wore skinny jeans and normal t-shirts, hoodies and boots...

Fast forward two years and I listen to 'emo', metal and punk-rock music, I am attempting to make my hair be all floppy and fringe, wear waaaayyy too much eyeliner and constantly wear either all black, or skinny jeans and an ill-fitting band shirt. I am the person I swore I'd never become... 

Oops... 

I guess the point of this post is, 13 years old is too young to know who you're going to be when you're older. 

Because I'm not who I thought I'd be. 

When I was thirteen, I genuinely thought I'd be, maybe not a girly-girl, but definitely not an emo/punk/whatever I am. This may not be the case for all people; my best friend knew exactly what she wanted to be, and she's following that path right now. 

But  don't limit yourself until you're sure of who you are going to be. 

I'm sixteen years old, and I think I know who I am, and what I want to do when I'm older. Even if I change, I think my career will still mean something to me, because it's something I've been influenced by (no, I don't plan on being in a band [if it happens, it happens], I want to be a sound engineer). 

So, I guess what this post is about, is to always be true to yourself, and do what you enjoy. You'll change anyway, so don't try and change yourself before you're ready. 

Um, yeah... 
- Dottie. 

A Year in Review...

Okay, so currently it is January 1st, 2015, 2:09 PM, and I am happy. 

I'd like to start off this post by asking: is it acceptable to wear 2014 tour shirts to be cool, or is it too soon? Okay, scratch that, I don't care. Wearing the tour shirts (all two of them with dates on...) makes me so happy, because I remember the times when I was happy. Last year, I was so happy. And I'm happy now. 

Around May-time last year, a lot of stuff changed. I made new friends, and started spending more time with old ones, and I've never been happier. 

2014 is the year I finally found happiness; I've been to so many gigs, and spoken to so many new people, and sure, there have been crappy parts, but I'm not going to dwell on them, because the happy parts mean so much more. Since summer, I've been keeping a list of things that have made me happy in 2014, and sure, I forgot to put lots of stuff on there, but I'm going to share a few with you guys now. 

1. I won tickets to see one of my favourite bands (they're small, but I love them!) At said show, I was juggling, and the singer of the band juggled too. That made me happy. After the headline band played, I got to speak to the guitarist, and he hugged me!! I thanked them for being awesome. I don't think I'm going to top that night for a while...
2. I started spending more time with my best friend, and before summer, there was a day when we (me, my best friend and our two other friends) were sat outside talking at lunchtime, and we were all laughing so much. Pure happiness. (They're the people who make me forget to look at my phone..)
3. I've mentioned this in a previous post, but the kindness of the stranger who stood next to me at the Taking Back Sunday gig. That always means a lot. 

Yeah, the last year has been brilliant, and I'm determined to make this one even better. 

A lot of things are going to change soon; I'm going to be taking exams, and moving on to a different school/college, and I won't be with my friends. That makes me sad, but I know its part of life. I'm going to be taking a course that I'm so excited about, and I just can't wait!

A lot of people are making New Year's resolutions, but not me (they never last anyway). Change comes about naturally anyway, so I'm just going to continue being happy with every aspect of myself and my life. 

That's it. Happiness.

Yep. That's what I'm going to do. Chase happiness. Be happy. Be me. 

Happy New Year, guys!! Make this one the best year yet!

- Dottie. 

Happiness Is...

This time one week ago, I was on my way to see some bands, and those bands mean a lot to me. I may not have been a huge fan for years and years, but still, I love those bands, because some of their work means an awful lot to me. 

Last week, I went to see Taking Back Sunday, who had support from Blitz Kids and Marmozets.  And it was brilliant!!

This post isn't really linked to the one I wrote about being happy etc. but I guess it kinda also is... You see, Happiness Is is the title of Taking Back Sunday's album they released earlier this year, and also, their tour was the 'Happiness Is' tour, so naturally, I called this post 'Happiness Is'. 

My TBS tour shirt and concert tickets (on cork board)

For me, concerts are the things that make me ultimately happy.I love them not just because of the live music, but also the people. I'm going to start with that part. 

I'm not a people person, at all, but when I go to concerts, I seem to forget about it. I can talk to people, and have conversations, and I'm perfectly happy being in large crowds now. I feel fine. This past year, I feel that I have gotten more confident, and it may not show at school, but in large social situations, I don't feel the need to shy away any more. So that's pretty cool.

Also, people at concerts aren't as rude and obnoxious as people at school. Last week, a dude I don't know came and stood next to me, and that was cool.We spoke a little about the support bands, and the headlining band, and some bottles of water got passed around, and people shared them out (I didn't have any). But if you were shopping and bottles of water were given out, no one would share, right? At the concert, the dude offered me some of his water, and just, people at concerts are great.

Also!! Also, some dude got shoved into me, and people asked if I was okay, etc. I love people at concerts. 

Then there's the atmosphere and the bands playing!! It's just brilliant, because almost everyone is there for the music, and they're all singing along and it's just a precious moment. 

So yeah. My happiness is concerts, which is why I want to work with bands/at live music events so much. If these things can have such a huge impression on me, and make me feel the way they do, then I'd love to be a part of that and help someone else feel as great as I do. And even if I did a small thing like roadying or something as big as being part of the band on stage, I don't care. I just need to be part of it. 

So that's kinda how awesome my last Monday was..And now? Meh.. 

