Daily Shenanigans, 20/06/2014: The University Musical!

I have had myself quite a hectic day today guys, particularly during the afternoon . This morning I checked through my emails and found a number of interesting ones! Firstly, I posted earlier about Vanessa Morton's competition on her page, which has a generous prize too. As well as that, an earlier win was finally sent to me,  'Mary Hades' by Sarah Dalton . I've been really looking forward to getting into her work, so I hope I like this book! I did have work today too, which was very tiring. After my shift I had a meal out with Mat and Bev at a lovely restaurant in Canterbury. This was shortly followed by watching my uni friends in a great production of Jesus Christ Superstar. Both cast and crew were fantastic and it reminded me of how much I love thrat musical. 

Tomorrow I have work in the morning, then an afternoon to catch up. Plenty of reading
to do!

Daily Shenanigans, 13/04/2014: Tea, Chocolate and the Olivier Awards!

I have had a really good day today again, and quite a hectic one actually. My Dad bought a new Motorbike, and managed to sell his old one, all in the same day! The new one looks very nice, I don't know much about bikes but it's very cool and sporty looking! The weather was so lovely today that I actually myself went out for a drive with my sister, I really hope the weather stays like this, it's getting so hot now and beginning to feel like actual Summer! . We went to get a few bits at Tesco (which is incidentally where Mat works) and said hello to him as a surprise! Those bits included some more books which was really rather naughty of me because I have such a shelf space crisis at the moment. The two reads I picked up today were 'Half Bad' by Sally Green, and 'Mother, Mother' by Koren Zailckas. I've heard really good things about 'Half Bad' and 'Mother, Mother' I keep seeing in basically every book shop I walk into.

Talking of books: a progress update on 'The Fault In Our Stars'. I've finished the book! I won't say much, I'll save it for the review because Myra won't finish until tomorrow and I need time to recover/gather my thoughts/stop crying. The review itself will be up either tomorrow or Tuesday, depending on what we decide to do! Next on the TBR list is 'A Certain Slant Of Light'. I'm really excited about this one, I'm on a real roll with books at the moment and don't want it to stop. Incidentally, I'll be reading 'The Hunger Games' after that, which I'm desperately excited about. I love the films so much, it has basically become a crime that I haven't read a single one of the trilogy yet!

Right now, I'm sat in my room with some chocolate, tea and the Olivier Awards on TV. I'm a little sad because none of the shows/actors/actresses that I wanted to win actually won, but the ones who did win deserved it so I'm happy too. Plus, the intermittent performances were great! It's finishing now and I have work tomorrow, so I think I should probably get to bed and get some sleep. My whole day will pretty much be in Canterbury, so my weekend of relaxation is sadly over. I will be seeing Mat though, which is a bonus! 

Weekly Wishlist #7

This week will include a couple of things that I thought about putting last week after I had done the list! Still, that's why I do one every week!

1) 'Les Misérables: From Stage To Screen'. Going to see this musical was so great and I loved it so much! It is definitely one of the best I've seen live in a long time, if not ever! I also loved the movie when I saw it and would love to own this book to read about the transition between the two! I saw it on sale in the Merchandise area when I went to the theatre, but decided against buying it when I saw the price and the bulk of the book (£30). When I got home, I looked it up and as predicted, found it for a much cheaper £19.50. It includes annotated scripts, original costume sketches, film set designs and posters. A Les Mis fan's dream!

2) Tickets to see 'Let The Right One In'. When I saw the Swedish adaption of this film a few years ago I loved it. Along with Pan's Labyrinth, it is probably my favourite film that I have watched in a Foreign language. It is a beautiful coming of age tale, with the inclusion of a very well interpreted vampire. So when I heard that it had been adapted for the Theatre and was being shown in London, I might have had a mini dance for joy. I am so desperate to see it, the set just looks amazing and it has received some really good reviews.

