Fun Things To Do During The Summer

I finally finished my exams! Phew, I had 7 exams in 9 days- It felt like it lasted forever! Now that they are finished I have three and a half long empty months to go until I start my Msc in DIT in September.

Here's a list (Which may get updated) of what I plan to do this Summer 2012:

1) Get Ripped

I love girl abs. This summer I plan on achieving girl abs. I shall be doing this through a combination of healthy eating and constant exercise. My diet shall be high protein (not too low-carb). I shall be swimming an playing water polo twice a week. On top of this I shall aim to go to the gym at least twice a week to lift weights. I will also be doing planks every night to work up my abductor muscles (although the main thing I need to do is lower my body fat)







2) Compete in a Triathlon

I'm not too sure about this one! I can obviously do the swim part and I can do the cycle- Although not that fast. The problem is I struggle to run more than 2km. I run like a girl. This one  is a 'maybe'!









3) Go Abroad

I really need to get out of Ireland. I love travelling. I will go ANYWHERE! At the moment I'm looking at inter-railing or some sort of volunteering in Africa or South America with my sister. Unfortunately she isn't as enthusiastic about our impending voyage so I'm not really sure how it will pan out. Watch this space!









4) Write A Song

This one is the hardest of my plans. I find it really hard to write songs. I can sit at the piano and improvise for hours on end but I really want to write a pop song, with cool lyrics. That's my downfall: lyrics. Plus I've nothing to write about! Maybe I need to get my heart broken so I can be inspired!






5) Read (At least) Five Books

And proper books too! No trash! (Although I am tempted to read 50 Shades of Grey, ha. ever since Ellen Degeneres did her skit about it!)

I'm almost finished The Reluctant Fundamentalist so but I'm not counting that as one of my 5. I must put together a reading list asap and start ticking them off!




So those are my Summer plans. Wish me luck!
xx

♡ Electra Heart ♡

I absolutely LOVE Marina and the Diamonds new album! It's called Electra Heart and it's so camp and pop, it's brilliant! My favorite tracks from it at the moment are Starring Role and HomeWrecker. I love her voice, it's opratic.

Here's an acoustic version of Homewrecker:


I also watched a few videos on youtube of her commenting on the album. She explains how the main reason she started writing songs is for the lyrics. On this alum she collaborated with some well know producers and music writers which allowed her to concentrate on her skills as a lyricist (Which are exquisite by the way!). I really think this paid off :)

Here's my cover of the first single off the album 'Primadonna Girl'. Enjoy!

What makes you beautiful?

This song sounded so innocent at first, catchy lyrics, upbeat and happy tune, sunny, Californian video. What's not to like? Well nothing... Except for the blatant misogynist undertones!

Ok, maybe (Definitely!) I'm being a bit dramatic. Let me explain...

"You don't know you're beautiful, oh oh oh, that's what makes you beautiful!"

This song is meant to promote the idea that it's ok to be shy. Which it is, don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with being quiet. But the fact that the subject of the song is beautiful because she doesn't know she's beautiful erks me to be honest. Surely the girl is beautiful because she has nice eyes or a 'beautiful soul' (lol).  Is it to say that if she suddenly looked in the mirror and realised that she is beautiful would she then no longer be beautiful?

One of the lyrics in this song actually indicates that the subject is 'insecure'. I've never seen an attractive, insecure person. I really don't see the appeal of a girl or guy being insecure, regardless of their looks. 

What happened to confidence being sexy? Real confidence to just be yourself, regardless of what you look like. Most men I've ever spoken to agree that that confidence is key. A girl who is not afraid to express her opinions is beautiful. A girl who is not afraid to do something weird is beautiful. How much of a turn-off would it be to constantly have to reassure your 'insecure' partner?

I know plenty of beautiful women who know they are beautiful. Actually, all the beautiful people I know are fully aware that they are beautiful. And it's the confidence that stems from this knowledge that makes them even more attractive in my humble opinion. Which is why I wish to conclude that One Direction do not promote a healthy mindset in young girls. A more suitable role model would be LMFAO (Oh, it's THAT kind of party?!) who are ready to embrace confidence which is why I shall sign off with a song with a positive message, now let's all Wiggle, Wiggle, Wiggle, Wiggle, Wiggle! Yeah!