The Creatures In My Head

I like to end my day by listening to Bombay Bicycle Club, drinking green tea and doing yoga. Then, it all goes down-hill and I fall into a bottomless pit until 2am. In this pit, there are a few different creatures. Let me introduce you...
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The Social Butterfly 

This guy is a slightly deformed butterfly who, at first glance, looks intriguing and harmless. You wander over to him to say hi and spend a wee while just floating around with him but after a while, you realise that he's changed beyond recognition. The Social Butterfly leads you into the deepest and darkest depths of Twitter, Instagram, Vine and YouTube. He tells you 'just one more video' each time you go to leave. He reminds you that Vines are only 6 seconds long, so what's the harm? The Social Butterfly is deceptive...and it's only at night that he shows just how manipulative he can be.

The Maestro

This guy is an odd amalgamation of music notes, instrument parts and bright, creative colours. He constantly hums...just a faint, slightly irritating buzz. This is the guy that makes you want to listen to Careless Whisper at 1am and reminds me that you have ukuleles, a guitar and a piano sitting in the same room as you. The Maestro is flamboyant and creative. He's the guy you want to be friends with at school. He pulls you in and makes you want to be up, making music, no matter what the time is. He's the guy who puts the earphones in your ears and starts making playlists. The Maestro is amazing and motivational but can be a pain in the ass when you should be sleeping.

The Fridge

The fridge is a fridge. The fridge is full of food. The fridge makes you think that you're hungry just as you're about to fall asleep. The fridge is both your friend and your enemy. It's your frenemy...

The Midnight Librarian

She's cute and friendly, loves reading and can talk to anyone about books, making them want to read too. You walk into her library and are instantly enchanted by the amazing spines and pages. It smells wonderful in there...all book-y. The Midnight Librarian never sleeps or, at least, you never see her sleep. She's always there, ready to hand you a new book. When midnight rolls around, she's the one who whispers 'just one more chapter' in your ear. She's the one who makes you think that reading is more important than being awake for school the next day. The Midnight Librarian is a real enabler...but you love her.

Jeremy

Jeremy is the worry-creature. He's an anxious wee thing and is constantly worrying about anything and everything. Jeremy's the guy who taps your shoulder and asks for advice at 2am. He trembles, cries and over-thinks the tiniest things. You start talking to Jeremy, trying to settle his nerves and make him feel a little better but 10 minutes later, he's got you thinking about your own issues. He mentions school and you suddenly remember that you have a presentation the next day. He talks about money and you start wondering if you can afford to see your friends at the weekend. He starts panicking about the future and you follow. Before long, you and Jeremy are worrying together and thinking of the worse-case scenario for absolutely everything. I think everyone has a Jeremy.

 When you fall into a sleepless pit, what creatures are waiting for you? Do you have a Midnight Librarian, Fridge or Jeremy? 

Lots of love, Cat

xxx

I've Been Book-Buying #4

One More Thing by B.J. Novak // A Girl Is A Half-Formed Thing by Eimear McBride // We Were Liars by E. Lockhart // Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

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As I mentioned in Currently I'm...#12, I took a well-deserved trip to Waterstones a couple of weeks ago and treated myself to four new books, all of which I'd been wanting for a stupid amount of time. I hadn't been to Waterstones for about four months, mainly because there are now only two Waterstones shops near me (and both are at least a 40 minute drive away) and I just haven't had the time and money to go because of my exams. It was seriously so nice to have an hour to spare, just working my way round the full shop, knowing that I was there to treat myself to a few new books. Nothing beats Waterstones. After a good 90 minutes, I left with a bag of four books, before heading to Cafe Nero to buy carrot cake and peppermint tea. That night was pretty much perfect. :'D

I am a huge fan of The US Office so when B.J. Novak was on Ellen, talking about his book, I got all twitchy, put it on my wishlist and then proceeded to think about how much I wanted it on a daily basis. He is just so naturally funny and intelligent, and One More Thing really shows that. Once The Office ended, he wrote a book compiling all of his random ideas in a series of short stories. Some are literally only 3 lines long but there are some that last for a good 8 or 9 pages and every single one is brilliant. Sticking to the theme of The US Office, I've been wanting to read Mindy Kaling's book - Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? - for a while now. The Mindy Project is one of my favourite TV shows (I'll admit, I didn't like it for a while but then I actually watched more than 10 minutes of an episode and promptly fell in love) and, like B.J. Novak, Mindy Kaling helped write The Office, as well as playing the part of Kelly. She is pretty much my hero and I can't wait to read her book. Also, B.J. Novak and Mindy Kaling are best friends which is freaking adorable.

