goodbye twenty fifteen.

Well, it's the end of another year, another fast year and I'm not sure how I feel about the whole ordeal really. I'm not desperate for the year to end but I'm not desperate for it to continue past 365 days, it's been an average year, starting off pretty poor but picking up around the middle.

At the start of the year, I said I wanted to do more and I think overall I've succeeded...

Rest More 
I definitely didn't do less, but I made sure that if I needed a day off, I had one, or if my brain was telling me to stay in bed for a day (or in a couple of cases, a few days) I did. I still filled my time too much, but overall I think I did alright with that resolution.

Read More
I absolutely smashed this one in comparison to the past few years, and I'm pretty sure I reached my target of 12 books, and I've definitely rekindled my love for getting lost in a book as easily as I can get lost in music.

Do More
Well, 2015 was the year the adventures started... There were many day trips out and mini adventures with friends and family, including a couple of days away with a friend to Selsey, a trip with Kieron and Lai in Edinburgh (wow what an experience that was), a weekend trip to Bath and a week holiday in Weymouth with family. (However, the exercise part of that resolution was unsuccessful...)

Create More
A difficult one to measure... Because of my creative writing course at sixth form, yes I created more and Music In Time Blog's blog posts have gone up to three blog posts a week, so in that sense, yes I've created more this year, and I attempted VEDA on my YouTube channel, however, the rest of the year round there have been little gaps where I didn't upload on MIT Blog and this little corner of the internet was abandoned many times, so that one needs a little work in 2016 I think...

Enjoy More
Accepting my brain can be a little crap at times happened this year, granted after I finished sixth form and was able to never see a certain few people ever again, but that allowed me to make the most of the good days and really live in those moments. It would be fair to say the turning point was August 12th when I went to the middle of a field on a hill and watched a meteor shower with two of my best friends, with exam results the following day... I've managed to truly enjoy trips around the UK and make memories with friends and family that will stay with me for a very long time, so yeah I reckon I did a good job of that one.

The first half of 2015 wasn't particularly great, I smashed my phone screen twice in one month, fell out with a teacher over the partial solar eclipse and a couple of other random events, it started picking up when I passed another A Level and finally left sixth form...
The second half of 2015 have been a big six months, travelling to Edinburgh, Bath, Weymouth, Selsey and many other places in the UK; full of live music and evenings of music chilling playing FIFA, or Articulate (depending on which group of friends I'm with), I also got to see Billy Elliot with my Dad this year, which was an incredible show and is now in my Top 3 musicals...

2015 has also been another year for lots of live music, and I finally got to go to Barn on the Farm Festival (and I've got my ticket for next year too, so that's something I'm hyped about), we went to Wembley to see Doctor Who: Symphonic Spectacular (which was incredible), I saw Rae Morris live (at last), Meadowlark and Amber Run (a couple of times), Little Comets, experienced the end of Edinburgh Fringe, Ryan Keen, S Club 7 (well three of them), The Wombats, Martin Luke Brown, Wheatus (yes I got to sing along to Teenage Dirtbag live!) and The 1975 again.

On the penultimate note of music, here's a quick summary of Music In Time Blog's 365 days... I have been asked to review James Bay's debut album, The Ordinary Boys latest album, Little May's debut album and Billie Marten's latest EP. I've interviewed Little Comets, Stacey Solomon, Lucy Spraggan, Michael Malarkey, Fred Abbot and Jess & The Bandits. And with the help from a very good friend, Tom, Music In Time went live, we had our first showcase as Music In Time Presents... and it went pretty well, there may even be a couple more in the pipeline for 2016...