Have a good week guys!
- Dottie. 

Pop Punk?

Pop punk. 

Yup, pop punk. Because that's all I've really been listening to for the past two days. It just makes me feel so good!! 

My music taste varies a lot (from heavy metal to folk/country music from the 1950s..) but the main genre of music I listen to would probably be rock/punk music.

But pop punk. And before you say it, no, 5SOS probably aren't pop punk (but I can't say anything cause I though Black Veil Brides were heavy metal for years... Oops). So shush. 

But, I'll say it again, pop punk! It always seems so happy, and cheerful, and is actually insanely catchy. 

Recently, I've been listening to a lot of '90s pop punk, and I'm so happy. I did an art mock exam today, and got to listen to my music for five hours, and I'm in such a good mood because of it. 

And I think I've learnt a little about pop punk. So, here's a recipe for a good pop punk song: 

• Catchy lyrics that are rude/funny or emotional.
• Cool guitar riffs and pretty cool choruses. 
• Heavy drums. 
• Bass solos??? (Idk, I like bass..) 

So yeah, that's basically every pop punk song ever maybe. 

And here's my favourite three pop punk songs from the 90s (and 80s I don't know).

1. Bowling For Soup - High School Never Ends

2. Jimmy Eat World - The Middle 

3. Teenage Dirtbag - Wheatus

So I guess it's clear where the inspiration for my blog name/address came from, huh? 

Until next time guys!
- Dottie. 

If It Means a Lot to You...

There is something in my life, that means the world to me. It isn't a physical object, or a person, but a feeling. 

The thing that means so, so much to me is pure happiness. The type of happiness you feel when you're with your friends, and you're all laughing and all of your worries seem so far away. The type of happiness you feel when you get something you've been waiting for, for a long time. The type of happiness you feel when your favourite band plays your favourite song live. 

The feeling of pure happiness is very rare for me; there is always something at the back of my head, asking me if something is wrong, or if I've forgotten to do something important. 

*continues post from two days ago when I was tired* 

Okay, so I think where I was going with this post is, the thing that makes me ultimately happy, purely, purely happy, is going to concerts. Live music. Being in a room with as little as 20, or as many as (possibly) 20,000 (?) people, singing along to every word. That is the feeling I hang on to for days. 

Seriously. 

And I think what I'm trying to say is, if something makes you happy, hold on to it. Don't ever give up on your dreams of being happy. 

Hold on to whatever makes you happy. I'm being serious here. Do not compromise your happiness at any point in your life. It's your life, so live it how you want. 

Okay? 

Okay, so that's the end of this pretty mediocre post... 
- Dottie. 

It Is That Time of Year Again...

Okay, so today is December the 7th,and that means that it't nearly Christmas!

So everyone at my school is excited, and they've been paying Christmas songs since around the start of November. And yes, Christmas is exciting... Just not for me. 

I get it, I get it, I'm such a Scrooge, right? 

Well that's where you're wrong. I love Christmas, I just don't get excited about it all, because I never get my hopes up for anything. Sorry. 


But the weird thing is, this year I'm really looking forward to New Year. For a lot of people, New Year is a time to get drunk and have a massive party, and yeah, good for you, have fun. But I think a lot of people now are missing the whole point of New Year; for me, it's a time to reflect on the past year, and think about how I want to, or need to change my life to become a better person. 

A lot of people don't get that. 

This year, I want to be able to look back and think about all of the good things that have happened this year. There has been a lot, honestly. They might just be small things, like someone smiling at me on the street, but they matter because they made me happy. 
Honestly, I think 2014 has been one of the best years of my life, despite all of the negativity and my bad attitude. I've made some incredible friends, and I'm so glad I've got my best friend, because without her, I don't know how this year would have gone. 
(Thank you Emma ♥) 

I know it's a bit too early to write about New Year, but I'm looking forward to next year, and all of the changes I'm going to have to make. 

Have a good day!
- Dottie. 

Take Time To Relax...

Okay, so I think my previous post was about getting stressed from exams and pressure from school in general. 
I've not been able to post for a while, as I've left revision for my mock week until the last minute, as usual, and I've been finding it hard to take time out and relax. 

So this is what this post is about... 

Once a week, I'm going to have a day to chill out, spend time with my family, read a book, or just do anything that isn't school work. I went to a parents' evening thing at school last week, and my tutor told me to ensure that I do take time out to relax, so in a way, I am doing homework when I'm doing nothing. 

For the last week, I have been feeling the pressure; I've had eleven mock exams to revise for, and I would have started revising weeks ago (like at the start of November..) but my teachers think it's fun to overload us with homework. 

But that's not the point of this post. 

Anyone who gets stressed about school or exams, or feels anxious, or anyone who actually does any school work will understand where I'm coming from when I say that it is really important for both your mental and physical health that you take regular breaks from work, and take a day out once a week for yourself. 

Today is the first day in a long time that I've not done any school work, and I do feel kind of guilty about it, because I'm going to have lots to do tomorrow, but I don't know... 

I've revised for an exam every evening for the past week, so I need this time now more than ever, because I feel so worn out and tired. 

Hmm... This post had really no direction, but there is one point I cannot  stress enough, and that is: 

everyone needs a mental health day once in a while; we're not indestructible, and we're not robots. 

Okay, well I guess that's all... 

Dottie.