Ireland... the love of my life.

Okay, so this post is a little late seeing as it's September and I went to Ireland back in May.. but I figure better late than never! I decided to go to Ireland last year because I have always wanted to go Europe and Ireland was at the top of my list for some unknown reason. I went with one of my good friends Brittany (find her here) and I was quite excited.

We decided to stay two weeks in Dublin so we could become familiar with the city and know our way around. Some people thought this was a bit too long to stay in one city but it was actually quite perfect. Nothing was rushed and we got to explore the city so much. We figured we should do a couple day trips to get to see more of Ireland than just Dublin. I am so happy we decided to do that because the places/cities we travelled to were absolutely beautiful. We decided to stay in a hostel but we chose to do a private room because we weren't keen on sharing a room with people for two weeks.

Outside of Isaacs Hostel 

For the first week we chose to explore the city and check out the different restaurants and pubs and sites to see. We saw the Dublin Castle, Christ Church Cathedral, the infamous Temple bar, Trinity College, etc. We also decided to do a Pub Crawl, which we ended up liking so much we did it another two times during our stay! Here are some photos:

 Trinity College 

 Inside the Dublin Castle 

 Christ Church Cathedral 

 the BEST spaghetti carbonara I've ever had

Two musicians playing some songs during the Pub Crawl

The two day trips we decided to do were the Cliffs of Moher and Kilkenny & Wicklow day tour. Both of them were simply amazing and so beautiful. The Kilkenny & Wicklow day tour was breathtaking. We got to take a walk down to a beautiful lake where the fog made it look like we were in a fairytale, well actually the whole time we were in Wicklow I felt like I was in a fairytale. We walked through a forest and explored an old graveyard with lots of history and some very ancient buildings/churches that had been sitting there for hundreds of years decaying. 

 Wicklow Mountains 

 Walking through the forest

 the Graveyard and some remains of buildings/towers

Kilkenny Castle 

The Cliffs of Moher was just as magical and was totally worth getting up at 6am. I could just sit on the cliffs all day looking out into the sea, its truly breathtaking. As well as going to the cliffs, we went to Galway which is one of Ireland's other big cities. I fell in love with Galway instantly, the vibe I got there was unreal and I remember saying "I'm going to move here in a couple years" after walking around it for a few minutes. We got told lots of cool stories about the history of the city and then we got to walk around ourselves and found a nice pub to have some late lunch it. It was so amazing and I would recommend anyone who is going to Ireland to go to the Cliffs and Galway. 

Cliffs of Moher

the oldest street in Galway

Among other things we did, we also did the tour of the Guinness factory which I thought was really cool, I mean can you go to Ireland and not do the Guinness Storehouse tour? 

 Taking advantage of the free pint of Guinness you get at the end of the tour

Overall the trip was extremely satisfying and I am so happy I chose to go to Ireland and explore for a couple weeks. I know sometimes travelling is a bit difficult with money, especially going all the way to anywhere in the U.K or Ireland or Europe from Canada.. but I promise you, it is worth it to save up the money and go! I plan on exploring as much as that part of the world as I can because for some reason, it is just so intriguing. Below are just some random photos from the trip:

 St. Stephans Green Park

 The Pub Crawl with Brittany 

 An amazing place for tea and treats: Queen of Tarts 

Some friends I met during the trip

Body Positivity

For some reason, a lot of people think how we look is the most important thing in our lives. I personally think the media has a lot to do with this but also people around us. It's the first thing you notice about someone, how they look. But soon after meeting someone, you notice more things about a person.. the things that matter; like their personality and their favourite songs and their views on life. I think those things are way more important than someones appearance. Both men and women have body issues and it is a huge thing in our culture. People get shammed for being too thin but oh, you can't be too big..also you need muscle but not too much muscle. People have unrealistic expectations for themselves and sometimes for other people, which is totally unacceptable in my eyes.

I saw somewhere how it seems like bigger girls can't post a photo without a caption along the lines of "proud of who I am" or some justification for posting the photo. How ridiculous is that?! That they feel like they have to justify that they are proud of their body whenever they post a photo of themselves just because they are bigger? I know this goes both ways (I am speaking mainly about women here) how some people insult others for being too thin. We just can't get it right, can we? We need to create a world where everyone has their own, different body and are happy with themselves. No one needs to bring down girls with a slimmer frame by saying "real girls have curves" and no one needs to call someone "fat and lazy" just because they are bigger. There are plenty of bigger girls out there who are perfectly healthy.

