tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20531503423573134902024-03-13T02:30:22.948+00:00rebecca-ella☯ Rebecca. 17. Blog Enthusiast, Philanthropist & lover of all things sweet. ☯
~ I'm green-eyed, freckled and spectacled ~rebecca-ellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13403068891617070698noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053150342357313490.post-88508875565269129652015-05-22T15:34:00.000+01:002015-05-22T15:34:01.475+01:00please play a different game<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
I am a teenage girl, and so some may say it was inevitable
that sooner or later a post would crop up about boys. Well, consider it cropped
my dear readers, and welcome to my whimsical whine.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
I have been played, and quite honestly, it's shit. Going
from talking to someone virtually every day to the point where if it wasn’t for
social media I would be questioning if they’re still alive, is not fun. Being
called the wrong name and being confused for another girl you are talking to,
is not fun. You, my dear sir, are not fun. For the sake of this post, I shall
call the mystery man Richard. Because the nickname for Richard suits you and
your personality pretty damn well.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Yes, I will miss our night-time cuddles in front of the
television, and the way in which you could make me feel as if you were the only
person who understood me. I will miss the excitement when we found something
else we both had in common, a love we both shared, making me feel like it was
you and me against the whole mad world. I will not miss the confident wandering
hands, despite the constant no's, or the mood swings, or the indirect tweets
about me from your friends. The snide remarks and my feeling obliged to put you
first, when other things were a lot more important. Being called “thirsty”,
“needy”, “clingy” and “desperate” just because I’m not afraid to ask how your
day has been and try to help wherever I can. <b>For being a nice person</b>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
I'm not a needy person, but I need to know when someone's
serious and when someone's just playing. I’m not desperate, I’m just desperate
to know who I can really trust and who is just talking to me for the sake of
it, using me and filling my head with fickle fantasies and nonsense. I’m guess
I’m just horribly human, and I’m fed up of apologising for that.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
I hate the fact that because of you, whenever I hear my
phone buzz or the doorbell ring, I think it's you asking <i>me</i> how I am or wanting to apologise. I hate the fact that if you
were to do one of these things, I am likely to go running back into your comforting,
overly large arms and completely forget how I am feeling right now. How I keep
finding myself checking your Twitter or Facebook like a crazy person to see if
you've put anything about mistakes or missing me, only to see that you're just
posing and flirting with other girls, the same girls you’ve told me in the past
are 'just friends'. I hate the moment when the reality hit me that <b><i>I’m
just <u>another one</u> of these girls</i></b>,
the way that my stomach dropped and my eyes pricked, because you’re a prodigious
pompous prick. I hate the fact that I keep thinking over the time that we spent
together and realising that we never <i>agreed</i>
to be exclusive, never really agreed anything, and therefore, what you did and
continue to do isn't <i>technically</i>
wrong. It isn't wrong, but it's <u>still shit</u>. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Playing with people's feelings <b>is</b> wrong, though. Toying with their hopes and constantly telling
someone that they live their life life badly, is wrong. Telling me that I’m too
heavy, when you know I’m incredibly self-conscious, is wrong. Criticising me
for the little things, for the way I talk, is wrong. Completely ignoring me
when I finally say that I don't feel happy with a situation and instead going
out and getting drunk with a group of girls younger than you, is wrong, and so
is getting them to send me selfies of you together. It's wrong and it's shit.
You're wrong and you're shit. Richard, darling Dick, you’re shit.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
I've had enough. Enough of the talk and joyless jokes behind
my back, your constant demand and need for attention yet neglect of mine. Only
talking to me when it suits you. Making me feel like I’ve done something wrong
and passing off anything crude as a ‘banter’. The casual cruelness in which you
ignore what I want, just so you can present and project your ideals and
desires. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
I am done.<span style="letter-spacing: 5.0pt;"> Done</span>. The
world is my oyster and all that jazz. You're just a teeny tiny bit of algae and
one day you're going to get bitten by a shark. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
I’m not going to cut you out of my life, because I am a nice
person. If I see you in the street or at a party, I’m not going to ignore you
or start walking the other way, because I’m a nice person. If I were to do any
of these things, after all, I would be just as bad as you. We may even end up
remaining friends, who knows – because I am a nice person. The only thing I’m
sure of is that I’m not going to go out of my way anymore to ensure that you’re
happy. Because, thanks to you, I’ve realised that I am my number one priority,
and <u>I am fabulous</u>. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
The glorious Khloe Kardashian once said “the best form of
revenge is a good body”. So that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to improve
myself, my body and my mind. Make my life better, not because of you, but for
me. The fact that I may be posting more on social media however, is most
definitely to ensure that you realise I don’t need you. Accidental snapchat to
show that I’m having a lot of fun and looking fabulous? Whoopsie - “Sorry,
wrong person! <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span>”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
And so, I hope when
you see that <b>tanned, toned and terribly
happy</b> girl in a few months’ time you think about how you once made her
feel, and seriously reconsider how you treat girls. What you do is not big, it’s
not clever, and it’s not cool.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
So thank you, Richard.
Thank you for making me see that I'm worth something, either through your empty
compliments, or through me finding out that I deserve better. Thank you for
providing me with the motivation to make my life better, to make ME better. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
I’m not bitter, I’m
just better.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Better than you, and
better without you.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixDA0qEHYXI2_oSZVCA7tDHPSzcqjNH0V1JXScjhpcAF1NJmzymtQwAR-oCEAXEoqyE07U2DQhDIOKEU-EaetQ31MN3hoorUNGPkNs-uwfZsLeXmuLrnPsq4w5hOTR161-2IaUDO3AXA/s1600/me+vs+you+unicorn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Unicorns are better" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixDA0qEHYXI2_oSZVCA7tDHPSzcqjNH0V1JXScjhpcAF1NJmzymtQwAR-oCEAXEoqyE07U2DQhDIOKEU-EaetQ31MN3hoorUNGPkNs-uwfZsLeXmuLrnPsq4w5hOTR161-2IaUDO3AXA/s1600/me+vs+you+unicorn.jpg" title="" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
❤</div>
rebecca-ellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13403068891617070698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053150342357313490.post-4822220335900928422015-02-13T19:05:00.001+00:002015-02-13T19:05:22.717+00:00a page of poetry<div style="text-align: center;">
I heard a poem by Emily Dickinson recently, and I would like to share it. I honestly consider it to be beautiful.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Emily_Dickinson_Poems_(1890).djvu/page58-1024px-Emily_Dickinson_Poems_(1890).djvu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Emily_Dickinson_Poems_(1890).djvu/page58-1024px-Emily_Dickinson_Poems_(1890).djvu.jpg" height="640" width="395" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">❤</span></div>
rebecca-ellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13403068891617070698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053150342357313490.post-81191468757167651762015-01-18T20:02:00.002+00:002015-01-18T20:02:53.607+00:00my life a year after losing you.<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
This time last year was probably one of the hardest times of
my life. In the past month, I had already attended three funerals – and tomorrow
I was to learn of another death of somebody that I knew.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
This person was a girl I knew only by her name and face –
our only connection being through singing in the same choir, yet has motivated
and changed my life in so many ways I cannot quite believe it true. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
My great uncle died alone during autumn last year, alone, on
his bathroom floor. He had no central heating, and his house was filled with
damp and photographs.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
He had no one to care for, yet he was one of the kindest
souls I ever knew. He always made such an effort whenever he saw the rest of
our family and made so many sacrifices. He sold his house when my Grandad
needed surgery and care after heart problems – heart problems of which the
coroner thought he also passed away from. Luckily, an old school friend who is
a local landlord brought the house and allowed him to stay there for a very small
amount of rent on the condition that he could renovate and rent the house after
his passing, or if my uncle wanted to move prior to this. No one in my family, or
the landlord, had been inside this house in over thirty years.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
The calendars and papers in his house were all dated for
November 12<sup>th</sup>, and in his drawers we found Christmas cards written
in a shaky hand for my cousins and sister – mine, simply with “REBE” at the
top. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
He was found on the 5<sup>th</sup> of December.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
It breaks my heart to think of the pain he must have been
in, and the fact that he didn’t ask for help. The fact that it took nearly a
month to discover him, and that in his last days he still thought and found the
strength to write Christmas cards for us. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Certain members of my family argued about tedious things and
money – who gets his car? What about that lovely old record player? And I just
distracted myself. I worked. I did my coursework and I got a Christmas job. I
did what I always do, and still do today – and blocked it out, ignored it as if
that would make it all go away.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
I think that this is why, when the fourth death came; I struggled.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
She was a year younger than me and had her whole life ahead
of her, and she was taken by Meningitis – a virus that doesn’t care who it is
attacking.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
She was kind, beautiful, clever, musical, and worshipped.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
This time, I didn’t have the extreme personal connection
that I had with my great uncle. I didn’t have all of the memories to remember, I
just had the feeling of sadness which was among my school and friends that knew
her. The whole community came together and to date, twenty two thousand pounds
has been raised for Meningitis charities in her memory. I think part of the
reason why I was so effected by her death was because there were no
distractions, and I used this opportunity to grieve for all of the deaths in
the past month of people that had played some part in my life – causing it to
be one of the hardest, saddest, and darkest times in my life to date. The fact
that this cruel death happened to someone so full of life and potential was
something else that shocked me to the core. She was doing her mocks for her
GCSE’s, and, thinking that she merely had a cold, left the house one morning to
never return there. She was taken to hospital from school in an ambulance on
the Friday, and after many apparent blunders, was moved to the ICU at another
hospital, and died on the Sunday.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
I still sometimes cry when I think about her, think about
everything she still had to live for. Her expectations, plans, hopes and
dreams. I vowed last year that I would start living my life a lot more because she
didn’t get to, yet I feel a year on that I haven’t made any of the great improvements
I had anticipated. However, I am still here – and it is never too late to make
these changes.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
The death of someone so young, so similar to me in terms of
background, age and history makes me question how people would react if I were
to die. Makes me think what people would say. How would I be remembered? Would I
be remembered at all? It motivates me, and crushes me at once.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
I realise that the tone of this post is cold, sterile and
depressive – which I think is because I am finally coming to terms with it, yet
I still cannot completely convey this. It has taken me a whole year to put down
into words what has happened and to start discussing how I feel. If anybody is
reading this – I apologise. This year I am going to make these positive changes
– for the people that I have lost, and for myself.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
I know there will be tough days – including tomorrow, but I am
going to try to find the inner strength to plough on through them. I am
determined to make 2015 the very best it can be, and I wish anybody reading
this exactly the same – because you deserve it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Thank you to everyone and anyone who has made my 2014 (and
my life so far), the adventure it’s been. I love you – and to those I have
lost, I miss you, and I hope you are all dancing up there. I will see you one
day and embarrass you with my awful dad dancing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhso7jrLYLyUr-2x-_Bhr1FBod2Jfdhaix-wcoyDkzEJr9FyVx22utX66l2j2MDFS7wGFajFZq8kDl5ViSnzj1uzahiC-3vcgeo7aJtKHPWr5ERmGNGDmwivYtlhmDuabghp1Mj-jbdaQ/s1600/love+flower+heart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhso7jrLYLyUr-2x-_Bhr1FBod2Jfdhaix-wcoyDkzEJr9FyVx22utX66l2j2MDFS7wGFajFZq8kDl5ViSnzj1uzahiC-3vcgeo7aJtKHPWr5ERmGNGDmwivYtlhmDuabghp1Mj-jbdaQ/s1600/love+flower+heart.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">❤</span></div>
rebecca-ellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13403068891617070698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053150342357313490.post-55329760587186354852014-08-12T22:46:00.000+01:002014-08-12T22:47:59.471+01:00one hundred things that make me happy<div style="text-align: center;">
I'm sure I'm not the only one who'll admit that they go through stages, when they just feel sad. You feel like the world is out to get you and that nothing can make you feel better, and sometimes, all of a sudden, something will happen and you'll feel better again seemingly in an instant.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I'm personally going through one of these stages where I just think 'what's the point'. I'm stressed about everything, not enjoying anything and have absolutely zero motivation. I think that this is due to a combination of a lot of different factors, but I've found that when I'm like this, I make a list of things that make me happy.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
So, here is the latest list. Here are my one hundred things that make me happy.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">((I know that some of them are similar and ridiculous, but I'm a little ridiculous so it makes sense))</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thesilverpen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/happy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.thesilverpen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/happy.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Of course minions would be present in this post. Duh.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">~ please also note that these aren't necessarily</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> in order of preference, it's just the order in which I thought of them ~</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
1. family and friends</div>
<span style="text-align: center;"></span><br />
<div>
<span style="text-align: center;">2. making people smile</span></div>
<span style="text-align: center;">
</span><span style="text-align: center;"><div>
3. my dog</div>
<div>
4. comedies and funny youtube videos</div>
<div>
5. yoga</div>
<div>
6. rainbows</div>
<div>
7. finding and reading a good book</div>
<div>
8. musicals</div>
<div>
9. going to concerts</div>
<div>
10. junk food</div>
<div>
11. spontaneous texts</div>
<div>
12. feeling safe</div>
<div>
13. getting compliments</div>
<div>
14. laughter</div>
<div>
15. new stationary</div>
<div>
16. getting good results</div>
<div>
17. making new friends</div>
<div>
18. inappropriate jokes</div>
<div>
19. things which are colour coordinated</div>
<div>
20. walks by the beach</div>
<div>
21. finding a dress that makes me look fierce</div>
<div>
22. going to the cinema</div>
<div>
23. feeling like one of 'the guys'</div>
<div>
24. when my friend does my hair all fancy</div>
<div>
25. the sense of achieving something</div>
<div>
26. perfect eyeliner</div>
<div>
27. chocolate</div>
<div>
28. the sound of rain</div>
<div>
29. watching films</div>
<div>
30. looking through old photos</div>
<div>
31.making people laugh</div>
<div>
32. charity</div>
<div>
33. inside jokes</div>
<div>
34. white hot chocolate</div>
<div>
35. easy a & she's the man</div>
<div>
36. singing really loudly when no-one's around</div>
<div>
37. feeling as though I'm top of the world</div>
<div>
38. cry laughing</div>
<div>
39. comfy bean bags in the library</div>
<div>
40. ice cream</div>
<div>
41. daisy chains</div>
<div>
42. anti-jokes</div>
<div>
43. high school musical</div>
<div>
44. edam</div>
<div>
45. helium balloons</div>
<div>
46. making shapes out of clouds</div>
<div>
47. the smell of toast</div>
<div>
48. emma stone</div>
<div>
49. quizzes</div>
<div>
50. unexpected hugs from lovely people</div>
<div>
51. watching the world go by</div>
<div>
52. just talking for hours</div>
<div>
53. sleepovers</div>
<div>
54. jennifer lawrence</div>
<div>
55. taking photographs</div>
<div>
56. knowing stuff</div>
<div>
57. finishing sudoku</div>
<div>
58. the words 'collywobbles' and 'quintessentially'</div>
<div>
59. funny random facts</div>
<div>
60. all squashing in my friend's beach hut</div>
<div>
61. people watching</div>
<div>
62. miranda</div>
<div>
63. playing the piano (well)</div>
<div>
64. doing things right</div>
<div>
65. teachers that genuinely like you</div>
<div>
66. reminiscing</div>
<div>
67. fêtes</div>
<div>
68. snapchats from fun people</div>
<div>
69. michael mcintyre and russell howard</div>
<div>
70. being walked home</div>
<div>
71. new york</div>
<div>
72. feeling infinite</div>
<div>
73. that end of the school year feeling</div>
<div>
74. having a tidy room</div>
<div>
75. good hair & make up days</div>
<div>
76. fairy lights</div>
<div>
77. baby animals (esp. puppies)</div>
<div>
78. childhood games</div>
<div>
79. those moments you want to laugh</div>
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80. talking about books</div>
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81. not having any pressures</div>
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82. finding pens that work first time</div>
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83. twister</div>
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84. cuddles</div>
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85. being and feeling inspired</div>
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86. finding a good tv series</div>
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87. feeling admired</div>
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88. being a part of the national citizen service</div>
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89. shannon saunders</div>
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90. singing the wrong words and not caring one bit</div>
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91. leonardo di caprio</div>
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92. headphones that aren't tangled</div>
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93. people who are just really blonde</div>
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94. pinky promises</div>
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95. novelty socks and jumpers</div>
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96. jeremy irvine & alex pettyfer's faces</div>
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97. looking fab in photos</div>
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98. knowing everything's going to be okay</div>
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99. disney</div>
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100. silly selfies</div>
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I realise that some of my things are really weird but that's because they're personal, and they make <i>me</i> feel happier. When making these lists, I don't even think about what I'm writing, because then it's almost things you think subconsciously that make you happy - things which make you truly happy.</div>
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I really recommend you make a list next time that you're feeling down, as it honestly makes you appreciate what you have and you feel a lot better. If you want to share your list with me feel free to comment or tweet me the link. You never know, we might share some wacky things that bring smiles to our faces!</div>
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Thank you for reading</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">❤</span></span></div>
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rebecca-ellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13403068891617070698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053150342357313490.post-72272453755841301162014-08-08T14:41:00.000+01:002014-08-09T23:43:10.236+01:00bring out the bunting<div style="text-align: center;">
So, it's been one whole year since I claimed this little space on the internet as mine - and I can't quite believe it. I've admitted many times that I have an on-off relationship with my blog, but I honestly love having a place where I can write whatever I feel like and share my passions with whoever stumbles along my little URL.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://jollyduckbunting.co.uk/img/bunting.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://jollyduckbunting.co.uk/img/bunting.png" height="125" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I mentioned bunting in the title and so felt it compulsory and obligatory to include some bunting, cheers google images.</td></tr>
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Strangely enough, one of my friends text me today to tell me that she'd decided to start up a blog and a YouTube channel, and I found myself telling her all about my blog, which I'd never shared before. It's not that I'm ashamed of my blog - I just thought that if I never told anyone about it, then the audience of my blog will be people who really <i>want</i> to read it, and not because they feel they have to because I'm begging my friends and family.<span id="goog_1395376701"></span></div>
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Telling somebody about my blog was a big thing, as I've always kept it as <i>my</i> little space, where no-one from my everyday life could intrude. This sharing of my site made me sit down and ask myself - why do I blog?</div>
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I have found myself asking this question on and off throughout the past year, as often I think "why do I even bother? I only have five followers on here, and I'm pretty sure they're not waiting anxiously for me to press that orange new post button".</div>
