My Little Corner of the Internet

Oh my God.

Hey guys,
So my friends and I have just come home from seeing Inside Out and I have to say I really enjoyed it.

Before I talk about the actual movie, I do have to talk about the short film that showed before it. Mainly because I thought it was really weird. So with Disney movies now they usually come with a short film before the actual film starts and this one...this one I didn't like...
The short film is about a volcano that is looking for love, and he sings, which is very Disney of them to have a volcano sing. I just thought it was really weird and at one point I thought they were going to make it so the volcano never found love which is not the Disney way. Luckily the volcano does fall in love, with another volcano that was under the sea but somehow was able to use lava to get above sea level to be with the other volcano. I don't know.
It was just very strange, and I know that Disney short films are usually about some kind of inanimate object finding love - I mean I did watch one about umbrellas finding love once - this one I didn't enjoy very much. To me, it was just weird.
Anyway, onto the actual movie. So this movie is about the emotions inside of us and how they make us feel things. In particular this movie deals with five emotions inside the head of an 11-year-old girl. Those emotions are Joy, Fear, Anger, Sadness and Disgust.
Joy is the emotion that is mainly in charge and even has a special glow to her, which shows that this child is a very happy child and has had a very good life with a lot of happy memories. However things start to go wrong when Sadness comes into the picture, because when Sadness touches a memory, it turns from a happy memory to a sad memory and Joy doesn't know how to change it back into a happy memory.
Which is not good, especially when Sadness tries to touch one of the girl's core memories. According to the movie, core memories are each linked with a part of our personality and is part of who we are. So if Sadness were to touch one of those memories things would not be good.
Unfortunately Sadness doesn't understand and so Joy tries to stop Sadness from touching the core memories, this results in the core memories being removed from where they are held and being sent to "long term memory" along with all the other memories, as well as Joy and Sadness going with them.
The movie then follows Joy and Sadness as they try to navigate their way back to the headquarters of the girl's mind as well as shows how Disgust, Anger, and Fear deal with the girl's emotions while Joy is not in charge.
I thought that it was a really interesting movie because it showed us in very simple terms how the mind works. I mean in a way it does help you better understand how we feel the things we feel...but I'm not saying there are little characters in our head telling us how to feel. But in some ways it did make sense.
I mean yes, memories and experiences definitely contribute to your personality and memories go to your long term memory or are completely forgotten and the movie shows us that in a colourful way.
The movie also taught us that it's okay to be sad sometimes and we don't always have to be happy. Which I think is a good lesson to learn like it's okay to cry. And in the movie, Joy tends to always see Sadness as a burden and that her changing memories was a bad thing, but then she learns that being sad can sometimes be a good thing because it allows good things to happen after the bad.
And you know it wouldn't be a Disney movie unless it taught you something.
So while Joy and Sadness are trying to make their way back to the headquarters with the core memories, the other emotions try to take charge of the little girl's emotions and things tend to go from bad to worse as the things that make up her personality have disappeared with the core memories and she becomes very angry (mostly because Anger was in charge a lot).
The girl had just moved house and was in a new place so obviously she was going to be annoyed at this and because Joy wasn't there to put a positive spin on the girl's emotions she ended up being very angry and upset.
Towards the end of the movie I almost thought the girl was going to hit depression because the last of her personality 'islands' were crumbling and the control panel the characters used to control her emotions went grey. It was kind of dark for a Disney movie I thought, I mean when the control panel went grey the characters couldn't do anything and so her emotions were basically non-existent...
Luckily that didn't happen because that's when Joy and Sadness came back and Joy realised that the girl needed to be sad right now and it was okay to cry.
The movie ended with the characters in her head realising that the memories they created didn't just have to be one emotion they could be multiple such as a happy and sad memory. And so things ended up happily ever after as every good Disney movie does.
And so overall I thought it was a really good movie, and it definitely gets emotional about halfway through...I mean who knew that losing an imaginary friend would be so sad?
I would definitely recommend this movie for anyone though because I think that it's a really interesting movie and if you've ever wanted to know what goes on in people's minds it's a really fun way to learn. I mean, who doesn't want to know how the mind of an 11 year old girl works?
~ Courtney x

