Songs of February

1. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John.

2. Wolf Like Me - TV on the Radio.

3. Five Years - David Bowie.

4. How Soon Is Now? - The Smiths.

5. Jealous Guy - John Lennon.

6. Hounds Of Love - Kate Bush.

7. Sealion - Feist.

8. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out - The Smiths.

9. Theme From Sparta F.C. - The Fall.

10. White Winter Hymnal - Fleet Foxes.

Quotations

Another installment of quotes that I like enough to write down and refer to every now and again.

1. "Everyone wants to be Cary Grant. Even I want to be Cary Grant." - Cary Grant.

2. "Always remember that you are absolutley unique. Just like everyone else." - Margaret Mead.

3. "Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak, courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen." - Winston Churchill.

4. "If there were in the world today any large number of people who desired their own happiness more than they desired the unhappiness of others, we could have paradise in a few years." - Bertrand Russell.

5. "You can live to be a hundred if you give up all the things that make you want to live to be a hundred." - Woody Allen.

6. "The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one." - George Bernard Shaw.

7. "I might repeat to myself slowly and soothingly, a list of quotations beautiful from minds profound - if I can remember any of the damn things." - Dorothy Parker.

8. "If children grew up according to early indications, we should have nothing but geniuses." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

9. "If you are a dog and your owner suggests that you wear a sweater, suggest that he wear a tail." - Fran Lebowitz.

10. "I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." - Douglas Adams.

Oscar Dresses

I always look forward to, and enjoy The Oscars, not only because I love all things film related, but because of the dresses. Here is a list of some of my favourites from over the years.

1. Kate Winslet, 2002.

2. Reese Witherspoon, 2006.

3. Michelle Williams, 2006.

4. Audrey Hepburn, 1954.

5. Penelope Cruz, 2009.

6. Marion Cotillard, 2008.

7. Kate Hudson, 2003.

8. Natalie Portman, 2009.

9. Katherine Heigl, 2008.

10. Sarah Jessica Parker, 2009.

Love Songs

I'm aware that I probably should have posted this yesterday, in conjunction with Valentine's Day, but I was too occupied watching old romantic movies. Huzzah. So, I really love music, and I love songs that are about love - whether that's romantic love, unrequited love, the love between a parent and a child, loving someone after they're gone, the list goes on - so I made a list of 10 love songs that I like. It was so much harder than I thought it would be, too.

1. Lover You Should've Come Over - Jeff Buckley. "It's never over, my kingdom for a kiss upon her shoulder. It's never over, all my riches for her smiles when I slept so soft against her. It's never over, all my blood for the sweetness of her laughter. It's never over, she's the tear that hangs inside my soul forever."

2. God Only Knows - The Beach Boys. "I may not always love you, but long as there are stars above you, you never need to doubt it. I'll make you so sure about it."

3. I'll Be Seeing You - Billie Holiday. "I'll find you in the morning sun. And when the night is new, I'll be looking at the moon, but I'll be seeing you."

4. Maybe I'm Amazed - Paul McCartney & The Wings. "Maybe I'm amazed at the way you're with me all the time, maybe I'm afraid of the way I leave you. Maybe I'm amazed at the way you help me sing my song. You right me when I'm wrong. Maybe I'm amazed at the way I really need you."

5. Trust - The Cure. "And still the hardest part for you, to put your trust in me. I love you more than I can say, why won't you just believe?"

6. Something - The Beatles. "Something in the way she knows. And all I have to do is think of her. Something in the things she shows me. I don't want to leave her now."

7. Never Tear Us Apart - INXS. "I was standing, you were there. Two worlds collided and they could never tear us apart."

8. With Or Without You - U2. "Through the storm we reach the shore, you give it all but I want more. And I'm waiting for you."

9. Please Forgive Me - David Gray. "Please forgive me if I act a little strange, for I know not what I do. Feels like lightning running through my veins every time I look at you."

10. How Can I Tell You - Cat Stevens. "Whoever I'm with, I'm always, always talking to you. I'm always talking to you, and I'm sad that you can't hear."

Dinner Party

I'm sure a lot of people, at one point or another, have pondered and mentally constructed a guest list for a dream dinner party. You're at liberty to invite anyone you want, whether they're living or dead, famous or non-famous (although, why would you invite someone of little importance, when you can have anyone you want?) and your disregard for whether or not everyone will get along will not be sniffed at. Here's my list, in order of no importance.

1. Jeff Buckley.

2. Marilyn Monroe.

3. Edgar Allan Poe.

4. Charlotte Brontë.

5. Cary Grant.

6. David Hume.

7. Audrey Hepburn.

8. Jane Austen.

9. Oscar Wilde.

10.Henry VIII.


If you're reading this, and want to make your own guest list, post it in the comments section, if you so desire.

Songs of January

1. To Wish Impossible Things - The Cure.

2. It's Tricky - Run DMC.

3. Spectacle - Sean Lennon.

4. TKO - Le Tigre.

5. Crushcrushcrush - Paramore.

6. Flume - Bon Iver.

7. Blue Ridge Mountains - Fleet Foxes.

8. Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too - Say Anything.

9. Back In Your Head - Tegan & Sara.

10. City Girl - Kevin Shields.

Art

I'm in an arty mood tonight. So here's a list of some of my favourite works of art.

