It's finally spring!

I know those of you who live in the Southern Hemisphere won't be thinking the same thing, but for us up here in the north, winter has finally been banished. And aren't we glad! The cold may be nice for a while but it doesn't take long for me to start missing the heat.

With the warm weather arriving, try to make the most of it and be outside as much as possible. Even though it's revision and exam time for most of us, the change in weather can still make a positive difference to our textbook-saturated lives.

Everyone knows you need little breaks in revision. Instead of using these to go online and get carried away by something on Facebook or by a texting conversation, go into the garden or somewhere you can get fresh air. It will clear your head and help you concentrate better when you have to get back to work.

I also like to do my schoolwork out in the garden whenever I can. A pretty, sunny atmosphere is better for studying in than a gloomy, cold one.

When you do have time, go for a walk. Especially if you're one of the many who are feeling depressed or down, I guarantee this will cheer you up more than staying inside playing video games!

What are your favourite thing to do once the warmer seasons come? How do you make the most of them? Let us know in the comments!


-Barista Sabita-

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Long distance relationships. What's with that voice in the back of your head, or coming from someone else, saying that these are pointless? Sure, there are some reasons why this can be the case, but not always.

Many people consider having a boyfriend or girlfriend hundreds of miles away whom you can't see to be a waste of time. You can't go out with them, you can't kiss them or hold their hand. You can only ever see them on video-chat. And personally, although I have a long distance boyfriend, I have telephonophobia, and video-chat is like the telephone but with added motion picture torture, so that's that option out the window.

Does the relationship suffer, though? No, it doesn't. Texting is more than enough and some great conversations can be had on it. I have texted and written to people I've never seen in real life for so long that it's second nature to me now.

There are lots of things you can do in a relationship over the Internet, phone, etc. If you do like live calls, they can be great fun (or so I'm guessing!). You can play a game such as truth or dare, would you rather, or two-truths-and-a-lie (in which you give three facts about yourself, one of which is false, and your partner has to guess which one that is). You can watch a movie at the same time. You can send each other things through the post. Plus, of course, you can make plans to meet up in real life some day.

How do you know they're not cheating on you? My advice is to only enter a relationship if you are able to trust the person so much that there is absolutely no doubt in your mind that they are not. This way you'll never have to worry and you can be sure of their dedication.

If you are worried about not being able to see someone you're so close to, think about the idea of believing in God or gods. If you are a believer you probably look to God as a friend as well as a judge and a helper. Even though you can't exactly take Him out for a pizza, if you really believe strongly enough, He's always there, somewhere in the sky above the treetops (that's where I look when I need to talk to Him, anyway!) You can't see Him, but you know there's someone out there who knows you and cares about you.

So, what do you think about long distance relationships? Are you in one, and what is your experience with it? Let us know in the comments!


-Barista Sabita-

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I'm normally a massive fan of The Voice UK, but this year kind of started going downhill from the Knockouts, if you ask me. And it didn't really stop going that way.

The moment Jai McConnell was sent home after her Knockout performance, I seriously started questioning whether the judges were getting bored after three years or not paying enough attention, or maybe drunk. I loved Jai.

She wasn't the only exceptionally good one they got rid of too early. Most people were expecting Jessica, Anna, Jazz and many more to go through to the live rounds, but they didn't. Let's have a look at some of these singers and their awesome voices.

Jessica

Jessica Steel auditioned last year but got no turns, then tried again this year and had all the coaches begging for her to pick them. (This exact thing happened in Seasons 1-2 with another singer, and she was more successful in the long run.) Pity it didn't work so well this time; after specially promising to fight for her, Will neglected her in the battle. Ricky "stole" her but didn't bring her through the next round, either.

Anna


Out of everyone who auditioned this year, Anna's is probably the only music I would actually buy. I have a soft spot for folk, not to mention folk sung by such a sweet voice, not even to mention folk played along with that infamous harp. It would have been brilliant if she had been in the finals, but alas! Didn't happen.

Jai


As I said, I fell in love with Jai's blind audition and fell asleep with the YouTube video of it on repeat for the next several nights. Although her singing style wasn't quite as unique as people said it was (Luciee Marie sounded very much like her!) it was captivating to listen to. Plus she's Irish, like me.

Sophie


Sophie was the only one who in my opinion got as far as she deserved. She was the one who walked, talked and sang Vintage. Who doesn't love "Moon River"? Sophie got to the Live Semi-Finals. Hooray!