3) 'A Long Way Down'; Nick Hornby. Well now there is simply no excuse. After seeing the new film adaption at the cinema and adoring it, I need to read this book! I was literally a blubbering wreck while watching it and I can only imagine that the book will render me unable to leave my room for days, but I frankly can't not read it. It's a risk I'm willing to take because I really want to see how they differ, if at all!




4) 'Vain'; Fisher Amelie. I have seen this book a few times around, as well as others in the series, and was immediately struck by the clever idea of doing a modern series about the seven deadly sins. The protagonists of these books sound like really intriguing characters to read about and I would be interested to see how Fisher Amelie approaches this concept. 'Vain' is the first in the series and I really want to get into this one. It's been on the list for a little while, but I do really want to read it, and the rest in the series: 'Greed', 'Fury', 'Lust', 'Idle', 'Binge' and 'Envy'!

5) Harry Potter Wizard's Collection Blu-Ray Set. Now this came out some time ago and it is so expensive. But I love these films and this series and I am just a massive Harry Potter fan. Why do I want this particular box set? Just look at it! It opens out like a magic chest! I love the design concept! But perhaps even more impressively, the extras! This set contains 37 hours of special features (heaven!) which I would happily watch,without sleep, repeatedly! The first two films have extended cut versions too which just makes me ridiculously excited! And if that wasn't enough, a Map of Hogwarts is included, and a catalogue of props, posters and concept art prints. At this point, I could cry.

Another week bites the dust! Recently the 'what do you want for your birthday' questions have been coming in, and now I have some answers! Hooray!

Daily Shenanigans, 24/03/2014: 'Les Misérables'

So I only just got back from watching 'Les Misérables' at the Theatre and I am literally in awe. The singing was amazing, the set ridiculously cool and elaborate and the show itself was just wonderful. I went with Mat and his Mum, and I've been really excited about it because it is a show I thought I would never get to see! Firstly, Carrie Hope Fletcher as Éponine was just perfect! Her renditions of 'A Little Fall Of Rain' and 'On My Own' were beautifully song and I may have shed a tear or two. The two characters I had worried about most however were the Thénardiers. I have only ever seen these characters played in the movie, by Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter, who I thought were hilarious! I was a bit terrified that the stage version wouldn't be funny enough, but I needn't have worried! Cameron Blakely and Wendy Ferguson had me in stitches and I think that in many ways, they stole the show.

Other than that, today has been pretty uneventful for me. I spent most of it chilling out with Mat,  my cold is a lot better now which I'm happy about. I also managed to get so much reading done and if all goes well, I'll have a review up for 'Finding Sky' up tomorrow as I'm pretty close to finishing! Also, I will be doing my Top Ten Tuesday so I'll have a pretty blog heavy day tomorrow! 

Daily Shenanigans, 02/03/2014: Making progress!

Sundays are not normally known for being exciting. But this one was. Firstly, I won another Goodreads book. I'm getting quite good at this now, it's called 'The Ruby Slippers' by Keir Alexander. It really caught my eye when I entered for it and I'm really glad that I won it! I cannot wait till it arrives! I'm not making very good progress with 'Wolves' as it stands, but that's because I've been so busy today doing other things that I haven't had time to do any reading at all. Firstly, I wrote a January/February Wrap-Up Post for the 2014 'Real Book Challenge I've entered. I'm annoyed at myself for not doing it sooner but there you go, next time I will! Straight after, I wrote my 'Weekly Wishlist' (number 2). I do really enjoy doing these, they're something a bit different to do!

Right, so time for the really exciting stuff. I have finally finished my script for my Multimedia project. I feel like singing from the top of a mountain right now, I'm that excited and happy that it's done! It is my first script that is going to be performed to an actual audience and I just hope that everything will work out the way that I would like it to! As well as my own progress, I had a chat with my Music man and he's got some great ideas which I'm excited to hear, and my Art lady has sent me some more pictures. I won't share them all, but here are more complete versions of the environment shots I posted in an earlier post to give you an idea. What a talented lady!