As always, the last thing to say is a massive thank you to everyone (well all the wonderful people), that have been a part of my 2015...
Gran, Mum, Misty, Dad, Dave, Dave and everyone else in the fab family, for supporting me, encouraging me, keeping me sane and winding me up too...
Billy, Kieron and Lai, for all the incredible adventures in the past few months in particular, the evenings spent in the car listening to music, playing Articulate and consuming however many calories.
TJ for motivating and inspiring me everyday since 19th August. I couldn't have asked for a better person to be going on this venture with and working alongside you has been fun and annoying at times, but always know I'll probably only sulk for 20 seconds...
Jack for the chilled evenings playing FIFA and listening to sad music.
And anyone else that has got me through 2015 in a better state than previous years, little moments, BBQs, gig nights, parties, Thursdays at Theo or Mahlia's, Football Tuesdays, and many many other highlights of the year.

Thank you 2015. It's been pretty good (y)

september and october.

September was a really weird month, a great month don't get me wrong, but an odd one. It started with me having a cold in Edinburgh, surrounded by a group of creative and wonderful people, and it ended with another cold in Surrey, surrounded by a different group of creative and wonderful people. I think it would be fair to say September was busy, productive and full of work.

I can't say that August was any more normal, nor October and I'm not sure November or even December are going to be 'normal' either, but I guess that all comes down to the fact that normal for me used to be going to school / college every day or having it on my mind for the last 15 years of my life and now I'm out in the big, wide world.

It's fair to say thinking about the future got too much, scared the crap out of me and left me a little burned-out. However, being surrounded by those creative and wonderful people, I briefly mentioned in the intro to this blog, I've been calmed down, pulled together and I think it's fair to say I'm safely back on my feet. So thank you to those few, you know who you are!

Music played a huge part of September 2015, in more ways than one. Whenever my mind starts to wander, get me to live music and it'll find it's way back again. If there's one thing I'm going to take away from the past months, it's that when people may let you down, music never will. To be honest, I knew this already but it has now been proven and noted in my list of stuff learnt outside of school... (but that leads onto two other blog posts...)

It's not often you can say you spent a whole week scouting open mics, seeing Ryan Keen in London and then saw S Club 7 (well three of them) on a night out in town - oh yeah, I actually went out for a full night, like left when the club turned the lights up - that wouldn't have happened a couple of months ago! All the adventures and fun of September could of course catch up with me and give me a massive slap across the face, and I'm sure this cold is some kind of punishment already, however, the next couple of months I've got an event to focus on and one that I'm hoping will be the start of bigger and better things! I'm excited.

I leave September and say thank you for the things you have taught me, about music, friends, productivity and creativity. I thank you for helping me find my feet again, and focusing my mind too, don't let others distract you, and don't feel guilty for having a down day, just get back up and fight the next.

(skip forward a month)... Music also played a huge part of October and I ventured to Bath with some friends too for a weekend and November sees me go on a weeks holiday, that I'm really looking forward to, and feel like I deserve to be honest. I've got my camera all set for some photos and videos whilst I'm away, so maybe expect a little blog post about that...

I've been kept on my feet the past couple of months and I don't mean this to sound a dramatic as it does, but I currently feel like I've got something to get out of bed for. I'm working on a big project which I'm hoping will come together and be a success, because if it doesn't I'm going to have to rethink my whole Plan C in life... but I'm telling myself I'll cross that bridge when I get to it...

Being surrounded by wonderful people in the past two months and keeping the amount of people that can annoy me to a realistic minimum has really inspired, as well as helped me. So thank you to the few people that have stuck with me recently.

'til next time! 

- evan :) 

a trip to: edinburgh.

Please forgive me for abandoning this corner of the internet (yet again!) If you follow this blog's Facebook page you may have known that I attempted VEDA (video every day in august), although I didn't upload every day, I did create a video every day for 23 days... Yes, I still 'failed', however, I got ill and ended up coughing, sneezing and sleeping in bed for a couple of days, so decided to take a week and a half completely off, no blogs, no emails, no videos etc.
It worked out pretty well as my friend Kieron and I went on a trip up to Edinburgh and I was able to really enjoy a few days away with two of my best friends (cheesy but very true!). There was lots of music, long walks, late nights and laughter! 

