Music Piracy...

This is becoming way more common in the modern day... It is becoming easier and easier to illegally download music, or to avoid paying for it.

To most people, it may not seem like that big a deal, but to the artist, especially if they're not able to make a living off of their music, it really matters. 

Apps are available that allow you to listen to music anywhere, without paying. for it, and it is so easy to download a song or two off of YouTube. 

What I don't understand is, why are people willing to pay £5 for a cup of coffee, that costs just pence to make, and is gone quickly, but won't pay £0.99 to legally download a song from iTunes? It doesn't make sense. This song cost the artist thousands to record/promote/produce, took hours of time to write/record/practice, and will last pretty much forever.. Buying a song costs so little, why not invest? 

The next thing, and I do this, a lot, is using Spotify Free.. I get it, hundreds of thousands of free songs to listen to, whenever you feel like it.. It's brilliant, and an awesome way of discovering new music without wasting money if you don't like it.. I'm all for it.. BUt what sucks is that the artist gets such a small amount of money for all of their hard work. I completely understand why some artists (e.g. Taylor Swift, who is all for sticking up for the little guys when regarding music streaming) have removed their catalogues/new releases from this streaming site. 
Now I have every intention to purchase loads of physical copies either vinyl or cd) of albums, but I currently have no job (due to anxiety, more on that another time), and no money. But I never illegally download music. 

We need to support the music scene, and smaller artists, because I've seen so many bands break up, or come close to it, due to lack of funds due to people streaming or pirating their music. It's wrong.. 

As I was saying earlier, this is only something that has become more common with the growth of the Internet, because, well, you wouldn't just walk into a record store and take a 12-inch vinyl, would you? It's becoming easier to basically steal music, so people do it. 

If you respect the artist, you buy the music. 
End of. 

- Dottie.  

Life Appreciation Post...

In the midst of all of these exams, I'm taking the time out to write this post.. (I should probably most definitely be revising right now...) 

BUT, I want to write about how thankful I am for everything in my life right now.. I am an incredibly lucky person, and I do not express this often enough.. 

I'd like to start off by writing about my amazing friends and family.. They put up with my constant moaning, whining and bitching.. Yeah, y'all deserve a medal or something... To my amazing best friend: I'll probably write this down for you soon, but I do not know where I would be without you. You have been there for me for so long, I cannot remember what it was like without you... And I don't want to.. A special thank you goes out to you! <3 

Now I'm going to think about how lucky I am to live in such as beautiful place (no, I'm not telling you where...). But this place is stunning, and as much as I cannot wait to escape, it's my home, and a part of me will always belong here...

Life experiences, next... I haven't travelled the world, I've never even left this tiny island called the United Kingdom... BUT I've got some incredible memories... So many gigs!! And each one has been a different experience, and a different chance to meet new people.. Which is exactly what I need.. Then, there's things like the zip-wire in the dark, I've done Go Ape (Google it!) and been to festivals.. I've been to school.. I think that is what has shaped me into the person I am today...

I have a direction for my life, and I now appreciate what I need to do to achieve that.. I need to take care of myself, respect myself, and most importantly, LOVE myself!! 

I am so thankful for life, and sometimes I forget to express this... But my thankfulness is always there! :D


Until next time,
- Dottie. 

Exam Advice

If you live in England, exam season is fast approaching (or has passed, if you're lucky..). I can't promise that the advice I'm going to give is going to be useful, but I'll try my best... 

• Don't leave your revision until the week before your exam. I learnt this the hard way. I started my revision a week or two ago, and my first exam is on Tuesday. If you haven't got exams this year, start your revision early. There is so much you need to know, and need to remember, so don't leave it too late. 
• Find the right way to revise. Everyone revises in a different way; for me, I find that reading the information repeatedly helps me, whereas some people find condensing information into flashcards works better, or writing questions to answer can help, too. Try as many different techniques as you can, because you need to be able to revise effectively. Also, don't revise in bed! 
• Don't be rushing on the morning of the exam. Try and arrive early, get anything ready the night before. You want to be as chilled as possible before you enter the exam hall. 
• Read everything carefully, and read all of the information you are given. Don't miss out easy marks because you read the question wrong. 
• Answer every question. Even if you don't really know the answer, take an educated guess. Use any information you can find in questions. If its a maths exam, always attempt the question; you get marks for methods, even if you get the answer wrong. 
• Take your time. Obviously you don't want to take too much time, but you get a fair amount of time. You don't need to race anyone, it's just you. 
• Focus on yourself. This one I need to concentrate on. Just focus on you. Do the best that you can. It isn't a competition. Don't be paranoid about beating the smart kid. Just do it for yourself. You are the most important person in your world, remember that.
• Remember that it is okay to take a break. Whether this is in the exam hall, or at home, if you feel your mind beginning to fuzz, just take five minutes to chill out and breathe. It really, genuinely helps. 

