Daily Shenanigans, 29/05/2014: Canterbury again?!

So even though I've actually really finished Uni now, I'm still finding myself in Canterbury more often than not! I woke up and spent a lot of the morning at Mat's which was fun. I got quite a lot of reading done too! After that, Mat and I went back to mine to get my sister and we drove her to Canterbury for her Driving Theory test! It meant a lot of waiting around but she did pass I'm pleased to say. I also popped into Uni to grab some recordings of my Uni project performance and I'm very pleased with how they've come out! After Bev's test, we headed back to Ashford to get ourselves something nice to eat, and then Mat and I headed out to watch his brother's performance as the March Hare in Alice In Wonderland. Incidentally, it was really good! In terms of blogging, I just about managed to find time to do my 'Life Of A Blogger' post, which was on the topic of Siblings. Because of this, we decided we would write joint posts which were a lot of fun to devise. Check both of those out if you're interested!

Tomorrow I'm in Canterbury again, I have work and then I'll be seeing Mat. Fingers crossed, if we have time, we'll be watching Maleficent!

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! 

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, 20/03/2014: Phew!

Oh my goodness, tonight went so well! I woke up at quarter to six this morning, so that I could drive in for eight. While driving, I listened to Jeff Wayne's 'War Of The Worlds' (a musical adaption for those that don't know, I adore it) and it calmed me down a bit. I have been worrying all week about this assignment and as it turns out, I had nothing to worry about after all. The lighting design for the show I'm being marked on was exactly how I imagined it would be, and I worked painstakingly throughout my 14 hour (yes, really) day to get i perfect. The show went really well and my Tutor seemed quite impressed so I'll have to wait and see!

I still have some work to do tomorrow on my Multimedia Portfolio, but then that's it for a little while! Thank goodness too because I  think the stress was sure to make me implode sooner or later. I am very tired this evening so  I'll make this post quite short again. If I get my coursework done well, I'll be able to be more productive blog-wise and have more to talk about tomorrow! Wish me luck!

Before I go, I'll just say: 35 followers on Bloglovin'? 18 on Google +? Wow! Thanks guys!

Daily Shenanigans, 18/03/2014: Glad to be home!

That's right everyone, I'm back at my house! I had planned to be at my friends house for one more night, but in the end I've been so stressed and exhausted that I really wanted to just be in my own bed, rather than spend half of tomorrow travelling home. This morning I woke up early, still not fully recovered from my exhausting day yesterday. The friend that I was staying with had her own show to perform tonight so she needed to be in super early, meaning I also had to get up. While she was in her Dress Rehearsal, I spent the morning doing my 'Top Ten Tuesday' post and a few other bits and bobs while I waited for my work shift. I had an enjoyable morning despite being tired and still feeling a little on edge.

This afternoon I had work. Nothing much to say other than it was tiring, but it helped me take my mind off of this stressful week I'm having, and my up and coming assessment on Thursday, at least for a little while anyway. I finished work at half 5, and literally legged it back to Uni for this evening's shows which started at 6. I can honestly say that I'm so glad I went to watch them. They were all really good, there was so much talent and effort that went into each and every one, and in the end I was so happy for all of my friends who were involved in the night's proceedings. It was a huge success! It did mean though that I was catching the train at 25 past 10 this evening and I was knackered. I got a bit more reading done though (I'm sneaking it in here and there).

Tomorrow I plan to get a lot of coursework done. And I mean a lot. No procrastination, no excuses, I'm finishing it. Once that's done, I'll do my 'Life Of A Blogger' post and schedule it for Thursday, because I won't have time on the actual day to do it at all (I'm in 8 till late again). Once Thursday is over though, look forward to a happier and significantly less stressed me! Yay!

Daily Shenanigans, 17/03/2014: One down, one to go!

Well. It's over. I was up early and very nervous about today. Being in charge of a whole night's worth of shows is stressful stuff. But as it turned out, it all went ok. I was in at about 8 this morning, till roughly half 9 this evening, to give you all an idea. 

I'm just really glad that I had such a good, hard working team, and in the end I was getting overly worried. I actually ended up enjoying it to an extent! I've got a really bad headache right now because I am so tired and my eating pattern went completely out of whack. This is going to end up being my shortest post yet but I only wanted to update you all on how it went. 

Tomorrow: sleep, work and watching more shows. Roll on the rest of the week! 

