Three 'if' questions

1. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
I know it's cliché, but I would probably have flying or invisibility. I wouldn't want to read peoples thoughts, because I'm a little worried about what people may be thinking. I would like to end poverty, or create world peace, but I think that would take a little more than a super power!

2. If you could go back in time and change one thing, would you?
No, I don't think that I would. I have decided to always live with no regrets, and by going back and changing something, it would suggest that I'm unhappy and that my life is incomplete - which it most definitely isn't!

3. If you were stranded on a desert island and could bring one thing, what would you bring?
My phone? But there probably wouldn't be any signal, or Wi-Fi. Maybe that would be the time to chose to have a superpower!

I love a bit of panto

Today, I went to the pantomime.

I absolutely ADORE the pantomime - it's one of my favourite things EVER.

This year, it was Peter Pan, starring a rather famous judge from Strictly Come Dancing (A-MA-ZING, hint hint!)

I always go with my god mother, her grandchildren, her friend and sister and nephew - so a pretty big group!

It is just so much fun! For one, the kids all love it. They laugh, and shout stuff out and wave around those overpriced flashy sword things. For two, I love it! I get transported back to when I was a child, and yeah I'm a teenager and I'm meant to be all cool, but for those few magical hours, I laugh at all the silly jokes, I boo the baddies, and generally just get caught up in the magic that is panto.

I love all the clichés - the huge costumes, the 'he's behind you!', the slapstick comedy - I feel like I could just watch pantomimes forever.

And every time I go, it just inspires me so much. I want to learn how to act, to dance, to sing, so that maybe one day, I could be up there, performing my heart out.

Every time I go it reminds me once again just how much I love the theatre. Because I do love it, I love everything about it. I love plays, musicals, pantomimes, dances, anything really! I love the thrill and excitement of going to a show. I love the apprehension when you in your seat and your waiting for the show to start. I love the stories, the way you can get transported to somewhere completely different from mundane reality. I love the hair, the makeup, the costumes, and how so many people backstage have worked tirelessly to make the show what it is. I love the stage, the sets, the props. I love the music, the sound effects, the singing. I love the lighting, a hundred different coloured spot lights. I love the ice cream on sale at every interval. I love how it can make you feel happy, or sad, or scared, or confused, or any emotion in the world. I love how you end up caring more about the characters you've just met than your own family. I just really really love the theatre.

And pantomimes... to me, they are just the theatre at its best. A group of extremely talented people together, performing something for the sole purpose to make people happy. I'm so glad I get to be a part of it, even if it is just watching from the audience. But you never know - maybe it will be one day, up there in a fantastic costume making people laugh and smile. Mind you, I think I'd prefer to be backstage, doing hair and makeup and such.

Anyway, if you are going to see or have seen any pantomimes, or any shows at all, I'd love to hear about it!

Happy Blogaversary!

Today marks the one year point since I posted my first ever post.

If I recall, it was about the difference between bourbons and custard creams.

So safe to say, I haven't got any better at choosing topics to write about.

I must admit, I'm not a great blogger. I was pretty rubbish for about ten months, only posting once or twice a month - if that!

Things changed in October when I decided to throw myself into it and post every single day. And then with the November Photo Challenge (which was sadly left in an unfinished state).

I did think that I would post every day in December as well, but I've been extremely busy, so I apologise for that.

This year has been so good. My blog has brought me so much more joy and happiness than I expected - it truly is my happy place on the internet. Despite not visiting very much!

So to anyone that's ever read any post ever (and admittedly, there aren't that many of you), thanks so much, and here is to a better second year, with more posts and better content!

But we all know that probably won't happen!

Anyway, if I don't post again for a while, I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a very happy new year!

Love,
Gabriella Hope

Themed Trees

As Christmas is fast approaching, I spent my weekend doing what I’m sure many of you, many people across the country, and probably across the world did. I went and got my Christmas tree.

The whole experience, from the wellies in the mud and the scarf around your neck to those big metal cylinder things that they put your tree through to get it netted up, is to me, an essential part of Christmas.

I love decorating my tree. I love going into the loft and getting the big box down and rediscovering all those treasures that you forgot about all year. But there is one thing that I cannot stand, cannot abide. I hate themed trees.

Obviously not to offend anyone, but I think that themed trees are an example of everything that’s wrong with the world. They show a lack of creativity, a lack of family history, and a lack of imagination.

Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition in the 16th century. Some Christians brought decorated trees into their homes and some built Christmas pyramids of wood and decorated them with evergreens and candles if wood was scarce.

 

For such a long time, we have been using our skills and innovation to create beautiful, individual and original trees.

 

So why did someone think one day: Oh you know what’s a good idea? Lets get baubles all in the same colour, size and design, and sell them to everybody in the world so that all trees to exactly the same!

 

So I am making a stand. Sure, a nice themed tree with red and green baubles might look nice in a shopping centre, a hotel or Rockefeller Ice Skating rink, but not in someone’s home.

 

When I see a tree with perfectly spaced baubles and a colour scheme matching the rest of the room, it just make me wonder: where’s the personal touch? Where are those little things, the little memories that make a house a home, that make a life?

 

In my family, we have a tradition whereby every year we go out and each family member choses a new decoration for the tree or the house. And when you unpack them, it’s like, oh yeah, I picked that one when I was 5! And that one was from when I was 7!

 

And of course, probably about 75% of our decorations are the appalling homemade decorations from reception that your parents display, pride of place, as though they are the most beautiful, precious things ever. I have lost count of the number of things that we have on our tree at home. We’ve got the peg people, the cone angles, the decorated pine cones, the hanging Hama beads, the pom poms, the painted rocks, you name it, we have it. It’s all too Pinterest for words.

