Finally the Noughties: let's get noughty about music, cause DJ earworm's already mashed 2009 up for us pretty well

This is pretty surreal, the 2000's decade coming to a close. Last time around, it was a millennium ending, so I didn't really think of it as a decade, plus I was quite small so didn't think of properly reflecting back on what had happened. I have written about 2009 already so I thought I should let the music do the talking this time.

So here are my 100 songs of my decade. Notice the 'my'. I have roughly tried to chart these songs in the order that they entered my life and/or at the time that they became big in my life, not in the order of preference. There is some preeetttyyy bad music in here, so hold tight. Also, this post is quiiiite long. Well there are 100 songs in here…

2001-3
I can't really remember exactly when these songs came in (and not because I want to block out some of the really shit music in here!) Mostly pop here, and I discover Busted which is crucial to my signature emo music love. Because this is the chain reaction they started: Busted --> McFly --> The Beatles --> emo. Weird, I know. Anyway, otherwise I was obsessed with S Club 7, Justin Timberlake and pretty much every mainstream ting. This was back when life was all about best friends and primary school crushes, as well as getting into secondary school. Pretty good times.
1. Get The Party Started – P!nk
2. The Tide Is High – Atomic Kitten
3. Dirrty – Christina Aguilera
4. Complicated – Avril Lavigne
5. Cry Me A River – JT
6. Year 3000 – Busted
7. Have You Ever – S Club 7
8. What I Go To School For – Busted
I. Love. Busted. End of.
9. Move Your Feet – Junior Senior
10. Sound of The Underground – Girls Aloud
Yeah… don’t ask.
11. Yeah – Usher
12. Hey Ya – Outkast
SHAKE IT LAIIIIK A POLAROID PIKSHA
13. Where Is The Love – Black Eyed Peas

2004
This year I was really into mainstream music, discovering McFly which was to become one of my favourite bands (for a while.. I'm re-evaluating them at the moment), and staying in touch with the times through Capital FM. I have pretty much worked out who my friends are, after a year of experimenting with different groups, but the same cannot be said for my music tastes. I have fun though, which is why a lot of these songs are quite feel-good.
14. 5 Colours in Her Hair – McFly
When I first discovered McFly, I was like ewwwwwwwww they’re just Busted wannabes. Now look where I’m at (I’m at cringe-worthy McFly fandom level, if you were wondering)
15. Crashed the Wedding – Busted
16. Turn Me On – Raghav + 2play
17. F*** It (Don't Want You Back) – Eamon
And of course, the obligatory F U Right Back by the very mature Frankee
18. This Love – Maroon 5
19. Rich Girl – Gwen Stefani
Back when I was young and immature, I thought Gwen Stefani was a lesbian, cause she was singing about a girl, as opposed to about a boy. Yeah, I was weird.
20. Feel Good Inc. – Gorillaz
21. Just Lose It – Eminem

2005
We commence this year with a variety of music, mainly because I follow the French music contest equivalent of Pop Idol and fall head over heels in love with Pierrick Lilliu, one of the contestants. I also get into The Beatles through this guy, and it would appear that my music taste 'improves', as my friend CMB points out when she finds out I like The Beatles. My discovery of Fall Out Boy is key to my present-day emo inclinations. Kinda fitting, since this is the year that friendship problems are the new fashion, and that everybody's starting to get hardcore, what with the first smokers and drinkers appearing in this year. This is a really low year for me.
22. Blame It On the Boogie – Jackson 5
23. All About You – McFly
I love the music video for this.
24. Yesterday – The Beatles
25. Mr. Lonely – Akon
Mainly cause my lil sis could sing this to me, at the age of one.
26. Since U Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson
27. Grand Theft Autumn – Fall Out Boy
28. Sugar We're Going Down – Fall Out Boy
29. Hide And Seek – Imogen Heap
From the one and only: ‘The O.C.’

2006
I discover Panic! At the Disco, back when they were awesome, and the emo phase is pretty much in full motion. Intermingled with the emo is the indie (or possibly the 'chindie' – chav/indie) towards summer time, and nu-rave (namely Klaxons, who I see, for the first time at the end of the year). My music tastes swerve in this direction mainly because I form a band with friends whose tastes influence me. I travel to Munich on the German exchange, and dare I say this is the year when I gave no shit what people thought about me, and just went as crazy as I thought fit.
30. I Write Sins Not Tragedies – Panic! at The Disco
Lovelovelovelovelove.
31. I Want It That Way – Backstreet Boys
Because of the epic Chinese boys lip-dub
32. Californication - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
33. Wake Me Up When September Ends – Green Day
34. Are You Gonna Be My Girl – Jet
35. Naive – The Kooks
36. We Belong Together - Mariah Carey
Don't kill me.
37. Welcome to the Black Parade – My Chemical Romance
Emo music phase just about begins here.
38. Umbrella – Rihanna
39. Sexyback – JT
40. Hey There Delilah – Plain White T's
41. How To Save a Life – The Fray
42. Song 2 – Blur
43. Atlantis To Interzone – Klaxons
Played this in my band. Don’t ask what our band name was. Ask what our band names were.
44. Standing In The Way Of Control – Gossip
Skins. Nuff said.

