Hobbies and Obsessions ~ Part 1 ~ Badminton

So, I thought I'd start this series that is just, a kind of 'getting to know Eve' thingy-mah-bobby. So, every so often I'll write about my hobbies/obsessions, of which there are ... many.

So, this week's hobby is ... Badminton!!!

I've been playing for 6-7 years now, I forget, but it has been forever, the only people who've been there the same amount of time as me are the old lads who rent the back court and the instructors (who, according to my mum have been there less time than me, oh well!)

So what got you into badminton?

 It was actually through my best friend of the time, Gi (no, she was not actually called Gi, but I'm obviously not revealing her name). She called me up one Tuesday night when we were about 8, asking if I wanted to go with her to a club that her grandmother ran. So I started attending, when the cost of the sessions was only around 75p (oh, the good old days). I remember I was wearing a pair of my sister's trousers, and I think one of my sister's old tops, neither of which were meant for sports, but oh well.

Anything interesting happen over the years?

At first, it was just me and Gi, then when we were ten, our friends A and C joined up, and we had a load of fun the four of us. Then, Gi's grandma sprained her ankle, and had to leave the club to one of the instructors, who's kept it going for the last 4 years or so.

Gi and A left a while afterwards, about halfway through year 6, C hung around for longer, but she left too, and returned last year for a time, but I don't mind.

Any perks?

Free t-shirts!

Over the years I have had 3 shirts from the club. 

- The first was an over-sized red t-shirt, with a tiny logo on the chest. Kinda crappy.

- The second was a black polo shirt with red detailing and the club's name written on the back. I had that for 4 years or so, and it had only started getting small 6 months or so before they got a new shirt in

- The third I'm not particularly fond of, it's kind of a polo shirt, but it's loose, and I can't name what the material is, but it's kinda clingy, kinda baggy (according to the label it's polyester, ugh). It has purple detailing, and the same club name on the back, but the letters are already peeling off, and I've only had it a few months.

Of the three, I definitely prefer #2

Perk number two is the fact that you get to meet so many different people you've maybe seen around school but never actually spoken to. I've met several year nine boys (I'm year 10) and they're usually the lads I hang around with simply out of laziness, they usually play winner stays on first to five, so you don't play for that long. I've also played badminton alongside people half my age, twice my age and quite a few ages inbetween.

What equipment have you used?

Over the years, I've only had two rackets, both of which were from the brand Carlton.

My first racket I dinged up to high hell, it's shape resembles more of a polygon than the egg shape it's supposed to look like. 

What a PowerBlade Sword should look like

What mine looks like

 The second is a Carlton Isoblade 450 in pink and purple, which was a Christmas gift off of my grandparents a few years back. It's served me pretty well so far, is quite light, smashes shuttles well (a must with me) and is pretty minus the dings in the handle.

My current racket

Learnt anything?

- Back tramlines are in for singles, out for doubles
- Side tramlines are out for singles, in for doubles

- If you're serving, you're on the offensive, so you play front and back (applies to doubles)

- If you're receiving, you're on the defensive, so you play sides (applies to doubles)

- If you're serving an even number, serve on the right, odds on the left

Any tips?

- If in doubt, just smash the freaking shuttle

- Don't be scared to mess up, I've found that sometimes when you mess up, you end up winning a point anyway.

- Try not to act hostile towards your doubles partner, they're the ones watching your back (or your front/side). You are a team, act like it, even if it is just for the 21 points you're playing.

- I advise against trick shots. I've never been keen on them, and I personally feel that they aren't all that effective.

Hopefully this is interesting (sorry if it isn't) and maybe helpful to people like +Maya Gibson, who is joining my club next week to pass the Physical section of Duke of Edinburgh, which I will be talking about later :)

Nominated for a Liebster Award

I was nominated by the lovely Lucy of What the Fudge, so I now nominate:

• Archie of A Bundle of Contradictions
• Maya of ohemgeeitsmaya
• Layla of My Blog
• Taylor of Taylor Lavati
• Hannah of Perfect Companions Have Pages and Prose

Now onto the questions Lucy asked:

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? (location or whatever)

I see myself (hopefully) just finishing uni, with a job, or getting one. Location, no idea, Anywhere. I hope to do some travelling before I settle down, I know that. Who knows, in ten years, I might actually have a boyfriend to travel with!

What/who persuaded you to start blogging?

I'd been thinking about it for ages, as I couldn't become a youtuber, as I am A, way too awkward in front of a camera, and B, I like the anonymity. But what really got me into it was the fact that my friends were doing it too, so I wasn't alone.