Whilst we were there, we made the most of the last couple of days of Fringe, Sunday was spent exploring Edinburgh whilst also enjoying music and entertainment from some really talented people. Monday included a trek up to Arthur's Seat; the view from the top was beautiful and you could see 360° which is always a plus! We spent the afternoon chilling and decided on trying a deep fried mars bar between us, because we didn't fancy haggis... and we watched the ever eventful VMAs, then headed in the evening to watch the closing fireworks of Fringe etc. 
Tuesday, we headed out on a bus tour, which was a brilliant way to see the city as well as learn about the history behind everything. I knew there was a lot of history to Edinburgh, but I didn't realise quite how much. Well known people linked to Edinburgh include Rabbie Burns, Burke & Hare, investigations of Jekkyl & Hyde, Deacon Brodie, Sir Walter Scott, Alexander Graham Bell, Charles Darwin, James Young Simpson (discovered the anaesthetic properties of chloroform), as well as the wonderful story of Greyfriars Bobby and many more. In the evening, we headed out with Lai and Theo to support them at one of their local open mic nights, and it was really nice to hear a mix of 'open mic material', from different genres of music, spoken word, comedy etc. 
Our last day in Edinburgh, included an 'end of trip' breakfast at The Caffeine Drip, a South African cafe and bakery, which was delicious. Then headed home for about 12 hours... 

It was a really great trip overall and somewhere I really want to visit again, seen a couple of museums and places I would like to check out, like The Writers Museum, Dynamic Earth and one of their ghost tours, all of which looked/sounded really interesting. 

Aaaaaaaand as per, here's some of my favourite photos from the trip...

 

'til next time! 
- evan. 

july favourites.

I haven't uploaded one of these for a good few months, however, I've just had my birthday and felt there were actually a couple of things I wanted to share the love for with you (plus the post I was going to upload wasn't coming together and I wasn't enjoying how deep it was going... so here's a light read for you!) Here are five of my favourite things from this month, in no particular order!

1. Billy Elliot: The Musical

I went to see this as my birthday present from my Dad, and boy was it good! I love the film and have been pretty set on seeing the theatre production, as it's one on my 'theatre bucket list'. Yes, I have a theatre bucket list... 

Anyway, it was really brought to life on stage and there was a good mix of everything, funny bits, sad bits, singing, dancing, and acting. I also enjoyed the technical side, from the staging to the set, to puppetry to prop use. Can you tell I did GCSE Drama? Pfft. But still, it was a really good show and one I'd love to see again, and I will be getting the soundtrack on CD, to go alongside Joseph and Wicked, yes, it was that good! 

2. Posters

This may seem like an odd one and thinking about it, it probably is! However, for a fair amount of time I'd left my bedroom walls to become bare, posters, art and photos had slowly fallen and I hadn't put them back up, just left them in a heap on the top of my bookshelf. I've FINALLY sorted out all my posters and everything back onto my walls and it's feeling like 'my bedroom' again, with my maps, doctor who quotes, band and artists dotted around, I have plastered 'me' all over my white walls again. 

3. Inside Out

As part of my birthday each year, it's become tradition to go and see a film, and in more recent years, that has included Toy Story 3 and Monsters University... So keeping with tradition and that, this year I headed to see Inside Out. My inner Disney Pixar nerd was feeling all the feels (excuse the on-topic pun...) It's a great film and again, it's got something for everyone, which is one thing I will always love Disney Pixar for... their ability to target all ages. There's a few scenes, which I feel could have been done better, but then again, isn't there always? Definitely would recommend anyone going to see it, makes everyone understand their brain a little better I think :) 

4. Vinyls

I've done it. I've gone and fallen for vinyls. I loved them anyway, nothing beats the raw and old school sound of a vinyl. But I now own a record player and two vinyls... 'Bon Iver' by Bon Iver and 'Back To Black' by Amy Winehouse, attempting to grow that collection slowly but surely, as I only want certain albums on record etc. but it'll get there :) 

