UK vs. US

"Across the pond"

Is it really that different?

So recently blog readers I've been thinking a lot about other countries, especially America and I was mainly thinking what the differences are for two people, the same age, living in either country. So I came up with 10 questions and asked my friend Rachael who lives in Utah to answer them for me! I then answered the same questions and this is what happened:

1: Who’s who in your family? So who do you live with? Who are you closet to?

R - "Well, I have four sisters and no brothers. I'm really close to all of them. My oldest sister went off to college and we still talk almost everyday. "

H - "I live with my mum, my dad and my younger brother. I'm close to each of them in different ways, I'll always be "daddys girl" but I also rely on my mum a lot. Hugo and I don't get on very well though."

 
2: What is your typical holiday destination? How many times have you been abroad?
R - "Living in Utah, I like to go to warm places because Utah is cold half of the year. So I mostly go to California and head off to Disneyland. Also, during the summer I love to head to my hometown in Oregon to go and visit my grandparents. I've been Abroad about 4 or 5 times. (Bahamas, and Mexico)"

H - "Usually every year I go to my house in the middle of the world because it's only a short journey and doesn't cost much to go. The only time I ever go anywhere else is with school and I've never been out of Europe"

3- What kind of meals do you have? 

 R - "To tell you the truth, I don't eat breakfast unless I'm on vacation. I'm not sure why. Probably because I'm not too fond of breakfast foods. And for lunch I usually make some sort of sandwich. Mostly ham and cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. All that jazz. And for dinner I eat whatever my mom usually makes for us. If not, My parents love going out on Saturday nights to certain restaurants and stuff. So I stay home with my family and usually order a pizza."

 H -"for breakfast I usually have a huge cup of tea and porridge or muesli in the summer. It being so cold in the winter I have to have a big warm breakfast to make sure my stomach doesn't rumble in lessons! For lunch I usually have pasta either hot from school or cold from the night before and for dinner it's usually loads of veg and on Sundays mac and cheese. My family are also a huge fan of beans on toast although everything we eat has to be organic or free range and we rarely go out for dinner, if we do it's either for Chinese or a curry" 

4. On a trip out with your friends what do you usually do? Where do you go?

 R - "I used to love going to the mall constantly. I would go almost every week and just chill with everyone. Now a days I don't like doing anything too special. (I guess you can say I'm boring xD.) But friends usually come over here, or I go over there and we watch a movie, or play board games or something like that. Whatever we have, We do. :)"

 H - "I live far away from all my friends so I mostly meet them in town and we go sit in the park with some music and junk food, because we mostly all have jobs or have no money we don't meet up on the weekends but I have a friend down the road who I walk the dogs with every weekend and then we usually end back at his on the Wii! Also silly games with his little sister like Cluedo are always fun."

5. What subjects do you take at school?

R - "Well, our school here in Utah, is different from schools everywhere else in America. We have something called A days and B days, A days one day and the next day we have B days. 4 classes each day.
A1- I go to Algebra 1. So just math for an hour.
A2- I go to Seminary. Which is a class for my religion.
A3- I go to Peer Tutor. It's where I tutor math to kids with disabilities. It's super fun.
A4- I go to Spanish 1. Pretty self explanatory. Learning Spanish.
B1- English 11. Which is how we learn writing skill and what not. It's required to take every year.
B2- I go to World History. Where I learn about the history of the world. We just got past the WWII unit.
B3- I go to Drama 3. Which is a theater history class. And we learn about how Acting came to be.
B4- I go to Aerobics. Where I do Killer work outs that leave me sore forever." 

 H - "For me I take only four subjects which I chose: English Language, English Literature, Theatre Studies and Art and a language which is compulsory. My weeks work on a two week rota (like most of England) so we have week A and week B however my days are usually pretty samish:

Mondays: Two free periods then English Lit and Theatre and Art 

Tuesdays: One Free then English Lit, English Lang, Theatre and Art

Wednesdays: One free then either Theatre or Russian, English Lit and English Lang

Thursdays: Two free periods then either Art or Russian, English Lit and English Lang

Friday: Two free periods then Art, English Lang and Theatre"

6- Do you like having a Presidency/ Monarchy? What are your views on the President/ Royal Family?

R - "I love having a Presidency. And even though I probably should, I haven't really paid much attention to the Royal Family. I think it's really neat though to hear about it though. (Especially when I was little, when I found out Princesses existed. Talk about excited.) :)"

 H - "I love the Royal Family and I can't wait for the wedding this Friday I'm planning on having a party to celebrate it! However I think it would be nice if the Queen had more of a say about how the country was run than the Prime Minister! I think just having one person in charge is a little odd plus there isn't the cultural background behind the President but I do think it's great that the American people get such a strong voice that they pick exactly who runs the country."

