Thanks to a YouTube recommendation, I came across the band Pale Waves this afternoon. Their song "Television Romance" was recommended...
Followed by their song "There's A Honey":
Pale Waves are new on the big scene and are from Manchester. They have worked with The 1975, who are also from Manchester; The 1975 produced "There's A Honey" for Pale Waves and directed the video for "Television Romance".
Pale Waves will be going on tour later this month and one of their venues will be Bodega, which is here in Nottingham.
Showing posts with label Manchester. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Manchester. Show all posts
Saturday, 7 October 2017
Sunday, 4 June 2017
One Love Manchester
This evening, I was at my mother and brother's house, where I watched with them the One Love Manchester concert, headed by Ariana Grande after her concert was bombed over two weeks ago. As a way to support the victims and the city of Manchester, she arranged this benefit concert for them and hosted a range of other musicians, such as Take That, Robbie Williams, the Black Eyed Peas, Miley Cyrus, Pharrell, Little Mix and Liam Gallagher, among many others.
The theme of the concert was love and unity, which were emphasised throughout, as was the power of music. The power of music...reminds me of what I said in a very early blog post of mine:
The theme of the concert was love and unity, which were emphasised throughout, as was the power of music. The power of music...reminds me of what I said in a very early blog post of mine:
Given what's been happening in the world as of late, I think we all need more love and unity.
Tuesday, 23 May 2017
That wasn't an excuse for more hate
As we all know by this point, there was a bombing at the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester last night. Twenty-two people are confirmed dead, dozens for injured and the perpetrator has been identified.
Yes...the perpetrator has been identified - as a British-born person of Libyan origin; however, long before details of the perpetrator emerged, the ugly voice of the far-right took to the Internet to immediately blame all Muslims and "people of Muslim origin" (the Middle East, North Africa, etc.) for the incident. Rather than offer support to the victims and their families or to rescue efforts in the area, the trolls instead called for all Muslims in the West to be deported and/or killed. The usual hateful nonsense.
Violent acts like those seen in Manchester are not the fault of Muslims in general, the same way that all the white males who go on mass shooting sprees are not the fault of all white men. In fact, when a traditional Westerner commits an atrocity, we never blame the whole West or the whole of an element of it - we only hold the actions of the individual responsible. So why are Muslims held to a difference standard?
The way to address hateful people - who can be from any demographic group - is to encourage dialogue, love, kindness, understanding...responding with more hate will never bring the victims back and is more likely to cause others to be killed, too. Don't get sucked into more hate.
Yes...the perpetrator has been identified - as a British-born person of Libyan origin; however, long before details of the perpetrator emerged, the ugly voice of the far-right took to the Internet to immediately blame all Muslims and "people of Muslim origin" (the Middle East, North Africa, etc.) for the incident. Rather than offer support to the victims and their families or to rescue efforts in the area, the trolls instead called for all Muslims in the West to be deported and/or killed. The usual hateful nonsense.
Violent acts like those seen in Manchester are not the fault of Muslims in general, the same way that all the white males who go on mass shooting sprees are not the fault of all white men. In fact, when a traditional Westerner commits an atrocity, we never blame the whole West or the whole of an element of it - we only hold the actions of the individual responsible. So why are Muslims held to a difference standard?
The way to address hateful people - who can be from any demographic group - is to encourage dialogue, love, kindness, understanding...responding with more hate will never bring the victims back and is more likely to cause others to be killed, too. Don't get sucked into more hate.
Thursday, 27 August 2015
"Medicine" - The 1975
Now here's something I haven't done for a long time: written a music post and highlighted a song (yesterday's Rick Astley/Rita Ora post doesn't count, as I wasn't specifically writing about their music). So what song have I chosen today? It's "Medicine":
"Medicine" was composed by The 1975, a Manchester-based band. I first heard of The 1975 a couple of years ago when I heard another one of their songs, "Chocolate", playing on the radio. When I started attending college, my close friend there told me early on in our course that The 1975 were a band she enjoyed listening to. A month later, I heard "Medicine" play on the radio during, of all things, an anti-bullying/anti-suicide segment hosted by Tulisa Contostavlos, a singer.
