Life in a Nutshell (Ramblings From Offbeat)

What a mad few months it's been! Just as life gets back to normal, everything gets thrown up in the air, how typical?

Firstly, I graduated! I'm now qualified in Social Media and cannot thank The Juice Academy enough. Just over a year ago I had no prospects; I had dropped out of college, I had no work experience, I was on benefits and struggling a lot. Fast forward to now and I have a whole year's worth of both agency and in-house work, I have money in my savings (not much but it's better than nothing), I have a full CV, a good qualification and friends that will last a lifetime. Keep an eye out for some pictures coming soon, I am very excited to see the day fully documented instead of trying to remember the afternoon in a blurry haze (partly due to being dragged into Turtle Bay during happy hour...).

Over the past week, I have had my personal space completely invaded. The whole house has been rewired and as I write this in the living room, I am staring at ugly brownish grey plaster, cardboard boxes piled high with books and DVDs and a board on the kitchen door displaying a construction site plan and emergency phone numbers. It's grim but it does mean I can go to town decorating my room. I have decided on Soft Coffee in B&Q's Colours paint range which is gorgeous, clean and has made my room look so much bigger. My carpet is getting pulled up tonight ready for a new one on Saturday, exciting times! I have so many plans and hopefully it will let me write about interior design for once.

I'm also planning a huge party for my Nan's birthday. It falls on Halloween and we have decided it would be a shame to pass on it being on a Saturday this year. I'm swimming in checklists, recipe plans and Halloween decorations right now, but I can;t wait to surprise her at the end of the month with all of her friends and family.

I promise I will carry on blogging and although I am very quiet right now, it's going to pick up again soon. You guys, my readers, keep me sane, and even if nobody read the words I write, I wouldn't care. It's annoyed me that bloggers have had their reputation tarnished recently, and I've even heard larger bloggers in various networks talking badly about newer bloggers, which I suppose I could still be classed as, and unfortunately I have realised it is not the welcoming environment I had entered into 11 months ago (can you believe Offbeat is almost a year old?!).

Yes, I have friends in these circles and I have met lots of bloggers who have encouraged me and made me feel like my writing is great, but just a warning for all you budding writers out there; there are the ones who will hold you down and make you feel like your writing isn't great. You will see comments that put you down and make you feel uncomfortable, don't you dare listen to them. Your writing is great, you're doing something productive with your time and you have an outlet. Be confident with your writing and you can be just as great as the elite.

Back With A Bang

Hello again! I am back after a little bit of time away and I could not be happier. A lot happened whilst I was away so here's a few little snippets of my life.

Chester Zoo

My little sister turned 10 on the 18th of April (and yes, it made me feel very old). We enjoyed a brilliant day at Chester Zoo as a family and she really enjoyed herself. We saw lots of different animals and I managed to delve back into photography. Here's to a great year for my sister and many great birthdays to come.

General Election

This year I got the chance to vote for the first time. For anyone who is wondering, I voted Green due to their amazing policies for young people and the opportunities they would open up for everyone in Britain, including fairer treatment for women, young adults and people earning less money. I am very disheartened with the overall outcome, but hopefully over the next 5 years, people will realise posh, middle class, rich men are not what this country needs.

Friends

I may no longer speak to my longest friend, who I thought I would be best friends with for many years to come, but over the past few weeks I realised I have better friends who care and make me feel great. Sometimes all it takes is a small shake up for you to appreciate those around you, and I wouldn't be so strong if it wasn't for the people I have met in the past 12 months. 

Work

It's not often I talk about my job on here, but I have become so settled and so happy after being signed off work that I realised that yes, this is the place I belong and I am in a line of work that I adore. I am out of the house for 12 hours a day travelling and working, leaving little time for much else, but I honestly so not mind because I enjoy my job so much and could not imagine doing anything else.

Netflix

Going without the internet for a while almost killed me off. I ran out of data early in the month and learning to find other ways to entertain myself got very boring. It did mean I read more but oh my, did I miss Netflix! Now it's time to binge on Ru Paul's Drag Race and Bob's Burgers...