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I blog because I love to write. Not because I'm wanting to please other people, although I must admit, I do often find myself wistfully imagining hoards of people reading my work and and nodding, agreeing with the craziness of my thoughts and imaginations! (Although I do realise that it may take time to even work out what I'm trying to say).</div>
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Even when I am taking a break from my blog (which, as you may gather is rather a lot), I am still writing. Sometimes this isn't by choice, I admit, but ever since I can remember I have wanted to read and write. I would rush home from about the age of eight to try to finish whatever story I was currently writing, and I still to this day have some of the ridiculous tales I wrote, with hand-drawn front covers, adorned with stickers and gel pens. One of my biggest ambitions is to publish a book, and I hope one day this dream will become true and I can share it with my five faithful followers - who were with my from the beginning of this chaotic space.</div>
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I write because I love it, and although I do realise that there aren't many people who want to read my stuff, I write in the hope that one day, they will.</div>
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To those of you who do read my blog, thank you.</div>
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Thank you for putting up with me. For reading every single waffly, gramatically incorrect post. For not arguing with me. Thank you for taking a moment, however tiny to think about what I have written. I appreciate it, and I appreciate you. </div>
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Here's to another year,</div>
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Thank you</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">❤</span></div>
rebecca-ellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13403068891617070698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053150342357313490.post-7478822566684194072014-07-25T14:42:00.000+01:002014-07-25T14:42:00.794+01:00I baked something and it was actually nice??!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So summer is upon us, and, for the moment at least - the warm weather looks like it's going to stay (fingers crossed).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Some of you may remember from my last post (which was actually only a few days ago...I'm so far successfully sticking to my plan of updating regularly - winwinwinwinwinwin) that I said I'm going to try to do a lot this summer - and one of the things which I've tried to get back into (as well as blogging...) is baking!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;">(note where I say "tried to get back into", I really mean "try to learn how to again - I'm really not very good with cooking things which are actually EDIBLE or taste nice!!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">One of my all-time favourite blogs is </span><a href="http://www.hummingbirdhigh.com/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Hummingbird High</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, where I used to spend hours staring at all of the delicious creations they post, until yesterday, I plucked up the courage and tried out one of their </span>recipes<span style="font-family: inherit;"> myself, and the result was so tasty I decided to share the recipe with you lovely lot!!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNm2lpS735lJ6_v4OKhpDf5UyVWOdP4Dov76jUwGhRxnkvLvysQkPShAXEUI_5vnd2Qo-VWxPX6n9-vL6qGc215oyPwjCOJB9g5hDhRavKBa_23fVb6i8BC_vN1MPhDZ0rrUnOhSZhQ/s1600/image_8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNm2lpS735lJ6_v4OKhpDf5UyVWOdP4Dov76jUwGhRxnkvLvysQkPShAXEUI_5vnd2Qo-VWxPX6n9-vL6qGc215oyPwjCOJB9g5hDhRavKBa_23fVb6i8BC_vN1MPhDZ0rrUnOhSZhQ/s1600/image_8.jpeg" height="320" width="239" /></a><b><span style="font-family: "Brain Flower"; font-size: 28.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Strawberry Milkshake Cupcakes</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Brain Flower"; font-size: 28.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;">(recipe <a href="https://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_1588504353"></span>credit<span id="goog_1588504354"></span></a> to Hummingbird High)</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Ingredients</b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">For the Strawberry Milkshake Cupcakes:</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">(makes 18 cupcakes)</span></div>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 1/3 cups granulated sugar</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 tablespoon baking powder</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 teaspoon salt </span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3/4 cup whole milk, at room temperature</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2 large eggs, at room temperature</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1/4 cup strawberry milk powder (I used <a href="http://www.nesquik.com/adults/products/nesquikpowder/strawberry109oz.aspx" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">Nesquik's</span></a>) </span></li>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">For the Strawberry Milkshake Buttercream Icing:</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">(makes enough for 18 cupcakes, plus a little extra)</span></div>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3 3/4 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">11 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">4 tablespoons whole milk</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1/3 cup strawberry milk powder (again, I used <a href="http://www.nesquik.com/adults/products/nesquikpowder/strawberry109oz.aspx" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Nesquik's</a>)</span></li>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Recipe</span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">For the Strawberry Milkshake Cupcakes:</span></i></div>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Preheat the oven to 325 (F) and prepare your <a href="http://hummingbirdhigh.blogspot.com/p/essential-equipment.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">muffin tin</a> by lining with paper muffin cases.</span></li>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In <a href="http://hummingbirdhigh.blogspot.com/p/essential-equipment.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or, use a handheld whisk)</a>, mix together 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 3/4 cups flour, 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt until they form a crumb-like, sandy consistency.</span></li>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In <a href="http://hummingbirdhigh.blogspot.com/p/essential-equipment.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">a liquid measuring bowl</a>, whisk together 3/4 cup whole milk, 2 eggs, and 1/4 cup strawberry milk powder. </span></li>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Turn your mixer to its slowest speed, and gradually pour half of the liquid mixture (from the third step) into the butter/flour/sugar mixture (from the second step) and mix until just combined. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Once the batter from the sides of the bowl have been incorporated, turn the mixer back on to its slowest speed and gradually pour in the remaining liquid, continuing to mix until just combined. Use <a href="http://hummingbirdhigh.blogspot.com/p/essential-equipment.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">a rubber spatula</a> to give the batter a few more mixes by hand to ensure that the batter is smooth and combined. </span></li>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Use <a href="http://hummingbirdhigh.blogspot.com/p/essential-equipment.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">a 1 tablespoon-sized cookie scoop</a> to spoon 2 tablespoons of batter into the prepared cases (or, if you don't have a cookie scoop, fill the cases up to 2/3rd full) and bake for 20 - 25 minutes in the preheated oven or until the sponge bounces back when lightly touched. </span></li>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Allow the cakes to cool slightly on <a href="http://hummingbirdhigh.blogspot.com/p/essential-equipment.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">a cooling rack</a>, before turning out on to the rack to cool completely. </span></li>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.559999465942383px;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">For the Strawberry Milkshake Buttercream Icing:</span></i></div>
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<ol>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Using <a href="http://hummingbirdhigh.blogspot.com/p/essential-equipment.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or, a handheld whisk)</a>, gradually beat together 3 3/4 cups confectioner's sugar with 11 tablespoons butter on a low speed until combined and there are no lumps of butter.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In <a href="http://hummingbirdhigh.blogspot.com/p/essential-equipment.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">a small liquid measuring bowl</a>, whisk together 4 tablespoons whole milk and 1/3 cup strawberry milk powder. </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gradually pour the milk mixture (from the second step) into the sugar and butter mixture (from the first step) and mix on a low speed until the liquid mixture has been combined into the sugar and butter. Then, turn up the mixer and beat the mixture for 5 minutes, until the icing is light and fluffy. Do not overbeat, or the mixture will be too liquidy and runny!</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Use <a href="http://hummingbirdhigh.blogspot.com/p/essential-equipment.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">a 1 tablespoon-sized cookie scoop</a> to spoon 2 tablespoons of icing on each cupcake. Make sure the cupcakes are completely cool before you start icing — otherwise they'll be all soggy!!</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>~ ♥ ~</b><b> ♥ ~</b><b> ♥ ~</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And that's that! I was so happy with the finished product - and pleasantly surprised with the lack of mess I managed to make!! They went down very well, and, to the amusement of my friends, I also decided to (attempt to) be artistic by sticking some decorations and a straw in the icing - and it didn't turn out too shabby to be honest!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I made these cute little cupcakes for a picnic with friends (I felt I should clarify this due to the amount of cakes in the background of the photo!!) but I think these are cakes that can literally be made for any occasion - they're just so yummy and remind me of being a child again as they taste just like the pink mini milk ice lollies!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Have you ever made these gorgeous cupcakes or anything like them? Or do you have any simple recipes for a hopeless baker like me? I'd love to know!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">❤</span></div>
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rebecca-ellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13403068891617070698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053150342357313490.post-21426330211962469882014-07-22T01:04:00.000+01:002014-07-25T01:05:39.722+01:00What Time is it? (Summertime)<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">(<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;">It's our vacation,</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;">What time is it? </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;">Party time</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;"> - </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;">That's right, say it loud</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;"> ) etc etc etc</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That's riiiighhhtt.....It's the time of the year when I have had no other song stuck in my head but the fabulous opening number to HSM2 - and embarrassingly enough I didn't even have to google those lyrics.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Oh yeah, and guess what else...I'm back!! (again).</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">After putting my blog on hiatus for exams, I'm attempting (again) to start blogging regularly again - let's see how long I last!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">Like every year, I'm determined to make this summer the best one yet, and so I've borrowed 14 books from school (12 of which I have to read for my english literature a2 coursework, but they're all rather smashing so I don't mind), and I've made myself a promise to do something productive every day (and get a bit of a tan, but that seems the least unlikely).</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">I recently saw a video by Alfie Deyes entitled "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFbyDEskOBU" target="_blank">25 Things To Do This Summer</a>", and whilst I'm not sure I could commit do doing something like a book for my summer memories (you all know my commitment issues..), I was inspired, and I've decided that I'm going to post more regularly on this blog, especially things that I've done this summer. Like every year, I've got loads planned in my head and I'm honestly interested to see how many of them I actually do!!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">Whilst I'm not going to turn this into a space where I document my everyday doings (- as you are probably aware my relationship with my blog is a bit on-off), if I do anything which I feel is interesting enough to share with you I'll whack it on here so some of you can acknowledge that I do have the teeniest tiniest of social life - and it may even act as an incentive for me to do something exciting and different!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">So, to start off with I've got some snaps from last weekend, when I went on an adventure with my beautiful friends Emma and Nat and managed to get some photos of the beautiful sunsets - I hope you like them.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">What about you, have you got anything interesting or exciting planned this summer?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">❤</span></span></div>
rebecca-ellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13403068891617070698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053150342357313490.post-42021389447810435512014-06-05T01:36:00.000+01:002014-06-05T01:36:08.566+01:00Leaving a mark on the world.<div style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I realise that my blog is quickly becoming filled with tributes and words said by those who are no longer with us, but sometimes I read a story or a news article which I feel I <i>have</i> to share with somebody, even if that somebody is an anonymous person who stumbles accidental onto this page.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Today, I read the heartbreaking story of Athena Orchard, a 12 year old girl who lost her battle with osteosarcoma (cancer in her bones). Following her death last week, her parents uncovered a secret note in her room revealing her thoughts and feelings on life, love and her situation - which she had written in marker pen upon the back of her mirror.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The message on the back of the mirror, discovered by her family.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here are some extracts from her message, which I think all of us can take something from:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Happiness depends upon ourselves. Maybe it's not about the happy ending, maybe it's about the story."<br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"The purpose of life is a life of purpose. The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Happiness is a direction not a destination. Thank you for existing. Be happy, be free, believe, forever young. You know my name, not my story."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"You have heard what I've done, but not what I've been through. Love is like glass, looks so lovely but it's easy to shatter."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Love is rare, life is strange, nothing lasts and people change. Every day is special, so make the most of it, you could get a life ending illness tomorrow so make the most of every day. Life is only bad if you make it bad."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"If someone loves you, then they wouldn't let you slip away no matter how hard the situation is. Remember that life is full of ups and downs."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Never give up on something you can’t go a day without thinking about. I want to be that girl who makes the bad days better and the one that makes you say my life has changed since I met her!"</span></div>
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<span id="ext-gen290" style="font-family: inherit;">"Love is not about how much you say I love you – it’s about how much you can prove it’s true. Love is like the wind, you can feel it but you can't see it. I'm waiting to fall in love with someone I can open my heart to."</span></div>
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<span id="ext-gen291" style="font-family: inherit;">"Love is not about who you can see spending your future with, it's about who you can't see spending your life without... </span></div>
<div style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Life is a game for everyone but love is the prize. Only I can judge me."</span></div>
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<div style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Sometimes love hurts. Now I’m fighting myself. Baby I can feel your pain. Dreams are my reality. It hurts but it’s okay, I’m used to it."</span></div>
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<div style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Don't be quick to judge me, you only see what I choose to show you... you don't know the truth. I just want to have fun and be happy without being judged."</span></div>
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<div style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"This is my life, not yours, don't worry about what I do. People gonna hate you, rate you, break you, but how strong you stand, that’s what makes you… you!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"There's no need to cry because I know you'll be by my side."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Rest in Peace Athena, a truly brave and remarkable girl, so wise beyond her years, and thoughts and prayers to her family and friends for their unfathomable and tragic loss.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">❤</span></div>
rebecca-ellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13403068891617070698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053150342357313490.post-52785116295441351692014-05-16T21:07:00.000+01:002014-05-16T21:07:00.180+01:00Why Discriminate?<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">~ I warn you this is a rant ~</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">(congratulations if you read to the end)</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I feel as if there is something that I need to get off my chest, and as with anything, my chosen way to do it is by writing a blog post. I know people don't want to read rants all day and that's seemingly all I ever do on here, but seeing as there's only six of you (who I love, don't get me wrong), I've decided this is where I'll do it. Apologies.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.newshield.eu/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/why.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://www.newshield.eu/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/why.jpg" height="214" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; display: inline; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have never really understood why people have issues with things such as other peoples' sexuality, skin colour, gender etc. I am fully aware of the occurrences and historical events that have forced our society into believing that equality is essentially a myth, but I have always struggled with the question of WHY?</span></span></div>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; display: inline; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">WHY is it such an issue if another person is gay? It does not affect your life in any way, shape or form. It does not mean that the person is in ant way less human, they merely have a different sexual orientation to you. </span></span></div>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; display: inline; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It is the same scenario with racism - why demoralise someone purely due to the colour of their skin or the country that they have come from when again, they are in no way any less human than every one of us.</span></span></div>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; display: inline; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You wouldn't discriminate against somebody for having a different favourite colour to yours, so why discriminate them because of the colour of their skin?</span></span></div>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; display: inline; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You wouldn't discriminate against somebody for having friends of the opposite sex so why discriminate against them for having a partner of the opposite sex?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I am so fed up of seeing casual sexist, racist and homophobic comments thrown around like they're nothing. I don't think you realise just how much they hurt people, people like my friends, and even if you did see the damage they caused, to be honest I'm not even sure you'd stop. </span></span></div>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; display: inline; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We live in a society where it's hard to change the way people act and speak, and I accept that, but it genuinely saddens me that even at primary school, people are saying things like "that's so gay", or repeating racist slurs they've seen online without even knowing what they mean.</span></span></div>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; display: inline; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Everybody will live a different life. If people have different preferences or different backgrounds then that is a part of their life, not a reason for them to be discriminated against.</span></span></div>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; display: inline; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Everybody's different, but we're all human.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">❤</span></div>
rebecca-ellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13403068891617070698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053150342357313490.post-42456952308902463212014-05-14T13:36:00.000+01:002014-05-14T13:40:48.519+01:00Stephen.<br />
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I think most teenagers have heard the quote “My thoughts are
stars I can't fathom into constellations”, and this is honestly how I feel at
the moment. I have just heard the sad news that Stephen Sutton, one of the most
courageous, selfless, amazing, beautiful and inspirational young people in the
world has passed away after losing his battle with cancer.<o:p></o:p></div>
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FU Cancer.<o:p></o:p></div>
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All of the adjectives to describe Stephen have already been
used so I am unable to complement you and your spirit any more than that. You
are beyond words. But you are definitely a hero and you will continue to inspire
millions of people.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I never met Stephen, but I’m honestly so upset by his death.