7- If you could compare your life to a film, a song, and a book, which would they be? 

R - "That's a tough one.. For the Movie, probably Cheaper By the Dozen. The little red headed boy who owns the toad would probably be me. The song, being the hopeless Romantic that I am. "Gotta be somebody" By Nickleback. Or "Friday" By Rebecca Black. (As terrible as that song is, it describes ALOT of people. haha) And a book. I wish I did, But I don't read much. So I wouldn't know what books related to me."

 

 H - " Hmm, for the movie I would say Mean Girls! The cliques we have at school and the girls who think they're better than everyone is crazy! For my song, I'm not sure right now it would probably be "Just around the river bend" from Pocahontas because I can't wait for tomorrow, I live for the day when I leave home and go out into the big wide world however stuff like school is holding me back at the moment! For my book I would have to say Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging! Only my nose is small not big! I have exactly the same problems Georgia has, especially the whole eyebrow plucking incident, I've done that before!!" 

 

8- How big is your school prom? 

R - "Oh gosh, People go WAY far to get it to be a night to remember. I'm not kidding, it's just like in the movies for some people. I've never been personally, so I'm not really too worried about it. I would just like an excuse to wear one of those huge dresses that some of the girls wear."

 

 H - "We only had a school prom because some girls in our year organised it, so not very big but it was perfect for our year. The school had nothing to do with it what so ever but it was so much fun and I can't wait for another at the end of next year when we leave."

 

9- What's your favorite Thing about America/England?

R - "I love how we can vote for a president, and can have our own opinions on a lot of things. I don't like how people don't care though and always take advantage of it, or don't even vote. But, I'm excited to move out of here. I'm doing a study abroad program once I graduate. I'm not sure where I'm going to go, but I'm going to Europe for sure."

 

 H - "As I said before I love the fact we have a Queen and also the idea that we have so much history, more than countries like America which are relatively new compared to England! I also like how as a country we have been through so much with the wars and royalty fighting but we still kept hold of what it's like to be British - Also Harry Potter came from England ;) "

 

 10- Have you ever Visited England/America?

R - "No, sadly I haven't. I would certainly love too though. Mostly for the reasons why every tourist goes there. :)" 

 

H - "No, but I really want to go, just to see the sights and experience the culture which is so different to ours! I also really want to walk down Hollywood and see my name on one of those starts in the ground!"

 

So there you have it blog readers, 10 different questions and answers from two people on opposite sides of "The Pond" of course there are many differences but as you can see there are some similarities too, what I find amazing is that America was a place of hope for many people (including those in England) and from being a new country it has become one of the biggest and most influential powers in the world! How crazy is that? 

Anyways I had better go do some work! Thank you Rachael for helping me with this! 

xox

HarrietCorey  

Jemma Pixie Hixon

She hasn't left her house in two years,

But everyday thousands watch her perform.

 Jemma Pixie Hixon, is not your average 20 year old from the good old UK. No Jemma is an outstanding singer with a voice many have compared to Britain's best, how do I know about Jemma? Well I followed her for ages when I was into posting (very bad) videos of myself singing on Youtube. I wanted to be just like her, however there is something even more special about Jemma than being able to sing so well, she suffers from anxiety attacks and agoraphobia, in other words she cannot go outside into large open spaces with lots of crowds. For Jemma this started when she was 6 however now at 20 she hasn't left her house in two years, imagine if that was you! No going shopping with your friends, no dog walks, bike rides, no school! 

However with the Agoraphobia and the inability to step outside came another downside. Her singing would suffer, or so people thought. When Jemma was 13 she won a competition on the BBC to sing live... with the Sugababes 

Instead of letting the Agoraphobia prevent the world outside her door from hearing her voice Jemma came up with a way to combat this. Instead of letting it get to her Jemma set up a studio in her room with a camera, a laptop and a microphone and began recording videos to upload to Youtube. 

From these her fans have been able to follow her progression from blond to brunette and from brilliant to outstanding.

Personally I think Jemma is one brave girl, she's kept doing what she loves despite being afraid to go outside and I marvel at her determination and positive outlook on life and wish her the very best with everything. 

So blog readers I leave you with my favorite of her covers. 

xox 

HarrietCorey

PS. all the links to her youtube and her facebook are on the "up and comings" page

 

"Kizuna : The bonds of friendship"

Funny things happen when you don't expect them.

Evening blog readers! 

I was in my garden doing some art earlier and I had a newspaper over the table so as not get it covered in glitter and I was this peeping out from under my sketch book: 

 At first I ignored it and then I realised that I had no idea what it was about, turns out it was a letter put into every newspaper from the Japanese President say thank you for the kindness all the countries who have helped Japan after the earthquake and tsunami.

