Musings of a Perfectionist

March for Our Lives. Maybe it's something that you've heard of, maybe it's not. But it is something that you should have heard of, and it is definitely  something that you should think about. Most of you will have seen the news on February 14th, when there was a school shooting at Marjory   Stoneman  Douglas High School in Parkland , Florida. I know that I did, and I probably thought, oh no, not another one . Because this is our reality now. We are growing up in a world full of terrorist attacks, like the Manchester Bombings, and full of school shootings. My parents grew up in the shadow of the Cold War and nuclear destruction, as do we, but now we live under an even greater shadow of death and destruction. March for Our Lives was organised after the latest school shooting, when students decided that enough is enough. Twenty of the survivors formed Never Again, an advocacy  campaign calling for gun control. Just like #MeToo is causing change regarding sexual...

What's your favourite season? Mine's Autumn (not just because it's when my birthday is) because I love the smells, and I love curling up in front of a fire to read a book and drink hot chocolate. I also love being able to wear my Slytherin scarf without melting. I wasn't actually planning on posting anything else today, but I just published four poems on Wattpad ( here ) and I'd like you to check them out! What's your favourite season, and what's your favourite poem?

For those of you who have been to Ikea, you will agree with me when I say that it is a wonderful place. For those who haven't, think of a restaurant mixed with furniture and you pretty much get the idea. (Besides, you must have heard the glorious tales of losing one's way and one's family...who hasn't?) My family go on a day trip to Ikea. We start off early (it takes an hour in the car- eugh) and have breakfast when we get to Ikea (apart from my youngest sister- she threw up once because she hadn't eaten anything and we had to go home and it was a sad day for us all). Then we walk around the Showroom section, looking at how the rooms are all set out and choosing which kitchens we'd like. (I basically adopt the one bedroom apartment- if you've gone to Ikea, you'll know what I'm talking about). After this wandering, we enter the Market Hall and this is where we spend most of our money. (*cough* over one hundred pounds *cough*) (I only bought a ne...

I don't know how many of you (you meaning someone who is reading my blog) have Wattpad, or use it regularly if that, but I thought I'd share my profile so that you can check out some of my writing! The one that I update most regularly is 'Musings of a Perfectionist' (the title of that is where the name of this blog comes from btw), as it is just a collection of short stories. 'Tiger Cub' was supposed to be updated once a week (ha ha ha) but I haven't updated it forever (oops). But anyway, you can find  My Profile  by clicking on the link. Enjoy! x

This may be a rather long title, but I wanted to make you think for a bit. What would YOU do for a piece of millionaire's shortbread? Bear in mind, if you will, that this isn't a regular piece of millionaire's shortbread from the supermarket. This is homemade millionaire's shortbread that (I'm pretty sure) everyone who has tasted it has said it is better than the pieces from Costa. High praise, naturally. But anyway. What would you do for a piece of this wonderful millionaire's shortbread (by the way, in case this wasn't clear, I make it)? Maybe you are now wondering why exactly I am asking you this. The answer is this: I made millionaire's shortbread on the request of my mum, and so I also made another load because my friends like eating it. Two of my friends, who do not sit on my table at lunch (because yes, we do have 'tables' like in Mean Girls) wanted to eat some, and so I let them have one piece. But apparently, these two love it ...

So, in English, we have to do a presentation about a theme in Macbeth. As well as being completely terrified of public speaking (especially to my peers), I also have an embarrassing habit of going off on a massive rant about something that...is only very vaguely connected to what I am supposed to be speaking about. Case in point: I was practising with a friend, and I managed to spend at least two minutes rambling on about James I and the Duke of Buckingham, and about Shakespeare's sonnets (spoiler- someone changed the pronouns!) Anyway, I have decided to write down my speech here. Hopefully, it will give me more of a structure to follow so that I don't make it up on the spot. Here we go: I'm going to be talking about the Theme of Masculinity in the play Macbeth. Firstly, what does masculinity mean? Some synonyms are strength, toughness, muscular and powerful. In direct contrast, as femininity is the antonym of masculinity, synonyms for femininity are caring, ho...

I'm not planning to do many book reviews (mostly because I read a lot and you'll get bored) but this book was seriously amazing. Marcus Sedgwick is a great author anyway, but this book is definitely one of his best. Don't worry, I'm not planning on giving away any spoilers in case you want to read it (which, by the way, you totally do). Saint Death is set in Mexico, on the border between Mexico and the USA. This, of course, is very topical at the moment (Trump!) and was heartbreaking to think about- many Mexican citizens are being exploited by a country that separates itself by a small, broken fence and calls itself the 'Land of the Free'. The book starts with a body floating in a river, a young woman who, the police will probably assume, was trying to make it to America. Then we meet the main character, Arturo, who lives in Ju à rez, and follow him through his story. His 'brother' is in deep trouble with the cartel, and Arturo must sav...