Both, We Were Liars and A Girl Is A Half-Formed Thing are books which I've heard a lot about over the past few months. I'm going into both of them blind but I think that might actually add to my reading-experience. I have high hopes. :3

Have you read any of these? What books have you bought recently?

Lots of love, Cat

xxx

Currently I'm...#12

Reading:

A couple of weeks ago, I spent an hour and a half in Waterstones and came home with four amazing books. I hadn't actually been to Waterstones for a good 4 months so I really made the most of my time there. It was an emotional hour and a half. :'D I'm currently reading one of the books I bought from that trip; One More Thing by B.J. Novak. I am a huge B.J. Novak fan so I've been wanting to read his book since it came out but just never had the money to buy it. Thanks to exam-season, I've been left with the money I would've spent on having a social-life and as a result, I can finally read One More Thing. After The Office finished, B.J. Novak was left with a load of ideas with nowhere to use them, so he wrote a book of lots of little short stories. It's freaking hilarious. 

Watching:

On the tele-box, I'm watching Silicon Valley, The Mindy Project, University Challenge, Glee, America's Next Top Model and The Great British Bake-Off (oh my goodness). So, nothing unusual there. YouTube-y wise, I recently realised how amazing Rose & Rosie from RoseEllenDix are and have been watching their videos on auto-play for hours on end while I work on my art homework. However, my one main recommendation from the past week has got to be ThisBeDottie's recent video; More Than Marriage. Every video Dottie uploads is wonderful but this one is extra-amazing. ♥

Listening To:

My 17th birthday was on the 8th of August and it was a very music-y birthday so I was left with a lot of new music to love. For the past couple of weeks, I've been listening to a lot of Haim, Bombay Bicycle Club and Jimmy Eat World (I've mentioned Bombay Bicycle Club & Jimmy Eat World a few times before). My favourite Haim song is probably Don't Save Me - I absolutely love their style and their music is so different. I now own 4 Bombay Bicycle Club CDs and I literally love every song so I'm not going to pick favourites...it ain't possible. :'D I've already talked about my favourite Jimmy Eat World songs from Bleed American but I'm now the proud owner of Damage (it's bloody incredible), and my favourite, by a mile, is I Will Steal You Back. I've been obsessed with that song recently.

Loving:

Being Lucy's best friend on Snapchat. I would consider this to be one of my biggest achievements.

Enjoying:

Seeing my friends again. ^_^ I went back to school last Monday and whilst I'm not enjoying getting up at 7am and sitting through double-periods of business management, it's really nice to see everyone for 7 hours everyday. My subjects are actually pretty great for the most part (I'm not exactly loving business and music, though) and it feels so weird to be a 6th year now, knowing that I'll be leaving school next June. Scary stuff...

Lots of love, Cat

xxx

The British Tag! ♥

I've seen this tag floating around YouTube for a couple of months now, then the lovely Helena from In A Few Nutshells brought it over to the blogging world and was nice enough to tag me in it! You might have noticed that I stopped doing tags on my blog a wee while ago; I used to do them all the time but I just got a little bit bored of tag posts and hadn't seen a really good one for quite some time. I'm going to make an exception for The British Tag, though, because it's so damn charming. Thank you, Helena! 

1. How many cups of tea do you have a day? How many sugars?

In all honesty, I don't know. I haven't counted how many cups of tea I drink in a day but my best guess would be 4 or 5 (that's like, normal caffeinated breakfast tea). It might sound like quite a lot but I rarely finish a cup of tea so it's not too bad. :P If you include all the other kinds of tea, I probably drink 6 or 7 cups a day because I'm a big fan of vanilla rooibos, peppermint and green tea with lemon. I like tea, okay? :'D As for sugars, I never take sugar in my tea.

