The 1989 Tag // Taylor Swift

I love me some Taylor Swift! I first discovered her around the time Teardrops on My Guitar came out and she just keeps getting better and better! 1989 is an amazing album which I literally play on repeat everytime I walk to and from work (which is every day!). So when I saw this 1989 Tag on That Gent Mark I just had to do it! So here we go...

Welcome to New York // If you could live in any city, which would it be and why?
This is easy and not easy at the same time! I want to live in so many big cities, my life plan includes time in London, Manchester and New York. But ultimately we want to settle in San Fransisco so I think it should win this question. In preparation for our final destination, I actively walk up steep hills and major staircases, I mean have you seen the streets in San Fransisco??? I'm going to admit that the TV show Charmed was the thing that made me fall in love with San Fransisco in the first place, but it is more the lifestyle, the culture, and the area itself that have made it my end goal. 

Blank Space // What is something everyone thinks is true about you but is actually false?
That I am super confident. I am a big believer in fake it until you make it. I think this is why people assume I am so much more confident than I actually am. I get nervous in almost every social situation, I hate talking to people on the phone, I get proper nervous every time I sing in front of a crowd, meeting new people scares the life out of me. I could go on, but the point is that I may look calm and confident, on the outside, but inside my brain is going ten to the dozen and I'm scared as hell. 

Style // What is one item in your closet that makes you feel unstoppable?
I have a ridiculously overstuffed closet so I thought this would be difficult but after thinking about it for a few minutes I realised the answer is simple! My black croc effect courts are definitely my go to item. They have the ability to change my mood from "meh, I hate my body" to "damn girl your legs ARE ridiculously long for a shorty". If I'm feeling iffy I always chuck on my heels and my mood elevates along with my barely there butt!

Out of the Woods // What is one thing you are afraid of?
Oh God there are so many things!! But if I have to pick just one I guess it would be birds (mainly because the reasoning is funnier for you guys to read). So, when I was young me and the family used to go to the Norfolk Broads during the Summer holidays, we'd hop on a boat and tootle around Norfolk for a week and it would be great. Or at least it would have been great if one day, after a particularly heavy downpour, my dad had not let my sister help with pulling up the rain canopy on the boat! You see, dear sister let go of said canopy, so it came crashing down on me as I leaned over the side of the boat to feed the swans! I was literally trapped, with my body in the boat and my head poking out as the advancing swans decided my face looked more appetising than the feed I had for them! It was horrific and I've been afraid of swans ever since. I have since been bitten by an owl which I was assured "has never bitten anyone before", and a goose, when I finally decided on a hike in the middle of nowhere that the need to pee was just too great! So yeah, birds, I'm afraid of birds.

All you had to do was Stay // Who is someone you wish was still in your life?
Without stating the obvious like my family and friends who have passed away, or the baby we never got to hold, I would like to choose someone from my past who is still with us, but no longer in my life. I had a best friend in secondary school, we stayed friends long after school ended. We lived together in our first flat away from the parents, and I was there the day she found out she was expecting her first child. We did everything together and then, as so often happens, we started to drift apart. We stayed in touch though and still met up occasionally until she and her partner moved down to England with their brood of three. I often think about how we would be much better friends now that we are both grown up, and we do have each other of Facebook but it's not the same. So yeah, I miss my first real best friend. 

Shake it Off // What is something you have had to shake off?
So many things! Surely everybody has many things every day that they have to shake off? I think the most common thing in my life is the complete mind-boggling ignorance of the general public. These are the people that think it's okay to walk right in front of you while you are pulling a huge metal trolley on wheels. The people that read the name on your tag as Amanda-Jaied, and then proceed to call you Amanda. The people that assume because you work in hospitality you are somehow not as good as them, and the people that flat out just don't listen when you talk. To them I say: "This trolley will run you over, and I will laugh and laugh! My name is Amanda-Jaied, you calling me Amanda is lazy and the equivalent of me calling you Ja if your name is Jason! I have a bachelors degree with honours, and I get to see the country every day, while you sit in an office and stress about someone using your coffee mug! And finally If I am walking through the train with a bin bag asking for rubbish, I am not in any position to make you a coffee, use your ears and stop being a twat." And now I'm shaking it off. 

Wish You Would // What is something you would like to happen right now?
I want to start a family. Simple as that really, lol. 

Bad Blood // Have you ever had someone stab you in the back?
When someone finds you at your lowest point in life, and sees that maybe you might be getting some more attention than them for a change, they then proceed to lie to those around you in order to bring the attention back to them...that's the same as being stabbed in the back right? That's all I will say on the matter because she doesn't deserve any space in my blog, my mind or my life. 

Wildest Dreams // What would you like to be remembered for?
For being an amazing author, a caring wife, and a nurturing mother. 

How you Get the Girl // What is your favourite pick up line? 
Grab an ice cube, go over to the person you want to chat-up's table, place the ice cube on the table, smash it with a glass and then say..."now I've broken the ice my name's [insert your name here]..." simple, funny, and I'm sure more effective than "I'd swipe right on you!".

This Love // What is something you got back that you never thought you would?
My smile! How bloody cheesy is that? But yeah, a lot happened a couple of years ago and I honestly never thought I could smile again but thanks to my DH, my family, friends and my ever growing support network, I am smiling, and pulling funny faces, and laughing and having a bloody great time!

I Know Places // Where is one place you always feel safe?
My mum and dad's house. There is always room for us there, they are always ready with a hug (I don't care if I'm 27 I still sometimes need a hug from my daddy, damnit!) and anytime I am scared, or angry the first place I think of is their home. 

Clean // What is an important lesson you have learned in life, and how did you learn it? 
Honestly I think the most important thing I've learned is that other people's opinions of you DO NOT BLOODY MATTER. You should never change yourself, or hide pieces of yourself, in order to make someone else happy. Make sure you are happy with you, screw other people. You cannot be happy with other people unless you are happy in yourself first. I think experience has taught me this, that and age...when I hit 25 I really just stopped caring. You don't like me? That's your loss because I'M FABULOUS!! ;-). 

And that's it! I'm off to work (with Taylor blasting of course) and I tag YOU! If you want to do it, do it and let me know so I can check out your answers. 

Much Love 
AJ 
xx