I have things to blog about and will do shortly.

Getting bored of this blank space? So am I. I realised we havent blogged in a while and we are getting round to it, until then please enjoy this picture I found amusing :)

 

Bobbie x

 

House of Wax, Silent Hill and Mirrors...

Hi guys! Sorry another movie review, I know we have been doing tons, but I'm a movie addict, what can I say? I will keep this short and sweet for those of you who are bored with us rambiling on with our movies and dont worry because we have a band review coming up so look out for that :)

Okay so I will go by order of what theyre in from the title, starting with argureably the goriest, House of Wax. Keeping this brief, I was truely freaked out. I dont really think you need an explanation incase you cant put two and two together I will give you a clue; gory deaths + wax = House of Wax.
If you liked being disgusted then this one is for you, if not then i suggest you stay clear, I liked it I guess because it had a plot but honestly I wouldnt watch it again too creepy for me, I would give this a 4* out of 5 for those who like scary movies!

Next is Silent Hill well this had a really good plot actually! Bit confusing at first but yeah still a good plot! It was a creepy film but the kind that I like because you can think
'This would only happen in the movies basically its about witchcraft and has some ghouls and monsters but not all that terryfying, I jumped at a few bits but its honestly not all that scary! All in all, I liked it and think that people who dont like scary movies and lovers alike can also enjoy this, 4*'s.

Ohhh on to Mirrors now, this is the one I saw most recently, it was quite gruesome made my friends feel sick at one point (I was too scared to watch so I felt perfectly fine) it was also quite freaky, I wasnt able to look in a mirror for a few hours which is a big deal for me. It had some fantastic quite well known actors in it and a great plot, really worth a look! Again I would say 4*'s but a freaky ending and certainly the scariest!

Okay guys, I'm done scary movie blogging for the moment so until next time...

Bobbie :) x

Fright Night! aka The Blair Witch Project Review (and Tangled)

So, once again the two Miss Bs have met up and combined our awesomeness, and decided to celebrate with a movie marathon(ish) of Tangled and The Blair Witch Project. Not the most obvious combination but that's just how we roll.

We began with Tangled which can be described as "the cutest movie I've ever seen!". I'd already seen it so I was prepared for this onslaught of adorable animation, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment! The fact is, Tangled is worthy of being put among the classic Disney films: it's funny, surprising (I won't ruin the surprising moment for any of you who haven't seen it, but let's just say we did not expect that from a Disney film!), with great characters (the chameleon and the horse make the film. 'Nuff said) and a kickass song score. Highly recommended to all people, everywhere!

BEST. MOVIE. EVER!!

Next we moved to on the Blair Witch Project (it was dark by then - a more suitable setting) and we were fully ready to be scared out of our wits... fortunately for us this never really came to pass. Sure, the 'scary' parts were quite unnerving, but that was purely down to the combination of lack of light and an overload of screaming. The story itself took a long time to actually come to a head, due to the documentary style, and we ended up just spending a lot of the time discussing the stupidity of the three 'film-makers'. The ending was left too vague for our tastes, and it could only be considered particularly creepy if you remembered a minor detail from the beginning of the movie (which *ahem* one of us didn't). We were left slightly disappointed since we'd known from the beginning everyone was going to die, but we were hoping to find out why. The movie would be well suited to those who have a large fear of the unknown, but it just didn't hit the spot with us.

The freakiest bit was when she was crying - snot EVERYWHERE. Gross.

Now, I must apologise if any of this post seems grammatically or otherwise incorrect, but it's late and I'm basically just word-vomiting all over this. And with that pleasant imagery I take my leave of you.

xoxo Miss B

Ice Age 4 and The Amazing Spiderman

Hello readers, well I've not blogged in a while but considering one of the Miss B's is currently on holiday I'm thinking that not a lot of blogging will be done so I decided that it would be my duty to keep you guys up to date on whats going on with us.

Well currently I have just read Miss B's post on The Amazing Spiderman and I would just like to say that she has written the biggest load of dribble, that, I, personally, have ever seen in my life.

I found that The Amazing Spiderman was good! It made me forget my Hunger Games obssesion for a while at least, which if you know me, is a MAJOR accomplishment and one to be treasured. I found it to be very funny and I feel that it captured the awkwardness of teenage romance well, although some bits made me cringe, but hey, its all part of the awkwardness of teenage romance that I'm talking about, right? I also felt it gave you a deeper insight into the background of Peter (Spiderman to those who arent as obsessed *ahem* clued up.) It was packed with action scenes and if you had the brains (a.k.a I did, Miss B didnt) to stay past the end credits there was a little clip and let me tell you it left me in great suspense, so I'm thinking there may be an Even More Amazing Spiderman movie appearing on the big screen sometime next year?

But who knows, the actors could just go all diva on us like they so often do after a succesful film and refuse to get into a lycra suit such as spidermans. All in all it was a good film and if it was up to me I would give it 4 stars :)

Trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joh7Llb_3Xs

I also went to see Ice Age 4, which I was dreading. My sister got to choose the movie and considering shes only 10, it was a valid choice.

But I found myself enjoying it! I thought it was funny and would appeal to all ages, dont be put off by the cartoon, 3 year old entertainment vibe the trailer gives its actually a very good movie! With brilliant actors and many familiar faces such:

Peaches - Keke Palmer (Starred in True Jackson VP)
Captain Gut - Peter Dinklage (Starred in Game of Thrones)
Ethan - Drake (You need no introduction...)
Shira - Jennifer Lopez (If you dont know who she is, then I only have one question; where have you been?)
Steffie - Nicki Minaj (Yeah! I was surprised to, shes actually a good actress and I couldnt even tell it was her, crazy huh?)

Again I would give Ice Age 4 four stars :)

Trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja-qjGeDBZQ

All in all, if you have a choice to make I would say go for The Amazing Spiderman if you want more of an action, emotion, romantic movie and Ice Age 4 if you want something funny!