However, when "Medicine" played, I was unaware it was by The 1975 but I liked the song and so I listened carefully to the lyrics and Googled them. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was by one of my good friend's favourite bands and it just so happens that "Medicine" is, by far, my favourite The 1975 song. It's a beautiful piece and often when I am feeling down, I play it because it improves my mood and helps me to cope with whatever is affecting me.
Please enjoy "Medicine". I intentionally repeat myself when I say that it's beautiful; I'm not convinced my post truly captures and adequately promotes the beauty and feelings of this song.
"Medicine" was composed by The 1975, a Manchester-based band. I first heard of The 1975 a couple of years ago when I heard another one of their songs, "Chocolate", playing on the radio. When I started attending college, my close friend there told me early on in our course that The 1975 were a band she enjoyed listening to. A month later, I heard "Medicine" play on the radio during, of all things, an anti-bullying/anti-suicide segment hosted by Tulisa Contostavlos, a singer.
However, when "Medicine" played, I was unaware it was by The 1975 but I liked the song and so I listened carefully to the lyrics and Googled them. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was by one of my good friend's favourite bands and it just so happens that "Medicine" is, by far, my favourite The 1975 song. It's a beautiful piece and often when I am feeling down, I play it because it improves my mood and helps me to cope with whatever is affecting me.
Please enjoy "Medicine". I intentionally repeat myself when I say that it's beautiful; I'm not convinced my post truly captures and adequately promotes the beauty and feelings of this song.
Monday, 23 February 2015
Manchester journey pictures
A friend of mine and I travelled to Manchester yesterday. Here are three pictures from the journey up:
Snowy mountains! Until yesterday, I hadn't seen snowy mountains for years. These mountains are located in the Pennines, which are a large (by British standards) mountain range in mid/northern England. A train from Nottingham has to cross the Pennines to reach Manchester.
As can be seen in this picture, world-famous Manchester weather...rain! I made the sensible decision to bring my umbrella with me for when my friend and I walked through this.
Sunday, 22 February 2015
Manchester visit February 2015
I spent the day in Manchester to attend a meetup. I do not have any pictures of the city from the ground level to post because it was raining (typical Manchester weather!); however, I have some pictures taken from within the train I rode up there, which I shall post tomorrow.
Wednesday, 22 October 2014
Philly cheesesteak
After class, five of my friends and I went to a pub for lunch. I opted for a Philly cheesesteak sandwich: it was a new choice on the pub branch's menu and when I was in Manchester last month, of the people at the meetup I attended up there had one for dinner. I thought it looked delicious and made a mental note to have one when I next went to the pub to eat.
During this lunctime, the first Philly cheesesteak that I'd eaten in many, many years was, by far, the worst Philly cheesesteak I've ever eaten. The onions were excessively sweet, the meat was cold and the baguette was as though I were eating rubber. That meal also holds the record of the worst-ever pub meal I've had to endure. I've now created a mental note to not have that choice again and I told my brother to not consider it the next time he eats at a pub.
On the bright side, the hour and a half/two hours I spent at the pub with my friends was beyond enjoyable enough to overcome my substandard lunch. At the end of the day, this is what counts.
During this lunctime, the first Philly cheesesteak that I'd eaten in many, many years was, by far, the worst Philly cheesesteak I've ever eaten. The onions were excessively sweet, the meat was cold and the baguette was as though I were eating rubber. That meal also holds the record of the worst-ever pub meal I've had to endure. I've now created a mental note to not have that choice again and I told my brother to not consider it the next time he eats at a pub.
On the bright side, the hour and a half/two hours I spent at the pub with my friends was beyond enjoyable enough to overcome my substandard lunch. At the end of the day, this is what counts.
Sunday, 28 September 2014
Manchester (2)
Yesterday, I travelled with a friend to Manchester to attend a meetup. We travelled via train, which made my Manchester trip the first time I've used the railway system to visit a place other than London. The train was packed, which meant that my friend and I were forced to stand until half the people on board exited at Sheffield, the middway point of the journey.
