Notes To Self

• When the width of your hair finally reaches the width of your shoulders, it is time for a haircut.
• When you have read THE PERFECT PLAY OMG for the second time in two weeks, it might be time have a good long think over how it'd fit in the Barn before it's perfect.  
• When your parents ask you what your 'back-up plan' is for the future, don't stare at them blankly. Don't say 'Do you think I need one?' either.
• When you watch Stella and the sixteen year old daughter turns out to be pregnant, don't be too smug that the internet is the only place where you are cool.
• When that webcom that you like Vultures comes back, think VERY CAREFULLY before you decide whether to write a bad poem or not.
• When you're in a play that has a fandom, don't read the fanfiction. But read the books!
• Your horoscope, while a little vague, has turned out to be right for the past few months. Heed it.
• When people at school think a male friend in your locker is something more, don't say yes or no. They may not believe either answer.
• When you tell someone you'll email them, don't leave it four weeks. They don't like that.
• No one is out to get you. They don't really want to, and people aren't really that bad.
• When you find an interesting quote, keep track of it. Put them in one of those little notebooks you've got lying around.
• You have a lot of dresses. Wear them to the cinema. They deserve to be seen.
• When you've made a resolution to write a blog post every week, don't suddenly remember on Sunday evening. It's stressful, even if it forces you to be extra creative.
• A new week is starting! YOU EXCITED OR WHAT

Eleanor Roscuro

It's The Apostrophe Summer 2011 Giveaway!

Hello everyone!

I've finished my exams, and the summer's here! What does this mean? It means I'm doing a blog giveaway!

WAIT!!!!!!

This is not a normal blog giveaway. Really, it isn't.

There are two sets of prizes to be won:

The Blossom Parcel is dainty and feminine, and very summery... It's just really really cute.

• Ring-bound notebook from Monsoon Accessorize (matches pen).
• Ball-point pen from Monsoon Accessorize (matches notebook)
• Set of five badges from Monsoon Accessorize
• Lilac Waldo Pancake bookmark from SWALK - text: 'Bookmark (as in actual bookmark, not one on the internet)'
• 'Warning: When I Am An Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple' by Jenny Joseph from Dubrays Books
• Fabric bunting from Bridie's

The Rainbow Parcel features lots of bright, vivid colours - isn't colour blocking a trend this summer? - and is inspired by the rainbow, which hopefully we'll see a lot of this summer!

• Orange Waldo Pancake notebook from SWALK - text:'Writing things down is the new thinking them'
• Purple Waldo Pancake ball-point pen from SWALK - text: 'Tap on stuff annoyingly'
• Rainbow bangle from Oxfam
• Red Waldo Pancake bookmark from SWALK - text: 'I know how it ends.'
• Rainbow beaded necklace from Oxfam
• Hanging charm from Butterslip

Each parcel will also contain a lovely letter from me! (Not pictured - I haven't written them yet.)

'But Eleanor,' I hear you ask, 'How do we get the chance to win such fabulous parcels?'

Well, this is not a traditional blog giveaway. Tweeting or blogging about this does not equal an entry - although if you do want to tweet or blog about it, feel free to do so. Since this giveaway is celebrating the end of exams... You're getting a QUIZ! Aren't I the best?!

Question One: Where is the Sea of Tranquility?

Question Two: What is the only word in the English language ending with the letters 'mt'?

Question Three: Which company is the biggest toy distributor in the world?

Question Four: In the Hans Christian Andersen story, which female character was found inside the petals of a flower?

Question Five: After the King/Queen, which comes first: Earl or Duke?

Question Six: Name the month I (me, Eleanor Roscuro) was born.

If you want to enter:

• This giveaway is open to all followers of this blog, because I love you all, and it's all because of you guys that I love doing whatever it is I do here at Apostrophe! Also, you'd have to be following to read this post.
• To be eligible for an entry, you must be following this blog. (Just in case.)
• You must email your answers to me at eleanorroscuro@hotmail.com, or drop them in a comment on this very blog. If you do leave a comment, please leave your email address or another form of contact like a Twitter username, in case you win.
• The people who get all the answers right will be entered into the draw. One person cannot win both parcels. The winners will be randomly selected from an extremely cool hat, by an impartial and neutral outsider (i.e. not me).
• 'But Eleanor, this quiz is hard!' Google it. You can find the answer to Question Six on this very blog. 
• 'But Eleanor, why are you doing a quiz?' I could have just gotten you to tweet or blog about the giveaway, but I never liked that. I know you're all smart, or have the ability to use the internet, and I respect that. That's why.
• The giveaway closes on WEDNESDAY 29TH JUNE 2011 at 12 noon GMT. That's next Wednesday. 
• It is open internationally.