One particular sentence stood out for me and that was this: 

"" We deeply appreciate the Kizuna our friends around the world have shown and I want to thank every nation, entity, and you personally, from the bottom of my heart."

Something about this made me stop and think, why is it that Naoto Kan decided he wanted to thank the world for helping. For so long gratitude is just assumed, if someone lends you a pen you assume they know how grateful you are, if someone saves you a seat on the bus you assume that they know just how much you wanted that seat. It's only on rare occasions that someone goes to the lengths, such as this, to thank someone for something they did. Personally I grinned when I read this and I felt so proud to have taken part in charity events at my school, not for the fun but to give money to Japan. A message like this really can make something so small as giving £1 seem so much greater when you know that it really did help and those you gave the money to really did appreciate it. 

So next time someone does something nice for you then remember to thank them, maybe don't put a letter in a newspaper but find a little way to show your gratitude.

As ever, much love

xox

HarrietCorey

Thank You.

Thank you to everyone who has ever read, followed or publisised my blog! 

It hounestly means the world to me! 

xox

HarrietCorey 

ps . spechial thanks to www.casualbloggercommunity.com for featuring me on Wednesday!

Studentberry Jam - A night of variety.

From beautiful voices to loud music

Studentberry Jam was definite must see.

Afternoon blog readers! Last night I hopped along to The Tunbridge Wells Forum to see one of my best friends playing in a night of music organised by two girls in the year above me. Being a first time Forum-goer I wasn't sure what to expect, however I was pleasantly surprised. 

The venue itself was cosy with a hole in the carpet and lots of flashing lights but once the music began the atmosphere changed and not a single person in the room had their mouth closed. Jaw dropping sensation wouldn't be a close enough description. 

The night started with the wonderful Millie who stunned the audience into submission with her blue guitar (named Tigerlilly) and a voice so unique you couldn't possibly compare it to another artist. Singing a mixture of her own material and covers, such as KT Tunstall's "Black Horse and a Cherry Tree" and "Little Black Numbers" by Kathryn Williams, Millie played a total of six songs before being cheered off the stage, many in the audience calling for an encore however when we were denied this we were left hungry for more. 

After a short interval the next band took to the stage, Act Sober confused the audience by playing what appeared to be a mix of hip hop and rock music complete with a lot of swearing which evoked a mixed reaction from the audience, some feeling that perhaps they were slightly too young to be swearing so much. However the swearing aside the band managed to whip the audience into a frenzy, some even jumping up to dance "gangsta style". 

Our next delight came in the form of a supposed "filler act" who defiantly lived up to the description of "2 godly guitarists make sweet love via their instruments"  However personally I think their description did not do them justice as Rob and Andy were so much better than gods, giving the audience a more peaceful vibe with their almost jazzy tunes. 

Next up was one of my personal favourites, Josh Davies and his red guitar. Within the first minute Josh had the attention of every girl in the room as they watched eagerly waiting for the cord he played and note he sang. With beautiful lyrics and a rhythm to die for Josh made the room full of a melody and tune equal to the greats and just when we thought it couldn't get any better he stepped to the side and brought out Jasmine (Who later sung as part of "Jasmine and the tribe") to help him sing a cover of Mumford and Son's "The Cave". Needless to say it was perfection and if I wasn't a huge Mumford and Son's fan I would probably claim it to be better than the original! 

After another "filler" Annmarie Clay took to the stage backed by the Rob, Andy and the rest of their band and although she slipped up on her lyrics once or twice the overall performance was breathtaking. If you could imagine an angel singing backed by a loud bass and drum then you might possibly come close to how outstanding Annmarie was last night. A good friend of mine pointed out how nervous she seemed to be getting up onstage in front of all those people but she honestly had nothing to worry about as the crowd hung onto every note of her truly heavenly voice. 

A quick switch and it was once again Jasmine's turn to take to the stage, this time as part of "Jasmine and the tribe" I will be completely honest with you now blog readers, I could not stop smiling! Jasmine had a voice which not only matched the talent of the artists she covered but added a whole new meaning to popular songs such as Amy Winehouse's "Valarie". However the highlight of the performance was when the guitarist broke his string mid-performance and struggled through being one string short! 

As an audience we were not aloud to rest our ears and recover from the beauty of the music before Index and Primo jumped onstage to deliver a heavy electronic beat and a very strange track about eggs, which although completely random with no logical sense made the crowd scream for more. The quick beats and techno genius had everyone on their feet jumping, dancing and in some cases hopping around. 