5. Amy Winehouse

From the days of 'Frank' to the days that will never be. Amy Winehouse will always be at the top of my favourite artists and favourite people lists. I recently went and saw 'Amy', the film/documentary all about her and unfortunately all the speculation following her addictions and death. It was a hard watch, and I left feeling even more frustrated and angry at the media and her Dad, which I didn't think was possible, but apparently it is! Another brilliant watch and as I mentioned previously I've now got her second album on vinyl, which has been getting many spins recently, as well as quotes of hers being taped onto my desk as inspiration for projects. *sighs* yet another talent and wonderful person gone way too soon. 

Our Day Will Come - Amy Winehouse (link)

What have you been loving recently? 

anxiety.

.noun. 1. a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease about something with an uncertain outcome.
            2. strong desire or concern to do something or for something to happen.

Those two definitions suggest that anxiety can be a positive and negative thing. Even though now I can appreciate the positive side of anxiety (that excitement or push to do something to the best you can) before doing something; for the past few years I hadn't been able to see past the negative.
It definitely got worse over my 'exam years' but when I went to the doctors and they said 'it's normal to get worried before an exam'; I got angry because they clearly hadn't listened to the bit about not being able to get out of my bed or house somedays, stopping myself from playing cricket, sleepless nights or the several panic attacks I had over the space of four or five years. But then I gave up on myself and told myself I was being stupid and that they were right, that must be normal. When your own brain starts stopping you from doing things you enjoy, that's probably when you should do something about it, but me being me, I kept going and instead ended up in a bit of a state.

A year ago, I wouldn't have been able to write this blog and even now, I don't feel 'qualified' enough, but I think it's more of a self-realisation that I was in a really bad place. I'm by no means 'better' and my brain likes to trip me up in more ways than 'just' anxiety, but I'm not going into that, so here is a conversation with myself about anxiety, feel free to peer over my shoulder!

I saw a post somewhere a while back (and wrote it down):

"If you are ever with a person who has anxiety and they ask you to order their food for them, stand next to them when they buy something, or reassure them countless times exactly the time and place where you will be meeting them at, DO NOT ROLL YOUR EYES, DO NOT SIGH IN EXASPERATION, AND DO NOT TELL THEM TO STOP BEING SO SILLY. Sometimes, it's hard to do simple things like that, and when people help us out, it means the world to us,' 

I hadn't really thought about this much before but I guess subconsciously I stopped seeing 'friends' that would say/do some of the things mentioned above in response to me asking for a bit of help when I was in an environment that would make me anxious. It became a joke that I wouldn't go to parties or go out into town when I turned 18. It also became a joke that I'd be late to my lessons in sixth form, that's if I turned up at all. My half-dazed state from only three hours sleep would become a joke that received sarky comments from teachers, amongst comments of 'cheer up' or 'you alright grumpy' from people in my classes. Everything became a joke, because it was easier to shrug it off that way.
I stopped playing cricket - the sport I'd been playing since I don't even know when - because I physically couldn't put myself through it. When I was batting, my hands would shake, my legs would become heavy, I'd become breathless and hot, my vision would become starry and then tunnelled and I'd lose focus, I'd get out without scoring any runs and that was that. I couldn't take it any more, but again it was easier to blame my dodgy joints and injury to my knee, than say my brain's the problem. I couldn't (and still can't) stay round someone's house or somewhere that isn't Mum's, Dad's or Selsey, without ticking: a lack of sleep, panic attack, having a splitting headache and being sick off my checklist of to-dos that my friend anxiety had planned out for me.