I brought my umbrella with me because whenever I've read about Manchester, it's most noteworthy aspect is that it rains much of the time there. When my friend and I left sunny Nottingham, I wasn't to be disappointed when we arrived in Manchester:
It was sprinkling. It wasn't enough to require me to use my umbrella but nevertheless, I was glad I had it with me.
The pub at which the meetup was located was crowded and noisy, as there was a football match playing on the establishment's television. The meetup moved into the pub's garden area; by this stage, the weather had cleared and it had become a sunny day...by Manchester's standards. We all had a pleasant afternoon out in the pub garden.
This is a random street in the centre of Manchester; I have no idea what the name of the street is or its exact location. I took this when the five remaining members of the meetup, which included me, were on their way to another pub to have dinner. For some bizarre reason, the pub the meetup was initially at had closed its kitchen and some of us had had nothing to eat.
After dinner, my friend, one of the other meetup members and I all made our way back to the train station. On the walk back, I ensured that I took a photograph of this building, which is called the Beetham Tower. At 168 metres (551 ft), the Beetham Tower is the tallest building in Manchester and, on a clear day, can been seen from several of the counties surrounding Greater Manchester.
This is platform 5 at Manchester Oxford Road, which was the station where our train back to Nottingham was located. Our train itself departed from platform 4, which is off to the left.
I had a great time in Manchester; it's an interesting city and I would like to go there again. My visit was dampened somewhat because of the football match, as the bellowing football fans in the two pubs made it almost impossible to hear anyone talk. Next time, I'll endeavour to visit on a day that doesn't coincide with a local football event!
I brought my umbrella with me because whenever I've read about Manchester, it's most noteworthy aspect is that it rains much of the time there. When my friend and I left sunny Nottingham, I wasn't to be disappointed when we arrived in Manchester:
I had a great time in Manchester; it's an interesting city and I would like to go there again. My visit was dampened somewhat because of the football match, as the bellowing football fans in the two pubs made it almost impossible to hear anyone talk. Next time, I'll endeavour to visit on a day that doesn't coincide with a local football event!
Saturday, 27 September 2014
Manchester
I have just returned home after spending the day in Manchester, which is a city in North West England. I will post a couple of pictures and write a little about the day tomorrow. At the moment, I am tired and would appreciate something to eat!
Monday, 3 June 2013
Three years
My family and I have now been back in the United Kingdom for three years. What did we do to recognise the anniversary? Despite the milestone, not much: we had a fairly average day but at dinner we briefly highlighted the occasion.
It's hard to believe that three years have already passed; it honestly does feel as if it were only yesterday that we were still living in Oregon or just arriving here. The memories of our final year in Oregon or of the mini-bus ride from Manchester to Nottingham are as clear as if they had just happened.
It's hard to believe that three years have already passed; it honestly does feel as if it were only yesterday that we were still living in Oregon or just arriving here. The memories of our final year in Oregon or of the mini-bus ride from Manchester to Nottingham are as clear as if they had just happened.
Wednesday, 19 December 2012
24 hours
In early June of 2010, my family and I moved from the United States back to the United Kingdom; in November of 2012, the United States held its 57th presidential election. The two events by themselves are completely unrelated to each other, but there is something significant to me that links them.
When I woke up in Portland, Oregon for day of our flight, I stayed awake for around 24 hours. I was not bored when waiting at the airport, I was completely alert on the nine-hour flight (I was the only one of us not to sleep on the plane), still not tired when in Amsterdam or even when we had to wait for well over an hour in Manchester for my grandparents to arrive in the minibus to pick us up. It was only during the minibus ride the exhaustion caught up on me and I had to fight to keep awake (before then, it was unprecedented for me to sleep in a vehicle).
On the day of the presidential election, I woke up around 7:00-7:30am; I wanted to stay up for the results, and since the United Kingdom is five hours ahead of the East Coast of the United States, I knew I would be staying up for the night. Sure enough, I sailed past 3:00, 4:00, 5:00, and 6:00am without any drowsiness; the lack of sleep caught up with me when I reached the 24 hour mark of being awake, and by then the result of the election had long been announced. I again found myself fighting to not fall asleep, and ended up going to bed for a few hours at the time I usually get up.
