A couple of weeks back I went to the Claretys Spa in the landmark Hilton Hotel in Manchester city centre. My Mum had gotten us both vouchers for an hour long treatment session at the Spa. This included 3 treatments of our choice, one lasting half an hour and the other two 15 minutes each.
We went through a couple of quick medical forms and then we got to pick our treatments. After this we were guided into a room with two massage tables to lie down on, which were comfortable. The staff seemed friendly and both masseuses offered us water and then left us to get undressed and ready for our treatments.
For my half an hour treatment I opted for the hot stone massage back massage and OH MY GOSH this was definitely the right choice, it was between that and a regular back massage and I'm so happy that I went with the hot stones. Something about them just takes a back massage to a whole new level. To me it almost felt like something liquid being run over my back rather than a stone, it was that smooth. If you've never had one and you feel like treating yourself to a nice pamper treatment this gets my seal of approval. I would say though one small niggle throughout these treatments the cd with their spa music on would occasionally skip which is slightly jarring when you feel yourself melting away into the table.
Following straight on from this I had an arm massage, my Mum opted for a head massage which she said was good but at times a little too rough for her but I guess the pressure is all down to preference as I know that I enjoy quite a firm massage. My arm massage was lovely, not quite on the same level as the superrrrr relaxing hot stone back massage but very pleasant all the while.
Then for my final treatment I opted for the pedicure because I'd never had one before. It's not exactly sandal season yet but I was just curious about getting one and I thought it would give me a little taster in case I wanted to get one again separately to the package. However, I wasn't too impressed with this part. I opted for a gel pedicure, again I've never tried gel polish so I was curious. The selection wasn't the best, the colour I chose was a beautiful shimmery mermaid dark green but I was slightly disappointment to not be given any non shimmer options. There were about 6 gel colours to choose from and all were shimmer. I also didn't expect to have the pedicure lying down on the masseuse chair, I found this kind of took away from the relaxation aspect as I had to bend my knees up for the lady to be able to do the pedicure which took away from the relaxation element. Due to it being done in the same room too with the same dim lighting the lady did a slightly messy job too, the polish on one of the nails had bubbled up and on another it hadn't been filed down properly. I guess both of these were due to poor lighting and probably time restraints. I'd be interested to know how long a stand alone pedicure would usually take at a salon. However, my Mum again enjoyed her 15 minute treatment of choice which was a facial that left her skin feeling super smooth and fresh looking.
The other 15 minute treatments available as far as I can remember were a manicure and a foot massage. I'm sure judging from the arm massage the foot massage would have been a lovely choice too.
Overall I enjoyed my treatments, I'd get the hot stone massage again and the arm massage was good. However, I wouldn't recommend the pedicure and although the gel has lasted pretty well for the last couple of weeks and it's a pretty colour, it wasn't quite as perfect with the application as I'd hoped. The staff and venue were both lovely, I'd just say if you're thinking about going to pick some treatments over others.
If I were to rate the experience I'd probably go with 7/10.
Wednesday 13 April 2016
Tuesday 12 April 2016
Film Review: The Witch
I went to see The Witch last week and I have a few thoughts about the film I'd like to share. A quick Google tells me I'm not alone in these opinions so if you've already read a few reviews of this film I might not be saying anything to you that you haven't already heard. However, if you're new to this film then read on for my take on it (I'm going to keep it spoiler free).
The Witch is set in 17th Century New England, the story follows a Puritan Christian family who are exiled from their plantation and go to live out on their own, setting up a farm by a large forest. Very quickly events take a turn for the worst and while the eldest of four- a girl named Thomasin, is looking after the youngest- baby Samuel, he goes missing. We are shown a female figure carrying the baby off into the wood and then sacrificing the baby for its blood, to make an ointment out of it. Several times throughout the film we're shown this witch-like figure, but for me the Witch itself isn't what makes the film interesting. The Witch is most definitely creepy and unnerving but it's the other characters in the film that make it what it is.
I'd say if you're going into this film expecting a horror film, I don't feel like that's quite what you get here. There are elements to it that allow for it to fit into that category but for me it leans more towards something like a Psychological Thriller, I'm not sure exactly how to categorize it. I'm not saying to write it off all together as not being a horror film, I just didn't feel like I went away feeling like I wouldn't be able to sleep that night but that's not to say I didn't think it was great regardless.
I've heard Mark Kermode use the phrase 'cattle prod horror' when talking about the vast majority of modern day horror, which is the idea of being forced into jump scares whilst watching horror cinema because of a loud noise or something jumping up on screen. I don't believe there is anything wrong with using this method but I do often find that many modern horror films rely solely on this trick to get a scare out of its audience, which seems like a bit of a cop out to me. The best kind of horror films get under your skin and keep you feeling tense for the duration. The Witch does none of the jumpy scares, however, the score and the films gloomy visuals do create an atmosphere of despair and dread. Unfortunately the trailer could imply that it will be a little more like it's cattle prod jumps counterparts and I feel as though many people seeing this film may leave feeling a little cheated.