I remember a Saturday morning in November last year, I'd forced myself out of bed forty minutes before I was meant to start my shift at work and everything seemed like hard work. I loved working where I did. But that morning nothing seemed to be going right; I'd spent the majority of the morning crying or lying on my bed staring at my ceiling. I didn't eat anything because I wasn't hungry and I couldn't stomach the thought of food. Then I went into full blown meltdown mode.
That was the final straw for me, even though so much was going ok/right I'd ended up in this mess and had exhausted myself, physically, mentally and emotionally.
I quit my part time job, decided I was going to finish Media A Level (even if I didn't pass, I wanted to complete a subject that I'd started and enjoyed, because I hadn't managed that since GCSE) and look after myself a little more.

I've made it to the end of sixth form; I finished nearly two months ago and honestly, I'm in a better place now. Even though I still have really bad days, and life still throws curveballs at me, I haven't had a panic attack in a while, only days where anxiety is at a niggling 71% at most; those bad days are a little easier to cope with. I'm taking this summer to learn to breathe again and feel okay. I aim to have a few adventures and make some memories. I'm not going to let anxiety get in the way, I'll work alongside it and as for the other little friends that like to poke at my brain and make days difficult, well, it's time to make them those friends that you'll stop talking to slowly and nod to in the high street a few years later.

(and because I like linking everything to music, two songs that have helped me on bad days).

Up Again (Closer EP version) - Rae Morris (link)

Keep - The White Raven (link)

inspiration.

.noun. the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative. 

Inspiration is a funny thing. It comes in waves, all at once or not at all and it can be found in the smallest and weirdest of places. Recently, creativity has been lacking, I feel that is partly down to the majority of ideas I put into my creative writing coursework, but I think I’d be lying to myself if I said it wasn’t to do with a lack of motivation in general too.

My other blog is now getting a little bigger, content is being shared more often and maybe I got a little sucked into that repetitive structured way of those music blogs I write, as I was lacking structure in my everyday life after finishing sixth form. 

Inspiration hasn’t exactly dried up completely and the amount of random words and sentences I’ve strung together and written down in random notebooks and on scraps of paper are actually a bit ridiculous. However, I haven’t had the motivation to actually type them up and share them with anyone. I’m slowly getting there with things in general (that’s coming in a future blog…) and I feel a ‘proper’ regular return to this blog is actually on its way. I don’t want to make any promises and at the same time I don’t want to apologise for not posting, because I’d rather share something I’m proud of and okay with sharing rather than some half-arsed crap attempt at writing something that’s come from my brain and doesn’t make any sense at all and isn’t really worthwhile sharing with anyone.

The first step of that has been making sure my brain is in the right place again; second has been working my brain a little, reading more often and watching things that get me inspired creatively, (Bertie Gilbert shorts, ThisBeDottie's YouTube videos, Submarine and Where The Wild Things Are) and writing everyday. Third was drafting those poems, thoughts and random ramblings into something that actually makes sense and finally having the confidence in my own writing and believing that it was good enough to upload and share then that post.

This is the first of those and hopefully more will follow, there may be a surge of posts from me, and then they will more than likely slow to once or twice a week; and the content will be honest and hopefully have a little more substance to them than those previously. I want to use my A Levels to get somewhere, but I don’t want to go the usual way about that. Uni isn’t for me, definitely not at the minute anyway, and if I change my mind that option will –hopefully – still be there a few years down the line; but for now I’m focusing on stepping out of my comfort zone and finding a new one.  

(I’m not sure if that last point made any sense and I probably jumped back and forth from point to point in this blog, but this is me saying I’m back and I’m going to be taking one day at a time.)

#SwingTheVote

I'm not one of those big bloggers or youtubers working with companies to encourage people - specifically young people - to vote in this general election. However, I'm 18, a first-time voter and strongly believe, everyone that can, should vote.

On the 7th May, there is a General Election and it's looking like it'll be the closest we've had. Young people in the 18-24 year old bracket can swing the vote, as can women, both groups unfortunately make up a big proportion of non-voters.

