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.

Women on the small screen

I love a badass female character in a television series, especially when they're in a cast made up of equally badass men and they aren't reduced to simply playing the demure pretty type. Sure, these women too can be pretty but that's not all there is to them, they have many shades to their character and that's why I love 'em. Big props to the following shows creators, these characters have brought me many hours of entertainment and food for thought. So I thought I'd compile and mini list, now in no particular order lets dive in.

1) Snoop (The Wire)

In a large cast that's heavily dominated by headstrong and often relentless characters this lady certainly holds her own. The acting and casting throughout The Wire is impeccable and Snoop is no exception to this. Played by an actress of the same name Felicia 'Snoop' Pearson, Snoop is primarily a brutally violent drug gang enforcer. She's definitely the least likeable character to appear on my list, being the cold blooded killer that she is. However, despite her complete void of sensitivity I still can't help but love her. After all if the master of terror himself  (Stephen King) was quoted as saying "perhaps the most terrifying female villain to ever appear in a television series" you know that the characters doing something right. 

2) Buffy Summers (Buffy The Vampire Slayer)

This ones a funny one, y'see I was never into the show when I was younger, I think I thought it looked a bit naff or I was maybe just slightly too young to really get a lot of the tongue in cheek wit that's sprinkled throughout. Thinking about it now, I may have to do a post dedicated soley to the show Im THAT much of a convert but anyway I digress, back to the leading lady- Buffy. This is how you do a female TV character, shes tough yet sensitive, witty and tenacious, the list goes on... With 7 whole seasons to explore this character you see her at her weakest and her strongest and even though her character is a demon/ vampire fighter/ saviour of the world, you relate to her because shes has slip ups and occasionally makes some questionable decisions, most notably when it comes to her love life. Most of all though, I love her for her sharp wit and playful charm.I think thats about enough gushing and geeking out don't you? Ok onto the next..

3) Margaery Tyrell (Game of Thrones)

I'm going to assume that anyone reading this knows who this character is, after all every man and his cat have seen Game of Thrones, but in case your not familiar Margaery Tyrell is a young lady of the house Tyrell, one of the many houses featured in the GoT world. She cleverly poses as a sweet innocent maiden to use her femininity and charm to win over powerful male figures, ultimately to gain power for herself and her family. Margaery is very self aware and tactful in order to get where she wants to be and it makes for great television, especially when she's up against other strong willed female characters such as Cersei. But unlike Cersei who I find very dislikeable there's something very charming about Margaerys character, yes she does trample over others to get to the top and yes she does use her sexuality as a tool to do so but she has enough sass and sweetness to make her a lovable screen presence. A master at manipulating peoples emotions and a brilliant game player, she just gets better and better to watch. I'm really hoping she doesn't get killed off any time soon, but this is Got were talking about, no character is safe. Just as a side note here, nope I haven't read the books, so this is just purely the TV version of her I'm waffling about. To put it plainly the tv adaption of Margaery rocks and the show wouldn't be the same without her.

I could make this list much much longer but for now I think I leave it here, 3 is the magic number or more- 3 is the amount I can write without this turning into a foot long essay. Im all girl powered out, til next time...