Hey guys!
So today I have another Pointless Book blog post but this time with a twist! I have collaborated with TommFearn in this video and it's my first ever YouTuber collab and so I am very excited about it. I wasn't really sure how it was going to work, mainly because Tom and I live nowhere near each other and so what we decided to do was send each other clips of us filling in pages of our Pointless Book and then we'd edit them together. And honestly, they turned out to be really good, I thought this was a really fun idea because instead of it just being me filling in my Pointless Book there was someone else there too.
So if you guys want to see both videos they will be below:

Okay so onto a closer look of the pages that I did in the videos, as well as Tom's too!
The first one that I decided to do was page 82 and that was to write down what I do before I go to sleep at night and why, this page is nothing special, because I just wrote down what I do before I go to bed haha.


The first page Tom did on his channel was the page where you had to create a face using a magazine, however he didn't have a magazine so he used a newspaper instead. The proportions are off by a little bit but other than that I think it was pretty good haha.

Hey guys,
Another YouTuber, another book review. This time we have Joey Graceffa's book, In Real Life.

As always, I enjoy reading a good YouTuber book. I never usually have anything bad to say about them and I do think it's because I really love the YouTubers that write the books. So maybe these aren't the most unbiased reviews in the world...
Anyway, what I loved about Joey Graceffa's book is that he was so open with us about things that he's gone through in life. More open than other YouTubers in their books. He really went into detail about what his life was like before YouTube and I really enjoyed learning more about his life before he was on YouTube.
Again, it is one of those books where you learn more about the person behind the camera and I always enjoy this because it helps you understand them so much more. I had no idea that Joey used to be in special education or just how many problems he had with his mum growing up. Learning about the struggles that he's been through in life really allowed me to see how strong he really is.
I mean it just goes to show that these people who seem to have the perfect life online don't always have it so easy. I think it's so important to remember that when you watch people online because it's so easy to tear people down when you don't know them. Like to me, the fact that people like Joey can daily vlog their life and be so open with us is so brave. Like I know I couldn't do it, mainly because my life is not very entertaining haha.
My favourite thing about all YouTuber books is that they are written in a very casual style and so when you read the books it just sounds like the YouTuber is having a conversation with you. I really like this because it makes them easy to read, I would really hate to read a YouTuber book that didn't sound like it was written by them. I like that they don't put on a voice and are themselves and let their personalities shine through in their writing, it makes it more personal and Joey's is no exception.
One thing I was really surprised about in Joey's book was how open he was about his sexuality. I know for the longest time on his YouTube channel he never talked about it, and a few months ago he decided to come out to us before the launch of his book, in a YouTube music video that he had made. It was an amazing music video and I loved the message and the way he decided to come out. It was so creative and I was so happy he was able to do it the way that he wanted to.
In Joey's book, he dedicates a special chapter to coming out. It's literally just a page in the book where he says that he is gay.