I wish I could draw like this. All in all, a nice productive day. I've been spending a lot of time with my sister who helped me sort out the script properly and we even went on an 'Emergency' road trip to the petrol station for fuel (which I needed) and chocolate rations (to get us through the evening). I don't even mind that I have Uni followed by work tomorrow, or that it's tipping down with rain. Today has been so good that I feel a lot better and much less stressed than I did before. I think I will audition for the Musical on Tuesday, I feel like fate is trying to tell me something by offering the second open auditions. 

Daily Shenanigans, 01/03/2014: 'The Book Thief'.

I didn't think I was going to have an awful lot to write about today, but as it turns out, in the last few hours a number of exciting things have happened. Before that, I'll just quickly note that 'Daughter Of Smoke & Bone' arrived this morning, so only 'Tithe' left to wait for. The rest of the morning/early afternoon was a mix of watching the newish movie 'The A-Team' with Dad, while doing a great deal on my script and sorting out my Kindle a little. I enjoyed 'The A-Team', Bradley Cooper and Liam Neeson were pretty good and it was better than I thought it would be. Also, I'm glad I've got round to Kindle sorting as I really need to make a list of books that I need to get for it, there just isn't enough room in my shelves for many more books.

Mat came over after work, and about an hour later, we headed out to the cinema. Let me just say that 'The Book Thief' is my favourite book. No exceptions. Okay I obviously have other favourite books (Matilda, Pride & Prejudice, etc.) but this one I just adore. And when I heard they were making a film, there was no doubt in my mind that I had to see it. The film itself, I really liked. I think I ended up bursting into tears a good 4 or 5 times as it progressed (those who have read the book will know exactly which bits I mean) and it just took me back to the last time I had read the book and how much I cried. The acting was amazing, special mention to Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson for really bringing Hans and Rosa Hubermann to life. Especially Rush, he just captured Hans exactly how I had always imagined him. Cheeky, good-humoured but with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Ben Schnetzer as well was a very touching Max, and his relationship with Liesel translated well to screen.

Some minor niggles, obviously they don't include everything in the book. This was expected but it meant some of my favourite quotes and screens were missed out. Death, as a character, I felt could have been made more of. He's such a prominent part of the book, and my favourite to read, but he only has a few lines in the film. Overall though, it was an amazing film, poignant and vivid. It touched me emotionally and I would love to see it again after reading the book once more, to make a better comparison between the two, and to appreciate it more. I wasn't in anyway disappointed and I think anyone who loved the book should try and see it. Some of the images you imagine from the novel are just as harrowing on screen and will remain with me for a long time.

Coming back from the cinema, my friend who is composing the music for my piece has written the first draft for it's introduction. I am so excited about this, I've listened to it and am mega pleased! I feel a little less stressed today, things are coming together a bit now. I just want the next few weeks to be over so I can enjoy my Easter holiday and focus solely on my final project before breaking up for Summer. Many people have suggested I enroll on a writing course after Uni, but I would quite like a year out from education just to work and write without other commitments to worry about. I'll see where it takes me. Talking of commitments, I received an email tonight saying that more auditions for Jesus Christ Superstar are taking place on Tuesday evening. Now I feel a bit less stressed, my dilemma is back to haunt me. They have told us they want a song from the musical, sung by the character we would like to play and I think this would be a lot easier to practice for so I'm seriously considering it. We'll see. 

Daily Shenanigans, 27/02/2014: To sing or not to sing?

So, I finished 'The Perks Of Being A Wallflower' today, which I was rather surprised about because I didn't think I'd get it finished that quickly. I enjoyed it and posted my review earlier, so check that out! That marks all of my February challenges complete! Yay! I have scheduled a 'Planned Reads For March' post for tomorrow to come out, so as you can see, it has been quite a productive day in terms of blogging and reading. As well as this, I've got a lot of Uni work done, schedules and rotas have been completed and just need to be printed out which I'll do tomorrow.