What is your favourite food?

Oooh, either pasta (any, literally) or eggs, scrambled or in an omelette preferably!

What thing/things would you like to do before you die?

Do you want the whole list? Well, I want to bungee jump, skydive, travel the world, maybe live abroad a while. Publish a book, make a name for myself, raise a good family, keep a good job, you know, the generic stuff.

If you could meet one celebrity, who would it be?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH Not this one!!! Ummm, ummm, either Emma Watson (her UN #HeForShe speech was so inspiring) or maybe JK Rowling for writing tips.

If you could meet one fictional character, who would it be? 

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH Not fair!!! Ummm, I'd love to meet Hermione Granger. She's been my role model since the beginning. Bushy hair team, forever!

What is your favourite band?

Either Mumford & Sons or Florence + the Machine

If you could have one super power, what would it be? 

Oooh, good one. I would love either telekinesis or flight. Those two just sound brilliant. Or maybe shapeshifting! Argh, can't decide

Who is your idol?

Ummmm, I suppose I look up to a lot of people now I think about it. I look up to my sisters, who are both older than me; my mum, who always tries to teach me a lesson to help me out; celebrities like Emma Watson or Rick Riordan, as they're trying to change the way people think, whether it's about feminism or dyslexia.

What is your favourite animal?

My favourite animal, either dogs or owls.
Now for my questions for you!

• What would be the first thing you’d do if you won the lottery?
• What do you want to be when you grow up?
• If you could live anywhere on earth (and take whomever you wanted along), where would it be?
• What do you admire most about yourself?
• Why did you start blogging?
• What pet would you own if you could own any animal in the world?
• What’s your favorite hobby?
• What’s your superpower? Would you use it for good or for evil?
• What is your favorite dessert?
• Favourite youtuber?

That's kind of it for now. If I get the time, I seriously will be finishing the next Writing Wednesday soon.

Later Articulators

Lessons Learned

No, this post is not about my recent return to school (Year 10 is so much fun! (note the sarcasm)).

7 months ago, I posted about the boy I like (the post has now been removed) So far, I think half my year group has discovered I like said boy, including him (he already knew, but he got to read the blog anyway) and today, a full 7 months after the posting of that disaster, I was teased about it once again, with a corridor full of people to hear.

So, it started out with leaving fourth lesson (the penultimate lesson of the day) with one of the boys in my English class, let's call him Prick, called out to me that I was looking lovely. With boys like Prick, compliments generally have the connotations (haha, using my new English knowledge) 'duck and cover'. I was then told, I was beautiful, unique. Oh god. So, I walked a little faster, trying to catch up to a friend, who, of course, was walking with Him.

Next thing I hear down the corridor is, 'Eve, so-and-so here's read your blog, and we think you might like a certain ***'

This, of course, was not helped by my two friends behind me, who decided to point out that I was walking towards Him, rather than just 'away'. Thanks, true friends who always have my back!

My favourite tactic for things like this? Hold your head up high, act like you're not bothered. As long as you're not facing them, they can't see the look in your eyes, the one thing that shows how you really feel. Maybe flip your finger over your shoulder as you go.

This post was originally going to be longer, but I decided not to give anyone who stumbles across this fuel for their arrogant fires.

A great start to another brilliant year!

The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Relief

First off, I'm really sorry that I haven't posted a Writing Wednesday when I was supposed to, hopefully I'll have it up on Wednesday, but there is a reason.
For the last week, I have had intensive rehearsals for my school's production of Sound of Music.

The School's Poster

I starred as Mother Abbess, which is quite a good part in the scheme of things. I got more lines than a year 13 who is much better at drama than me. To be perfectly honest with you, I only just started getting my lines completely right in our rehearsal on Thursday, around 6 hours before our debut!
Mother Abbess gets 5 songs, two of which have substantial solos.

How do you solve a problem like Maria - You kick her out the Abbey and tell her to fall in love

My Favourite Things - Being able to go home at three o'clock

Climb Every Mountain - I think I'll stay on the ground thanks

Wedding Procession (Maria Reprise) - I knew kicking her out was a good idea

Climb Every Mountain Reprise - My little baby, off to escape Nazis

Writing Wednesday #1 ~ Shark Woods

So here we are, my first Writing Wednesday. If you find any prompts you think I could use, feel free to link them in the comments.

I hear their snarls in my dream, the weeping and gnashing of teeth. The scent of blood passes beneath my nose, the sense of apprehension building, preparing to crash into me with the force of a waterfall.

