New Years Eve!

Monday 31 December 2012

We are having a wild New Years Eve here...

At around dinner time we got into our PJs, ate an Indian takeout, planned to make fresh candyfloss on my candyfloss macine but then decided that it was much easier to just eat fresh chocolate Brownies instead.

Then, through some dreadful twist of fate I was convinced to watch Dawn of the Dead until the New Years countdown, which is slowly creeping upon us. Then, we're going to watch the dazzling fireworks in London... from our Tv which is not in London, I will probably be wearing a onesie, so I will spare you pictures of my super fabulous and glamorous outfit of the day!

Wherever you are this New Years Eve, I hope that you are having the most wonderful time, and are able to reflect on 2012 knowing that it was a truly amazing year and you have grown and become a better person for it, even with the hardships and knocks.

If you're having a crazy night in like us (haha)

Here are some pretty fireworks to make it feel like you are having a dazzling night out!

 

Lets go to the movies: The Pianist

Sunday 30 December 2012

If you're looking for an uplifting film for New Years Eve then look away from 'The Pianist' because this isn't it, and it will make you feel really bad about humanity, society and history and life in general.

But don't let this put you off the film which I think is really darn good.



'The Pianist' follows a Jewish musician trying to survive the second World War.

If the sound of a film about war has already made you feel like pumping Zzz then wake right up, because what makes this fiml so emotional and dramatic is because the War is the backdrop (albeit a very influential backdrop) to the film, and the focus is the biography of the musician Wladyslaw. There are so many moments where you're certain he's a goner but then somehow, he's still there although ultimately the film is a tragedy of the horrors of the time.

It is very graphic in mnay instances, it does not hold back on the most disturbing of scenes, one that sticks out in my mind is some soldiers throwing a man in his wheelchair out the window of a tall building.

But then there are really really small parts that warm your heart, or at least they warmed mine- the sympathy of one soldier, cutting a single toffee into six parts so that each family member could taste something sweet on their tongue, hearing Wladyslaw play the piano for the first time in such a long time.

I think 'The Pianist' is something really special, but made even better by the fact that it is based on a true story!

Brand New video: Harry Potter Studio Tour

Saturday 29 December 2012


Well it's your lucky day!

It may have taken a whole 4 attempts  and about 12 hours in total of uploading but it's here in the end!

You don't have to pay to get in, this is the equivalent to your ticket!

Except without any boring queues, aching feet, or travelling.

I'll warn you that if you do have a ticket to go, watching this video would be the equivalent of watching a spoiler to a film that you're about to see...

half of the magic of goin was the surprise of not knowing what magic was going to be int he next room, around the next corner so if you're going to go then come back and watch this video once you've been.

But if you live too far away, or simply can't go then watch, feast your eyes on what felt like genuine magic and enjoy the adventure!

Forever 21 mini haul!

Friday 28 December 2012

YAYYY

I know I am slightly crazy for going shopping at this time of year, but I couldn't resist these adorable treats!

First on the list are these two cute pairs of knick-knocks

I love the little cute ducks! And the little neon hearts! They were in the sale too...




Then for the top half, I saw this beautiful Aladdin jumper, although Aladdin isn't my favourite of the Disney selction they had, it had the nicest colours so I got it!

Then just when I was certain that I was finished, I found this beautiful top with fancy gold writing saying 'Be Kind to one another'


I just couldn't resist it's loveliness!

Did you brave the shops post-C hristmas this year?

Post-Christmas navy 'blues!'

Thursday 27 December 2012

It has been such a lovely Christmas at home, we had the most beautiful dinner!

I wish I had taken pcitures of every little thing now to show you but I really just wanted to enjoy everything and dig in.

We always have Christmas dinner pretty late, maybe between 3/4 and so that I enjoy every bite of it I sometimes skip breakfast altogether so that I'm extra hungry.
The presents were alrady opened long before dinner. I actually awoke around 5am because I was so so excited for Christmas morning!

My sister was home and is always really hyperactive in the morning so she reawoke me around 8am because she was so excitedly opening presents (she is the older sister believe it or not)

This was my Christmas morning outfit which was very very navy blue from head to toe!