Jermain


Now I'm not just saying this but *whispers* I had expected that Jermain would win, out of all the finalists. will.i.am's been coaching for three seasons and not won yet, so it was about time he did. Jermain is a retro singer too, but no match for Sophie, if you ask me.

So, now this series of The Voice UK is over, I wonder how our winner will do with his debut and whether things will be better next year! What did you think of the series? What were your highlights and worst bits?


-Barista Sabita-

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Makeup is so common these days. Everyone (with rare exceptions of a few very individualistic girls who usually go to Steiner schools or something) wears makeup. I say this with surprise because I come from a "natural-is-good-makeup-is-evil" kind of background myself.

Even now I spend most of my time without a single makeup product on. When I go out, whether I put any on depends only on how much time I have to do so.

It is fun to layer on the blusher, eyeshadow and lip gloss like crazy when you have a big party to go to or are doing it as a sleepover activity. Putting pretty makeup on can also be a fun and calming thing to do when you're on your own. It can be rather like art therapy- it's pretty and enjoyable, and something you can get really good at.

However, I think it's a shame when girls feel like they have to have some kind of artificial coverage on their face at all times in order to feel complete. The belief that people actually care about it dominates them.

Often the difference between how you look makeupless and your natural look are too big not to be very noticeable, and if you went out without anything on your face one day people would notice the change. We're used to our made-up look, that's why we can easily begin to feel uncomfortable and bare without it.

But it doesn't have to be like that. You have probably heard it said a million times over that natural is beautiful, and it is- just in a different way to the heavy paintedness we're bombarded with in magazines, TV shows, and on the Internet. Try it- to get used to it, first just wear a little of the products that really make a change to your appearance, such as eyeliner, and gradually lessen it to even less, and finally nothing.

As many of you will have seen from the influx of special no-makeup selfies being posted on Facebook at the moment, there is a campaign going on in which you get sponsored to do this. The money goes to cancer research.

What better a way to start ditching the cosmetics and helping charity at the same time? Others aren't going to judge you, especially if they're also doing it themselves!

My own no makeup selfie

-Barista Sabita-

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Here are some of my favourite books, movies and TV shows that I think deserve more notoriety via fandoms. Do you agree with me?

Little House on the Prairie

It's ancient- it was on TV in the '70s- but it was my all time favourite TV show growing up. (And no, I actually grew up in the '00s...) The 200+ episodes feature Laura Ingalls, a country girl with pigtails, as she grows up in eighteenth-century Minnesota. I loved this show because even though Laura had a different kind of life in a different kind of place, she was still exactly like a normal child and teenager today. She carved her crushes' name on a tree and shoved the class bully Nellie Oleson into a river!
Even now, if I'm having a bad day and need to get away from it all, I try to escape back into the past with a good old episode of LHOTP.

How I Live Now

The book is by Meg Rosoff and the film was out in October. I fell in love with them both. It's about an American teenager, Daisy, who goes to live with her cousins in England just before the outbreak of World War Three. The book is special as it's written in a really different and captivating way, and it was awesome to see it brought to life watching the movie, especially as Saoirse Ronan was in it.

Now is Good

Now Is Good is an internationally best-selling book and film about a girl dying of cancer. She makes a list of everything she wants to do before she dies- sex, drugs, fame, shoplifting. When she realises she only has a few weeks left to live, the list changes to things like laughter, seeing the sun come up one more time, watching her brother perform one more magic trick...
Maybe I love this book and film so much because Tessa is a bit like me in that we both love to savour each moment as it comes. Anyway, it's enchanting. Similar to The Fault in Our Stars, but... yes... even better.

Call The Midwife

This TV show is currently airing in the UK and I love it more with every episode. Okay, I admit it, the birth scenes are a little gruesome, but it's not all babies and bunting. There are great characters and some pretty inspirational stuff there too.


-Barista Sabita-

Image: via (Melissa Gilbert as Laura Ingalls, 1975), Schu (How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff), via (still from Now Is Good), The Art of Doing Stuff Read more »

Friends. We all love our friends. Friends are one of life's most essential ingredients, but we need to appreciate and make the most of them. Would we be able to keep happy if we didn't have our friends, even if we sometimes don't notice them?

Sometimes we come home after a long and boring day of toiling over textbooks, and need a bit of lighthearted gossip to cheer us up. Fun days out with friends are essential to happiness too; what would life be without them?

