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? 

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.