I stumbled across his page accidently last summer, and reading his
inspirational posts and hearing about his amazing work never fail to remind me
of how lucky I am and how you shouldn’t let anything or anyone get in your way.
I know it sounds horribly cliché but I really don’t want to regret not doing something
or not doing enough in my life, and Stephen has helped me to realise this. You’re
only on this earth once, and from now on, I am going to try to make every
single day count, just like Stephen did.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I realise I've just said that he lost his battle with cancer, but that isn’t completely true. His body did, yes; but the work that he did and all of the
money that he raised brings us all one step closer to kicking cancer’s butt,
and let me tell you now – I can’t wait for that day to come.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Before Stephen died he made a video which I would like to
share with you. I’ve watched it countless times and each time it makes me feel
so inspired. I was going to write a post in a few weeks’ time about how amazing
Stephen is and about his battle and what he’s achieved, but it feels right to
write it now. I don’t need to tell you about him. The outpouring tributes and
this video says it all.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I don’t see the point in measuring life in terms of time
anymore. I’d rather measure life in terms of making a difference.” – Stephen
Sutton</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://static-secure.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/4/25/1398447862947/Stephen-Sutton-doing-a-sk-009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://static-secure.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/4/25/1398447862947/Stephen-Sutton-doing-a-sk-009.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of The Guardian</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
RIP Stephen</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">❤</span></div>
rebecca-ellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13403068891617070698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053150342357313490.post-84430316343330720132014-04-24T19:38:00.000+01:002014-04-24T19:38:11.229+01:00So, University? Umm…I don’t um…errr...next question please?<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The future. It’s a daunting thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I went to a university conference yesterday. I’m still
clueless about what I want to do.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p>I might go and live in an igloo with my laptop, wifi, and
youtube. Who wouldn’t want to sit in in igloo and listen to the likes of Ben
Howard all day long?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m so fed up of being expected to know what I want to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I find it kind of stupid that I still have to put up my hand
to ask if I can go to the toilet and yet I’m supposed to know what single job I
want for the rest of my life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I don’t know if I’ve said before, but I go to a grammar
school. An all-girls grammar school which is very academic and you can’t help
but sort of feel like you’re expected to go to Uni. I feel like I’m expected to
go to Uni.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">But do I really want to?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I don’t know.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I mean, I would love the experience and the opportunity to make
amazing new friends, and be able to say I have a degree. I find it a scary
thought that in a year and a half all of my friends are going to be scattered
across the country. It makes me incredibly sad and I don’t want to miss out on
that. But, do I really want to get in around £50K of debt just so I can make
friends and experience ‘uni life’?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">GAAAAAHHH WHY IS UNI SO DAMN EXPENSIVE?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Charles Kennedy (Scottish MP) says something that I agree
with fully: “I believe that access to a university education should be based on
the ability to learn, not what people can afford” the cost of university
shouldn’t be so bad that people like me are put off and are considering
changing their career goals to avoid spending that amount of money.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And what do you get for nine thousand pounds a year? A certificate
saying you’ve spent the last three or four years in further education, sitting
more exams, and probably going nightclubbing every weekend (another worry – I am
such a lightweight, I don’t think I could cope with uni nightlife).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I don’t want to go to university just for the sake of it. If
I decide that I want a career that requires the training and degree, then of
course, I will go there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">But I don’t know what I want to do at uni.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The only subjects that I really like from my A Levels are
Psychology and Drama and Theatre Studies. So I mean, I will probably do
psychology at uni if I go. But where will that lead me?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I don’t want to be in some dead-end job for the rest of my
life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And, do I want to deal with another four years of
super-stress, exams and revision?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I love acting. I love the feeling of being someone else. Of being
able to just forget all of your problems and take the audience on a journey
with someone </span>they've<span style="font-family: inherit;"> never met before. Am I going to be an actress?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It would be my dream job.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I don’t know.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi55CMUNcYqbvOFyyxYfvITX2GoF3prCsWWxg-wOpD-3p2a6utNThGL5hauP3oliPqiWaJftDrZezqyxCU7ubz8nKUz4ScUMPbaDas34Pr_uWwNJIpSRoPbTWztNXZaqcfVcYdN8PlMIY/s400/philoslothical.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi55CMUNcYqbvOFyyxYfvITX2GoF3prCsWWxg-wOpD-3p2a6utNThGL5hauP3oliPqiWaJftDrZezqyxCU7ubz8nKUz4ScUMPbaDas34Pr_uWwNJIpSRoPbTWztNXZaqcfVcYdN8PlMIY/s400/philoslothical.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the sloth felt appropriate and necessary.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I would love it but I don’t think my school (or my parents)
would appreciate these sort of career goals. I don’t really have the confidence
to go round telling people that I want to play-act for the rest of my life.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Anyway, I’m sorry, this post is sort of me writing down all
of my thoughts, if it’s confusing: welcome to my brain :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m going to end this post with a nice lil’ quote. After all,
what would a blog post in which I panic about my future be without some sort of
philosophical saying? Exactly. I knew you were wanting an inspirational motto. Don’t
tell me I don’t spoil you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">When you are unsure
about the future, keep doing what is in front of you with all your heart and
with love, and what is meant for you will find you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">― Guru Mayi
Chidvilasananda<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So yeah, my exams finish at the end of May (eek!), and after
that I’m going to post a lot more (I promise!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">What you’ve learnt from this post:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So…to university or not to university? That is truly thine
question.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Umm…yeah, I’ll get back to you on that one when I’ve decided
.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">(Probably never)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Anyways, sorry for the ramble, and sorry that I don’t make
any sense. I’m going to go and over indulge with easter eggs whilst I cry over
prospectuses and my general lack of direction in my future :)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So, how about you? Do you know what you want to do in the future? Do you have any thoughts on university?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">ly<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">❤</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">P.S. Do you like my new blog design? I loves it :D Please let me know what you feel/think.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">Ngl, I'm pretty damn happy ;)</span></span></div>
rebecca-ellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13403068891617070698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053150342357313490.post-66186595119258885472014-03-16T13:12:00.004+00:002014-03-16T13:12:42.178+00:00What is wrong with me?<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The title is pretty self-explanatory. As you can guess I
am in the latter part of those stages a girl goes through in regards to boys: where
you’re torn between acting like a bad ass diva who don’t need no man and being
a whiny teenage girl wondering why nobody is obsessing over you like in the Hollywood
movies. I guess all of the boys around me have realised I am certifiably insane
and are currently running for the hills. however, despite the fact that I am 16
and have never had any sort of romantic encounter with anyone (people even ran
away from me in kiss chase at aged 7), </span>I'm<span style="font-family: inherit;"> feeling pretty optimistic about the
whole being a single pringle thing. Until I see a cute couple and I have to
restrain myself from throwing my shoe at them (some things never change). I mean, </span>I'm<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 16 for goodness sake, the world is my oyster and all that jazz, and right
now, I can do whatever I want, whenever I want…how exciting is that??!! (note –
I can’t actually do </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">whatever</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> I want. School/coursework/lack
of money/parental controls are still restraining factors in my life atm). However
my excitement is quickly diminished when I go into school and are hammered with
the mantra “everything you do now is going to affect your future” (which, of
course I'm supposed to know). I thought it was just teachers at sixth form who
had this idea, until I realise everyone seems to have this idea that I should
actually already have figured out what I'm going to be doing with my life,
which degree to choose, have numerous hobbies, a job, an active social life, a
healthy relationship, a fitness regime/healthy eating plan and have a 10 year
plan for my life complete with a chart stuck on my wall, which will obviously
aid me with achieving a perfect balance of all of these things. The number of
times I have been asked “so what do you want to do with your life” is
definitely nearing on the triple digits mark, my initial responses to “what do
you want to be in 10 years’ time” are no longer acceptable (in case you were
wondering, my personal favourites were “beyoncé”, “the queen” and “happy” – so basically
just beyoncé) to me, it feels like it’s almost unheard of for someone to really
not have a clue what they are doing or want to do in the future and it’s true, I've been asked what my life plan is in at least one class every year since primary
school, with the numbers increasing like my to do list which is gathering dust
beside me. I can’t be the only one who thinks that this is ridiculous (the
whole knowing-what-you’re-going-to-do-thing, not the </span>abandoned<span style="font-family: inherit;"> list of jobs to
do – I know I'm silly for doing that, but I'm clearing my head so shush). I mean,
I definitely cannot decide right now where I want to be in 50 years. I need to
make some mistakes, try different jobs, travel on a whim and generally bob
around and not give a damn about the details. So I'm putting my foot down, and
as shocking as it seems I'm perfectly happy not knowing where I'm going at the
moment, because I don’t want to waste my time now worrying about something that
may not happen in the future, or as my grandma would say “don’t put your eggs
all in one basket” (I think this is an appropriate example of a time to say
this…I never quite understood the quote). Anyway, I've gone off on a tangent,
although it does sort of link. Is it a crime to not be with someone? Where has
this desperate need to be tied to someone come from? So no, it </span>doesn't<span style="font-family: inherit;"> matter
if you’re still deciding between becoming a yoga teacher or an astronaut
because there is a huge world outside of the little bubble we live in and it is
our job to go and explore it. Find someone along the way to share these amazing
experiences with, take lots of pictures, find yourself, and find what you love
to do – and go and </span><b style="font-family: inherit;">do it</b><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Pringles are always spooning anyway.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m7l5wfPxb81r35xxio1_400.jpg" /></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sorry for going off on a bit of a whim, I wrote this post in about ten minutes just trying to clear my head and vent my ramblings.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Thank you for reading, and sorry for burdening you with my emotions and teenage whining.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">❤</span></div>
rebecca-ellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13403068891617070698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053150342357313490.post-49569529844441516592014-02-22T18:38:00.003+00:002014-02-22T18:41:46.708+00:00Update<div style="text-align: center;">
No - I haven't found the end of the world and managed to fall off it - I'm still here.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I've been super mega busy since my last blog post (which was three months ago, sorry!!), and in that time I have:</div>
<ul>
<li>attended 3 funerals</li>
<li>got 2 jobs</li>
<li>lost 1 job</li>
<li>graduated from ncs, and become a mentor for future participants</li>
<li>dug a pond</li>
<li>read the fault in our stars 4 times</li>
<li>attended an audition for star wars (I know, what was I thinking?)</li>
</ul>
<span style="text-align: justify;">Anyway, a combination of all of these seemingly unrelated things have taught me just how valuable life is and how lucky we are to be alive on this planet. These are only a few of the things I've done since I last spoke to you on this little space on the internet, and I've had a lot of other brilliant highs and soul-crushing lows, and if I ever want you to hear about any of them I'm pretty sure I'll write a 1000 word essay or something on here for you! (You're very welcome in advance).</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://distilleryimage7.ak.instagram.com/58b36054f3ad11e2822f22000a9f09ca_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="For Connie" border="0" src="http://distilleryimage7.ak.instagram.com/58b36054f3ad11e2822f22000a9f09ca_7.jpg" height="320" title="Bright Nails" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="text-align: justify;">Seriously though guys, I lost a friend in January and the response was overwhelming. She was one of the loveliest, bubbliest and friendliest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, and the day after she died, the whole school was a totally different atmosphere. People she didn't know were crying and mourning her loss and joined us in wearing brightly coloured nail varnish in remembrance. I wasn't even one of her closest friends, but I was affected in ways I didn't think would be possible.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I don't really know where I'm going with this post, I'm just really letting you know I'm alive and well (I'm just slightly buried under a mountain of coursework that I've let pile up), and one day I will go back to posting regularly, I'm just a tad busy at the moment.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Update: I feel like this post is lacking in content, and so here are three songs I am obsessing over at the moment. The first being my friend's favourite songs which was played at her funeral, the second being one I heard on the vampire diaries and have loved ever since and the third, a highly cheesy one which I fell in love with after hearing on Easy A (one of my favourite films EVER).</div>
<br />
1. Ron Pope - A Drop In The Ocean<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/LVsrP9OJ6PA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
2. Christina Aguilera ft. A Great Big World - Say Something<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/-2U0Ivkn2Ds?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
3. Natasha Bedingfield - Pocketful of Sunshine</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/gte3BoXKwP0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Thank you. I love you.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
❤</div>
rebecca-ellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13403068891617070698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053150342357313490.post-31021870304281531542013-11-17T21:13:00.000+00:002013-11-17T21:13:25.574+00:00Loss.<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You know how people always say you
should find the positives in everything and ignore the negatives? I try to do
this as much as possible, but, like everything, this isn’t always possible.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I don’t mean to put a downer on
your day by talking about death, but the reason why I started this blog was to
be able to put down my feelings and hopefully in some way sort my mess of a
mind out, and so this is what I’m going to try to do now. I hope I don’t offend
anyone in this post, as I realise it’s a subject which you have to try and
skirt around and just not talk about it, as it’s almost a taboo subject.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A friend of mine lost a family
member very recently, which was the trigger for me to start thinking about
loss, and it made me reminisce on the people I’d lost and how this affected and
shaped me as a person. Probably my earliest experience of loss was my much
loved dog dying when I was four years old, and I can remember sitting on the
bottom stair and being told by my mum that he hadn’t been very well and had
gone to heaven. I think it’s strange that I can remember being told this but I can’t
remember being told that my Grandad had died (which was around the same time).