It's so nice to have people in your life with things in common with you. Family members don't always understand what it's like to be you, but friends are more likely to. They go to the same classes, have the same homework and maybe favourite school subjects, dislike the same teachers, and have the same mutual friends as you.

It's also nice when someone who's going through the emotional problems you are. I often go from "I'm so alone, nobody understands me, woe is me!" to "I'm loved! Thank goodness for so-and-so's advice!"

Talking about things like that can open up new fields of intimacy for you and your friend, too. Getting to know someone down to their innermost soul can be really rewarding. As is turning the help and support tables the other way round and helping someone else out.

So, if you ever fall out with a friend or it's one of those days when it seems like no one loves you, bear in mind the things your good friends actually do for you, and let that show you that they love you- even if they don't know it themselves! And don't be afraid to tell them you love them too!

Giving friendship bracelets is one way of doing this.

How important do you think friendship is? Leave a comment below!

-Barista Sabita-

Image: Marina Monaco, Traci Lawson

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Facebook and Twitter- which do you prefer? Some people are fervent FB lovers; others hate it and stick to Twitter. I personally adore both, but spend more time on Facebook, mainly because more of my friends have it. Here are some points to consider...

• Like I said, often more people have Facebook than Twitter. Facebook is a general tool for everyday life (how sad that sounds!) and everyone goes on it regularly. Twitter, on the other hand, is more for unusual people who want a vent where no one knows them...and maybe a place to go when they're drunk.

• There is a beautifully friendly community on Facebook for page admins. I'm am admin on seven pages including Hunger Games fan-pages, a poetry and writing one and a depression help page. It's a joy sharing stuff with the likers and getting tonnes of likes and comments, and I've made some of my best friends though admin group chats.

• Twitter has the advantage in that you can have a wider public audience. It's easy to get a couple of thousand followers and hopefully have them all see your Tweets. That's not as likely to happen as it is for everyone to see Facebook posts, though, as if you have that many followers you probably follow a good many people too (unless you are Harry Styles) and they may not read their whole news feed.

• But the Twitter community can be awesome too. You're more likely to meet awesome new people on Twitter if you follow people you don't know in real life.

• Rants- difficult with 140. Ah, the 140-character limit- one of the great banes of Twitter! As much as it makes us value our words, it prevents us from expressing ourselves voluminously or creatively. Unless you use the short slot to your advantage and be clever in your phrasing...

-Barista Sabita-

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Stress is so rampant these days. It's the start of a new term and there's a great big mountain-load of work waiting to be done. Revising for exams starts soon for a lot of people. I'm doing my GCSEs and I told myself I would aim for perfect grades even in my worst subjects- no pressure in the slightest, then! *Insert poignant groans here*.

Whether it's other people, yourself, or just stuff that's stressing you out, there are ways to make it easier to cope. Here are a few tips I have found useful for this.

• Lie on the floor for ten seconds.
Whether you believe in psychotherapy or not, try this- it may help calm you down! Count to ten, or twenty, and concentrate on letting your limbs relax.

• Write yourself messages and stick them on the wall behind your desk or bed. I've got "Accept courage and enjoy it!", meaning that I know I have to knuckle down and get on with stuff, but I can do it eventually.

• When you rest (make sure you do a lot of this, and that in the late evenings when you finally have free time, you don't just stay up) fluff up your pillows into and make sure your back is in a comfortable position. I find that an aching body only serves to escalate stress, and we'll only be able to feel rejuvenated if we're well rested.

• Talk to your friends or go outside for a while. Take little breaks to forget the world around you and enjoy yourself. Get homework help from your friends. Breathe the fresh air!

• Keep a big perspective on things. Have in mind that one day not that long away, you'll be lying in bed because it's the summer holidays, and then you'll be getting your exam results. What happens then will depend on what you do in these days. Also, it may help to think about the fact that one day, you'll be an old grandparent looking back on that little period in your life that was school days, and thinking how small it was compared to the whole of your life.

So don't stress too much- the bad stuff will not last forever, and the better you can cope with it now, the quicker you'll feel better!

-Barista Sabita-



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For a lot of us, celebrities are a part of our lives and we think about some of them in one way or another every day, like when we listen to their music or see their news online. Do we really consider them as we would an ordinary person, though?

Sure, we can worship Harry if we have to! But celebrities in general just aren't seen in the same way as, say, your friends or your teachers are, and I think they should be. Oh yes. It's not only famous people who are special, and the opposite is also true- it's not only non-famous people who are ordinary.