2. Favourite part of a roast?

As weird as this may be, I don't actually like roast dinners all that much... Firstly, I don't eat meat so it has to be a meat-free roast. Secondly, I don't really like potatoes unless they're roasted perfectly (I'm fussy), and thirdly, I only ever really have a roast at Christmas and New Year. When I do have one, my favourite part of a roast is probably the vegetables.... I'm so exciting. :'D

3. Favourite dunking biscuit?

You can't beat milk chocolate digestives. That's my normal-person answer but I'm going to get weird for a moment and admit that I will dunk pretty much any biscuit or cake product in my cup of tea. There's nothing better than sticking a doughnut in tea. No shame.

4. Favourite quintessential British past-time?

Watching The Great British Bake-Off every August and Wimbledon every June! Summer isn't summer without GBBO and Wimbledon. I've watched the bake-off every year since it started in 2010 and would consider myself a super-fan, as sad as that is. As for Wimbledon, I've watched it with my mum since I was tiny and love it more every year. ♥

5. Favourite word?

I don't actually know what words are considered to be particularly British...or even what words I say a lot. :'D I love the word 'wonderful' and, on the other end of the spectrum, 'bahooky', 'smeg-head', 'fud' and 'mince' (as in, rubbish/crap). Wow, I'm eloquent (and Scottish).

6. Cockney rhyming slang?

I only know that brown bread means dead...

7. Favourite sweet?

I don't really eat sweets anymore but when I was 10 and 11, I would go to the Spar or the post-office everyday after school, buy sweets, then go to the library before I went home. As far as I remember, I would usually buy Black Jacks, Fizzers or strawberry laces . :3

8. What would your pub be called?

Ohh I don't know... I'd probably just incorporate 'pub' into the name of a musical. Pubsy Malone? Pub-Side Story? I'll just punch myself in the face to save you the bother.

9. No. 1 British person?

Seriously? There are literally millions of British people. Y'know what? Screw the system, I'm going for James Morton; easily my favourite bread-baker and past GBBO contestant.

10. Favourite shop/restaurant?

I freaking loved Borders (the book shop) but the last one near me closed down years ago. Now, I'll probably have to say Waterstones, Fopp and HMV. Restaurant-wise, I really like YO! Sushi and, although it's a cafe and not a restaurant, I love Costa.

11. What British song pops into your head?

Sorry to be predictable but it's gotta be Wannabe by the legendary Spice Girls. Also, I'm thinking Common People by Pulp, Park Life by Blur, Karma Chameleon by The Culture Club, Careless Whisper by George Micheal, Come On Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners, Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley, Champagne Supernova by Oasis, There Is A Light That Never Goes Out by The Smiths, and anything by The Beatles.

12. Marmite?

It's alright in moderation. I've got to be awkward. :'D

I tag Charli from To Another World, Lucy from Lucy The Reader and Amber from The Mile Long Bookshelf! 

Lots of love, Cat

xxx

Interview With Helena From In A Few Nutshells

Today, I'm joined by the lovely Helena from In A Few Nutshells! I've been a reader of Helena's blog pretty much since the beginning and I still love it to this day. She's a talented blogger and a wonderful person so I'm very happy to be welcoming her on to my blog! I hope you enjoy getting to know Helena. You can see In A Few Nutshells here! 

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Welcome to Through A Cat's Eyes! Let's just start with you saying a little bit about yourself and your blog, In A Few Nutshells.

Thank you for having me! So a little bit about me, I love fashion, photography, books, Narnia, frozen yoghurt, TFIOS, shopping, Harry Potter and many other things which I could go on. My blog is mainly a fashion and photography blog but I also to posts on books, beauty, DIY and just generally share the things I love with the world. I do a lot of outfit posts and inspiration posts too.

What inspired you to start blogging?

A couple of years ago, a discovered the YouTube world and I thought it looked really cool and exciting, but I have the self confidence of a slug and talking in front of people is one of my biggest fears so I wasn't brave enough to make my own videos. Then I discovered many of them had blogs also, which seemed more suited to me. I started following a few blogs, gradually found out more and more about the blogging community and eventually bit the bullet and started my own.

Do you have any blogging goals for 2014?