Bobbie x

The Amazing Spider-man

Contrary to the title the 'amazing spider-man' is really not that amazing. Harsh, I know. A big apology to you Marvel fans, it's just the opinion of a Scottish nobody. Let me lay this out for you guys, we had a choice, Ice Age 4, or The Amazing Spider-man? We chose the latter, I wish we'd gone with Ice Age.

The film isn't a complete failure in my mind, there are a lot of lines that make me laugh, it is very funny and the acting from all the cast is great. The thing that nags me is the way the humor becomes repetitive, oh, and the way that the director has managed to slip in the 'oh so cliched' funeral scene, complete lots of rain and huge black golf umbrellas. And it's too long! Compared to, say the Hunger Games, a film in a completely different genre granted, it seems a bit shoddy.


This is a film I feel has tried too hard, which is a shame because it had the potential to be very good. I would give it a rating of two out of five, the jokes and funny lines during the opening scenes saved it from a one. Frankly, I wouldn't go to see it again, but, here's a heads up, the new Batman looks good. Now that I've said that, it's probably jinxed. 

Miss B xxxx

Infinite Jest (DCA)

If you don't know what it is about, walking into a room full of these strange creations can be confusing. Infinite Jest is an exhibition made up of everyday objects like clothes and cookies and is the work of artists Cinthia Marcelle, Rob Pruitt and William Mackrell. Compared to some of the pieces, the chocolate chip cookies set into a wooden wheel is probably the most normal there. Others, such as the Evian Fountain (Rob Pruitt) which, as you might have guessed, is a fountain made up of Evian boxes, are slightly more extreme. Wait...what am I saying? They're both pretty weird actually.

Thankfully there were explanatory leaflets on hand for the casual looker to seize. At least they gave you the appearance of somebody who knows what's going on. I went around with mine stuck to me like glue. My brothers and dad walked round in a more relaxed way, laughing at everything they saw. But, as dad put it, art is in the eye of the beholder, or was it art is what you make of it?

In gallery 1 there were two pieces put together by Cinthia Marcelle, Confronto (from the series Unus Mundus) which is a seven minute video displaying a group of fire jugglers on a zebra crossing who manage to get a few drivers very angry by not moving when the red light goes green, and Volta ao Mondo (Round the World (from the series Unus Mundus) another video, this time of Marcelle herself disrupting a roundabout with a crew of white vans which form a circuit and then leave. All very...interesting to watch. And even more interesting to read:

"In the chaos of things I find many of my propositions; what becomes mandatory is that, at a certain point, I gain distance and try to reorganize this disorder formally. This happens, for instance, in the aerial views from Unus Mundus (2004-05), in which the distance lets us see, down there, a new dimension of things, new circuits. Ideas emanate then from within a turmoil of possibilities from everyday life, in the movement of the bodies, in the appeal of ordinary materials, in intriguing spaces, in accumulation, in the possible magic of the work's world"  
Cinthia Marcelle (making a lot of sense)

The other work in gallery 1 is that of William Mackrell, 100 Candles, a photograph exhibiting a circle of tea light candles. The work is also shown in a video. Deux Chevaux, depicting two horses pulling a car. I ended up laughing at this one, there's something absurd about it that makes it instantly likable. Although the whole exhibition is rather absurd, though, maybe just to me as I'm not really familiar with the more, uh, flamboyant side of the art world. Anyway, more William Mackrell, 90 Minutes, which apparently involved teams wearing red and blue exhibited next to the sofas in the foyer (I say apparently because being unobservant, I didn't notice them) and a concrete ball, which I did notice.

Finally in gallery 1 was Rob Pruitt's Pop-Pop's Chocolate-Chip Cookies, made up of cookies and a framed cookie recipe. I really should have taken a picture of the recipe so I could try some out at home because they sounded quite good! In face, *just reading over the leaflet now*, you're encouraged to try the recipe. Damn.

I'm just going to focus on gallery 1 in this post because if I included gallery two this post might end up a few too words long. Okay, so in my opinion, if this exhibition wasn't free, I don't think I would pay the money to get me in to be perfectly honest. I'm sure many people find this sort of art intriguing and like to look into its hidden meanings, but I don't. On the contrary, I find this sort of work fun, it's good for a laugh, and you can stop and look and say 'I could have done that!' not to offend any of you readers. It just wasn't my cup of tea. But if any of you happen to be in Scotland and are interested in viewing the work of Cinthia Marcelle, Rob Pruitt and William Mackrell, it can be found at the DCA until the 26th of August. 


Sources: Infinite Jest exhibition guide



Miss B xxxx

Today It Is Raining

So, today it is raining.

And this sort of thing tends to happen a lot in great Britain, especially in Scotland. I don't know about you, but it seems to me that if there was a weather god, or a comity of weather gods, they really don't like us much, or the poor sods out at T in the park this weekend. Like my cousin. Well, good luck to you all, don't drown or get stuck in the mud.

What I have been up to lately:

• Baby sitting for my neighbor. Her kids are actually the most hilarious bunch I've ever met 
• Walking (if you've checked out lacebirds lately you will know more about this than most) 
• Trailing around town looking for a job...Okay so I've not actually had time to do this yet, but I will because I need money 
• Blogging and complaining about my camera (lacebirds)  
• Not tidying my room 
• Wondering why the heck I called my second blog lacebirds 
• Laughing at Murray because he's decided to make a runescape account. Oh dear.

And that's pretty much it, apart from trying out a healthier diet, which so far has actually been working! Yay! Maybe this will help with all the teenage skin problems...I hope, but I'm not banking on it. What a phrase. 

Anyhow, that's today's rant over for you guys, tune in tomorrow or whenever for some more! I leave you with a lovely picture of the rain I found on google images, there were loads that made the weather seem dramatic and wonderful, so I chose this, which says it how it is. Horrible.