Finally the evening finished with the DJ Arcan3, which I admit I only stayed for five minutes before having to leave (the joys of living far away meant being picked up was an earlier affair for me than many others) However reports this morning said the reaction from the crowd was extraordinary and you can check out some of the stuff in the links below! 

So overall the music and the atmosphere last night was phenomenal, if a little loud in places, each of the acts should be very proud and a special congratulations goes out to Annmarie Clay and Jasmine Tribe for their organisational whirlwind which made the evening such a sucsess. Well done! For those who didn't manage to go cross your fingers that there will be a next time because man it was good! 

Index & Primo 

Arcan3  & Arcan3's Facebook

(sorry if this is an awful review, it's the first time I've written anything like this!)

Peace out! 

xox

HarrietCorey

Beautiful Story...

The Starfish Story

Original Story by: Loren Eisley (Don't know who she is but from this she sounds amazing)

One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed

a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean.

Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?”

The youth replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean.

The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.”

“Son,” the man said, “don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish?

You can’t make a difference!”

After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish,

and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said…”

I made a difference for that one.”

 

 

 

-Just thought you readers may like this whilst I struggle to get revision, art and life back to normal-

xox 

HarrietCorey

SUMMER TIME!

I love summer

But what a crazy time it is all ready!

Hey blog lovers, haters and walkers (whatever that is!) I'm so sorry I haven't blogged recently but I've been soo busy! So this past week I've been in a play "The servant to two masters" and I loved every minute of it. However it has taken up so much of my time that you all got slightly overlooked! For that I apologise! 

Another crazy thing in my life right now... 

Wait for it... 

It's big news...

I, YES HARRIETCOREY HAVE A JOB!!!!

I handed in my CV at the local ShoeZone two weeks ago... and my first shift was yesterday! How crazy is that?! It was all such a quick process that I'm still getting my head around the idea that soon I can go out and buy my own stuff (not dvds though, I've been banned from buying and Disney Dvds by my mother but oh well) 

How crazy is that? This is on top of revision and everything else! Eeeek! 

Now as you may tell by the title... I officially declare it to be summer in my world and therefore the colour scheme for the blog... WILL BE CHANGING to something more seasonal! So watch this space... literally!

I'm also going to be updating my "Up and Comings" which I'm excited about because I have a few youtubers I want to show you! 

ALSO I just quickly want to say on this Wednesday, the  20th of April my friend Millie, I lie - sorry my best friend, that's better! Will be playing at the Tunbridge Wells Forum for Studentberry Jam at 7.20 pm tickets are £6.50 on the door and you should all go because she is AMAZING. No, I'm not bias because she's my bestie... okay a little but still! GO SEE IT! 

Also debating having a video blog too? Not sure though! What do you think? harrietcoreyblog@hotmail.co.uk   

xox

HarrietCorey

Reading is bad for my health.

I love the movies

I always want my life to be like one

Hey blog readers! So the other day I started reading a book about this girl who is in love with the movies, she loves the romance, the excitement... starting to sound familiar to anyone? Yeah. It was pretty much describing how I want my life to be. So I was reading this book and I admit I finished it today, about five minutes ago, but the whole point of this girl going to London for a few weeks is to prove that her life is just like the movies and that movie moments do happen in real life. 

So being a girl who wants her life to be like the movies I can empathise with the main character Scarlett. When at the end of the book she realises her life does have movie magic moments I decided maybe I could find my few "Movie Moments" from my own life? However then I realised that actually, everything in my life could be a movie. My friends could make great characters, the boys in my life. Hell they would defiantly be good for the movies and even my own thoughts in my head would be good I think. 

I was going to think up a list of 10 movie moments for you, but then I remembered something an old friend said to me the other day: 

"I'm glad I'm not something important in your life anymore
quite frankly i don't want to be a blog post, a picture or a status, something to show off and then hide away"

 So this made me think about my blog, about my Facebook and about how I view my life, I have a book now that I write very strange and random thought in. It's like an extension of this blog but more personal and then I realised as I look around my room that I document a lot of things in my life. Sitting where I am now at my desk I see 49 photos around my room. I see hundreds of bits of paper and countless scribblings.

 

The person who made that comment used to be very important to me, I won't deny that even if I may regret it sometimes. What people who know me don't seem to understand is that to be important to me they have to accept that this blog and my various books of notes and photos on my wall are my way of showing the world who I am and for me to remember every passing moment of my life, I believe everything happens for a reason and we should treasure what we have, whilst we have it. 

So I may spend a lot of time writing on here, taking photos, searching for new ways to show the world about me and my life. But this is my little way of showing the world my life, not as a movie but as a collection of posts and photos all of which in 70 years will be the most precious things in my life. Memories. 

xox

HarrietCorey