As the waterfall of trepidation collided with me, I awoke.

I’ll tell you one thing, I wasn't in my bed, I wasn't even in my home. Instead, the woods greeted me with their darkness, the musky scent enveloping me in its welcoming embrace.

Then, that moment between sleep and wakefulness dissipated, leaving me with the realisation that, not just was I in the woods, but the Forbidden Forest, where they roamed. Reaching a hand to my face, the water on my cheeks met my trembling fingers.

It was too late.

They said, if you only strayed so far into the forest that you were still dry, you could turn back, you could be safe.

My feet were running beneath me before my mind even got round the fact of my almost certain doom. They would come for me soon enough, and there would be no escape; not for the hopeless wanderer.

I had told my mother months before that my habit of sleepwalking would get me into trouble, that a lock on my door would be a necessary precaution. But no, I would grow out of sleepwalking, and having a lock on my door would only encourage me to hide myself away, probably performing illegal acts or something like it.

Now look, mother, I don’t suppose I’ll live to grow out of my habit, and this is a lot worse than any illegal act I could perform behind a locked bedroom door, I can assure you.

I hear it now, the hiss of the Great White, the sound that tells me to start saying my prayers.

I pray that mother isn't too hard on herself; it wasn't her fault really. No one could predict that a little bit of sleepwalking would lead to my death.

It’s sniffing me out, searching for the scent of my blood. I read in school that a Great White can smell you from five feet away, with the smallest surface wound, even a papercut.

I pray that father is proud of my achievements, even compared to my sister’s; I hope he is proud of me.

I remember the reason I consigned myself to bed last night; up late studying, I had fallen asleep on my textbook, the papercut I’d earned from a slip of my hand wakening me. Looking to the offending hand, the small cut glared back at me, the slim red line signalling my downfall.

I pray that Kelly doesn’t think ill of me for not living up to the bar she set; she always was the best at everything, and in these, my final moments, my envy is non-existent.

I can see it now, the hulking Great White slinking through the trees. Its body is bigger than the books say, that I can tell from the off. Of course, the books are written with legends, tales told by those who have ventured into the dry part of the woods. There are no survivors who have ventured as far as I.

I pray that he knew, even though I never told him. I pray that he could tell, I pray that he could find someone to help him through my death.

It’s approaching me, and on top of its undeniably fishy scent, I could smell my own fear.

I pray that it will be peaceful, I whispered to myself, one hand reaching up to cross myself, I pray that there is no pain.

Writing Wednesdays

Hey Articulators!
So, I was thinking of starting a Writing Wednesday on this blog, like +Taylor Lavati (Taylor Lavati).
I don't think it'd be weekly, more fortnightly, but it sounds like a good way to stimulate myself and maybe get a few of my fanfictions out there (if I make chaptered ones, I'd probably schedule them for another day, but oneshots will be for Writing Wednesday).

So, whadya think? Good idea, bad idea, as long as you post?
Only a short post today to warn you all!
Later Articulators, Eve

Maths Exams - Where's the Maths?

I am currently in the middle of taking a GCSE in Statistics; quite the daunting prospect when you're in Year 9. But, being admittedly one of the best in my year at maths (a reputation that I reckon is slowly dwindling, but oh well, it still follows me) they reckon we can complete a GCSE at the age of 14. OK, yeah, I'll roll with it.
So, at this point, I have completed the controlled assessment (got a B, which I suppose is a good grade to go into an exam with) and prior to the mock exam on Friday, we've been given an old paper (2006) to practice on. Now, I'd like to know...
Where the bloody hell did the maths go to?

In the paper, I have counted 18 questions that ask you to calculate something - this does not count plotting graphs or completing tables (which takes up 8 questions).

The paper has 32 pages.

Most of the paper is taken up with questions asking you to discuss things.

When the hell was maths discussions? The reason I like maths, the reason I'm good at it, is because you can sit and calculate stuff, and be logical.

When did maths exams become all about the writing?

Now, a year ago, when I took part in UKMT Junior Maths Challenge and came out with a gold (the only person in the participating years to get such, earning me 3 certificates for best in year and best in school) my mum talked to me about pursuing a career in mathematics, seeing as I am good at it.
But honestly, pursuing a career in mathematics would mean actual maths, not whatever the hell I'm doing now.

I miss when maths tests were listening to a recording and answering the questions.

So, that's today's rant. I shall put aside the accursed paper and get on with the other homework I have for this glorious (ha!) long weekend!
Have a good bank holiday, Articulators,
Eve x