Book of the month | February

Hello, and welcome to my very first book of the month!

Basically I've decided that at the end of every month I'm going to share a book I have read, either in that month or maybe at another stage as unfortunately school limits the time I have to read (very sad I know). I won't do a full on review, maybe just a couple of things I love about it and a brief plot summary (but don't worry, I'll make sure it's spoiler free!).

So for this month I have chosen Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher.

Now, I didn't actually read this book this month but admittedly I haven't finished a book this month, which is terrible I know, although I am currently reading Will Grayson, Will Grayson but seeing as I haven't finished it I didn't think there was any point suggesting it just yet, although it is highly possible it will make an appearance at the end of March!

Anyway back to Ketchup Clouds, I seem to have veered slightly off topic there.

So I picked up this book while browsing the bookshop - my favourite pastime - because I liked the title and though it looked interesting. Usually when I find a book that I like the look of I read the first page or so to get a feel of what the book in question is like, but with this book I was still sitting in the bookshop reading ten minutes later, because it is absolutely gripping right from the beginning! I then decided it was probably a good idea to actually buy it, take it home and read it from the comfort of my bed.

In brief summary the book is about a girl who has 'a terrible secret' (according to the blurb) that she is hiding from everyone she knows, so she decides to write to a man on death row about it all. I love how the book progresses and she seems to get closer to this man, even though of course he never writes back and she never meets him face to face. And the entire book is just these letters she writes, so there are almost two stories running parallel to each other: what is happening in her life as she writes the letters over time, and then the story behind her deep secret that she writes about over the course of all the letters.

There are heaps of plot twists, something I absolutely love in a book. I'm pretty sure I had to put the book down and squeal, or maybe just gape at the ceiling, at least a dozen times while reading it. At time it is absolutely hilarious, and at other times I was literally in tears. And the end, oh my god, the end. Obviously I'm not going to give any spoilers, but THE END!

There is also a Harry Potter reference as soon as page 5, which is an added bonus.

But that's about all! Let me know if you have read this book and whether you enjoyed it or not, or maybe if you decide to read it after reading this blogpost! (the word 'read' occurred in that sentence far too many times)

Also feel free to leave any other book suggestions in the comments as I'd love to hear them and add them to my long list of books to read :)

Buh-bye!

Hakuna Matata

Hey y'all, how you doin? (not quite sure why I turned American there)

Anyway, today I just wanted to write about something that I'm sure a lot of people have experienced, will experience and maybe are experiencing right now, and that's pressure.

I've been feeling a whole lot of pressure lately, seeing as I'm in my penultimate (ooh fancy word alert) year of high school. This has come in the form of my parents wanting me to do well, teacher's expecting me to get amazing marks and even peers making me feel like I am expected to do well. Don't get me wrong I love my friends, but some of them are extremely clever and two just casually got 100% for the maths test we got back today, which is amazing of course and I don't want to hold them down at all. And it's not like they would shame me if I only get a B, it's more about me feeling inadequate and feeling like I should be doing so much better. In fact, it's not always the people around me expecting great things from me, but more often than not I put too much pressure on myself. Last night I was up until the early hours of the morning working, and the sleep deprivation doesn't at all help my state: what with the stress, the pressure and expectation and the lack of sleep put together I feel incredibly fragile, like I'm going to crack any second.

But anyway, that was a whole lot of ramble so I completely understand if you skipped over that paragraph, but long story short I've felt extremely stressed and under pressure lately, and I've decided I want to change that.

So of course, I have turned to the one and only Lion King for help.

I mean, how can you not love the Lion King? It's got everything: great songs, talking animals, a little bit of tragedy. There's even a couple of life lessons thrown in there. But I want to focus on one song in particular, and that is - yep, you guessed it - Hakuna Matata.

The other day when I was in a moment of complete stress and panic about my workload this song popped into my head again out of the blue - I mean, I haven't watched Lion King for aaages. But anyway, I started singing this song to myself and honestly, I immediately felt much less stressed.

Now, music is an integral (fancy word alert 2 - I am on a roll today!) part of my life and has been for literally as long as I can remember so I don't know if other people rely on music as much as I do, but I always listen to or music or play the piano if I am feeling down. And this song is a perfect booster - I don't know what it is about the song but I find that I just can't listen to it without singing/dancing along (provided I am not in a public place) and immediately it's like all the stress and pressure just dissolves and I can just let it all go. And I just think, sure, there's always going to be something I have to do: an essay I have to write or a test I have to study for, but for now, right this second, I'm going to let myself breathe, pretend that I have no worries, like the song says.

The Lion King makes me think of nature and of course, the circle of life, and I just think in the grand scheme of things, how important is this tiny little thing I'm worrying about? That maths test that perhaps I didn't do so well in, that I put so much pressure on myself to do well in, though it seemed like such a big thing at the time, it doesn't really mean that much at the end of the day. And of course, I'm not saying don't take anything seriously because there are things that you do need to work hard to achieve, but that doesn't mean you have to build up so much stress that you crack under the pressure.