Consistent and scheduled posts. I have a issue with being organised, in that I never am and I end up photographing, writing and posting posts all in one go which is very rushed and stressful. I want to be more organised and get on top of it and make blogging higher on my list of priorities as I love it. In terms of numerical goals, 200 followers would be lovely :)

Where do you hope to see yourself and your blog in a few years?

Well I would love to still be blogging because I something I love and I want to keep doing it. I would like my blog be a little more well known and maybe have a better blog design, I'm not sure. I would also love to go to some blogger events as well or some fashion events :) In terms of my life, I would love to go to university.

How would you describe your style?

I don't think I have a set style; if I see something I like, I'll buy it whatever style, but I love combining simple things with more statement, daring items and I'm also very into the whole indie-urban-outfitters style (I wish it was cheaper so I could have it all) and summer vintage.

If you could only own 5 items of clothing, what would they be?

My white converse, Topshop jeans, a pair of high waisted shorts, a lace top and any one of the Brandy Melville dresses. I've got me eye on a few at the moment.

Who is your style icon?

I love picking up style inspiration from anywhere, on the streets, from my friends or in magazines but I love Zoella's style a lot. I just want everything she wears.

Which city would you most like to live in?

London I think. I live quite near already and I love the vibrancy and excitement of it. I just love being there. If not there then probably New York as that's the number one place I want to visit. I also love the New York style :)

What are your favourite and least favourite things about blogging?

My favourite thing is all the new things you learn and discover and all the new people you meet. The blogging world has introduced me to so many things I now love. My least favourite thing is that some posts can take a lot of time, which I sometimes don't have :(

Do you have any advice for anyone who is thinking about starting a blog?

Just be yourself and let your personality shine through in your posts. Write about things you love and don't post about things that everyone else is doing just because you think you need to fit it - you don't, that's the brilliance of blogging - tell people about what you love. Be unique and original and be you.

♥

Letter To 12 Year-Old Catriona

Hello, 12 year-old me.

It's mid-August, only a couple of days to go until you're back at school and I know that you're crapping it right now because you're not going back to school, but starting secondary. I guess not much as changed over the past 5 years because I am also crapping it right now, but instead of being scared about starting secondary school, I'm freaking out about starting the last year of secondary school. Time flies when you're having fun, right? I guess time shouldn't be flying then. Right now, you're probably worrying about the immense crowds, finding your way around a huge new building, making friends, and managing float through school with no drama. I can settle your nerves pretty quickly: 

1. The crowds are fun: yeah, the halls are busy and people push but you're small so it's actually pretty easy to navigate your way through. Also, elbows are a thing...use them. After spending 5 years in the crowds, you'll stop having any problems with them whatsoever.
2. The school really isn't that big: you're going to get lost at some point (1st year P.S.E...you're 40 minutes late) but after a fortnight of being there, you'll never get lost again. It may feel massive to start with but after a month, it'll feel as small as primary was. Don't worry.
3. You'll meet amazing people, fit into a group straight away and make life-long friends who you love more than anything. Seriously; pretty much everyone in 1st year will be feeling the same way as you which makes it a lot easier to make friends than you realise. A few years down the line and you'll still be in that wonderful group that you found in the first few weeks. ♥
4. I'm about to go into 6th year and I'm yet to get caught up in any major drama. I'm floating through pretty well, actually. :D A little warning: you fall over in the hall in 2nd year and pull a random 5th year boy down with you. Just laugh it off. It's all good. 

Now, 12 year-old Catriona, I feel like I should prepare you for a few thing you're going to encounter. It's too late, of course, but it's the thought that counts, right? :'D 

• There's a stupid boy in your year with really good hair who is going to make fun of you for about 3 years. Humor him. Yeah, he might get a couple of his annoying friend on board but it all blows over and he turns out to be alright in the end. He's actually pretty damn nice now. 
• You're going to fall asleep in all of your classes at some point. You'll be watching a documentary in 1st year history and nod off, then another documentary in 2nd year biology which will result in you having a great nap for a good 40 minutes. 4th year modern studies is going to be one year-long sleep after your teacher leaves and you get a replacement (crap, I know). Oh and 5th year admin is really good for sleeping through and you only get caught once so that's pretty great. :D A little heads-up; Mr Smith actually lets you sleep in higher maths because he starts to give up on you. It's usually best to just rest your head in your hands with your hands over your eyes; it's quite comfy and only a few people will notice. You're welcome.
• A boy sneezes in your face in 4th year and it will go down in history as being the funniest thing Rachel has saw happen to you. Yes, it's freaking disgusting but just attack your face with hand-sanitizer for the rest of the day (or avoid the sneeze...that would be smart).