Miss B xxxx

Andy Murray

I just want to post a congratulation to Andy Murray. You made it!!!! It's been coming a long time, now all you need to do is win Wimbledon! Though I do have some doubts as to whether you can do it, I really want you too (I'm just too pessimistic to go all in). I'm just listening to the TV, they're going over his last shot, which for those of you who don't know was pretty close. He's facing Rodger Federer next. Can't wait!

He's making history people! And apparently it's destiny? Haha, loving the Wimbledon commentary...

(Please win Andy!)

Miss B xxxx

Midges

Thank bejeebus I'm home is what I'd really like to say to you all. I got back on Sunday at around 4.30, and I swear, I almost jumped out of the minibus and kissed the ground. Mainly because it was tarmac and not mud, or gravel. Don't get me wrong, I mean, I love the outdoors and I loved the whole expedition, but really, there are only so many days you can spend without a shower. For three days it was dry shampoo and wet wipes. Yeah, wet wipes - tesco value ones. And you wouldn't believe the number of midge bites I have. I am literally covered head to toe in them. And when I went swimming today at the local pool, you wouldn't believe how much the ones on my ankles stung. Let me tell you now, that smidge midge repellent does not work. No matter how many times it refers to its 'dastardly yet family friendly formula' it is utter rubbish. Either that, or midges love me so much they will go through anything to get a taste of my blood. The first suggestion seems slightly less disturbing, so I think I'm going to go with it. Midge repellent doesn't work. So, how do you avoid the midges? Don't go camping anywhere near water. No, scratch that, don't go camping in the Scottish highlands. Midges are vicious and attack in swarms. If you see one, there are more on the way. Run I tell you, run. Actually, come to think of it, everything - apart from the lack of showers and indoor plumbing and the insane amount of midges - day two was pretty darn good. Just discount the parts were I fell over in a bog and the point at which I literally went knee deep into a pile of stinking mud. Oh yeah, and the part where we went searching for the illusive 'Prince Charlie's Cave' which isn't actually a cave, but a pile of boulders with holes in them. Yeah. Okay, so maybe I sound a little very cynical. It's probably because I am. Don't let that fool you though, like I've said already, I had a great time. And you wouldn't believe the views, or how quiet it is (you literally can't hear a single note of traffic) and how wide and spacious everything seems without the endless rows of enclosing houses you find in suburbia. If you're afraid of midges, don't go, like I said, they are vicious, but if you aren't then take every opportunity you can to get out there and go camping, or just take a walk away from the rat race. The highlands are insanely beautiful in their own bleak and wild way. They really are.

Impending Sense Of Doom

You know that feeling when something you reaaaally don't want to happen is just going to go ahead and happen anyway? Yeah? That's how I feel right now. Tomorrow I have to haul myself out of bed at 7 in the morning, check my rucksack which probably weighs more than me, and drag it out the door in the pouring rain. This is because tomorrow is the start of my Duke of Edinburgh expedition, which basically means I will be spending three days somewhere in the highlands of Scotland. And the highlands of Scotland are compiled of a few lovely things, sheep, rain, mud, bogs and midges.

Yep, I have to endure three days of this starting tomorrow. Now you see the point of this post. So, if anyone with the kind of power to strike me down with the flu wants to do so any time now I would really appreciate it! 

Until monday readers!

Miss B xxxx

Travel Journals

Since the Scottish summer holidays are coming up in two and a half days, and I am so excited I think I might burst, I have decided to post about something that I think will keep everyone occupied on their holiday travels. The travel journal is a thing most of us just don't get round to doing anything with. We don't see the point do we? Well, I am here to change your mind.

Travel journals are amazing. They keep you occupied, and can make the most boring holidays seem that little bit more interesting because you have something to do. They're a way to preserve memories and thoughts, and are much easier to commit to than diaries. Believe me I know. So what gives the travel journal an edge on the timeless classic the diary? For one, when you write in a travel journal you are more likely to be writing about an exciting time in your life instead of the everyday monotonous drone of work, school etc. Travel journals are things that you can leave until the next time you go on holiday, whether that might be for a month, year or a couple of years.

So, what travel journals are there in the big world wide market? Personally, I feel that Paperchase is one of the best shops for all things stationary and otherwise. I purchased my travel journal there and have just been itching to use it! But, you might not share the same view, so I'm putting up a list of places you could possibly acquire one from...

• thepaperie.co.uk 
• Amazon.com 
• ohsocherished.co.uk 
• paperhigh.com 
• Paperchase.co.uk 

Of course you could also visit your local bookstore or copy shop and see if they have any travel journals in stock there, or you could simply buy an ordinary notebook. But, I prefer the already made journals, as they come with pockets and folders to put things in and different page layouts for graphs or writing or pictures. Anyway you look at it, buying a travel journal is a worth while investment. I hope with this post, I have changed the minds of the skeptics. If you're still not quite convinced, there's no harm in getting a travel journal and seeing for yourself!

Happy travels

Miss B xxxx

The Gannochy Trust 75th Anniversary Concert

Saturday 16th of June 2012 was the night of the Gannochy Trust 75 anniversary concert. I had the great privilege in being able to go and see it with my family because we were all going to support my brother Murray who is a member of the Perth Youth Orchestra. The concert was a collaboration between the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the Perth Youth Orchestra. Personally, I think that the Royal Scottish, - you know what, I'll just abbreviate - RSNO were strategically positioned on stage specifically to block the members of the PYO from view. I could only see a few members of the PYO, and that was from the middle isle, a row from the front. But enough of my conspiracy theories, though I am pretty positive I'm onto something here!

Now, for some people who haven't a clue what the Gannochy Trust is, you'll be happy to know that I've googled it and come up with this information:

I quote from the Gannochy Trust website:

"The Gannochy Trust was founded in 1937 by Arthur Kinmond Bell, known as A K Bell, for charitable and public purposes as a direct result of his family’s successful distilling business. A K Bell’s first project built the Gannochy Housing Estate between 1925 and 1932 to provide rented accommodation for the people of Perth. His Estate included two small farms and the Doo’cot Park cricket grounds and pavilion which he also gave to the Trust."