In terms of the Musical auditions I'm still unsure. I didn't get time to practice a song so I'm a bit under-prepared any way. But on top of that I have a lot of work that still needs doing and only a few weeks left before a good number of my hand in dates. I would rather use the time to be productive with work, particularly my Multimedia Piece, than practicing and preparing for an audition at the busiest time of the year. On the other side of the coin, this is my last opportunity to be in the musical, and Jesus Christ Superstar is one of my all time favourites! I'm in two minds and it looks like it'll be a last minute decision! I spoke to Mat about it, who thinks that I should only go for it if I really want to do it because my stress levels are starting to rise. I'll see how I feel tomorrow, after sleeping. Hopefully in a better frame of mind!

Two books arrived today, both giveaway wins! 'The Telling Error' by Sophie Hannah and 'Days Of Blood & Starlight' by Laini Taylor. I was pleasantly surprised as I won them quite recently and wasn't expecting them for quite a while! I'm still waiting on Adam Smolka's 'The Hotel Fakir', which I won a while back so I'm hoping that will arrive soon. My main focus for now is finishing 'Wolves' and then getting started on March's planned reads, though reading and blogging in general will have to take a bit of a backseat because of my upcoming assessments. They are the priority, as much as I enjoy doing this!

Daily Shenanigans, 26/02/2014: Parking problems!

I got a lot done this morning in terms of planning for the next few weeks at Uni, we spent the lecture organising the Tech Rehearsal slots for the shows we have been allocated. It's a bit of a weight off of my mind to finally have that sorted, though at the same time, show week creeping up on me at an alarmingly fast rate and I don't like it. Thankfully, the Rehearsal I was meant to be attending this evening was cancelled meaning I could go home straight after lecture rather than having to hang around for four hours with nothing to do. Phew!

My morning did not start fantastically in terms of driving. The car was fine, but my parking strategy was just appalling! Normally I have no problem but today I just couldn't quite do it. A man actually took pity on me, came out of his house and directed me into the parking space (as well as pointing out a much easier one that I could have pulled straight into). I didn't know whether to yell at him or hug him, but luckily I went for neither option and just meekly thanked him instead. Nightmare! This afternoon, I got a bit more reading done (I'm about a quarter of the way through 'The Perks Of Being A Wallflower'). I'm pleased with how quickly I'm getting through it, it's a bit of a slow starter but I'm enjoying it! I aim to finish it before February to complete this month's challenges so a review for that should be pretty soonish, especially as I have a day off tomorrow. Other jobs I have are to type up various schedules, send some emails and practice my audition song for the Musical. I'm a bit unsure whether I still want to do it or not but I think that's the stress talking, and so I'm going to go for it and see how far I get.

Also, I checked out a website today that I've seen posted in various blogs and Goodreads reviews. Net Galley allows people who consider themselves 'professional book readers' (including bloggers like me) to request books, which are advance copies more often than not, and download them onto their E-Device to read and review. It sounds like a lot of fun and something I'm definitely looking into joining, but I need to read up on it first! So I guess actually that's one more job for tomorrow! Wahoo!

Summer is here...Or at least it should be!

I'm back!

A lot has happened over the last couple of weeks, since my last post! First, my trip to Harry Potter Studio tours! I had been looking forward to it since we'd booked it, particularly as it was booked for right after my rather stressful stint backstage for 'Witches Of Eastwick', and would mark the start of my frankly well deserved Summer Holidays.