Now that I've covered how and why it might not be considered a horror film (sorry if that was a little it of a ramble) I can talk about what I really enjoyed about the film and at it's core what I believe it's about, which in my opinion is not really Witches.
To me this is a film less about the witch and more about a family of Christian Puritans settling in 17th Century England, in a land unfamiliar to them and the unsettling feeling they feel in parts due to their new surroundings and the paranoia the faith at the time perpetuated. The family grow increasingly suspicious of one another and turn against each other with their growing distrust after Samuel is taken, making them vulnerable to the evil presence that is wreaking havoc on their secluded settlement. At the centre of the film is Thomasin played by newcomer Anya Taylor-Joy who makes an incredibly impressive début and who according to IMDb, now appears to be starring in a few different films to be released in the next couple of years. This is also Robert Eggers, the films director's first feature length film having previously touched on themes of folklore with his 2007 animated short of Hansel and Gretel which I'm definitely interested in tracking down to check out.
All in all if you're looking for a moody slow burner 'horror' (again, up for debate), that feels a little more The Crucible than Blair Witch, then this might be for you.
The Witch is set in 17th Century New England, the story follows a Puritan Christian family who are exiled from their plantation and go to live out on their own, setting up a farm by a large forest. Very quickly events take a turn for the worst and while the eldest of four- a girl named Thomasin, is looking after the youngest- baby Samuel, he goes missing. We are shown a female figure carrying the baby off into the wood and then sacrificing the baby for its blood, to make an ointment out of it. Several times throughout the film we're shown this witch-like figure, but for me the Witch itself isn't what makes the film interesting. The Witch is most definitely creepy and unnerving but it's the other characters in the film that make it what it is.
I'd say if you're going into this film expecting a horror film, I don't feel like that's quite what you get here. There are elements to it that allow for it to fit into that category but for me it leans more towards something like a Psychological Thriller, I'm not sure exactly how to categorize it. I'm not saying to write it off all together as not being a horror film, I just didn't feel like I went away feeling like I wouldn't be able to sleep that night but that's not to say I didn't think it was great regardless.
I've heard Mark Kermode use the phrase 'cattle prod horror' when talking about the vast majority of modern day horror, which is the idea of being forced into jump scares whilst watching horror cinema because of a loud noise or something jumping up on screen. I don't believe there is anything wrong with using this method but I do often find that many modern horror films rely solely on this trick to get a scare out of its audience, which seems like a bit of a cop out to me. The best kind of horror films get under your skin and keep you feeling tense for the duration. The Witch does none of the jumpy scares, however, the score and the films gloomy visuals do create an atmosphere of despair and dread. Unfortunately the trailer could imply that it will be a little more like it's cattle prod jumps counterparts and I feel as though many people seeing this film may leave feeling a little cheated.
Now that I've covered how and why it might not be considered a horror film (sorry if that was a little it of a ramble) I can talk about what I really enjoyed about the film and at it's core what I believe it's about, which in my opinion is not really Witches.
To me this is a film less about the witch and more about a family of Christian Puritans settling in 17th Century England, in a land unfamiliar to them and the unsettling feeling they feel in parts due to their new surroundings and the paranoia the faith at the time perpetuated. The family grow increasingly suspicious of one another and turn against each other with their growing distrust after Samuel is taken, making them vulnerable to the evil presence that is wreaking havoc on their secluded settlement. At the centre of the film is Thomasin played by newcomer Anya Taylor-Joy who makes an incredibly impressive début and who according to IMDb, now appears to be starring in a few different films to be released in the next couple of years. This is also Robert Eggers, the films director's first feature length film having previously touched on themes of folklore with his 2007 animated short of Hansel and Gretel which I'm definitely interested in tracking down to check out.
All in all if you're looking for a moody slow burner 'horror' (again, up for debate), that feels a little more The Crucible than Blair Witch, then this might be for you.
Thursday 24 March 2016
Five Documentaries To Watch On Netflix
I've long been a lover of documentaries, I used to watch a lot of those god awful Channel 5 ones when I was a teen, y'know the ones about children born with webbed feet and two heads. I have to admit though they weren't always the most tastefully made documentaries, often presenting the subjects of the programmes in a sort of freak show like manner that would most certainly not sit well with me now, but as a naive 15 year old I found those poorly executed docs fascinating. Fast forward ten years and I think (I hope) my choice in documentaries is a little more tasteful, this is not to say disabilities or deformities can't be documented in sensitive and compassionate way, it's just that the former Channel 5 ones didn't tackle the subject matters in a such a way. Right enough Channel 5 bashing, honest, now for the good stuff, the Mecca for all that is television- Netflix *insert angels playing teeny little trumpets*. There is a wealth of documentaries on Netflix and so I thought I'd list a few for you that I'd recommend.