2007
With the experimenting of 2006, we enter 2007 where I wander back towards mainstream but want to retain an element of alternative (hence Dizzee Rascal, Calvin Harris, hellogoodbye). I.e., please, no pure pop. I discover Paramore – best discovery of my life. The indie element has not left, but I come back down to earth realising that nu-rave is perhaps a bit OTT. I'm back to caring what people think, clearly, because I think that I'm not 'cool' enough to be as crazy as I've been and to like all dat nu-rave shizz. It's also towards the end of this year that I strive for a change, to get rid of this stifling element of bitchiness that reigns over my school, and to get away from what's turning into a pit.
45. Dancing In The Moonlight – Toploader
46. Teenage Dirtbag – Wheatus
47. Dirty Little Secret – All American Rejects
48. 'S.O.S. d'un Terrien En Détresse' - Grégory Lemarchal
Grégory died this year, and this was by far his best song.
49. Fix Up, Look Sharp – Dizzee Rascal
50. If Youve Got The Money – Jamie T
51. Love Me or Hate Me – Lady Sovereign
52. Acceptable In The 80's – Calvin Harris
I still luv this song, for ever.
53. The Prayer – Bloc Party
54. Here [In Your Arms] – hellogoodbye
55. Will You Go To Prom With Me – hellogoodbye
56. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper
I featured this song in our GCSE drama piece.
57. LoveStoned – JT
Me and my friends sang this, non-stop, in the queue for the Harry Potter 7 release party.
58. Mariella – Kate Nash
Because at this time, I had a thing for adding -ella onto everything. Like, 'womanella'. Sort of around the time that 'Umbrella' by Rihanna was released.
59. Misery Business – Paramore
This is how I discovered Paramore. Amen for Fizz (the music channel on which I saw the video for this)
60. The Way I Are – Timbaland
61. Stronger – Kanye West
62. Mysterious Ticking Noise – Potter Puppet Pals
PPP for the winnnnnnn.
63. Smack That – Akon
64. Worried About Ray – The Hoosiers
65. Lets Dance To Joy Division – The Wombats
66. Hips Don't Lie – Shakira
Watch the best lip-sync EVER
67. Crank Dat – Soulja Boy
68. That's Not My Name – The Ting Tings
Also check out Dizzee Rascal’s cover of this.

2008
In 2008, I enjoy music. All the songs on here give me a fat smile, because they remind me of good times with friends, most of them. There is still a trace of indie, with alternative (what IS alternative? It's just a label for bands who dunno what they're on about..) elements. Is this the year that I go to most live music? Panic at the Disco, Foals, Angels and Airwaves, Underage Festival, BBC Switch, The Wombats... Probably. Reflects my attempts to like music that I genuinely like, as oppose to music that I want people to think I like.
69. Nine In The Afternoon – Panic at the Disco
Yeah, when they took the friggin ! out of their name.
70. I’m A Realist – The Cribs
71. Cassius – Foals
72. American Boy – Estelle
73. S.O.S. - Jonas Brothers
I love them, full stop.
74. Save It For the Bedroom – You Me At Six
75. Secret Crowds – Angels and Airwaves
I saw these guys live!
76. Two Doors Down – Mystery Jets
I think we played this a capella in my band… with me on an African drum, or something.
77. Viva La Vida - Coldplay
78. Mr. Brightside – The Killers
It’s-Y11-summer-let’s-get-crunk-in-the-park-cause-we’re-just-so-hardcore song.
79. Arrow Of Eros – Golden Silvers
Feel-good and good.
80. Dance Wiv Me [ft. Calvin Harris] – Dizzee Rascal
Makes me lul.
81. Fascination – Alphabeat
82. All The Small Things – blink-182
83. Just Dance – Lady GaGa
84. All I Ever Wanted – Basshunter
The legendary Jonas Altberg and his amazing plotline for his videos…
85. I Kissed A Girl – Katy Perry
86. Check Yes Juliet – We The Kings
87. Decode – Paramore
Twilight, fo sho.

2009
This is the year I start to accept my music tastes. I've got into classical, folk, and reggae... And have embraced pop, to some extent (sorry, I still can't deal with Girls Aloud). Snooooooze. I just wanna sleep, just want more time to enjoy music.. And my Sky TV box breaks, so I can't be the first to discover music videos. This is the year that I stop caring what I look like when I dance, which might explain the rising amount of r'n'b in here..
88. Shake It – MetroStation
89. Kiss Me Thru The Phone – Soulja Boy
90. Right Round – Flo Rida
Reminds of times in AY's shed.(...Bahaha I just realised how wrong this sounds)
91. Bulletproof – La Roux
92. Sex On Fire – Kings Of Leon
93. Nobody's Child - anonymous Irish (?) folk song
This was originally 'Firestarter' by The Prodigy (because P kept singing it at Reading '09), but Brown Girl has rightly suggested this folk song. And I actually can't believe I forgot it. 'I'm nooooobody's child, I'm noooobody's child, just like a flower, I'm growing wild.' ...CUPWANKER! Ah, Reading '09, good times.
94. Children of the Night – The Blackout
95. Single Ladies – Beyonce
because the Canons gyaldemz did it for Canons Follies. But also because it is a pretty strong piece of music.
96. I Gotta Feeling – Black Eyed Peas
97. Guess What Batman – Lily Allen
From a lip-dub created by the LGBT community.
98. My Heart – Paramore
Chosen because of my late Paramore obsession.
99. The Middle – Jimmy Eat World
100. The Climb – Miley Cyrus
These last two songs significantly helped in getting me through the Oxford interview phase; without them I would probably have ended up in a pool of tears before each interview.

Notice how the number of songs per year gets longer then shorter. Either I’m getting a-musical, or my ability to obsess about songs has died down.

Undeniable: my journey with music this decade has been unforgettable. I'll always be embarrassed by large chunks of it, but it's mostly bittersweet, thinking back on those parts. Biggest thanks go to the friends who introduced Busted to me. Without them, I'd probably still be stuck in Big Bruvaz (do you remember them?) or something. Gah, music. You can't not have music – people hum, tap, whistle it subconsciously. So – thank the subconscious – music will never die. I'm pretty sure my music tastes haven't settled down. In twenty years, I'll probably be into opera, or something. Not that there's anything wrong with opera. Ahem.

No, really, in all seriousness, I'm open to most genres, but I'm very happy with the music I like atm. I'm quite happy my inner music snob has significantly subsided, because, come on, any music snob is deluded and in pretty heavy denial – mainstream and pop have their positives, the main one being that they're sick party tunes. Here's a mash-up demonstrating why:



This mash-up is pretty sick. Nothing has made me smile so much about mainstream music. In fact, nothing has made me smile at all about mainstream music, before this. This means something: he's bare talented. I could not stop playing this into my ears the night I discovered it.