I do hope you all enter, and best of luck to you all!

Eleanor Roscuro

Busting Easter Boredom

So. It's the Easter Holidays, you've already eaten all your Easter eggs and been to Mass, and you're bored out of your brains. Well, let me tell you something - PATHETIC! If you're bored, you're not trying hard enough. I could just keep on insulting you, but hey, I like you. I'm going to help you get out of your slump, and not waste these valuable weeks out of school. Yes, I know. You're welcome.

Make Food

More specifically, Fruits of the Forest Crumble. It's incredibly easy.

Ingredients - Porridge oats, butter, brown sugar, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries.
1: Melt butter. Mix with porridge oats and sugar.
2: Put chopped strawberries and not chopped raspberries and blueberries into two rammakin dishes. You know, the small ones. Good for sharing.
3: Put the porridge oats mixture on top. Bake for twenty, twenty-five minutes.

There you have it. Even I could do it! And I do!

Watch Something On The Internet That's Actually Good (Instead Of Rubbish)

Back in November, I wrote a terrible, terrible poem about an internet sitcom called Vultures. Five months on, the poem is still really bad, but Vultures is still as awesome (to me, anyway). It's about three private detectives who try to run a business in a small Irish town. Please watch it so you can tell me how much you like it and then we can just babble about how great it is together like HJKSDHFGKSFDHDKJHKJHF. It'll be fun.

Stop Staring At Art On The Internet And Make Some Of Your Own

Everyone is good at something. Everyone can be creative. Some people's talents may overlap different art forms, and some people may find it hard to find their niche, but it's there. Go find it. Create something. Then stand back and take it all in, that once, you were able to make this thing, and you did. You won't regret it.

Go On Holidays Where You Live

Wherever you live, in your city or town or village or rock, your family settled there for a reason. Turn into a tourist (annoying the locals is optional, although they may know you in real life) and visit all those beautiful places that you ignore on a daily basis because you think it's embarrassing or you've just never thought about doing it before. You'll see your habitual abode in a different light.

Write Letters

I could say to you that in this high-tech world full of technological hurdy-gurdies no one takes the time to write a simple letter before, but you've probably already heard that a thousand times. But seriously. Write a letter to a celebrity or someone else you admire, to your local representative in parliament to stick up for something, to an old friend or a relative you haven't seen in a while. Emails are good too, but nothing beats that moment when you hear a letter flop onto the mat and you pick it up and run your fingers over your name on the front...

So there you have it. Five absolutely brilliant ways of having a great Easter break. There's no need to thank me, but I will accept your thanks anyway. Be sure to report back to me when you do any of these and tell me how they went. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go and write a letter to some friends. I'll see you soon.

Eleanor Roscuro

P.S. Did I write this just to kill time?

Maybe.

WTF - Fads and Trends

So Bronagh over at Unearthing Runway wrote a post a while back on the idea of trends in fashion, using the example of those little bandana thingies Cher Lloyd wears that I see everyone wearing now. You know, like this:

The head on her! But anyway.

In the post, Bronagh says... 'So many people stick up their noses at trends, and that's understandable, not wanting to look the same and everything. But isn't it kind of silly to not wear something you like just because someone else is wearing it, When the item is as small as a hairband I think it is. Besides, not allowing yourself to wear something because it is "In" defeats the whole individuality idea behind the rule.' Obviously, I can't answer for everyone in the world who does this, but I can answer on behalf of myself! And here is my defence:

Cher Lloyd's little raggy things is the Must Have Trend (or was. I'm not entirely sure...) But you don't really need to buy this, for €5 or whatever they're selling it for. You really don't. Because you already have something like this in your house. You may need to root around a bit, but it's there. And, when you find it, you can wear it anytime you like. For a while there (and possibly in the future) Cher Lloyd was on everyone's lips, and influenced fashion in the British Isles for a little while. But why should I wear the little bandana thing JUST BECAUSE Cher is wearing it for a week or two? She's wearing it. Doesn't mean I have to. Besides, I just cut my hair again, and I look like a Beatle. It's not really that versatile, but hey, it worked on Paul. But I digress.

