Last Week's Shenanigans: Job Hunting!

I've actually ended up, all in all, having a fairly busy week this week! The first half maybe not so much, but the second half was very busy indeed for me.

Monday 4th: Today was probably one of the more boring days for me this week. I had work at 11 so I spent the morning getting ready for it, and then the rest of the day working and coming home. Work itself wasn't too bad though, we have a few new workers and I was tasked with showing one of them the ropes which made a nice change. I didn't feel all that well at first, and because Bev was ill, I worried I had caught it. It turned out okay in the end though!

Tuesday 5th: Tuesday was my day off and Bev was still ill, so we spent the morning watching various programmes (Pram Face mainly) on Netflix and generally relaxing. In the afternoon, I decided the time had come to tackle my ridiculously untidy room and I have to say I think I did a pretty good job! You can actually see the carpet and the desks now! It's a miracle! That particular job took up most of the afternoon and evening, and Bev and Mum helped me out which was nice. Obviously, I also wrote out my Top Ten Tuesday post, and I really enjoyed this week's topic!

Wednesday 6th: Well as Mat and I were both off from work, we were supposed to be going out  and doing something fun before I had dinner and a meeting in the evening. However, Mat decided he'd much rather spend the whole morning sleeping in instead. It didn't really matter though in my opinion, all of the things I had wanted to do involved being outside, and it was raining really hard! I did a couple of bits and bobs in the morning, then when Mat eventually arrived with a thousand apologies, we decided to relax at his and watch some more Game Of Thrones. In the afternoon/evening, Mat dropped me in Canterbury and I went for Nandos with some of my work friends, before we all had to attend a meeting at Clarks in preparation for the Back To School period. Overall it was pretty fun, and a work friend dropped me home. Mat quickly popped over again to get the car to me after he'd finished his training (he does Parkour).

Thursday 7th: Another boring day for me here. My family headed to Maidstone to grab some home improvements as they're redecorating the Living Room. I had work pretty early in the morning, so couldn't go with them. When I got home, we sat and watched The Great British Bake-Off together (I seriously love that show) and then after dinner, I headed to Mat's for the evening. I watched even more Game Of Thrones, I am seriously getting into this series so much!

Friday 8th: Now here is where the Job Hunting aspect of my post came in. I was originally supposed to be working on this day, but I ended up swapping with someone else. Instead, after an uneventful morning, I headed up to London in the afternoon to try and sort out my income for when I move there in less than a month. I had a pretty big stroke of luck as the very first Clarks that I stopped at to inquire about a transfer had a full time opening. It was absolutely perfect for what I needed and I'm in the process of getting it all sorted now. While I was up there, I also decided to attend an Open Evening for a Traineeship at the Royal Court Theatre. It sounds like a huge step towards something I would love to do, and a lot of fun. I returned home feeling very happy and tired.

Saturday 9th: Another work shift for me and Clarks is starting to get very, very busy! It was an absolutely knackering day and to be honest, I really wasn't feeling too good. I was glad when it finished and I could go home to relax. Other than work, my day remained pretty uneventful and I really didn't get up to all that much! Bev bought ingredients for, and made some lovely Chocolate and Almond cupcakes (the recipe for which can be found on her blog) and they were absolutely scrumptious!

Sunday 10th: No work today so I spent the morning being domestic and helping Mum with the ironing. Bev was a bit bored and wanted to bake something else so I picked her out another recipe and she made Strawberry and Cream cakes, which again, were divine. I need to learn to bake like Bev, she's amazing! After Mat finished work, I picked him up and we went to his for the evening. We watched another Game Of Thrones episode (Series 3 is almost finished at this point) and he generally looked after me because I still wasn't quite right from Saturday.

Memes:

Top Ten Tuesday (Topic: Books I Would Recommend For Those Who Haven't Read Historical Fiction)

Life Of A Blogger (Topic: Best Childhood Memory)

Books Reviewed:

Life Of Pi; Yann Martel

Daily Shenanigans, 30/06/2014: Sneaking in one more read!