Oh! And Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Daily Shenanigans, 16/03/2014: Someone de-stress me?

I've had an emotional rollercoaster of a day today. It started off well, I had a lovely day at Mat's and it was nice to spend a whole day with him, which I haven't done in a while. At the same time though, I felt a bit emotional because I'm a bit frightened about tomorrow. It's show day. Now I know everything is going to go okay, yet I still feel like something is going to go terribly wrong. We played a lot of Pokémon and spent the day just trying to relax.

I left mid-afternoon and had dinner at my house before my Dad dropped me at the station to getto Uni for a Tech Slot tonight! Again, it wasn't stressful as such but I honestly felt so stressed that I was still a bit emotional. I will be so glad when this week is over. I think I'm going to throw a party. The Tech Slot ended pretty quickly and I hung around a bit to help with some tidying up before leaving to go to stay with my friends. I'm there now and they are doing everything in their power to cheer me up which I very much appreciate.

I have to get up quite early tomorrow so this is a short post. I did manage to get a lot of reading done today on the train to Canterbury. I was told off a lot by my boyfriend for switching between books so I'm focusing on 'The Snow Child' and am seeing if that speeds up progress a bit. Hopefully when I post tomorrow I'll be a lot happier.

Daily Shenanigans, 13/03/2014: Bees do not like getting tangled in hair.

Well I think it's fair to say that today was long. It didn't start off brilliantly either, a bee got stuck in my hair and I don't think I've ever freaked out quite as much as I did when that happened. It was right by my ear and wouldn't stop buzzing, and I think I would have cried if it had stayed there any longer than it did. I was in Uni mid-morning until early evening, programming lights for next Thursday's set of shows. The programming itself went pretty well, it was just a long process and filled most of my day, leaving me with not a huge amount to talk about. All I can say is that though it was tiring and stressful, I'm pretty pleased with how it went!

When I got home I spent the evening relaxing, I'll be honest. Yes I have work to do but I figured I need a bit of me time so that I can approach it fresh-faced tomorrow. So I got round to actually doing a bit of reading! I have made real progress with 'The Snow Child' which I am thoroughly enjoying. It is such a wonderful book, I won't reveal too many of my thoughts, but unless something goes drastically wrong I would expect a top notch review from me for this one! I've also been doing quite a bit of blog planning, so that I can still get posts up around my busy week that I've got coming! Seeing as I'll be staying at my friends again for a good majority of it, I feel it's better to try and plan ahead, and not leave it till last minute like last time.

As well as all that, I would just like to take the time to mention that I'm now at 27 followers on Bloglovin' all of a sudden! I'm literally so taken aback and grateful, this blog really means a lot to me and I'm glad that people appreciate the posts that I put up on here! I've been talking to Mat all evening and I will be seeing him tomorrow (also, day off Uni, yay!) so I'm really excited and anxious for time to go quickly! Before he arrives, the plan is to get a huge chunk of Portfolio done (or even finish it if I can) so I can check another stress off the list!

Daily Shenanigans, 04/03/2014: Pancake Day!

Happy 'Shrove Tuesday' everyone! Yes, that's right, it was pancake day today and I've literally just tucked into one smothered in Nutella which made me very happy. I really needed it actually because I've not had an overly good day. Firstly, I woke up with a sore throat and it didn't go away for quite a while. When I tried to practice my song for the audition, it came out as a garbled mess, particularly the all important high notes. Needless to say, I didn't go for it. This meant I had all day to be productive, and I tried to be. I got my 'Top Ten Tuesday' post sorted (it was quite an easy one) and tried to get on with some Uni work. The problem was, all I could think of was this story idea that has been playing on my mind for a while. Today in particular, it chose to have a bout of fresh inspiration and left me unable to concentrate on anything else but trying to organise my ideas in my head. It was both great because I love the idea, and annoying because I wanted to get some stuff done.

Also, I found out today that the Tech sessions my partner and I had booked with our Directors have to be cancelled because of an electrical fault in the Studio. This is so frustrating because show week is less than a fortnight away and I'm starting to get extremely nervous about it to be honest. I just really want everything done in time. They have re-instated the lecture, so I still have to go in. No cheeky extra day off for me! Darn! The only couple of good things that happened today were that I went for a quick Supermarket trip with my sister and we decided that we would make some Creme Egg Brownies this weekend, for her blog challenge and my sanity (I really want to try them). Also I have found the mother of all wishlist items this evening. I would share it with you, but that would spoil the surprise for my 'Weekly Wishlist #3', so you'll have to wait! Reading wise, I got very little done again and although March has just begun I really feel like I'm falling behind. I want to finish 'Wolves' for Thursday, for some reason it's just taking me ages to get through this book.