The jumper I got on Christmas morning from New Look, and on the back woven into the knitting was s star shape (although I think the star is meant to be on the front so technically I'm wearing my top back to front) Then I wore my navy blue jeans, and a very worn out, thin brown belt from Forever21.

For makeup I tried out my new lipstick in Myth and it was sooo pretty (so pretty that I ... just didn't take a picture of my makeup at all...I was in a rush ahh!)

On my eyes I wore gold eyeshadow with navy blue in the crease and curled the ends of my hair to just make it wavy.

I get super sad when Christmas is all over and when the Christmas tree doesnt look like it's throwing up wrapping paper because I love it so much and I wish that Christmas day was longer than all the other days in the year!


But now 2013 has come a-knocking which I don't like so much because it's such a mouthful to say!!!

Visiting the Harry Potter Studio Tour

Monday 24 December 2012

My Auntie and I went to visit the Harry Potter studio tour in London (although it's actually a bit outside of London)
The studio tour as a whole really was something pretty spectacular, which would make sense as it came to £35 per person, and we booked in early August for a slot on December the 22nd so to say that we expected something special was an understatement.
The whole tour begins by waiting in a dark room to go into the cinema room with some exceptionally comfortable seats I must say, although you're only sat there for about 10 minutes while they give you a little intro into a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the makings of all the Harry Potters. Once that has come to an end you are whisked straight into 'the' Great Hall, and it truly does not dissapoint, even better it was specially decorated for Christmas. Nothing looked half done or as though it was a bit of a 'sham', it really looked as incredible as it did in the films, it really is as big, and there's all the costumes of the teachers stood behind the lecturn. The only downside is that they whisk you out after about 5 minutes which is not nearly enough time to appreciate and take photos of every thing. They do tell you that you can come back once the next tour group are inside the Great Hall as I suppose the Great Hall is the first room you see, so they want it to be empty to give the greatest impact to the group, therefore coming back actually involves gatecrashing another groups 'special five minutes' which doesn't seem all that fair.
Leading on from the Great Hall is a huge, huuuuuge room that has every set that you can imagine that will take your breath away.

 


Some people compare it to a museum as there has been complaints that it is not interactive enough. I think it is too much to expect every person to be able to walk into the sets as the sets would get ruined and pulled to pieces by little children picking up bits off the set, and accidental knocks. I'd much prefer there to be more detail that you can see from behind barrier than being able to walk onto and 'interact' with a set that probably had to have allt he props stuck down or removed to avoid accident or theft.

There are also plaques to read next to every set and video screens that show information that really is quite interesting, but maybe not for small children. So many sets are special and spectacular, the ones in this part of the tour that stick out in my mind are the Weasleys house, which had the knitting, washing up and chopping being done by 'magic'. It really did look so wonderfully cosy!

Also, Dumbledoors office was absolutely amazing, with all the stairs and different layers and magical bottles of little ingredients.

And finally, Umbridge's office which is a hideous pink paradise of tat but I still wanted to go and sit down in the pink plush-ness!

In the middle of the room was every prop imaginable that didn't specifically fit with a certain set including the harp from the first Harry Potter film, the quidditch cup, and a whole host of other things.

What I have described here really is a fraction of what is in that room, when we nipped back through the room to go back tot the Great Hall, it literally took five minutes, yet somehow we'd spent 2 and a half hours looking around.

After the first section there's then an outside part with Privet Drive, Harry's house, the Knight Bus and the Hogwarts walkthough bridge thing which all made for some great photo oppertunities.

The other downside here is the food options, they really could have made a lot more of the dining options. The choice really is: Sandwiches, soup or a hotdog which are available from what looks like a temporary burger van or shack of soemthing, and you eat outside (although it is sheltered over). The food is a fair price but they could charge a lot more for something that is more of a dining experience, which sort of lets it down. Perhaps the limited options and uninviting dining is to ensure that no one lingers for too long and we all keep on moving onto the next part of the tour.

The next part of the tour contained the more technical parts including the electronics for those hideous creatures that are pulled out of plant pots, along with more makeup and wigs aswell as concept art and some incredibly detailed scale models of buildings.

