Seeing as it is the last day of 2014, I thought I might just write a little reflection post on what this year was like for me/it just gives me a chance to post some pictures that I like ;)
All in all, it's been pretty damn good, however there have certainly been low points but I guess that is the same for everybody.
This was the year I've had to grow up considerably I think, what with university decisions, exams (which did not go to plan so I've again had to rethink that I'm doing with my life), health problems caused by stress, having to deal with being forced to quit by my place of work, friendships turning sour but new ones and some old ones being stronger than ever.
I turned 18 in November so I'm offically an adult now.....an adult who wore a Tigger onesie the majority of yesterday and hid in her sister's room for around half an hour in order to make her jump. So while I'm not fully grown up yet (and I'm not sure I ever want to be) I have had to deal with stuff this year that has matured me and hopefully made me a better person for it.
I guess I also want to write a note to my family and friends for this year. I may argue with my family at times but I think 2015 might be rather difficult for us given the health of a grandparent at the moment so I love you all and thank you for always, always having my back. My group of friends are all so wonderful and caring, and I am so grateful I have them in my life. I don't tell them enough because urgh soppiness but I have much love for them too. Thank you to everyone who has made my 2014 excellent or has been there through the awful bits.
To relieve some memories that happened this year, here are some pictures:
Visting Auschwitz, a very harrowing day
Meeting the wonderful and talented Carrie Hope Fletcher
MCBUSTED.
Me, the grandparents, the sister and the cousins on Grandma's 80th
Friends <3
The father dearest
A kitten I wanted to take home with in Devon
Rome
Halloween
Halloween
Birthday hug from the sis
Christmas jumpers with momma and sis
School xmas party
1920's party
1920's party
I am going to apologise for the formatting but I don't have time to make it pretty today I'm afraid :P
Very quickly, my New Year's Resolutions are:
Eat healthier
STOP BITING MY NAILS
Try and be less lazy
Write down every book read
Try and read at least 35 books!
Do more things with my friends
Blog more
PASS MY DRIVING TEST!!!
and you know get the grades to go to Uni and that.
That's it from me for 2014. I shall see you next year! Lots of love Laura x
This week, I saw 'The Imitation Game' starring Benedict Cumberbatch and directed by Morten Tyldum; The film tells the true story of Alan Turing, a man who deserves far more credit than he gets I personally think. Long story short, WW2 would have been about three years longer if it weren't for him and his code-breaking team working secretly on a machine that would crack 'Enigma', the encryption machine the Germans used throughout the war. Anyone could pick up these messages sent but no-one knew what they meant without cracking the code that changed every day at midnight.
While the film follows the story of the machine Turing built to crack the code, it also gives a great insight into his life. He was secretive, quiet man, extremely clever, bullied at school and sadly due to the treatment of the British government and society at the time, forced to hide the fact he was gay. Ever since I first read about Turing a few years ago, I thought he was fascinating and the film (or Cumberbatch) portrays him excellently, how he deserves to be remembered. It can't really be classed as a spoiler as it's a true story that we know the ending of but; Turing died a criminal, suicide by cyanide because he had been forced to take hormonal therapy to "cure his homosexuality" by the police service. It was only in 2013, that the Queen gave Turing a royal pardon and was remembered for the astonishing work he did during the war that was kept a secret for fifty years. But I digress. (Seriously do some research into the man, he's amazing)
Back to the film. The way they told the story was gripping, there were parts that made you happy, sad, angry, essentially all of the emotions. Every actor was perfect in their portrayal of their character. I will always sing Benedict Cumberbatch's praises but he really is outstanding in this film, very different to anything we have seen him in before but still fantastic. Keira Knightley plays Joan Clarke, the only woman on the Enigma team, extremely intelligent but made to work elsewhere on the project very secretly as she was not allowed to work with the men. She fitted the role perfectly and portrayed her with class, just as she should have been. Other actors involved include Matthew Goode, Mark Strong and Charles Dance who also played their roles incredibly.
