Niçoise Daydreams | A Poem

Wednesday 18 May 2016

No comments
I dream of the place where the flowers grow,
Where blue waves lull against the stones
and carnivals dance the colours of the rainbow.
Do you want to visit the Old Town or the New?

Follow me into the maze
of les vieilles maisons
and get lost amongst the millions
of shops hidden in there.

Run with me, up the hill - 
Up the cobbled stone streets
and colouring book buildings,
until we can look out for miles
Upon the artist’s sheet
that is Nice.






If you liked this post you might like: An Imperfection | A Poem


Read More

How Blogging Has Affected My Life | Another Ranting Reader's 1st Birthday

Wednesday 11 May 2016

No comments
A year ago today my first blog post went live. A year! Can you believe that?! The time has seriously flown by - I know that probably sounds clichéd but it’s true. This year I’ve become part of the blogging community and have seen how blogging has affected my life, writing and mental health (and believe me, it’s been a mixed bag!).

Having my blog has definitely added to my workload. I knew that would happen and have definitely got no reason to complain. However, I have noticed that most people underestimate just how much work blogging can be. I mean there’s writing the post (which is definitely the easiest bit), adding pictures and links, trying to understand SEO, promoting a post and ensuring everything is up to date. And that’s just for one post.

When you’re trying to do multiple posts a week along with trying to do your best in your GCSEs, that workload gets a bit too much, which is why I was forced to cut my blogging time down a bit until my exams are over.

This increased workload can cause extra stress. I, as a blogger, am basically setting myself extra homework and providing myself with more pressure and more deadlines. But I love it. I do it because I freaking love blogging, and I genuinely think it’s had a great impact on my mental health (despite the added stress thing).

I’ve met so many positive and amazing people through the blogging community and my blog has helped me develop my relationship with friends I already had. It’s allowed me to clear my head and keep going. It’s been a constant thing in my life for the past year.

Then my writing? How has blogging affected my writing? Well, I actually wrote a post on that topic a few months ago - read it here (plug plug plug). Personally, I think my writing has improved since I started my blog - or at least I hope that’s the case. Having this blog has meant that I have had to keep writing and to keep my creative juices flowing. Blogging has also, somehow, caused me to find a real love for writing poetry and has made me open up my writing in terms of both skill and medium.

Thank you all for reading and following my blog for the past year; I know some of you have read every single post and I can’t express how thankful I am for that. 

If you’ve not read my first ever post or want a trip down memory lane go over and have a read: Why do you wear makeup?


And here’s my most recent post, to round things off nicely: Why We All Need to Dream





I hope you guys have had a great year and I look forward to hopefully sharing much more with you.

Happy 1st Birthday Another Ranting Reader!

Jemima x




If you liked this post you might like: The Ponderings of a Daydreamer


Read More

Why We All Need to Dream

Monday 9 May 2016

No comments
I honestly can’t tell you how many times in my life I’ve been told to “be practical”. I’ve been told to “think of something else” and push my passion in life to the sidelines - to keep it as a “hobby”. Even the thought of that causes my insides to tear into shreds and emotion to swell up inside me. I simply cannot do that.

I cannot stay in a job I don’t want to be doing just because the one profession I’ve always wanted to be a part of isn’t the steadiest career path out there. Just because it won’t necessarily give me the best income.

The words “put your dreams on hold” may not have been spoken to me directly, but they’re the words I’ve heard. Those are the words that cut me in two.

When I was younger, when careers and adult life were just a distant thought thrown about here and there as a rough reminder, many of the adults around me would praise my writing. I suppose it was the fact that I was being creative or developing a skill. They said I wrote ‘maturely’ and teachers would always mention book deals to me whenever I showed them some of my work (something I’m not sure they should have done now that I think about it).

Then I grew up a bit. I became a teenager, nearing the end of my school career, heading off to college with uni around the corner, and the praise turned into “you should look at your options”. The talks of book deals switched to “have you ever thought of this?” Talk of accomplishing my dreams morphed into the serious conversations on practicality.

“Keep writing as a hobby.”

