My Top Ten Favourite Albums/Artists EVER!

Hey guys,

I realise I haven't posted for a while... Sorry. I've had a massive busy time at school

Anyway, I decide to keep my 'lists' thing going and post a list of my favourite albums/artists.

It starts at 1 (I'm fairly sure) and 1 is:

Doctor Who - Original Television Series Sountrack Vol. 5  

Doctor Who is my favourite TV show (yes, that list is soon to come. Calm your farm) and I looveee the haunting music of the themes. It's gorgeous

Drum Roll please. Number 2 is:

Ocean Eyes

Owl City is an awesome artist. He's very cool and I love his style.

Number 3 would be:

Glee Cast!

I adore the fact that they can make a crappy 80's song amazing again.

Number 4:

Regina Spektor

She's cute, sweet and funny all at the same time. And her music is very piano heavy which lends itself to dancing.

Number 5 happens to be:

LOUD

S&M is such a cool song, do you not agree?

Number 6:

My Chemical Romance

Who doesn't love a bit of screamo now and then?

Number 7 comes in as:

Fallen

Evanescence just have that kind of pretty/emo feel...

and coming it at number 8 is:

Doo-Wops and Hooligans

BRUNO MARS IS EPIC!!



Number 9:

The Fame Monster

How awesome can one person be Gaga??

and last but certainly not least at Number 10:

Katy Perry!!!

She's got my kind of fashion sense, my sisters amazing curves and everybody's love for good music.

So those are my favourites. The honorable mentions are:

Sweeney Todd Soundtrack
Cooler Than Me
Lungs
Viva La Vida
and For Your Entertainment

Hope you've enjoyed. And seriously guys, get some albums!!

Potato Famine

Yup. My topic today is the potato famine. My friends and I just did an assignment on the subject, so I'm going to tell you about the epic fun that we had creating our project.

We decided to make a movie. I didn't think that we'd get it done in time since I'm never available to do anything. Silly dance schedule. But I decided to clear off a day or two in the hopes that we could get it all done then. We went over to my friend KT's place (I'm not going to supply names, sorry) to shoot the film. Heaps of success there. We used the sheep shed for our 'house' since we were poor Irish people. SO MUCH FUNN!!!

When we'd finished filming, we managed to get all the clips onto my computer. I also learnt how to use GarageBand to do the voiceovers and iMovie to put the clips together. Em taught me how to do that.

We put it all together with the longest bibliography known to man (we had over 60 photos) and somehow managed to get the clips into iDVD. We made a title screen (go sunflower splash screen) and it looks awesome!

Anyway. When I get home, I put my computer on charge and open up the pictures that we took to delete them to preserve memory. But I managed to not just delete the photos... no, I deleted everything. The iMovie, the iDVD, the Word processor and all the editing. Plus Adobe Photoshop Elements and everything.

I freaked out because Word wouldn't open and I needed to finish the bibliography, so I took it over to my godfathers house. He managed to muck up the computer even more and send me into a full scale panic attack.

After about an hour we managed to get everything back in working order and I'm just getting everything back now. And of course backing up...

SCARY DAYYYSSS!

I'm Sick...

I got sick yesterday. I feel absolutely lousy, so I stayed home today.

I get really bored at home, so I am posting a list of what I do when I'm home alone. I really do love a good list.

1. Update the blog.
This one's obvious. I love to write, and knowing that what I write is being read makes me feel better.

2. Eat.
I just kind of graze when I'm home sick. Grapes, chocolate, leftovers, anything that takes my fancy.

3. Watch movies
I like Doctor Who. But my sick day movies are the Lord Of The Rings. I just work my way through all three movies. By the time I'm finished, I'm all better

4. Surf funny websites.
I Can Has Cheezburger, FML, MLIA and I Has A Hotdog are all good places for a laugh.

5. Sleep.
It's a great way to both pass the time and get better.

Anyway, that's all for now. I'm off to sleep xx

My Ten Favourite Books Ever!

Hi Guys!
Sorry I haven't posted in ages. Blogger was freaking out and not letting me type anywhere for a few days.

Today I am going to give you a list of my ten favourite books (and tell you vehemently that you really must read them).

1. Harry Potter series - J.K. Rowling
Well, it is one of the highest selling series' ever. I was totally obsessed when I was a little kid and I still think that Harry is rather hot.

2. Purge - Sarah Darer Littman
This one's about a girl with bulimia going through treatment at a mental health facility. It's beautiful and it made me cry... Cry like the little girl that I happen to be.

3. Plague - Malcolm Rose
I haven't even finished it yet, but it's on the list. It's freaking incredible. About an epidemic sweeping England, with a one hundred percent mortality rate.

4. Impulse - Ellen Hopkins
Another one set in a mental health facility, this book follows the stories of three suicidal teenagers and their time spent recovering - or not as the case may be.