Well I don't quite know how I managed it, but I finished and reviewed Stant Litore's 'No Lasting Burial' in time for my June Wrap-Up post! Hooray! I'm glad I did too because it was well worth the read, I can tell you. As well as that, it marked my last read for the target of 35 reads I set myself on the Goodreads 2014 reading challenge! I've had a fairly busy day today. Firstly I got up pretty early, then had to rush out of bed so that I could drive to Mat's house and pick him up. We drove back to mine and spent most of the day together! I watched a couple more episodes of Game Of Thrones (Season 2) and oh my goodness, things are getting tense! It's making me crave the next book! After Mat had gone, I got straight onto reading and finishing my book for review, and then typed up my June Wrap-Up post. I also got to see how well I had done with my Bookish Bingo challenge over the last few months. I was pretty pleased and can't wait to have ago at the Summer card (July-September). 

Tomorrow I have work again but I have a number of Blog Posts to type up too, as well as making a start on 'Divergent'. I am excited to be getting on with things though!

Daily Shenanigans, 16/06/2014: 'The Fault In Our Stars' Advanced Screening.

So I've had a pretty exciting and productive day today, certainly in terms of reading! To begin with, I was staying at Mat's last night and I've spent the day at his. We mostly relaxed, playing games and watching Game Of Thrones. As well as that I managed to finish that very book! I enjoyed it so much, and the review went up today as promised. I thoroughly recommend the book, it's a brilliant start to the epic saga!

But now for the main crux of my post. This evening, Mat and I made use of our Unlimited cards and watched the advanced screening of 'The Fault In Our Stars' (it actually comes out Thursday here in Britain). I will start by saying that I majorly cried and it was not a pretty sight at all! The whole cinema was in floods of tears and anyone who has read the book will know why. It was definitely worth the sobbing though, the film was fantastic! Hazel and Augustus had a wonderful onscreen chemistry that far exceeded my expectations and I enjoyed every minute of the film. They stuck pretty closely to the book as well which I was pleased about. I really appreciated seeing some of my favourite quotes in there, but I actually found a new appreciation for some parts of the film that I didn't take much notice of in the book.

The casting was fantastic. Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort were wonderful as the two leads,  as I have said. In addition, Nat Wolff played Isaac perfectly! I had such a soft spot for Isaac in the book that it was important to me that the film got him right, which they did. I was also very impressed with Willem Dafoe as the eccentric and bitter Peter van Houten. I am so glad that I enjoyed this film,  which was very funny at times, but heart breaking and emotional throughout.

Tomorrow I'm off to stay round a friend's house who I haven't seen for a very long time! I'll also be posting my Top Ten Tuesday post!

Daily Shenanigans, 14/06/2014: World Cup!

Well today has been pretty laid back for me. I've made a lot of progress with 'A Game Of Thrones' and I fully expect to have a review for it up at some point tomorrow! That makes up mostly what I've been doing today, reading. I slept in pretty late this morning, and I had a few chores to do. Mat finished work a lot earlier than usual and came straight round afterwards so I spent a lot of the afternoon and evening with him! Originally we were going to go to the Cinema, but instead we decided to stay in and watch another episode of 'Game Of Thrones'. Actually now, come to think of it, my entire day has pretty much consisted of the TV Series/Book. Not that I'm complaining!

Currently, I'm watching the England Vs. Italy match with my sister on TV. I'm not a football fan really but I'm very patriotic and so don't mind watching the World Cup! Tomorrow is Father's Day so we're having a curry (yum!) and then I'm going round Mat's in the afternoon to stay over, seeing as he has the day off! As I said I'll hopefully have a review up tomorrow, as well as my Weekly Wishlist. I feel like my blog has been lacking a little recently in posts (other than my daily entry) so it's time I got productive!

Daily Shenanigans, 09/06/2014: Guest post!

