She's only 15 but she has a stunningly beautiful voice! I love her cover of Bon Iver's Skinny Love as well as 1901, People Help the People and Shelter (which as far as I know are all covers too).
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
Birdy
Another of my current music loves is Birdy!
She's only 15 but she has a stunningly beautiful voice! I love her cover of Bon Iver's Skinny Love as well as 1901, People Help the People and Shelter (which as far as I know are all covers too).
She's only 15 but she has a stunningly beautiful voice! I love her cover of Bon Iver's Skinny Love as well as 1901, People Help the People and Shelter (which as far as I know are all covers too).
Lana Del Rey
I love music and have a big variety of favourite songs, singers and bands!
One of my recent music finds is Lana Del Rey! She gained massive popularity with her song 'Video Games' and that is when I first began to love her music.
I bought her album Born to Die a few weeks ago and I have played it loads of times since. I love her voice, although it sounds quite melodramatic and reminds me of images of femme fetales singing in dimly lit, smoke filled dive bars, it is hauntingly beautiful voice. With the popularity of artists like Adele its nice to have another powerful female voice to add to that list.
I know she's had a bit of a bad rep for not singing well live, but I'm hoping that's just nerves and she'll get more comfortable with it in time!
One of my favourite songs off the album is Diet Mountain Dew and although its not the most well liked song on the album, I love it as its more upbeat than some of the others!
Even though its not on the album another of my favourite Lana songs is Kinda Outta Luck. I found it on YouTube after Video Games was released as Lana had posted it on there when she was first starting out. I really hope she releases it on a later album as I'd love it as a single! I love Lana's home-made video for it too:
I bought her album Born to Die a few weeks ago and I have played it loads of times since. I love her voice, although it sounds quite melodramatic and reminds me of images of femme fetales singing in dimly lit, smoke filled dive bars, it is hauntingly beautiful voice. With the popularity of artists like Adele its nice to have another powerful female voice to add to that list.
I know she's had a bit of a bad rep for not singing well live, but I'm hoping that's just nerves and she'll get more comfortable with it in time!
One of my favourite songs off the album is Diet Mountain Dew and although its not the most well liked song on the album, I love it as its more upbeat than some of the others!
Even though its not on the album another of my favourite Lana songs is Kinda Outta Luck. I found it on YouTube after Video Games was released as Lana had posted it on there when she was first starting out. I really hope she releases it on a later album as I'd love it as a single! I love Lana's home-made video for it too:
Soap & Gloryness!
I've never really been one for smellies and have often groaned slightly if I'd got some for Christmas, but recently that's changed and that's all thanks to Soap and Glory!
I first discovered it when I was looking for a decent body scrub that came out of a squeezy tube/bottle instead of a tub (because I found a squeezy bottle easier to handle), so I bought myself some of Soap & Glory's 'Scrub, Actually' and it worked really, really well, leaving all my dry spots all smooth as well as smelling lovely.
When I have tried 'smellies' before, a few have often had that chemically enhanced smell about them and the fruitiness has faded away after you've washed, but this doesn't seem to happen as much with S&G.
I recently bought the Righteous Butter Body Lotion too (as it came in a bottle, which is again a lot easier) and that has been great too as it smells lovely, although I haven't decided as to whether it beats Garnier's Intensive 7 day Body Lotion in the moisturising stakes though!
I got a few other Soap & Glory smellies for Christmas too, but have decided not to use them until I move into my new house (I have other shower gels and things to use up first too) but I will let you know if they win the test too!
Its strange, when I was younger I was never interested in make up, beauty, fashion or anything, but now I'm starting to change. Wish it happened earlier though because now I'm nearing my mid 20s I'm starting to worry I'll be slowly getting too old to be 'fashionable' and trendy anymore! lol!
I recently bought the Righteous Butter Body Lotion too (as it came in a bottle, which is again a lot easier) and that has been great too as it smells lovely, although I haven't decided as to whether it beats Garnier's Intensive 7 day Body Lotion in the moisturising stakes though!
