How to Paint the World

Monday, 15 February 2016

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To me, the world is a painting. Peachy sunsets that create candy floss clouds and syrupy skies, and fluffy sheep that make dot-to-dot on otherwise all green landscapes.

Standing on a beach I see the individual sweeps of a paintbrush in the sea that crashes down in millions of different shades of blue: from a near black to brilliant white horses cantering onto the shore. There are gentle dabs of colour added here and there across the thin strip of sand between the waves and the dunes.

The dunes themselves are a different story. Their grasses have been painted very precisely; a thin brush and a small amount of dark green paint was all that was needed. Individual grasses were added on meticulously and there was great precision with every brushstroke.

Shells were given the detail that could have been devoted to the stars, while families who picnic and build sandcastles remain faceless and distant, staying within the confines of their familiar circles and not venturing out in case they meet another human.

A cityscape is very particularly done. Each evening light must be given a glowing haze and each street corner given the dusty edges and concrete canvas that has become expected of it. Each rooftop has to be uniquely defined, yet should blend in together so that they appear as one.

What is an abstract, but a visual representation of the human mind?

What is a portrait, but an outsider's perception and judgement of it?

To me the world is a painting. Or is it that a painting is a world?










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5 On-Flight Essentials

Friday, 12 February 2016

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By the time you are reading this I will be on a plane to Nice! I will be staying there until Tuesday and I’m so excited for this trip! With my mode of transport in mind, I thought that I would share with you 5 of the essential items in my hand luggage bag!


1. A good book!


A flight and the journey that surround sit is a great time to catch up on your reading and get emerged in a story! There’s so much waiting around and the time flies so much when there is a new world to be explored! This one may come in the form of a physical book or my Kindle, depending on which ones I plan to read and how much space I have left in my bag. I may bring a physical book as well as my Kindle - why not?


2. A notebook


For me, this is an essential of every day life. I can’t go anywhere without a place to jot down ideas and write in moments of inspiration. I will be bringing a notebook specifically for me to continue my novel. 30,000 words in and I still find that handwriting is the way that the story flows most easily out of my mind and into words. This’ll mean that I spend a lot more time with my characters than I have been of late - damn you exams!

3. Food!


If you know me in real life, then you know that I am always hungry. It’s just the way I am and I can easily get quite hangry if I’ve been without food for too long. This means that it’s crucial for me to eat regularly, particularly if I get bored in the queues to board! So I’ll be taking plenty of small snacks to keep me happy on the trip!

4. Slippers


When I’m in a seat for a while I don’t want to be stuck in my normal shoes that tend to be bit harder and a bit mucky from the ground outside. I love slippers. Like, I LOVE slippers. My ones have been nicknamed my ‘Dorothy slippers’ and they are covered with red sequins. They’ll just make my journey more comfortable, even though I’ll have to take my shoes on and off again, it’ll be worth it! 

5. Chewing Gum


The early flights really muck up my eating and sleeping, and, knowing me, I would have had about three different breakfasts and I won’t be able to brush my teeth as often as I would like and my mouth will inevitably feel a bit bleugh. Having chewing gum with me will mean that I can freshen up a bit and it’ll help wake me up a bit - always a bonus!









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I live my life in Word documents

Wednesday, 10 February 2016

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I live my life in Word documents. Sentences destroyed as quickly as they are formed, displayed on a blinding screen. Times New Roman thoughts tapped out, creating an image in my brain that I am left undecided about. Stray paragraphs abandoned in folders in disarray, collecting dust and luring in spiders.

Half-finished novels. Short stories. Poems. Rants. One line thoughts. 2 paragraphs. Quotes. Lists. Life.

Everything jumbled up together, vulnerable and uneasy - with the potential to be wiped away from their hard drive home. Files of backed up material, nearly lost in the great abyss of pixels.


Should I live my life on paper? Or would it still get lost? Under beds and bookshelves; behind the back of cupboards. Would my thoughts be just as likely lost then?









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West Side Story 2016

Monday, 8 February 2016

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Last week was the week of my school’s production of West Side Story. The Puerto Rican Sharks and New Yorker Jets barged into the school hall ready to fight it out and ready to burst into song at any given moment. The Shark girls has colourful dresses and red lipstick and the Jets were clad in in blue jeans.