Also, here's a link to the site

http://www.gannochytrust.org.uk/

The trust has been supporting both the RSNO and PYO for a number of years now, so this concert was held in the honour of this charitable aid. The concert itself was nothing short of dramatic, with excerpts from the opera Carmen topped off with Sergei Rachmaninov's piano concerto No 2 in C minor Op. 18. Christian Kluxen conducted the orchestras, and the event presented by Jamie MacDougall, who also had a shot at advertising his radio program.

The concert began with the PYO and RSNO playing a piece called Arbos by Arvo Part, a short fanfare that was not only powerful but also somewhat mysterious, played at the high standard that was set for the rest of the evening. The next piece was Carnival Overture Op. 92 by Anotnin Dvorak, lively music for the whole orchestra, played at incredible speeds! I couldn't believe how fast the fingers of the violinists were moving, and I'm surprised my brother managed to keep up! There is a lull in tempo in the piece, which brings about a nice contrast, proving that both orchestras could not only play incredibly accurately at break neck speeds, but also show the sensitive, mellow side to the Overture. These pieces were led by 1st violinist Maya Iwabuchi, as were the rest played that night.

And then there was Carmen! O mon Dieu! O mon Dieu! I never realised opera could be so interesting! Rowan Hellier, a mezzo-soprano, played Carmen. Adrian Dwyer, a tenor played Don Jose and Laurence Meikle, baritone. played Escamillo (I think).

The excerpts were played in the following order:

· Les Toresdors

· Prelude

· Habanera

· Toreador Song

· Intermezzo

· Aragonaise

· Duet

· Danse Bohme

May I just say, Rowan Hellier could have out-feisted the real Carmen herself! The acting from all singers was just captivating, and of course the orchestra played pitch perfectly! I couldn't take my eyes off the stage, in fear of missing a glance between Carmen and Don Jose, or mishearing a note from a song. It was just perfect.

And finally, came the piano concerto, played by Alasdair Beatson, backed by the RSNO, but not the PYO. Beatson's playing was enigmatic, and enthralling to watch. And I also loved the piano he was playing, a beautiful black and gold steinmen and sons grand piano. I want one! Back to the concerto; strangely, while listening, I found myself wanting to fall asleep, not in a bad way though. The concerto, although not all quite and calming, had a very relaxing effect on me. Great music to listen to if you want to get to sleep, none of that dolphin malarkey.

All in all, a spectacular 75th anniversary concert the Gannochy Trust should be proud of! And a big thumbs up to PYO - you guys rocked...as much as you can rock while playing classical music that is.

Miss B xxxx

Glasgow School Of Art Degree Show 2012

Yesterday I went to the GSofA degree show, visiting the Skypark Campus and the Mackintosh Building. I previously emailed GSofA, enquiring about the painting and printmaking undergraduate course, which was a course I was positive I wanted to do. They got back to me straight away, suggesting for more ideas I visit the degree show that runs from Thursday 7th to Saturday 16th of June. Taking their advice I went along, first to the Skypark Campus.
It started off pretty badly, as the weather came in, bringing heavy rain, and my mother, grandmother and I couldn't find the right entrance! Eventually we managed to get in, after following a crowd of like-minded people, eager to try and get inside.

The first exhibition we went to see was the interior design unit, located in an odd series of rooms, complete with a disco ball and random sheets of see through material draped over the room. I'm sure the whole idea was to give the room some kind of vibe, but I just found it reaaally strange! In the centre of the room were two tables, lit by overhead lamps. On them were rows of project folders to look through. And although I'm sure the designs were all very innovative, I didn't find it at all interesting. Call me boring, but that disco ball was beyond distracting!

Next (still in the Skypark Campus) we trundled through to the jewellery and silversmithing displays. They were all...very kooky. But, thankfully, I found the displays more interesting than that of the interior design section. And, as a plus, no disco ball! Going round, my mum decided to fill my bag with contact cards from the student’s displays, and I thought that I would mention a few names, and favourites. So...here are the details, if you want to get a bit more information about the displays.

Scarlett Cohen-French's display featured an intriguing display of rings, which if you want to check out, I believe can be found at www.cargocollective.come/scarlettfrench. Another student's card I picked up was that of Bao Rui (nice name) who had made necklaces of oxidised white metal, copper and cold enamel (bao_rui@hotmail.co.uk). Another student, Dong Shutong, had a main feature piece of a silver and steel tea leaves brooch. And just a heads up here, www.dongshutong.com is written either in Japanese or Chinese (since I don't speak either, I can't tell which one is which).

Then we were on to the textiles section, where I found a crazy gem of a display, by Chao Liu. The display was one of the best there; it was bright and fun, mikano based - something Lady Gaga would have been proud of. Go to www.chaoliu0096.blogspot.co.uk if you want to find out more. Israil Parra-Zanabria's display was another eye-catching piece. It was made up of brightly coloured, boldly patterned fabrics, which I think were silk? www.wix.com/zellos/portfolio.

Eventually, we all drove off to the Mackintosh Building, which is a piece of art in itself really. I found myself; again, slightly distracted from the art, by the AMAZING library, which due to its age is only open to students once a week, no browsing allowed. Anyhow, before I go all misty eyed over the genius of Mackintosh, I should tell you about some of the things I saw displayed in the building. A picture that really caught my eye, mainly because of its weirdness, a shark flying through a dark green forest. This odd painting was the creation of Karen Grant, www.karengrant.net. This, however, did not stay in my mind for long, because I found myself gazing at a couple of gigantuous paintings by Robin Everett, depicting lakes and mountains. Unsurprisingly, he was painting them both on and off over the course of the year. I don't think I could ever be brave enough to tackle canvases triple my size! Check them out at www.robineverett.co.uk.