The final thing I want to say is, remember that exam results aren't the be all and end all. You aren't defined by s grade on a piece of paper, and you shouldn't put your life on hold for exams. One of my teachers told me and my friend that we're going to be fine with our exams, because we know all that we need to, and we've always worked hard at school. My advice to you would be to be consistent. Always do the best that you can. 

There are a few people who are so stressed about exams, they are intensively revising, and it doesn't work like that. When you revise, make sure that you're relaxed, you don't take anything in when you're in a state of panic. 

I hope this helps, whether you're doing exams this summer, or not. 

Good luck!
- Dottie. 

This Is What I Live For..

Yesterday, I went to a gig, for the first time in around two months. I'm not kidding when I say that the atmosphere, and the people and the feeling I get in a concert venue, is what I live for. I'd forgotten how much I love it. 

I hate the queuing, especially in the cold, but I didn't mind yesterday. I was just so happy it was insane! The first support band of the night was called Oh Captive, and last night's was their last show. The second support band was called Dead! and I have seen them twice before. They were even better than I remembered them. Their new songs were brilliant, and their usual stuff sounded even better than before. All the way through their set, I had this crazy-big smile on my face; I'm so proud of those boys! 

Then the headline band. I'd listened to their first album when they released it, earlier last year, and I thought they were good, but I was into heavier music at the time, so didn't think much more of it. They released an EP on 9th February, and it is beautiful. The band is called Fort Hope. Their music is beautiful. 
By this point in the gig, I'd managed to get centre second row, so I was looking directly up at the singer. It was super crowded, and the band was a lot heavier than expected! There was a lot of people jumping around and shoving (they were stood behind me), and I feel sorry for the girls I kept getting pushed into. Fort Hope were a lot heavier live (the bass and guitars were much louder) but I absolutely loved it. Every single second. Usually at gigs, I zone out for at least one song, but this time, I didn't. It was amazing. 

Then, afterwards, I brought a physical copy of Fort Hope's EP (I'm one of those annoying people... sorry), a wristband, got a free badge, and got a copy of Oh Captive's first EP for £1. (I already own loads of Dead! merch..). I spoke to a couple of guys from Dead!, and the singer of FH singed my CD. I am still so happy.

I was going to put my band-member-and-me photos, but I look too stupid.. Y'all should check out Fort Hope!! Buy their EP (£3.99 on iTunes apparently..)

- Dottie. 

The Education System.

The following YouTube video inspired me to write this post. Watch the video first, then read what I have to say.

Okay, so I'm assuming you've watched the video now. My blog isn't really about the same stuff, but the video is still relevant. 

School sucks. For the first few years of secondary school, its not too bad. Then you start your GCSEs and it's suddenly like going to hell and back. Every. Day. 

My school has been putting so much more pressure on us recently, and I don't quite understand why. They cannot force people to work harder, and get their head down and revise. Yet, they seem to give us loads of extra work anyway. If people don't want to work, they won't. So the people who need less work to do, and less stress, get a bucket load more, because some assholes can't sit down, shut up and do work. 

A lot of teachers seem to think that grades are all that matter. We had a mock exam week (that lasted around three weeks) in December, and we had a 'results day'. A huge deal was made about something that doesn't even matter. And those mock exams made an anxiety problem way worse for my best friend. That is so wrong. (And I hope she's okay <3) 

I heard the other day that year 8s (12 or 13 year olds) are choosing their GCSE subjects soon. I don't get it. Adults expect teenagers to have no reason to be stressed/anxious/depressed/mentally unstable, and they're so wrong. We're expected to be able to juggle school, school work, other work, social lives, friendships, relationships, regular exercise and enough sleep. 

I was told a few months ago, that I was expected to shut myself away every night after school, after having done my homework, and sit in silence with no phones/laptops etc, and revise. 

I don't go out with my friends very often, I go to a concert maybe once a month. I play guitar and bass, but barely have time to practice. I don't really have a life, because it feels like school is my life.. That didn't make sense, but you get where I'm coming from. 

And, school seems to drag on forever. Seriously. This week feels like it's been three months. Everyday is the same, there is no change of routine. It's wake up, get dressed, eat, get ready, do work/go out, come home, play guitar, shower, sleep. Even on weekends. It sucks. I want my life back. 

This pretty accurately sums up school:

"I'm going insane, but that's okay because my grades are more important than my mental health anyway."

Okay, bye!
- Dottie. 

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.