Let's take a look at the more "normal" sides to some celebs' lives!

Jennifer Lawrence

Jen is a derp. Jen is an adorable person who can voice the secret thoughts and feelings that everyone has; "I've just found two Mentos in my pocket!" She is serious about being foolish. Yay. She also likes to paint and knit sweaters and scarves.

will.i.am

Our fresh dope Will is going back to college to learn quantum physics! Nerdy!

Jessie J

Jessie has always liked to do those weird but almost sneakily fun things we all do- like taking and editing a million selfies and eating a lot. She hasn't let being susceptible to hateful comments get in her way if she wants to publish twenty selfies at a time. And she has struggled to learn to accept her body and how she looks as a good thing, like so many people have.


-Barista Sabita-

Images: Gage Skidmore, Intel Free Press, Eva Rinaldi Read more »

 

There was a time when everything was sweet and fair
When people could run in laughter by the sea
A time that was content just idling there
When loving arms would curl themselves round me.

The fishing boats came sailing into shore
I watched then from the lily-studded bay
Till one crashed in I hadn't seen before
At the end of the final old and righteous day.

There was no finity to what I saw
No ruth was shown in hunger's vicious games
Flat panic struck and slowly ate me raw
So saner critics judged and gave me names.

Now when people touch me from behind
All I sense is a truthless, snatching sting
I try to get up, search, but cannot find
The doorway to a new awakening.
Now I'm living, trapped, inside a seed
And the more that's snatched away, the more I need.


-Barista Sabita- Read more »

It's a few days after Christmas and most of the festivities are over. The extended family has gone back home, the Quality Streets are eaten, the family friends have gone off skiing, and the house is very quiet.

What can you do? Don't let the stalemate of boredom pull you in! You really don't want to spend your precious last week of holidays on Facebook all the time! So try to make the most of the Christmas break, and brush away any saddening thoughts you might be having.

• If all your friends are busy and can't meet up with you, try not to feel too disappointed or neglected. Loneliness is one of the emotions I most hate, but just keep in mind that you'll be seeing them soon, and use your time to focus on yourself.

• If a friend you're fond of is ignoring you online, you could either send them a message letting them know you miss them, or ignore them back, giving them some space. This takes strength, but it will be worth it if after a while the friendship takes up its rightful place in your life again.

• Go out to town! Almost anyone can do this as long as there is some sort of public transport service. If you're feeling really adventurous, take a bus or a train to a bigger, further-away town and make a day of it- go to the movies and have lunch. For last minute company choices... How about your brother or sister?

• If you've already been "Boxing Day Shopping" and don't need anything in town, a wander around the countryside in the fresh air might help clear your head if you've spent too much time indoors.

• I don't know about you, but in term time, I find myself constantly wanting to do things that I have no time for- read certain books, make cakes, watch entire seasons of favourite TV shows... Maybe now is the time! These have a good promise of keeping the boredom away once you get into them.

• For a feels journey, sit down with some crisps and watch your favourite film as of when you were 12 or 13. I did this a while ago, and woah, did I bawl!

• You'll probably be dreading the return of school. Prepare for this- don't let your heart sink when you look at the enormous pile of homework. It won't be that hard (well...), and it won't take you the rest of your free time, unless you don't get on with it. Start by just thinking about what you've got to do, so as to mentally prepare yourself; and then put a particular day aside for concentrating.

Above all, make sure you make the most of your holidays. They'll only last so long, and when they're over you'll miss them, so enjoy each day as fully as you can.


-Barista Sabita-

Images: Nash Long via Wikimedia, Barista Sabita Read more »

Sometimes it seems like the whole world is made up of superfans. They dominate your Twitter feed with their exclusive follow-parties and ramble on about how "utterly asdfghjkl" Zayn's new tattoo is. Sometimes they are nowhere to be seen. Most of my friends either hate or couldn't care less about Justin Bieber or One Direction. Whatever the case, there are millions and millions and...millions...okay...of those fans out there. And they are, like, really weird.

Now I don't mean that in a rude or negative way at all- in fact I am a bit of a fangirl myself at times. It's just that people who are so completely and devotedly infatuated with one pop star or another have such DIFFERENT lives to other people.

I was in the cinema yesterday with a friend (who coincidentally wanted it to be a date but I said no, I love Colin Morgan too much for that) and the trailer for Believe came on. It struck me how much the Bieber-boy means to some people, how much they've attached themselves to him, and how they basically use him as their Bible. They really look up to him as a guide and a helping hand.