I myself, struggle with body issues. I used to workout like crazy and count every calorie but I enjoyed the way I looked. I wasn't too skinny and could do almost every workout. People told me I was starting to get crazy, so I toned it down.. just a bit too much. I started to not care about it and not exercise and eat like crap. So now I'm a lot heavier and probably really unhealthy. Im not happy with myself and I'm not happy with the way I look. But I know I should be focused on my health and not the way I look; my health should be the only thing that matters. I'm starting to be more body positive about myself and I am learning to accept myself. Yes I want to lose some pounds so I can fit into my clothes better and feel more confident, but I can't stop living life just because I don't like the way my body looks.

I wish everyone would just accept themselves and love themselves for who they are, regardless of how they look; along with myself.

Gratitude

One of my favourite YouTubers, Louise recently did a blog post about gratitude which you can find here. She mentioned how having gratitude for things in your life can hugely affect your mood and make you realize the stuff you are worrying about can be silly sometimes. Now that doesn't mean that your worries aren't insignificant but I must admit, sometimes I do worry about things I really shouldn't be worrying about and forget how great my life really is. I know I can't control the way I think and how I worry about some things and get quite anxious but I am going to listen to Louise and list of a few things I am grateful for in my life.

1. My family. While being away from my family and meeting many new people, I have realize that not everyone is super close with their family and have good relationships with their parents and siblings. I am very lucky that my family are like my best friends. I am so comfortable with my parents and my sisters and will talk to them everyday, whenever I don't talk to them, I miss them so much. They are always there for me and understanding for the most part. I am so thankful to have such a wonderful family. 

2. My friends. I don't have a whole ton of friends but that is my choice; I like to think of it has quality over quantity. The friends I do have mean the world to me and are amazing friends. They will listen to me rant and rant for hours about anything. They're so caring and remind me to be confident and always look on the bright side of things. 

3. One Tree Hill. One Tree Hill may be just another teen drama to you but for me, that show has taught me so much. Whenever I am upset or stressed out about life and have time I will always slide a One Tree Hill dvd into my laptop and watch a few episodes. The writer always seems to have a way with words and that show just makes me happy and makes me think about life, in a good way. It's also a bonus that the music on that show is incredible. 

As Louise said, those are some big things.. I do have other small things I am grateful for, such as: candles, books, music, tumblr.. tumblr always makes me feel a little less alone, being able to workout, and coffee. 

I think it's good to write a list every now and then of things you are grateful for. People often forget how good life really is and all the amazing things that they have but take for granted. 

is it all about the music?

Nowadays, it seems to be not about the music anymore... I feel like music is a very small aspect of the whole industry. It’s all about the person and interviews and their social media accounts. Before, when none of this was around, ALL it was, was the music. Musicians did some interviews but their lives didn’t revolve around them as much as they do now. Their listeners got to use their imagination of what the band was like and didn’t demand to know every single detail of their life. Now if a musician were to say, keep something a secret and the fans found out... theres a 99% chance they would be MAD. Mad at a person for wanting to keep something private.. it’s ridiculous. I remember someone commented on how John Mayer is a douchebag and they don’t like his music because of that..I mean how ridiculous is that? Whether you like him or not, he is an extememly talented musician..why would you let his “personality” or things you’ve heard of him interfere with his great music? John Bonham..people looked up to him as one of the best drummers in the world, well guess what..he was kind of an asshole! (still love him though and may he rest in peace). Personally I think music should stop being SO associated with the artists who create it and people should just listen to the music because they like it, not because the lead singer is hot. As well, people should still listen to music, even if the lead singer is an ass. I mean it's all about the lead singer, right? Obviously if the artist is nice, it's always a plus but make it about the music because thats all that really matters.

Andrew McMahon

A lot of you might have never heard of Andrew McMahon but to me, he is one of my favourite artists. He has been in two bands (Something Corporate and Jack's Mannequin) and is now making music solo. Aside from being an insanely talented at playing the piano, songwriting and singing, he is an amazing person. A very intelligent man but also he has gone through some traumatic life events that have shaped him into who he is today. When he finished the first record for Jack's Mannequin he got some devastating news and found out he had ALL (Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia). With his positive attitude and Andy being the fighter he is, he managed to beat it ! :) Though that's not the main focus, I figured I should mention a little part of his back story since I am educated on it. 

