I've Come a Long Way in a Year...

Today is my first day of my second year at college, studying music technology, and I decided that it's time for a little reminisce. See, this time last year, I'd already started my first year as a shy, skinny teenager with a big fringe and even bigger t-shirts. I carried around much too much for my course (especially as everything is done on computers...), and was too scared to speak to anyone. 

Now, however, I'm still just as shy, but I feel like I'm definitely getting there on the talking to people front. Other things have definitely changed though, and I'd like to think about those today. 

Firstly, my body confidence has shot skywards! I would never have even dreamed of wearing a crop top, or anything remotely tight-fitting or figure-hugging to college.. Now? Well, I love wearing crop tops and super-skinny jeans, short shorts and skirts, and tight tank tops, even on days when my belly is bloated and feels icky! It just feels like me, and I don't feel the need to hide away from that anymore. While some of this confidence has come from having a boyfriend, a lot of it was because I suddenly started seeing myself as I really am, instead of a few sizes bigger... Those band shirts are now pyjamas! 

And, oh yeah! I have a boyfriend, what?!? This wasn't really something that I was expecting to come from college, I thought the people in my class were cool and all, but I guess surprises are a good thing, right? I'm so happy, and wouldn't change him for the world. 

I can talk to the tutors at college now, and it's pretty great. This is a sign that, yes, my confidence has improved. Another thing that has changed is that I don't get so stressed out about my work anymore, because I know that I am able to complete everything to a high standard, even when I miss lessons, or don't quite understand something. I even managed to skive an afternoon of lessons without getting too upset about it. You should be proud of me! (and not skip lessons!!) 

As well as giving me useful knowledge of the music industry, recording studios, live sound, and much, much more that is going to help my future in the music business, college has helped me so much in general life skills, which I am incredibly grateful for. I was able to work a scary job with complete strangers for an entire summer, which I never thought possible. I am starting to see myself as I am, and I have never been happier. 

I love being able to look back to last year, and compare myself then to myself now, and see the growth. It's a really wonderful thing to realise that you're on your way to becoming a better person. 

Wish me luck back at college today! 

Bye for now,
- Dottie x

Five Favourite ASMR Videos...

I think I've mentioned ASMR on this blog before, but if I haven't, or you're new here, I shall briefly explain what it is. 

ASMR is Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, and is the tingling feeling that you have when someone plays with your hair, or gives you a massage. This feeling can be triggered by sounds such as paper scrunching, or tapping on objects, or can be caused by gentle whispering and tongue-clicking noises. The trend for ASMR videos has increased rapidly on YouTube, and today I am going to share five of my favourites. 

In order to find these videos, click the link that is the title. 

1. Take a Moment || ASMR - DoddleVloggle 

Dodie was the YouTuber who introduced me to ASMR, and I really love this video; it's perfect for relaxing, and the structure of it is lovely. It's very comforting, and had to be here amongst my favourites. 

2. Tissue Paper Crinkle, Crumple, Crush - ASMR Vids

I really like this paper crumpling video, all of the sounds are so soothing, and really helps me to relax. There are no whispers in this one, but it's brilliant nonetheless. 

3. Binaural ASMR Ear Attention - Springbok ASMR

This is an incredible ASMR video, the tingles start almost immediately. The only thing I need to be careful of (and the reason I can't listen to binaural videos) is that it can make me incredibly dizzy, and sometimes even pass out. I don't understand it, but it happens. 

4. Once Upon A Time || ASMR - DoddleVloggle

Dodie's bedtime story ASMR is really cool, because she layers three vocal tracks on top of each other, so it is more of a relaxing noise, than a story that you can follow. It's a very clever concept. 

5. 10 Triggers to Help You Sleep - Taylor Darling ASMR

Finally, this video of triggers to help you sleep is incredibly relaxing, with lots of sounds and whispering to gently guide you into a deep sleep. Lovely!

So, let me know what you think of ASMR, as it's not for everybody, and if you liked any of these videos.

Thank you!

- Dottie x

Book Haul!

Hello guys!! Today, I am going to share with you the collection of books I have recently purchased, as I'm really starting to get back into the whole reading and shopping for books thing, it's fun!! 

I am aware that one of my most recent posts is also about books, and features some of the same books, but this is slightly different, and much more recent, so enjoy!!

SO, I have two books by Jonas Jonasson - The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared (thank you Emma!!), and Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All... First impressions - this author likes long titles. I was curious about these because I saw someone I follow on Instagram post one, and it looked interesting. Since then, I've been wanting to read them. And now I can. Read the synopsis of Hitman Anders here, and The Hundred Year Old Man here. 

When I was book shopping after an interview, I came across The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (author - Mark Haddon), which I am currently reading. The synopsis is here, and I strongly recommend it to fans of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and Looking For Alaska. 