It almost makes me wonder if I had been told or not, or if I’d worked it out
for myself. I don’t know.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJdNAJbUe9f2zThZQawBb2MwR27qrVwKQCMtV3kqh8CX_AIs3dgLKkPE2YvBdA7p3p1iRU5z-tsi3NJ2jQLQkRpHTA1KAmM9Bdjr3OOyssUQjHMlzWJpaHQOEd7PxHgt7U95TSINkwbg/s400/Daffodil_002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJdNAJbUe9f2zThZQawBb2MwR27qrVwKQCMtV3kqh8CX_AIs3dgLKkPE2YvBdA7p3p1iRU5z-tsi3NJ2jQLQkRpHTA1KAmM9Bdjr3OOyssUQjHMlzWJpaHQOEd7PxHgt7U95TSINkwbg/s320/Daffodil_002.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">The death, however, which probably
had the greatest impact on me was the when my friend had died when I was eight
years old. He was nine and to this day I can remember the exact words my mum
said to me and where I was when I was told about his passing. I was sat on my
bed making a Easter card as it was Maundy Thursday, and when my mum came in I
tried to sit on my card because it was a surprise for her. I can remember the
words she said to me, and I can remember how when she left, she came back into
the room and asked how close I was to him. I can remember going back to school
and how everyone avoided talking about him, except in assembly when we had a
silence for him and all of his friends brought in daffodils to put in a peace
garden we made for him, and how each year on April 13</span><sup style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">th</sup><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"> whilst we
were at that school we would each place a single daffodil there, until it was
just a few of us who still remembered. I remember the talks our teacher gave
us, the talk by the head teacher and the time my friend completely lost it
because he missed him so much and he just started throwing chairs and turning
over tables. It’s hard to find a positive in that, don’t you think?</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The first day back at school after
my friend died, we were all given a piece of paper in which we had to draw a
picture which reminded us of him and write something about him to give to his
mum. I drew a picture of him holding a daffodil (even though it just looked
like a stickman holding a torch with a coloured orange mess for hair) and wrote
“he’s always smiling”. I remember being laughed at by other girls who told me I
must be stupid because “no one can always be smiling” and I can remember the
teachers reply “it’s something nice his mum will like to read”. I can then
remember her asking me to redraw it and change it to “he was”. I didn’t because
I told her that he is probably still smiling in heaven with all of the other
angels. I don’t even know if my picture got put in the collage for his mum because
of my grammatical error.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Can you find a positive in losses
as strong as this? I lost a friend who had had a huge impact on my life in a
positive way. He let me sit and talk to him when I was bullied at lunch times,
and let me play Rose in his Doctor Who game (I had never even seen it, but he
made me feel like I knew everything). He told me how he wanted to be someone
who helped a lot of people when he was older, or go to the moon. It’s a cruel
world which never allowed him to go to the moon, or let him “get older”. He did
help people though. He helped me. I only knew him for four years, but in the
last year or so, when the bullying I went through was starting to get pretty
bad, he noticed when nobody else did and sometimes didn’t play with his friends
and came and spoke to me when I was crying in the corner of the playground, or
hiding in a bush (I was a great believer of the idea if I couldn’t see them,
nobody would see me). I am eternally grateful to him for this, and I guess
before writing this post I never really realised how important he was in my
life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This blog post started with me
saying how I was wondering if you could find positives in everything. I don’t
think this is true in situations such as this. Another saying is how you don’t
know and appreciate what you’ve got until you’ve lost it and this is true. I’m
never going to stop thinking about what my friend could have grown up to be or
where he would be now, and I wonder if I would still be friends with him, if he
would still have the same dreams and ambitions, or silly little things like
would he have done well in his gcse’s or be looking forward to the 50 year
Doctor Who episode next Saturday. He never had the chance to “get older” or to fulfil
what he wanted to be when he “grew up”, because he never did.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m sorry, this post was going to
be a whole long philosophical post about how in some ways loss could be
considered important, but I just put down every single thing that was running
through my head, and I ended up with this mess.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">RIP to all those who were taken
away so soon. I love and miss you more than you will ever know. Thank you for
everything you did for me in your short life, I wish you were still here today.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 8.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 26px; line-height: 33px;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">❤</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
<b style="font-family: 'Coming Soon';"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 7.5pt; line-height: 11px;"><a href="mailto:rebeccaellablogspot@gmail.com" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Email</a> | </span></b><b style="font-family: 'Coming Soon';"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 7.5pt; line-height: 11px;"><a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/rebecca__ella" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/10286352/rebecca-ella" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a> | <a href="http://pinterest.com/rebeccaellaaa" sl-processed="1" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> | <a href="http://rebecca-ella.tumblr.com/" sl-processed="1" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Tumblr</a> | <a href="http://instagram.com/rebecca__ella" sl-processed="1" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Instagram</a></span></b></div>
rebecca-ellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13403068891617070698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053150342357313490.post-71372342005407079492013-10-23T22:04:00.002+01:002013-10-23T22:04:28.069+01:00Apologies.<div style="text-align: justify;">
I feel like this post has been due for some time now, but I haven't really had time to write it. As some of you may know if you follow me on other social networking sites, I'm incredibly busy/unorganised/stressed/*insert emotion here* at the moment, for many different reasons, which, when combined, make me very anxious and stressed (have I mentioned I'm stressed??). This is why I haven't written a blog post in a while, and I'm sorry for that :( I'm actually away during the holiday on NCS (woohoo - I'm very scared though!) so probably won't have too much free time to blog until afterwards...when I'll probably be bogged down with coursework again...anyways, this was just a little waffly post to inform you that I do in fact have a lot of ideas for new posts (I have 19 posts in my draft at the moment, all of which are just ideas/sentences to include on the posts), and hopefully soon I'll have time to write them and share them with all you lovely people.</div>
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<br /></div>
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So, yeah, this was just a wee post to let y'all know that I'm alive (mostly) and I haven't given up completely on my blog :)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commonsenseatheism.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/sorry-puppy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="305" src="http://commonsenseatheism.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/sorry-puppy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sawwy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Thank you, and I hope you haven't missed my posts (pfffttt...who am I kidding? You didn't even notice ;) )</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">P.S. I know this post doesn't make much sense, I'm writing this thinking through things for my English Language coursework, but I hope you get the general gist of what I'm saying here :)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 26px; line-height: 33px;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">❤</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
<b style="font-family: 'Coming Soon';"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 7.5pt; line-height: 11px;"><a href="mailto:rebeccaellablogspot@gmail.com" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Email</a> | </span></b><b style="font-family: 'Coming Soon';"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 7.5pt; line-height: 11px;"><a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/rebecca__ella" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/10286352/rebecca-ella" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a> | <a href="http://pinterest.com/rebeccaellaaa" sl-processed="1" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> | <a href="http://rebecca-ella.tumblr.com/" sl-processed="1" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Tumblr</a> | <a href="http://instagram.com/rebecca__ella" sl-processed="1" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Instagram</a></span></b></div>
rebecca-ellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13403068891617070698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053150342357313490.post-91849636839270636232013-10-16T20:28:00.000+01:002013-11-10T20:31:27.347+00:00On Wednesdays, we wear pink | Breast Cancer Awareness Month.<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As some of you may know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This month is especially poignant for me as I personally know somebody now who is fighting against Breast Cancer. I'd planned this blog post a long time ago, but due to school work and various other reasons, I never wrote it. I'd originally planned to write it on the first </span>Wednesday<span style="font-family: inherit;"> of October, and name it "On Wednesdays, we wear pink." and do it that way. I also thought I would have a cool mean girls picture and have a moodboard full of pink fashionable things, like pink coats, pink makeup etc. Well, I've given you one of the two things, so I hope you're satisfied.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://missmonet.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/karen-mean-girls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://missmonet.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/karen-mean-girls.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The facts</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The number of people being diagnosed with breast cancer is increasing, but the good news is survival rates are improving. This is probably because of more targeted treatments, earlier detection and better breast awareness.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The biggest risk factor, after gender, is increasing age – 80% of breast cancers occur in women over the age of 50.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Breast cancer also affects men, but it’s rare – around 400 men are diagnosed each year.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Breast cancer is not one single disease there are several types of breast cancer.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Not all breast cancers show as a lump, and not all breast lumps are breast cancer.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Less than 10% of all breast cancers run in families, so having someone in your family with breast cancer doesn’t necessarily mean your own risk is increased.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The stats</span></div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Every year nearly 55,000 people are diagnosed in the UK. That’s the equivalent of 150 people every day or one person every 10 minutes.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 in 8 women in the UK will develop breast cancer in their lifetime.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Nearly 12,000 people die from breast cancer in the UK every year.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Breast cancer is the second most common cause of death from cancer in women in the UK, after lung cancer.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Of adults aged between 25-49, breast cancer accounts for 45% of all female cancers.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There are an estimated 550,000 people living in the UK today who have had a diagnosis of breast cancer.</span></li>
</ul>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.breastcancercare.org.uk/news/media-centre/breast-cancer-awareness-month-press-pack/breast-cancer-facts-stats" target="_blank">Source for the above information</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Anyway, to try to do my little bit to spread the awareness, I've found you all 53 little facts about Breast Cancer that are pretty much unknown, and some of them are pretty interesting, so I hope you like it.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://facts.randomhistory.com/breast-cancer-facts.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Source</span></a></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<td style="padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 17.25pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">1.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->The youngest
known survivor of breast cancer is Aleisha Hunter from Ontario, Canada. At only three years old, Aleisha
underwent a complete mastectomy in 2010 to treat her juvenile strain of
breast cancer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 17.25pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">2.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Breast cancer is
the most common type of cancer among American women after skin cancer. It is
the second leading cause of cancer death in women after lung cancer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 17.25pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">3.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->The first
operation to use anesthesia was a breast cancer surgery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 17.25pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">4.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->The incidence of
breast cancer is highest in more developed countries and lowest in less
developed countries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 17.25pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">5.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->The left breast
is statistically more prone to developing cancer than the right breast.
Scientists are unsure why.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 17.25pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">6.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->In the U.S., an
average of 112 women die of breast cancer every day, or one every 15 minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 17.25pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">7.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->The United States
has the most cases of breast cancer in the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 17.25pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">8.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->The first
recorded mastectomy for breast occurred in A.D. 548 on Theodora, Empress of
Byzantine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 17.25pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">9.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Only 5-10% of
breast cancers occur in women who have a genetic predisposition for it.
However, women with the gene mutation run a lifetime risk as high as 4 in 5
of developing the disease. The risk of developing ovarian cancer also rises
to 2 in 5.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 17.25pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">10.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->When breast
cancer spreads beyond the breast, it is said to be “metastatic.” The most
common places breast cancer spreads to are the bones, liver, and lungs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 17.25pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">11.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->There are
currently 2.5 million breast cancer survivors living in the United States.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 17.25pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">12.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->During 2002-2006,
95% of new cases and 97% of breast cancer deaths occurred in women 40 years
and older. The biggest single risk factor for breast cancer is age.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 17.25pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">13.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->White women have
a higher incidence of breast cancer than African American women. However,
African American women are more likely to die from breast cancer than white
women.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 17.25pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">14.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Currently, about
1 in 3,000 pregnant or lactating women will develop breast cancer. Research
has shown that once a woman has been diagnosed with breast cancer during pregnancy, her chances of survival are less
than a non-pregnant woman.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">15.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->It has been
estimated that if every woman over the age of 50 had her yearly mammogram,
breast cancer deaths in this age group would drop by 25% or more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">16.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Breast cancer in
men is rare, accounting for approximately 1% of breast cancer rates in the
U.S. Nearly 400 men die of breast cancer each year. African American men are
more likely to die from breast cancer than white men.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">17.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Risk factors for
male breast cancer include age, BRCA gene mutations, Klinefelter’s syndrome,
testicular disorders, a family history of female breast cancer, severe liver
disease, radiation exposure, being treated with estrogen-related drugs, and
obesity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">18.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->One in 40 women
of Ashkenazi (French, German, and East European) Jewish descent carry the
BRCA1 and BRCA2 (breast cancer) gene, which is significantly higher than in
the general population where only 1 in 500 to 800 people carry the gene.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">19.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->The risk for
breast cancer increases when a woman has been using HRT for more than five
years. The largest risk is when both estrogen and progesterone are given
together. Women who have had a hysterectomy and are taking pills containing
estrogen alone are at less of a risk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">20.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->One myth about
breast cancer is that a person’s risk is increased only when there are
affected relatives on the mother’s side of the family. However, the father’s
side of the family is equally important in assessing breast cancer risk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">21.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Tumors are more
likely to be malignant when they are firm and have irregular shapes, while
benign tumors are more likely to feel round or soft. However, it is important
to see a doctor when any lump is found in the breast.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">22.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->In 1810, the
daughter of John and Abigail Adams, Abigail “Nabby” Adams Smith (1765-1813)
was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent a grueling mastectomy—without
anesthesia. Unfortunately, she still eventually died from the disease three
years later.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">23.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Breast cancer was
often called the “nun’s disease” because of the high incidence of nuns
affected by the cancer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">24.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Mammography was
initially used in 1969 when the first specialized X-ray units for breast
imagining were developed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">25.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->In 1882, the
father of American surgery, William Steward Halstead (1852-1922), introduced
the first radical mastectomy (the breast tissue underlying chest muscle and
the lymph nodes are removed). Until the mid 1970s, 90% of women with breast
cancer were treated with this procedure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">26.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Breastfeeding has
consistently been shown to reduce breast cancer—the greater the duration, the
greater the benefit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">27.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Although not
fully understood, research suggests that pre-eclampsia is associated with a
decrease in breast cancer risk in the offspring and the mother.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">28.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->There are a number
of misconceptions about what can cause breast cancer. These include, but are
not limited to, using deodorants or antiperspirants, wearing underwire bras,
having a miscarriage or induced abortion, or bumping/bruising the breast
tissue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">29.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->A <i>JAMA </i>study
reports that women who had taken between one and 25 antibiotic prescriptions
over an average of 17 years had an increased risk for breast cancer. The
results do not mean women should stop taking antibiotics but that these
medicines should be used wisely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">30.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Women with high
breast density were found to have a four- to six-fold increased risk of
breast cancer compared with women with lower breast density.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">31.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->No association
has been found between breast implants and an increased risk of breast
cancer. However, the FDA recently announced that breast implants might be
associated with anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL). ALCL is not breast
cancer, but may show up in the scar capsule surrounding the implant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">32.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->One study found
that increased exposure to ethylene oxide, a fumigant used to sterilize
medical experiments, is associated with higher breast cancer risk among women
who work in commercial sterilization facilities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">33.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Nurses who work
night shifts and flight attendants who have circadian rhythm disruption have
a higher risk of breast cancer with long-term employment. The International
Agency for Research on Cancer recently concluded that shift work, especially
at night, is carcinogenic to humans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">34.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Currently a woman
living in the U.S. has a 12.1% (or 1 in 8) chance of being diagnosed with
breast cancer. In the 1970s, the risk was 1 in 11. The increase is most
likely due to longer life expectancy as well as changes in reproductive
patterns, longer-term menopausal hormone use, increased obesity, and
increased screening.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">35.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->The most common
type of breast cancer (70%) originates in the breast ducts and is known as <i>ductal
carcinoma.</i> A less common type of breast cancer (15%) is known as<i>lobular
carcinoma</i>, or cancer that originates in the lobules. More rare types of
cancers include medullary carcinoma, Paget’s disease, tubular carcinoma,
inflammatory breast cancer, and phyllodes tumors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">36.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Nearly 10.4 % of
all cancers in women is breast cancer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">37.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Approximately 1.2
million cases of breast cancer are diagnosed around the world each year.