Picture Sources

https://my.greenparty.org.uk/sites/my.greenparty.org.uk/files/logo@2x_0.png

http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20141217022819/glee/images/a/a1/Jenna-Marbles-Hey-There-Friendship-YouTube-Video-Gif.gif

https://media4.giphy.com/media/KVXrT3p4BfpPG/200_s.gif

https://annoyingrambles.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/netflix-ariel.gif

5 Things I Wish I knew at 15

It's always odd when you look back at old photographs, even from just a few years ago, and realise how much has changed. With apps like Time Hop, it's so much easier to see back to your former years and see how much you have grown and changed as a person and I think it is completely important to learn lessons from how you acted in the past to shape the person you are today. We all have regrets and things we wish we knew when we were younger so here are mine.

1. Friends come and go
We spend a long time thinking the friends we have are the only friend we will ever have, it's a common high school mentality. When I left for a different college, I made a whole new group of friends, then when I left to get a job, I found even more friends, pushing out the ones who weren't going to be there for the long term. The longer you know someone, the more time they have to change and sometimes this isn't for the better. New experiences shape and mould every single person and after major life events, some people will never be the same again. This is okay because it gives you the opportunity to find those who truly care.

2. University isn't the be all and end all
I had it drummed into me from a young age that I would leave high school, do my A Levels then go off to university to do a degree. Then the real world happened and I realised I wasn't ready to move out to go to school and I seriously did not want to continue with the education system after my time in college (I even cut that short). With all the training programs and apprenticeship opportunities available to young people nowadays, it's possible to get a leg up on the career ladder before graduates and have more job experience than those who have gone to university. Yes, a degree looks and sounds brilliant during job applications, but isn't relevant work experience more important?

3. You will not find a career in history
I had my heart set on being a historian during high school. I always got the best grades, it interested me and I thought it was my calling. How wrong was I? After starting college and taking up history at a more advanced level, I completely lost interest. I was covering subjects I had already looked at and the teachers were boring, I felt like it was a complete waste of time and over a period of months I lost my passion for the subject. I wish I had taken business studies to get myself a bit more experience in the field I never even knew existed (social media for business) so I could have spent less time unemployed. But, as they say, everything happens for a reason.

4. Stop fighting for a change in your grades. That A in English Language is brilliant
I used to strive to be the best. Who am I kidding, I still do, but when I was 15, this meant I had to get the best grades and after I was promised an A* in English Language that somehow changed into an A during the marking process, I was gutted. I fought and fought for a better grade, as did my English teacher who invited the exam board in for various meetings, but the grade never got changed. It stayed with me throughout college and I thought it would hinder a lot of opportunities for me, I wasn't actually as good as I had expected. However, when I entered the world of work, I found out grades in high school didn't matter and that B in maths hasn't got me very far. I don't remember half of what to do and I've never applied half of the equations to be every day life.

5. Your family are everything, stop pushing them away
I am very close to my mum, she's been there for me through everything and always respecting my ideas and understands why I act the way I do. She is my rock, but for years I pushed her away, like most stroppy teenagers. As I grew up I realised I only have one family and after a major bust up with my extended family last year, I grew even closer to my immediate family. You lose friends, you lose lovers, but you will never lose your family and I think that is the most important lesson I have learnt over the past 4 years.

Do you have any lessons you want to teach your younger self? Let me know in the comments!

Picture Sources:

http://media.giphy.com/media/C1bNVkJiyoMg/giphy.gif

http://ed_wp-content_v2.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/whatever.gif.pagespeed.ce_.cJ4osxly7u.gif

http://www.betcheslovethis.com/files/uploads/images/baddecision.gif

http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140905070324/glee/images/c/cc/Himym_noooo.gif

http://25.media.tumblr.com/f73f802f2af2eb4c1880b942d30eb064/tumblr_mhm4ncwdxH1rllfedo2_250.gif

Time To Change

It's not often that I talk about work, nor is it often that I talk about mental health.