Teenagers are quite contrary in the fact that they want to stand out from the crowd, but still look like everyone else. You can wear this bandana any time you like. You can wear anything at anytime you like (well, within reason of course). Besides, it's a terrible rip-off.

You know what? You should all read Unearthing Runway. Bronagh knows what she's talking about when she comes to fashion, which is more than I can say for me. And she's just so enthusiastic, which is lovely in these times of dull, sarcastic bloggers.

Let's read Unearthing Runway,
Let's read Unearthing Runway,
Let's read Unearthing Runwaaaaaaaaaay...
But Apostrophe rules!


Never forget that, my children.

Eleanor Roscuro

Miss Universe 2010 National Costumes - Beauty Spotlight

The 59th Miss Universe contest is currently underway in Las Vegas, and a few days ago, the contestants had to dress up in their national costumes. Here's some of my favourites... (I got the photos from Amusing Planet, and I recommend checking them out, because I couldn't fit all of them in here, and they're all fantastic!) Lady Gaga eat your heart out!

Miss Australia - Jesinta Campbell

Miss Brazil - Debora Lyra

Miss Great Britain - Tara Hoyos-Martinez

Miss British Virgin Islands - Josefina Nunez

Miss Curacao - Safira de Wit

Miss Guam - Vanessa Torres

Miss Haiti - Sarodj Bertin

Miss India - Ushoshi Sengupta

Miss Ireland - Rozanna Purcell

Miss Italy - Jessica Cecchini

Miss Jamaica - Yendi Phillips

Miss Mexico - Jimina Naverrete

Miss Poland - Maria Nowakowska

Miss Switzerland - Linda Fah

Immortalised In Biro.

Remember The Red Square Kibosh? Well, one of my new friends drew me a picture yesterday...

I love it, but I don't know how to repay her, since I can't actually draw... Any suggestions?

High-Fives,

Eleanor Roscuro

WTF? Teen Vogue's Best Dressed Reader of the Day

On the Teen Vogue website, they have a Best Dressed Reader of the Day contest where they declare a reader the best dressed reader of the day. None of them had ever stood out for me, until today:

I really like the skirt, the beanie, and the Tom and Jerry t-shirt and I thought the expression on the girl's face was lovely. And she didn't look straight at the camera like a lot of them did. But at time of print, there were four comments, and they went like this:

'Yikes!!!!! Hideous!!'

'random blog link by some idiot spamming Teen Vogue'

'ew I don't like it'

'sorry, but I don't think this is how a fourteen year old girl should dress up...'

I am fully aware that people have different opinions. I have opinions too, in case you haven't noticed. But I don't see how this is so hideous. And why is this so inappropriate for a fourteen year old girl? A beanie, a Tom and Jerry t-shirt and denim flats? Sometimes I really don't understand people's minds.

In other news, I have purchased a new pair of (Product) Red Converse. I think they are very nice. Will upload picture soon. That is all.

Dreamboard Status: Updated!

Hello, and welcome!

Remember the dreamboard I made back at the start of January? So I wouldn't have to make new Year's Resolutions? This is what it looked like then.

Nice, isn't it? Well, I've customised it again! Here it is, new and improved...

See? There's girls who inspire me, places I want to see, cool slogans, and some random models I thought looked cool. I know there isn't a lot of difference at first glance, but if you look a little closer...

High-Fives,

EleanorLight

Tag! You're It!

I've been tagged by Indigo and Amii-Louise! For Indigo, I have to say seven things about myself, and tag seven people, and for Amii-Louise, I have to say one hundred things I love and tag three people! ...OK, here goes!

About Me:

• When I was ten, my brother married our neighbour. I was the priest.
  
• A year later, I was the divorce lawyer for my brother's wife.
  
• When I read The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne when I was ten, I couldn't work out if Bruno and Shumuel had died or not until my older and wiser cousin told me.
  
• My lifelong ambition is to climb a tree, like in The Secret Garden or Tom Sawyer.
  
• I have attended two special schools.
  
• I MET DEREK LANDY!!!!
  
• AND DARREN SHAN!!!!
  