And you know, the distressing thing is, I came away from it all completely and utterly confused. I thought I would go there and realise what it is I wanted to study, but all I know now is that I don't have a clue!

Miss B xxxx    

You Guessed It....More Art!

This is the final in the Apple Art series, which sadly is lacking the complete piece. Since I the only complete drawing with all my ideas in it was done during my art exam, I haven't got a photo and I doubt I'll ever see it again. I really wish I could have taken it home, because I was soooo thrilled with what I'd done. Just being able to draw all my ideas into one piece made me so happy (and ever so slightly relieved). Now all I have to do is wait until I get my results back to see if the SQA felt the same way.

Onto the pictures! The second one is a sketch I did about two days before the exam. I was trying to draw a crow from memory, but it turned out looking more like an owl or some sort of bird of prey. Rather than being annoyed with my lack of crow drawing skills, the failed crow gave me an idea. I spent the night before my art exam surfing the net for pictures of owls and finally settled for a dramatic shot of this massive owl swooping down to land on something in the snow. So, I printed the picture off, went upstairs and started drawing. The result is the first picture, which is actually a lot smaller than it looks. Pleased with the results I packed up and went to sleep.

On the day of my exam, I took my last minute idea and put it into action. I drew the usual arm with the mouldy apple, except facing in a way so that if you looked at the picture you would be looking up the arm towards the hand. Then, swooping in behind the hand, as if to snatch away the apple, I drew this massive owl.

All I need to do now is to wait for the results :P

Miss B xxxx

Yet More Art

In these paintings/drawings, I was fiddling with the idea of adding something more to my final piece. Something that would be more attention grabbing than just a plain old hand holding a plain old mouldy apple. I wasn't exactly sure what to go on, but eventually I came up with the idea of crows, because they scavenge for decaying dead things. Uber cheerful!

The first painting was me testing out what position to draw the crow in. I wasn't sure weather I should have it sitting pecking at the apple, so that it was a main feature, or have it in the background as a silhouette. At first, I really liked the idea of having the crow side on, because it would be much easier to draw; I even laid down another idea linking to that theme as you can see from the second picture. Then, at the last minute, I decided I didn't really like that idea and came up with something that was a little bit more dramatic...

Miss B xxxx

More Art

Now I present to you my Achilles heel. Hands. Well, my hands in particular. I had a fine old time trying to get these two right. The second is a sketch/rough idea, so it's allowed to look rubbishy. In the first one, my hand turned out looking fairly hand like (just sticking an imaginary gold star to my top) and I think the watercolour gives it a bit of depth. At first I thought I'd ruined it with the watercolours, but then I realised all I had to do was keep on building up layers of colour and eventually I got the perfect skin tone.

 The apple, however, went wrong. I was so focussed on making it look mouldy and shiz, that I forgot to make it look round. But thankfully I managed to perfect everything for my art exam. By the way, the reason I was drawing mouldy apples is because we had to have a theme for our drawings, so I, being the cheery sort chose decay!

Hope you enjoy these two as much as I enjoyed creating them...which after a few frustrated attempts, was quite a lot.

Miss B xxxx

I Actually Keep A Promise!

Okay, what is with the insults, may I just ask? Memory like a goldfish? Puleaaaaase! I remembered to finally put these up didn't I? Also, everyone else at the gig was wearing jeans, what's wrong with that? And nobody can out sly me! Ummm, okay, so I didn't get an autograph from Kassidy. I did actually see them outside of the gig, and was going to get an autograph, but yeah...well my chauffeur (dad) wanted to drive us home so he could sleep. Yeah, I missed out on an autograph because of my dad...ummm chauffeur. 

Anyhow, rambling aside, here is the second in the series of apple drawings I promised to you readers so long ago...
Sorry about the blurry picture! And by the way, it may not look it, but this is my attempt at drawing a mouldy and bruised apple. It ended up just looking wrinkly and dented and somewhat pumpkin like. Sorry about that

Miss B xxxx

Kassidy review, numero uhh...two.

Hi everyone,

I'm going to blog about Kassidy, even though Miss B has already done it I'm feeling unoriginal and she has a memory like a goldfish, so I'm going to expand her ideas and correct her errors.

Well basically I received a phone call many, many nights ago now. It was Miss B she was muttering on about some band called Kassidy and in my daze of thinking about the hunger games (yes I'm obsessed, any other obsessed readers? No?) I agreed to something I thought I would come to regret but didn’t! This, unsurprisingly enough was Kassidy's gig in the Perth Concert Hall.

My first dilemma was, 'What was I going to wear?' well let me tell you this was not an easy choice. I've been to a gig before and dear lord was I under dressed. What did I show up in? Jeans, flat shoes and a t-shirt. What did everyone else show up in? 9" heels, tiny dresses and... little else. So you can understand my concern. In the end I opted for an in-between look, not to casual and not to dressy, I wore leggings and a floaty top (one of Miss B's errors as I was not wearing jeans).

We arrived to the sight of a few hardcore leather clad guys swaggering down the street looking rather warm in their attire, considering it was 20 something degrees (many people in Scotland consider this the kind of weather to wander around practically naked, resembling a lobster) so when we saw them we felt slightly worried for their sanity. But not to worry! We found out later that it was part of their 'look' for the band as they were one of Kassidy's supporting acts called The Blindfolds (http://www.facebook.com/blindfoldsmusic - their facebook page) I don’t normally like their kind of music but after they had performed Miss B and I both agreed they were an extremely good exception to our usual genre. Kassidy also had another amazing support act called Jamie and his friend Shaun, but I can’t seem to find them anywhere! Anyway they were truly amazing!