Louis Theroux L.A Stories
What would a documentary list be without Louis?! As far as I'm aware this was his last documentary series, although he does have a new one out this year HELL YES. The series is made up of 3 stand alone documentaries- Among the Sex Offenders, City of Dogs and Edge of Life. As you can imagine the sex offenders one is particularly uncomfortable but Louis always has the best ability to get a lot out the people he speaks to, he offers opinions but goes into exploring difficult subjects with an open mind. I think his neutral approach to often difficult topics works extremely well and allows the subjects of the documentary to open up more to him than they would if someone like Paxman were just berating them and wagging a finger in their face, imagine. This in no way means Louis panders to them, or sympathizes with people who have committed horrific atrocities he just gives room for the story to unfold with the knowledge that his viewers are intelligent enough to make up their own minds. It's not all doom and gloom though, in 'The City of Dogs' he meets a delightfully wacky character who goes by the name 'Dogman' a burly dude who goes around rescuing dogs and rehabilitating them. I wanted to hug the guy, he's just awesome, oh and he walks around head to toe in camo- the world needs more gems like this guy.
What Happened Miss Simone
If I'm honest I don't even listen to Nina Simone's music, so the fact that I'm not a fan, not even a casual one really and I liked this documentary so much is a testiment to just how good it is. I think the best kind of documentaries are ones that you can watch about a subject you have no real interest in and you end up really enjoying and taking something away from it, in spite of this. This is not to say that I've not heard of Nina's songs or appreciated her powerful unique voice, I just didn't wack her music on ever really. Now onto the doc... Nina lead a very tumultuous life, riddled with mental health issues. The documentary takes you through the highs and lows of her colourful life as a musician, black power icon, lover, friend and recording legend. Parts of this documentary I found to be extremely sad as she appeared to be such a tortured soul but someone with so much to give and such an immeasurable amount of musical talent.
Montage Of Heck
Another music documentary, this is a look into the life and tragic death of Kurt Cobain. I particularly enjoyed the use of animation throughout this to tell parts of Kurts story, rather than it just being footage of the people close to him being interviewed. I'd already read a biography about Kurt when I was much younger- Heavier Than Heaven by Charles Cross so I was fairly familiar with parts of his story but this documentary felt like a lot more personal, undoubtedly due to the fact that Courtney Love and their daughter Francis Bean Cobain were co-producers. It's also the first documentary made with the involvement of Kurt's family which meant access to their family archives. With the use of previously unheard recordings, diary entries and art work we are given an insight into Kurt's state of mind and inner turmoil as he struggled with family conflict and then fame when Nirvana shot to stardom.
Making A Murderer
If you haven't heard of this yet I'm going to have to question whether you've taken a very lengthy holiday under a rock in a far off island for the last 6 months? You'll have no doubt been told relentlessly how this is LYK SO SO GOOD and shocking and gripping and all the rest, that's because.. well.. it is. So if you are in the 0.00000001% of people who haven't watched this and the entire story and all its LYK SO SHOCKING details haven't been relayed to you yet, wack it on. Prepare to get annoyed at the judicial system/ the cops and feel especially sorry for Brendan, I mean c'mon...
The House I Live In
I'd say this is the most important out of all of these documentaries, I decided to save the best 'til last I guess. This is the kind of documentary they need to show in schools, it's one big eye opener. It documents the history of Americas 'War on Drugs' and the futility of it. The documentary explores the human rights implications that this long running campaign has had on American citizens and heavily questions issues like the lengthy sentences in place in the American legal system for non violent drug crimes. The House I Live In questions how effective this stance against illegal drugs has been and the negative effects it has had on many communities in America, particularly the disadvantaged black community. I learnt so much from watching this, especially to do with the history of the legality of drugs and how certain communities have been targeted through the implication of extremely harsh drug laws that don't help to tackle the real underlying problem. It's a tricky one to write about without going off into tangents about every individual issue so instead I urge you to watch this trailer and then if you haven't seen it yet it's definitely worth checking out the full length documentary if you'd like to learn more.
I hope you enjoyed my list of Netflix picks and you found something in the bunch that that takes your fancy. Any excuse for a Netflix binge right?
Louis Theroux L.A Stories
What would a documentary list be without Louis?! As far as I'm aware this was his last documentary series, although he does have a new one out this year HELL YES. The series is made up of 3 stand alone documentaries- Among the Sex Offenders, City of Dogs and Edge of Life. As you can imagine the sex offenders one is particularly uncomfortable but Louis always has the best ability to get a lot out the people he speaks to, he offers opinions but goes into exploring difficult subjects with an open mind. I think his neutral approach to often difficult topics works extremely well and allows the subjects of the documentary to open up more to him than they would if someone like Paxman were just berating them and wagging a finger in their face, imagine. This in no way means Louis panders to them, or sympathizes with people who have committed horrific atrocities he just gives room for the story to unfold with the knowledge that his viewers are intelligent enough to make up their own minds. It's not all doom and gloom though, in 'The City of Dogs' he meets a delightfully wacky character who goes by the name 'Dogman' a burly dude who goes around rescuing dogs and rehabilitating them. I wanted to hug the guy, he's just awesome, oh and he walks around head to toe in camo- the world needs more gems like this guy.