About 75% are found in women over age 50.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">38.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->The <i>American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition</i> reports a higher risk of breast cancer
in women who take multivitamins.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">39.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Research has
found that pomegranates may help prevent breast cancer. Chemicals called
ellagitannins block the production of estrogen, which can fuel some types of
breast cancer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">40.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Studies report
that breast cancer patients with diabetes were nearly 50% more likely to
die than those who didn’t have diabetes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">41.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Long-term breast
survivors who were treated with radiation before 1984 have much higher rates
of death due to heart disease.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">42.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->There is a strong
correlation between increased weight and breast cancer, especially those who
gained weight in adolescence or after menopause. Body fat composition in the
upper body also increases the risk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">43.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->On average, it
takes 100 days or more for a cancer cell to double in size. It takes about 10
years for cells to divide to a size that can be actually felt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">44.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Notable women who
have been diagnosed with breast cancer include “Sex and the City” star
Cynthia Nixon (diagnosed in 2006 at age 40), Sheryl Crow (diagnosed in 2006
at 44), Kylie Minoque (diagnosed in 2005 at 36), Elizabeth Edwards (diagnosed
in 2004 at 55), Jaclyn Smith (diagnosed in 2002 at 56), and Christina
Applegate (diagnosed in 2008 at 36). Other historical figures include Mary
Washington (mother of George Washington), Empress Theodora (wife of
Justinian), and Anne of Austria (mother of Louis the XIV).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">45.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Breast cancer was
one of the first cancers to be described by ancient physicians. For example,
physicians in ancient Egypt described breast cancer more than 3,500 years
ago. One surgeon describes “bulging” tumors in the breast of which “there is
no cure.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">46.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->In 400 B.C.,
Hippocrates describe breast cancer as a humoral disease caused by black bile
or <i>melancholia.</i> He labeled cancer <i>karkinos</i>,
meaning “crab,” because the tumors seemed to have tentacles which looked like
the legs of crab.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">47.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->To disprove the
theory that breast cancer was caused by an imbalance of the four body humors,
namely an excess of bile, French physicians Jean Astruc (1684-1766) cooked a
slice of breast cancer tissue and a slice of beef and then chewed both. He
said that because they tasted exactly the same, breast cancer tumor does not
contain bile or acid.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 13.5pt;">48.</span> <span style="line-height: 13.5pt;">Some physicians
throughout history have proposed that breast cancer was caused by several
factors, including lack of sex—which caused reproductive organs, such as the
breast, to atrophy and rot. Other physicians suggested that “vigorous sex”
blocked the lymphatic system, that depression restricted blood vessels and
trapped coagulated blood, and that a sedentary lifestyle slowed bodily
fluids.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">49.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Jerome Urban
(1914-1991), who practiced the super-radical mastectomy in 1949, would remove
not only the breast and axillary nodes but also the chest muscles and
internal mammary nodes in a single procedure—often on patients who had tumors
less than a centimeter large. He stopped in 1963 when he became convinced it
worked no better than the less mutilating radical mastectomy.<sup>l</sup><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">50.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->October is
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM). The first NBCAM took place in
October 1985.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 13.5pt;">51.</span><span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 13.5pt;">Studies show that
social isolation and stress can increase the speed at which
breast cancer </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">tumours</span><span style="line-height: 13.5pt;"> grow in animal models.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">52.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Not all lumps
that are found in the breast are cancerous but may be a fibrocystic breast
condition (disease), which is benign.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">53.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Researchers
speculate that left-handed women are more prone to developing breast cancer
because they are exposed to higher levels of certain steroid hormones in the
womb.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I wasn't actually going to write this post, as I sort of assumed that a lot of people would already know about Breast Cancer Awareness Month, as they would probably know a lot about Movember next month, but what really prompted me to write this post was because I found the blog of a lovely lady who passed away. Her name was <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">Susan Niebur, and you can find her blog <a href="http://toddlerplanet.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. I give you this warning: take a box of tissues when reading any post on here, you'll need them.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you like this post, please help by spreading the awareness of Breast Cancer by showing it or sharing it to somebody else, or simply just to donate some money, because a little bit can honestly go such a long way.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Thank you!</span></div>
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<br />rebecca-ellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13403068891617070698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053150342357313490.post-7534821198571331022013-10-07T19:42:00.001+01:002013-10-07T19:42:30.124+01:00Identity.Hello there lovelies! I found this poem on Tumblr the other day and I think it summed up something that all teenagers should read. I know this is a very short blog post and it's sort of a cheaty one as I'm using other people's words, but I think it's best if I leave you to interpret this poem.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihO4lgUVeYt-N2Z6D5Ol0Dv0c_8r5ZwXX78Kt9vyop8pAvmVDyHbRKnTHSBkKMfvknN0sR2ijv01VBVbj7iZ6eBGN81JFrdIlMSQ06AiMx7hS9yrGJE2uxgaZE9SkMH76dLbOKEowrrg/s1600/tumblr_mg4e2nD8dN1qf1pnko1_500.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihO4lgUVeYt-N2Z6D5Ol0Dv0c_8r5ZwXX78Kt9vyop8pAvmVDyHbRKnTHSBkKMfvknN0sR2ijv01VBVbj7iZ6eBGN81JFrdIlMSQ06AiMx7hS9yrGJE2uxgaZE9SkMH76dLbOKEowrrg/s640/tumblr_mg4e2nD8dN1qf1pnko1_500.png" /></a></div>
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I've got a lot of things planned for future posts, I've just got to find the time to write them!</div>
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<span style="font-size: 26px; line-height: 33px;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">❤</span></span></div>
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rebecca-ellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13403068891617070698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053150342357313490.post-23627392917378299462013-09-22T00:41:00.000+01:002013-09-22T00:45:33.013+01:00Musician of the Month | Shannon Saunders<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hello and welcome to this month's edition of musician of the month! As the title tells you, this month it's going to be on the wonderful and gorgeous Shannon Saunders! Now, I know that many of you might not know who she is, as she doesn't belong to some big record label and get played on the radio, but in my opinion, she's much better than half of the people that are played on the radio.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5JgX7cdx-LroC5pK8NzwmRekqk9miFlOr0wUabspe9nZqYk0CxB11KOPiKGu_pZ3TAGe9f-9yvJLq6wCXD-Wsq7hm7DfcC6BAYn6SB2eag6XRj6QQ5U5nQv4pzH2bm0BQsocpGfeI2Q/s1600/254267_409956272392719_1803521574_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5JgX7cdx-LroC5pK8NzwmRekqk9miFlOr0wUabspe9nZqYk0CxB11KOPiKGu_pZ3TAGe9f-9yvJLq6wCXD-Wsq7hm7DfcC6BAYn6SB2eag6XRj6QQ5U5nQv4pzH2bm0BQsocpGfeI2Q/s320/254267_409956272392719_1803521574_n.jpg" width="241" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXyuB-KVmdk6JJmNC2o_Zx3MF3xemm6Ey3jj2EB78BfkHzbtxMlQuZG-qOuXtyAyfEq_U-P6lg5v1V1e1tDpKigwUM8DJqHEoziaU0uEq6zlhjsItB1TOi7hNFOO0o2gpGNPF0fPj1g/s1600/Shannon+Saunders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXyuB-KVmdk6JJmNC2o_Zx3MF3xemm6Ey3jj2EB78BfkHzbtxMlQuZG-qOuXtyAyfEq_U-P6lg5v1V1e1tDpKigwUM8DJqHEoziaU0uEq6zlhjsItB1TOi7hNFOO0o2gpGNPF0fPj1g/s320/Shannon+Saunders.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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Shannon Saunders is unique in many many different ways. She's not afraid to be different, and she even set up her own record label "Lovejoy Records" because she wanted to have more control over what she released and when. Some of you may be thinking that Lovejoy is just a nice little name she thought up because it sounds pretty, but one other thing about Shannon Saunders is the amount she shares about her personal life on various social medias. I know it sounds weird, but I think I probably know more about her than the people who live down my road. ( ~ would just like to say I don't stalk her. to be fair to me my neighbours are REALLY unsociable ~ ) She tells us all about what's going on in her life, shares her holiday snaps with us, and posts videos of her gorgeous and incredibly adorable little nephew, Pierson. (I literally want to keep him, in a non-abductive-and-completely-legal way. yeah.) So anyway, back to the main point about Lovejoy records. Shannon also has a <a href="http://shannonsaundersofficial.com/www.shannonsaundersofficial.com/My_blog/My_blog.html" target="_blank">blog</a> on her <a href="http://shannonsaundersofficial.com/" target="_blank">official website</a> (which of course she designed and runs all by herself), and she posted this about why she chose "Lovejoy Records":</div>
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"Basically, My nan's mum was a very popular character in our family as she was always singing, joking around, telling hilarious stories and just being a bloody brilliant woman. My nan's mum's surname was Lovejoy so we all decided in the family it would only be right, now my nan's passed away, to call the label "Lovejoy Records" in honour of her."</blockquote>
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N'awww, that's nice isn't it? And do you know what else is nice? HER BLOODY FANTASTIC VOICE. Honestly, if you don't fall in love, I recommend that you go get your hearing tested. Seriously. I'm not joking. Miss Saunders currently has 4 songs you can buy on iTunes, two of which she recorded for the Disney film "Tangled", and those are called "The Glow" and "I see the light". Shannon has posted covers on her <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/Shannooonx" target="_blank">YouTube</a> for a good few years now, and they are all incredible. She's actually introduced me to other artists through her covers, for example Christina Perri and Jessie Ware. Personally, my favourite covers she's done are a cover of Kodaline's "All I Want" and "I Can't Make You Love Me", amongst many more (of course). Even though these are all amazing, where Shannon really shines is in her ridiculously good songwriting skills! I mean, this girl is incredible. Her tunes are always mega-catchy, and her lyrics are insane. Two of Shannon's originals are on iTunes that you can buy, her first ever single "Heart of Blue", and her more recent one, "Scars". As I've mentioned before, Shannon shares a lot of her life with her followers, and she also recommends a lot of other singers on her Twitter pages, such as <a href="http://www.hobbiestuart.com/" target="_blank">Hobbie Stuart</a> (who I am now addicted to - and he's rather easy on the eye as well ;) ) In fact, I'm so obsessed with Mr Stuart at the moment, I may have to do a blog post about him soon. (This gives me an excuse to say that I am being "productive" whilst looking at videos of him and pictures of him. Sounds good to me.)</div>
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Another lovely thing about the wonderful Miss Saunders is how much you feel you can relate to her as a teenage girl. She's honestly a normal human being, who's just been gifted with the voice of a goddess (and the looks to be honest). Her lyrics are so easy to relate to, and she has normal problems that she talks about, for example, her heartbreaks, her friends, and not knowing what outfit to wear for the day (even though she looks gorgeous in practically everything...*sigh*). She also doesn't use huge famous people in her advertising and to do things such as making her music videos. She recorded both of her music videos to go with the singles on iTunes with the wonderful Damian Weilers, and amazingly, her video "Heart of Blue" video only cost £9 to make (for the tube and bus fare), compared to the hundreds, or maybe even thousands (I'm not clued up on these things) that other pop "stars" cost to make a music video.</div>
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If I haven't convinced you yet that she is one of the most perfect human beings on the universe, here are 3 more reasons you should love her/want to be her/her best friend.</div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">She is literally the only girl who can wear double denim and STILL look fabulous</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">She is like me and without releasing calls everyone and everything "lovely". Seriously, just check out anything she posts</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">She posts hilarious and relatable tweets on the good ol' twitter. My two favourites currently:</li>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">"The ;) face always seems a bit sexual doesn't it? If you saw my ;) face in real life you'd think differently."</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">"Some people are like flies. The buzzy annoying ones that smack into the windows and never seem to leave"</li>
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Yup, this girl is actually the definition of perfect.</div>
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Soooo....I think I have well and truly emptied my brain of all things that are currently residing there. I'm sure I'll think of more reasons as to why I love Shannon Saunders but maybe in the mean time you should check out her own music, videos, and make your own reasons up!</div>
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Possibly my favourite ever cover in the whole wide world by a YouTuber:</div>
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Shannon's newest single, which you can buy on iTunes (link on her social networks and in video description).</div>
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My favourite original by Shannon, which is unfortunately not on iTunes :(</div>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-size: xx-small;">lemmie hear ya say chuuunne!</span></div>
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How to stalk Shannon (in a friendly and completely legal way):<br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/saundersshannon/with_replies" target="_blank">Twitter</a><br />
<a href="http://www.shannonsaundersofficial.com/www.shannonsaundersofficial.com/file.html" target="_blank">Official Website</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/ShannonSaundersArtist?ref=ts" target="_blank">Facebook</a><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/Shannooonx" target="_blank">Youtube</a><br />
<a href="http://instagram.com/saundersshannon" target="_blank">Instagram</a><br />
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~ Sorry if this post is rambly. I've got mountains of school work and had to work unexpectedly today, so I think I've made up a few words here and there ~<br />
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Thank you!</div>
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<span style="font-size: 26px; line-height: 33px;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">❤</span></span></div>