But drum roll please... (Imaginary drum roll sounds in head) for the headline act KASSIDY! (http://www.kassidymusic.com/ - official website) After a longgggg interval filled with endless Adele songs to which Miss B and I were slightly confused considering Adele had nothing to do with the concert, but yes after this we were feeling rather dubious as to whether Kassidy could live up to their headline acts. When all of a sudden, the lights went down and on swaggered the band themselves. Followed closely by cheering. After a little introduction they were off! And wow. Seriously, wow. They were good! They were incredible! (Even though I was temporarily blinded by a series of strobe lights and momentarily fearing for my health and wondering if it was possible to suddenly develop epilepsy.) They played many, many rather amazing songs and any doubt I had about them living up to their supporting acts vanished. They were so fantastic I wish I could go see them again. But, unfortunately it was a one-night thing and in the morning they were on the road again.

All in all I'm thankful (for once) about my Hunger Games obsession because without it dragging me into the black abyss of my imagination and creating all to frequent daydreams I would never have witnessed this act of sheer musical gold. Basically what I'm trying to say is, watch out because this wont be the last you hear of Kassidy.

Bobbie x

Oh the randomness of it all!

Hiiii guys,

I'm being forced to blog. Literally forced. I don’t mind normally because I like blogging but, I'm afraid I have nothing to blog about so I may ramble on...and on in my quest to find a purpose to this post.

Lets begin with the fact that I'm now watching Eastenders and its on mute so I can concentrate therefore I cant tell you what’s happening, but let me tell you some drama is likely unfolding somewhere.

This concludes my post because I have had a sudden thought of what I am going to blog about.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. Oh and there wasn’t much rambling along the way.

:)

Nigel Kennedy Review

On Sunday night I went to the Perth Concert Hall to see Nigel Kennedy performing with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Andrew Litton, as part of the Perth Festival of the Arts.

My initial thought was just the fact that I was going to see a world famous Violinist who, as I later found out, likes to swear a lot. I was also looking forward to seeing the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra after listening to them on the radio and watching them on the BBC Proms...in my living room of course. I knew they would be good, but I didn't realise that they would sound as amazing as they did!

They performed was Johannes Brahm's Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77.

· Allegro non troppo

· Adagio

· Allegro gioscoso, man non troppo vivace

To be honest, there was so much in the concerto that it's hard to pick out specific points. But, just the way they played gave me goose bumps. I was sat in my seat grinning like I was on one massive high. That's how the whole thing made me feel, completely high.

As Nigel Kennedy walked on. My mum immediately commented on his peculiar attire. I thought he looked like some kind of mash up between a pirate and a middle aged disco fanatic. When he started to play I immediately forgot about what he was wearing. His playing was beautiful. It was so amazing. Just...the way he played the violin, just thinking about it, as you can probably tell renders me absolutely speechless. With the orchestra accompanying him, the sound reverberated around the concert hall. It sounded as if they were one, not a hundred different instruments, but one whole instrument playing together. And when they stopped, I think the audience clapped for about five minutes.

Then, Nigel was called back as an encore. He looked at us all and asked, "Fast or slow?"

The audience immediately shouted, "Fast!"

To which he replied, "Don't be so immature!" before beginning to play a Scottish jig, which as we asked for, was played faster and faster. Once he had finished the piece he said to the audience,

"Now for the f****** cultural s***!"

While I sniggered to myself, Nigel started to play this slow, peaceful, beautiful tune involving a lot of double stopping. I think of Nigel as two different people, there's Nigel the ordinary guy with an extraordinary dress sense, the guy who's kind of the 'joker' and then there's Nigel the violinist who can play pieces with such sensitivity and passion it can bring people to tears.

After the twenty-minute break the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra took to the stage again (minus Nigel) to perform Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 6 in B Minor 'Pathetique'.

· Adagio - Allegro non troppo

· Allegro con grazia

· Allegro molto vivace

· Adagio lamentoso

The beginning of the first piece features the mournful tones of the bassoon, accompanied delicately by the string section. When the piece picked up momentum and volume I felt the drama attached to the notes, but also the sense that the piece was carrying a kind of sadness. I thought the next movement was quite quirky, and much more uplifting than the last movement. As the piece goes on it seems to become more and more cheerful. The brass in this movement is bright and playful as are the violins. The third movement has more power than the previous two and much more speed. It makes for an exciting listen. I found it much more entertaining to listen to, and the Philharmonic Orchestra played it to perfection. The last movement I found wasn't quite to my taste; I guess I go in for the more exciting pieces (I am a teenage boy). But I do give my credit to the orchestra because they were absolutely fabulous and probably the best orchestra I have ever heard playing. In all I thoroughly enjoyed the orchestra and Nigel Kennedy and would be happy to see them again some time...hopefully. Ten out of ten!

En plus (oui, I kind of speak French) because I am waaaay slyer than Miss B, (and because my mum told me to) I went back stage to go see Nigel. And guess what I got!

Granted the picture is pretty bad, sorry 'bout that folks :P
Murray

Kassidy Review

On Friday night, Bobbie and I went to see a band called Kassidy perform at the Perth Concert Hall (Horsecross) as part of the Perth Festival of the Arts. I have to admit, before I went I knew next to nothing about Kassidy apart from the information about them on the Horsecross website. So I was going to a gig thinking 'Scottish, hairy and cuddly' hmmmm...

To prepare myself I watched a couple of their songs on youtube, 'Oh My God' and 'I Don't Know' and to my relief I found I quite liked them! Bobbie, on the other hand was pretty much clueless. So when I rang her up to ask if she wanted to come to this gig with me, I was quite surprised to hear her say, "Yeah, sure,"
Then we both paused. What do you wear to a gig? In the end we just wore jeans and casual tops. I think we're lucky we both passed over the idea of 'dressy' clothing because we would have stuck out like two proverbial sore thumbs.

Not a lot of people turned up for the first support act, which was their loss because it was actually very good. I will have to phone up Horsecross sometime to double check, but I think the singer/songwriter was called Jaime and his friend whom he used to gig with in college was called Shaun. Their playing was pretty much flawless, and apart from the odd mumble into the microphone I couldn't understand, I really enjoyed listening to them.