Then you move onto perhaps the gem in the crown which is Diagon Alley. The cobbles on the floor are real, the shop fronts look real, there's magical music and it's not too crowded so that you really can enjor every moment of it and not feel rushed, we maybe spent 15/20 minutes just on that part, it it just how you expect it to be.


Another part that sticks out in my mind is the really spectacular Hogwarts castle scale model. It is absolutely huge and looked compeltely different from every angle and is so detailed down to the last cobble and step.

It'll come of no surprise that you end up in the gift shop which also took my breath away but for all the wrong reasons, to give you an idea.. a little box of jelly beans is £9 but the Hogwarts hoodies are actaully pretty reasonably priced at £40.

And then the experience is all over and you want to run back in but you can't!

Whew, that was a long ol' ramble. If you've lost sight on what on Earth I am going on about here is a little sum up:
Harry Potter studio tour:

Pros

-The sets really are incredible

-You can spend the whole day there if you want to

-Unlimited photo oppertunities

Cons

-You're ushered out of the Great hall

-The food experience isn't an experience at all

-The gift shop is somewhat extortionate


It's a pre-Christmas treat!

Sunday 23 December 2012

A nifty new video Super quick, super easy and very useful and practical How to turn your nutella jars into Makeup brush holders or makeup holders in general!



Woohoo for freebie DIY Projects!

Harry Potter Studio tour and ouchh my feet ache

Saturday 22 December 2012

Today I visited the 'the' Harry Potter Studio tour today, I mistakenly keep calling it 'Harry Potter land' Which is actually false, as Harry potter land is in America, although it was a land of Harry Potter.

I've been up super early as we had to leave like 3 hours ahead of our scheduled time slot to get there, the there were delays coming back because of floods etc...

Then I came in and went back out again to help my mum with the Christmas food shop which I tried to film to make the compilation of one final christmassy video before 'the big day!' but the mean lady in the shop told me to stop filming as I had to get permission from the supermarket, then approached me at a later point asking to watch me delete the footage I had just shot which was about three seconds of some turkey on the shelf. She gave me the heeby jeebies anyway.

I have of course got a million and one pictures of the Harry potter studio tour and enough footage to make a feature length film about it but I'm going to do another full and thorough blog post on it really soon because right now my brain is about to go to sleep.

So this is all I've got for you:


 

And watch this space for much much much more on that!

Getting cosy!

Thursday 20 December 2012

I have just about made these two cosy 'must haves' my absolute best friends since it's getting colder.

One of them has made a special guest appearance in my most recent video:




 

The other one is a newbie!

They are my Honey Bear hoodie from the David and Goliath shop, it even has fluffy, fleecy ears on the hood, and when I put my hands in the pockets it looks like I'm holding a honey jar! (the picture of me in it does not do it much justice)



It's super duper cosy and they sell them right now!!!

my #2 cosy must have is this thermal cup, I have another thermal cup but it had a silcone hand protector that I got from TK Maxx but the silicone has stretched and worn out over the past year which means that my hands get burneeeed!

Not any more!

A belated birthday present was a brand new hot beverage cup so I am happy happy! I even use this when I'm at home because I often move from room to room before I've finished my hot drink.



 

If the world really does end tomorrow, I may aswell be cosy!


My experience with a psychic

Tuesday 18 December 2012

Seeing a psychic

I went on my first ever visit to a 'psychic' today. When I first booked the appointment back in August, the next available slot for me was December- I couldn't believe the long wait, whether she's true or a fake I thought she must be very busy and have lots of clients!

Many people around me are sceptics about this kind of thing, my friend also who went to visit her on a whim is now converted because she was able to be specific enough to pinpoint the title of the book she was reading at the time (and no it wasn't 50 shades...)

I decided 'Hey, maybe I could benefit from some spiritual guidance' and maybe I have benefited from this, or maybe I havent, but I'll give you a little taster into what was said in the reading.

Maybe this is the weirdest Outfit Of the Day ever, but this was the outfit that I deemed suitable to wear to a psychic reading. I tried to keep it very neautral, not too crazy or bright to give as little away as possible through what I'm wearing.