Mental Health Awareness Week is this week this year, ending today. It is such an incredibly important topic, and as someone who is currently going through some hard times, having a week to get more people thinking is great. Their big theme this year is stress, and the effects it has on our mental health. Stress is something that many people have to deal with, and I know that most people in my year at school are currently stressed about exams. As much as stress helps us, too much stress can make existing health issues much worse (trust me, I know). For more information, mental health foundation's website can be found  here . For those struggling/living with mental health issues: you are not alone . I know that it can feel like you are, but you are not. Remember that people love you and care about you. And if you have a relapse, don't beat yourself up, okay? It's a long uphill battle, and it will get better (I'm currently walking up a very very steep hill at th...

It's Christian Aid Week this week (from 13th-19th May) and I thought that I'd write something quickly for it. (Also because part of my Ethics was about Christian Aid and I have all of these facts floating around in my head. The organisation was set up to deal with the refugee crisis' in Europe after the Second World War. Since then, its work has extended worldwide. It provides a response to disasters and wishes to promote long-term development. Christian Aid works with partner agencies and will support all of them, regardless of race, religion, etc. It assesses projects in a country, then supplies experts and materials for the projects to be completed. The key focus of Christian Aid is to see an end to poverty and empower those who are currently exploited and disadvantaged. As their website says, " We stand together. For dignity. For equality. For justice. " One of their more popular fundraising campaigns is the Big Brekkie, raising money to help the...

Today, at my school, was a day full of fun. We got to learn loads of new things, like how to revise (bit late, considering our first proper GCSE was a couple of days ago) and about Health and Safety in the Workplace (I'm pretty sure I feel asleep). I feel that a bit of context is needed. Basically, instead of having PSHE lessons every week, my school does something called 'Values and Experiences Day'- which is just as much fun as it sounds, although I prefer it to weekly lessons. *shudders* Anyway, usually the day is split into two, and today was no exception. My year got to learn, in the first session, about revision, including making mindmaps, revision timetables, mnemonics, and a mental first aid kit for when you get stressed. The second session was even better- Health and Safety in the workplace (as I have already mentioned), interviews, what to expect during Work Experience, and taxes. And this is what I learnt from the day. First of all, revision timetable...

I have spent pretty much the whole day revising for my Ethics GCSE tomorrow, which was fun. And as it is coming up to the dreaded 'Exam Period', I thought that I'd write something about them. Mostly because I can't think of anything else to write about, but whatever. Revising takes up a LOT of time, time that I'd rather spend doing something else. For example, right now, I'd love to be able to edit my novella, The Forgotten Ones, so that it can be published before I am sixteen (or sixty, at the rate I'm going), but no, I have spent my day trying to think up arguments for why Jesus did not rise from the dead. That's really hard for me, by the way, as a Christian who obviously believes that Jesus did rise from the dead. But yeah. I have a list of stuff to do in my head that gets bigger each day, but instead, I have to spend all day revising. And the worst part of exams isn't the days spent doing revision, when I could be doing something else....

Hi everyone! I set up this blog on the urgings of my friend (yay!), so that I could share my stories/poems (mostly). As you can probably work out from the name of my blog, most posts will be 'musings'. What does a musing mean, you ask? Well, I hear you! It means:   a period of reflection or thought. This blog won't be filled with my work, although I do like English, so there will probably be a lot... my 'musings' will also include rambling discussions on history and politics and whatever takes my fancy, contemplation about the food that I have made (with pictures!), and reflections on anything that happens to me as I go about my daily life. Enjoy! x

She clutches the bear closer to her chest, nuzzling its soft fur with her nose. It still holds the faintest scent of her family, of her home. She keeps her nose buried in the fur, trying to hold onto hazy memories of warmth, of laughter, of joy but they keep blurring back into the ugly, twisted remains of her house in front of her. Terrible shame , they all had said. When it happened. What a terrible shame. She agreed with them, but it was so much more than a shame. It did not matter to her that the bricks and debris would have to be cleared away in order for a new house to be built on top, that new plants would need to be cultivated and grown for the place to seem alive again. None of this mattered to her as she stood on what would have been the doorstep, staring numbly at the blackness and desolation. Tears blind her, stinging her eyes before dribbling down her cheeks. They mix with the rain, and she only cries harder. It’s no good now , she wanted to scream. The fir...