What Happened Miss Simone
If I'm honest I don't even listen to Nina Simone's music, so the fact that I'm not a fan, not even a casual one really and I liked this documentary so much is a testiment to just how good it is. I think the best kind of documentaries are ones that you can watch about a subject you have no real interest in and you end up really enjoying and taking something away from it, in spite of this. This is not to say that I've not heard of Nina's songs or appreciated her powerful unique voice, I just didn't wack her music on ever really. Now onto the doc... Nina lead a very tumultuous life, riddled with mental health issues. The documentary takes you through the highs and lows of her colourful life as a musician, black power icon, lover, friend and recording legend. Parts of this documentary I found to be extremely sad as she appeared to be such a tortured soul but someone with so much to give and such an immeasurable amount of musical talent.
Montage Of Heck
Another music documentary, this is a look into the life and tragic death of Kurt Cobain. I particularly enjoyed the use of animation throughout this to tell parts of Kurts story, rather than it just being footage of the people close to him being interviewed. I'd already read a biography about Kurt when I was much younger- Heavier Than Heaven by Charles Cross so I was fairly familiar with parts of his story but this documentary felt like a lot more personal, undoubtedly due to the fact that Courtney Love and their daughter Francis Bean Cobain were co-producers. It's also the first documentary made with the involvement of Kurt's family which meant access to their family archives. With the use of previously unheard recordings, diary entries and art work we are given an insight into Kurt's state of mind and inner turmoil as he struggled with family conflict and then fame when Nirvana shot to stardom.
Making A Murderer
If you haven't heard of this yet I'm going to have to question whether you've taken a very lengthy holiday under a rock in a far off island for the last 6 months? You'll have no doubt been told relentlessly how this is LYK SO SO GOOD and shocking and gripping and all the rest, that's because.. well.. it is. So if you are in the 0.00000001% of people who haven't watched this and the entire story and all its LYK SO SHOCKING details haven't been relayed to you yet, wack it on. Prepare to get annoyed at the judicial system/ the cops and feel especially sorry for Brendan, I mean c'mon...
The House I Live In
I'd say this is the most important out of all of these documentaries, I decided to save the best 'til last I guess. This is the kind of documentary they need to show in schools, it's one big eye opener. It documents the history of Americas 'War on Drugs' and the futility of it. The documentary explores the human rights implications that this long running campaign has had on American citizens and heavily questions issues like the lengthy sentences in place in the American legal system for non violent drug crimes. The House I Live In questions how effective this stance against illegal drugs has been and the negative effects it has had on many communities in America, particularly the disadvantaged black community. I learnt so much from watching this, especially to do with the history of the legality of drugs and how certain communities have been targeted through the implication of extremely harsh drug laws that don't help to tackle the real underlying problem. It's a tricky one to write about without going off into tangents about every individual issue so instead I urge you to watch this trailer and then if you haven't seen it yet it's definitely worth checking out the full length documentary if you'd like to learn more.
I hope you enjoyed my list of Netflix picks and you found something in the bunch that that takes your fancy. Any excuse for a Netflix binge right?
Wednesday 23 March 2016
My First Blogger Event and Thoughts About Blogging
My First Event....
On Friday I went to my first blogging event, one of my best friends Ellie who has a blog called EleanorGraceful (click over to her blog here) asked if I wanted to go so I read the description on the Manchester Blogger group over on Facebook and thought it sounded quite interesting. It was an event hosted by Holland and Barrett to promote their beauty products and if I'm honest I wasn't even really aware they did beauty products so it was interesting to see what they have on offer. I've had a little browse of their website now and there are a few brands I've used before like Burt's Bees and Trilogy and then lots of new ones I'm less familiar with that I'd be interested to try. If you're curious about any of it you can have a browse here, I particularly like their section about DIY beauty recipes.
I've not had a chance yet to try all of the products we were given but I've given the hand cream a go which is great and the body scrub. I'll definitely be giving the self tan a go next now that I've started to fake tan recently. A lovely lady from Beauty Kitchen showed us how to make a basic lip balm and gave us some to take home, as well as demonstrating the effectiveness of one of their hand scrubs on both me and Ellie (its gave us seriously baby soft skin).
They provided us with the nicest buffet, I took full advantage of this and had A LOT of food, me and Ellie may have also had 3 glasses of Prosecco each, woops, well they did say we could help ourselves (I swear).
We both had our make up done by a lovely MUA with make up products that Holland and Barrett sell, which again I was surprised that they do as I've never heard anyone mention it. The MUA did quite a dewy base on me which I'm always really wary of with my problematic skin, but it made a nice change. There was also a chance to get a manicure done by another beauty professional but I didn't get around to doing that.
All in all it was a really lovely experience for a first blogger event and the people I chatted to were all super friendly. It's definitely made me want to go to more events, try out new products and meet more bloggers.
Some Thoughts On Blogging & Where My Blog Fits In..