I walked into the very pretty dining room of the ladies house, she had a candle burning and incense too I think, aswell as lovely music but no crystal ball, which seems to be the #1 question that everyone asks me 'Did she have a crystal ball??'

The reading began with her asking me to close my eyes and imagine a light, the light I saw was like the light at the end of a tunnel that you see in films. Then she said the dreaded words 'clear your mind'

As soon as someone says to me clear my mind, my mind starts getting itself in a mess, furiously trying to clear itself. The conversation in my head went like this:

'okay, deeep breaths, and clear thoughts... think of nothingness...okay relax...clear mind...am I imaginging the right kind of light? Does the light need to be imagined around me or is it supposed to be in front of me? What if she can't get anything from me because my mind isn't clear? CLEAR MIND, COME ON MIND CLEAR YOURSELF OUT! Should I have opened my eyes already? Is she just staring at me waiting for me to open my eyes or do I wait for my eyes to open themselves? Oh my goodness, the reading will have to end right here because I can't clear my...'

"...now open your eyes when your ready"

And that was how my reading began.

Some key things that are kind of funny and that stick to me that she said were:

'you're not snacking, you need to snack more' which was very interesting as I've told a lot of people that are especially close to me that since I've moved away I've stopped snakcing I just eat three set meals a day.

Another funny thing was that she told me my great grandmother is glad that I have her rings and brooches even though she knows that they are not my style. That made me laugh because while true, I have them carefully stored away safely.

She also said that she can see a big 'do' in August, which is the month of my sisters wedding.

It was a 40 minute reading that included tarot cards aswell, and a lot of personal things, aswell as lots of vague things and random names that I've scribbled down but that don't make a lot of sense.

Everyone who I have told the nitty gritty and ins and outs of the reading to has asked me for her phone number, so what I said seems to have convinced them that she's pretty darn good.

My verdict is that she was too specific to be vague, but not specific enough to make me certain I'm convinced- I would certainly visit again in a year or two though!


Okay...NOW it's Christmas

Sunday 16 December 2012

It's a double Christmas surprise, I got to decorate the tree today and did a little time-lapse film for you.


It actually took a lot longer than this video implies as I put the lights on, began to put the baubles on and then it was decided that we di not have enough lights as this tree was bigger than our previous trees that we've had.

So I removed the baubles, removed the lights and started again, then put on two sets of lights this time instead!

I love re finding all the baubles again, there are so many cute ones that I forget we have. The lights also I love, they come in like twinkly beads rather than just being a string of lights.

I hope it makes you feel all Christmassy!

 

Lazy with a capital L

Saturday 15 December 2012

It's the Holidays!

Over here it's the Christmas holidays for me! Woohoo!

Here;s the lowdown of how the first proper day has gone so far:

What have I done-

Nothing but caught up on sleep

What did I wear-

My PJs with a grey hoody with cupcakes on over the top because it's chilly

What did I eat-



The majority of this obscenely large Cadbury chocolate bar- I'm not used to eating lots of chocolate as I don't buy it when I'm not at home!

What am I going to do for the rest of day-

Get back into bed, keep reading 'Matched' then go back to sleep

Packing up!

Friday 14 December 2012

It's about that time again where I have to try and fit my life (and makeup) into a little tiny sitcase and take it someplace else.

I've pakced, and repacked and repacked becasue I want a little space to fit presents from Christmas into my suitcase!

I've brought home a lot of jumpers, and tracksuit bottoms and the only pair of shoes I've brought home with me are going to be on my feet- my little black ankle booties!

My fridge shelf is empty, I've tried my hardest to remember to bring home all the chargers for all my electrics and Christmas presents for my sister and Nan that I bought while here!

In the end I had to add another bag, and another extra bag to that too which was super fun to drag on and off the trains!
But it will all be worth it when I get home to all the fun and festivity and Christmasness!

Here's a sneak peek into my little ol' bag if you saw my blog post in September, you will see I arrived with a suitcase full of food and I arrive home with a suitcase full of dirty laundry for my mum to wash!




Living the highly glamorous, jet-set life!

It's (pre) CHRISTMAAAAAS

Monday 10 December 2012

In our flat, we all decided to make a wonderful Christmas dinner, before our Christmas dinners at home.