I got a few other Soap & Glory smellies for Christmas too, but have decided not to use them until I move into my new house (I have other shower gels and things to use up first too) but I will let you know if they win the test too!
Its strange, when I was younger I was never interested in make up, beauty, fashion or anything, but now I'm starting to change. Wish it happened earlier though because now I'm nearing my mid 20s I'm starting to worry I'll be slowly getting too old to be 'fashionable' and trendy anymore! lol!
Wednesday, 15 February 2012
Things I cannot live without
1. My Electric Wheelchair:
If it wasn't for this I'd be completely stuck! I know this sounds silly, but it is my legs! My wheelchair is even more amazing as it has the ability to raise up (as you can see from the picture) so I can reach almost everything. It also has indicators and a horn, which although fun aren't really useful. I think it has indicators and headlights because the fastest makes of my chair are only allowed to be used on roads and have to conform to Highway Code standards. Mine doesn't though.
2. My 'Helping Hand':
A lot of people would have seen these things being used by litter pickers in the street, but it helps me so much. If I drop anything (which often happens) I can pick it up (so long it is at the right angle and the right thickness to get the 'claw' round it. The only problem comes when I drop my helping hand on the floor - these things should come with a free extra one!
3. My iPhone:
I've only had my iPhone for 11 months now, but I seriously don't know what I'd do without it! What's my friends doing? Check Facebook! What's the weather like today? I have an app for that! I'm bored. Let's play 'Angry Birds'! The only thing that comes close to it on my list is:
4. My Laptop:
Where would we be without the internet? I can't imagine my life without it! If the power cut off for 5 hours, I would be bored stiff! Chatting to my friends, doing work, finding out the latest news and writing this blog, my laptop is a really hard gadget to live without, even though we don't necessarily need it!
If it wasn't for this I'd be completely stuck! I know this sounds silly, but it is my legs! My wheelchair is even more amazing as it has the ability to raise up (as you can see from the picture) so I can reach almost everything. It also has indicators and a horn, which although fun aren't really useful. I think it has indicators and headlights because the fastest makes of my chair are only allowed to be used on roads and have to conform to Highway Code standards. Mine doesn't though.
2. My 'Helping Hand':
A lot of people would have seen these things being used by litter pickers in the street, but it helps me so much. If I drop anything (which often happens) I can pick it up (so long it is at the right angle and the right thickness to get the 'claw' round it. The only problem comes when I drop my helping hand on the floor - these things should come with a free extra one!
3. My iPhone:
4. My Laptop:
Myths and misconceptions about Cerebral Palsy
Even though I don't really want it to be, one of the first things people would probably notice about me is that I have a disability - Cerebral Palsy in fact. I have had it all my life. One of the things that has often really frustrated me throughout life is when people have the wrong ideas about my disability and what I (and other people with the same condition) are capable of.
I thought I'd address some of these myths here:
1. Cerebral Palsy is a degenerative disability: No. I and many others have the condition from birth and it is something that does not get steadily worse or better. It will affect you for all of your life. Maybe I'll end up being slightly weaker when I get older, but that happens to everyone when they get old. Physiotherapy and exercise helps a lot to keep you mobile, but its not a miracle cure!
2. Cerebral Palsy is a genetic disability/you can find out if your child has it when its in the womb:
Nope! Cerebral Palsy is a disability you can have from birth not something you are born with (if you see the difference). Cerebral Palsy occurs when parts of the brain are damaged soon after birth, usually (as in my case) as a result of being born prematurely. Many things can directly cause this to happen (to a premature baby) such as lack of oxygen to the brain or a bleed to the brain.
3. If you have Cerebral Palsy, then you have learning disabilities: This is something that really gets to me as some people presume this a lot if they have just met me and not spoken to me before. Cerebral Palsy is a physical disability NOT a mental one. Obviously in some cases separate learning disabilities can occur as a result of being born prematurely or some severe aspects of Cerebral Palsy, but it is not the Cerebral Palsy itself which causes issues with learning and mentality. I am testament to this as I studied at a mainstreame school all my life and then went on to graduate from a university with only support to help me physically throughout school.