 

We have decorations from holidays abroad to remind us of the good times. We have the decorations that were given to us by friends and family to remind us of them. We have those good oldies which have been in the family for years and years and years.

 

But a themed tree… it has none of this. None of the memories, none of the sentimentality. Our tree is probably the tackiest thing you’ve ever seen in your life, but it means something to us. Every single decoration has a memory, a story. That is what Christmas is about.

 

And themed trees… those empty, cold heartless trees… that is the opposite of what Christmas is.

Four 'why' questions

1. Why are your best friends your best friends?
Because I know that they will always be there for me through anything. I know that I can tell them anything and they won't judge me and will keep my secrets forever. Because they are the best people I know, and I'm so lucky to have them in my life.

2. Why did you get into blogging?
One day I just thought: lets try something new today.

3. Why is your favourite colour your favourite colour?
Yellow is my favourite colour because it is so bright and happy. It reminds me of the sun, of warmth and laughter and smiles. It always has been my favourite colour and I think it always will be.

4. Why are you doing this tag?
Because one Wednesday back in November, I had no idea what to write about, so I decided to do a tag and thought that the 10-1 questions looked interesting.

Feel the fear, and do it anyway

Today in school I did something that was really difficult for me. In English, we were practising out speaking and listening, which basically entailed doing a speech.

I really wasn't looking forward to it, because having to get up in front of your peers, people who you see every day but aren't really close with is one of the most frightening things ever.

However, I prepared my speech, and practiced it a lot at home. I know that eye contact is key is a good speech, so I practiced in front of a mirror, making sure I was keeping my head up. I also had to practice slowing down my speech (which tends to become a bit like a high speed train when I get going) and emphasizing the important words.

But still, when I was in the lesson, I was terrified. I was counting down the people until it was my turn, and then suddenly there was just one person in front of me. But then she hurried off to the school nurse, feeling ill, so it was my turn.

The whole time that I had been sitting, listening to everybody else, I had been preparing myself. I could feel the fear in my stomach, and hear it in my ears. But then I realized that I could be as frightened as I was about it, it wouldn't matter. I would still have to do it. The difference would be whether I would do it well, or whether I would completely mess it up.

Trying to block out the fear didn't work, it just made me feel worse. Trying to forget about it only made it more prominent. So I just decided to embrace it with all my might.

And what I found was that even though it was still there, it changed. It became adrenaline instead, and I just wanted to get it done.

When I was walking up to the front, I was shaking, and I continued to shake the whole way through.

But do you know what? I did it, and I think I did it quite well. I looked into the audience, but didn't really see them, and didn't allow them to put me off. I kept my focus the whole way through, and finished it smiling.

And once it was over, it was over! I hadn't put it off, I hadn't wimped out, I had done it, and it was over and I didn't have to worry or stress or fear it anymore.

It taught me something though. I learnt that fear can kind of be a friend. It spurs you on, exhilarates you and makes you do things better than you expected. So next time I'm afraid, I won't try to get rid of the feelings, I'm going to feel the fear and do it anyway.

Five 'do' questions

1. Do you think anybody likes you?
No!

2. Do you ever wish you were someone else?
Yes, but I don't ever let that stop me being myself.

3. Do you know the muffin man?
I can't say that I do.

4. Does the future scare you?
A little, but I am more excited to see what it brings than to be worried about it.

5. Do you parents know about your blog?
Yes.

Six 'where' questions

1. Where does your best friend live?
She lives in a super posh town, about 15 minutes from where I live.

2. Where did you last go?
School. Fun times.

3. Where did you last hang out?
School. Because I'm that cool.

4. Where is your favourite place to be?
My bed!

5. Where did you sleep last night?
My bed. Huh, fancy that!

6. Where do you buy most of your makeup?
Superdrug!

Foundation of the month - November

Foundation: Dream Flawless Nude
Brand: Maybelline New York
My shade: 20 Cameo
Price (from Superdrug): £8.99
Rating: 6.5/10

For the past month, I have been using one Maybelline's newer foundations and overall, I like it, and I think that I probably will be purchasing it again when I run out of it. I have had some trouble matching my foundation to my skin tone in the past, but with this foundation I think that I got it pretty much spot on, which I am very pleased about! I think that the thing that strikes me most of all about this foundation, is that it always seemed to be a bit more like a concealer than anything else. The bottle is very small, so it doesn't look like it is really meant for full face coverage and it has a very unusual applicator.

According to the label on the back, the dropper applicator is meant to put a small amount onto your face for you to dab on, and then I presume you are just meant to rub and blend in with your fingers (but I used my expert face brush from real techniques). However, I ended up just doing the classic dab/pour onto the back of your hand and brush on. What I learnt when using this foundation is that less is most definitely more. I found that when I applied a lot on, which I something I tend to do (a bad habit which I must break!) it just went dewy and rather unpleasant looking. I also found that, oddly, it stayed for a lot longer when I applied less to my face than when I put loads on.

The coverage, I would say as quite good for an hour or so, but did end up going patchy and giving an almost sweaty feel to my face. By the end of the day, there wasn't much left of my face, and that is when it is worn with powder. One thing that I liked was that it was a much lighter foundation than the one that I was using previously, and as we were coming into warmer weather, it was nice to not have such a heavy foundation.

Overall, I did like this foundation, and I especially liked that it was slightly different to the classic pump. I would recommend to people who don't have much need for a lot of coverage.

See you next month for my next foundation of the month!