It has to be said that this relies quite a bit on 'I Gotta Feeling''s beat and bass tune. But, this guy's crafted it so that the words actually make up lyrics (I only realised this two hours after I first heard it, or something), and it all comes together amazingly. It makes 2009 music seem fucking EPIC. I listened to the 2007 and 2008 mashups and it's nowhere as good, which realy says something about 2009 music. And I really like the message he's given in this song, the 'music will get you up if you're falling down' and 'blame it on the music for me having a good time' sort of thing, because it's so true. MUSIC, WILL YOU JUST MARRY ME?

xxxx

2k9

‘Life In Technicolor’ - Coldplay

I heard this song – it's not really a song is it – at the end of 'Night at the Museum 2' and it made me smile, a lot. Thanks Coldplay : D. They make me cringe a bit, but ultimately I still quite like them.


Just cause this song also makes me smile every time.

(Btw, for effect, leave the 'Life in Technicolor' song playing while you read this post. Viva La Vida would do too.)

Life has thrown me quite some things this year, and it's been hard working out what to make of them. Smiles, frowns, screams of jubilation, giggles, tears, drunken shouting – I've tasted them all this year. What should we start with, the bad times? This is the year that Panic at the Disco split up, that David Tennant left Doctor Who, that Michael Jackson (and Brittany Murphy, among many others) died, that I tasted hangover at its worst, that I lost my glasses while jumping to Madina Lake (lame times, I know) at Reading, that I got the worst school report of my entire educational career EVUR, that I said the most obscene things to those who are dearest to me, that I (or someone else, cough*my mum*cough) broke countless numbers of headphones, that I shed tears for a boy, that I drifted from close friends, that I had to accept things about family, that I had to greatly recalculate my life plans.

Not-so-good-bits - character building, kiddo. Some of those bad bits might seem quite trivial to you. And yeah, it's true, some of those elements are much more serious than others, so serious that they alone are enough to last me a year. Arguments, criticism, bitchiness, breakdowns, stress, internal conflict.. This is the year I started to stop (unintentional oxymoron) looking to others for help in dealing with this shit, this is the year I stopped taking everybody's shit and realised that it's not always my problem, this is the year I gave less of a shit, (apparently this is the year I've taken up saying the word 'shit' three times in one sentence, too!).

Is there anything I regret in 2009? Perhaps all those embarrassing moments, most of which occurred during my booze-intoxicated times. And maybe also caring too much about things which were not worth nearly as much I put in them. Y'know, unbalanced prioritisation? Having said that, I've also learnt to give some things up, like doing really, really shit in most of my schoolwork in order to prep for Oxford.

Ah, bad times. But, however much 2009 may have made me cry, it has also given me heaps to cry of joy about, so let's just put those bad times away for a while and give you my highlights. This is the year that I first got properly smashed (with my friend Malibu), that I went to my first proper (Underage Festival doesn't count) music festival, that I kick-started this blog, that I left my childhood behind, that I applied to university and thus got ready to leave behind the school bubble, that I (don't mock me) rediscovered the human being that is the boy and started to realise that he's not really all that, that I went to the Harry Potter 6 movie premiere, that I took my first step in the LGBT scene, that I published my first 'Nuntius' magazine as the Classics Magazine co-editor at my school, that I met David Tennant, that I discovered how amazing libraries actually are, that I made friends with some of the best people ever, that I finally saw Paramore and You Me At Six, that I stopped giving two fucks about what I look like on the dancefloor, that my friend EHC and I threw our banging 18th..

So not a big year, basically.

It's quite sad, leaving 2009 behind. I don't know how many New Year's Days have given me that feeling. I really learnt to enjoy life, learnt to turn that downward curve on my face into an upward one. And there's no way I could have done that without the people I call my friends. The new ones, the really old ones, the ones who turned from acquaintances to friends, the ones who had a good time with me, the ones who took some of my burdens and walked with me..

Anyway, kids, less talking about myself, more about you guys. Comment me your fave bits of 2009? You know, to leave 2009 with a smile. Quick, before 2010 crawls upon us. Leave it hereeeeee.

xxxx

sing us a song, and we'll sing it back to you

So, this has been a long time coming – my review of the Paramore (w/ You Me At Six) gig at Wembley. This was a gig that I had been looking forward to for so long, and there is a sense of not fully realising what it is that I have been lucky enough to experience, of not knowing that that experience is now gone.

Now, now every children was the only other support band (apart from YMAS) worth my early arrival. Paper Route were...simply shit. Well, they had some good sounds, but it was so incredibly boring that after a while I literally wanted to go out for a break. But, I didn't.

You Me At Six came on stage and gave a set which, I have to say, was much too short! It just went, like that; I clearly did not enjoy it enough while it lasted. They played more new songs than old: Kiss and Tell, The Consequence, If I Were In Your Shoes, Save It For the Bedroom, Jealous Minds Think Alike, Finders Keepers. Did they play Underdog? Can't remember. Oh, and Always Attract, with a special guest appearance from Elissa Franceschi (it's actually not that special – I'm pretty sure she appeared at Reading too...). Anyway, it was great, but not that great, I think. In my diary, I wrote 'they were as good as they can get', i.e. not amazing. You Me At Six have seriously dropped in my esteem, probably since they got big. Mainly because their sound has majorly mainstreamised (phwoar, I invent words by the day) for the worse. I won't go on about how I prefer 'raw' sound again. Haha, I'm about to undermine and contradict all that I've said so far, but whatever, I loved them during that set, and still love them as I now listen to 'Underdog'.

'Underdog' - You Me At Six [first play on BBC Radio 1]

'Save it For The Bedroom' - YMAS

Paramore came on stage relatively quickly, considering they're the next big thing and I expected them to take at least half an hour. I guess they've really not let fame get to their heads. Josh Farro came on stage, closely followed by Hayley, opening with... I can't quite remember. Anyway I know that Ignorance was next and that's enough. The tracks not from 'brand new eyes' were Pressure, That's What You Get, Crushcrushcrush, I Caught Myself, Misery Business, Decode, My Heart. One track that they didn't play from their album was 'All I wanted', which I was SO upset about. I can't imagine what that would have made me feel, listening and watching them play such an epic song. Sob. I'll put it up here for you to see what it is I missed. Check out 2:30 onwards. Spine-chilling.