In terms of setting, cinematography etc, I could find no fault in the direction, costumes, lighting etc. The whole film just worked together really well to tell an important story that people certainly do not know enough about. The only problem I had was that in the middle, it wavers slightly and I would have thought some people would lose interest in what was going on.
Overall, this film was amazing and I highly recommend you go see it, particularly if you are interested in History!
10/10
I know that is technically not Winter yet but it's close enough so I thought I would have a little round up of things of all varieties that I have enjoyed/would recommend/just have a ramble about to you kind folk
TV shows
As we all know I am a rather big TV addict which is kinda becoming a problem but so far, I've managed to stay on top my studies and life in general so here are my top (some old, some new) shows that I have been loving the past couple of months
The Big Bang Theory - I know it's been around for about eight years now and I've always loved it but recently, I rediscovered my love for this show as I've been watching my boxset and just remembering why I love it. Funny, sweet and characters you can connect to, it's brilliant for when you just need a simple show to cheer you up
How To Get Away With Murder- holy smokes this show is amazing. I'm always up for a crime drama and this is one of the best I've watched ever. A storyline that keeps you hooked, fantastically written characters portrayed by wonderful actors (Also Jack Falahee who plays Connor is possibly one of the most beautiful men I have ever seen. Ahem) and I honestly can't wait for more. I know the States are few episodes ahead and so far I have avoided spoilers as I'm watching in the UK but I just want to watch it all the damn time.
Elementary, (Season 3) - Cannot speak highly enough of this show, been a fan of it since the beginning and season 3 is not disappointing thus far. Sherlock Holmes in New York with a female Watson played by the stunning and talented Lucy Liu, there isn't much more you could ask for. IT has plots that keep you guessing, the writing is almost flawless and my personal favourite thing about the show is that there isn't a perfect character, they all have flaws but they all embrace them and use them in their life to their advantage, which is something I think society needs to reminded of from time to time. Anyway yeah. WATCH IT. (I mean obviously, if you haven't seen it, watch the first two seasons as well hehehe)
Doctor Who - Given that I could talk about this show for hours, I think I might do a whole other post on this series (let me know if I should) but all I'm going to say is that I loved it despite some annoyances so I would say it's worth it. If not, just for Peter Capaldi who was fantastic as the new Doctor.
Films
I won't lie; I'm normally a pretty big film buff but recently, I haven't had time to go to the cinema as much (Although I am seeing Mockingjay on Friday and I'm rather excited :D) or have a look through sky or netflix to find something to watch.
That being said, I did recently see 'Horns' which is Daniel Radcliffe's new film. I would definitely recommend this if you are looking for something to mess with your head a little bit; Good storyline, good acting, a little predictable and a little bit long (it could certainly have been half an hour shorter) but all in all, a pretty good film which is worth a watch when you have the time or inclination :)
Books
Some books I've recently read and enjoyed
Perfect by Rachel Joyce - Having read Joyce's previous book 'The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry', I had pretty high expectations for Perfect and I was not disappointed. In fact, I liked it better. This was just one of those stories that was heart-warming and heart-breaking at the same time. It had a moving story that made you think about not only those in the story but yourself as well. It was just very sweet but also rather sad so if you need a bit of a weep, I would recommend this book!
Grace's Guide: The Art of Pretending to be a Grown-Up - Written by
the lovely Grace Helbig who will be known to most as ItsGrace on
YouTube, this book was funny yet actually a very useful guide on how to
be a grown-up. Given that I just turned 18, I find myself relating to
scenarios that Grace describes and relying on her hilarious yet helpful
advice on how to get through awkward new situations. Very funny and one
of those books I can see myself just dipping into throughout the rest of
my life if I'm honest!