4. Cerebral Palsy is a really severe disability: In some cases it is, but it all depends on which parts of the brain are affected. For example with myself it is mostly my right side of the brain that was affected. As the 2 sides of your brain control your opposite sides of your body, it is mostly the left side of my body that are affected. Many people who have Cerebral Palsy often have trouble with their speech and this is something that has often got mixed up with the stereotype of people with Cerebral Palsy having learning disabilities. I'm lucky, as it is generally the left side of the brain which is associated with producing the ability to speak and so I am not really affected this way (my legs are the main things that are affected by my disability and although I can weight bare and take a couple of steps with support, I use an electric wheelchair to get around). However I do know a few people who have CP whose speech is affected this way and this still does NOT mean they have learning disabilities. Unfortunately because society doesn't seem to have figured this out yet, people with more severe physical speech and mobility problems associated with CP are often still put into special schools and are not always given the opportunity to communicate fully. Therefore they might not always be given access to the educational standard they are capable of and wouldn't be given as much opportunity to achieve the things they are able to.
I thought I'd address some of these myths here:
1. Cerebral Palsy is a degenerative disability: No. I and many others have the condition from birth and it is something that does not get steadily worse or better. It will affect you for all of your life. Maybe I'll end up being slightly weaker when I get older, but that happens to everyone when they get old. Physiotherapy and exercise helps a lot to keep you mobile, but its not a miracle cure!
2. Cerebral Palsy is a genetic disability/you can find out if your child has it when its in the womb:
Nope! Cerebral Palsy is a disability you can have from birth not something you are born with (if you see the difference). Cerebral Palsy occurs when parts of the brain are damaged soon after birth, usually (as in my case) as a result of being born prematurely. Many things can directly cause this to happen (to a premature baby) such as lack of oxygen to the brain or a bleed to the brain.
3. If you have Cerebral Palsy, then you have learning disabilities: This is something that really gets to me as some people presume this a lot if they have just met me and not spoken to me before. Cerebral Palsy is a physical disability NOT a mental one. Obviously in some cases separate learning disabilities can occur as a result of being born prematurely or some severe aspects of Cerebral Palsy, but it is not the Cerebral Palsy itself which causes issues with learning and mentality. I am testament to this as I studied at a mainstreame school all my life and then went on to graduate from a university with only support to help me physically throughout school.
4. Cerebral Palsy is a really severe disability: In some cases it is, but it all depends on which parts of the brain are affected. For example with myself it is mostly my right side of the brain that was affected. As the 2 sides of your brain control your opposite sides of your body, it is mostly the left side of my body that are affected. Many people who have Cerebral Palsy often have trouble with their speech and this is something that has often got mixed up with the stereotype of people with Cerebral Palsy having learning disabilities. I'm lucky, as it is generally the left side of the brain which is associated with producing the ability to speak and so I am not really affected this way (my legs are the main things that are affected by my disability and although I can weight bare and take a couple of steps with support, I use an electric wheelchair to get around). However I do know a few people who have CP whose speech is affected this way and this still does NOT mean they have learning disabilities. Unfortunately because society doesn't seem to have figured this out yet, people with more severe physical speech and mobility problems associated with CP are often still put into special schools and are not always given the opportunity to communicate fully. Therefore they might not always be given access to the educational standard they are capable of and wouldn't be given as much opportunity to achieve the things they are able to.
Monday, 13 February 2012
Welcome to my blog!
Hey!
After the success of my other blog 'An Atheist Reads the Bible' where I have been charting (or not charting) my long journey through reading the Bible as a non believer, I thought I'd start a blog about more general stuff about my likes, dislikes, views and opinions. Hope this one will be a bit more fun and that I can write in it a bit more often without feeling like I'm writing an essay every time lol!
Charlie
After the success of my other blog 'An Atheist Reads the Bible' where I have been charting (or not charting) my long journey through reading the Bible as a non believer, I thought I'd start a blog about more general stuff about my likes, dislikes, views and opinions. Hope this one will be a bit more fun and that I can write in it a bit more often without feeling like I'm writing an essay every time lol!
Charlie
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