So here is my challenge to you: if you're feeling stressed, worried or under pressure try just singing this song (though maybe in your head if there are people around) and it may just help you to relax and smile a little. I don't know, it might not work for everyone, but it sure does for me!

And that is about all I have to say, except I hope you enjoyed this blogpost and it maybe even helped you a little in some way. Let me know in the comments if you have any ways you personally use to deal with stress and pressure!

And so I shall leave you with this wonderful video and I hope it brightens your day :)

Hakuna Matata

What a wonderful phrase

Hakuna Matata

Ain't no passing craze

It means no worries

For the rest of your days

It's our problem free philosophy

Hakuna Matata

Flowers n Stuff

Ello ello ello. So this blog post may seem a little random, as I'm just going to post some pictures of some flowers for no particular reason. Well, why not?! Haha. Basically, I got a new camera for christmas and have been experimenting with taking photos since then, and I finally worked out how to put the macro focus on a couple of weeks ago (because obviously I didn't read the instructions - who even does that?) and took a load of photos of flowers and plants in my garden to try it out. And I think some of them actually came out pretty well, so I thought I'd just share them here!

Tada! I'm hoping to get into photography a little more this year between school and everything else, so let me know if you have any tips on taking good photos! Also any good editing software/apps, as none of these photos are at all edited. (Preferably something free for now as I'm only a beginner!)

But yeah, that's about all! Hope you have/have had/are having a lovely day :)

Byeee!

A little study tip!

Hello again! Hope you are having a lovely day wherever you are :)

So today I thought I'd share a little study tip for anyone who might have exams coming up or even just tests at school, because let's face it, we're always going to have to study at some point. Sigh. Yes, I do often try to kid myself that I don't really have that test next week, and therefore end up sitting in front of a tonne of notes the day before wondering how the hell I'm going to remember everything for tomorrow.

Well, there is one way that I find helps me remember info really easily, and that is by using key cards.

Of course, I didn't invent key cards and there is a large possibility you have heard of them or used them before, but I'm just going to share how I, personally, like to do it :)

Seeing as I'm quite a creative person I love to have COLOUR in my notes, and find that I study better when this is the case. Therefore I love to use colourful post-its to create my key cards, and I often colour code them according to what's on them too. For example these key cards are for chemistry (yes I do realise I am in fact holding a physics book in the first photo, but just imagine it's a chemistry one) and I use pink for all the acids I need to remember and yellow for bases.

I find using key cards great especially for learning little things such as names of acids or bases, as I like to test myself afterwards by looking at one side of the post-it and trying to recall the other side - in this case one side is the name of the acid and the other is the symbol. I also really like that you can test both ways, i.e. I can first test by reading the name and giving the symbol, and then later on vice versa so reading the symbol and giving the name.

Also, I do have to have a cup of tea next to me while studying, seeing as I drink it basically all the time anyway. Does that count as a study tip? You never know, it may just help you study...

But that is about all I have to say about key cards! So what about you? Do you use key cards to study, or do have another method you prefer to use? Let me know as I am always looking for helpful study tips, not that I do it that often...

Oh, and here is my reflection in my computer screen. Hello!

Hope you enjoyed this blog post, and I will see you very soon.

Adios!

A few of my favourite things!

Hello again! I’ve made it to my THIRD blog post, woop woop. 

So in order for you to get to know me a little better, I though I’d just share a few of my favourite things *cue song* ranging from books to seasons to drinks, and just talk about them a little. That is how a blog works, is it not? Well, that’s how my blog is going to work anyway! 

1. Harry Potter

Picture I took of the model of hogwarts at the studio tour!

As I have perviously mentioned, I am a major fangirl, so naturally I am completely in love with all things Harry Potter. Some call it the ‘gateway fandom', which it definitely is for me as I was only about eight when I first started reading the books, and it is because of HP that I discovered the vast amount of fangirls living on the internet and decided to join them, as well as about 1037 more fandoms!

I was also lucky enough to visit the Harry Potter studio tour in England a couple of years ago which was absolutely amazing, and definitely something I would recommend to everyone, regardless of age! They also have an amazing shop full of merch though I wanted to just buy everything, I settled for a really cool ravenclaw scarf. I also have a hogwarts cloak from when I was about seven, but I like to pretend it still fits me!

2. Winter

Winter is definitely my favourite season. I don’t know why this is the second thing that came to mind; maybe because it is currently the middle of summer here in SA and has got up to almost 35 degrees (that’s Celcius) some of the last few days and I have a very very low heat tolerance, and sweat like crazy and turn bright red and just get sunburnt everywhere.

I think winter is really pretty for starters, especially when it snows (although I know snow can sometimes be a pain in the back, but who cares when it’s pretty!). I also love winter clothes, because leggings, scarves, jumpers and boots are just my favourite things to wear and I practically live in them during winter. In the Northern Hemisphere with winter comes Christmas of course, and Christmas is my absolute favourite time of the year because I love the food, I love seeing all my family and I just love how everyone is so happy and jolly. (This is getting really cheesy so I think I’ll stop here.)