Going to a blogging event made me think again about the fact that I don't have a certain category or niche that my blog particularly belongs to. The thing is I really don't want it to either. This blog is a kind of reflection of who I am to some extent, that's not to say I would share every part of myself on here but equally I don't want to limit myself either. I don't want to have to just stick to certain topics because say for example I've chosen to do a Film blog or a Beauty blog. I'd say the majority of blogs I read do seem to choose a clear category and I can fully see why. Doing it that way the readers know what to expect and therefore you're more likely to gain a following of people who go to your blog when they want to read about a certain topic. If you write about whatever you fancy I guess the reader goes to you for your writing style and personality over your particular focus on a topic because the content will be unpredictable to some extent. I like the idea of blogging not having strict boundaries so for now I will keep just writing about the topics that I feel like on that given day, sometimes it may be something a little shallow, sometimes a topic that may open up discussion, or maybe even neither, who knows? I'm happy with doing that for now and I hope if you're following my blog you will enjoy the random nature of my posts, I really do enjoy writing at the moment and having my own little space to just share whatever I want.
Friday 18 March 2016
4 Videos You Should Watch
I'm kind of struggling to think of a good title for this one, so the above will just have to do. This may seem like a slightly lazy post, seen as the videos themselves are doing all the talking but I love the idea of spreading great ideas and knowledge across the internet and so I thought I could use my teeny platform on the web to help do so. I love receiving video links from friends about topics that they think might interest me or that's peaked an interest inside of them, and sparked a discussion. The internet is a great place to stumble across like minded people or even better, people that can open your mind up to ideas you'd never considered before or given much thought.
Hopefully the videos below will be of interest to anyone reading this and will at least give you some food for thought on a few topics. So I won't waffle on any more, they mostly speak for themselves after all...
So my first 2 videos are by the same YouTuber- justkissmyfrog. I discovered her videos a couple of weeks back and I've been going through her channels back catalogue since. She focuses heavily on books and I do love those videos, but my favourite videos she does are actually just the more relaxed chatty ones centring on one particular talking point. She's one of those YouTuber's that I'll be sat there nodding along thinking 'why haven't I seen someone mention this before in a video? she's putting exactly how I feel into words'.
Being Alone: A video about being ok with just doing things alone and not sharing all the parts of our day with someone to validate them. This one really resonated with me, especially as some one who is single and often misses that element of having a significant other.
Hopefully the videos below will be of interest to anyone reading this and will at least give you some food for thought on a few topics. So I won't waffle on any more, they mostly speak for themselves after all...
So my first 2 videos are by the same YouTuber- justkissmyfrog. I discovered her videos a couple of weeks back and I've been going through her channels back catalogue since. She focuses heavily on books and I do love those videos, but my favourite videos she does are actually just the more relaxed chatty ones centring on one particular talking point. She's one of those YouTuber's that I'll be sat there nodding along thinking 'why haven't I seen someone mention this before in a video? she's putting exactly how I feel into words'.
Being Alone: A video about being ok with just doing things alone and not sharing all the parts of our day with someone to validate them. This one really resonated with me, especially as some one who is single and often misses that element of having a significant other.
Not Like Other Girls: I can't seem to post this one here so you can click HERE and it will take you to the video. This one was something I'd never actually given much thought but as soon as I started watching the video I got exactly where Leena was coming from. She talks about internalized misogyny and the idea of the 'cool girl' being the type of girl who shuns anything deemed too feminine and basically how that's a load of bollocks. Leena talks about her own experiences when she was younger of deliberately shunning make up due to the fact that she thought it showed people externally that she 'wasn't like the other girls'. I can relate to this, not in a make up sense (I've always been a lover of make up) but in the sense that in the past I've spoken about certain things I liked and described them as 'things guys are into' or I've been told 'you like that oh, that's unusual for a girl'. I mean its easy to come out with things like that when it's so ingrained in us the idea that certain things are unusual for me to like purely because I'm a girl (I'm very guilty of this) but I really need to stop myself from feeding into that idea and I think she puts across some great points about this in her video. I'll stop now before I start waffling and I lose track of this list. Go watch it.
I could honestly post so many of Leena's videos but I want to throw a couple more videos from other content creators into the mix. So if you like what you've seen I'd really recommend looking up her channel on YouTube and hitting the subscribe button.
If The World Were 100 People: WATCH THIS NOW. No, in all seriousness, this video will give you the biggest reality check you could have in just under 3 minutes. It breaks the world down into 100 people and there are a lot of sobering figures throughout. For example 77 would have shelter and 23 would not. Even down to the less important 'needs' in life, like internet access, only 44 would have access to the internet and 56 would not. I found that particular figure quite poignant, obviously there are much worse indifferences pointed out and horrific inequalities globally but the internet one struck a chord because so often you hear or read people saying that the internet is wonderful because it gives anyone that wants to the chance to express their thoughts/feelings via an on-line platform (which in lots of cases it most certainly does) but in actual fact so many people will never get the chance to access such a wonderful platform to do so. That particular stat, which in all honesty shouldn't come as a surprise to me really, but often I am ignorant (trying to change this- i promise), made me think about how fortunate I am to even be able to blog. Even if just one person reads it, I get the opportunity to have my voice heard on the internet and that is wonderful. Of course the video does raise many other important issues and I don't mean to gloss over them as an opportunity to talk about my privileges, I just wanted to acknowledge that particular one and take a moment to realise how much I appreciate the fact that really I have been one of the incredibly lucky ones in the lottery of birth, to even end up being born in a suburb of Manchester in England and able to do things like write this post.