I've got a headache coming, just to top off an already stressful day. The headache is probably being caused by that actually, so I think sleep is in order. I don't have to get up quite so early tomorrow, so my body will certainly appreciate that.

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!

Daily Shenanigans, 19/02/2014: Train Troubles.

I swear I have the worst luck when it comes to modes of transport. Seriously, something just always seems to go wrong! I hopped on the train this morning and settled down to read a bit of 'Pure' on my way to my lecture. About two minutes after we set off, we stopped. Apparently, the railway lines on the journey were flooded, meaning a slow journey to where I needed to be. Slow indeed, I arrived at my lecture an hour late! This wasn't too much of a problem, it was a free slot to practice rather than an actual lecture. However, the journey home was just a nightmare! My friend kindly gave me a lift to the station so that I could catch the half past seven train, which was lovely of her! The problem was, there was no half past seven train. Instead there was a replacement bus service. Apparently, that track flooding hadn't gone away and it was worse on the line home. So about ten minutes later the bus set off! Ten minutes after that...it broke down. I was hoping to be home by a bit before eight o'clock tonight, but I finally got into my house about quarter past nine. I was not a happy bunny.

Other than minor travel nuisances, my day has been rather good! Uni was actually relaxing today, in a sense. Work too was pretty good, busy, but good. I had to run from work back to Uni to watch a Show Preview (which I actually ended up missing anyway) but that went well and I had a productive meeting afterwards with the Stage Manager of that show. Lovely. I will also just say,  because this is the most exciting part of my day, that my first 'Goodreads Giveaway' win has arrived! 'Wolves' by Simon Ings has now been added onto my currently reading list, as I plan to get a review of it posted ASAP. The front cover looks great, and the blurb is promising so I can't wait to get a review of this one up for you guys! Tomorrow I am spending the day with Mat, who has a lot of work to do so that means more reading time for me! I can't wait!

Daily Shenanigans, 12/02/2014: Phoebe the Fiat has a tantrum.

Well, today certainly did not go to plan. It started off well, I got a lie in because my lecture was not due to start until 11 o'clock, so about an hour before I set off, all prepared to go to my lecture along with the numerous meetings and show previews I had to attend. It all went downhill from there. I knew I would be late because I had left later than intended and the traffic was absolute murder. But what I was not prepared for was my lovely little car (or Phoebe as she is affectionately nicknamed) to break down. As I tried to make my way to my usual parking spot, the engine began cutting out on me numerous times for no apparent reason. It was not an impressive start to my morning. I ended up just about getting the car to a handy nearby car park, paying to keep her there for the day and walking a twenty minute walk to University. I missed my lecture, I missed my first preview and I barely made the meeting I had arranged.

As well as this, as the afternoon went on it began to rain. And when I say rain I mean the sky literally turned into a waterfall. My poor boyfriend came all the way down from London after receiving my panicked and tearful phone calls about the car (luckily he has a day off today) and came to meet me so that we could get it sorted. His train arrived much earlier than my preview finished, meaning he was standing in the torrential downpour for a long while waiting. We walked back to the car (not a fun experience) and after much thought, decided it would be best to go home. The road between my hometown and my University is prone to flooding and the rain did not look like it was going to let up. This of course meant that I couldn't watch the show that I mentioned last week, the one that I have been desperately looking forward to all week! After testing the car, Phoebe the Fiat decided she was working absolutely fine again and so we hastily made our way home before she changed her mind. As devastated as I am about missing the show, we made the right choice. The river was bursting its banks as we drove past, and we had to drive through a few ponds where the road dipped. That would only have got worse as the day had gone by.

So yes, a gut-wrenchingly horrid day today! The only good part was that I got to see Mat for a few hours (he has gone back to London now) and if it weren't for that I would be wanting to curl up under a duvet for a few days and hide from the world. I don't have to worry about University tomorrow, as I have a day off and so I can get a few bits and bobs done. And the previews did go well (the ones that I saw anyway) so I suppose that's something. I just hope tomorrow is better.

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.