Hey guys,
So today I posted a YouTube video talking about my thoughts on Shane Dawson coming out. I  know I'm like two weeks late to this but anyway, I wanted to make a video talking about it and I also wanted to make a blog post just to maybe clarify some things in my video.
I was kind of all over the place with my video because I had so much to say but I think that it was a good video with some good messages, so if you guys want to watch the video I will put it at the end of this blog post.
One of the main reasons why I wanted to talk about Shane coming out in particular is because he was not coming out as gay like a lot of other YouTubers in the past, but rather he was coming out as bisexual. Which is less common to see on YouTube.
I have to say I was really surprised to find out the news. For the longest time I thought that Shane was straight, so a coming out video of any kind was a surprise. Especially since for so long Shane has portrayed a character on his channel.
This is one of the few videos in which we see Shane as himself. It's not scripted, he doesn't have his big camera set up and he didn't even do his hair. He just wanted to sit and talk to us for real. And it was something that I really appreciated.
I always love when a YouTuber can be real with their audience and show them that the person behind the camera is a real person. It's one of my favourite things because it reminds us that just because they seem like they aren't people and are just internet personalities with no real problems or responsibilities doesn't mean that's really the case. It really lets you see the person they are and it helps you really connect with them on a deeper level.
And over the past year Shane has shown us a lot more of his real self rather than the character we are so used to seeing on his channel and I love that. I like seeing a real person behind the character. I think that's why I like daily vloggers so much because they are just real people and you feel like you know them personally and can relate to them.
So to see Shane be so real with us in his video was really great. And to listen to his story about how he dealt with his sexual confusion really helped me understand more about him and his life and the things he went through such as his weight problems and his depression.
I just got really emotional when watching the video because I have been watching Shane on YouTube for so long that I feel like I know him personally so to be listening to what he had to say and understanding everything that he went through was a lot to take in.
By the end of the video I was tearing up and also freaking out because I was so happy for him and so proud of him for beginning to accept himself and being able to share this news with us. I mean Shane did say he wasn't sure if he was going to make a video about it and he decided to do it to help at least one person decide to be happy. And I think it was just a really amazing video.
Another thing that I thought was important to note in the video was that Shane said he didn't want his sexuality to be the only thing he is known for because he is so much more than that and I completely agree. He is an amazing writer, director and creator and this is just one more thing to know about him. It shouldn't change how you see him.
Moving onto another issue that I think was brought up with Shane's video. People commenting saying that Shane is just gay and that he's lying about his sexuality. I hate this. I mean...I really dislike people who act like you have to be gay or straight and that there is no in between.
In Shane's video he talks about how there is a scale that everyone is on, and at one end there's heterosexuality and at the other end there's homosexuality and that you can be at one end or the other or you can be somewhere in the middle. And I agree with that, I mean you can be more at one end than the other, but there is definitely a spectrum that we fall under.
And I think that's completely fine. And if someone wants to choose to identify as bisexual then why is that a problem?
I mean I completely support anyone who decides to come out and tell us their sexuality or if they are trans or anything because we're all just people. I mean if it's not directly affecting you in any way why is it a problem if someone is attracted to both males and females?
I just feel like everyone should love who they want to love because everyone has the right to love. It doesn't matter who you love. It shouldn't matter. Not to anyone but yourself.
However when people do decide to share their sexuality with us online it's usually part of their process to self-acceptance and to help other people in the same situation as them. Which is why I never want to be negative about someone coming out. I mean it's a very private thing that they are deciding to share with us and I think we should respect their decision to share it with us.
Even if you don't support it, I think you should at least respect it and if it really bothers you ignore it. No one is forcing you to watch their videos or see their online posts.
I think that's everything that I wanted to say. I mean...at the end of the day I guess it doesn't matter what we think about someone else deciding to come out. It's really about how they feel about it. But I just wanted to say that I 100% support Shane and anyone else in the LGBT+ community because we're all just people and we should all be allowed to love whoever we want or to not love at all, whatever floats your boat. :)
Just be happy and unapologetic of who you are because life is too short to worry about what everyone else thinks about you.
~ Courtney x