1. The Glass Of Wine - Johannes Vermeer.

2. The Family - Paula Rego.

3. Portrait of the Journalist Sylvia von Harden - Otto Dix.

4. Study after Velazquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X - Francis Bacon.

5. Doubting Thomas - Caravaggio.

6. Christina's World - Andrew Wyeth.

7. The Death of Marat - Jacques-Louis David.

8. Nightfall Down the Thames - Atkinson Grimshaw.

9. School of Athens - Raphael.

10. Young Man at his Window - Gustave Caillebotte.

2009

I don't really like to make resolutions at the beginning of a new year; they always end up being the really obligatory and obvious choices and I almost always never keep them. So instead of having to make 10 resolutions (I cringe just at the thought of that) I decided to make a list of 10 things that I would like to happen this year. Yes, some of them are probably in the 'resolution' category, but I prefer to think of them as wishes, hopes and aims. I'm not going to feel like a total failure if I don't stick to some of them. These aren't in order of importance, either.


1. Love. This year, I really want to maintain a relationship, and feel that contentment and happiness for a prolonged period of time. Happiness is important to me, and I think that if I'm genuinely happy and the people I love and care for are happy aswell, then everything seems more attainable and problems might be just a bit easier to overcome. I want to make a certain someone happy, because he deserves to feel like that. Every day.


2. Get a good job. I am definitely a dreamer, and hoping fervently for a job that makes me happy is a perfect example of this. But like most people, I don't think it's too much to ask for.


3. Donate blood again. Donating blood for the first time last September was a great experience, one I ventured into after reading a book where a character donated blood and ended up falling in love with the woman who received his blood in a transfusion. Rest assured, I didn't donate hoping to find love, but for some reason, the thought of doing it stayed with me until I decided to do it. And I felt so proud of myself. It felt great to know I potentially saved someone's life. Unfortunately, when I was invited to donate a second time, I was really ill and wouldn't have been allowed to donate. So I would really like to do it again this year, hopefully more than once.


4. Get a puppy. Losing Holly in '07 was pretty tough, after 16 years of her being part of our family, it felt strange to go into the kitchen and not see her lying in bed, or hear her padding about looking for a nice place to lie down and nap. But last year, as a family, we decided that we were ready for a new pet, and so this summer, hopefully, another Miniature Schnauzer will be brightening up my life. And the rest of my family's, too. I can't wait.


5. Study again. I'm not sure if it will be with the Open University again or if I'll find a uni or college to study at. It's all about finding the right course, and I've still not come across Holocaust Studies, which is my idea of a dream course. As nerdy as that may seem. But I felt a great sense of accomplishment with completing and passing my course with the OU.


6. Have a great birthday. I tend to have disappointing birthdays, and while they're just one day out of the year and it may seem bratty to want to have a perfect day, I am determined to have a good one this year. Turning 21 is quite special, I believe, and since I'm going on holiday to Derbyshire for a week for my birthday, I hope that I don't fall victim to the disappointment birthdays tend to bring. I'm still trying to decide what to do on the actual day, so lists shall be made! I already have a few - geeky - ideas.


7. Do something creative. I like to think I'm quite a creative person, I am prone to a few good ideas a month, but whenever I try to put them into motion, something seems to be preventing me. I'm a bit like one of those people who can see a perfect drawing in their head but when they have the pencil in their hand and the paper in front of them, it ends up looking nothing like the image they had in their head. So, whether it's starting that short story or getting back into playing music, I'm going to try and unblock my creativity.


8. Keep reading. Anyone who knows me well will testify that I adore books and reading. For the last few years, there hasn't really been a prolonged period of time where I wasn't reading a book. And I'd love to keep that going. I have a list of 'to read' books and a lot of books I'd love to buy, so hopefully this one will be easy to achieve.


9. Finish my bedroom. I started to decorate quite a while ago now, and there are still a few things to do, and I would love for my bedroom to be a place I feel really happy and safe in. A little sanctuary. I still need a bookcase for all my books, and I have some black and white pictures I want on the wall. Things like that. I think completing my room and adding lots of little decorative touches would be a good tie in with my 'Do something creative' aspiration.


10. Talk to people about how I feel. I'm quite bad for keeping things bottled up and I want to feel more liberated with my feelings, for instance, if I have feelings for someone again, I will NOT keep them to myself for so long because it did me no favours and made me feel really low. It really does help to talk to someone if you have something on your mind, and I think I'd like to get over the notion that people wouldn't want to hear my thoughts and worries because they have bigger things to deal with.

Songs of December

1. Pictures Of You - The Cure.

2. Silent Spring - Massive Attack.

3. Bruises - Chairlift.

4. Heartbeats - Jose Gonzalez.

5. What Makes A Man? - City & Colour.

6. Around The Bend - The Asteroids Galaxy Tour.

7. Lessons Learned - Ray LaMontagne.

8. Center Of Attention - Jackson Waters.

9. A Lack Of Color - Death Cab For Cutie.

10. Ice Age - Pete Yorn.

Songs of November

1. The Shadowlands - Ryan Adams.

2. Wuthering Heights - Kate Bush.

3. Always For You - The Album Leaf.

4. More Than Everything - Bombay 1.

5. By This River - Brian Eno.

6. The Luckiest - Ben Folds.

7. Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin.

8. Nightmares By The Sea - Jeff Buckley.

9. Nights In White Satin - The Moody Blues.

10. Please Forgive Me - David Gray.