'All I Wanted' - Paramore

'Crushcrushcrush' - Paramore

'My Heart (live)' - Paramore
My favourite live track by them

What made me enjoy their set apart from the music has to be Hayley's interaction with the crowd. You guys who weren't there really have no idea what Paramore's idea of crowd interaction is. Get this: Hayley started talking about a letter that Josh Farro (the guitarist, and also her ex (?)) had received, from (username) liam1. They asked 'Is liam1 here?' And some other girl's name which I don't remember. It took a little while for the two to come up on stage, and there was a variety of things which I was expecting, but definitely not what actually happened. Of all the things I was expecting (the two singing a song to Paramore about how awesome they are, or something) I was NOT expecting... a marriage proposal. That's right, liam1 proposed to his girlfriend. I'm so slow, when he went down on one knee it took me at least five seconds to get what he was doing and why the whole room erupted in screaming. But, when I got it, I screamed alright. While the girl hugged and kissed Liam (I assume that's his name), Hayley gently took the microphone from Liam's hand, saying 'I'm guessing that's a 'yes'', and dedicated the next song to them. That's 'The Only Exception', which I've got here for you.

'The Only Exception' - Paramore

Which song did I most enjoy? 'Misguided Ghosts', which they performed as part of their encore. Its being acoustic automatically puts it in 'tear-jerker' category, and though my tears were not jerked, I did feel something inside of me stirring and my heart going kaboom-kaboom-kaboom for Paramore. I know, I'm cringey, but I'm just saying, is all. If Paramore can make me say the cringiest of things, doesn't that mean something about their ability to move people to EXPRESS themselves? Hah, what bullshit, I'm just cringey anyway.

'Misguided Ghosts' - Paramore

Hayley was so fit that night, even a straightie like me cannot deny it. They were all on form, which I think is something you can expect from Paramore. You know, not letting fame get to their head, keeping their heads focused on the what they're doing, doing it for the music. They went out on the stage to enjoy themselves, that's undeniable, but also to share the night with a few thousand of their fans. And you can tell, as well, that even though they're guaranteed big bucks (big for a band like them, anyway) they still put their everything into those gigs and don't take them for granted. Concluding note to self and to you readers: Paramore will not disappoint. So I'm defs gonna see them next time they're in town.

And I'm gonna say it. Paramore are my perfect band. Call me emo, call me fangirl, call me teenage... but you're just an old, boring, lifeless soul who listens to... what do you listen to? Ok I was just about to say something but I'll restrain myself, because I totally respect your music. Yeah, totally.

:P love you really.

xxxx

wobbly walking..and not only cause of the heels.

I’m beginning to feel the limitlessness of being 18. On Tuesday night, my friend EHC and I hosted our joint 18th in a bar in Fitzrovia – and a feeling that I can’t shake off is incredulity that that party was actually put on by me and my friend. I mean, me, the most socially inept person EVURR, put on a party that people said was worth all the hassle such as travel and snow shizz. Unbelievable.

No need to say that snow posed a huge problem; a few people e-mailed or texted me at the last minute apologising for not being able to attend because of adverse road conditions. Hah. All I could then visualise was a scarcely filled room for a party which could only be defined as AWKWARD.

And that’s what it was, in the first half hour at least. Then people started arriving, some sticking to the theme more than others, but that people were sticking to the theme at all was making me happy. Most of the beginning of my evening was spent trying to get people to go onto the dancefloor, or to at least integrate. Apparently that was fruitful, as it got a group of otherwise secluded guys to either a) eat girls’ faces, b) get pissed and dance horrendously, c) be crackingly hilarious.

I also spent the evening doing what I do best – get twit-drunk and make a complete fool of myself but still retain some control of myself and have an absolutely fucking good time. I was so happy on the evening and the morning after, but as that following day went on, it started to dawn on me that maybe I made more of a fool of myself than I could have realised. I certainly remember guys clearly talking about me and me going ‘Are you talking about me?!’ and them thinking that I’m completely out-of-my-mind idiotic and that I would believe their downright ‘No’. Guys, I’m a clever drunk. Ish.

I have to say, the music played wasn’t at its best, maybe explaining the on-off attendance on the dancefloor. Obvs there were quite a few guys that couldn’t bring themselves to even set foot on that floor, one of them saying that he didn’t have his dancing shoes on and me going ‘Set a trend! Be the first to dance in those shoes!’ I’m such a twit. (I’m gonna be saying that a lot every time I remember something I’ve said that night) But anyway, it’s what you can expect of (most) guys; they either need a lot of alcohol, or they need a girl to be grinding against. Or both.

Another defining feature of this party has to be the number of times I walked into two peeps eating each other’s faces (not counting already established couples). It gives me a sort of smug feeling, knowing my party is making me matchmaker. But then, what does that say about my party, if it’s driven guys to get off with multiple girls, some of which are my innocent 16-yo friends?... Probably just that the girl:guy ratio was seriously unbalanced, meaning that guys had a huge selection and couldn’t stand sticking to one. As per usual. I am really happy, though, that my friends mingled (on several different levels, XP)

I didn’t do much dancing, mainly because I spent so much of the evening rotating around, trying to make everyone feel at home, and speaking to as many peeps as poss, including EHC’s guests and our guests’ +1s. Met some great people, but I have a pretty good feeling that they now have some amazing impression of me…drunk me. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm. I always do that. Oh but what made me LOL was beingbehaving like a right drunk to the people who had never before seen me drunk. I’d say a large minority of the guests had already seen me drunk before, but some of those who hadn’t were well shocked. Their reactions are quite classic. Awh alcohol, I love you a bit.

Ah, the feeling of being able to buy drinks. Freely. Oh you know what, I don’t think the alcohol has worn off. My head’s a little unstable. I’ve had a freakin headache all day, and it’s got progressively worse as the day has worn on. It got to the point where seven successive statuses on my Twitter were either about my head or about my uprising vom. Charming aren’t I.