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rebecca-ellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13403068891617070698noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053150342357313490.post-68333223312502880262013-09-09T17:32:00.000+01:002013-09-09T17:32:00.126+01:00caught up in the quest for perfection<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Today is another one of those "random" postings where I just feel like I need to write my feelings down. Apologies. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiElhPk3tv6k2i-Jgw2SlQRlRzTOlG-sy3ZaNmLhjiX0n8KbZ0gH78lRdLN3PL-nNyeJZmqSS9fPW_FUZFCfP46BXRUIFHRxRfBOBoHBR-wWbO8y7Y_vYZmRK8HMFJG86kJnp0e6SQB2w/s1600/1240646_631007800266790_1319187091_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiElhPk3tv6k2i-Jgw2SlQRlRzTOlG-sy3ZaNmLhjiX0n8KbZ0gH78lRdLN3PL-nNyeJZmqSS9fPW_FUZFCfP46BXRUIFHRxRfBOBoHBR-wWbO8y7Y_vYZmRK8HMFJG86kJnp0e6SQB2w/s320/1240646_631007800266790_1319187091_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Something I found on tumblr which seemed appropriate.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I started sixth form last week, and I've already noticed how people are all trying to fit in with the people they deem to be "popular" or "pretty". I'm seeing people that I've spent the last five years with changing their interests and pretending to be something they're not so that they can change their friendship groups and make new friends. Making new friends is great, but not if you're pretending to be someone else whenever you're around them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I go to an all girls school, so appearance is also something that I'm noticing a lot. The day before we started sixth form, I saw a huge long twitter feed about what everybody is wearing so that they weren't wearing something different to other people. The result: five or six girls wearing the EXACT same outfit from Primark: pepsi-cola baseball style tops, black leggings and white converse. Of course there were slight variants from this, some people wearing coca-cola T-Shirts and red converses. I'm not saying that every single person was copying everyone else, but I'm just saying you don't have to be the same as someone else to look nice. I complimented different people on their different outfits, and in return got some compliments about the dress I had chosen to wear.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The second day was just the same, and the third day after that. Everybody was wearing similar clothes, and it looked like everybody had had the same shopping spree in Primark/New Look (and a few of the rich kids in Abercrombie, Jack Wills and Hollister). I have nothing against any of these shops, or shopping for new clothes, I just feel like everybody has lost their originality and wants to be a carbon copy of everybody else. There are of course some people who have a beautiful and unique dress sense. There's a girl who embraces vintage in a way that only she can do (not the high-street fashion way, HER way), and I'm sort of jealous of how amazing/gorgeous/lovely/unique she looks every single darn day. She also has a blog but I don't think she knows I exist so that's why I'm not linking the blog/saying her name. She is far too cool for me and if I have any lessons with her, who knows? We may become great blogging friends :) But if not, it's not to be.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Everybody seems caught up in the quest for perfection. They don't understand that perfection doesn't just have the one definition, and nobody is perfect anyway. Is barbie perfect? No. I recently found this online and thought you should read it. It does actually make you feel slightly better about yourself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">If Barbie was an actual woman, she would be 5ft9 tall, have a 39" bust, an 18" waist, 33" hips, and a size 3 shoe. Her head would be the same circumference as her waist, meaning that she'd only have room for half a liver and a few inches of intestines. The result? Chronic diarrhoea and death. Also she would not be able to menstruate, meaning she would be infertile and unable to produce children. If Barbie was real, she would have to crawl on all fours due to her proportions. Her feet are so small, her chest would pull her forward onto her toes. Barbie calls this a 'full figure' and likes her weight at 110lbs. At 5ft9 and weighing 110lbs, Barbie would have a BMI of 16.24, and would fit the criteria for anorexia. Because Barbie's neck is twice as long as an average human's, it would be impossible for her to hold up her head; and yet this is the 'person' a lot of girls aspire to be.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Is she so perfect to you now?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I hope not.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Something else I found on tumblr:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Society is wrong. Dead wrong. We're taught that fake is beautiful. We're taught to believe that miniature waists and perfect tans are beautiful tans are beautiful. We're convinced that the blonde girls with the gorgeous smiles will win ever time. But, the truth is? Originality is beautiful. Big brown eyes, green eyes, blue eyes. Curves. Your natural skin tone is beautiful. Your hair colour, your smile. Your voice, your laugh, your personality. Every inch of you is beautiful, every single part of you shines with your essence. You my dear? You're beautiful.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Of course we've all got little things we want to change about ourselves. I've got a roman nose and would love to lose that little bit of weight in certain places, but you've got to accept you for YOU. I'm green-eyed, freckled and spectacled. Does that matter? Sometimes it bothers me of course. Some days I would love to have "perfect" smooth skin. Sometimes I would love to have perfect eyesight and glasses annoy me. On these occasions I sometimes wear contact lenses. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">You don't need to be a carbon copy of a supermodel to be considered beautiful. There are certain things you can't change about yourself. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Don't get caught up in the quest for perfection, because the only way you can be anywhere near perfect is by being you. The true you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">~ rant over ~</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;">P.S. I apologise for the lack of photography in my posts at the moment. My camera has a problem with it and is being fixed, so I've only got my phone. That's why quite a lot of my photo's are internet photo's. It should be fixed by next week though...hoorah!</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: 'Coming Soon';"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 7.5pt; line-height: 11px;"><a href="mailto:rebeccaellablogspot@gmail.com" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Email</a> | </span></b><b style="font-family: 'Coming Soon';"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 7.5pt; line-height: 11px;"><a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/rebecca__ella" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/10286352/rebecca-ella" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a> | <a href="http://pinterest.com/rebeccaellaaa" sl-processed="1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> | <a href="http://rebecca-ella.tumblr.com/" sl-processed="1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Tumblr</a> | <a href="http://instagram.com/rebecca__ella" sl-processed="1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Instagram</a></span></b></div>
rebecca-ellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13403068891617070698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053150342357313490.post-47372464925210616822013-09-08T12:18:00.000+01:002013-09-22T19:06:43.757+01:00One Month of Blogging!<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So it's been one whole month since I've entered the blogosphere, and stamped my name across this little piece of the internet, so I thought I should write something about it :)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3OyIm9V6hKdVXzA_cC8m2tMoiUCu2MlPxmzRwamH8GENSfPfhOpcSFoZptGJSKvPqSe4ds2WDRSgfR80sC9LQ9R9feZk9C9_j4xYqS-gcYn-btkWXqPx8DGXKX3DFrmNskHiufzf7LA/s1600/One-Candle-cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3OyIm9V6hKdVXzA_cC8m2tMoiUCu2MlPxmzRwamH8GENSfPfhOpcSFoZptGJSKvPqSe4ds2WDRSgfR80sC9LQ9R9feZk9C9_j4xYqS-gcYn-btkWXqPx8DGXKX3DFrmNskHiufzf7LA/s1600/One-Candle-cake.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">(I also felt it necessary to have a picture of a cake. I mean, who doesn't like cake?)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I know my blog posts have been random and haven't really got any structure to them, but I absolutely love having a little space to jot my thoughts down when my head isn't big enough to hold them all! I have 4 lovely followers, and just for clicking that little button I am so grateful, thank you so much :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Although I think I've taught you a little bit about myself through my random ramblings, I also feel like I've learnt a lot in my month of blogging, so I also decided to share these with you! (sorry)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">1) There are so many interesting blogs out there that I've never heard of, yet now I spend hours everyday reading them with a mug of hot chocolate - believe me, it's quite time consuming!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">2) I REALLY LOVE writing down my thoughts! No matter how random or screwed up my problems sound in my head, it always makes me feel better when I let them all out in the form of a blog post (for example, my post on <a href="http://rebecca-ella.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/rockstar-ronan.html">Ronan</a>) - even though these are completely random and reading them back they make absolutely no sense at all, at the time it was almost my form of therapy, so it really helped me :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3) I'm addicted to designing things and am a bit of a perfectionist, even though my blog still seems to look a little pooey.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">4) </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Checking your stats too often is NOT productive, and actually wastes a lot of time</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">5) </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Google is your friend - trust me, it's helped me so much starting this blog up :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">(I could honestly go on and on with these but I feel I've got to stop sometime, and I've got an essay to write for tomorrow - whoopsies!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So yeah, this is me one month blogiversary post, and I hope you enjoyed reading another rambling of mine! Again, thank you so so so so very much for clicking that follow button, I love every one of you!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Rebecca-Ella</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: 'Coming Soon';"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 7.5pt; line-height: 11px;"><a href="mailto:rebeccaellablogspot@gmail.com" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Email</a> | </span></b><b style="font-family: 'Coming Soon';"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 7.5pt; line-height: 11px;"><a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/rebecca__ella" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/10286352/rebecca-ella" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a> | <a href="http://pinterest.com/rebeccaellaaa" sl-processed="1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> | <a href="http://rebecca-ella.tumblr.com/" sl-processed="1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Tumblr</a> | <a href="http://instagram.com/rebecca__ella" sl-processed="1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Instagram</a></span></b></div>
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rebecca-ellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13403068891617070698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053150342357313490.post-20685374227992580852013-09-03T22:53:00.000+01:002013-09-03T22:53:00.528+01:00It's That Time of the Year Again...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmfUiiOML40MPqQ4BgPLDDTsimsO6-rruGIQPRjRuHfSD5KpbWdxKOSfKnMzqjTV6NYKsiD0atH1tgkzx6vKKzGygGUvoo0uhyphenhyphenuWfU8mz_weqw4AnChY7uCUOAmhhCqghs-ZJRqg8kLw/s1600/edit+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmfUiiOML40MPqQ4BgPLDDTsimsO6-rruGIQPRjRuHfSD5KpbWdxKOSfKnMzqjTV6NYKsiD0atH1tgkzx6vKKzGygGUvoo0uhyphenhyphenuWfU8mz_weqw4AnChY7uCUOAmhhCqghs-ZJRqg8kLw/s320/edit+1.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_D8DXg7_jSl-nj_wXYSP0FkuFkBg817Mno1HdUustzFEyPhBVH56Qn4JfPpxhX75RQ4wUc12dfQnMttoWFSJl7wkoYtZuO5p404y78VVQw1RZ4Ey42d6RkrHZA6RYuZ9i9MzqiFIhXg/s1600/edit+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_D8DXg7_jSl-nj_wXYSP0FkuFkBg817Mno1HdUustzFEyPhBVH56Qn4JfPpxhX75RQ4wUc12dfQnMttoWFSJl7wkoYtZuO5p404y78VVQw1RZ4Ey42d6RkrHZA6RYuZ9i9MzqiFIhXg/s320/edit+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Well my lovelies, it's that time of the year again when we all have to say goodbye to the summer and go back to normality & school (cue sad face). Unfortunately this means I'm going back and as I'm starting my AS levels, I won't have as much spare time that I can spend on blogging and photography. I'm going to try to continue blogging, but I'm not sure how often I'm going to be able to do posts. I'm sorry :( . Whenever I have free time I'm going to write a blog post, and if I end up writing about 3 in a night, I may just schedule them for different days so that they're spread out. But hey, you never know, I may get less work than I'm expecting and I might be able to continue blogging as much as I do at the moment! (Which isn't exactly that much, so I don't know why I'm writing this post...) Anyways, I wish you all the best of luck in your new school year, and I'll speak to you soon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">N'night my lovelies</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: 'Coming Soon';"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 7.5pt; line-height: 11px;"><a href="mailto:rebeccaellablogspot@gmail.com" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Email</a> | </span></b><b style="font-family: 'Coming Soon';"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 7.5pt; line-height: 11px;"><a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/rebecca__ella" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/10286352/rebecca-ella" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a> | <a href="http://pinterest.com/rebeccaellaaa" sl-processed="1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> | <a href="http://rebecca-ella.tumblr.com/" sl-processed="1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Tumblr</a> | <a href="http://instagram.com/rebecca__ella" sl-processed="1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Instagram</a></span></b></div>
rebecca-ellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13403068891617070698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053150342357313490.post-86230233932581270662013-09-02T21:37:00.001+01:002013-09-02T21:37:56.649+01:00Festival Fun<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I live in the south coast of England, and I am very lucky with where I live, due to the fact that I live really close to the New Forest, and if I ever wanted to go to the beach, it's just a 20 minute drive away.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqlZPevFxsC_MPHk3oQAOPeqIWw1mb0B_IGWn2t6MnffJMKj26BniOGy5H7g2hadAj5JQV_CRMgf3STBQsOWHAgZ4_pTZmP0RSZD6wG0itcjModicVAP4vD7E5TQdzt4yAWTA9niSPOw/s1600/11+bournemouth+air+festival+2013+red+arrows+heart.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqlZPevFxsC_MPHk3oQAOPeqIWw1mb0B_IGWn2t6MnffJMKj26BniOGy5H7g2hadAj5JQV_CRMgf3STBQsOWHAgZ4_pTZmP0RSZD6wG0itcjModicVAP4vD7E5TQdzt4yAWTA9niSPOw/s400/11+bournemouth+air+festival+2013+red+arrows+heart.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A little heart for all you lovely readers <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 33px;">❤</span> </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Last weekend was the annual <b>Bournemouth Air Festival</b>, which is a lovely weekend of planes, entertainment, attempting to get a tan and getting a lovely sunburn! I feel like I should give you a little <u>warning</u> here: this post is very picture heavy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here are a few of the best pictures I took during the day time I thought I should share with you lovely readers. I've sorted them in an order which isn't chronological, but it sort of makes sense (I've basically grouped the planes together, you'll get the idea). I did this because over the four days, quite a lot of the planes flew more than once with different weather and lighting conditions etc, so I basically put all the pictures of the Eurofighter together, all the Red Arrow pictures together etc...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So, without further ado, here are some pictures I took of the aircraft at the air festival!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmf-ejGPrGLY8yY2desdUXYu4APkSv6IdSiJW2QmLFq_3hlFTNaJECQfk_ip1tQBQFYuj7tse4I_P-jhBrzpOVdo9JDvtSyjbzqvYPaJTbCNgey4QJsm4576OqRq8CjoUQ9RGfIG2kdA/s1600/1+battle+of+britain+memorial+flight+bournemouth+air+festival+2013+lancaster+spitfires.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmf-ejGPrGLY8yY2desdUXYu4APkSv6IdSiJW2QmLFq_3hlFTNaJECQfk_ip1tQBQFYuj7tse4I_P-jhBrzpOVdo9JDvtSyjbzqvYPaJTbCNgey4QJsm4576OqRq8CjoUQ9RGfIG2kdA/s400/1+battle+of+britain+memorial+flight+bournemouth+air+festival+2013+lancaster+spitfires.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAbTcHIR7RJdlaeANB87Ed_z1mrmNKUMjN08PC9KIUTXUAmKnhGYKmsT3O_R6yIKzoEOvsZABoJDT-4XWUpaiWz8WDECtONyzvo4Y1rOCmFiSBIDx12tunNAU8abSodQcj_8E4EfxJnA/s1600/2+battle+of+briatin+memorial+flight+bournemouth+air+festival+2013+spitfires.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAbTcHIR7RJdlaeANB87Ed_z1mrmNKUMjN08PC9KIUTXUAmKnhGYKmsT3O_R6yIKzoEOvsZABoJDT-4XWUpaiWz8WDECtONyzvo4Y1rOCmFiSBIDx12tunNAU8abSodQcj_8E4EfxJnA/s400/2+battle+of+briatin+memorial+flight+bournemouth+air+festival+2013+spitfires.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89k9Pp-0h6DePLuXE47H1trlaQDsSrmbsc8UEUeNL9h8xTJeMbDjty4z44uyMKrlZjTUR-Z7eKvNv60dJbsSnyQHmmZa0tghG4uxBgi-jamRrdmlridjphcjZJuv2WdlrqPE7X9yt7Q/s1600/3+battle+of+britain+memorial+flight+bournemouth+air+festival+august+2013+lancaster+spitfires.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89k9Pp-0h6DePLuXE47H1trlaQDsSrmbsc8UEUeNL9h8xTJeMbDjty4z44uyMKrlZjTUR-Z7eKvNv60dJbsSnyQHmmZa0tghG4uxBgi-jamRrdmlridjphcjZJuv2WdlrqPE7X9yt7Q/s400/3+battle+of+britain+memorial+flight+bournemouth+air+festival+august+2013+lancaster+spitfires.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqBHI3H6XftyGY3xh0lngxWE-EGUpCIeiDEaLAmRROXi-I__NNQDRJGdPpWIceKXgPRzDIutT-97Tfhke7B222PoQ8Kol5Wv9rsaN55QG8TCcczJoa4rzZ8aF0CI1ZnctBV_LCU2IqLw/s1600/4+battle+of+britain+memorial+flight+2013+bournemouth+air+festival+spitfire.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqBHI3H6XftyGY3xh0lngxWE-EGUpCIeiDEaLAmRROXi-I__NNQDRJGdPpWIceKXgPRzDIutT-97Tfhke7B222PoQ8Kol5Wv9rsaN55QG8TCcczJoa4rzZ8aF0CI1ZnctBV_LCU2IqLw/s400/4+battle+of+britain+memorial+flight+2013+bournemouth+air+festival+spitfire.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />If any of you are wondering, from the top to the bottom, the planes are: the battle of britain memorial flight (including the lancaster and spitfires), then the sea vixen, then the eurofighter (which is incredibly loud!), and then the colourful one is Miss Demeanour. After that, of course, is my personal favourite, the red arrows! I've mainly used the pictures of the red arrows from their performance on the Saturday, due to the lovely clear blue sky (and so the pictures were better!), but they flew on the Thursday, Friday and the Saturday. The final picture is of a plane during the Night Air segment of the festival, and the night before (when my camera battery unfortunately died :( ), it actually had fireworks on it! I think that this plane is from O Brien's Flying Circus, but I'm not 100% sure).