And now, things I love:

1. Derek Landy.


2. Darren Shan.


3. The Book Centre.


4. My iPod.


5. My Bershka headphones.


6. Dairy Milk chocolate.


7. Tea, with milk and sugar.


8. Harry Potter.


9. Stationary.


10. Blogging.


11. Reading other people's blogs.


12. Being tagged. (!)


13. Paramore.


14. Severus Snape.


15. Gossip Girl.


16. Killinaskully.


17. Books.


18. Audrey Hepburn.


19. Acting.


20. Hammocks.


21. Sunny days.


22. Gel pens.


23. Jeans.


24. Converse.


25. Facebook.


26. Paolo Nutini.


27. Being a kid.


28. Funny shaped clouds.


29. Blackadder The Third.


30. Father Ted.


31. Originality.


32. Musings of an Undiscovered Genius. (!)


33. Blogger.


34. Lindt Easter Bunnies.


35. Hockey.


36. Magic...


37. Broomsticks.


38. Ireland.


39. London.


40. Paris.


41. New York.


42. Brown Thomas.


43. HMV.


44. My laptop.


45. Hugs!


46. Teen Vogue.


47. Kiss Magazine.


48. Paperchase


49. JASPER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Inside joke...)


50. Miss Vintage Vixen.


51. Saturdays.


52. Twitter.


53. Lady Gaga.


54. Florence & The Machine.


55. iTunes.


56. Guitar Hero: World Tour.


57. Prom dresses.


58. Dying my hair.


59. Being in love. (!)


60. Ice-skating.


61. The Simpsons.


62. Singing.


63. Singing tunelessly.


64. Coca-Cola.


65. The Internet.


66. GossipGirl.net.


67. All Time Low.


68. Zumo's.


69. Kilkenny.


70. Youtube.


71. Wikipedia.


72. Blowing bubbles.


73. Pink Lady apples.


74. Haribo's.


75. Red.


76. Friends.


77. Music.


78. Black.


79. Blue.


80. Potter Puppet Pals.


81. Movies.


82. Milk.


83. America.


84. Love.


85. Life.


86. My phone.


87. Flowers.


88. Saoirse Ronan.


89. Alice Cullen.


90. Guitars.


91. Popcorn.


92. Funfairs.


93. Candyfloss.


94. The sea.


95. Swimming.


96. Sand between your toes!


97. My hair.


98. Glass.


99. Hats.


100. Me!
     

Phew! And now I hereby tag:

Aoife from Ace-Of-Aoife

LadyBug from fascination of all things random

SGuitar from Music and Life

Effy from Razzler Dazzler

Cherry Diva from Cherry Diva Hideout

Roxie Sweetheart from Roxie Sweetheart Girls Love

Annalee McGarry from Annalee McGarry

KittyPinkStars from KiTTYPiNKSTaRS

Ariella from My Life Between The Lockers

Natasha-Rose from Je Ne Sais Quoi

High-Fives,

EleanorLight

Keep Calm And Carry On

I'm sure you've all seen the 'Keep Calm And Carry On' button there at the right hand side. If you haven't, then you should've gone to Specsavers. Well, Temporary Secretary http://www.temporary-secretary.com/ have just created these beauties! Aren't they nice?

'Keep Calm And Carry On' was originally a slogan during 1939 in Britain, telling everyone to calm the hell down on the eve of the Second World War. Recently, a man named Stuart Manley, who owns a bookshop in England, found an old poster and pinned it up in his shopwindow. Of course, people started asking about it and now it's on everything, posters, necklaces and blog buttons. Which necklace is your favourite?

High-Fives,

EleanorLight

Happy New Year!

Yes! Cyberspace! I haven't been on the Internet in so long because I've been in Co. Kerry with my cousins and my grandmother for the past few days. I went to a wedding, and I met a handsome boy from London named Jamie.... Turned out he's a distant cousin. It was a family wedding. (!) It could only happen to me!

Apparently today is the last day of the Noughties, 'the decade no one could pronounce'. I don't believe in New Year Resolutions. But I do have a List Of Things I Am Going To Try To Do And That I Won't Beat Up Myself About If I Don't Happen To Do Them. I haven't thought of a catchy name for it yet as you can see.

And on a topic completely unrelated, how cute is this bag?! I think it sends out a very important message.

Happy New Year everybody!