I recently got signed off work for two weeks due to stress induced anxiety and depression, which I took with a pinch of salt and stayed off, no matter how bored I was, how much I felt like I was missing out and I felt so guilty that people were having to pick up the work I had left behind at work. I have suffered with issues with my mental health for around 4 and a half years now; since I started my GCSEs, I have always found stress difficult to deal with and it always ends up in increase anxiety levels and the depression just runs alongside everyday life and has done for a while.

The recent Germanwings tragedy should make us all realise how crucial it is for employers to be more vigilant about mental health issues and how they can be treated through work and what they can do to help.

Since I got signed off, I now get weekly calendars that my manager creates for me so I don't get huge waves of work after a week of nothing at all. Keeping my work steady has helped my stress levels a lot and I have just completed what is possibly my first full fortnight of work this year.

What happened over the Alps should be a lesson to everyone. Employers and colleagues needs to know when someone is acting differently or has taken a lot of days off at one time for no reason. That person might need help but may be too afraid of the stigma attached to mental illnesses to speak up.

We also need to be more open and accepting about mental illnesses as a community. In some cases, we may as well be back in the time when people with mental health issues were locked up and did not receive any treatment or social interaction. They were just left to suffer which happens with people today because of the negativity surrounding illnesses like depression, anxiety and schizophrenia.

I once got told that my illness wasn't an illness at all and that I should just get over it. This guy suffered from a physical illness that he wasn't going to be able to get rid of and refused to believe that mental illnesses can be just as deadly. At this time, I was suicidal and he told me to kill myself. This is not how people with unstable mental health should be treated and it is no wonder people are afraid to talk about how they are feeling.

If you feel off for a prolonged period of time or start locking yourself away; get help. You may have to trawl through doctors who have no idea what they are talking about but you will find someone who can help you, even if it's just a friend who is open to you talking about everything you are facing. This does get better eventually.

MAKE A PLEDGE TO END STIGMAS BEHIND MENTAL HEALTH HERE.

Picture Sources:

http://crooksandliars.com/files/primary_image/15/03/germanwings_airbus.jpg

http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/sites/default/files/whocarousel2.png

The Myths Of Britain Banished

Okay, so I've noticed, now that my blog is a whole month old, that I get my fair share of readers from across the globe, hello to all of you! From talking to people from around the world on platforms like Twitter, I have noticed there are a lot of misconceptions about my wonderful homeland. I'm going to bust some of these myths and let you know what the real Britain is like.

Firstly, I hear a lot of girls say they want a British boyfriend. Here is what I suspect they are thinking of:

And here is what rather a few of the guys in Britain are actually like:

So to all you girls out there dreaming of your perfect British man, yes there are a lot of beautiful charming gentlemen (I am fortunate to have met  quite a few myself), but just remember what us British girls also have to put up with whilst trying to find our own. Myth number one: busted.

Another common misconception is that we all talk like the queen, when in fact, all the little towns and cities have their own accents and regional words. For example, living in Cheshire, I would call a round piece of bread a bun or a roll, but move elsewhere in the country, you may find the same round piece of bread being called a cob, a bap, or a barm cake. Yes, this is a little bit weird for such a small country, but we do all speak a little bit differently, it's not just Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish accents, there's a whole variety of sounds that come out from our mouths. This map should help you understand more:

Myth 2: banished.

Probably the worst misconception is that we all drink tea all the time and it's all we ever drink as we all love it so much that we bathe in it. As a matter of fact: I hate tea, and I also know a lot of other people who agree with me, and are British. It's brown and earthy and disgusting. I'd much rather have a lovely cup of coffee than a tiny sip of tea, thank you. Yes, I suppose we do consume a lot of tea as a country, but then again, so do a lot of other countries around the world. Another issue with tea: no we do not have afternoon tea all the time; when we do have afternoon tea it is a special occasion and we dress up and go to fancy hotels or restaurants and have posh little sandwiches and cakes. No, I have never been to afternoon tea, because surprise surprise, I don't drink it. Although we do have champagne afternoon tea now, I may have to try that instead.