5. Identical - Ellen Hopkins
Yes, she happens to be one of my favourite authors of all time. This one is about twins leading very different lives, but one of them happens to be dead and the other happens to have a split personality. Anyone work out how the dead one is still living? No, not a Sci Fi.

6. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
A true classic in the eyes of anyone who has read it. I have been graciously given the complete works of Lewis Carroll by my older sister and it had me entranced from the first page.

7. Where the Wild Things Are - Maurice Sendak
Loved this one, who says that teenagers only read emo literature and long involved tragedies.

8. A Midsummer Nights Dream - William Shakespeare
Again, I own the entire works of the Bard, so I am rather well read. The Dream is my favourite Shakespeare, closely followed by 'My Mistress', a sonnet.

9. The Carnivorous Carnival - Lemony Snicket
Love the Series of Unfortunate Events. It's possibly the second greatest series ever written.

10. The Slippery Slope - Lemony Snicket
Again, Lemony is an amazing writer. When Sunny was kidnapped I cried.

Anyway, that is my rant for today. Hope you thoroughly enjoyed it. xx

How to Manage Homework In Highschool

Hey guys,

Just a random how-to today. I thought that since I've managed it successfully for three years then I could pass on my tricks.

1. Start your day really early.

I get up at a quarter past five because that's how much time I need to get ready in the mornings (breathing treatments, breakfast, getting dressed and eating) but you might only need to get up at 6.30 or 7.

2. Take heaps of notes in class.

I'm never without my laptop, so I can take notes really easily. If it's harder for you then you may want to invest in an audio recording device so you can look back on exactly what your teacher said.

3. Do homework in the car.

I spend most of my time either at dance or travelling to dance. The car trip gives me an excellent opportunity to finish my homework. I usually do English because that's just reading usually, maybe answering a few chapter questions. But sometimes it's harder (Maths is a no-go in the car).

4. Do homework during breaks at your sport/hobby.

I get an hour for lunch each day. So I spend fifteen minutes eating, half an hour doing homework and fifteen minutes warming up. Trust me, this one will save your life.

5. Have a timetable.

Yes, it's what nerds do. But has anyone ever seen a dumb nerdy kid?? Didn't think so. Timetabling helps, as does setting reminders on your phone. It's great, just key in what you want to study when, and you'll never be saying "What should I do next?"

6. Have a study area.

Mine's on my bed. Yours could be on the dining room table, in the loungeroom (try to avoid the TV) or in the study. It's good to have an area where you study, because once you're there your brain kicks into study mode.

7. Sleep.

It doesn't matter when that paper is due, don't pull an all-nighter. If you're worried ask for an extension. Don't just leave it until the night before and to a horrible job because you're sleep deprived. Sleep well, and wake up refreshed and ready to go.

8. Turn off your phone.

You study more efficiently when you actually switch OFF your phone (not just on standby). You also sleep better.

9. POST IT NOTES!

I have post it notes papering the walls of my bedroom, covered in formulas, quotes or even just stuff I need to buy. They're a great memory jogger, so having them everywhere will help you to remember how to calculate an unknown angle in trigonometry.

10. Organise your world.

I can't work in a messy environment. I just can't concentrate when I've got stuff all around me. Clean up, label folders and put everything where it belongs. Try to work in a minimalist environment. It's great to just study once in a while.

That's it guys. Hope it helps! Your grades will definitely pick up if you follow these tips. xx

Ten Guilty Pleasures

Hey again people!


My post today is about my ten most guilty pleasures. What I use when I'm stressed, sad or just want to do something out of the ordinary.


1. Chatting on MSN/texing while I'm meant to be asleep
Who can resist the call of that text that arrived as you were drifting off to sleep. You feel the bed vibrate and you instantly go for your phone. If I could text all night I probably would.

2. Listening to a guy with an accent talk.
Oh. My. Goodness. If I could hear a guy with an accent talk all the time I would probably do it. My favourites are South African, Scottish and Czech. I just find it very hawt!


3. Watching old reruns of MasterChef.
It can make you laugh, cry or simply hungry. Watching Masterchef is a massive guilty pleasure for me, because afterward I force my darling mother to help me cook the gorgeous dishes that I see there. I don't care that they cost about 60 dollars to make. They're yummy.


4. Chocolate.
'Nuff said.

5. 80's music
I know it can be cheesy and I know it can be stupid but I don’t care. When Everybody Wang Chung Tonight comes on, I’m singing along.


6. The TV on analog at 11.30 at night.
I don't have a set top box on the television in my room, so when I wake up and can't sleep I'm stuck with 11pm arts shows on SBS, or weird fetish shows on Prime. Sometimes I get lucky and there's a cool medical show.


7. Listening to Taylor Swift.
It's sad, and all her songs are the same - but she's a cool kid and I love listening to her songs when I'm feeling a bit flirtatious.