Back to the point, I could finally go up to the bar and buy drinks! And buy drinks for other unable-to-buy-drinks losers! WOOP! Not that the bar even ID’ed anyway, but, you know, I liked revelling in the feeling. I had to be taught (again) how to do tequila shots but after my first I was the one teaching them! Gah, I’m such a drunk. I’m starting to depend on alcohol a little too much in social situations. Bah, whatever, it loosens me up! If I get to 40 and still need alcohol, then I’ll worry. In the meantime, I’ll take advantage of my youth (even though I’m actually not a ‘yoot’ anymore, dammit) thank you very much.

To be fair, the girl:guy ratio wasn't that bad, from the looks of it. My friend and I went to such lengths to get the balance right, and in the end it magically seemed quite even. Or maybe it's just that I cotched with guys most of the time. Anyway, not that the imbalance was too much a bad thing, for the guys at least.

So, the party was great, IMO. Perhaps that op’s a little influenced by the automatic rose-tinted view that alcohol gives you (rose-tinted?! or should that be blurred/slow/non-existant, I’m pretty sure it took me about 30 seconds to work out what it was that I was seeing). But my different social groups mingled, people actually danced, people got off, only 1 person (who had ID) got ID’ed, the staff were great, and everybody had a good time! Did last night really happen?! I’m slightly baffled. Apparently that’s a sign that you’ve had a good 18th. It certainly felt good. Forget saying hi to adulthood, I wanna say hi to throwing more parties!

I’ll leave you with some of the shit that I spewed out while intoxicated:
- ‘[prodding one of our guests’ +1s’ iron biceps; he happens to be Head boy at his school] You…are now definitely Head Boy material’
- the multiple slaps I handed out to guys across the party. Felt damnnnnn good.
- ‘SLAGS [at all the people getting off]
- ‘[to a friend who was standing with a girl he’d been getting off with] So how many girls have you got with now? Two, three, four, five?’
She turns around to him ‘Have you really got with five girls?’
‘No! IKP (me) tell her the truth!’
‘Yeah I’m only joking, he hasn’t got with five girls’
I hear the girl didn’t believe either me or him. Well she’s better off without him – he actually had got off with my 16-yo innocent friend.
- ‘JEWWWWWW’ [at my various jew friends. I love them really]
- Hah, I forget: on our way back, met a French black dude at the bus shelter. Biggest beg EVURR (sorry, gonna stop saying that). He tried it on with me and two of my friends, getting a wad of cash out and promising to pay for our taxi, drinks as various ways of enticing us to spend time with him. No thanks, you twat. Anyway, because he was French, I could babble away to him, but my firm threats were also made even more effective.
So, this is me, but in French, ‘my friend here..you know, he likes to show his body… oh, I dunno how to say this word in French… flasher?’
And also pulling the lesbian trick as an attempt to get rid of him (in French) 'hey we're all lesbians here. [later, when he puts his arms around my friend - who actually happens to be bi] hey, what do you think you're doing trying to get off with a lesbian?!'

It’s undeniable. I love my drunk self, perhaps a little too much.

Shit, that was long, though not as long as my Harry Potter post, just cause I definitely love Harry Potter more than I do alcohol. Definitely.

xxxx

Finally the Noughties: you've got the lovebug

Right, let's get you started with some 'Finally the Noughties'. The three bros that all dem girls rave around screaming for: the Jonas Brothers (+ general Disney teenies mania).

I can't remember when exactly I discovered this band (funny how it feels weird describing them as band – will get onto that later). Possibly 2006? I definitely remember the mainstream rage starting in 2008. But I'd discovered them back when I was looking for 'Year 3000' by Busted, and this came up as one of the results. So when the mainstream wave of Jo Bro love came along, I was thinking 'erm, why is it re-starting now – haven't they been around for ages alreads?' Apparently not.

So as 'S.O.S.' swept across the country I was smugly thinking 'muahahaha I've known this band for ages'. I was so obsessed that – get this – I got our band to play 'S.O.S.' At our school's Bands Night. Yuh-huh.

The day came when I was blessed enough to see them live... at HMV Oxford Street. 

Wow. I went very early in the morning to try to get a wristband, which would have allowed me to get right up close to them. I missed it by 2 people (what they do is ensnare people to come and queue and actually have a specific cut-off point, after which they say 'no, we're right bastards cause we asked you to get up at 6am so you could come get this wristband, and now we're not giving you it'. Ok, what they said is 'we've had 200 people now, you came too late'.)

I went anyway, but couldn't get to the front. Even when surrounded by a hoard of twelve-year-olds – no, I do not have twelve-year-old taste, the twelve-year-olds have my taste – in that crammed camera flash flash flash kind of environment, a rejuvenated love for Jonas Brothers was rising inside of me. I'm not joking. By that time, I'd already established my obsession for the younger Jonas god that is Nicholas Jonas. Slightly paedophelic? I don't think so.

They took ages to come out. And this is why:

'Dude, let's go out' – Kevin

'Nah man, let's not, let's make them wait [lazes around on a chair]' – Joe

'Come on dude, they're our fans out there!' - Kevin

[Nick is silent and admires himself in the mirror]

Or something. Admire mine and my friend GM's amazing imaginations. We were bored, OK?

So the one thing that sticks in my mind the most is this: seeing them standing on the stage for what must have been at least a whole 60 seconds, not doing anything, apart from posing. For the flashing cams. Lord help our music industry. I sincerely hope that's their manager making them pose, and not their own egos looking for some more fangirl appreciation, as if they didn't get enough already. Yep, I'm that desperate to keep my idea of the Jobros pure that I'd be willing to accept the corruption and heavy and fake staging in the music industry.

I bought their album ('Jonas Brothers', I think?) after I saw them, and was, at first, a little iffy about it. I'm VERY iffy about it now. But I love it regardless. A year later I bought the album 'A Little Bit Longer' and returned it. I realised that my love for the Bros had subsided and that the point when I was obsessed enough to buy their albums had passed.