The next support act were a band called Blindfold. They looked like a punk rock band straight out of the late 70's, complete with leather biker jackets. Bobbie and I actually saw the lead singer and one of the guitarists outside the Horsecross.
"Look! Biker people!" was Bobbie's immediate reaction. It all made sense though when they appeared on stage. As might be expected from their nonchalant swaggers, general appearance and the way they played with careless abandon, Blindfold owned the stage. The lead singer's screaming vocals, backed by the blasting electric guitars, thumping bass drum and keyboard, made for a thrilling performance. Bobbie and I don't normally even like that type of music, so maybe it was the way the drummer mimed to every lyric, or the seemingly drunk keyboard player - whatever it was, we liked them.

So, my thoughts for Kassidy after Blindfold's performance? They had better be nothing short of spectacular!

Kassidy's arrival on stage was accompanied by an explosion of strobe lights and red spotlights. All in all very dramatic. Then they started playing. All my doubts were immediately laid to rest. Every song they played was exciteing which is a difficult element to keep consistent in a performance, they made everything seem funny like when the keyboard player started on the wrong chord, and in a single gig, they became my new favourite band. But the thing I like best about Kassidy was not the standard at which they perform or even the way they seem so in sync with each other, it's the fact that their band seems so fair and inclusive to all it's members. Each member had a chance to sing lead vocals, and it's that sense of equality that I think will really take them places.

Because I also happen to be quite sly I managed to get a list of the songs Kassidy played at the gig. They are as follows...

• GetBY
• WAR
• Take Another Ride        (my personal favourite)
• Waking Up Sideways
• That Old Song
• Home
• Oh My God
• Hunted
• I Don't Know
• Night In The Box
• One Man Army
• Stray Cat
• The Lost
• Traveller
• This Life is an Ocean
• Betrayal

Miss B xxxx

Pumped Up Kicks Cover By Eilidh McGuire

Howdy y'all :)

I have yet another youtube video for you! Sorry if you don't like all the youtubeness that seems to be invading the blog but...one more video won't hurt surely? And anyway, this is an important heads up to you all out there! The girl in the video is Eilidh McGuire and she lives around my area, but what I really want to say is that she has just been signed by White Neon records. Aaaand even more exciting, Eilidh's EP launch is tomorrow (that's Friday the 30th) at Brennan's in Perth! (Reading this off the poster by the way) the doors open at 7pm and it's a 3 pound entry fee. Sorry my computer doesn't have the pound sign for some reason :/

So, I hope you enjoy the video and like Eilidh's voice, I do :)
Oooh and here's the link to the EP launch facebook page!
Eilidh McGuire EP Launch Night

Miss B xxxx

Magic - [Walk off the Earth] B.o.B. Cover

I think music class is the best on picking up random youtube videos, this one was (unwittingly) recommended to me by the guy I sit next to, not my teacher! Surprise, surprise! I hate to say this really, but the boy has good taste. I am beginning to take quite a liking to Walk off the Earth, their covers seem to actually improve on the original songs, and I'm amazed how they made this song which is way too over played sound pretty damn awesome. Thumbs up to the beat boxing! But, uhh is the guy who beat boxes wearing a towel on his head?? 

Miss B xxxx

Walk Off The Earth

I thought I would grace you readers with two posts in one night since they both have a linking theme...my music teacher!

Ahhh, how she goes off on a tangent and gives me little youtube gems to share with you all! This time it's not more strange dancing but is in fact a cover of Gotye's somebody I used to know, although there is an element of strange in the video. There are five people playing one guitar! It's absolutely mental! Apart from that in-your-face fact, the girl in the video is Sarah Blackwood and I have posted one of her songs on the blog already (drowning). Oh and check out the third person in from the left - mental vocals!

Enjoy mes amigos
Miss B xxxx

One Big LOL

Hey readers, the two miss b's have gone their separate ways - without baking a cake!!!!! Sorry about that, I will make sure to bake one on Saturday and dedicate it to the other miss b, and post the recipe as well if you like.

Anyway, that news as you may have guessed is not one big lol. Oh no. Haha!

Yesterday my music teacher was helping us go over past papers in class as preparation for our up and coming exams (squeal of fear) and she ended up going off on a bit of a tangent. This tangent was about the terrible experience she had had with minimalist music. As she told it, she went to a lecture and had to sit through twenty minutes of Steve Reich's much acclaimed piece Come Out...or whatever it's called. It's pretty much twenty minutes of this one phrase 'come out to show them.'

Then she got onto the subject of a dance that was put together to go with the music (if you can really call it that) and I thought the way she described it was pretty funny, so I went and had a look on youtube. All I can say is omg.

The Hunger Games Film Review

So... we just got back from watching The Hunger Games at the local cinema and IT WAS AMAZING!!! For anyone who thinks it's just another Twilight look-a-like (as a critic from the i newspaper referred to it as) it most definitely isn't! In fact the film defies the critique it has had from the i newspaper, as the review harshly gave it 2 stars out of 5. However, we believe that we are speaking for the majority when we say that the film definately should have earned a 4 star review.

In our opinion, it only misses out on a 5 as all the small points from the origional book weren't quite fitted in. Even so, The Hunger Games is one of those rare films that actually lives up to its book origional...which leads to my next point. The film makes a lot more sense if you have read the book before hand, as some areas aren't really expanded on, for example the hand gestures. Plus the book gives a lot more background on the characters as well as an insight to Katniss's thoughts. 




Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss Everdeen)

Josh Hutcherson (Peeta Mellark)

In total, we think the film is brilliant (Josh Hutcherson, I mean come on! Swoon!) but we recommend reading the books first, which are equally, if not even better than the film.

Miss B xxxx/xoxo

Miss B's Re-United!

