Good Luck Comes in Threes =)

Things are all looking up in the world of Keira. I haven't spoken much about my personal life on this blog of late, but there are some big changes going on. For starters, yesterday was my last day of work at 'alcatraz' as one of my colleagues calls it. I've been offered a job with a small company at the Kent Science Park in Sittingbourne. It'll be working on immunoassay design and development, which is in the same vein as what I was doing in Finland. Needless to say I'm very excited about having a proper graduate level job rather than the rubbishy agency job I've been doing since graduating.

Secondly, this obviously mean that I have to relocate. Which has been such a headache given I only handed in my notice two weeks ago, and am starting my new job on Monday! Not much time to find a flat, have all the checks, insurance, furniture, internet, etc etc etc... But! The flat I found is absolutely gorgeous, I've managed to acquire some lovely furniture, and I pick up keys tomorrow!

So then all that is left is to find some hunky men to carry all the furniture to my first floor flat. Well lucky for me I've found a lovely boyfriend who has volunteered. Yes, a new job, new flat and a boyfriend all in the space of a month! These thing don't happen in reality surely? Soon my bubble will be burst. And it will be horrendous. But for now, I'm just gonna enjoy it.

Oh, not to mention, Sittingbourne is only a 20min drive from a certain ex-housemate and co-presenter =D So will have to have many a night in my new flat with my stereo system introducing my neighbours to the world of europop :)

Hotel FM to Represent Romania

Sadly Claudia wasn't selected to represent Romania at the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest. But thats the beauty of esc. You can discover so many great songs - not just the final 25 you hear on the night.
On a positive note though, I'm very very happy for Hotel FM, who actually were my initial favourite after a single listen to all the songs. I just thought it would be a bit too old-school eurovision for the Romanian public to choose it. But I'm glad they did, and I hope it does very well :)

MGP; First Semi-Final

Eurovision season is a go! This weekend sees the first of the semi-finals of both the Norwegian and Icelandic national selections. NRK have published full versions of the songs for Norways first semi-finals. Here's my thoughts after an initial listen...

* Carina Dahl, Guns and Boys: A bit of a Lady GaGa feel to this. Doesn't really work for me though. Something about her voice that isn't quite right.
* Use Me, Daisy: Much more my type of thing, but not really what I like to hear in Eurovision. They've got a bit of a GreenDay style drum beat, which I like. Didnt really listen to the lyrics, but I like his voice.
* Helene Bøksle, Vardlokk: An ethnic ballad in the stle of Alvedansen from a few years ago. Not quite as good though.
* Sie Gubba, Alt Du Vil Ha: Straight away took a dislike to this. It improves with the chorus, but even the fiddle couldn't save it. Its just too old-fashioned for me. Oh, good use of drop&surge though! Nice surprise near the end.
* Gatas Parlament, Jobbe Litt Mindre Og Tjene Litt Mer: Oh dear, this is just a bit of a mess. A blend of far too many styles. Accordions, drunken style singing, rap?! Kinda of grew to like it by the end though... in that way where you know you really shouldn't...
* Sichelle, Trenger Mer: Ah, promising intro... Bit more Scandi-electro-pop. More my thing. Ah yes, I think this is my favourite so far. Its success will depend heavily on the stage performance though I feel.
* Åste & Rikke, Not That Easy: Oh dear, no I don't like this at all. Bit too odd, and although could be potentially catchy after repeated listens, I don't think it makes a good first impression. Verses are just too disjointed.

If you want to listen for yourself, all the clips are available here...
http://www.nrk.no/nett-tv/indeks/245731/

Want U To Want Me

This is definitely my favourite song of esc2011 so far...

Destination Dusseldorf!

After trying (and failing) to buy tickets for the eurovision 2011 final on sunday, I was more gutted than I let myself believe. However, today tickets for the 'jury final' (or dress rehearsal as more commonly known) went on sale. And at a fraction of the price, I managed to get 2 tickets for me and Rach front and centre! So excited. It should be as much a spectacle as the main event, just without the voting. I can't believe it. We're actually going to be there, in Dusseldorf, with all the performances live in front of us! Ahhh!

I Wish You Would Understand

Don't you love when you rediscover a forgotten favourite?
This song came on my ipod today, and it never fails to tug at my heartstrings.

ESC: Romania

Been listening to all the songs in the Romanian Eurovision selection this year. I believe they choose on new years eve, so probably won't be watching, but will be interested to see what they chose. Out of the 14 songs, I liked about five. The rest were fairly average, and one was shockingly bad (Rallsa). But here's my favourite three...

Claudia Pavel - I Want U To Want Me
Straight away after a string of average songs, this one stood out as a good 'un. Depends on her vocal performance on the night, but I think this will be a strong contender.

Distinto, Ianna si Anthony Icuagu - Open Your Eyes
This stood out because of its classical style, which often does well at eurovision. It lost something for me when the woman started singing though, and I wasn't over keen on the ending. But could do well.

Hotel FM - Change
An unexpected gem. Normally this would be cheesy tripe, but for some reason I really like this song. Will it do well? Probably not, but I think it might be my favourite overall.