That's not saying, at all, that I don't like them. I LOVE THEM. Even if I haven't been to a proper live gig. Or if I don't have all their albums. Clearly I'm not obsessed. I can still get really excited about them if they come up on a music channel (which I no longer have access to since my Sky box has decided to be a right anus and now does not work any more) and even today harbour a love for Nick Jonas strong enough that I have an A3 poster of him holding a guitar, as well as a calendar page for November which is decorated with a lovely pic of them three wearing sunglasses (thanks to my friend GM).

 
Thinking of this video made me see how much they care for their fans.

...Er, what?! Do they? Even I have to say: I think fame may have changed them, even if they themselves do not realise it. Or perhaps it's just growing up? How can you tell whether they're the way they are because of the fame or because they are just older and less innocent and therefore less loveable? As products of the crazy Disney teenies mania, which also includes Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, and Selina Gomez, they will have to work very hard if they want to shed that stamp off of themselves. I know that the world is currently starkly divided into the JOBROS camp and the .... I don't even know what the other camp calls themselves. Granted, if this other camp dislikes the fact that they are just a commercial product as opposed to a band, then that's fair enough. Too often do I see people who dislike them just for the sake of disliking them, either because too many people like them, or because everybody around them dislikes them. Or because they're just music snobs (yeah, sorry fellow snobs, I can wholeheartedly and happily express my love for them).

So I leave you with my Top 3 Jo Bros songs. This was excruciatingly painful to select: 'S.O.S', 'A Little Bit Longer', 'Inseparable'.

Ok no, I can't do this, here's a list of my top 10 Jo Bros songs:

-         S.O.S

-         A Little Bit Longer

-         Inseparable

-         Lovebug

-         Hold On

-         Goodnight and Goodbye

-         What Did I Do To Your Heart?

-         Pushin' Me Away

-         Tonight

-         Video Girl (FTT note: I am actually one of the video girls they talk about in that song)

Right, so you're permitted to puke now.

xxxx

18.12.09

A date I may never forget.

The day I tasted live music at its best.

The day I saw You Me At Six and Paramore.

More to come, soon.

<3

Finally the Noughties: Harry Potter

Haha, so apparently I write pretentiously, in five-syllable words, and in an elitist fashion! Whatever, I was tempted to bring down the tone but realised that this is just how I write, and that I don't have to please anyone. Obviously my writing self is gonna read differently to how I sound when I'm speaking. Cause I speak like an actual twit. But anyway, I'm getting to the point where I don't actually care any more.

Here's my third edition of 'Finally It's The Noughties'. That's the name I've decided to give the feature where I look at something that has defined our decade. That feature has kinda failed lately (mainly cause of Oxf interviews..) Topic of the day: Harry Potter...if I hear you groan or sigh – get out. :)

[edit: so my first draft of this ended up with me narrating my life story. Therefore I've decided to give you a timeline of HP-related shtuff, and then.. well we'll get to it.]

My tenth birthday – received my first Harry Potter book ('Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'). Did not open it until a few months later. And even then all I could manage was the first chapter. 'Who – the – hell – is – Wormtail? What – the – hell – is – a – Voldemort?!'

Spring 2002 – friend lends me his HP books. I'm HOOKED.

Sometime in 2002 – I watch Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Summer 2003 – HP&OOTP is released.

May 2004 – 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban' is released as film, which I religiously see with my sisters.

Summer 2005 – I queue at midnight with my dad for 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' in my local WHSmith. My first midnight release! Still have the little Harry Potter bag I got the book in!

November 2005 – I organise the first of my Harry Potter movie viewing 'trips/parties' (your choice of word, depending on how geeky you see me as), to see 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'.

Summer 2006 – I discover FANFICTION. (fanfiction.net). Dramione (draco + hermione pairing) FTW.

December 2006 – I start listening to Mugglecast.

14 July 2007 – I organise the second of my Harry Potter movie viewings to see 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'. This time round it's Ron we're in love with.

21 July 2007 – three of my friends and I attend the 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' midnight release in Waterstone's Picadilly Circus. Probably up there in the top five moments of my life.

 

 

the crowd that had gathered behind me two hours after I got there.

 

yeah, Harry Potter does not always call for civilised eating.

Summer 2007 – Mugglecast marathon during the long car journeys while abroad. Also, I plan my reading of HP 7 so that it lasts 21 days (i.e. 3 x 7 days, i.e. 3 x the magic number days. Hah, I'm such a nerd)

Spring (?) 2008 – Potter Puppet Pals mania takes over.

Hallowe'en 2008 – I dress up as HP, fem-style.

3 December 2008 – I attend the 'Tales of Beedle the Bard' launch party at Waterstone's Picadilly Circus, with the Mugglecast presenters attending. I meet JAMIE LAWRENCE. Legend.

 

 

The Mugglecast Panel

Jamie Lawrence is on the left. Absolute legend.

The 'Best Dressed-up' competition.

7 July 2009 – Also up there in the most epic days of my life. I sit in Leicester Square from around 7am, waiting for the Harry Potter HBP premiere, mainly with AB, but with several other people checking in and out.

This was taken before noon.

David Tennant... I wish.

Paparazzi briefing.

Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom)

Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy). soaked in the rain. Yep, by then, it was freaking hailing.

Michael Gambon (Dumbledore)

Emma Watson (Hermione Granger). Got her autograph!!!

One of the Phelps (Weasley) twins.

Helen McCrory (Narcissa Malfoy).

Jim Broadbent (Professor Slughorn)

Devon Murray (Seamus Finnigan)

Alan Rickman (Severus Snape). Got his autograph!

David Bradley (Argus Filch)

Gary Lineker. No, he's not in HP.

Mark Williams (Arthur Weasley) is in the blue striped suit in front of the car's open door.

Miriam Margoyles (Professor Sprout)

Jamelia.

Natalia Tena (Nymphadora Tonks)

The one and only. The legend.

Got her autograph!

15 July 2009 – I organise a trip to see 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'.

Hallowe'en 2009 – I dress up as Bellatrix, full-on.