So as some of you may know, there are two Miss Bs and we live in totally different countries (well, England and Scotland). Such a distance! But do not fear readers, as there is light in the metaphorical dark! For this weekend and this weekend only, the Miss Bs have been re-united! And now hopefully we will encourage each other to post a lot more on this blog :)

Of course with some of the art post promises, there are problems in obtaining photos, would you believe it! But with everything else, it can only be up hill from here on in. We've got plans to bake a cake (and completely desecrate a kitchen) and go to see The Hunger Games (soooo excited!) so you should see evidence of us actually doing things soon...

Miss Bs xxxx/xoxo

Drawing Competition!

Howdy doody folks! Sorry about the wait for all the art stuff! It'll all be up by either tomorrow or saturday I assure you, but for the mean time I give you the...creations me and my friend came up with during maths. Yesss, we have fun not doing maths in math hehe :)

Anyway, it's kind of a drawing competition, so you post which one you like best and that said drawing will be the WINNER!!! :D


Choose wisely...
Miss B xxxx

Bunny Suicides Shaver

Godzilla With Car

Godzillaz Spazzy Brother

Hairy Legs Tap Dancing Cats

Moustached Tap Dancing Cat

The Random Post Of Rambles

Hey readers... yesterday I was trying to post some remixes my brother made of two my chemical romance songs, they aren't dubstepy or anything, just sped up so much it sounds like a gang of angry chipmunks on helium. As it turns out I can't upload the stupid stuff! Aw well...I'll try again at some other point, so look out for that! Also, I will be posting a few more apple related drawings on monday or tuesday me thinnnks. And I also still need to post that painting I was doing with my gran, but I'm not entirely sure when that's going to happen to be perfectly honest. Anyway, since I pretty much have nothing interesting to post about I will leave you with a song or two, which I thought might be a good idea since a lot of other people seem to be doing...


Miss B xxxx

E20

Hey folks! I thought it was about time I resurfaced from my world of homework and studying to provide you all with a post...then again Bobbie did beat me to it so I may as well just shut the computer down and go back to studying...not!

So, here I was, minding my own business on BBC iplayer when I came across a gem of a TV program, albeit a gem full of grimy teenage reality, but a gem non the less. I present to you all, E20! It's a spin-off from Eastenders, but don't be fooled (for those of you who don't like Eastenders) its way better than that sounds! But, if you want to find out more, you'll just have to watch it :)

Kony 2012

Hello people of the world! Yes, I know it’s a bit of a cheesy opening line but for this post I really am trying to communicate to everyone in the world.

Joseph Kony, who is he I hear you ask; well I was wondering the same thing as I scrolled down my news feed on facebook. The latest pop star? Some new youtube sensation? Well all my questions were about to be answered when I happened upon a 30-minute video. This video disgusted, astounded and inspired me. I know you're probably thinking that you've got much better things to do in 30 minutes than watch a video online, but before you discard the idea please at least, read the rest of this post.

Now I'm sure you are all wondering who Joseph Kony is and I'm about to answer this question, Joseph Kony is a 48-year-old Ugandan man, quite ordinary you may think? Well he is also the head of the LRA (Lords Resistance Army) and one of the world’s worst war criminals. He is responsible for the abduction of children into his group the LRA. The girls are turned into sex slaves and the boys soldiers. He forces them to mutilate people and worst of all, kill their own parents. You may now be thinking, why do I have to bother? This must only be a few children a year, 50 maximum? No. This is over 30,000 children.

I'm guessing you're thinking how can I help? I'm miles and miles away. That’s what I thought at the start of the video. But some brave and inspirational people have set up a group called the 'Invisible Children Kony 2012.' They set up this project many years ago, but this year is when their mission has really expanded. This is the year they are determined to STOP Kony, to capture him. After hundreds of supports wrote to the US government asking them to help the Ugandan people eventually 100 soldiers were sent to Uganda to help track him down and stop him. But this could all fall to ruin if the troops are pulled out of Uganda. To do this we have to raise awareness and get as many celebrities and Government Officials to promote this project as we can! We have to stop the government withdrawing the soldiers! Also we have to make Joseph Kony a household name. Make him famous, not to support him but to stop him.

Here's the video folks!

                                           This is Joseph Kony:

 

2012: The year Joseph Kony is stopped.

Bobbie

Apple Art

Today I thought I would post you guys an update on the art side of things...well, I have a project in art at the minute and its theme is decay. Cheery I know. But it is rather interesting and involves a lot of apples...going mouldy :P, well drawing them mouldy anyway, it would be a bit of a health hazard if we let them go mouldy in class! Here is the first of a series of apple drawings which I hope you will enjoy!

Miss B xxxx

Apple That Hasn't Gone Mouldy Yet! in pencil

Divergent Book Review

I have to say I found this book quite good! :) It's one of the best books I've read in a while, although, comparing it to another story set in the future, the plot doesn't quite live up to the hype. This book is about the future world where people are divided into factions and plots to rule the government pop up here and there. The main character is very believable and I found myself immediately drawn to her views on things etc.

I would give this book a...6/7 out of ten. Yeah that's cheating, but I can't make up my mind!

Again, if you want the book, here's a link to Waterstones! :) Divergent Waterstones

Oh...and also, the third book I'll be reviewing is The Hunger Games, but I'll save that for later!

Miss B xxxx

Woman In Black Book Review

This book was shorter than I expected it to be, it was also less scary and gruesome than I thought it would be as the movie makes it look like it could be quite a thriller. The fact is, the story is a lot tamer than the plot for the movie, probably because it's a fairly old book.

Anyhow, I found I quite enjoyed the story but I think that I prefer the film as it's more exciting than the novel. Sorry book readers out there!!! I'd say it was about a five out of ten and again sorry I have betrayed all book readers for a movie!!! :P

I think this is the right book...?

If you want to buy the book, here's a link to Waterstones! :) Woman In Black Waterstones

Miss B xxxx