It's interesting to think that there are people in the world who have put people like Justin at the centre of their lives. Some of them apparently wouldn't be around anymore if they didn't have him to keep them going, and somehow they've trained themselves to believe it matters to him whether they as individuals carry on through their hard times or not. I'm sure it does hurt him if he hears about it, but then he can't know every one of his multi-million fans' life stories, can he?

In a way it must be rather nice to have something in your life like a refuge, to occupy yourself with, perhaps especially so for those of us who don't have a religion. It must also be heavenly to have a crush who doesn't live right across the road from you so you can't ever go out for fear of having to talk to him, blushing like crazy. (Yup, that is meh.) It must also be sad, though, knowing the object of your existence will never know you as an individual person and that the obsession is only one-way. 

What do you guys think? Are superfans just ridiculous and messed-up, or should they feel blessed? Are you one? Let us know in the comments!

-Barista Sabita
 

Image: Joe Bielawa

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Yes, yes, I am a Twilight fan. Or, more to the point, I'm not one in the countless seas of people who follow the "I hate Twilight" trend. I'll stand up for it, partly because I don't like it when people go hater on fandoms, (as books and movies are always good, even if not in a way some of us are able to enjoy), partly because I did really enjoy it, and partly because, well, it is a good series and I believe it should be enjoyed for what it is- a cracking good saga.

The world has got it all wrong!

Here are some things in popular belief that...sorry...just aren't strictly that true.

• "Twilight is cheesy."

The broadest assault on Twilight. I'm not going to deny that there's kissing and pining away for your spouse and typical, maybe predictable main plots. This is true. It has a sincere and beautiful heart, though, that's quite the opposite, if you can look past the style and enjoy the lovey-dovey-ness. Maybe this is why most Twihards these days are either twelve year-old girls or young to middle-aged single American women- they're apparently somehow able to do this.

• "It isn't even written professionally."

Myth. This is a myth! Outrageous myth! Treason! Blasphemy! The books are written cleverly- it does a good job of you in, is interesting, and uses all the "professional" techniques, i.e. metaphors and similes. There are some brilliant symbolic little details along the way. Stephenie tells the story pretty well.

The Twilight Saga (Little, Brown) by Stephanie Meyer. Annafur

• "Kristen Stewart is the worst actor in the world."

You know, I get why a lot of people don't like K-Stew's acting. She's jerky and awkward and if she were in real life it would feel as if she had a chronic shyness disorder or something and couldn't form her words properly. Compare her with Jennifer Lawrence in "The Hunger Games" series, though, and you see the same strange, almost uncertain portrayals in places. Apparently it's the way famous protagonists are these days. Bella Swan is quite an uncertain character, and unsure of herself and whatever's going on; "Oh, and by the way, Bella, I'm a vampire. Sorry, maybe you should have been aware of that before I got you pregnant." And obviously many, including professionals, think Kristen's good- she must have been chosen for the role over thousand of other auditionees for a reason.

Still from Twilight (Summit Entertainment)

-Barista Sabita-

Images: Gaston from Beauty and the Beast LivingShadowDarkMark, The Twilight Saga (Little, Brown) by Stephanie Meyer. Annafur, Still from Twilight (Summit Entertainment)

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I am a bit of an X Factor fanatic. I love The X Factor. And the funnier and sillier it gets, the more I find myself enjoying it. Now, I'm not usually one for celebrity gossip, but I have to admit it can be great fun, so I'm going to conduct an investigation into a conspiracy that has been aloft on the show lately- whether Sam Callahan and Tamera Foster are...awh...in loooove. (Of course in reality I'm sure they're not, but that's not the point of gossip, is it? *Insert evil cackles here.*)

• Tamera's first diary dare was to be Sam's PA for a day. Ooh, nice. Here, take a look at the video!


• At the end of one of the joint performances of all the finalists, Tamera rested her arm on Sam's shoulder- as if he was a piece of furniture in her house. This is a true sign that they belong to one another, if you ask me. No one's asking me? Oh, well.

• Caroline Flack, one of the Xtra Factor presenters, kept seeming to think Sam and Tamera were getting married. "There were rumours"... Sam denied it, blushing, but Tamera has a cheeky side (which I hugely admire her for, BTW) and made fun of it by announcing that they were getting married after the X Factor had finished. Well, now they're both out of the competition, so we'd better listen out for wedding bells!