November 2009 – For my Philosophy coursework stimulus, I use the scene where Dumbledore reveals Trelawney's prophecy to Harry.

December 2009 – I write about Harry Potter in my Common Application for US universities. SUCH a nerd.

Timeline to be continued, obviously. How could it not be, with the Harry Potter 7 films coming out?! I'm so there for the premieres!

It's hard for some to see Harry Potter as anything but a teenage phenomenon, a passing phase, a temporary satisfaction of our desire to experience something new out of our dreary old lives. And I myself am not sure if I see it in exactly the same way I did when I first got hooked into the series. I'd say I was much more a purist than I am now, in that now, part of the reason I LOVE Harry Potter is because of the fandom – the podcasts, the premieres, the films, the book launches – whereas back then, I liked Harry Potter for Harry Potter – the books. Awh.

There has to be some reason for why such a tremendous fandom would be born out of seven otherwise ordinary books. I mostly put it down to JK Rowling's ingenuity. The ability to create such a cohesive world and to detail all the different pieces is something that cannot be found so easily these days.

Harry Potter has already taken up a good part of my teens (from 10th birthday to 20th birthday), so there is no doubt that it will be a defining part of my life. I'd say that the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows release party was one of the most momentous days of my life. I cannot envisage such an event happening again, but what do I know? 20 years ago, who'd have predicted the Harry Potter phenomenon breaking out?

The next most epic moment of my life was going to the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince premiere and getting an illustrious long line of autographs. Should I list them for you? Emma Watson, the Phelps (Weasley) twins, Argus Filch, Seamus Finnigan, Narcissa Malfoy, Slughorn, Alan Rickman, JK Rowling. I know. JK Rowling. I don't know what the fuck was going through my mind as she was signing my book. Probably nothing was going through my mind – nothing COULD have gone through it, that's how surreal the moment was.

My God, that day was freakin' unique in its own right. Epic downpour of hail, being squashed to near-death, meeting some hilarious German tourist who happened to be passing by and who shrieked out the most classic things ever, arguing with THE bitch of the year, bringing home the fattest Harry Potter poster, waking up at 5am and waiting for 11 hours, meeting some of the most dedicated HP fans I have ever encountered... these are all people I want to spend an eternity discussing Harry Potter with.

However, I'd say I still much preferred the Deathly Hallows book release because that was much, much more purist. It was about the books, the story, the character, and not about the next hot actor featuring in the film, or about meeting that person cause they're a celebrity, or about saying that you got an autograph from JK ROWLING!!! (ahem.)

What's Harry Potter brought to my life? Well, for a start, it's brought me new friends – meeting people at the premieres and book launches has brought me to people of my own kind - ;) - and concretised my appreciation of the Harry Potter world. It's brought me a new genre of music, called Wizard Rock, with bands such as Harry and the Potters and The Remus Lupins and the Moaning Myrtles appearing on my iPod. It's introduced me to the concept of podcasts, through Mugglecast, and to the concept of healthy debate, and to Jamie Lawrence...

What I cherish most about Harry Potter is the world that I can escape into in times of frustration, anxiety, despair, sadness... Escapism, in a nutshell. It's not silly escapism though. It's not all peachy in there. JKR is ingenious in that she has created a realistic and honest fictional world, bringing in all the darkness as well as the light. She did work at Amnesty International after all.

That release party was the moment when I came to fully appreciate the Harry Potter phenomenon. A book for both child and grown-up, which can thrill and excite, as well cause to ruminate much more deeply about emotion, words, and the important things such as friendship and family (cheesy), death, love (cheesier), and integrity. It's taught me about the power of stories. Harry Potter is the only thing read by children that I am not ashamed to be in love with. I have had such adventures with Harry (CHEESE ALERT!) that it will take more than a few insults from lame-heads who are freakin' afraid of opening their minds to stop me from loving the world of the boy who, to me, has always been one of the most beautiful pictures of humanity.

Gah, I really have to cut down on the cheese.

Wow, that post was reeeally long..

xxxxx

17 times 5 plus 100 divided by 37 plus 13

Equals 18. Equals my new age.

I googled 'songs about turning 18'. Epic fail. I got Bryan Adams, Mario, Bow Wow. Bryan Adams sounds repetitive (standard), Mario sounds..shit, Bow Wow sounds alright, but just alright.

What on earth? Does becoming an adult, gaining the right to vote, the right to club entry, the right to alcohol purchase, not matter to anyone anymore?

The only one which stands out is 'Eighteen' by Alice Cooper. Alright, I got so confused cause i was expecting a woman, but a heavy rocker dude came up. And the video has mentally scarred me so that I find I can't really identify with that video...



I just looked up the lyrics. I do sorta identify with them. But argh! No songs whatsoever about turning 18?!

Anyway, today has not at all felt like my birthday. Just standard school day, and as soon as people get home, turn on FB and see that its my bday, I get a gazillion posts saying 'Ohmygad, I saw you so many times and you never mentioned it!' Well, it's not something I felt like boasting about.. I mean, as my friend NO said, birthdays are kinda anti-climactic.

Although I just realised, I can now buy drinks (WIN), get into clubs (WIN), vote (¬¬), oh and..become an adult. (wail in despair). But the first two are good enough. Except I don't even have a provisional licence and I'm not prepared to bring out my passport, so I don't ACtually win. Boo.

The reason I don't feel the birthday vibe is most probably because my birthday party is in a week, and that's what's most defining my birthday these days. Perhaps I was a bit of a noob for not mentioning it to anyone.

xxxx

liar liar pants on fire

Oh, dishonesty. So useful, so helpful, so pleasing an accomplice. There is nothing like dishonesty to get you out of trouble, to avoid their judgement, to get into their good books. But there is also nothing like dishonesty to get you into trouble, to suffer their worst judgment, and to get out of their good books. There are some whose lies I can't bear. Excuses for not coming out to cotch, stories to make themselves seem like the goody – why do I smile and say 'that's OK'? Sometimes because I'm a wuss, sometimes because I know it doesn't do any good to stir up beef. But how much frustration it stirs up in my mind to hear their words, to know that they're lying, and to look them in the eye (or in some cases, hear them on the phone) and think 'how the fuck can I trust them again?'