Hey guys,
So the other day I was sitting at my desk when I heard the sound of heavy rain outside and I kind of had the urge to go outside in it. I don't know why really, but it was just something that I wanted to do. However I didn't actually do it, mainly because it was night time and it seemed a little bit weird and plus I wasn't really dressed to go outside in the pouring rain.
Instead I decided to open my window and just sit and enjoy the sound of the rain, and it was really nice. I mean I'm sure you all know the feeling of hearing heavy rain while you are inside in a nice warm house. It's very calming and relaxing and so I sat there for a while just taking it in.
While I was sitting there I also thought it would be a great time to vlog. I just talked for about five minutes and decided to update my subscribers on my life and what I was doing. Just because it was one of those moments that I wanted to share with people. And if you guys are interested in seeing that vlog I will put it at the bottom of this blog post.
When I had finished filming my vlog I also decided to read a little bit, because I thought this was one of those perfect scenarios where you can sit inside by the window and enjoy reading a good book. So that is exactly what I did.
It was one of those times that I had wished that I had a built-in window seat at my window because I could have sat there all night listening to the rain and reading but unfortunately I did not and the rain stopped and my chair became uncomfortable to sit in haha.
But for a while it was really great. It was really nice just to take a break from sitting at my computer and do something else. It's not everyday that something like this happens, normally I don't really pay attention to the weather or go out of my way just to enjoy it but I do think that it will be something that I do a lot more.
I just thought that it was a really lovely thing to see because it hasn't rained that heavily here in a long time and while I wish I had gone outside to enjoy it a little bit more I was really happy with my decision to just stop for a minute and enjoy it from inside.
And so, what I think I can take from this is that we should enjoy the simple things in life. I know that I am someone who takes things for granted a lot, and when little things like heavy rain showers happen I don't really think much of them but I think we should enjoy them when we can. Yes, the rain can be annoying sometimes especially when you live in a place where it rains a lot but it's not just rain that I think we can appreciate sometimes, it's all weather and all things.
I think we should be grateful for the time we have to take a break and appreciate these things and we should be lucky to have warm houses that can shelter us from the weather because some people aren't as lucky as us.
So if this blog post had any real point it's that we should all take a break sometimes from our crazy lives and just sit back and enjoy the simple things like the weather because it's a really soothing thing to do.
~ Courtney x

Hey, guys!
So today I thought I would share with you some photos of my holiday. If you guys didn't know I went on holiday with my friends for the week to Portrush. Which is probably the only holiday destination we have in Northern Ireland. Everyone else decided to go abroad for their holidays, but me and my friends decided to stay up by the coast for a week. Haha.
So we rented a house for the week and packed our things and went off. I had no idea what we were going to be doing when we were away, mainly because we didn't really have any plans, we just sort of decided we wanted to go on holiday and this was where we were going.
The house that we rented was called Isle Cottage and if you guys are thinking about staying in Portrush I would definitely recommend this house because it was such an adorable little house in a quiet area. Plus there is plenty of room for everyone.

Isle Cottage

If you guys are interested in seeing the little house tour I did of this house you can check it out in my vlog below:
The first day that we got there we didn't actually do much, we just got settled and did some shopping for the week. Then we played some Cards Against Humanity which has quickly become our favourite game.


The next day started out nice, we went to Barry's which is the amusement park in Portrush. We went on some rides and then we decided to go along the streets and look into the shops. A lot of the shops in Portrush are very touristy you can pick up almost anything there with a name on it if you want to bring back personalised gifts, they also have a custom t-shirt store if you want to make customised t-shirts for your holiday.
We also stopped by one of the arcades that they had known as 'Phil's Amusements'. We played some arcade games to win some tickets. I ended up winning the most out of all my friends and picked up a few things from the prize counter, nothing special, just a ring, a notebook and two sweets.
We had also planned to go to the beach this day but then it began to rain so we just decided to go home and we played some more card games. A popular one was "bullshit" which is basically where you have to try and get rid of the cards in your hand by putting them in the centre and if people think you are lying about the card that you have put down they say "bullshit" and it escalated and got heated very quickly but it was fun. You can also replace the word "bullshit" with a less explicit one if you don't feel like yelling swear words at your friends.
Another game we played was "spoons" and this is where you pass cards around and try to get four of a kind and then once you do, lift a spoon. Then everyone else has to take a spoon after the first one has been taken and the person without a spoon gets a letter. They are out if they get all the letters that spell "spoon". It was a fun game and definitely not as aggressive as "bullshit".

