How To - Play It Cool (Mellow Methods)

I've recently been faced with the realisation that not all boys that take your phone number will actually call you… shocker.

Years of reading dating columns from glossy magazines that belonged to my sister did not actually prepare me for the harsh reality - I don't know whether this was because I was completely naive and unexperienced or because, no. I do know. It's definitely because I was completely naive and unexperienced.

So, ladies and gentlemen, facing the 'real' world of crowded, stuffy pubs and letting people into my "personal bubble" in clubs, concluded in the inevitable happening - I gave out my phone number for the first time.

But now, less frigid about letting people know my number, (what are the chances I've actually given them to it correctly after a few drinks??) I've finally gotten the 'why hasn't he called me?' bug. Ew, right? My 12 year old self would never had guessed.

Anyways, back to the point  - stay fresco, amigos.

1. Don't believe that 'DON'T TALK TO HIM FIRST' bullshit. Let me remind you of the amount of guys that are mind readers: 0. They're not psychic. We all know that the dating game rules say 'let him make the first move', but what's that gonna lead to? Maybe you do, you lucky thing, get a guy who's intentions are wholeheartedly to call you - but spare a thought for us ladies that aren't so fortunate. Text or call him between a 2 - 4 day period. Don't wait for things to happen to you - make things happen.
2. Do be enthusiastic, but do not act as if you could care less. Having a monotonous attitude is unattractive in ANY aspect of your life, and should be avoided at all times! Don't play it so cool that you get frozen out. 
3. Don't tweet about it. I drunkenly tweeted about a guy that I met on a night out and received an almost immediate warning text informing me of what I'd just done. I like to stuff that mistake into the 'rookie error' pocket of my life. It gives the impression that all you're doing is thinking of him, and how, Lord tell me, do you explain it to your friends if he doesn't contact you?
4. Do tell somebody, though. If nothing comes out of it, at least you had the thrill of the possibility. It's supposed to be fun, not a gruelling game of 'It's A Knockout'. 
5. Don't let one experience prevent you from doing it again. Just because Jacob turned out to be a d*ck doesn't mean that Luke will be the same!

But remember that it is your phone number and treat it like your packet of gum: you can hand a couple out, but don't f*cking tell everyone.

L.

Long Time, No Post - London Life.

I apologise whole-heartedly for my absence to the 3 people (including myself) that actually read my blog, haha.

It's been a bit of a crazy couple of months away, and now that I've settled into London life, I think that blogging is definitely something I should take up again.

I'm currently at King's College London (if you care), studying English Language & Communication. I genuinely feel like London is the place to make things happen, and if I don't tell people (never mind if it is only the three of us - I need to remind myself sometimes!) what great things are happening, then I'm sure I'll regret it. Hopefully it will encourage you to go out and venture into unknown territory - permission granted, of course.

To start, I hope you had a lovely Christmas and will have an even better New Year.

I overheard a lady saying that 'New Year's was just a reminder that time was ticking on'. It is, lady with the charcoal grey peacoat and a fierce opinion, but I like to call it the 'bittersweet beginning'. It's the time of year to start sentences with 'remember when'. It's the time of year to float between the 4 digit numbers we stamp on the top right corner of our pages. It's the time of year to get excited about life again, before your schedule catches up with you.

Because let's be honest, who doesn't have a schedule? And even if you scoff at the idea of being controlled by something you willingly organised (be that a job, a degree, the magnet of the blue website heckling you to reblog images of The Fault in our Stars etc.) our lives always, always, always, follow a relentless pattern.

Anyways, like I mentioned before, my life has been switched up in terms of the patterns - I now zig-zag between dormant vehicles blocked up on Oxford Street and tessellate between the masses of tourists in Leicester Square. The smell of celebrities is fresh and exciting and I can literally TASTE the Chinese food from Covent Garden.

It's a city I'm blessed to live in and actually see between assignments and lectures, and I couldn't be more grateful it came at this point in my life.

I think that many people think about doing things, but how can you be content thinking about spending the whole day and possibly meeting Jennifer Lawrence at the Catching Fire premiere, when seeing her in person iS GUHREAET.

(oh hey mate, thanks for signing my book.)

And I know that not many people get the opportunity to do this, but I just wanted to share this tidbit of my life.

I guess you could call me Jenna Hamilton (minus the weed and I'd NEVER ditch Matty Mckibben, c'mon) - this is my life journal.

Next chapter - you are mine, Laborious London.

L.