Half-hearted truth and insincerity are almost as bad. Why would you say something if you didn't mean it? To avoid hurting their feelings? Yeah, I've done it before. To not seem like a bitch? OK. Because you don't have the guts to spit out the truth, and then go behind their back and rant about for two hours? Two-faced bitch.

Of course, the world's not black and white. I'm not an honest person, if honesty requires 100% commitment. Some things actually don't need to be divulged. They might be insignificant, but divulging them would add nothing to the world. So what's the boundary that makes a white lie a lie? The intention? Are good intentions enough to make a lie white? Well, saying that you're going out with friends to a restaurant when you're actually going to a restaurant and THEN to a club is a white lie, isn't it? The intention there is to keep yourself from trouble. Saying that you didn't get off with that boy when you actually did – that's not a white lie. The intention there is triple-edged: to save your relationship, to keep yourself from trouble, and to protect their feelings, so the intention is mostly to look after others' feelings. Therefore, good intentions do not make for a white lie.

So is it the consequences? If your parents found out you were actually clubbing, then the worst that happens is you get grounded (although that IS quite a big deal for us socialites ; P), yet if you were found to have snogged another boy, the consequences would be far further-reaching: a relationship split, i.e. DRAMA. You get called a ho? Your boyfriend, now you've broken up, gets off with multiple girls and you end up crying in your pillow. And possibly deciding to find solace in more physical activites?

Right, I watch too much daytime TV. I don't think it's the consequences.

Hey, covering up ADULTERY (muaha, I sound like such a puritan) does not invite sympathy either. So maybe it's what you're covering up that decides what kind of lie you're telling. In the first case, you're covering up going out -

OK I just realised, the only reason I consider the first case to be a white lie is because I think that lying to parents is alright. Erm, discriminative much? Haha, that's so telling of my own morality. And of my respect for my elders. Oh sod the elders. If they want my respect, they'll have to earn it. Why is an older person more respectable?! That's another debate altogether, one which I might discuss laterzzzzz.

So, lying to your parents seems to be alright, because we're all used to it. Well it's their fault they're so controlling. WE WANT FREEDOM. But they don't give us freedom, and if we tell them, then they'll keep an ever tighter hold on us. I certainly don't lie to my parents: I tell them the vital details, but I don't tell them every single thing I do.

Anyway, let's stop analysing mine and my parents' glorious relationship. I do think it's WHAT you're covering up that makes the difference. Say if you left out the fact that you have a secret shrine to McFly (this is wholly unrepresentative of my own life. Hum.) that's a white lie, isn't it? But covering up ADULTERY isn't a white lie.

Maybe I've got it all wrong. After all, I'm a good girl, and don't lie at all, do I?

The point is, the times that I've lost a friendship due to honesty are few and far between, but they're there. And they're not embedded in the past. They're floating around, slowly approaching. Gah, what pisses me off isn't what you're lying about – it's simply that you're lying! You watch out, bitch; don't lie to me or you'll lose my trust.

xxxx

i'm such a thief

Big news of the week: I got an interview! Very, very happy. The thing that most amuses me is the fact that, on Tuesday night, I went home, asked my mum whether there had been any post delivered on that day. She answered 'no' but I went to check anyway. What do I find, but a letter addressed to me from my college, and which I am convinced is a rejection letter because of its slim appearance. I open it and it's an invitation to interview!... And I glance at the postmark date and it's 13 November. So it's been sitting in my house for... 18 days. What a blithering idiot I am. And I could have been driven to work much harder if I'd known back then..

Important thing is, I saw it. Imagine if I'd seen it only the day after my interview? Gah, I think I'd actually have beaten myself up right there and then. But AHHHHH i'm so excited, and quite nervous! I'm calmer and more confident than before, but grrrrrr still have to do so much!

Just took my SAT II Subject Tests this morning. Had to wake up at bloody 5.55 in the morning, and left a little later than scheduled. Anyway, skip to the actual tests - they didn't leave me feeling as bad as the SAT I did. That's probably cause two of the tests were French and Latin, both of which I'm well immersed in. The other one, Maths II, wasn't so good. But ah well.

At the bus stop on my way back, there was a salesman trying to sell 'Lebera' SIM cards at a shoddy little stall by the bus shelter. I watched a middle-aged woman looking at the stall and then going over to ask him about it. I thought 'poor woman, she's gonna get scammed'.

As she came back next to me and tried to look for her purse, she gently pushed my elbow accidentally, and for this, she apologised. So I thought, 'argh, have to at least warn her'

'What's his deal that's he offering?'
'Well I've got a son in Iraq and calling him would only cost 7p a minute, and my daughter is in Ireland and he says it would only cost 4p a minute.'
'Oh.. you should careful [to make sure] that you're not being scammed'
'Am I?'
'Well I don't know, he might be, it's easy to scam people like this'
'Yes, and I'm easily scammed...'

At this point he came over and asked me if I wanted a SIM and I said 'GOD NO. No it's ok : )' The woman said to him, 'I'll buy it on my way back, not now.' After a sterner assertion from her he finally left us.

Then she thanked me for helping her and told me about how her purse got stolen earlier this week. Poor woman. That man looked well dodgy though, as did the whole 'deal'. He wasn't even trying to publicise, he stood behind tiny stall and miserably attempted to sell his product by freakin' mumbling. GET SOME TRAINING YOU IDIOT.

Another horror of my day is getting off my bus and having my eyes meet the sight of four 12-year-old-ish girls from my 'hood wearing a collection of tracksuits, UGGs, fluorescent yellow, fluorescent pink, standard jeggings... My eyes were in dire need of being rescued.

Then - I'm practically drowning here - my sister showed me a pair of heels she bought from Primark (PRIMARK?!) and her jewggings. Wahey.

xxxx

ps, sorry, this week I'm not doing the features of the week (choon/vid/pic of the week). No time! I'll treat you after the interview though : )