Myth 3: bamboozled.

Here's a few more I have come across that I will quickly go through:

• We don't all have bad teeth- we actually get free braces on the NHS
• The Queen doesn't have more power over us than the Government
• Not all of our health care is free
• It doesn't always rain in Britain
• Our breakfasts aren't always huge- some people don't eat breakfast at all
• Great Britain, United Kingdom and England are not all the same
• We DO NOT like to queue, I, in fact, hate to queue (unless it's for a concert)

Now please, go forth and spread your newly found knowledge about British culture, and no more stereotyping us, thanks.

Picture Sources:

//i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01208/10th-tennant_1208537i.jpg

http://www.imjoe.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/chav-scum.jpg

http://front.dadaviz.com/media/viz_images/english-dialects-on-the-british-isles-3256618.png

My December Bucket List

I have recently been inspired by the blog posts I've been writing in work in the run up to the festive season. One suggested writing a bucket list of everything you want to do during the holidays and I thought: why not have a crack at it myself? So here it is!

1. Try a gin & tonic
2. Make macaroons (I'll share the results with all of you!)
3. Have an amazing Christmas day
4. Write up some festive blog posts
5. Try my hand at making tree decorations
6. Learn to crochet
7. Watch all the Christmas films! (Okay, just the good ones)
8. Finish reading Twenty Eight And A Half Wishes (it was a free book on iTunes, but it turns out it's actually pretty great, it's quite gritty, even though it sounds like a girly book)
9. Get to at least one blogger event (now I'm in a group that advertises them on Facebook!)
10. Make new blogger friends

I'll keep you all updated on Twitter and I'll write posts about the bigger points on there like the blogger events and learning to crochet (I've wanted to for so long!). 

What will be on your Christmas bucket list? Let me know.

Support Small Business Day

I am a major supporter of smaller businesses as I believe they need our money more than the larger corporations do. Living in a small town, I am constantly seeing small businesses lose out to the bigger companies and this really isn't fair, which is why yesterday (29/11/2014) was so important. It was national support small business day in the UK which meant after the consumerist's dream that was Black Friday, it was time to show some appreciation to those people who are trying so hard to please people with their products. For me, this has spread over the whole weekend (naturally).

On the day itself, I took a trip to Afflecks in Manchester and spend almost £150 on some amazing things. For everyone who doesn't know, Afflecks is the alternative dream in the heart on Manchester city centre. A huge market place with 3 levels and so many independent retailers. I bought everything from handmade earrings to a vintage military jacket to patches for my denim vest. There are a range of shops that sell good food, band merch and even roller derby kit (I was in heaven). Kickflip Boards have their own little corner of Afflecks, and yes I was slightly shocked when the guy behind the counter told me who has was! He was Matt, the actual owner of Kicklip Boards. This may not mean much to most of you, but he's awesome!

After my shopping spree in Afflecks, I did put some money back into bigger businesses because I was in the city and I needed some things that I couldn't buy in Afflecks such as Nandos' chicken and Iron Fist shoes. But yes, most of the money I spent yesterday went to independent retailers and it felt good.

Both last night after I came home and this afternoon were spent going around the Christmas markets in my home town. Lots of unknown makers and bakers come together every month to sell their wares and get their name out as high quality retailers. I personally adore these markets. The streets get closed (usually just for the Sunday, but this one lasted the whole weekend) and people come together and form relationships with sellers and buy some incredible, unique products. This month, I mainly bought food. Good homemade cheeses, macaroons and breads were far too tempting and the people who sell them are much more friendly than walking into a large supermarket, after all, this is what they love to do and have made a business out of it!

This month I saw some very interesting stalls and sampled some amazing goodies. The highlight of this afternoon's shopping has to be my tub of Prossecco sorbet from the artisan ice cream parlour that is situated in Knutsford, Cheshire. It makes incredible ice creams such as pistachio (another one of my favourites) and rum & raisin.