I don’t know where my love for writing stemmed from. Perhaps it was the bookish family I was born into or the stories we were told in nursery. All I know is that, since I can remember, I’ve had this intense need to tell the stories locked up inside of me. For me it’s something I’ve been called to do and have to do; if I didn’t I’d simply implode.

I know that I’m going to have to make sacrifices and take up other jobs in order to create my writing career. Believe me I know that. Let’s be honest, who doesn’t have to take on another job while they chase their dreams? But whenever anyone asks me what I do, being a writer will always come first, because that’s what I primarily am.

We all have dreams, and they are there for a reason. Without my dreams I would not be motivated to do anything - I mean anything. It is my dreams that give me the drive to work hard and get on with it; to keep doing what I love and ensuing that I will grow into the best writer I can be. Without my dreams I would be nowhere, with no sense of self and no apparent purpose. I would be like a version of myself after a dementor’s kiss.

I will not give up on my dreams. I will not shunt them or push them to one side. I will fight to make my dreams a reality.

I am determined.




If you liked this post you might like: "You like that band?"



Read More

The Disney Tag

Wednesday 4 May 2016

No comments
As you are probably aware, I am a huge Disney fan. So when I saw this tag hanging around the Internet, I needed to take part. Hope you enjoy!

1. Favourite Disney Film?

No! How can you start with that?! In my mind they’re all brilliant and my favourite changes all the time! Let’s just list a load: Cinderella, Robin Hood, Mulan, Beauty and the Beast, Hercules, Inside Out, The Lion King (I don’t know which one I cry more at out of those last two), Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean… You see how I could go on forever?

2. Favourite Disney Character?


How d’you expect me to pick when there are so many?! This is almost as bad as that last question! I genuinely can’t pick any one character - this is going well so far, isn’t it?

3. Favourite Disney Princess?


Either Belle or Aurora, but I think Belle. I relate to her a lot being really bookish and loving stories so much. And plus I love the way she stands up to Gaston.

4. Favourite Disney Side-kick?


Mushu - he’s hilarious and I would love to have him narrating my life!

5. Favourite Disney Song?


So This is Love, without a doubt. It’s just so beautiful and makes me feel all mushy and romantic. I Won’t Say I’m In Love comes in at a close second!



6. Which Disney character would be your best friend?


Minnie Mouse! She’ll always be my no.1 gal.


Credit


7. Who would be your Disney pet?


Pascal! He could sit on my shoulder and give me high fives and make faces at people and generally be hilarious. Also can I have Jack and Gus-Gus from Cinderella? They’re pretty fab.

8. Have you ever been to Disneyland?


Yes! I’ve been to DisneyLand Paris twice when I was a lot younger (before my brother was born and a few years after he was born), so I can’t really remember it much now but I know it was amazing! Whenever I think about it I get really happy, even though I can’t remember lots of details of it. I need to go again so badly - I think I've cried before when I'd been thinking about it too much. Oops.

9. Who is your Disney Alter Ego?


Mulan - I mean come on! She’s really badass, I’ll always want to badass. But then let's be honest, I am probably more like Anna who is just generally more clumsy and socially awkward.

10. Who is your favourite Disney villain?


Hades. The amount of sass is unreal.


11. Do you collect anything Disney wise?


I’ve got 8 Tsum Tsums at the moment and plan to get a load more! They’re ridiculously cute I can’t see what’s not to love about them.

12. What Disney film would you star in if you could?


The next Star Wars? That one seems kind of obvious. 

13. How old were you when you watched your first Disney film?


Oh I don’t even know. I must’ve been tiny! Like 2, if not younger.

14. What do you love about Disney?


I don't really think there's one thing I can pinpoint to be honest. Loads of them have really poignant messages and are always really feel good film and can lift my mood practically as soon as I put one on.

15. Who is your favourite Disney couple?


Um… Minnie and Mickey? They’re the ultimate Disney couple. I think that Aladdin and Jasmine and Giselle and Robert are up there as well.


Now it's over to you guys! Feel free to take part in this tag if you're a Disney lover - the only person I'm forcing to do this tagging is Katie (Katieswaytohappy), have fun with the first two questions!




If you liked this post you might like: 5 of my favourite Disney Soundtracks


Read More