DAY 48: A school picture.

I was going to show you my official school photo from when I was 4 years old.

...and then I found this one of me sitting on the gladiator Ace's knee in June 1999.



He came to visit our school to promote some sports day thing and I remember sucking at it.
I was 13.
It was when I was still thin and had braces.
He was the first famous person I had ever met....
I got his autograph.
Don't judge me, I lived in the middle of nowhere in N. Ireland.

I never was any good at sports. Can you tell LOL.

25 songs: day 22: A song someone has sung to you

This one is harder.

I could tell you about the time on Darren Hayes side 2 tour when Ade the cheeky monkey decided it was funny to embarrass the hell out of me, the place was dead quiet listening to Darren sing 'dirty':
Darren Sings: ‘And when you move its assumed you feel it too....'
Ade screams: 'don't you hayley?’


...or I could tell you about the time at Darren Hayes NYE party in 2009 when we are all dancing to human league's 'Don't You Want Me'. Ade is doing the cheeky monkey routine again: I got 'SerenADEd' (his words) with him singing ‘Don’t you want me HAYLEY’. I almost died. LOL!



...or I could tell you about the time my flatmates and I were out in the student bar 'templars' in town. I loved that place. Two pitchers of cocktails for £7. We used to have one each LOL. There was one night we were having a great time and oasis' 'don't look back in anger' came on. There was me and my flatmate, at the top of our voices, singing AT each other. my other flatmate come over and said 'shut up they can hear you at the bar'. we continued to sing:

"SOOOOO SALLY CAN WAIT, SHE KNOWS IT'S TOO LATE AS WE'RE WALKING ON BY. HER SOUL SLIDES AWAY, BUT DON'T LOOK BACK IN ANGER I HEARD YOU SAY"

great times. I laughed SO hard.



xx

DAY 47: A picture of someone who makes you laugh.

My dad makes me laugh so much.

I NEVER realised how much until I didn't see him for a bit and then it's just non stop laughs.

He will tell you it's being wicked that keeps us cheerful.
My mother will tell you that my sis and I are getting 'just like your father'.

My Dad rocks. He is my hero.

His is my dad in the pub in nottingham one time he came to visit my sis and I last summer.
Little bit drunk, little bit wicked, but I loves him.

25 songs: day 21: Your Favourite Song

U2 - With or Without You.

I was brought up listening to U2, my dad used to play Unforgetable fire to me when I was still in mummy's tummy. Apparently when I was born, the only way to get me to go to sleep was to rock me to that album as it was played VERY loud. apparently it was all about 'bad'.

An album I remember Dad playing when I was older was rattle and hum. I fell in love with both unforgetable fire and The joshua tree from that live album. Dad never loved the direction they took with achtung baby, zoo or pop and it wasn't until all that you can't leave behind I discovered U2 all over again. I remember racing out to get the single 'Stuck in a moment'. I adored it. but I never loved elevation. today, I also love walk on.

In 2002 for my birthday I was bought two albums, the greatest hits 1980 - 1990 and the greatest hits 1990 - 2000. It is no secret that i'm not a fan of most of their stuff from the 90s. The 80s - 90s album I was obsessed with. I have always said the day they write an album as good as the joshua tree is the day I become obsessed with them again. Listening to that 80s -90s CD I was like being reminded I had an intense connection to those songs before, I guess I had, when I was a baby.

When they released How To Dismantle and atomic bomb I was so excited. I hated Vertigo but other songs I loved a lot. sometimes you can't make it on your own is a incredible song. As is in the city of blinding lights and all because of you. my favourite song of that album was miracle Drug. I still play that song loads. At that point it was their best song since One.