Supporting local businesses doesn't just have to mean once a year, or even once a month. I am a frequent shopper at The Candy Warehouse, again based in Knutsford. The staff are amazing and the concept behind the shop is great. There is a great mix of old favourites and fascinating new discoveries from all over the world (they have a major love for Japanese sweets). The best thing is, not only do they have the best shop front ever, they also ship deliveries all across the UK!

If you don't do anything else to support local businesses, go and support my friends at The Candy Warehouse and Kickflip Boards.

Getting Lippy

So lets be honest here, it's the week before payday and I'm broke, as are a lot of other people I know. I know what will cheer everyone up! Buying new lipsticks. "But you just said you have no money," I hear you cry. Yes, you are right, but I got 3 new lipsticks for £2 the other day. 2 whole British pounds. No I didn't buy them from a friend or get special family discount, that is the actual price of MUA lipsticks. You don't have to scrimp of quality, the strength of colour or the packaging either.

I already had the matte Wild Berry lipstick and quickly fell in love with it. Even though it is a matte colour, it doesn't dry your lips, in fact, it hydrates them better than most lip balms, making it a must for the A/W season. It looks like a deep purple colour here, but goes on a bit redder, but still keeping its plummy richness. It also seems to act like a lip stain as its staying power is incredible!

Scarlet siren is another matte shade and looks as if the colour is going to be amazing, I will keep you updated with how I find the colour when I wear it, but it should be positives, I love bright and bold reds.

Shade 1 is my typical lipstick. It has a nice gloss, is amazingly moisturising and is very bold, however with a sophisticated darker twist. This is the first time I had used the MUA gloss lipstick instead of the matte colours and I loved it! My lips felt amazing which is odd for a less expensive lipstick and it stayed on for hours! I was definitely not disappointed.

Now I am always one to take a risk, but Raven is starting to make me nervous. I have wanted to try a black lipstick for a while (I wear a lot of dark clothes and I attend a lot of rock concerts, it's only right) but now I have one in my possession, I keep putting it off. It will be worn one day and I realise that yes, it will probably become my favourite lip colour ever, but for now, let's just leave it be until I grow the balls.

What I love about MUA lipsticks in general is that thy come with little pots of the lip colour that you can unscrew from the bottom of the container. I love this because using a lip brush is my favourite way to apply lip colours but I hate destroying the shape of the lipstick because it makes it harder to apply without a brush in the future. These handy little pots give me the best of both worlds and let me get my own way (and who doesn't love that?!).

Let me just add that the colours are usually £1 each, I got three because of a special 3 for 2 offer that I found about when I went to pay, which was the best feeling ever that I could get more things for free.

Recipe: Raspberry & White Chocolate Cupcakes

As it is international cake day on Wednesday 26th November, I decided to share with you a new recipe I have fallen in love with. My adoration for this classic flavour combination came from my addiction to raspberry and white chocolate cookies as a child. Now baking with and eating the two together takes me back to shopping with my Nan and the innocence of childhood memories. I found a recipe online and tweaked it, as well as adding my own raspberry jam butter cream with a homemade raspberry sauce. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 250g soft butter
• 250g caster sugar
• 250g self raising flour
• 4 eggs
• 4-5 tbsp milk
• 100g white chocolate (chips or broken into small pieces)
• raspberries (no quantity, I used about 2/3 small punnet)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / Gas Mark 4
2. Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (see picture towards the end of the post)
3. Add and beat in the eggs one at a time, continue beating until some volume has been added
4. Gradually sift in the flour and fold in, then add the milk to loosen up the mixture slightly
5. Add the raspberries and white chocolate chips or pieces delicately so you don't knock the air out of the batter or destroy the raspberries. I suggest coating them in flour before adding to the mixture as this stops them sinking to the bottom of the cake during baking
6. Spoon into cake cases and bake for around 15 minutes or until golden (see pictures)
7. Decorate how you want, I used raspberry jam butter cream which is a small pack of butter with around 5-6 tablespoons of icing sugar and 2 teaspoons or raspberry jam, more if you want a stronger colour or flavour. The sauce was made with the leftover raspberries, 2 teaspoons of caster or granulated sugar and a splash of water, then strain to take the seeds out.