Throughout history certain people have gone through a lot to gain the right to vote, and I feel that we shouldn't let that go to waste. However, we're also not taught a lot in school about how to vote, what policies to think about, what parties we can vote for etc. alongside that note, I'd like to say that there are other parties outside of 'The Big Five' (or Seven depending on your location). All parties are worth a look at, and weighing up positives against negatives. As well as the parties mentioned in the 'Other Parties' section on the BBC list of parties, there are others specific to your local areas, so maybe look at your constituencies election list.

Today is the last day to register to vote and I'm about to bombard you with links that might help you make a decision or inform you as to why you should vote. Personally, I've been struggling to find information in a concise and easy-to-understand manner so I'm collating all links I've found helpful...

Before I leave you with said links, I'm going to embed a spoken word animation from Grist & Larsen (two incredibly talented creative people) on why you shouldn't just sit and let the election happen without having your say...

Which Party Will You Go To? - Grist & Larsen (link)

REGISTER TO VOTE: https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

BBC Policy Guide & List of Parties: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2015/manifesto-guide

vInspired: Swing The Vote: (all things you need to know about politics, jargon free): http://swingthevote.vinspired.com

Vote Match - Quiz: http://election2015.votematch.org

Sunday Recap #2

It’s been one of those weeks again. I’m not quite sure how I’d explain what ‘one of those weeks’ are, but it includes listening to music, feeling ill due to anxiety and ‘stress’ and feeling like you haven’t got nearly enough done, because your bed is a lot more comforting than the outside world.

I’ve got coursework deadlines looming (as always pft) and although I’m feeling a lot more confident than I was before Easter, I just want to get it handed in and over with now. My other blog has had some crazy big artists on it, and there are some more on their way, but with A Levels, my inbox and blog drafts have been left to wilt, much like the daffodils in recent weeks.

On a better and more positive note, I’ve had a restricted technology weekend and I’ve loved it. When things get too much, I often spend a day or two in bed, but this weekend I was determined to not let it get to me. So instead I turned off my internet (apart from posting a photo last night), barely went on my phone and chilled. Yesterday, I admit I did get a fair amount of work done in the morning, but I ventured down to the coast, slept for a couple of hours and then enjoyed some fish and chips with a couple of glasses of white wine, whilst chatting with music backing the conversations. This morning, I woke up without a headache (the first time in at least a week), got some coursework done and then finished reading ‘After Aushwitz’ by Eva Schloss. Again, just chilling with music and then cooking up some chicken fajitas, which seems to be my signature dish!

Now, I’m back home and with an early start and long day ahead of me tomorrow, I’m uploading this and then spending my evening sorting out interview questions for MIT Blog to be emailed ASAP.

I also fell in love with a song this week. This doesn’t happen often, I like a lot of songs and certain live or acoustic performances of songs, but there aren’t many songs that I will listen to at least a couple of times every single day. Songs that make that list are ‘Sweet Disposition’ by The Temper Trap, ‘Little Lion Man’ by Mumford & Sons, ‘End Credits’ by Chase & Status, ‘The Funeral’ either the original by Band of Horses or Nina Nesbitt’s cover and then M83 and Dodie Clark’s music in general. This is ‘Keep’ by The White Raven, Bon Iver meets Amber Run meets Biffy/Kings. Link below:

Keep - The White Raven (link)

march favourites.

I've come to the conclusion that I'd rather do these 'monthly favourites' blogs every other month, because doing on every four weeks doesn't seem particular useful, in that I don't want to be restricting content to favourites blogs every month, when I could come up with something else to fill the gap every month. Plus, when I wrote out my list of favourites for February, half of them were the same as the month before...

I'm not a huge fan of March, it usually sees the Easter break at school and the big signs counting down to study leave appear on walls. Can't be dealing with that and it also highlights final coursework deadlines and time going into making folders tidy (mine are pretty good this year!) and writing up revision notes ready for that exam prep. 