From these two events I learnt that if I want or need to keep myself awake for 24 hours or more I can, but once the situation I have to be awake for concludes, the need for sleep hits me...and with a vengeance. For the minibus ride, our flights were long over and we were back in the United Kingdom; with the election, I knew the main result by the time 24 hours came around. With the main goals resolved, why remain awake?
I'm sure there will be many more occasions for me to keep awake for 24 hours or more, only to rapidly fall into a deep sleep when the event is over. The worst part is not keeping awake or even, in itself, falling asleep at the end...it's sleeping during the daylight that bothers me!
When I woke up in Portland, Oregon for day of our flight, I stayed awake for around 24 hours. I was not bored when waiting at the airport, I was completely alert on the nine-hour flight (I was the only one of us not to sleep on the plane), still not tired when in Amsterdam or even when we had to wait for well over an hour in Manchester for my grandparents to arrive in the minibus to pick us up. It was only during the minibus ride the exhaustion caught up on me and I had to fight to keep awake (before then, it was unprecedented for me to sleep in a vehicle).
On the day of the presidential election, I woke up around 7:00-7:30am; I wanted to stay up for the results, and since the United Kingdom is five hours ahead of the East Coast of the United States, I knew I would be staying up for the night. Sure enough, I sailed past 3:00, 4:00, 5:00, and 6:00am without any drowsiness; the lack of sleep caught up with me when I reached the 24 hour mark of being awake, and by then the result of the election had long been announced. I again found myself fighting to not fall asleep, and ended up going to bed for a few hours at the time I usually get up.
From these two events I learnt that if I want or need to keep myself awake for 24 hours or more I can, but once the situation I have to be awake for concludes, the need for sleep hits me...and with a vengeance. For the minibus ride, our flights were long over and we were back in the United Kingdom; with the election, I knew the main result by the time 24 hours came around. With the main goals resolved, why remain awake?
I'm sure there will be many more occasions for me to keep awake for 24 hours or more, only to rapidly fall into a deep sleep when the event is over. The worst part is not keeping awake or even, in itself, falling asleep at the end...it's sleeping during the daylight that bothers me!
Friday, 17 August 2012
More about the city and dinner
On August 9th my brother, four younger cousins, my cousin's boyfriend, and I went to the centre of Nottingham. To save time in getting there we took a bus ride to the Broadmarsh shopping centre, as walking would have taken us at least half an hour. Not that I minded taking a bus as it give me my first-ever "proper" bus ride since returning to the United Kingdom (the one we rode in when we left the airport in Manchester was a minibus).
The day was essentially a shopping trip; initially our group separated for the three gals to shop for clothing while the guys went to do something else. My cousin's boyfriend needed a new wallet, the cousin we were with needed a new hat, and we all wanted to go the HMV, so rather than wander aimlessly around the various stores we knew want we wanted and went directly for it. We did have to check out a few places, but before long a suitable wallet and hat had each been purchased and we made it to HMV and then another CD/DVD store named That's Entertainment. I did well in HMV...remember Kimbra? I purchased her debut album, Vows, in that store!
We met up with the gals once we guys finished our shopping goals for the day and then the re-united group went to Yo Yo Noodles, a Chinese restaurant, for lunch. Although the facility was primarily a take-away it did have a dining area, and we chose to eat in there instead of carry our food around Nottingham. I was glad, too...the meal was hot, and as it was a hot day it was good to eat it in a cool room rather than in the sun!
After the meal, it turned out that my cousin's boyfriend still had a piece of shopping to do, though not of his own volition: we were having dinner at an expensive restaurant that night, and extremely decent clothing was required. As such, my cousin dragged her boyfriend to a nearby clothing store to find him a good shirt for the evening; they were back a few minutes later, so then we had a look around a few more stores before returning to the bus stop outside the Broadmarsh.