Body Image and Feminism: Lucy is another YouTuber I discovered recently. This is a great short video that opens up the discussion of body image and where we get our validation from. She makes some interesting and honest points about how she feels about the fact that she has gained confidence about her body through the validation of men and whether or not this contradicts her feminist ideals.
If you watch any of these I'd love to know and we could maybe even start some discussions of our own stemming from one of these videos, that'd be ace. Or if you have any videos you think I might find insightful or interesting pop them in the comments.
Remember to subscribe to me via the bloglovin button or search for 'TheSafeHarbour' on there to find me, I'd really love it if you did!
Helena
x
Wednesday 9 March 2016
9 New Things in March
So its the 9th of March and I'm going to post about 9 new things I've tried/discovered so far this month. So in no particular order....
1) Kendrick Lamar Released an album and it's great, because well, it's Kendrick.
I know everyone waxes lyrical about how great Kendrick is but it really is with reason, he seems to have solid release after solid release. I wasn't expecting him to release these songs as I'd previously read that the tracks on this album were written purely for him to perform as one offs and they wouldn't be appearing on an album. Then on Friday to my surprise 'Untitled Unmastered' was released.
2) I started watching a new series called Love on Netflix.
My home girl Hannah recommended this one and it's great, cheers if you're reading this Hannah! I'm 5 episodes in already, it just makes such easy viewing (EDIT: Since starting this post I have now finished season 1 and I loved all of it!). Often I pick things to watch that are pretty heavy going so this kind of programme makes a nice change. That doesn't mean to say its all fluff, its a light hearted comedic look at the love lives of two single people in their 30s - a guy and a girl so both gender perspectives are explored but it's done with witty cynicism and I've found it really relate-able so far.
3) Discovering the Booktuber community.
I'd always been aware that there was a fairly big community of people reviewing and discussing books on Youtube but I'd never really delved into it until this week. Well I was looking for something to motivate me to read a bunch of books that have been gathering dust on my shelves for months or even years in some cases and I think I've found just the thing. There are some really brilliant Youtuber's putting out interesting content about their favourite literature on Youtube and it's really inspired me not only to read again but also to widen my reading choices, I might write a separate post on this.
4) I started reading 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'
So following in from the Booktuber thing.. I started reading a new book. I'm part the way through lots of books at the moment so it probably would have been wiser to have continued with one of them but I really wanted to start this one. I was bought it last year and I knew I'd probably love it from the get go because a) its a Dystopian novel and b) it's the book that inspired the film Blade Runner, which is one of my favourite Sci-Fi films so expectations were high. So far so good, I'll keep you posted on this one.
5) I discovered a new restaurant for Thai food in Manchester and it was delicious.
So Thai is probably one of my favourite cuisines so I'm always up for trying new Thai places. Busaba is situated just outside the Printworks in Manchester, the décor inside was really nice my only bugbear is the fact that all the tables were reallyyyy close to one another and I've never been a fan of the communal eating thing, Wagamama style, I mean we weren't on the same table but we were close enough. The food was delicious and super reasonably priced- a starter and main for £13. I'll definitely be going back soon.
6) Wandered around South Manchester's very own 'secret garden'.
As far as I know I've never been to Walkden Gardens in Sale (South Manchester) despite it being within a few miles from where I live and I was pleasantly surprised. This place reminds me of a book from my childhood 'The Secret Garden', it's made up of lots of little sections and parts to discover. There's a Japanese section, a beautiful archway, a theatre lawn.. I loved wandering round it like a maze and I know come Spring I'll definitely be going back when all the flowers have bloomed.
7) I did some Vegan baking.
So for Mother's day I wanted to try my hand at baking something for my Mum and seen as I've given up dairy for the foreseeable future I turned to the world of Vegan food blogs/articles for inspiration and I found a delicious looking chocolate and pecan tart. I'm really happy with how it turned out and due to replacing ingredients like butter with creamy avocado mash it also makes it a slightly healthier version of a traditional dessert. I'm definitely going to look into more Vegan baking.
8) I tried to find dairy alternatives for things I love.
So I love chocolate milk/milkshake and I often get cravings for it when I'm out and I want to indulge in something on the go. I decided to buy the small carton packs of Alpro Chocolate Soya and meh it's not the same, it's not bad at all but it kind of tastes like when Nesquik mixes with milk, I know that's a very specific comparison but I used to love that stuff when I was in school. Not the indulgent chocolate taste I was looking for though, so if anyone knows a good dairy free chocolate milk Hollaaa, or any good dairy alternatives for that matter.
9) I rediscovered Shura's music.