The set up for Spoons

The next day was a lazy day and we didn't do anything. This is because the weather wasn't great so we spent the day at home, but that was fine, we all had our books and electronics to entertain us. Another plus side to the house was that it had WiFi and the WiFi was pretty good, it did cut out a little when we were there but for the most part it was strong.
The day after that we headed back to the amusements because the last time we went one of our friends wasn't able to go as she had to work. This is the day that we won ourselves a Pony. It sounds weird that a bunch of 18/19-year-olds went to the amusements with the sole goal of winning a Pony from the ticket counter but that's what we did.


It started out as a joke but it quickly escalated and so we were able to take home our prize, we named it Isla Sheniqua, and there has never been a more majestic pony in all the land.

Me and my friend Jasmine before we went out

After the rope bridge, we decided to head to the beach but unfortunately it began to rain when we got there so we didn't spend a lot of time there. When we got home we ordered a Chinese from JustEat.co.uk and chilled for the evening. It was surprising that we were able to get a delivery because we thought we'd be too far out and have to go and collect the food ourselves but we did find a place to deliver to us. It took just over an hour to get to us which was good timing considering where the house is.
The next day we had plans to go to the Giant's Causeway but after looking up the prices we decided not to go because we thought it was too expensive. If you are going to Portrush and have never been to the Giant's Causeway I do recommend it though because it is something we're known for.
However, because my friends and I live in Northern Ireland we decided it was okay to give it a miss because we'd all been before.
So instead we decided to go to the beach again and have a picnic. Luckily this time the weather was nice and we were able to find a place in the rocks to sit so we didn't get sand in everything. Again, I was able to get some really great pictures.





This was our last full day here because we had to leave early Saturday morning and so we decided to go out for dinner. One of the best-known places to eat in Portrush is Ramore, I've heard a lot about the restaurant because of people from school going there and so we decided to go.
Ramore is not just one restaurant however, it is actually a group of different restaurants located in the same area of Portrush which I think is really nice because they have different restaurants for different occasions. My friends and I decided to eat in the Harbour Bistro which has more of a ''bar' type atmosphere and we didn't have to book a table, they only take bookings for parties of 10 people or more and there were 7 of us but we luckily didn't have to wait for a table. The service there was great and they were very quick in serving us, the restaurant also requires you to order at the counter which is nice because it allows you to have time to decide what you want before you order.
Overall the experience was great and we had a really nice time and, of course, the food was good too.
That night we came home and we packed up our things to prepare for leaving the next day, we were all quite sad about having to leave because it had been such a nice week away.
We left early Saturday morning and made it back home around lunch time. The drive was long to get back home but I suppose the journey will always be long depending on where you are travelling from.
If I had to say anything else about the trip it's that I really enjoyed spending time with my friends, I know that we have seen each other every day at school but soon we won't even have that so it was so good to have a little holiday away together. Plus we were able to make it through the week without wanting to kill each other which is great because it means our friendship was meant to last haha.
Now just because the holiday is over doesn't mean we'll never see each other again, we told ourselves we'd make plans and hang out over summer because there's still a lot of summer left.
Anyway, I hope that you guys enjoyed this blog post, it's a little different from my past blog posts but I hope you found it helpful and maybe it'll make you consider taking a holiday in Portrush sometime soon...who knows?
~ Courtney x

Hey guys!
So today I am here with my first ever Pointless Book 2 blog post! Very similar to my Pointless Book blog posts except with the Pointless Book 2. So basically nothing really new.
Either way I still want to do them because I think they are fun.
So as always if you guys wanna check out the video I did filling in these pages it will be below:

The first page that I decided to do was my warning label. I feel like this was a good place to start with the Pointless Book 2. To warn people what they were about to get into.

The next page that I did was the "Currently I'm" page and for this page I didn't write what I was currently doing I wrote down the last thing I was doing for each of them because I thought that would be easier. I also liked the way I did this part in my video especially however I do like the way the page turned out with all the colours.