It was around 5:00pm when we arrived back at my aunt and uncle's house. I was pleased to see that one of my two older cousins was waiting there and would be coming with everyone to dinner that evening; while my only younger male cousin and I caught up with him the girls went upstairs and spent much of next two hours getting themselves ready. I will admit that I was shocked to see all three of my female cousins wearing dresses, heavy make up, and high heels; it wasn't unexpected, of course, but it was still a surprise.
Before 7:30 (the time booked for the restaurant), everybody was ready and people from my grandparents' house was now over at my aunt and uncle's. The group now consisted of my brother, my grandparents, my aunt and uncle from Nottingham, my aunt and uncle from the East of England, five of my six cousins, my cousin's boyfriend, and me. The location for the night's dinner was a place called Signature Steakhouse.
Signature Steakhouse is easily one of the best restaurants I've ever been to. The portions were just the right size and the food was delicious - naturally, I had a steak, but they served other meats, such as lamb and chicken. The service was excellent, not at all rushed as to try to get you out the door in favour of the next customers. Not surprisingly, the meal was very expensive, but that was expected considering the quality of the restaurant, and worth it given that nearly the entire family was present and everyone had an outstanding time.
I think I speak for everyone there when I say now that it was a lovely evening - the type you hope would go on indefinitely and not ever come to a close. When the meal concluded we returned to our respective houses for the night, ending a spectacular day.
The day was essentially a shopping trip; initially our group separated for the three gals to shop for clothing while the guys went to do something else. My cousin's boyfriend needed a new wallet, the cousin we were with needed a new hat, and we all wanted to go the HMV, so rather than wander aimlessly around the various stores we knew want we wanted and went directly for it. We did have to check out a few places, but before long a suitable wallet and hat had each been purchased and we made it to HMV and then another CD/DVD store named That's Entertainment. I did well in HMV...remember Kimbra? I purchased her debut album, Vows, in that store!
We met up with the gals once we guys finished our shopping goals for the day and then the re-united group went to Yo Yo Noodles, a Chinese restaurant, for lunch. Although the facility was primarily a take-away it did have a dining area, and we chose to eat in there instead of carry our food around Nottingham. I was glad, too...the meal was hot, and as it was a hot day it was good to eat it in a cool room rather than in the sun!
After the meal, it turned out that my cousin's boyfriend still had a piece of shopping to do, though not of his own volition: we were having dinner at an expensive restaurant that night, and extremely decent clothing was required. As such, my cousin dragged her boyfriend to a nearby clothing store to find him a good shirt for the evening; they were back a few minutes later, so then we had a look around a few more stores before returning to the bus stop outside the Broadmarsh.
It was around 5:00pm when we arrived back at my aunt and uncle's house. I was pleased to see that one of my two older cousins was waiting there and would be coming with everyone to dinner that evening; while my only younger male cousin and I caught up with him the girls went upstairs and spent much of next two hours getting themselves ready. I will admit that I was shocked to see all three of my female cousins wearing dresses, heavy make up, and high heels; it wasn't unexpected, of course, but it was still a surprise.
Before 7:30 (the time booked for the restaurant), everybody was ready and people from my grandparents' house was now over at my aunt and uncle's. The group now consisted of my brother, my grandparents, my aunt and uncle from Nottingham, my aunt and uncle from the East of England, five of my six cousins, my cousin's boyfriend, and me. The location for the night's dinner was a place called Signature Steakhouse.
Signature Steakhouse is easily one of the best restaurants I've ever been to. The portions were just the right size and the food was delicious - naturally, I had a steak, but they served other meats, such as lamb and chicken. The service was excellent, not at all rushed as to try to get you out the door in favour of the next customers. Not surprisingly, the meal was very expensive, but that was expected considering the quality of the restaurant, and worth it given that nearly the entire family was present and everyone had an outstanding time.
I think I speak for everyone there when I say now that it was a lovely evening - the type you hope would go on indefinitely and not ever come to a close. When the meal concluded we returned to our respective houses for the night, ending a spectacular day.
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