Rhii goes to Iceland: The Motion Picture

So I finally took two hours out of my busy, busy life and edited this together.

Potential

My whole life has been dictated by potential. I don’t think I was ever really that smart. I mean, clearly I am not stupid because I care about grammar, and even if I can’t spell everything ever, I can’t bear not spelling something right, even if no one is going to see it or care. But really, for the most part, I don’t feel smart at all. I feel a jumble of facts and emotions but none of that makes me smart. And I compare myself to my peers far too much for my own good.

Cold? What is cold?

I don't really look out of the window very much. In college, the windows have the blinds down most of the time, for reasons I am oblivious to, apart from Film Studies class when we watch films. Most of the time in the mornings I'm not awake enough to care what's happening outside and by the time I get home in the evenings it's too dark to see. Sometimes when I sit in my lovely red computer chair I can see the frost on the tops of the houses opposite. And today I sit here and see frost on the top of the tree that grows at the end of our garden. And it is still. Really still. No wind at all. And no birds chirping, which was a godsend. It's not that I dislike birds - birds are beautiful creatures, I adore looking at birds! - but wow, they are noisy.

Rhii goes to Iceland

So I went to Iceland for three days back in April.

It's been really long.

Really really long. The first of April was my last blog post, when I was in Iceland. Wow okay, let's start again.

After Iceland, where I was the Northern Lights and whales and swam in the Blue Lagoon, I was working in a primary school doing all sorts of things. I went to work with my dad a few times as well to get some work experience. Most notably, I did work experience in Camden with a small production company making current affairs programs for Channel Four and had the time of my life. Since September I've been in full time education, doing a Creative Medic BTEC at college. It's December now, I celebrated my 18th birthday last week.

At college I've made a music video and I'm working on a silent movie type video. Here's the music video.


Sorry it's been forever. I'll probably go and make a post about my Iceland adventures now.

Iceland has great wifi

This is a blog written in Iceland. I'm on a short break here, with my mum.

We arrived last night, around 1am local time. We're safe - though I had already made a man's head bleed on a plane, whoops - and now we've slept well and had breakfast and lunch and mooched around Reykjavík, everything is great.

I'll upload some photos to my flickr later, we're just having a quick break from town. Surprisingly, it's not that chilly. My laptop says it's 5C outside but I'm strolling around without a coat and it's just a bit nippy when the window blows.

No sign of any beautiful Icelandic musicians I love yet, though I had to drag myself away from the vinyl before I brought all the Seabear/Sin Fang/Sóley.

A Graves Story

On Monday 30th of January 2012, I met a great man, one I admire though I have not seen much of his work. You probably know him most recently as D.I. Lestrade in Sherlock. 

It's a dark early morning when my father awakes me to ask if I would care to join him at work that day - he's spent the last 10 days working on a Channel Four documentary about the sinking of the Concordia (airing Tuesday 31st) and it's the last big push towards broadcast. He's not particularly busy, my father tells me, just supposed to be there if anyone needs help. The editing for Tuesday's all done. That's his job, tv editor. Puts it all together, makes everyone happy.

I agree to go with him once he tells me there's going to be a special someone there. He knows what a big Sherlock fan I am...

This feels like a long post.

Sometime in the early hours of this morning I finished reading "The Fault in Our Stars". To be quite honest, it made me want to die, but equally it removed any trace of that thought forever. I think this book has changed me but I'm not sure yet. It's too early to tell. I kind of feel a little empty when I think about it, about the beginning and the middle and certainly the end and the beautiful characters and the horrible characters and everything. It said a lot of smart stuff - one quote I remember in particular, murmured by my least favourite character to my favourites "the important thing is not whatever nonsense the voices are saying but what the voices are feeling". I was disappointed that they did not understand what he meant, when I understand so clearly. I don't want to say much more; I have book feelings.

I suppose it doesn't help that I'm still getting over my heart break from the BBC Sherlock finale. But it's probably a good idea not to get me started on that.

There's a fine, fine line between the fault in our stars and humming

Today was chilly and frosty and I waited a long time until I woke up and even longer until I actually got out of bed. I sat and read one of my new books - "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green. It was only released last week and I'm on page 129. I've wept over it only twice so far. It's about this teenage girl called Hazel who is has cancer and it all begins when she goes to a support group. I don't want to spoil it, but I think Hazel may be one of my all time favourite characters, though John Green is one of my all time favourite authors and vloggers (check out John and his brother Hank's youtube channel) so I would expect nothing less. John signed every copy of the first print of TFiOS. My copy has a neat green signature, and though green sharpie is my least favourite of all the sharpie colours, I am happy with this.

Sing Along To Songs You Don't Know

I wanted to make some posts about music I like, music that gets me up in the morning and generally makes me happy, especially as it can be .. unusual and not 'mainstream' so I think it would be fun to share.

One band that makes me happy is Múm - a group of 8 Icelandic men and ladies who make this cute, experimental kind of sound. This track 'Húllabbalabbalúú' is from their 2009 album 'Sing Along To Songs You Don't Know'. It's one of my favourites from the album.

Húllabbalabbalúú by Múm

Other Múm tracks to listen to: Prophecies & Reversed Memories, Kay-Ray-Kú-Kú-Kó-Kex and Sing Along.

WARNING: Do not take this band seriously.

The first post of many?

My name is Rhiannon, which I usually shorten to just Rhii - sets me somewhat apart, you know? In a good but slightly subtle way. Anyway, as I type, I am currently 17 years old and I live in England and I am writing this blog because, whereas in the past I don't stick to my plans AT ALL, I am determined to stick to this one.

Two days ago, I left my sixth form in pursuit of happiness and peace of mind. Everyone's stressed but I did something about it. I'm already cheerier, not even loneliness has hit me ... yet. And now I have a plan - volunteer, work, learn to drive, take a full time course in the autumn or work a couple months more until I age up and reach this strange notion of adulthood.

I want to document this time, to prove to myself I can be productive, I can be mature and I can be the person everyone wants me to be, but my version of it, if you understand what I mean. I don't know if you do, I'm a bit ... different. Sometimes.