What's A Girl Gotta Do by Holly Bourne is another recent purchase, and I have to say, it's mighty good! I didn't realise that it's actually the third in a series, as it works so well as a stand-alone book. It's all about feminism, growing up, and coping with the stress of school and college life. (Full synopsis here). I flew through this book, and really enjoyed it, I loved that it touched on some pretty interesting feminism issues, and it's definitely worth checking out, especially if you enjoyed Paper Towns or Catlin Moran's How to Be a Woman/How to Build a Girl. 

A bit of a stab-in-the-dark book for me is The Rest of Us Just Live Here, by Patrick Ness. It sparked my interest, and as it was buy one, get one half price in Waterstones, I couldn't say no!! Read the synopsis by clicking here. 

One of the new books that I've had for a while is Inferno, by Dan Brown. With extracts of Dante's Inferno, this is the fourth book following Professor Robert Langdon, as he solves crimes and investigates various murders, etc. I've read quite a few Dan Brown books, and while they are a bit tricky to follow sometimes, they are really good, so I couldn't not buy this one! You can read what it's about here. 

Finally, my last new book is the script edition of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. All I can say is wow. The story was incredible, so interesting and fast-paced, I really loved it! I can definitely recommend it for any Harry Potter fan. It's what we've all been waiting for!! Synopsis here... Not that you need it if you're a Harry Potter fan!! 

And that concludes my book haul, I hope you enjoyed it!

Bye!

- Dottie x

Peaceful Moments and Perfect Days...

I don't know if you've ever had such a lovely, carefree day that you go to sleep feeling so relaxing, and completely at peace with yourself, and you wake up the next day feeling oh so happy... But those days happen every so often for me. It's usually when I get out of the house, and spend time with people that matter. Those people could be my parents, my boyfriend, my sisters, or my best friends, it doesn't matter. What matters is the time that I'm spending with them, and how happy they make me. 

A few times now, I've gone for walks with my boyfriend, and it's so lovely to walk along in the beautiful sunshine (because going outside in the rain is gross), and to know that this wonderful human exists, and he's mine, and I'm his, and we love each other... I love those days... And then there's being able to mess around and laugh until I cry with my amazing best friends... Those people know how to cheer me up, even if no one else does! 

Yesterday, I went for a walk with my parents, and we took the dogs. We ended up at the most beautiful place, bathed in evening sunlight and surrounded by beautiful green trees... We saw a few wild boar, and hear birds and insects. The dogs were running around, and they looked so happy. It was so lovely, blissful and serene. We walked up a huge hill, and at the top, there were some big rocks that overlooked a quarry. Of course, I had to climb on them to get a photo! (see above!)

Then we were walking back to the car, and I was just taking photos of the sky, and the sunset, and it was so lovely. I felt genuinely happy, and at peace, and that's a beautiful feeling. Then, when we got home, we made mugs of tea, got snuggly sweaters, and sat outside around a fire, watching the stars. My older sister, her boyfriend, and my younger sister joined us, and we were all sat outside, stargazing, and talking. I cannot explain why moments like these mean so much to me, but I really, truly appreciate them. 
I feel like the world shows me these beautiful moments to remind me that it's not all bad. 

I hope you're all having a nice day/evening/night/whatever, and that peaceful, serene moments find you soon. 

Dottie x

The MUSIC Tag!

Hello there! Today I am going to be doing the music tag! Yay! This means I will actually be completing a tag post from someone!! You should be proud of me! 

So, I was tagged by the simply wonderful Erin over at The Vinyl Notebook, and you should most definitely read what she wrote here. (It's GIF central, but her music taste is impeccable, so go see her for a m a z i n g recommendations!)   

As with all tag posts, there are certain rules, and I'm going to just borrow these from Erin, because she wrote them wonderfully! 
So, the rules are as follows: 

1. Thank the dude or dudette who tagged you in this radical post and link back to their blog. 
2. Answer the questions below. 
3. Tag some bloggers! 
4. Add your own question to the tag for your nominees to answer.
5. Include these rules in your post. 

SO, thank you so much for tagging me Erin, because this has made me super excited to blog!! 

Question One: Do you play any instruments? 

Well, funny you should ask this... I own three guitars, a bass, and a ukulele... I can play three guitars to an alright standard... Bass, I play less than mediocre, and ukulele... Hah, I can play a C chord... 

You see, I play instruments when I remember that I do so... Which, thanks to Netflix, and books, and internet, and seeing people... That doesn't happen very often. But, I am trying to get back into it, and am learning Slaves' song The Hunter and Biffy Clyro's There's No Such Thing As A Jaggy Snake... They're pretty snazzy songs! 

Question Two: What is your favourite music genre? 

Okay, so this is difficult. I listen to anything from Enter Shikari to Johnny Cash to Blondie to Twenty One Pilots. My favourite genre is probably rock, as there are so many different sub-genres, that it pretty much covers everything I listen to... 