I know you're not going to listen to this next bit of advice but I might as well try: relax, have fun and don't get so stressed. At the end of the day, it's just school. People are going to be mean because that's what kids do, just brush it off and get on with your life. When you fail a test (4th year modern studies prelim), just take a deep breathe and remind yourself that it's not the end of the world. When you make a prat of yourself, laugh it off. As difficult as it may seem, try not to worry about what people think of you - everyone's too concerned with their own problems and insecurities to care about yours. Remember; the people who mind, don't matter and the people who matter, don't mind. Do what you want, wear what you want, talk to who you want and just focus on getting through school. You're going to be just fine. ♥

Lots of love, 17 year-old Catriona

xxx

I've Been Book-Buying #3

 Amy by Mary Hooper // Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli // Flawless by Sara Shepard (2nd Pretty Little Liars book) // A Street Cat Named Bob by James Bowen // Losing Lila by Sarah Alderson // Crossed by Ally Condie // Matched by Ally Condie 

♥

As always, these books are all from a local charity shop which has pretty much become my primary source for books over the past couple of years. They do books for 3 for £1 but I can't remember the last time I was actually charged the right amount...I think they just want to shift the books so practically give them away. I'm not complaining, though. :'D

Finding Amy by Mary Hooper made my day. I first read it when I was 10; I got it from the library next to my school and read it about 5 times before I actually bought my own copy, which I then proceeded to read another 20 times. It was one of my favourite books for a couple of years but then I made the stupid decision to part with it and have wanted to read it again ever since. I'm super happy to have it back in my collection. ^_^ I've been hearing about Matched, Crossed and Stargirl for years now and, like always, I'm late to the party but I'm looking forward to finally getting them read. A Street Cat Named Bob is another one I've heard a lot about and I have a feeling I'm going to love it, mainly because of my crazy cat-lady ways.

What books have you been buying recently? Have you read any of these?

Lots of love, Cat

xxx

An Amazing 7 Years (TACE Turns 7!)

A few days ago, this little blog of mine turned 7. That's right; I've been blogging here for 7 years. Jeeeeez...:'D I'm 17 so the fact that TACE is 7 means that I've done a lot of growing up on this blog and I'm sure that the people who have known me from the start will agree that I've changed a bit since I was 10 (Amber and Rachel, I'm looking at you!). Even though I'm not the same person as I was 7 years ago, I've stuck with this blog. It has changed with me and I really think that it reflects me better than it ever has before. This blog is kind of an extension of me and my personality and I love it quite a lot. :3 You might be looking at my archive and wondering why I'm saying that Through A Cat's Eyes is 7 years old, when there are only posts from 2010 onwards. Basically, I gave the blog a bit of a revamp a year or so ago and changed it's identity a bit, making it more of a lifestyle blog than a beauty blog. When I was doing this, I decided to delete all of my old posts to avoid embarrassment. I really wish  hadn't but it's too late now. If you're not sure about me blogging since August 2007, you can ask Amber and she'll tell you all of my embarrassing secrets from when I was 9 and 10. :'D 

One of my very favourite things about blogging is the amazing community. I have seriously made so many friends and met so many wonderful people through blogging. I feel so welcomed into the community and there are so many bloggers who I would really consider friends now. It's an amazing thing and I can't imagine my life without these people now... There are some people I'd like to thank:

Amber

You've been with me since day one, were the first person I met through blogging and were the reason I started a blog in the first place. You're one of my oldest and dearest friends *hugs*

Rachel

You're one of my besties both in real life and on the interwebs, I love you a ridiculous amount and even though we've been through some stuff, I can't imagine my life without you. I freaking love you. 