• When Sam left, he was asked who he was backing to win, and he paused and said Nicholas- "Nicky", who's in his category, or Tamera. Sweet.

• And when Tamera left last Sunday, she said she was going to meet up with our Sammie as soon as she could.

So there's some juicy fried nuggets of gossip for you. Gosh, I sounded like a Daily Star writer... Hum. What do you think of this rumour or any others that are on the show at the moment?

-Barista Sabita-

Image: Screenshot from a video-diary video on YouTube Read more »

By now most of you Hunger Games fans will have seen Catching Fire, and the hype is beginning to settle down into a pile of fangirling over memes on the Internet. As it's all so exciting, I've decided to make a list of some of the best things about "The Hunger Games" as a series.

• The characters are really interesting ones and you can get attached to the them easily. (Whether or not it's advisable to become one of those girls who sobs over Peeta every day is up to you!)  Katniss manages to heroically survive the emotional washing machine she's put into by the Evil President Snow (helped by the amazing luck that you only ever find in stories, of course). Peeta, Gale and Finnick are three very hawt and yet different guys in the story. Haymitch is a wine barrel full of blood-red sarcasm. Prim is, in my eyes, the one we readers and watchers are all most like- we're still children at heart and we'd never stand a chance in the Hunger Games.

• The films are stunning. They bring the books to life so well and it's amazing to see the whole dystopia thing in detail. Plus, Effie has hairstyles like glittering fairy cakes with buttercream icing, and who doesn't love buttercream icing...? You can tell me off later.

• Jennifer Lawrence is a huge character in herself, and very relatable to many of us. She's even dubbed a "derp" online. When asked how she was recently, she replied, "I'm great- I just found two Mentos in my pocket!" The similarity between this and the kind of thing I would say is pretty startling.

• The books actually uses good writing. Unlike quite a lot of teen fiction these days, there is plenty of nice, creative language used. I'm one of those people who notices every detail in the way a book is written, keeping a lookout for good metaphors and what-have-you. Suzanne Collins uses words that stay implanted in your mind in a variety of gross, terrifying or cutesy images. So it's possible that if you're the kind of person who is either very squeamish or can get sucked into book-worlds easily, or both, that this series isn't really a good idea for you... Having said that, who doesn't love to escape for a bit of excitement now and then?

-Barista Sabita-

Images: Still from Catching Fire, Theatrical poster for The Hunger Games, Mingle MediaTV, The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic) Carissa Rogers Read more »

We were all a little surprised last June when Andrea- remember the partially-sighted Northern Irish contestant with the emotional, angelic songs?- won the second series of The Voice UK instead of the act who was expected to win, namely Leah McFall.

I, for one, was chuffed to bits that Andrea won- her natural, beautiful style of singing is right up my street. Apparently Will.i.am had a bit of a tantrum that Leah didn't win, though... The pressure was on for Andrea!

Last summer I almost completely forgot about Andrea. I listened to her audition song "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan so many times that the words could actually influence me in hard times, but I couldn't find any other music of hers. That's because there wasn't much until a few weeks ago.

 
Andrea's debut album has come out! I officially announce, it has been released! And it's as lovely as she always has been. People have been saying it hasn't lived up to expectations.

Now, I'm no blind fan, but I don't know what they're talking about. Each song is mesmerising and pretty. Some are slow and mournful, some upbeat and lively. And her amazing voice! It's like a waterfall or a flower meadow, seriously. So pure and fluid.

So that's where she's been all summer and autumn- writing and recording her album. She has also been featured in a few newspapers and magazines, but I've always missed out on those. 

Oh, and she has published an autobiography. That was quick, wasn't it? Only in her twenties and been famous for, what, six months, and she's got down to the desk already. It's called "I Didn't See That Coming". 

I just hope the harsh critique she's been getting (for selling only 2000 copies of "The Message" in the first week) isn't bugging her too much, and that she's coping with the stress of fame well enough.

-Barista Sabita-

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So guys. Physiognomy is the study of how someone's physical, especially facial, features depict their character. Most people would agree it's largely nonsense- the same sort of thing as believing in horoscopes-astrology- and using pouches full of garlic to cure deadly diseases (anthroposophy). It can be great fun, though. Lets look at some famous faces and see what speculation can do. 

Simon Cowell

Ah, Simon. We all just love Simon, don't we? 