THIS is soft and fluffy

This is the colour my cakes went when they were done

  

The Best Rainy Day Films

Now that the nights are getting darker and drizzle is the likely forecast, I like to spend a lot of time snuggled up watching films. Homemade bakes and cocoa with my giant duvet and a good film is my perfect way to spend a dreary evening. There are a so many films that can warm up the coldest days and nights; these are my favourites.

1. (500) Days Of Summer

Anyone who says they have seen this film and didn't like it is lying. It's the perfect rom-com, it'll make you laugh hysterically while mopping up your tears. If you've never seen it, it's about the 500 days after the main character meets the new girl at work and how their relationship evolves over time. This film has made me want to go on dates to IKEA and record shops and other crazy places most first dates shouldn't be. The soundtrack. Oh wow, that soundtrack. It has a heavy indie focus and TWO songs by The Smiths (who are one of my all time favourite bands). It gives you a new perspective on love and relationships, even with friends. This film changed everything for me.

2. Donnie Darko

This one is perfect for anyone who enjoys the darker side of life and is best watched on a cold night when the moon comes out, it matches the mood of the film perfectly. Just a quick warning, this isn't one to watch with kids or anyone who gets freaked out by masks etc. It's also a real thinker, if you want to just switch off and take a film in, this probably isn't for you. Other than that, this film is perfect. Without ruining too much, this is about a guy who experiences an accident and sees a giant bunny and goes a bit insane really. Then there's a twist. This is literally all I can say without ruining the plot. Also, another killer soundtrack (Mad World by Gary Jules).

3. Forrest Gump

Another film that warms my heart and definitely a classic. Following the life of quite a simple man, this film shows how people see things in different ways, kind of like (500) Days Of Summer. He tells his story to people waiting for a bus and the they are enough to make anyone cry. He goes through college, falls in love, fights in the Vietnam war, loses people he loves and plays in an international ping pong tournament. The characters are lovable and even after the first watch, they will stay with you forever and you will learn life lessons from each and every one of them. This film makes you look at yourself and how you treat those around you and even has the possibility to strengthen your relationships because life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get.

4. About A Boy

When I studied the book this film is based on in high school, I hated it. Probably because we had to do all of that analysing that nobody does in real life, but a few years on I am realising how awesome this film is. It allows you to see events that could happen to anyone through the eyes of a mature young boy and an immature grown man. Throughout the film, the young boy makes the man grow up and the man makes the young boy a child again, giving him time off from looking after his depressed mother. For all you Americans, it may be hard to get your hands on, it's difficult enough over here in the UK, where it was made and based. But if you can find it on Netflix or another streaming service, give it a go. It also features a very young, incredibly cute Nicholas Hoult (who was in Skins and has been in a few big films recently).

5.  Princess And The Frog

This list would not be complete without a musical or a Disney film, and this one covers both. Don't get me wrong, this is not my favourite Disney film (there's a long list, this will probably come soon) but this music and themes are enough to warm even the coldest of winter nights. I have to admit, Dr. Facilier is the scariest Disney villain there is, but that just makes me love the film more. I see a bit of myself in Tiana, it took a lot of hard work and effort to get to where I am but I'm here now and I love it. Also, everyone has a friend who reminds them of Charlotte from the film, if you can't think of any, then you are her. And you are awesome. And we should be friends.

I'm a major film junkie and I love watching new things, let me know if there are any other films that belong on this list. I feel like I'm going to need a whole lot more to get me through this dreary season.