Holly

Anytime I have a problem, I know I can talk to you about it and you'll always listen and try to help. You're such an amazing, supportive person and I can't thank you enough for always being there for me. ♥

Charli

You kept me studying during my exams!! I genuinely think I would have failed if it wasn't for you monitoring my snapchat and twitter use. :'D I remember the day you first commented on my blog and it's crazy to think that, 2 years later, we're as close as we are. You're fabulous, Charli. 

Lucy

You are SO supportive and are genuinely one of the most bubbly and friendly people I know. You are just a bundle of happiness... If I'm feeling a bit down, I just have to go on twitter and you'll be screaming about something you love and I'll instantly be cheered up. The world needs more people like you! :'D

There are so many people that have contributed to Through A Cat's Eyes and have just made the whole blogging experience wonderful but this post would be immense if I talked about everyone individually, and I would most probably leave someone out by accident and feel terrible for the rest of time... I tweeted you all a few days ago but basically, if we've ever communicated, I'm thanking you. This blog may be written by me but it's made by all of you, whether you've been reading for 7 years, 7 months or 7 days. I love all of you! ♥

Thanks again and here's to another 7 years! :D

Lots of love, Cat

xxx

Currently I'm...#11

Reading:

I'm still in my reading slump so I haven't actually read anything since 'Currently I'm...#10'. I'm planning to read We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver in the next couple of weeks because I told my English teacher that I would... I've also been meaning to re-read The Catcher In The Rye because I need to be an expert on it if I want to use it for my dissertation. I guess I'm falling behind a little bit. :'D

Watching:

Same as always; I watch University Challenge, America's Next Top Model, Child Genius (don't judge me), Glee, Virtually Famous and, as of tonight, THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE-OFF. GBBO is one of my all-time favourite TV shows and I've never missed an episode since it started in 2010. I will never love a contestant as much as I love James Morton (he will always have a little piece of my heart (not even kidding, don't judge me for this either)) but I love GBBO every year and I'm sure that this season will be no exception. Can you tell that I'm excited? :D As for YouTube, I've been loving Ewan's recent stuff over on RadHaggis, and JonBeHere recently made a hilarious video about hitting 987 subscribers, which you can see here.

Listening To:

5 Seconds Of Summer...a lot of 5SOS...and I don't regret it at all. I'm a little bit late to the 5SOS party but now that I'm here, I'm fully throwing myself into it. Like, I'm the one who turns up an hour late but gets drunk straight away, hugs everyone there and is the only one dancing most of the time. We all know that person. My favourites are probably Amnesia and Voodoo Doll but especially the acoustic-y versions. They have an amazing 'one mic, one take' version of Voodoo Doll which is life-changing (maybe not but you catch my drift) and a gorgeous acoustic set of Amnesia.

Eating:

Way too much carrot cake.

Loving:

This doesn't exactly fit the 'loving' heading but I just needed to share my exam results with everyone and didn't know how else to incorporate it. :'D On Tuesday the 5th of August (so, yesterday) I got the results for the Higher exams I sat back in April and May. I've been mildly freaking out about these results and felt incredibly sick before I opened them but it actually all kind of paid off in the end. I got A's in administration and english, B's in modern studies and biology, and a D in maths, which I had been miserably failing all year. I'm insanely relieved and I did a lot better than I was expecting. YAY.  Thank you so much for all your lovely messages and tweets. ^_^ If you're at the result-receiving stage in your life, I hope you get what you want! Just remember that exams aren't the be-all and end-all of education and aren't even an accurate representation of how smart you are. It's all good! :3

Lots of love, Cat

xxx

July 2014: An Eventful 4 Weeks

I started off July by having a mad reading sprint, getting 5 books read in the space of 3 days: The Summer I Turned Pretty, It's Not Summer Without You, and We'll Always Have Summer (the Summer trilogy) by Jenny Han, Girl Meets Boy by Ali Smith and Educating Rita by Willy Russell. I read the Summer trilogy every July and I have done for 3 or 4 years now, simply because I love them so darn much. Summer isn't Summer without Jenny Han. This year, I read the first one in 2 hours and 10 minutes (one sitting, no breaks), then the second one over 2 days, and the third one in 3 hours on the same day. I think that's a record for me...