Simon's eyebrows are rather wide apart. Apparently this represents broad-mindedness. Huh- that's one way of putting it. High eyebrows denote his controversial attitude and picky tastes.

He has a large nose- this supposedly means he is proud of his achievements (give him some love- he did create One Direction, after all!). He is also a spendthrift. What was that Jack Carroll was saying about him buying the Olympic stadium because he was looking to downsize...

Taylor Swift

 

Taylor has a lovely face. I like Taylor. Delicate blue eyes say that she is lighthearted and even flirtatious, but loving too. Down with all those multiple boyfriends rumours! She is also a perfectionist, as we can see from her small eyebrows.

Her even lips show her ability to love is equal to her need for love.

Liam Hemsworth

Liam has a bigger lower lip than upper. Which means he needs love! Ha, ha. Poor Miley. His dark blue eyes represent love, though. His wide jaw tells us he is a powerful and outgoing person. Well, he has to be, to be so famous.

Adele

According to the idea that wide lower lips signify a need to be loved, Adele is great in this need. "...I'd go to the ends of the earth for you to make you feel ma love..." She still has a full upper lip, though. She has high and fairly close eyebrows, so she's particular and maybe a bit of a diva- she carries herself in her own confident style. Her greyish eyes say that she has good intellect and is creative. From her narrow chin we can see that she often gets fed up, but as it is also fairly squared at the corners, she is determined and steady too.

 

Well, that's physiognomy for you! What do you think about it- is it total rubbish or so weird that it's interesting? Let us know in the comments below!

-Barista Sabita-

Images:  Allie Martin, Eva Rinaldi, Gage Skidmore, Christopher Macsurak 

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Hunger Games fans! Tributes! Citizens! It's nearly upon us! Just two weeks till the premiere of Catching Fire, the second movie in the series, and everyone's getting ready- in Katniss' case this involves having twenty enormous designer dresses made complete with real fire. We have to be content with copying the Capitol looks though- there is such a thing as health and safety, after all. And how funky these are!

•Eyes

I am in love with the Capitol eyes. Big liner. Big shadow. Bright shadow. Wide shadow. Stripy shadow. Beautiful shadow. And as long as you don't twitch (easier said than done, I know), it's easy, too.

• Hair

  

Even more outrageous than some of our own world's people are, the Panem fashion-plates like bight pinks, purples and oranges in puffy bobs. (Game: what fruit does each citizen resemble?) If you don't want to take risk and do this to your hair, you can curl it, sprinkle in a generous amount of glitter, and tie it up with a big fat coloured ribbon- viola!

• Dresses

Simple dresses- you probably already have ones like these in your wardrobe- can be turned into a Capitol outfit when you add the makeup, hair and accessories.

•Handbag makeover

Take 1 plain handbag, apply approx. a doz. sparkly bits of ribbon, beads, etc. Sit back and enjoy the frilly, frizzy result! If you have Effie Trinket in mind while making it, you'll get just the right look.

•Shoes

Funky, chunky heels. 'Nuff said.

•Nails

The Capitol people really love their bright, unusual colours. If you're being really adventurous, try these! I'm going to.

• Dress up as a character

Or why not dress up as Katniss herself? Her District 12/hunting outfit is quite simple to copy- just add your leather jacket and long lace-up boots to a plain shirt and trousers. Instead of putting glitter on your frizzy hair, put it into a lose French plait that moves down toward one side. You could even add a bow and arrows; though be careful not to get chucked out of the cinema for use of dangerous weaponry...

So what wacky looks are you guys planning for Catching Fire? Tell us in the comments below!


-Barista Sabita-

Images:  Courtney Rhodes, Leonid Mamchenkov, K.oa, danielle_blue, Tomasz Stasiuk, Courtney Rhodes, GabboT Read more »

Title: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You

Author: Ally Carter

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Synopsis (via Goodreads):

Cammie Morgan is a student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, a fairly typical all-girls school-that is, if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE and the latest in chemical warfare in science, and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes in computer class. The Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses but it's really a school for spies. Even though Cammie is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways, she has no idea what to do when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she's an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, or track him through town with the skill of a real "pavement artist"-but can she maneuver a relationship with someone who can never know the truth about her?

Cammie Morgan may be an elite spy-in-training, but in her sophomore year, she's on her most dangerous mission-falling in love.