I got bought the rattle and hum dvd for my 21st birthday and It was one of my favourite ever birthday presents. I watched it 3 times non stop that day! There was Bono saying "others run from acts of terrorism like we had today in a town called Enniskillen, where 11 people lay dead and many more lay injured'. Half way through the song Bono just chants NO MORE, NO MORE, NO MORE. I'm glad it's not as bad at home as it used to be. I've lived in a village 7 miles from Enniskillen since I was 4 until I was 18. It took me a long time to get used to living in England and seeing police that aren't armed. My best friend's brother almost lost his life in that Enniskillen bombing. I wonder if the people who fight in the name of glory and religion knows what it feels like to almost lose people you love. Or for those who havent been as lucky as me and have had the troubles kill their loved ones? I digress...

I got an American iTunes card and I downloaded with or without you live from paris and Milan. I still play the live version for Milan LOADS.

I adore unknown caller and moment of surrender of the last album. It's for me getting close to The Joshua Tree. But only those two songs.

Sometimes I hit play on with or without you and burst into tears, that is what that song means to me. LOTS. I adore the video, Bono with his hands held above his head as if tied.

If you asked me what song connects deepest I would say with or without you. It Soothes deep down into my soul. That bass line. its incredible.

"See the stone set in your eyes
See the thorn twist in your side
I wait for you"

I waited a LONG time to see U2 live. 22nd August 2009.

U2 is one of the most incredible bands ever. From the very very back, 3 rows from the top of a 70,000 seater stadium on the last night of the 360 degrees UK tour I FELT it. I never lost that connection. 70,000 people holding up their mobile phones to 'make a milkyway on the inside of the stadium'. moment of surrender is the reason I fell in love with U2 all over again.

"At the moment of surrender
Of vision over visibility
I did not notice the passers by
And they did not notice me"

I would almost kill to see them again.

Day 46: A photo from a school dance.

I never went to the school discos. I wasn't allowed.

I never went to the sixth form prom, I had no confidence and no date.



This is a photo of me from my university graduation ball. The first time in my life I had got to play proper dress up and I loved it. I hated the shoes though. they hated me.

The bar was pretty much out of drink so I ended up drinking cherry vodka alcopops. I don't even like cherry. and the queue was that big a bought two. I get hyper and mischievous when I'm drunk.

This is one of my favourite pics from that night. man I miss my uni girlies. and I miss uni. it was good times. life wasn't easy, but it was so much easier then.

25 songs: day 20: the last song alphabetically in your iTunes

the last song on my iTunes is 2 Unlimited - No Limits.

When I was about 12, my sister had 'The Smurf's go pop' on CD. It was one of the first cd's she ever had. She had CD's before I did. I remember that summer, hanging out with the bad kids about the village, jumping between the walls in the park, drinking shandy, swearing and thinking we were so cool. I was fearless. I was a good kid, worked hard, never gave any trouble, but I was looking to be something other than who I was. Thank God I seen sense in the end.

Why is all this relevant? because when I hear no limits, all I hear is The Smurf's cover of it called 'The Smurfs are back'.



FYI: Newton Faulkner does a pretty good cover of no limits.

DAY 45: A picture of your celebrity crush.

I was originally stuck for who to pick.... scrolling down my iTunes for artists I think are hot.... it dawned on me, ENRIQUE IGLESIAS. he is HOT. I wouldn't kick him out of bed for eating crisps.

I first set eyes on Enrique Iglesias singing hero on Top Of The Pops. I was crying. His looks wasn't the first thing I noticed. His voice was heaven. The song spoke to the 15 year old me. I believed in love, and god knows I needed a hero.

Over the next coming months I became a huge fan. I was always on his website and looking at galleries of photos from fansites all over the world. I had floppy disks full of pictures. He is my type of guy. I love a hot looking latino man. And there is something so sexy about how the spanish roll their 'R's.

This picture is probably my favourite picture of Enrique. It was a poster in 'more!' magazine here in the UK. The magazine is a mix of fashion, beauty, men, relationships and sex. I LOVE that magazine. 'Nuff said.




Congrats Enrique on your first American Number 1. 11 years, seven months and three weeks since he first entered the charts in America he is number 1. LONG overdue. The longest gap in history between first appearance and getting a number 1.


anyhoo.... I digress.

Celeb crush: Enrique Iglesias.