So this isn't something new but it's a rediscovery and I thought worth mentioning. I used to listen to this girls music a year back when the song 2shy was released in the Spring and became the perfect addition to a chilled Summer playlist. If you've not listened to her music before I'll pop a couple of videos clips of her music below for you to check out, if you're into dreamy 80's inspired synth pop this may be someone to keep on your radar.
1) Kendrick Lamar Released an album and it's great, because well, it's Kendrick.
I know everyone waxes lyrical about how great Kendrick is but it really is with reason, he seems to have solid release after solid release. I wasn't expecting him to release these songs as I'd previously read that the tracks on this album were written purely for him to perform as one offs and they wouldn't be appearing on an album. Then on Friday to my surprise 'Untitled Unmastered' was released.
2) I started watching a new series called Love on Netflix.
My home girl Hannah recommended this one and it's great, cheers if you're reading this Hannah! I'm 5 episodes in already, it just makes such easy viewing (EDIT: Since starting this post I have now finished season 1 and I loved all of it!). Often I pick things to watch that are pretty heavy going so this kind of programme makes a nice change. That doesn't mean to say its all fluff, its a light hearted comedic look at the love lives of two single people in their 30s - a guy and a girl so both gender perspectives are explored but it's done with witty cynicism and I've found it really relate-able so far.
3) Discovering the Booktuber community.
I'd always been aware that there was a fairly big community of people reviewing and discussing books on Youtube but I'd never really delved into it until this week. Well I was looking for something to motivate me to read a bunch of books that have been gathering dust on my shelves for months or even years in some cases and I think I've found just the thing. There are some really brilliant Youtuber's putting out interesting content about their favourite literature on Youtube and it's really inspired me not only to read again but also to widen my reading choices, I might write a separate post on this.
4) I started reading 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'
So following in from the Booktuber thing.. I started reading a new book. I'm part the way through lots of books at the moment so it probably would have been wiser to have continued with one of them but I really wanted to start this one. I was bought it last year and I knew I'd probably love it from the get go because a) its a Dystopian novel and b) it's the book that inspired the film Blade Runner, which is one of my favourite Sci-Fi films so expectations were high. So far so good, I'll keep you posted on this one.
5) I discovered a new restaurant for Thai food in Manchester and it was delicious.
So Thai is probably one of my favourite cuisines so I'm always up for trying new Thai places. Busaba is situated just outside the Printworks in Manchester, the décor inside was really nice my only bugbear is the fact that all the tables were reallyyyy close to one another and I've never been a fan of the communal eating thing, Wagamama style, I mean we weren't on the same table but we were close enough. The food was delicious and super reasonably priced- a starter and main for £13. I'll definitely be going back soon.
6) Wandered around South Manchester's very own 'secret garden'.
As far as I know I've never been to Walkden Gardens in Sale (South Manchester) despite it being within a few miles from where I live and I was pleasantly surprised. This place reminds me of a book from my childhood 'The Secret Garden', it's made up of lots of little sections and parts to discover. There's a Japanese section, a beautiful archway, a theatre lawn.. I loved wandering round it like a maze and I know come Spring I'll definitely be going back when all the flowers have bloomed.
7) I did some Vegan baking.
So for Mother's day I wanted to try my hand at baking something for my Mum and seen as I've given up dairy for the foreseeable future I turned to the world of Vegan food blogs/articles for inspiration and I found a delicious looking chocolate and pecan tart. I'm really happy with how it turned out and due to replacing ingredients like butter with creamy avocado mash it also makes it a slightly healthier version of a traditional dessert. I'm definitely going to look into more Vegan baking.
8) I tried to find dairy alternatives for things I love.
So I love chocolate milk/milkshake and I often get cravings for it when I'm out and I want to indulge in something on the go. I decided to buy the small carton packs of Alpro Chocolate Soya and meh it's not the same, it's not bad at all but it kind of tastes like when Nesquik mixes with milk, I know that's a very specific comparison but I used to love that stuff when I was in school. Not the indulgent chocolate taste I was looking for though, so if anyone knows a good dairy free chocolate milk Hollaaa, or any good dairy alternatives for that matter.
9) I rediscovered Shura's music.
So this isn't something new but it's a rediscovery and I thought worth mentioning. I used to listen to this girls music a year back when the song 2shy was released in the Spring and became the perfect addition to a chilled Summer playlist. If you've not listened to her music before I'll pop a couple of videos clips of her music below for you to check out, if you're into dreamy 80's inspired synth pop this may be someone to keep on your radar.
Tuesday 8 March 2016
I Should Read More.