BENICASSIM

GUESS WHAT.

I went to Benicassim Festival (or FiB) from the 16th of July to the 22nd of July. I thought I'd share some of it with you because it's definitely an experience worth having.

We flew to Barcelona on Tuesday the 16th, and caught the Renfe train (cheap as chips and so relaxing) to Benicassim. It took about 2 hours, and we arrived after the sun had already set.

After meandering through the barricades to get our wristband and be allowed onto the festival grounds, we faced the task of finding a spot to set up camp. There were 7 of us, and we needed enough room for 4 tents.

We finally made 10G our home. It wasn't under the shade of trees nor tarpaulin, but that was a feat we had to overcome whether we liked it or not.

The festival itself (as in, when the live music started) didn't commence until Thursday, so we spent Tuesday through to Thursday roaming Benicassim town, sleeping on the beach and getting to know our new neighbours.

But when the festival kicked in, oh my, did it kick in.

I believe we saw La Roux first, followed by Dizzee Rascal. Both were amazing live. La Roux had an amazing atmosphere when the hits came on, and everybody sang in an overwhelming unison.

To contrast, Dizzee's set was just as energetic, but a little more carefree. He talked and interacted with the crowd a lot, and even crowd surfed. It was completely astounding to be so close.

I can't remember specifically when/where we saw artists, but here's a list of the ones I do remember:

The Killers. THE KILLERS.

The Arctic Monkeys. THE ARCTIC MONKEYS.

Rudimental.

Woodkid.

Johnny Marr. 

Jake Bugg.

Aluna George.

Bastille.

...just to name a few. How completely astounding does my week sound to you?

Everybody at Beni was utterly fantastic, and so fun to be around. I think that if you're debating whether to go or not, do it.

Of course, be street-smart about your valuables etc. and stay as safe as you can, but other than that, go for it. Why not go to a festival where you know your wellies can be left at home?

Skins Pure - (Warning: Spoilers)

Cassie 'Motherfucking' Ainsworth (as Mike Bailey himself so eloquently put), is back.

It's a no-bullshit, straight to the point, not-everything's-lovely Cassie, and I adore her just as much now as I did back then.

But I don't think her episodes did her any justice. Her plot line thrived on suspense and action and adrenaline, and the twist with the modelling contract in Part II was beautifully timed and I didn't actually suspect that would happen, but to contrast, there wasn't a tingly aura that made you think, 'yeah, this is the Cassie. This is how she was when we left her.'

Which, I think, in some ways is great. I think I'm so bitter about Cassie's episodes because she was my favourite, and I'd hoped they'd kept her frozen in time.

I hadn't gotten my hopes up about Sid (I'd thought she'd moved past that and bringing him up again would be old news, although, welcome news I'm sure) but I didn't think that the character would have grown up so fast in such a short space of time.

Say goodbye to Cassie's catchphrases, 'oh wow' and 'lovely' and say hello to a controlled young lady, bustling through London life.

The development in Cassie's life in our absence has seen her Mum pass away and her Dad in not such a good shape - I wondered whether this was a necessary subplot or something to tipper the action of the 'main' story, as it were.

I have to admit, I did think that the story was very 'Maxxie/Sketch' at first, and definitely as the adverts limited our knowledge to 'somebody's taking secret pictures of Cassie, guess who'.

But it developed into a nice story. It was beautifully raw and honest and Cassie-like (she still dances the same way!), and I really enjoyed Skins Pure: Hannah Murray is so captivating to watch in the role of Cassie that she holds a chilling capability to suck you in and make you seem as though you were a first hand witness.

I think I'll miss Cassie the most. I think that her character, from the start, was somewhat of an underdog that the writers could apply any script to and still see an artistically stunning outcome to.

Also, her little brother Rueben, is the cutest ever.

Skins Fire Part II - (Warning: Spoilers)

