The life of one Dani G: 2012

Sunday, 30 September 2012

Sunny's Personal Bucket List

This is a list of things I've compiled of things I want to do before I die. I have crossed out the ones I've already accomplished.

Go to Eurovision
Visit Disney Florida as an adult

~~Hold a hedgehog~~
~~Own a pet hedgehog~~

~~Hold a rabbit~~
~~Hold a guinea pig~~
~~Hand feed squirrels~~

Skydive
Shoot a gun

Ride in a hot air balloon

~~Ride in a helicopter~~

~~Ride a rollercoaster~~

~~Learn to drive~~

Drive on Route 66
Learn to spin swords (well)

Have a pet dog

~~Become a member of Wildlife Aid~~

Hold a tarantula

~~Hold a snake~~

~~Ride a horse~~

Learn Japanese
Visit Japan

~~Successfully trek through Longleat maze~~

Visit New York
See inside a volcano

~~Go on the London eye~~

Visit Rome

Ride in a Gondola in Venice

~~Get to the top of the eiffel tower~~

Set foot in all continents
~~Sell something on Etsy~~
~~Achieve 100 sales on Etsy~~
Become a published author

See Aurora Borealis

~~Stand at the top of Mount Snowdon~~

Visit Chichen Itza

Visit the White House

Visit Pripyat (Is it worth it now the reactor is covered?)

Visit Easter Island
Visit Iceland
Stay at the London Dorchester
Ride the Banff Gondola

~~Visit Paris catacombs~~

Go on a cruise

~~Bowl a strike~~

Learn archery

Go skiing
~~Go on a road trip with friends~~

~~Go indoor rock climbing~~

~~Understand the offside rule~~

Meet Ricky Gervais

Meet Karl Pilkington

Meet Stephen Merchant
Get a brofist from PewDiePie
~~Gain 100 subscribers~~
Gain 1000 subscribers
Get my first Ko-Fi
~~Hand feed a duck~~
~~Watch a cow sit down~~
High-5 a pedestrian while driving

Be in a film

Fly first class

~~Travel first class on a train~~

~~Travel on the Channel Tunnel~~
~~See Red Hot Chili Peppers live~~
See Loreen live

Own a telescope

Stargaze (Properly)

Donate £1000 to a charity (In one go)

Own a home
Visit California
~~Dye my hair crazy~~
Max a WoW character
Max on Runescape
Get to 15 years on Runescape
Attend a comic con as Kabal 😎
Attend SDCC
Attend NYCC
Sell a signed print
Visit a nudist beach
Inspire others to create art (I will never cross this one off, because I don't want to end it.)

Saturday, 8 September 2012

Good Grammers Cost Nothing

I genuinely believe I'm yet to know of someone who has perfect grammar. Even the most perfect of pedants have made the odd error, I've noticed. Even I do, once in a while. Though with me, it's usually that I'm working and will type something too quickly without checking it. So given that, my arrogant side wishes to share its knowledge, here are some very basic spelling and grammar examples.

You're and Your

You're
You're means "you are".

"You're such a pedant, Dani"

Your

Your is possessive.

"I can't see your face because of that fringe"

Lose and Loose

When did these two get mixed up? I can understand a wrongly placed apostrophe, but these are two completely different words!

Lose

This refers to something being misplaced, reducing bodily mass, or the opposite of winning something.

"I just know Chelsea will lose, they're crap!"

Loose

When something does not fit, it is too big and baggy.

"I'm not sure about this t-shirt, it's a bit loose on me"

Their, There and They're

Their

Their refers to a person and what they possess.

"They picked up their handbag"

There

There refers to the place. When someone points, it's a silent "there".

"Where on earth is my purse"

"It's over there"

They're

The reason there is an apostrophe in "They're" is because it replaces the missing letter. The missing letter would be A. "They are". Understand?

"Where's Shaun?"

"They're running late"

All

"They're picking up their wallet from home as they left it there."

To, Too and Two

To
Seven to eight. Here to there. Quite simple...
"Are you going to the party tonight?"

Too
Too is another way of saying "also".
"Yes, Dani's going too!"