3. My dog

excuse the random foot haha

Meet Fiona, my gorgeous doggie. She is a cross between a collie and a black labrador, and she turned eight last year. She is my favourite thing because she’s so cute and cuddly and soft, though she can sometimes be extremely stupid - for instance, I often let her out the front door and leave it open so she can come back in, and of course she runs around the house and barks at the other door. Nonetheless I love her to bits. <3

4. Music

Music is a huuuuuge part of my life and I honestly don’t know what I’d do without it. As I mentioned I play the piano and the violin and I also sing a bit, and I also love to write my own music. As for music I listen to, well, I’m not gonna lie I have a very strange taste in music. I listen to anything from Fall Out Boy to Adele to classical music to film soundtracks. I think my all time favourite piece of music would have to be Pachelbel’s Canon in D, I’ve always loved it since I was about seven (if you haven’t heard of it seriously do your ears a favour and go and look it up right now) though I am also a huge fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtracks, as well as all The Hunger Games soundtracks. I think my current favourite song song would have to be either Sky Full of Stars by Coldplay or These Days by Take That, as both these songs just make me feel awesome and These Days especially holds some amazing memories.

Oh wait, I forgot to mention Pentatonix! I am a disgrace. Only kidding, but I don’t know how I managed to forget about them… I recently because super obsessed with them and their music, and bought their whole Christmas album at the beginning of January even though Christmas was over. I think my favourite songs of theirs are the original ones though - and I think they have a completely original album coming out sometime this year which is so exciting! AND ALSO THEY JUST ONE A GRAMMY WHICH IS SO AMAZING!

5. Tea

How very British of me, I know, but I honestly just love tea so much, and I literally drink it all the time. I usually drink about 3-6 cups of tea a day, which probably isn’t great for my teeth but oh well! Literally, I drink it when I wake up, I drink it with breakfast, I drink it when I get home from school, I drink it when I’m studying, I drink it when I’m watching a film and I drink it before I go to bed. I am actually just realising now how much this is... I really wasn’t kidding when I said I drink it all the time!

And I will leave it there for now, as I seem to have written quite a lot. Is there a limit or something to how long your blog posts can be? I have no idea. Guess I’ll find out!

Thanks for reading, and please leave a comment below to let me know if I’m doing okay at this blogging thing! Also let me know, what are five of your favourite things?

Au revoir!

The Reason Behind My Name

Hello again! So, it would seem I have made it to my second blog post, an achievement I am actually very proud of! And I think I kind of know what I am doing now... sort of.

Anyway, I thought I'd just write a bit about why I chose the name 'Planet Megan' for my blog, in case anyone was wondering (which you probably weren't but oh well).

So I am quite a thoughtful person and very easily start thinking about something extremely random and just completely zoning out of whatever is currently happening around me (especially during class, which is not advisable). When I was younger, probably somewhere between the ages of around 6 and 10, I used to do this an awful lot and whenever I did my parents, after calling my name a few times with, of course, no answer, used to say I was on 'Planet Megan'.

I quite liked the idea of having my own planet, my own world inside my head, where anything I wanted could happen and I had complete control. Thousands of thoughts and stories were created in my head - on my planet - some of which stuck and some of which I forgot the second I was called back into the present day.

Seeing as this blog is really just going to be somewhere I can shout into the void and spew out my thoughts - sometimes with coherent structure and sometimes literally exactly what comes to the front of my mind - I thought I'd name it after my little planet inside my head, the place where all my thoughts, stories and creativity exist, because that's what this blog is going to be really. The only difference is now I'm actually writing everything down (oh and also sharing it with the internet).

But yeah, that is basically why I decided to call my blog 'Planet Megan'. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed! I'm sure I will be back very soon as I am a huge procrastinator and have a lot of tests and assessments coming up, so will probably be here a lot! (again, not advisable)

Byeeee!

Greetings!

Hello, and welcome to Planet Megan!

I've actually been wanting to start a blog for quite a while now, but kept putting it off or forgetting about it. But now, as you may well see, I've actually gone and made it. YAY! It's all very new and exciting, and I'm not entirely sure how it all works, but I'll figure it out eventually! 

So, as you're reading this, you're probably wondering who the hell I am. Well, I will tell you in precisely the next sentence. My name is Megan, I'm sixteen years old and I was born in England, though have been living in South Africa for almost four years now. I love music and I play the piano and the violin, and I also love reading and writing. I am a major fangirl over many many many things, which I won't go into right now as we'll be here forever! But don't worry, my inner fangirl will undoubtedly emerge into my blog sometime in the near future. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

And the rest I'll leave for later, as I'm sure a lot of strange things about me will be revealed as I continue blogging! And as for my plans for this blog... I don't really know, to be honest. I just want to write whatever comes to my mind, be my creative and weird self and honestly just have some fun! 

That is all I have to say for now, but I'm very excited to get going here. So I guess I'll see you with my next post! Eek!

Megan x