Credit to Sam Kemp

When I found out that we were going to be doing West Side Story last summer, I was quite skeptical about how it would turn out. It’s notoriously difficult in practically every aspect: singing, dancing, acting, the score itself, which I would be playing. And that’s probably what made me shrink away from it in the beginning. 

As we began rehearsals it became pretty clear to me that I hated the music. I simply couldn’t play it - or, at least, that’s what I told myself. The score was as difficult as I thought it would be. We worked and rehearsed since September in order to get it up to standard for February, because there can be no good show if the pit band is no good.



Those first few months of rehearsals seemed endless and I felt like I was making no progress. But in the few weeks leading up to the show, something felt different. I could hear and feel myself improving. I began to enjoy the music. I began to like it.

The weekend before the show I was in school from 9:30am - 5pm on both Saturday and Sunday. On the first day the band practised in the pit for the first time. Then, in the afternoon, the leads joined us (or everyone who takes part in one of the songs anyway). Then on the Sunday all of the cast came in to rehearse with us and we did a run through of the first half of the show.



That weekend honestly left me knackered. I had concentrated and stayed in the same seat for hours on end. But I could hear that what I was playing had improved, and that made me really happy.

On the Monday we had a full day of rehearsals again. This time we were off timetable and finished at 3pm to go with the usual school times. 

On the Tuesday we had a dress rehearsal that was performed to our local primary schools. It was so good to play the full show and know that someone was actually watching it. It was also the first time I had ‘seen’ the show. 

Credit to Sam Kemp

Then we had 4 ticketed shows that were open to the public. 4 amazing shows that got better and better each time. Everyone who contributed to the show did outstandingly. The actors were believable and brilliant, the dancers looked beautiful and the singers were just fantastic. I don’t think the pit band was too bad either.


Credit to Sam Kemp

From hating a show (or rather, its music) to loving it; from insecurities about my playing to confidence in the fact that we actually sounded quite good. From sectional rehearsals with just a few players, to performing as a company in front of a full audience. From first getting my part of the score to crying on closing night before the show had even finished. 

West Side Story has been a great experience. It challenged everyone to achieve something that we didn’t think we could, or I didn’t, at least. I played something for 5 shows that really scared and felt daunting to me just a few months ago. I spent more time with people that I probably wouldn’t have spent much time with otherwise. I improved my own playing, listen to others improve theirs and had the best time!


Credit to Sam Kemp

If you ever get chance to be involved in a production, big or small, take that chance because I guarantee that you won’t regret it. 

Thank you to everyone who has made this past week so good. Everyone from the people on stage to the teachers who supported us, the others in the pit band who made me smile and laugh every rehearsal, the techy people, the audience and my family, who were supportive even when I had my doubts about the show.

West Side Story everyone. It’s been a blast. Well done guys - we completely smashed it. 


Credit to Sam Kemp









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Butterflies and Candy Floss

Friday, 5 February 2016

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Some moments in life are dull and boring. They are completely grey and nothing can be done to give them colour. These are the days that have to be “dealt with”. We have to grit our teeth and get on with it. It’s the only thing we can do.

But there are other moments - moments that shine as bright as possible and sing as loud as they can. They are rainbows and dandelions - butterflies and candy floss. These are the moments that make us alive; they let us feel the buzz of the world in our innards and see the light of life in our eyes. We sparkle and glitter in even the dullest light and smile until we can’t smile anymore, but, even then, we still smile harder.

I love those days in which I feel that I can fly; I’m ready to take off any second. I’m on top of the world and confident in everything I do.

In these moments I am royal blue; I am magenta and orange; I’m peach and lime green. I am brighter than the stars and I see no darkness. For what is darkness, except the every day and the ordinary?






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"What is this?!" I hear you ask. "A Friday post that isn't a 5 Friday post? What?" This week I have been really busy as I've been playing in the pit band in my school's production of West Side Story. It's been a week full of rehearsals, getting ready for shows and the actual shows themselves! Although it's been a great week, it has drained me of a lot of energy which meant that I couldn't write in the little time I had. A post on the show will be up on Monday!  If you're reading this at any point from 7pm GMT then the last show will be going on!

Also, this is my 100th post on Another Ranting Reader - woop woop!









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