I was on Turkey and Yorkshire pudding duty and I was pretty nervous abotu the Turkey- I've never cooked a Turkey before and I didn't want it to be dry!




It was a Turkey crown that we put in the oven for 2 hours, but every 30 minutes we took it out to baste it which maybe was the best thing that we did because it was surprisingly moist and delicious!

I made the Yorkshire pudding using my Toad in the Hole recipe that I've posted here before, but just didn't put any sausages in it!

But it all turned out well in the end and we were all equally surprised by how homely it tasted.





After the delicious dinner we exchnaged presents, ate sweets and watched Puss in Boots the movie!
I feel all Christmassy!

The best dinner ever!

Sunday 9 December 2012

If you've read my blog for a while, you'll know that I have been a part of a Japanese exhcange for the past few months, but my newly found Japanese friends had to go back to Japan at Christmas, so to say goodbye we went to an 'authentic' Japanese resturant as recommended by then. I didn't know what to expect but I was very very pleasantly surprised!


I ordered the Sweet and Sour Bento

Bento apparently is a box! So like a meal in a box, when it arrived it all looked so pretty and authentic, but I did not eat it authenticially and left my chop sticks on the table and used a spoon and fork instead!

The sweet and sour chicken was nicer than at a chinese takeaway, and in the middle were pickles that did not look like pickles, the rice was of a different consistency too, more sticky but I loved it.

In the bottom left corner were green beans in a peanut sort of sauce, a potato salad in a silver cupcake casing haha!

I tink it's so much fun to have our meals in boxes rather than boring round plates!

 

Rushing Rushing Rushing

Saturday 8 December 2012

My day was not especially exciting, I ended up running around a lot of shops gathering together last little Christmas bits and pieces and I wish I could stress how cold it was, literally super duper cold... thats as specific and scientific as I can get regarding temperatures.

But even when I'm shopping for everyone else, I will show you what ends up happening to my hand.. I can't help it, it;s like a disease:


 


I get lipgloss smears, and eyeliner testers and lipsticks and all the rest of it all over my hand because I can't resist to have a 'touch and feel' Even though colours look very different on your hand to your face, the textures can be pretty well judged still.. so here is my YSL, Urban Decay, Benefit and all other kinds of brands and products that I wish I could have got for myself today but had to leave them where they were... on the shelf!

So who else ends up with smeary tester-y hands even without meaning to? Raise your mucky-colourful hand in the air!

And...

A final picture to warm your cold self is this cuuute but mostly funny 'alternative' nativity I saw in a shops display
 


 

My very first empties video

Friday 7 December 2012

Woohoo It's new Video time!

It's time for another video and this one will not only talk your ear off, but it will talk your ear into a million little pieces.

Think of it as a pre- Christmas gift to you!

Here I talk about alll the products that I have used up in the past two months or so, maybe a little longer.

The good news is that some of the products are great!

The bad news is that some of the products are not..

But you gotta take the good with the bad!



Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Thursday 6 December 2012

I visited Nottingham and in the centre of the city was a cute little gated off part especially for the Winter Wonderland!

It had a giant snowglobe with a singing snowman inside that was so super cute!

Alongside lots of cute statues like a giant Santa and snowmen.

But the scriest scare-your-socks-off part was the giant ride in the middle called 'North Star' It's basically a merry-go-round but instead of sitting on a pony, you sit on a seat, and instead of being near the ground you're 60 metres in the air, and instead of paying maybe £1.50-£2 you pay £5 for a ticket.

Now 60 Metres you say, that sounds like no big deal really... I've been on rides before right? I even like the big rollercoasters right? Yes, all of these are right.


 



But nothing really prepared me for how terrifying this was!

I thought there would at least be some buildings as high as we were... but no... we were literally the tallest thing in the whole city (or so it felt) It was completely odd and bizarre to be lingering that high for so long with nothing around but sky.

We didn't even spin quickly, it was like a slow and gentle spin but I seriously was pretty choked up at first because my breath was taken away by how high I felt that I was!

Then soon the cold began to kick in... and kind of nibble away at my fingers and face and I was glad to be returning back to Earth... haha!