So, I've ended up being a very busy bee today actually! I'll start off by saying that the weather was tremendously hot, though it has rained quite a lot and we've even had a Thunder Storm this evening. Hopefully the air will be a little less humid now! I started the morning off playing a little bit of The Sims 3 and reading a rather hefty portion of 'Stolen Songbird'. I am enjoying this book so much and I can't wait to finish and review it for you guys! Mat came over about mid-morning and has spent quite a lot of it fussing over me on account of my hurting foot after yesterday's little trip down the stairs (...that was a terrible pun, my apologies). I also finally got round to posting a separate page for reviews, so they can be found more easily. I am glad I have the time to be improving upon my blog in the way that I want to at last! Mat and I did pop into town today to do a few bits and bobs, but other than that it has been very much a day of relaxation. While in town, I did buy Season 2 of 'Game Of Thrones' on Blu-Ray and we watched a couple of episodes today. I am thoroughly addicted to that series.

After Mat left, I began to work on a post that I've been keeping secret up until now. The lovely ladies over on Oh, The Books! have recently put out a call for all newbie bloggers (if your blog has started in the last six months) to write a guest post for them to put on their own blog (click here if you're interested). It's a wonderful idea and though it took me a while to pluck up the courage to say I would do it, I'm glad I have volunteered. I've started on the post today. It isn't quite finished, and I haven't been given a set date for when it will go up but I shall keep you all updated as I know more! I'm extremely excited! 

Tomorrow I will try and finish it, and then send it onto them. I shall also be posting my 'Top Ten Tuesday' list and hopefully reviewing my current read too. Busy, busy!

Daily Shenanigans, 06/06/2014: Last full day in London!

Today for the most part has been a relaxing day. This morning, after finally getting up, Mat and I watched the last episode of 'Game Of Thrones' Season 1. I have to say it has made me really desperate to read the book. And I hear that the series only continues to get better and more addictive. I would really love to see what the series has missed out or altered. Luckily I only have my current read and the one after standing in my way. Speaking of reading, I still can't shake this annoyed feeling that I am really behind. I got a good way through today but I really would like this book to be finished now, it's so long! I'm only halfway through! Still, I'm enjoying it.

Other than relaxing, Mat had a lot of packing to do in preparation for moving all of his stuff out. Most of it went today (his family came to pick a majority of it up) but the rest will be out tomorrow and we will be going back home. I'll be round his for the day but I still plan to do plenty of reading!

Daily Shenanigans, 01/06/2014: 'Maleficent'.

So today was a lovely day off, but I did get a surprising amount done. Actually I was pretty productive! I've made a start on 'The Luminaries' and it's pretty enjoyable so far. I'm intrigued to see where this one will lead. In fact I spent a good bit of the day reading, doing blog stuff and generally relaxing. I posted two other posts today, my 'Planned Reads For June' and my 'Weekly Wishlist' which I really enjoyed writing! I did also create a review archive page, which I plan to show on my blog ASAP. It was satisfying to put all of my reviews in one place, and I can't wait to add to it! This evening, I went to pick Mat up from work and then we headed to his and watched another episode of 'Game Of Thrones'. Well, most of it anyway. We had to stop ten minutes before the end to go to the cinema.

It was worth the interruption though because this evening I watched 'Maleficent'. I think it's going to be pretty hard to put into words how excited I was for this film. It looked like it was going to take Sleeping Beauty's story down a similar path that 'Wicked' did with 'The Wizard Of Oz'. I worried that I would be disappointed, but now I realise I had nothing to worry about at all. It was a stunning film. They made a few changes to the story but that was really to be expected. The visuals, first off, were stunning. Particularly some of the scenes set in the land of the Fairies. These were among my favourite, the huge amount of imagination that went into this film was something to behold. I actually really did like the story itself too. 

Angelina Jolie did a wonderful job as the titular character. I'm not an overly big fan of hers and I worried that I wouldn't enjoy her performance, but she was perfect for the role! Cold-hearted and cruel, but with hidden depths that were a joy to discover. I also really loved Imelda Staunton as Knotgrass and Elle Fanning played Aurora wonderfully. Again, I worried that I might find her annoying, but I found instead the complete opposite! Sharlto Copley was great as the mad King Stefan but for me the star performance came from Sam Riley as Diaval the Raven. I found him to be so funny and they really made his character a memorable one.