I first started listening to Jack's Mannequin when they appeared on the hit TV show "One Tree Hill". Since I am a pianist, when I saw him playing the piano, I was mesmerized by him. This lead me to research his music and listen to it all! His first band was formed when he was in high school and that was Something Corporate, they definitely had a punk-rock sound to their music. While, when Andrew transitioned into Jack's Mannequin it was a bit more towards punk-pop. Both are fantastic bands with lots of albums, but Andrew decided to go solo after years of being in a band. All his songs are very piano-based and sound so different but yet the same. It is clear to tell the difference between these three musical acts, but thats what is great about them, they each have a different sound. His lyric writing is really incredible and it shows through all his songs. He has only released a few songs during his solo career. They are more pop than usual, but there is no complaining, the songs are brilliant. One of my favourite songs off his new EP "The Pop Underground" is Synesthesia.

I've had the privilege to see him in concert with Something Corporate, Jack's Mannequin and while he was touring solo. I also got to meet him one time and he was a very lovely guy! So nice and took the time to meet EVERYONE who was in line. He has a very special place in my heart and I will always admire him. I have two tattoos that are both related to him. One says "Swim" and one says "Be Positive" in his writing. Swim is from his song called "Swim" by Jack's Mannequin, which is a song about never giving up and to swim for your life, even though it may not be the greatest at times. That song has always gotten to people and almost everyone can relate to it. I decided to get "be positive", he also has that tattoo, and we both agree that its nice to have it there on your arm, so when times are hard, you are reminded to be positive:) 

I hope you take the time to explore all his music and realize how magical and talented this man is! Also he has a foundation called "Dear Jack Foundation" that is geared towards helping young adults diagnosed with cancer. Check out this website and see if you can help! xx

-Lyndsay

Ellie Goulding

Lately I have a newfound love for british music. I'm aware a lot of classic rock bands come from the UK but I have found that within the 90's and first few years of the 2000's, people have not focused much on british singers and bands. Bands/singers from the UK are becoming big names here in Canada and America, such as Ed Sheeran, Mumford and Sons, Adele, etc. One singer I am very fond of is Ellie Goulding, her voice is as unique as you can get. Her sound can go from soft, sweet melodies to music that makes you want to get up and dance for forever. With the upbeat music in the background to the slow piano sounds, her music definitely has various styles. She has two albums and one deluxe album, called Halcyon Days. That album (Halcyon Days Deluxe) has recently come out and I can say that I do not regret that purchase at all. One song on that album that I love dearly is "I Know You Care". It is one of her slower songs but it is so incredibly beautiful.

I've found that many of her songs reach to me on a personal level and they are filled with emotion and passion, which is what I love about her music. When I start to really enjoy an artist, I often tend to watch interviews of them so I can get a feel of what they are presumably like in real life. Watching interviews of Ellie Goulding did not disappoint, as she seems like one of the most down to earth girls in the music industry. I only expect more great things to happen to her in the future and for her fan-base to increase a lot! 

-- Lyndsay

The 1975

These past few months I have been listening to a band called the 1975. They are a band from Manchester and they are absolutely brilliant. Ever since I heard their first song, I instantly became hooked. They have a major song out right now called "Chocolate" that everyone has been talking about, which is an amazing song, though that is not the song that made me instantly love them. Their song "The City" was the first song I ever heard by them and I just thought it was absolutely wonderful. There music isn't like a typical Manchester band, it is new and refreshing. There is definitely a rock feel and some people have called them a "guitar band." On their debut album "The 1975" most of the music has a theme of love, sex and drugs. Most of the songs on their EP's are haunting but beautiful. "Girls" is one of my current favourite songs by them, their sound is so lovely, I could listen to them all day.

I'm going to see them in concert in a week and a half and I could not be more ecstatic. I reckon it will be amazing and I will fall even more in love with them than I already am. The band prefers everything in black and white, so the focus is not so much on them but focused on the music and as well, so they are "separated from reality". I really think it is a cool idea how they have done that and now they have made an image for their band. The way they are so passionate about their music and know what they want makes them even more desirable. Safe to say, I think I will be listening to them for a long time.