Review:

For those of you who haven’t heard, this is the first book in a series that’s attacking the universe of teen girls. No film or TV series yet, as far as I know, but I have high hopes for one in the future. This is the kind of book that even girls who think of reading as a chockingly boring pastime can get carried away in.
Now, the only reason I had a copy is because it came as a “free gift” in a magazine. (Seriously, the whole thing of calling gifts free- if they are gifts, of course they’re free!) I don’t usually go for gossipy, giggly, terribly-written lit. In a strange way, though, I do relish a little silliness sometimes, so I brought the book on holiday with me.

So, here is a list of characters and what you can expect from them.
Cameron/Cammie/”Chamelion” Morgan. Cammie is perfectly happy in the Gallagher Academy for geniuses and geeks, until she meets Josh.
Josh. The amazing, cute, hot, sweet guy. Every book needs one.
Bex. One of Cammie’s best friends. A Brit who has looks that everyone is jealous of.
Liz. The other best friend, a mini genius and maths+tests+homework-

obsessive.
Mr Solomon. Hot new CoveOps teacher.
Mrs Morgan. Cammie’s mother and headmistress. The kind, understanding and beautiful mother we hear about in movies.
Macey. New roommate, who comes out of her strop in the excitement of getting Cammie and Josh together.

The book starts with a clutch of normal girls in a, well, totally abnormal school- a girls’ boarding school for spies in training. A school where they are experts in fourteen languages by the time they’re in sophomore year, and have tests in “Covert Operations” which ask them to find out what Mr Moskowitz drinks with his doughnuts.

Whilst doing just this, Cammie Morgan magically awkwardly collides with a guy who immediately appears to her as an epitome “normal boy”, who, naturally, she has to lie to about her reason for retrieving a coke bottle from a bin, and who, naturally, she has to fall in love with.

Luckily, Josh is intrigued by this girl who has a cat called Suzie that likes to play with bottles (lie), who is “home educated- for, like, religious reasons” (lie). But she is completely in adoration of him, and a secret relationship blossoms. (Not a lie.)

Whether it’s over Josh’s belief that Cammie is a homeschooled out-of-townie who spends her summers in barns in Mongolia or not, Cammie is sitting on a rainbow. Amidst all the exhiliartion, Cammie finds herself guilty over making herself up, but there’s no way she can tell Josh the truth about why she’s studying phD-level chemistry- the Gallagher Academy is a secret to the outside world.

My first thought: close to crap. How freaking cliché can a writer get? Everything reeked of barely-hidden cheese.

Then I got further into the novel, and gosh, was I addicted! It was a fun and fast-paced lil story and I didn’t want to leave it when torn away. My copy now has a host of turned-down page corners and wrinkly sections where I dropped it in the bath; yes, I read it in the bath.

And my final thought? This book is special. Sure, I could say that about almost every book I read, but it’s true. Never again will I say popular books aren’t deep and all that. This book deals with in a way that should connect with you all. To be honest, our lives and emotions as young teenagers are pretty cheesy anyway. Plus, the whole Cammie and Josh thing is just sooo cute.

-Barista Sabita-

Image: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You (Disney-Hyperion)

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• Eat chocolate spread out of the jar

Don't know about you, but I still see the beauty of a (large) dollop of Nutella on a (large) spoon. I've never understood the point of putting it on bread when you can have it on its own...

• Blast music

Blasting music- blasting it at unhealthy decibels, and blasting it so that the special hormone in the brain that makes people go crazy for One Direction comes out for a dance. And singing along to your favourite songs, not caring if you're out of tune or that someone will say you have disgusting taste in music.

• Eat lunch with no, um, manners

Isn't it bliss being able to luck your fingers without feeling totally humiliated? To add as much salt as you like without having to listen to a lecture from your mum? My personal favourite is to sit on the sofa whilst on Facebook. Yeah, I manage to keep the sofa clean... I do... Oh, that picture's not of me- I'm not quite so cheesy. Plus, I wouldn't be eating salad when I could choose what junk food to strip-the-cupboards-bare of. Salad? I mean, salad?!

• Think about your crush

I'm one of those unlucky people who, like a deep sea fish, changes colour from pink to scarlet at any mention of crushes. We all need privacy to think. Being alone is the perfect time to sit back, look expressionless, and go on a "woe is me, he loves me, he loves me not, he doesn't even know I exist!" cruise. Though maybe not in those exact words.

-Barista Sabita-

Images: Christine Coleman, Yuliya Libkina, Ksenia8, D. Sharon Pruitt

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