House Hunting- Round #1

Wednesday 5 December 2012


Today is maybe the first day where I felt like an adult!

Today we, as a group went house hunting for a place to make our home in the second year of university!

We found some really fun places, and some grat ideas to give it our homely touches, it makes me super excited for next year even though we have so much of this year (academic year) left!

Here'a a little sneak peek at a few of the rooms in the various places we were looking at...

They're not especially glamorous of fabulous (it's student housing after all..)
But I'm looking foward to more space, luxury and lovely-ness!




 

No day is a dull day!

Tuesday 4 December 2012

I would love to tell you all that I did something very exciting and glamorous and fabulous today but that would be a lie, so instead I will tell you what actually happened- it was a fun day but maybe not so glamorous.
I handed in coursework - dull

I went to my japanese lesson - fun this lesson was all on Japanese culture which was really interesting, they showed me temples in Japan and a place where people go to look at rocks and be all peaceful, they showed me beautiful japanese gardens, panda bears in the zoo, geisha walking in Kyoto- one of the girls had actually seen a geisha for real! I was so excited by that, perhaps she did not quite understand my excitement...


She also showed me pictures of cute christmas cake- we do not have christmas cake so much on Christmas day, we have Christmas pudding but that's it! Apparently all they really eat on Christmas day is cake!


Then I came home and recorded a video that was super fun to do! It involves a whole lot of just jabbering to the camera and there's about a 50% chance that you will fall asleep before the end of it, but that should be up on Thursday/Friday time!

Then I do what I do best, curl up into bed and just clickity type away until tomorrow when a whole new day begins!

Thighs, tums and WHAT!??

Monday 3 December 2012

I'd had a long day of learning, including my mandarin listening exam which was not so bad after all, those things never are.

I got home and emptied my shopping into the fridge, I always look like a nutcase because of the amount of milk I get through (about three cartons a week) I drink the sweetened soya milk, it's just the best! But when it's all lined up in my fridge at the moment I have eight cartons in my fridge I look a little bit loopy loo...

Then I decided to go onto legs, bums and tums which is a type of workout class that makes your muscles burn, and your legs shake and your arms ache but it was actually pretty good, although It was an impulse decision so I went with a face of makeup (I always think it's silly when girls go to the gym in makeup, and now I am one of them!) and in a crinkly top that I didn't have time to iron.



But now I'm tucked up in my pjs with my jar of nutella wathcing Ugly Betty.



A video will emerge on Thursday explaining the true extent of my nutella addiction...

 

Mandarin Madness~ Numbers

Sunday 2 December 2012

I have the first of my mandarin exams tomorrow so I'm doing a lil' bit o' studying but it's prettyyy tricky!



I'm just going back over numbers, their system is actually pretty logical compared to here.

Once you know 1-10 you can say every number because the 'teen' numbers are pronounced:

10-1 (ten, one) instead of eleven

10-2 (ten, two) instead of twelve

10-3 (ten, three) instead of thirteen

then the twenties thirties and fourties are like this:

30 (three, ten) instead of thirty

40(four, ten) instead of fourty and so on and so fourth

Here's where my brain gets in a fizzle:

32 (three, ten, two) rather than thirty two, and all the numbers get me all muddled and I'm like what number came where!? When it's being spoken to me that is

Alright enough of the mandarin madness.

I also had a PJ day today, but got showered dressed and made up to film a video, only for me to put my hair back up, get back in my pjs and i'm leaving the makeup on for a little bit so it's not such a waste.



Also....

We can all open the second window on our advent calendar!!!

Here's mine incase you don't have one of your own



That was, hands down, the best part of my day!

First day of December - First Video of December!

Saturday 1 December 2012


It's the first day that we can finally pop open the window on your advent calendars yay yay yay!

My mum sent me up an advent calendar from home!

Awhh mums..




I got a little chocolatey treat, and then I came hom after my maths test and ate a bacon sandwich..oops

If you didn't get a chocoalte advent calendar treat this morning, or a calendar of any kind then I give you the gift of a new video instead!
It's super short because no one likes a rambler.
I'm getting into the swing of this 'uploading every week' malarky!