I was not disappointed. I was taken aback by just how much work had gone into the films (and trust me I had imagined it big), and the staff that worked there were ridiculously knowledgeable. We were told at the beginning to test them so at one point Mat asked a girl why there was an 82% scale model of Dumbledore, and she told us it was created for Dumbledore's Funeral, in which Hagrid was going to carry him, which was later cut from the film. I was so impressed with everything I saw there (except when I unknowingly walked underneath a very real looking Aragog) and found it all so interesting! If you're ever in Watford or have been umming and ahhing about it, then go! You won't regret walking through those huge great double doors, I promise!
Also: Matilda the Musical. This book/film has been a favourite of mine since childhood. Everything about the story, the characters, the message just put me in a good mood. So I came to watch this one with mixed feelings. Would I be bowled over? Or leave feeling severely disappointed. As a musical it had a lot of potential to succeed, but also a lot of potential to completely flop. My first impressions came from the rather impressive set as I sat in my seat. We were surrounded by letter tiles and spent the long wait before the show started trying to spell words which would give us a clue of what was to come.

The show began and I was instantly a little disappointed with my seat. Not because of the view, but because it was difficult to hear the onstage action, particularly when they were singing. However, overall I did enjoy myself. Memorable highlights included 'The School Song' (our minds were blown by the clever incorporation of the alphabet), 'My House', 'Quiet' and 'Miracle' which is the catchiest song in the show. I worried that having Trunchbull played by a man and singing and dancing would make her funny rather than scary, but I was satisfied, particularly in the second act when her dark past is revealed (and the kids in my row were terrified!) Despite being unable to catch the clever lyrics during the actual performance, I made a fantastic purchase in the soundtrack and developed a new appreciation for some of the other songs such as 'Loud', 'I'm Here' and 'The Hammer'. The inclusion of the Acrobat and the Escapologist's story did baffle me a little at first, I'll be honest. However, I did really like it, and found that it very much tugged at my heartstrings in the same way that the film and book had done before. If you are fans of those, then I think you will definitely enjoy this show as long as you are willing to be a little open-minded about some of the changes in the story.

Other than that, I've had a small trip away to a nearby Seaside town, Dymchurch. We stayed in a caravan for a few days, played Xbox, watched films and generally acted like slobs which is exactly what I'd been looking for after my stressful year at Uni. I'm very much looking forward to a proper holiday in Corfu next Friday though! Hopefully there I'll find some actual sunlight, as the weather here can't seem to make up its mind at all.

Back again?

Well folks...

I can only apologise for my profound lack of blogging, and suffice to say, I'm feeling rather sheepish. Many many things have cropped up over a rather busy year which have prevented me from keeping this up...until now!

So let me start with a brief catch up of my second year at Uni, which I have finished. I originally planned to restart this many a time but never quite got round to it, partly due to the large number of assignments that were being thrown at me left, right and centre. Having finished those and receiving all of my marks (I've passed the year with a barely scraped 1st, very pleased) I decided to get involved with the annual UCF (University Centre Folkestone) Musical, applying to be in the Stage Management team. Having studied both Production Techniques and Stage Management as part of my course this year, I've found that I've really enjoyed these subjects and am very much considering a career in this kind of work. Having Stage Managed a devised piece for one of the Third years (Link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqczYHSpOd8 I highly recommend giving it a watch, the entire thing was written and directed by a very talented student who has just graduated) and helped back stage with a number of different shows which the University have put on, the Musical would definitely be the biggest I have done. 

This years chosen Musical was 'The Witches of Eastwick', one that I had previously heard of and became very excited about! Needless to say, I was not disappointed. Despite the huge stress levels and bruises it entailed, it has been by far one of the most fulfilling and fun things I've done for a while, and has made me many new friends. For those interested, more pictures were taken by Jason Dodd and can be found here. 

All in all, the whole thing was a wonderful way to say goodbye to not only the students leaving this year, but to the UCF campus as we are all moving to Canterbury. It's been an emotional rollercoaster, but well worth it (though it is nice to sleep again).

Perhaps this post was a little short but I'm tired. I am off to London from tomorrow for a few days to visit the Harry Potter Studio tours and to watch Matilda the Musical, which I hope to blog about when I get the chance! I would like to thank my little sister for getting me back into this finally (though it's now beginning to sound like an Oscar speech), and just a bit of shameless promoting, her blog is here. Give it a read, she'd be ever so grateful!