Part II definitely brought the heat. If you say that you weren't moved by the storyline, either you're an 'evil, emotionless, miserable, human being …or a robot.'
As I said before, I liked the contrast of surroundings and indeed characters that were introduced into the life of our dear Elizabeth Stonem. For example, Craig Roberts (also known for 'Rio Wellard' in Tracy Beaker and 'Simon Daldry' in The First Time) brings such a delicateness to Effy's wall.
His somewhat feminine features like his empathy toward Naomi, his kindness and his warmth somehow clash into Effy's headstrong, poker face facade: and by George don't I like this mix. This blending of gender roles is also something I praise, be it intentional or not.
I also like the awkwardness Dominic puts between them; it kind of brought back the element of 'where do I stand?', which is, to me, a definite connotation of the dreaded 'teen age'.
But this was all amidst a serious issue that we should know is prevalent in our modern day society: fraud, discrepancies in not just our society but our workforces too, and other issues that we so often get shunned from because of our age. But yet, we're expected to be thrust into the "working world" in a matter of years, and act as if we're comfortable in it.
We're supposed to act professional. WHICH, is why I fall in love with Skins Fire the more I talk about it. It's about transition, it's about merging, and it's about cooperation between two environments and even two sides of a person that are supposed to work in harmonious synchronisation from the word 'go'.
We're also taught to recognise and avoid cancer, but so very few are brave enough to confront a whole nation of adolescents with the consequences and outcomes.
It's hard hitting reality, but it's definitely doses of something imperative. It's dramatic. It's exercised entertainment. And yes, you're perfectly entitled to ask yourself, 'what are the chances?' but in the grand scheme of things, what aren't the chances?
So thank you, Jamie Brittain and Brian Elsley, for treating your audience as adults, and for allowing the demographic SKINS is aimed at to grow with the characters.

WAAAHHH

I have so many posts (Skins reviews, Benicassim review and a Barcelona blog entry) to upload which makes me anxious because time is a precious thing!

They WILL be up shortly.

Skins Fire Part I - (Warning: Spoilers)

As 10 o'clock grew nearer and nearer, I fluctuated between a state of panic and anticipation as I was still at work. The clock hand clawed its way past half 9, which was to my relief, the time my Mum dismissed me (I am employed by my parents…)
I felt sick and dizzy from the cold that invaded my head and nose and throat, but I knew that those symptoms would have to be second priority for an hour.
And so, as 10 o'clock struck and the advert played, I found that the anxiousness took over my body. And there she was, the ever brilliant Effy Stonem.
The atmosphere was different because she was different. I couldn't help but think how her surroundings largely contrasted the Bristolian estate that she emerged into on the first episode of Skins (EVER). The business-y set up, in my opinion, reflected not only her change in profession and age, but her change in the way she carried herself, with a bit more of a careful confidence than what she once had. I say careful confidence, because although somewhat majestic in her character, Kaya plays a subtle version of Effy that portrays layers and a continuous barrier that we've all grown to love. A lot more subtle than the mute barrier we were first introduced to.
Skins Fire sees Effy in a stock-market environment, juggling the balance between her role as an assistant and her urge for something more. Her teenage days seem long gone, with only Naomi as her flatmate to remind her of the world we once peaked into.
We see sparks of her teenage character in her attitude though, so don't you worry your little minds, Effy fans, she's still here.
…And her thirst for a good party is still here too. WHICH I LOVED. I loved the contrast between her day job and her night life. She at first seemed more toned down, more monotonous in her daily structure, and for a moment I thought the Effy we 'knew' had disappeared. The Effy that lead Panda to Cassie's house to pick up drugs, and the Effy that hit Katie Fitch in the head in a nighttime brawl. But her love for strobe lights are ever present, hidden ever so discretely in the wee hours of the morning.
More and more complications happen as the story unfolds, and the snippet of next week's episode built just the right amount of tension and suspense to liven the seemingly mundane 'business' life up - the beginnings of an illegal scandal. OH MY. (A Wellard from Tracy Beaker is on it. Small world.)
A lot of people complained that they didn't want to see her job, or that they don't care for the business world. A lot of people complained that it seemed like she'd forgotten about Freddie or anybody else that was in the 2nd Generation. But I'm glad that the writers didn't succumb to our want of old characters. It would feel too familiar. It would feel like there was no progression, wouldn't it?
I so desperately wanted to hear a knock on the door and see Nicholas Hoult's gorgeous face on the other side, checking up on his baby sister, but that didn't happen. Good, I say. It's not their story. It's not "Skins - 2nd Generation catch up". It's Skins Fire. It's the burn from the pressure of the real world, and it's the flame that keeps you going.
I really enjoyed part one, and I'm so so excited for part two - NOAMILY. The sub-plot of Noamily might, in my opinion, override Effy's. But I also think the mash of the two should develop a decent mini storyline that everybody will be sad to see an end to.
I'm heartbroken already, and we've only just dipped our toes in.
Bring on Skins Fire Part II.
(You can catch Skins Fire Part II on Monday, 8th July at 10pm.)