Two

This is a number. It can't be any simpler than that. If you're trying to spell "two", there is no exception with the way you spell it. You cannot use "too" if you're referring to the number.

"We'll be partying past two in the morning!"

Could have (And variations)

This one really gets on my nerves. Could of vs. Could have. Could've is correct. But the apostrophe has not replaced an O, It's replaced a "ha". "Could have". Make sense?

"You could have come with us last night!"

Bought and Brought

Bought
If you have bought something, you have purchased it from someone or somewhere.
"I bought some oranges from Asda"

Brought
Brought refers to the past tense of bringing something somewhere.
"I brought the oranges home afterwards"

We're, Were and Where

We're
We're means "We are". It doesn't also mean "We were".
"We're at Asda"

Were
This is the past tense of "are" or "to be".
"I thought you were at Tesco?"

Where
Refers to a place.
"Where is Tesco?"

Examples that are really WRONG:
"Were going to the shop"
"Were is the shop"
"We're are you going"
"Where off to Tesco"

Alot

There is no such word as alot. It's a lot.

While there are many more clogging up my social networking sites, this is all my sanity cares to review for now. I hope you've learned something!

(Great title by Andrew)

Wednesday, 5 September 2012

Top 10 Eurovision Songs

Bearing in mind I've only watched it properly and been a fan for the past 6 years or so, I present you with my top 10 list of great Eurovision songs.

10) Blue - I can (UK 2011)

I was a big Blue fan when I was younger so it was great to see them in one of my favourite shows! The UK always does terribly Politically no matter who we have representing us. However Blue did us proud song-wise!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJEtE4kJvE0

9) Hotel FM - Change (Romania 2011)

I found this catchy when I caught it in the Semi's. It was one that had me dancing on the sofa!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a1Q_hpGLbs

8) Kurt Calleja - This is the night (Malta 2012)

I was tapping my foot the entire way through this song, and ended up voting for them. Catchy and singable!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgaX5QuMGR8

7) Verka Serduchka - Dancing Lasha Tumbai (Ukraine 2007)

Impossible to hate. What the hell is this song about? Why is a bloke dressed like an old lady? Why does he have a star on his head? Why is he singing partly in German? Who cares, it's a great Eurovision song!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XGMb5PakOQ

6) Zdob Si Zdub - So Lucky (Moldova 2011)

They're a Moldovan version of Madness! Extremely catchy. With pointy hats, weird lyrics, and unicycles. Perfect Eurovision song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHAY_OVN_gY

5) Lena - Satellite (Germany 2010)

You all changed your mind about the Germans with this one, aye? It was a GREAT win, very deserved. It's a catchy tune and you can't hear it without bopping at least one body part.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmOeISUYXuI

4) Jedward - Lipstick (Ireland 2011)

I was embarrassed to learn how much I enjoyed this song. I had first started dating my Fiancé at this time, and we were both watching Eurovision, and both ended up voting for Jedward. He voted for them the following year too, with Waterline. To be honest, they made GREAT Eurovision.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLk9unzoM8I

3) Milan Stankovic - Ovo je Balkan (Serbia 2010)

This song got me hooked on Eurovision, and made me realise that I genuinely like crap European music. As soon as he strut on stage (I initially thought he was a woman) with that Eastern European "Heeyeyyeyeyeyeyey" I was addicted. This was the first Eurovision song I downloaded and has started my tradition.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBwWB3kKd6o

2) Loreen - Euphoria (Sweden 2012)

Typically UN-Eurovision, this is actually a really good song. Very club-y, catchy and fun to sing along to. And her little MC Hammer dance was great

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pfo-8z86x80

1) Pasha Parfeny - Lautar (Moldova 2012)

This takes the number 1 place in my list as I still find myself singing it. It has an amazing tune. It's one of the most feel good nonsensical songs I've ever heard and It makes me feel so happy to listen to it. I would advise following the link to enjoy the best Eurovision song to date!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIy0EtEeLEw

Mentions:
Gaitana - Be My Guest. Buranovskiye Babushki - Party For Everybody. Jedward - Waterline. Donny Montell - Love is Blind. Lordi - Hard Rock Hallelujah. Manga - We Could Be The Same. Lena - Taken by a Stranger.