As the title suggests, I've come to the realisation over the last few days that I not only feel like I should but I actually really do want to make the effort to read more. I've discovered the world of Booktubers, which for those of you who are not familiar with the term is basically people who love books, talking about them on YouTube. Simple as that. I started watching one and then found myself binge watching a few and becoming transfixed with how eloquent and charming this collective of YouTubers are. From there I then began adding book after book to my Amazon wishlist and being reminded about fantastic books I also already own but haven't touched in years. The books on my book shelf have well and truly been gathering dust over the last decade and I'm ashamed to say I can probably count on one hand the amount of books I've read in the past couple of years. The thing is I have a habit of starting books reading a chapter and then forgetting about them, I've not shown any type of commitment to reading because in a way I began to view reading as a chore. I knew that once I loved a book and really got stuck into one, then I would remember what was so great about reading, but unfortunately I've gotten lazy and my attention span seems to be shrinking. I don't want to view reading like this though, I want to take great pleasure in picking a book up, I want to read a few chapters and not want to put it down and then be itching to get back to the book whenever I get a moment to. I want to feel enriched by a story in the same way that the wonderful Booktubers I've discovered are. I'm going to try and re-spark that love for literature and reading and so I've got a few books I've decided to start off my reading journey with in March. They are as follows and in no particular order...
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
I know this one will be tough going with the protagonist being a 37 year old man who becomes sexually obsessed with a 12 year old girl. Although this book obviously harbours a lot of controversy it is also considered to be one of the greatest literature triumphs of the 20th Century. I've heard it's beautifully written and I'm looking forward to finding out why it has garnered such high acclaim.
Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli
I want to dip my toes into the world of science and this seems like a good place to start. I think I need to do a bit more reading before I can even think about tackling Stephen Hawking's infamous A Brief History of Time, a friend warned me it's super heavy going, so it's going on my list for the future for now. Carlo Rovelli's book was published last year and received a spectacular response from critics. So apparently by the time I've finished this I should have some understanding of Einstein's theory of general relativity, quantum mechanics, black holes, the complex architecture of the universe, elementary particles, gravity, and the nature of the mind (here's hoping!!) .
The Art of Asking: How I Learnt to Stop Worrying and Let People Help by Amanda Palmer
I'm not a Dresden Dolls fan per say (Amanda is the singer of said band and one half of the duo) so this one hasn't peeked my interest from a fan point of view. I saw a review of this one on a BookTuber's channel and it just sounds wonderful and exactly the kind of read I need. Caitlin Moran said of it 'Amanda Palmer joyfully shows a generation how to change their lives' which is a rather bold statement so I'm looking forward to seeing what all the fuss is about with this one.
The Outsiders by S.E Hinton
As you might have gathered if you read my last post, I love a good coming of age tale and this one comes highly recommended on lots of book lists. Hinton wrote this when she was just 17 and it was first published in 1967, there appears to be an 80's adaptation of it but I've not seen it. The book follows a teen gang 'the Greasers' in rural Oklahoma and the consequences of a violent brawl with a rival local gang.
I think 4 books will probably be enough for now, I tried to make them varied so that I don't lose interest in reading and keeping this up. Like I said earlier I don't want this to be a chore in anyway, it has to be something I want to do for enjoyment, so here's hoping I keep it up and get into the swing of picking up books again. Watch out for more book posts in this space, I'm really looking forward to getting round to some of the others I have on my list too!
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
I know this one will be tough going with the protagonist being a 37 year old man who becomes sexually obsessed with a 12 year old girl. Although this book obviously harbours a lot of controversy it is also considered to be one of the greatest literature triumphs of the 20th Century. I've heard it's beautifully written and I'm looking forward to finding out why it has garnered such high acclaim.
Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli
I want to dip my toes into the world of science and this seems like a good place to start. I think I need to do a bit more reading before I can even think about tackling Stephen Hawking's infamous A Brief History of Time, a friend warned me it's super heavy going, so it's going on my list for the future for now. Carlo Rovelli's book was published last year and received a spectacular response from critics. So apparently by the time I've finished this I should have some understanding of Einstein's theory of general relativity, quantum mechanics, black holes, the complex architecture of the universe, elementary particles, gravity, and the nature of the mind (here's hoping!!) .
The Art of Asking: How I Learnt to Stop Worrying and Let People Help by Amanda Palmer
I'm not a Dresden Dolls fan per say (Amanda is the singer of said band and one half of the duo) so this one hasn't peeked my interest from a fan point of view. I saw a review of this one on a BookTuber's channel and it just sounds wonderful and exactly the kind of read I need. Caitlin Moran said of it 'Amanda Palmer joyfully shows a generation how to change their lives' which is a rather bold statement so I'm looking forward to seeing what all the fuss is about with this one.
The Outsiders by S.E Hinton
As you might have gathered if you read my last post, I love a good coming of age tale and this one comes highly recommended on lots of book lists. Hinton wrote this when she was just 17 and it was first published in 1967, there appears to be an 80's adaptation of it but I've not seen it. The book follows a teen gang 'the Greasers' in rural Oklahoma and the consequences of a violent brawl with a rival local gang.
I think 4 books will probably be enough for now, I tried to make them varied so that I don't lose interest in reading and keeping this up. Like I said earlier I don't want this to be a chore in anyway, it has to be something I want to do for enjoyment, so here's hoping I keep it up and get into the swing of picking up books again. Watch out for more book posts in this space, I'm really looking forward to getting round to some of the others I have on my list too!
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