Question Three: Is there a music genre you absolutely cannot stand? 

Not really. I guess I'm not a fan of the more typical Top 40s charts stuff, like Rita Ora, Rhianna, etc. Sorry, pals. Not my thing. 

Question Four: What is your favourite way to listen to music? (CD, vinyl, MP3, radio, etc.) 

Each of these formats has their own advantages and disadvantages, which I'm going to write about... CDs are hard-wearing, compact, and pretty cheap. Most cars have CD players, so that's convenient, but CDs also take up a lot of space (I should know, my house is filled with them!), and they can get damaged... Vinyl is just so awesome, but more expensive, even bigger and easier to damage than CDs and you need to get up to turn over the disc... MP3 is so great, it means you can transport so much music on such a small device, but buying digital music just feels so weird. Radio has presenters, which is annoying, but hearing your favourite song or band on the radio is so epic... But, in answer to the question posed, my favourite way of listening to music is live, as you feel the emotion, and it's an experience unlike any other. 

Question Five: Top three favourite bands/singers?

1. Biffy Clyro. Without a doubt. Scottish (prog?) rock? Yes please!! 
2. Less Than Jake, because they're a brilliant, funny live band, and it's just fun to listen to ska punk. 
3. Dead! because they're some of the loveliest guys I've had the pleasure of meeting, and they're definitely going somewhere pretty fast!

Then there is also Blondie, Twin Atlantic, Fort Hope, Twenty One Pilots, Johnny Cash, Jack Cookson, Ben Howard, Royal Blood, Marmozets, Enter Shikari, Foreign Affairs, George Ezra, Gorillaz, Nirvana, and about a million others... 

Question Six: What are your favourite chords? 

Em7, Dsus4, Cadd9, and G, because combined, they create my favourite Biffy Clyro song, Machines. 

Erin's Question: If you had to pick one song to sum up your entire life, youur very essence, the core of your being, which song would you pick? 

This is incredibly difficult to answer... My life has had both highs and lows, and the only song I can think to represent this is Life Is  A Rollercoaster by Ronan Keating. Listen here.  

For this post, I tag... Sam Denby at The Wonderful World of Denby! Sara at Her Electric Ocean! and Lauryn at Life of a Blonde! 

The question I'd like you guys to answer is who influenced your music taste, and shaped it to become what it is today? 

Thank you for taking the time to read my little post! Until next time!

Dottie x

Things I Should Be Doing Instead of Reading Harry Potter and the Cursed Child...

It's here. It's finally here! The eighth instalment in the Harry Potter series.The book we all thought would never exist... And it's here. I purchased it yesterday. Started it when I got home... Finished it around an hour ago... (If I hadn't had work today, it would have taken less than twelve hours... No way would I have slept...) 

And, as every book lover does, I put off things of importance because this book was just too good not to read... And now for a #relatable (cringe!) post, for all of those who, like I, have put off anything important... 

So, whilst I was reading, I should have been:

• Tidying my room. It's a mess..
• Looking online for interview tips, and generally preparing for my interview that is tomorrow... Eep! 
• Getting a decent night's sleep, for work. 
• Sorting out my nails, as they're kinda too long, and the polish was really chipped...
• Eating. 
• Playing guitar. 
• Writing. 
• Reading A Game of Thrones because I'm halfway through it, and now I'll have to start it again. 
• Going for a walk. 
• Talking to my family. 
• Looking after my poorly boyfriend. 
• Cuddling my dogs. 
• Cleaning my Docs. 
• Not spending money on books...

There is so much more that I should have done, but hey, at least I didn't call into work to say I'm sick! 

If you haven't started reading this book yet, get on it, it really is incredible! 

Okay. Now I actually have stuff to be getting on with. And so do you... Go read!!

Bye!

- Dottie x

Five Things About My Life Right Now...

Hello all! It's been a while since I wrote anything interesting, or worthwhile, and I figured if you're all as nosy as me, you'd be interested to know what I've been up to.
So, here are five things about my life right now... 

1. I have been working twice a week since the start of July. I almost quit after my second shift, but now I'm not finding it as bad. 
2. I am still learning to drive, after around nine months of weekly lessons. But I'm getting there slowly! 
3. Currently, I am reading A Game of Thrones, and it's extremely good; George R. R. Martin writes incredibly well, and the characters are so well crafted! 
4. I spent my first paycheck on makeup, and intend to buy a NYX lipstick next time I'm in town... 
5. I'm trying to be more organised and write blog posts, but I've been caught up in watching both Pretty Little Liars (season six!!!), and Sherlock... Ooops!

So there we are, a quick little list post filled with very uninteresting updates on my life! I hope you guys enjoyed this, hahah! 

Bye for now, 

Dottie x