Why Procrastination Can Be Useful

I'll be the first to admit, I can procrastinate for Britain. But it's never the major things. My apprenticeship work is completed as soon as I can, work at work gets done as it comes in, but when it comes to personal motivation and drive, there's nothing. I always think: I need to blog, but it can wait another five minutes. That's why my other blogs failed. But here's the thing: I've learnt. I learn things everyday at work, and I learn things at my training provider, but I also learn things about myself when I'm faced with a new task, and this time I learnt procrastination can be a brilliant thing.

Firstly, rushing work is never good, and a little hesitation can help. Procrastination could help you come up with ore ideas before starting a project or simply give you more energy to do it later on, as long as it does actually get done. It also gives you a bit more time to look over your work if you're procrastinating over sending work off or publishing a blog post, one more chance to notice a huge mistake or to add a new point. 

Procrastination also gives us time to think, which I suppose is very similar to my last point, however, it gives us time to think about the little things: why am I doing what I am doing? What makes me happy about what I am doing? Who else can help me? Where is this going to take me? When will this help me? How am I going to make this successful? If we don't take a moment to sit back and think about these things, we may as well be robots. If you realise something doesn't make you happy, or your task isn't going to benefit anyone,stop doing it! This could also work for people about to commit a crime, but lets not go there.

So when you're next putting off that task you know has to be done, whether that's cleaning the dishes (I'm looking at you students) or handing in that report for work; ask yourself the questions then get on with it, because a little bit of procrastination is okay, a lot is not.

Guinness World Record Day 2014

So as you probably don't know, I'm rather partial to a weird holiday, and this is no exception. Yesterday (15/11/2014) was the 10th annual Guinness World Record day, where around 600,000 hopefuls try to break records and get their name into the infamous book that inspired me as a child (I'm not joking, I thought I could be the youngest person to write a cook book and walk to the North Pole simultaneously at one point).

I didn't get my name in the book, however, I did break a world record when I was younger. I think I was about 9 years old and a lot of schools in England decided to try and break the record for most people singing the same song at the same time (or something along those lines). Joss Stone and Lemar got involved and it was the most amazing thing that had ever happened. I didn't get to meet them but my 9 year old self felt a connection with them, shame neither of them are relevant anymore. Anyway, we all gathered into the school assembly hall and stood in rows, made sure we were singing at the right time, we had some guy in a suit from Guinness World Records there and we all belted out Lean On Me. Safe to say we broke the record, I can't remember any exact stats but I think it was mentioned in the 2005 book. I tried Googling it but nothing, it's been broken, kind of destroyed my dreams on this dreary Sunday morning.

It goes without saying that I know how important yesterday was to some people, because quite frankly, I still want individual recognition in that book. There is no I in team, but there are three in individual excellence.

In America, the largest high heeled shoe was unveiled by the brand Kenneth Cole. It measured 1.95m long and 1.85m tall, the highest shoes I own are around 6.5 inches, something tells me I couldn't walk in those. It was an okay shoe, I wasn't too impressed, it could have looked a lot classier.

I suppose it's in fashion and a big ass shoe isn't exactly going to look like it would if it was actually wearable, but honestly, that little one at the bottom isn't exactly my cup of tea either, I'll leave it at that.

So you get shoes in America and there were a few sports records broken too, and what do we get here in the UK? People dresses as penguins. Yesterday, on Queen's Walk, London, the record for the largest gathering of people dressed as penguins was broken. There were 373 people dressed as penguins and waddling around the capital yesterday. This actually happened: 

Is it odd that for me, it was a proud moment to be British? Forget the 2012 Olympics, and the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, this is what I live for. A lot of people who decide to dress as penguins.

My favourite ever thing that has ever happened involving record breaking (apart from my record, of course) is Paramore's video for Ain't It Fun. If you haven't seen this, you need to! The video shows the three-piece band attempting to and breaking various weird and wonderful world records and then eventually breaking the record for setting the most records in a music video. The song is absolutely brilliant too! Watch it here:

I'd love to know if you have any ideas for a record I could try and set this time next year for my individual recognition. The weirder the better!