On the 10th of July, I set off on my holiday to London (and Leeds)! If you follow me on twitter (@CatHannnahXD), you'll know that it didn't really go to plan and ended up being a lot more stressful that we intended. In retrospect, it's kinda hilarious but it was just a little bit depressing at the time. :'D A huge highlight of the trip was seeing Les Mis at The Queens Theatre; it was insane and I absolutely loved it, but the rest of the trip didn't really run smoothly and I think we were all quite happy to get home on the 13th. 

I took a bit of a risk on the 15th and finally got my hair cut, after about 2 years of letting it do it's own thing. It was getting really long and straggly which I actually liked because I'm a big fan of messy hair, but I knew it was about time to get it cut because it wasn't at all healthy anymore. Before I got it cut, it went down to the bottom of my ribcage. Now, it's a couple of inches below my shoulders. I got about 6 inches off which was terrifying but it's so much more manageable now and is the healthiest it's been in years.

On the 17th, I went busking with my wonderful friend, Beka. I've done a full post on why I love busking which you can see here, and I have another post about my first experience busking last October which you can see here. We hadn't been for a while so it was awesome to get back out and give it another go. ^_^

The 23rd was one of my favourite days of the year so far because I saw Belle and Sebastian live at the Kelvingrove Bandstand, to celebrate the start of the Commonwealth Games. I've never been a huge Belle and Sebastian fan but that gig changed my opinion completely and I've been converted. They're amazing and the atmosphere at the Bandstand was incredible. They have a lot of good stuff but I'll recommend The Boy With the Arab Strap, Piazza New York Catcher and If You Find Yourself Caught In Love to start you off. You have no idea how long it took me to narrow my favourites down to three. :'D

I hope July treated you well and that August is even better! August brings my 17th birthday, my exam results and the long-awaited return of The Great British Bake-Off aka. my life, so it's going to be an interesting month for me. :3 

Lots of love, Cat

xxx

P.S. Thank you to everyone who's filled in my blog survey so far! It's not too late to fill it in and I would seriously appreciate it - I want to work towards improving Through A Cat's Eyes for everyone and the survey should help with that. ^_^ It's here!

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BLOG SURVEY 2014!

Hello! I thought I'd do something a little bit different and make a survey for you lovely people, as an attempt to improve Through A Cat's Eyes and make it better for everyone. I get some absolutely amazing comments and tweets from readers but I don't feel like I get a well-rounded and brutally honest, general opinion, making it hard for me to make this blog better. I want everyone who reads it to be happy! To remedy this, I created a little survey for you to fill out (if you want to). You can fill in as many or as few fields as you want (there are a couple required ones, though), and please be as honest as you can. It's anonymous and I won't be offended by anything you say. (within reason...) Thank you in advance! ♥

  Lots of love, Cat  xxx

I've Been Book-Buying #2

Insurgent by Veronica Roth // The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky // 172 Hours On The Moon by Johan Harstad // Alex As Well by Alyssa Brugman // Kimberly's Capital Punishment by Richard Milward

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I'm actually really quite late with this post because these books are all a good 4 months old. :'D Basically, I acquired some awesome books, took and edited some photos, then stuck them in a folder and let it gather dust. It's now out-dated but I figured I might as well share them with you anyway. They're still books, after all. 

I bought Insurgent in Tesco's one day during the April holidays, without knowing that I would actually be called into school an hour later to get my English reading list. My bag was already quite heavy and Insurgent is quite a big book so I had great fun lugging it around for another 5 hours... I'm haven't actually read it yet but I loved Divergent so I'm looking forward to giving it a go.

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower is one of my favourite books and, although I've read it 4 times, I didn't actually have my own copy. I always just steal my sister's. :'D I saw Perks in a charity shop a few months back so I thought I might as well buy my own copy. It's an amazing book so if you haven't already read it, go and get that done. :P Kimberly's Capital Punishment was another charity shop book but I haven't got round to reading it yet. Looks good though! 

I've already talked about Alex As Well in my review which you can see here, but basically, I had mixed feelings about it. Curious Fox very kindly sent it to me in exchange for an honest review. ^_^

Have you read any of these books? What have you been buying recently? 

Lots of love, Cat

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