Miscellaneous things
Here is a strange assortment of other random things I have enjoyed this past couple of months
Sou&Co Orange and Pomelo hand and body cream- This has to be one of the most amazing things I have ever smelled/put on my hands. It can be used as a body butter as well but I tend to use just as hand cream. I often get dry hands for some unknown reason but this has been a lifesaver in keeping them soft and supple, which is brillant just as it starts to get colder as well. So if you fancy a little indulgence (go on, you deserve it), You can see their website here
Apple Tango - I'm not sure why but I recently discovered a love for Apple Tango so I thought I'd write it here. Do with that what you will. (If you don't know what it is, it is essentially a fizzy apple flavoured drink)
Noel Fielding - I saw comedian Noel Fielding on his stand-up tour a couple of weeks ago and he was absoultely brillant so if you are up for a laugh and certainly a bit of weirdness, I would recommned seeing his tour if you can while it is still on. He was hilarious and commanded the whole stage and city hall perfectly - you can look for tickets here
That is about all for now folks, so I hope you've enjoyed reading :) Let me know what you've liked these past months.
Laura xo
Hello lovely people of the internet!
Basically, I saw this going around tumblr (you can follow me here if you like) and I am awful at gifsets or anything technical so I thought I would edit it down so I could do it on my blog! This way, you all get to see the fangirl that I really am, get to know me a bit better and hopefully join in my nerdiness. (PSA: I do not know who originally created this tag but all credit goes to them, I am just editing and using it for here. I do not take credit for making it)
[10] movies - //Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban// Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat//Jurassic Park//Struck by Lightning//Bend it like Beckham//How to train your Dragon//Aladdin//Monty Python and the Holy Grail//Miss Congeniality//Bridesmaids
[10] tv shows- //Game of Thrones//Agents of SHIELD//Orphan Black//Doctor Who//Sherlock//Elementary//Modern Family//The Big Bang Theory//FRIENDS//Scrubs
[7] actors- Chris Colfer//Russell Tovey//Matt Smith//Robert Downey Jr//Daniel Radcliffe//Peter Dinklage//Zachary Quinto
Read into this what you will about the things I am a fan of. Soon enough, I think I will do a follow up post using other things from the full fangirl challenge such as favourite characters but include why etc. Those listed above are fairly self-explanatory I should think! I have written myself a list of blog posts to do now so hopefully I should have more of structure soon enough! Thanks for reading and let me know your favourites of the categories above! Love Laura x
The latest book I have read (apart from school ones bleurgh) is this lovely little one - okay lovely is a word we will use loosely- by Shane Kuhn. I've always liked stories of assassins and such like as creepy as that makes me sound but I find them exciting and intriguing.
This story is written partly as an FBI investigation into John Lago, the anti-hero of the book and partly as John's own perspective - an experienced hitman and killer writing to the new recruits for the company he works for HR Inc.
In summary, the story is that this is John's last assignment - he is 25 now so too old to be an intern anymore (how HR Inc get their killers into where they want to be) so he wants to go out with a bang. However, when he finds himself falling for a undercover FBI agent named Alice who just so happens to investigating the man he has been sent to kill; things get interesting. (Of course, there are huge plot twists in this but I'm not going to tell you so go read it for yourself)
I really enjoyed this book; it was funny, it was just the right amount of blood, guts and gore and there was a rather sweet little love story at the centre of it and despite me hating fully romantic novels, I do like a good love story when it's surrounded by an interesting plot line. I liked the character of John's narrative; he was rather self-deprecating at times but I can forgive him that; he hadn't had the best start in life! I also thought Alice was particularly bad ass and would have liked a back story on her!
Criticism of this book is I found myself slightly confused towards the end; everything gets a little blurry and distorted as to who is where, who is dead etc etc.
All in all, I would highly recommend to anyone who is up for a quick, easy read and who enjoys murder mysteries from the murderer's perspective. 8/10 :)
This week, I finished 'The Deaths' by Mark Lawson - I'm not gonna lie, I was initially attracted to this book because I thought the cover/font of the title were really pretty and aesthetically pleasing but upon reading the blurb, I was intrigued. This book, on the outside, looks to be a "satirical comedy" regarding Britain's upper class and how an "act of violence" opens the book - I do like a good murder mystery so I figured I would give it a shot.