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Unfortunately, on the last day the Vulcan had a fuel leak so it couldn't fly, which I was super sad about because I'm a bit of a plane geek, and it's probably the last year it'll be flying due to funding issues :( But on the bright side, I also took some random pictures of the picturesque South Coast and random objects/animals for you!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSt9OwYoOTv50masH2jhjxs27avzcm-xWMWAMIktpa_-sukgKaZLtq_INsktrMEgUXL8jGyp1d3nS-3TZM-TZVkYNx2nKsztm2TPtLeXGFXxrB-vpQSGn_BnrYhNAUAOojHZ9qq3aR6Q/s1600/15+bournemouth+air+festival+2013+bikes.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSt9OwYoOTv50masH2jhjxs27avzcm-xWMWAMIktpa_-sukgKaZLtq_INsktrMEgUXL8jGyp1d3nS-3TZM-TZVkYNx2nKsztm2TPtLeXGFXxrB-vpQSGn_BnrYhNAUAOojHZ9qq3aR6Q/s400/15+bournemouth+air+festival+2013+bikes.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKxUxxzA10KfcGcCz8JXbi6XGii4EfGzjd2XlCZxDNmB4DhUCZywA_ETwclILh5zdQMR0PSWQRXq1CV6tL5I7UgcGFNCOL4RcC4vVPYmUI1DXakkTX6fSplS3D3msCfvj7VvJJNGv_vA/s1600/16+reeds+sunset+boats+bournemouth+air+festival+2013.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKxUxxzA10KfcGcCz8JXbi6XGii4EfGzjd2XlCZxDNmB4DhUCZywA_ETwclILh5zdQMR0PSWQRXq1CV6tL5I7UgcGFNCOL4RcC4vVPYmUI1DXakkTX6fSplS3D3msCfvj7VvJJNGv_vA/s400/16+reeds+sunset+boats+bournemouth+air+festival+2013.png" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqld4KUe3MQbi_S98nAX2d4NOC99WfDwiiie0pHmmDmbN3K8RErP1-i7k3FNQ6KBvgApS2Rd5tNi9gar92xQzygtoIygW2n3xzFjokvW7gBIwjRZKX4OLMgJeIctBUgHA9P42ZAT4aTg/s1600/17+bournemouth+air+festival+2013+sea+gulls+marcel.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqld4KUe3MQbi_S98nAX2d4NOC99WfDwiiie0pHmmDmbN3K8RErP1-i7k3FNQ6KBvgApS2Rd5tNi9gar92xQzygtoIygW2n3xzFjokvW7gBIwjRZKX4OLMgJeIctBUgHA9P42ZAT4aTg/s400/17+bournemouth+air+festival+2013+sea+gulls+marcel.png" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I named the seagull on the right Marcel...because he got all the birds :')</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If you don't understand don't worry, my jokes are never any good.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqOpysSPIgBM4eBFKfdogXfF7fU4dEhjOdFtQyTGSPsWbGPRVy8BzcL9mwIStA3KE8KeprzE32Gdt8cbzEoo7fxyxZoFFEsswJqkXBPncehzMuDRnOn-Ow8Ro0irP8Q4I_BkWBRmHfVA/s1600/18+bournemouth+air+festival+2013+wave+105+live+night+air+kodaline+watching+planes+waving.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqOpysSPIgBM4eBFKfdogXfF7fU4dEhjOdFtQyTGSPsWbGPRVy8BzcL9mwIStA3KE8KeprzE32Gdt8cbzEoo7fxyxZoFFEsswJqkXBPncehzMuDRnOn-Ow8Ro0irP8Q4I_BkWBRmHfVA/s400/18+bournemouth+air+festival+2013+wave+105+live+night+air+kodaline+watching+planes+waving.png" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We spotted where Kodaline was staying before their concert so I quickly snapped these pictures whilst they were watching the planes, Vinny's (the drummer) face makes me smile every time I see it in the second picture, he was so excited when the planes came!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Last year, a local radio station decided to hold two concerts in the evening,with tickets priced at only £3.50 - a bloody bargain if you ask me! We didn't find out about it until the week before, and we managed to grab ourselves some tickets for the second concert, which was amazing! I saw Ben Montague, Ryan O'Shaughnessy, Matt Cardle, The Loveable Rogues, Lawson and Scouting For Girls! But the night before (which we couldn't grab any tickets for), we went down to the pub and because of how close it was to the open stage area, we could just about see the artists (nice one dad!), we also saw Amelia Lily, Honey Ryder, Newton Faulkner and Rizzle Kicks!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Although this year they doubled the ticket price (still good though!), the line up was just as super duper. On the Friday there was Diana Vickers, Stooshe, Lucy Spraggan, Shane Filan, The Feeling and Blue! On the Saturday night, I was really REALLY lucky because there were quite a few of my favourite singers/bands of ALL TIME! The line-up was Neon Jungle, Newton Faulkner, The Loveable Rogues, Lisa Stansfield, and Kodaline. Here are a few pictures of each of the acts. Unfortunately on the Friday night my camera battery died halfway through the concert and I had no spare, so I had to switch to my phone camera, so that's why there is a sudden decrease in quality. Sorry. Because of this, I put all the Friday night photos on one collage so that the quality doesn't appear as bad :) Enjoy!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIi0id0_nH0xCQdpsSyeQJZ0ShBX3hk8vvkYouj2-SlfQ4cCTeMxCZvyScEh4eIRi_t5Ejb-JOzXGQZdb8ujYAKo3t73N1FGwBIj9cfRVSAFGSz2pPNgzqYRPZDxo4qpHKJNoRwYl9_Q/s1600/19+bournemouth+air+festival+2013+night+air+wave+105+diana+vickers+stooshe+lucy+spraggan+shane+filan+the+feeling+blue.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIi0id0_nH0xCQdpsSyeQJZ0ShBX3hk8vvkYouj2-SlfQ4cCTeMxCZvyScEh4eIRi_t5Ejb-JOzXGQZdb8ujYAKo3t73N1FGwBIj9cfRVSAFGSz2pPNgzqYRPZDxo4qpHKJNoRwYl9_Q/s400/19+bournemouth+air+festival+2013+night+air+wave+105+diana+vickers+stooshe+lucy+spraggan+shane+filan+the+feeling+blue.png" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Top Row L-R: Diana Vickers, Stooshe, Lucy Spraggan, Shane Filan<br />Middle Row: The Feeling<br />Bottom Row: Blue</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2lQ8sUzpKdYUQZokpdREbmxOTiSe1Md5L56ueyH0J7jQDHUPlCJruyhORpHBGfj2tG2sw1Naz3c6pvTOR2s4Nrv6qcK_jeu16JgHzfn2q84FEoZYwvHTQQBgkIXpqZpmKH4gFyOsFGA/s1600/20+neon+jungle+bournemouth+air+festival+2013+night+air+wave+105.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2lQ8sUzpKdYUQZokpdREbmxOTiSe1Md5L56ueyH0J7jQDHUPlCJruyhORpHBGfj2tG2sw1Naz3c6pvTOR2s4Nrv6qcK_jeu16JgHzfn2q84FEoZYwvHTQQBgkIXpqZpmKH4gFyOsFGA/s400/20+neon+jungle+bournemouth+air+festival+2013+night+air+wave+105.png" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Neon Jungle</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifrpMrHfIKYoiHQ8I01qlp98x7LfSiPA71cspXi_rFet3QLCjZcocshPhNpElFg4g2jORseH5DwJPwaILy-GwD3ONi38wIwZGArSn34dGzmnF_HUwq_fCtKspABm6n97zEpENdeuVs7Q/s1600/21+newton+faulkner+bournemouth+air+festival+2013+night+air+wave+105.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifrpMrHfIKYoiHQ8I01qlp98x7LfSiPA71cspXi_rFet3QLCjZcocshPhNpElFg4g2jORseH5DwJPwaILy-GwD3ONi38wIwZGArSn34dGzmnF_HUwq_fCtKspABm6n97zEpENdeuVs7Q/s400/21+newton+faulkner+bournemouth+air+festival+2013+night+air+wave+105.png" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Newton Faulkner</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjstfngl-vC1Vz-ao-2N1w8FwiSO-rfwaqamtsHGHvkhKTpW9QYgT0EhgoILjFjwkgFTw3bSgAP45dAYLBSXBH24VCZSWM87mmPgtWxlARLnsQbk8lQZrRt48EwjuCINboYqJORks4ayg/s1600/22+loveable+rogues+bournemouth+air+festival+2013+night+air+wave+105.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjstfngl-vC1Vz-ao-2N1w8FwiSO-rfwaqamtsHGHvkhKTpW9QYgT0EhgoILjFjwkgFTw3bSgAP45dAYLBSXBH24VCZSWM87mmPgtWxlARLnsQbk8lQZrRt48EwjuCINboYqJORks4ayg/s400/22+loveable+rogues+bournemouth+air+festival+2013+night+air+wave+105.png" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Loveable Rogues</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixfbAxrxyUgtG9GzGFsGmIt6x6WswBlvwJTWPBoe5DkMRWBBHmJtxDKbjqx80TVp0JbTIRa0mm_gJAAS-GfrbJn830lS-wy-yPywSpaNCXqfk6QYpH28sSe2nBxMSG7erEd_nHDLLdSQ/s1600/23+lisa+stansfield+bournemouth+air+festival+2013+night+air+wave+105.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixfbAxrxyUgtG9GzGFsGmIt6x6WswBlvwJTWPBoe5DkMRWBBHmJtxDKbjqx80TVp0JbTIRa0mm_gJAAS-GfrbJn830lS-wy-yPywSpaNCXqfk6QYpH28sSe2nBxMSG7erEd_nHDLLdSQ/s400/23+lisa+stansfield+bournemouth+air+festival+2013+night+air+wave+105.png" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Lisa Stansfield</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyjwKmDpFKxud4CH_1JClgVXoSrC8vKybmAfGLVQGWi9Maw1ATUXQ_vBs5HQ29HwVpChr0qoWSYAGSmPp8A4YlwzipwA9vaDC5XxvHBJDnPjlg-lbcSa_ZbMkqEmS_eeupWcw1SMjVZg/s1600/24+kodaline+bournemouth+air+festival+2013+night+air+wave+105.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyjwKmDpFKxud4CH_1JClgVXoSrC8vKybmAfGLVQGWi9Maw1ATUXQ_vBs5HQ29HwVpChr0qoWSYAGSmPp8A4YlwzipwA9vaDC5XxvHBJDnPjlg-lbcSa_ZbMkqEmS_eeupWcw1SMjVZg/s400/24+kodaline+bournemouth+air+festival+2013+night+air+wave+105.png" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Kodaline</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> <span style="text-align: justify;">I loved every minute of the Bournemouth Air Festival this year, and will definitely be going again next year (26th-31st August 2014!), you can find all the information about this </span><a href="http://bournemouthair.co.uk/" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="text-align: justify;">. The only advice I would give you that isn't given on this website is that it would be a better idea to go to a beach other than the stretch between Bournemouth and Boscombe pier, as this is absolutely PACKED. We went to a beach near a place called Southbourne, mainly because it's where my friend has a beach hut, but also because it was only a 30 minute walk from Boscombe pier, but also because the beach was nearly empty but you could still see all the planes!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thank you for reading - apologies for how long it was, I didn't mean for it to be!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">P.S. I'm feeling super snazzy & sophisticated blogging from the beach ;)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">P.P.S. Happy September!</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 33px;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">❤</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 11px;"><a href="mailto:rebeccaellablogspot@gmail.com" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Email</a> | </span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 11px;"><a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/rebecca__ella" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/10286352/rebecca-ella" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a> | <a href="http://pinterest.com/rebeccaellaaa" sl-processed="1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> | <a href="http://rebecca-ella.tumblr.com/" sl-processed="1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Tumblr</a> | <a href="http://instagram.com/rebecca__ella" sl-processed="1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Instagram</a></span></b></div>
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rebecca-ellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13403068891617070698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053150342357313490.post-91410635164834466412013-08-22T03:31:00.000+01:002013-08-22T03:31:00.065+01:00May the Odds be ever in your Favour!<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Like thousands of teenagers across the UK, I am getting my GCSE results this morning, and I bet, like thousands of teenagers across the UK, I can't sleep and am panicking slightly too much.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQE1JwYcwu5lP43fmaD0f_CjFklJCsJAHq2B2mNHU1DHu8iqnbuDcmrA_5zjDIPge5-JyMZofKxegbyaZ2nVsKK6LasITXD8zLcIw-qpo2271WfqEeBrnI5Wb4Mw39k_ihB6G-HGIl3A/s1600/Me+opening+my+gcse+exam+results+mr+bean.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQE1JwYcwu5lP43fmaD0f_CjFklJCsJAHq2B2mNHU1DHu8iqnbuDcmrA_5zjDIPge5-JyMZofKxegbyaZ2nVsKK6LasITXD8zLcIw-qpo2271WfqEeBrnI5Wb4Mw39k_ihB6G-HGIl3A/s1600/Me+opening+my+gcse+exam+results+mr+bean.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">How I plan to open my exam results.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Anyways, this is just a little post to say good luck to all you year 11's out there getting your results together - let's hope that the exam boards were really nice to us this year! (ha.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If you're feeling slightly down in the dumps later about your results, just be thankful that you don't live in the wizarding world, and be thankful that your results didn't come in the form of a howler, because that would be, as my english teacher-who-hopefully-helped-me-get-an-A would say - "Atrocious". Seriously though, imagine how horrible it would be to get an enchanted shouting envelope screaming your exam results at you for the rest of your year to hear.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Anyways, good luck again my lovelies! I'm sure you'll all do fine, and if not, just remember there are some very successful people out there who didn't do all that well at school either (Alan Sugar, Bill Gates, the list goes on!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've got all my fingers and toes crossed for you - please let me know how you do!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thank you, and good luck (sorry for sounding like a parrot, but lets hope the more times it gets said to you, the more we you will have - this is what I'm relying on!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 26px; line-height: 33px;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">❤</span></span></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 7.5pt; line-height: 11px;"><a href="mailto:rebeccaellablogspot@gmail.com" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Email</a> | </span></b><b style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 7.5pt; line-height: 11px;"><a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/rebecca__ella" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/10286352/rebecca-ella" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a> | <a href="http://pinterest.com/rebeccaellaaa" sl-processed="1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> | <a href="http://rebecca-ella.tumblr.com/" sl-processed="1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Tumblr</a> | <a href="http://instagram.com/rebecca__ella" sl-processed="1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Instagram</a></span></b></div>
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rebecca-ellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13403068891617070698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053150342357313490.post-70058717203744942712013-08-20T22:51:00.001+01:002013-08-21T21:29:01.954+01:00Musician of the Month | Nina Nesbitt<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Helllo my lovelies! I've decided that I'm going to have a new segment on my blog, called MUSICIAN OF THE MONTH! *ooooooohhh*</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I think that it's pretty obvious what this section will entail, but just in case you haven't cottoned on yet, basically, once a month I will select a musician and I will share with you why I love them so much!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now, originally I was going to have my all-time favourite YouTube artist as my first post in this segment, but I've decided that I'm going to tell you about someone who actually is releasing a song soon onto iTunes, so maybe, possibly <span style="font-size: x-small;">(a hint at one of my favourite YouTube duos!) </span>you could help me get this girl into the top ten? It would be <i>very</i> much appreciated!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So, without further ado, let me introduce you to my very first musician of the month!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">(Note - this is the August artist!)</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Simplicity;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><u>Nina
Nesbitt!</u></span></span></b></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Yes, that's right, the first Musician of the Month is the fluffy-haired, Scottish singer who's going to take the UK by storm, and what better time to feature her than just after the premiere of the New John Lewis advert, in which she sings the song?!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">perfecto.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Before people start saying that it's not her song, I know. I know that it's a Fleetwood Mac cover, and I adore both versions. I love the spin that Nina has put on it. On the John Lewis adverts, they never use original songs. In the past, Ellie Goulding did a cover (<i>Your Song</i> by Elton John), and Gabrielle Aplin last Christmas covered <i>The Power Of Love</i> by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. (Both of which, may I say, reached no. 1 in the UK iTunes charts! - Hopefully this is a prophesy that Nina Nesbitt with her cover of <i>Don't Stop</i> will also fulfill!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I first discovered Nina Nesbitt in July 2012 when her single "Only Love" was featured as the iTunes single of the week in the UK. I can remember going on a really long car journey to see my family, and listening to that song on repeat for a good solid 2 hours, and then switching between Avril Lavigne after that, and then back to a bit of Nina.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Since that car journey and my epiphany after the exposure to the beautiful vocals of Miss Nesbitt, I've been converted to a Nesbian. I'm hooked, and let's just say that I have a lot of proof (i.e. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I have every single song that she's released on iTunes on my iPod.) Yeah. Not only is she a B-E-A-Utiful singer and songwriter, but I am also in love with the way she dresses and her obsession with Instagram. It's one face I don't mind clogging up my feed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">If you've watched any of Nina's videos, you may find that you know her face. Before being a musician, she was actually a model, but at the beginning of her modelling career, she had brown hair, but she bleached it mid-way through, so there are a mixture of modelling shots where she has different coloured hair. She says she stopped modelling because she was told she was "too fat". WHAAAAAAAATTTT?!? These people must be crazy, because Nina is anything but fat, I mean, just look at her girl!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Another reason why you may recognise Nina Nesbitt is because she appeared in the music video for "</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Drunk</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">" by Ed Sheeran (lemmie hear you say chuuuuuuunne!). Since meeting Ed, she also supported him on his European tour, and then later on supported Example after he heard her amazing cover of his song "Stay Awake".</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">She received a bit more recognition in April this year, as her song "Stay Out" from her EP "Stay Out" was put on the 'A List' on BBC Radio 1, which means that it got a lot of airplay prior to it's release, and subsequently it entered at no. 21 on the iTunes chart, but fell to no. 41 the following week :(. However, I strongly urge you go and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpHK2mb-FKk" target="_blank">check this song out</a>, as it is a gorgeous catchy tune. I'm never sure of the genre that she sings, with people saying it ranges from BritPop, to rock, and a hint of country. To be honest, I'm hopeless with musical genres, but all I know is that Nina Nesbitt is <b>DEFINITELY</b> a musician to watch, as I'm sure she is going to be very big in the future!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here are all the links you need to support (and love) Nina as much as I do:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ninanesbittmusic.com/" target="_blank">Official Website</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://twitter.com/ninanesbitt" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/ninanesbitt" target="_blank">YouTube</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ninanesbittmusic" target="_blank">Facebook</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://instagram.com/ninanesbitt" target="_blank">Instagram</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nina_Nesbitt" target="_blank">Wikipedia page</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thank You!</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 26px; line-height: 33px;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">❤</span></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: 'Coming Soon';"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 7.5pt; line-height: 11px;"><a href="mailto:rebeccaellablogspot@gmail.com" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Email</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/rebecca__ella" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/10286352/rebecca-ella" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a> | <a href="http://pinterest.com/rebeccaellaaa" sl-processed="1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> | <a href="http://rebecca-ella.tumblr.com/" sl-processed="1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Tumblr</a> | <a href="http://instagram.com/rebecca__ella" sl-processed="1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Instagram</a></span></b></div>