8. Gloria Jeans Iced Chocolate with whipped cream and caramel.
Fat, Sugar and comfort. It's possibly the strangest iced chocolate ever - literally hot chocolate chilled, put in a blender with ice so it comes out an awesome consistency and covered in whipped cream. Sometimes I really branch out and put on caramel and chocolate sprinkles.

9. Being in my pajamas all day.
When you don't get dressed, you can't accomplish anything right?? It's what I do on sick days to convince myself not to exercise, catch up on homework or try to clean the house. I need my rest, so I don't get dressed.

10. The Simpsons.
Homer makes me laugh :P

Well, that's all for now. Hope to see you next post. Comment with your top ten guilty pleasures! xx

Must Have Mac Apps for Students

Since there are so many lists of essential Mac software, I figured I would compile my own....with a twist. This list is geared towards software that I think most other college students can benefit from. Oh yeah...and with the exception of one item, everything can be found online for free. Links included.

 

Organization:

 

Quicksilver - The program is amazing. At the most basic level, it works as an application launcher, but it can do almost anything. Take you to the porn site you visited yesterday, look up words in the dictionary, create emails, control iTunes, make text files on the fly, etc, etc...It is especially good if you have a laptop because you can quickly access any file or application you need without them clogging up the dock or desktop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quicksilver Home

 

 

Coverflow - Awesome program for organizing your iTunes library by album art. My review, as well as a link, can be found here.

 

 

Academic:

    

Microsoft Office 2004 - Obviously this is a must have. You undoubtedly will have plenty of papers to write and this is pretty much the universal format. You could opt for OpenOffice because it is free, but Microsoft Office is so widely used that coughing up the extra money for this one is actually worth it. Or find a friend with a copy. Buy Office.

 

 

iProcrastinate - A great app released by a student in order to help manage deadlines for papers, assignments, etc..Homepage

 

 

GIMP - This is an open source photo editing tool that is comparable to Photoshop with one huge difference. It’s free! If you have to do image/photo work for classes or you just need to edit out the herpes bumps you caught from the innocent girl the first week of school then this is the program for you. Like photoshop, it can be a little complicated because it is an advanced editor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gimp Home

 

 

iClip - This program gives MacOSX multiple clipboards for copying and pasting. This is very useful when you are plagiarizing multiple internet sites for the paper due tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Download from MacZOT

 

 

Cyberduck - A simple, easy to use FTP client. If your school gives your free disk space for storage on campus computers then this is the program to use to access it from home. Get it here.

 

 

Communication:

 

Chax - This is a great addon for iChat that includes such features like tabbed messages to clean up IM windows cluttering the screen and notification in the dock to let you know when the easy girl down the hall sends you a late night booty IM. It has a lot of other features as well that allow more customization of iChat. Homepage

 

 

Adium - If you want something a little bit more dynamic then check this out..it pretty much allows full customization of all aspects and you can add multiple accounts from multiple services. Really useful if you have stubborn friends that insist on using MSN or GoogleTalk. Plus it looks pretty sweet and has a ton of features. Downside: No video.

Adium Home

 

Backup:

 

Carbon Copy Cloner - Invest in an external hard drive and use this to back up your entire hard drive. As the name implies it makes an exact copy of your hard drive onto a target drive. There are other options for backup, like SuperDuper, but this one is free and is easy to use. Get it Here.

 

 

MacTheRipper - Want to make a backup copy of the DVD you “bought”, but can’t get around that damn encryption? Try this...It will rip a copy of any DVD onto your harddrive so you can burn it onto a backup DVD.Download.

 

 

Other:

 

Uno - Simple program that allows you to customize the windows so that they all look unified. Just check it out. Download.

 

 

Transmission - Being in college means downloading a lot of stuff from Torrent sites and this is a great client. It looks clean and does its job perfectly. Plus it is small and doesn’t take up much space or processor power.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Download Transmission.

 

 

Senuti - Need to get music off someone else’s iPod? This will do it! Download.

 

 

Ourtunes - Curious how to download music off all those shared libraries in iTunes on your college network, well this little program will allow you to download them all if you want to. Download.

 

 

iAlertU - Only useful if you have a laptop. This program is really cool..it functions as an alarm if you are somewhere like the library and want to get up to grab some Redbull, but don’t want to bring your laptop. Use the Apple remote to arm it and if moved or taken, your laptop makes loud noises and locks up as well as snapping a pic with your eyesight camera.Download.

 

 

Windows Media Player/Flip4Mac/VLC - Video formats can be pretty finicky, which is why I have all three of these. You could do fine without Windows Media Player since Flip4Mac does essentially the same thing, but video files can be finicky. If you have a video file that won’t open though just try VLC it has a way of playing the unplayable.

Get Flip4Mac

Get VLC

Get Windows Media Player

 

 

You probably noticed that the applications included with new Macs aren’t included. I did this in order to shorten the list and because I figure most college student already have things like iTunes and what not. Hope this helps out...if anyone has additions feel free to add them.