Anyway, enough of my moaning about education (I am thankful for it, of course, but we'll get onto that in another blog post...) here are a few of my favourite things from February and March. 

1. My Camera

The last few weeks have seen me get my big camera (Canon 700D) out a little more and boy was it worth it! Even though I still have a lot of learning to do, I'm gradually stepping away from my comfort blanket of Auto and re-learning settings etc. which I hope to continue, if you're a regular reader you'll have seen a few blogposts with some photos in them (if you're not - they're in the archive *cheeky plug*) but seriously, I'm really happy with how my photos and videos are coming out and I definitely want to pursue some projects with that little gem. 

2. Spaced (TV Series)

Sure, I wasn't a teenager in the 90s and I didn't have a clue what this TV series was when it was first on air, however, being the huge Simon Pegg, Jessica Stevenson, Edgar Wright and Nick Frost fan that I am, my step dad mentioned it to me, got the box set and gave it to me and honestly if I can't sleep, feel crap or just want something creative and funny to watch, this is my go to. I love all the characters, their development throughout the series, the writing, setting, filming style, gahhhhh it's all so good! If you haven't heard of it or seen it, it's weird but wonderful! 

3. Moleskine Notebooks

I'm very much a plain notebook person, it has to feel nice and it has to be good for it's purpose, but I'm not always a huge fan of having all those fancy covers, a solid plain front will do me fine. Recently, through my Creative Writing AS, I've got into writing poetry, haha. However, my Mum got me a really nice moleskin soft cover notebook and oh my life, it's now filled with creative juices, I'm surprised the pages aren't wrecked. So that's housing my poetry and random creative and thoughtful words... (I've also got two hard cover notebooks, one for each blog, which keep all my other creative fruit juices in *without apple of course*. 

4. Mum's Roast Chicken Dinner

There's something about sitting down on a Sunday and eating a roast chicken dinner cooked by Mum. From the roast potatoes to the yorkshire puddings, to parsnips and the chicken itself. It's definitely a highlight of my week.

5. The Theory of Everything (film)

I was a bit apprehensive about going to see this film, I'm not sure why but it wasn't one I was feeling too great about seeing on the big screen. Still, I got past that and went and saw it and was impressed. Impressed by Eddie Redmayne's brilliant acting and portrayal of Stephen Hawking. Impressed by the storyline and minor details paid attention to. Impressed by the way in which comedy is injected in small doses, just at the right times throughout. Impressed by the cinematography, there really are some stunning scenes. Impressed by the love story that doesn't throw up all over the other subjects covered in the film and of course, impressed by the little nods to Doctor Who. A brilliant piece of work by all involved and a film I will most probably be getting on DVD.

source

6. Chaos and the Calm - James Bay (album)

There's a bit of a back story to this being in my favourites, basically, I got asked to review it, I got positive feedback, it then got released, went to #1 in the albums chart and has now gone gold in the UK. Apart from this, it's a brilliant album that I've had on repeat, even after listening to it multiple times whilst reviewing (that means I wasn't sick of it and could still bare to listen to the CD on repeat). My iPod also decided it was a great idea to play 'Let It Go' on my home from my last night at club as a leader, oh the tears! If you haven't already heard of this guy or listened to any of his music, a link to his most successful single so far here.

7. After Aushwitz - Eva Schloss (book)

I have a weird obsession with World War II, especially within the sub-topic of the Holocaust, focusing on the concentration camps and inequality cast upon various countries. This book is basically the story of Eva Schloss (Anne Frank's step-sister) and her family before, during and after the war, I've been reading it for a while (to the point I had to restart it at one point) and I'm really getting into it now and enjoying(?! not sure that's quite the right word, but you get what I mean). It's a really good insight into not only the fear and hate she felt whilst going through this but also the system from within the camps and the social views afterwards. 

What have you been loving?

-evan.