All in all, a fantastic film with great costumes and a beautiful soundtrack to boot! Tomorrow I'm working again but I plan to squeeze in a lot of reading around my shift. I have to get the train tomorrow, so I will certainly be able to use that time to my advantage.

Daily Shenanigans, 30/05/2014: May is almost over!

I can't believe how close the end of the month is! I have set myself a goal that I really have no choice but to complete. Being a bit of a perfectionist, I cannot stand not completing challenges that I have signed up to and I am in danger of doing that twice this month! I still have yet to read a Dystopian novel, and I have yet to read a novel for the 2014 Key Words challenge. Only one day of May remains and my chosen book that fits into both will be 'Shadow & Bone' by Leigh Bardugo (I do not have time to read 'Cinder' this month, which was my original Dystopian choice. I'm so mad!) This month should be the last month that this happens, as I have completely finished with Uni now and only plan to do a lot of working over the Summer, so I can easily fit in a lot of reading around that. I just wish I'd organised myself a little better this month! Straight after 'Shadow And Bone', I'm desperate to get back into a paperback book. I have had far too many kindle reads and I miss the feeling of physically turning pages (is this normal?) so I'll be reading a nice long book, 'The Luminaries' by Eleanor Catton. I am very excited to be reading this one and a huge thank you to my sister for letting me borrow it before she's even read it!

In terms of what I've actually done today rather than cry about May rapidly disappearing, I managed to finish 'A Red Tale' and posted the review this evening. I also went to work, and then after my shift, went to Mat's for the evening. we decided to watch 'Maleficent' on Sunday in 3D, so I very much look forward to that! We mostly chilled out, I read while he played Assassin's Creed and he also watched another episode of Game Of Thrones with me. That programme is so addictive and I'm getting excited watching the book creep up my TBR list towards the top. Not long now! Tomorrow I'll be working so posts might be a little late in the day again, but other than that reading is the only thing on my agenda. Wish me luck on completing 'Shadow & Bone' by the end of the day, I have really high hopes for this one!

Daily Shenanigans, 10/05/2014: Continuing 'Game Of Thrones'.

My day started off well because I finally got the lay-in I've been waiting for all week! Hooray! In all honesty, today in general was the first time in ages I've got to properly relax without worrying about Uni things. I still manage to keep a bit busy though. I had to do a lot of packing and a bit of tidying this morning because my room is such a state (I am terribly untidy)! After that, I went to town to go and get a few bits and bobs before Mat arrived to whisk me off to London for my four day birthday trip! I'm very excited to be here and looking forward to doing lots of relaxing and having fun for once. This evening has been filled with tea, biscuits and Game Of Thrones (I've only watched two more episodes, this show is ridiculously addictive though). Tomorrow we don't plan to do an awful lot but be slobs (and maybe a bit of shopping) so I will be able to get a lot of reading done hopefully (and post my Weekly Wishlist). Fingers crossed that this is the start of me being a bit more active again! 

Daily Shenanigans, 02/05/2014: Winter Is Coming...

Well today has been interesting to say the least, and very busy! There were three of my friend's pieces on today and one of them I was helping out with. I had quite a stressful morning today as the piece I was helping out with encountered a lot of problems throughout. It meant that I stayed later than I originally thought I would and got nothing done in terms of blogging, reading or uni work! 

I did have a much better afternoon. Mat is home and I'm staying at his! Hooray! It has certainly been nice spending time with him, he talked me into (finally) watching the first couple of episodes of Game Of Thrones. I would just like to say that show knows no boundaries! I mean none! It has made me even more eager to read the books as well, it was really good (if a little disturbing in places)! I am too scared to get favourite characters though, I sense they won't last long. Tomorrow I'm with Mat in the morning, then have the rest of the day to be  productive!