I have to say I was fairly disappointed with this book. It was funny at times, especially regarding supermarket hierarchies, and I did rather like how it wasn't revealed which characters were killed until the last few chapters as the rest of the novel explained possible motives or killers from within the group of characters but other than that, it was essentially a lot of disjointed narratives from different characters none of whom (except maybe the doctor and the police officer) were particularly likeable - in order for me to enjoy a book, I have to connect with at least one character and that just didn't happen with this story. I stuck with it as I wanted to see how did actually get killed but otherwise, I probably would have given up with book halfway through.
My biggest annoyance with this story though was clearly the author had no clue what feminism actually is - he mentions the word 'feminist' identifying characters as so several time but each time was totally wrong. Feminism simply means gender equality. That is it. Mark Lawson, however, seems to take it as women not needing men to get by, that they should be shunned for enjoying sex with their husband and just bleurgh. I do not have time for people who choose to write about a topic that they clearly have no idea about. Mark Lawson, I'm sure you're a lovely man but please do some research before saying your characters are feminists when they are a rather dodgy idea of one instead.
Overall, I wouldn't really recommend this book, giving it only a 6/10 as it was a mildly intriguing story and an easy read but the characters were just too annoying for me to give a rate any higher!
All opinions are my own and stuff like that and give me some book recommendations please! I need a major book haul soon.
Laura x
On the 19th, I went to see Headlong's production of 1984 in York - as I am studying the book by George Orwell for my English Lit A-Level, I figured seeing the play would add a new light to it.
(In terms of my opinion on the book, I really enjoyed reading it, it was interesting, intense and very thought-provoking even in terms of today's society!)
It is very difficult to go into a lot of detail with this version of the play as I think everyone who sees it would have come away with something different. What I found the most interesting about it was at the beginning and the end, it had people reading Winston's diary in the future and talking about the relevance of it, what they thought of it, how the Party had eventually fallen but no-one actually knew how - this opening scene was later reflected at the very end when it was said Winston Smith was never real, it is thought the diary could have been written by someone who did not wish the Party to know it was them. The most chilling part was when a character said "But what if the Party never fell? Surely, this could be their way of telling us that they are still here. Always watching" The play closed very shortly after that line.
The use of including future generations reading the book 1984 was incredibly clever as well as giving the audience the impression that the story never actually happened. How it was acted out was that Winston had perhaps never met Julia, he had always been a puppet of the Party. They'd let him imagine that all of his life had happened to him when in reality, they had always controlled him, giving a rather interesting point of view on it.
Repetition was also used during the play. For example, Winston would say something but not understand it, it would later come back round as to why he said that (basically the idea that he was in Room 101 the entire time). A scene in the canteen would play out, with characters doing the same thing every day at the same moment (As a side note, during this scene, I have never seen a man dry a teacup with such malice on his face), showing the monotonous life those in the book lead. It only changes when Syme is 'unpersoned' that Winston starts notice how similar every single day is.
The use of lighting and set was very good, even if I was blinded by the strobe light that was basically next to my head half the time! Lighting was used to create a mood, was switched on and off at the most dramatic times, increasing tension or diffusing it. The set was simple but incredibly effective. For example, Winston and Julia's room above Charrington's shop was hidden from the audience view behind the main set, it was played to the audience via a webcam - I at first thought it was a clip that they just played until the set revealed itself behind the main one when Julia and Winston were captured. This, I thought, was particularly clever as it showed even when they thought they were alone, someone was always watching.
All I really have left to say is a huge well done to the cast, particularly Matthew Spencer (Winston) and Tim Dutton (O'Brien) who both played their roles amazingly. The torture scenes were certainly not easy to watch so I imagine they were not easy to act out either, Spencer brought a very accurate portrayal of Winston (I may even say better than John Hurt in the movie version which is not easy for me to say as I adore John Hurt). Dutton as O'Brien was as terrifying as he should be, sinister and weirdly charming.
But to be honest, all of the cast were brilliant in their respective roles.
I only had one or two disappointments with this production which was there was no use of the famous first line with the clock striking thirteen, I felt that should have been a must! Another is that (even though loose ends were tied up) the beginning is rather confusing even to those who have read the book, it was difficult to understand why there were suddenly smartphones in 1984!! Obviously though, these are very minor things and it is more me just being picky.