rebecca-ellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13403068891617070698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053150342357313490.post-28658710268116200352013-08-19T23:24:00.000+01:002013-08-21T21:27:02.770+01:00Rockstar Ronan.<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've been reading Maya Thompson's blog for almost three years now. In August 2010, Maya's son, Ronan was diagnosed with Stage IV Neuroblastoma (a form of cancer common in children). He was three years old. He fought cancer for nearly a year, but he lost his battle on the 9th May, 2011. As his mother Maya puts it:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"Ronan's battle with Neuroblastoma ended on May 9, 2011, but his fight will go on. Ronan continues to inspire us in the way he lived his life full of passion, strength, and courage. He will live forever in our hearts and minds as the most beautiful little boy to ever have touched the earth. We, as a family, are determined to carry on his name, and find a cure for this horrible disease"</span></blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEkTI2btMscBucSL49k8wAn6RfRFUy36nyW3VIop3czfSQUBWP-m9EWE1EJSFcaPaS69R8x128Z8s-dul_v9ME1gkcec9_0BtN9NhvELG7M9feJijdniEKLXDcnoXsORoZ2du5tXAP7w/s1600/504ad585132fd.preview-620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEkTI2btMscBucSL49k8wAn6RfRFUy36nyW3VIop3czfSQUBWP-m9EWE1EJSFcaPaS69R8x128Z8s-dul_v9ME1gkcec9_0BtN9NhvELG7M9feJijdniEKLXDcnoXsORoZ2du5tXAP7w/s1600/504ad585132fd.preview-620.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Credit: <a href="http://rockstarronan.com/" target="_blank">Rockstar Ronan</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I remember when I first stumbled across Maya's blog when I was thirteen, and something about her and her beautiful family's strength had me hooked, and since then I have read every single post she has written. I've smiled with her, and cried with her, and I find it so hard to write about this because it means so much to me. I think it's down to the raw truth that Maya puts in her blog, she doesn't sugar coat anything, and just puts down her feelings, so you can't help but go on the journey with her. I can remember the day that I read her post saying that Ronan had lost his fight. I didn't cry at first, I was so in shock, but when I cried, boy, did I cry. This little boy had touched me so much in the eight months that I had known about him, probably more than anybody I'd actually met in real life. I know this must sound silly to some of you, but I promise, if you read a few of Maya's posts on <a href="http://rockstarronan.com/" target="_blank">Rockstar Ronan</a>, you'll be touched in the same way that I have been.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ronan and his story gained a lot of recognition in September 2012, after Taylor Swift released a beautiful song she had written called "Ronan", which she then performed at the "Stand up to Cancer telethon". Now, this single she penned is different to most other charity singles that people write. If you Google the writers of Ronan, you will see that Taylor credited Maya Thompson as co-writer, as, like me, she was touched by Maya's story and also read Rockstar Ronan. She wrote a song made up entirely of phrases and words used on the blog, and all of the money went to the charity that Maya Thompson has set up, the <a href="http://www.theronanthompsonfoundation.com/" target="_blank">Ronan Thompson Foundation</a> & other cancer-related charities.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I was going to write a blog post about how much I hate cancer and how I can't believe the strength that the Thompson's have & how beautiful their whole family is, but I've found I can't. I feel like I can't write a sugar-coated version of what they've all gone through. No one else can tell the story of Ronan, a beautiful boy who died just three days before his fourth birthday. You need to read Maya's blog and her posts, and then you can cry with me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Nothing can be said to those people who have lost their friends or family to this horrible disease, and I find it amazing as to how Maya manages to put her feelings into words, when I'm struggling to find the right ones even in this blog post. I feel stupid for writing this post as if I knew him, and yet somehow managing not to have any emotion in it, even though I am trying my hardest. I can't put anything about Ronan or the Thompson's into words, I just...struggle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's angels like Taylor Swift who make sure that no one forgets about cancer. I feel like it's almost a taboo subject, no one wants to talk about children having cancer. I think it's because we don't like to think about something so innocent being cursed by something so...horrible (I can't think of an adjective to describe it, but maybe after reading Maya's blog, you'll be able to think of a fair few). I know that quite a lot of people don't like Taylor Swift for various reasons, but please, listen to Ronan, and read Maya's posts about what Taylor Swift has done for her and for her family. Even now, when they're in the same state, Taylor meets up with Maya, and they talk. In one of her blog posts in which she talks about Taylor Swift, she says</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"This girl feels like a part of our family now, not some big celebrity. It’s funny because she’s never felt like some big celebrity to me. To me she’s always just felt like a normal girl who fell in love with you [Ronan] and who just happened to be in a position to make something really beautiful happen because she took a chance on us and followed her heart. To me, that has saved me in a way and I will forever be grateful to her and her old, wise soul. I have no doubt that many more beautiful things are to come."</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What I think is so lovely about Maya and Taylor's relationship is that even though Maya shares basically everything about her life and Ronan on her blog, she says (when talking about her time with Taylor) "Some things just feel too sacred to be shared". If you need any convincing of Taylor Swift's angelic heart, you can find them <a href="http://rockstarronan.com/2013/05/31/you-make-beautiful-things-happen/" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://rockstarronan.com/2013/03/12/miss-taylor-how-i-love-you-so/" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://rockstarronan.com/2012/10/26/seriously-the-best-comment-i-have-read-in-a-long-time-thanks-lisa-had-to-post-it/" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://rockstarronan.com/2012/10/24/rotay-magic-everywhere/" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://rockstarronan.com/2012/10/16/all-good-things-happen-in-new-york/" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://rockstarronan.com/2012/09/18/seriously-taylor-swift-i-could-not-love-you-more/" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://rockstarronan.com/2012/09/12/dear-ronan-im-freaking-tired-too-tired-to-even-name-this-post-tonight/"><span id="goog_310271365"></span>here<span id="goog_310271366"></span></a>, <a href="http://rockstarronan.com/2012/09/10/you-were-absolutely-my-best-four-years/">here</a>, <a href="http://rockstarronan.com/2012/09/09/hey-maya-its-taylor-swift/">here</a>, <a href="http://rockstarronan.com/2012/09/07/this-just-keeps-getting-more-and-more-amazing-thank-you-taylor-for-fighting-the-good-fight-with-us/">here</a>, <a href="http://rockstarronan.com/2012/09/07/remember-how-i-asked-you-all-to-watch-stand-up-2-cancer-tonight-this-might-be-why/">here</a>, <a href="http://rockstarronan.com/2012/05/20/taylor-swift-is-gold/">here</a>, <a href="http://rockstarronan.com/2011/10/20/taylor-swift-loves-rockstar-ronan-and-i-dont-love-obnoxious-complainers-so-shut-up/">here</a>, and in many more places on Rockstar Ronan (click on the last links first). Even though you may consider her a normal celebrity, and you may "hate" her for some reason, trust me: After reading how Maya talks about her and for how grateful she is to her, you will gain some respect for her.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Maya's words: "Wise girl. Wise soul. Forever grateful."</span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/BoRa1yreGQo?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Ronan by Taylor Swift, in a video made by a RoStar</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Whilst on Maya's blog usually it is her feelings and words that affect me the most, just the other day I re-read some facts on an old blog post about cancer in children <u>in the US</u>, and as she puts it, it's "unf***ingacceptable" (Credit for these facts are to Rockstar Ronan):</span></div>
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<ul style="background-color: white; border: 0px; list-style: square; margin: 0px 0px 18px 36px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Nationally, childhood cancer is 20x more prevalent than pediatric AIDS.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Pediatric AIDS receives 4x the funding that childhood cancer receives.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In one month there are 2x as many deaths from childhood cancer as pediatric AIDS for the entire year.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In the U.S. almost 3,000 children do not survive cancer each year.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Over the past 20 years, only TWO new cancer drug has been approved for pediatric use – Clofarabine (Clolar-Genzyme) in 2004 for ALL and Tenoposide (Vumar/VM-26-BMS) in 1990.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Only 3% of the National Cancer Institute Budget goes toward Pediatric Cancer Research.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 28px;">September is Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month, which nationally goes unrecognised.</span></span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The federal government recently cut the budget for Childhood Cancer Research.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Currently there are between 30 – 40,000 children undergoing cancer treatment in the U.S.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Young patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed. Approximately 20% of adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet almost 80% of children show that the cancer has spread at diagnosis.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Today, up to 75% of the children with cancer can be cured, yet some forms of childhood cancer have proven so resistant to treatment that, in spite of research, a cure is illusive.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As a nation, we spend over $14 BILLION per year on the space program, but only $35 million on Childhood Cancer Research each year.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There are 15 children diagnosed with cancer for every one child diagnosed with pediatric AIDS. Yet, the U.S. invests approximately $595,000 for research per victim of pediatric AIDS and only $20,000 for each victim of childhood cancer.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) federal budget for 2003 was $4.6 billion. Of that, breast cancer received 12%, prostate cancer received 7%, and all 12 major groups of pediatric cancers combined received less than 3%.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Research funds are scarce as most money is diverted to well-publicized adult forms of cancer, such as breast and prostate.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In 2005, the American Cancer Society provided only 2.5% of funded grants, or 1.85% of dollars spent on research to pediatric cancer</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Unbelievable.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>(Note - I'm not sure how similar these figures are to that in the UK & the rest of the world)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I apologise for how rambly and unstructured this post is, but frankly, the truth is, I don't know how I can structure this. It's taken me over an hour and a half to write this much, because I just kept changing my mind on what I was going to say and deleting the whole thing and starting again. It's ridiculous, but I couldn't find the words. I also apologise for talking about Taylor Swift so much, I guess I got sidetracked, but I feel like people need to know about the good things she does for charity, which the media never seems to focus on, instead choosing to focus on her relationship with Harry Styles, or her changes in style, etc, and always focusing on the negatives. No. This girl is amazing in different ways for different people. If you don't like her music, fine. If you don't like the way she dresses, fine. These things don't change the fact that she did a <a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/17/a-childs-cancer-story-inspires-taylor-swift/?smid=fb-share&_r=0" target="_blank">truly amazing thing</a> for one little boy and his family, and this needs to be recognised.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When I started this post, I seemed so sure of how it was going to pan out. I was going to speak about how much I hate cancer, especially in children, and write a few words which would make all of you cry and suddenly start to support childhood cancer, and look how it turned out. I challenge you to try to write a post like that. It's pretty darn near impossible unless you've lost someone close to you like Maya Thompson has. Please, go and read her blog, Rockstar Ronan, because she puts all the things I've tried to say into words, and is guaranteed to make you shed a tear or two, & I'm pretty sure she'll make you appreciate everything you have in life, and want to do something to help improve those who have been affected by cancer in some way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here are all the links you need:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://rockstarronan.com/" target="_blank">Rockstar Ronan</a> (the blog I keep talking about, written by Maya Thompson.) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.theronanthompsonfoundation.com/about/ronan" target="_blank">Ronan's Story</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.theronanthompsonfoundation.com/" target="_blank">The Ronan Thompson Foundation</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ronan-single/id560227510" target="_blank">Ronan - Taylor Swift</a> (link to buy on iTunes)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The reason why I'm telling you all about this and about Ronan Thompson is because September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month. So come on people, let's spread the word and make people dig deep in their pockets for SUCH a good cause!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Together, we WILL find a cure for cancer. Thank you Maya, for making me realise how much this is needed & the urgency for it, and for inspiring me. There is so much I want & need to say, but only you can find the right words to say them. I'm sorry. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I'm sorry I couldn't write this post the way I wanted to, but honestly, no one writes the way you do. I love you.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Finally, I would just like to say one thing: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Ronan, you are loved to the moon and back, forever and always.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">That is all. I'm sorry for turning this into a pointless, waffly near-novel. I can't put emotions very well into words.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 26px; line-height: 33px;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">❤</span></span></div>
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