The trailer for the penultimate Hunger Games movie is here!
*WARNING: possible spoilers for those who have not read the books*
As a lover of both the books and the movies, I am very excited for this film to come out. With some book-to-movie conversions, I feel very disappointed as a reader how unlike the book the films often are *cough Percy Jackson cough* but the Hunger Games movies are (generally) loyal to their book counterparts and for that I am thankful. From what I can tell from the trailer, they have District 13 exactly as I imagined it from the books, dark, mysterious but a hopeful place.
In terms of the cast, I am particularly excited for Natalie Dormer's part as Cressida in this movie - she is a fantastic actress, seen in Game of Thrones and Elementary, as well as just being an all-round beautiful person. I honestly think she could take over the world tomorrow and everyone would just be okay with it. Josh Hutcherson as 'Captiol' Peeta in this movie could also be very interesting to play out on screen. In the books, those scenes broke my little Katniss/Peeta shipper heart so to actually see them in front of me will probably just turn me into more of an emotional wreck than I already am!
There isn't really much more I can say on this, just because it simply is a trailer for a movie that looks really bloody good. The first two instalments of The Hunger Games are fantastic, particularly Catching Fire, so I have no doubts that this will match up in all aspects. Once the full movie comes out, I will obvs be doing a review. These were just some initial thoughts I had and wanted to tell someone about!
Let me know what you think if you are a fan also!
Laura x
I'm pretty sure I've said this every school year I have started - "I'm gonna be really organised!" "I'm gonna get all my homework out the way when I get it" blah blah blah, you get the picture but never actually followed it through.
But seeing as this is my last EVER school year (oh god), I am so determined to keep to these promises. This is my most important year of school and exams and for once, I am motivated to try hard, go the extra mile and all that jazz.
Including, making time for this blog. Starting from this week, I am going to be posting something every Sunday, could be a review of some kind, a recipe, something I want to talk about, something I've written myself but just a blog post with words in it.
This one is gonna be short and sweet so all I am going to say is to my fellow students, work hard and keep to any promises you make to yourself! We can do this together!
So if you're like me, you are 17, got your AS results (and if you're really like me, you are incredibly annoyed with yourself over them) and are now just stressing about life and the ominous 'future'.
And the truth is.... I am terrified.
Generally, I'm a postive person- I'd like to think I spend quite a lot of time making sure my friends are happy and not feeling down. I give them advice that I ought to take myself but I just can't think straight when it comes to me.
The way I'm going writing a personal statement, passing my A2's and getting into a decent uni seem virtually impossible at the moment. If you add loving but pressuring parents, ill grandparents and low self-esteem on top of that, I feel overwhelmed. While I can't decide if this is due to my own feelings or the British schooling system, it is likely it is a mixture of both.
I've spent the last 24 hours thinking what the hell am I going to do? I'm never going to amount to anything, I'm never going to pass anything....etc.
However. Nearly everyone I know is possibly in the same boat. This is our final year of school that has suddenly got here very quickly. We're all scared. We all probably don't know what we are going to do in the future. We all know we have a hard year ahead.
So this is essentially a post to say.... let's be scared together.
A piece of paper with some letters on it does not define you and I need to remember that. I think a lot of us need to remember that.
I realise this hasn't been coherant but whatever. Share thoughts with me if you have them on this matter :)
Laura x
The fact I started this blog and then went on to neglect it has been playing on my mind for almost the year (oops) since I had the idea of a blog.
In all honesty, I'm not sure the reason I never continuted with it. A strange mix of writer's block and the idea that I thought my friends would think I'm weird for writing this. But I've slowly come to the realisation that I should just write about whatever comes to mind, and I am actually going to try once a week. And that my friends should hopefully like me whether or not I write a blog or not.
I do want to actually try and improve my writing, and I actually have a list of ideas for posts this time.
So this is a new era beginning, I would at least like to think.
I know this has consisted of almost nothing but I hope the future holds something more coherant.
Bye for now :)
L x
