THIS PAST WEEK #12 (RE)FRESHERS

Getting back in to the swing of looking after myself has proven a little more difficult than originally thought. After months of looking forward to Fresher’s week as a second year this week has been…underwhelming. On Sunday night I went to bed in so much pain, waking up on Monday with a partial hangover, a sore throat and swollen tonsils. A visit to the GP confirmed that I had caught tonsillitis. Nothing makes you homesick quite light being ill. I moved back to Sheffield on Friday and I am really happy to be back although while I force fed myself ice cream all I wanted was to be at home. I shouldn’t really complain, my tonsillitis hasn’t been too severe and the ongoing course of penicillin quickly nipped the pain and infection in the bud.

I have done three fresher’s weeks in my life and still fail to see what the hype is about. Honestly, I think there is too much pressure put on this one week of the year to be ‘the best of your life’. Between fresher’s flu, disappearing money, occasional feelings of loneliness and home sickness, a fresher’s week can be pretty tough. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love nights out with my friends and have some really good memories from fresher’s weeks but if you don’t feel like your fresher’s has been as amazing as people make it out to be, don’t despair. University is a lot more than just one week; it is not ‘all downhill from here’. 

Lectures start again tomorrow and I’m actually excited to get back to studying. Summer is great and all but actually having a purpose during the week is even better. I’d be lying if I said that second year didn’t make me a little nervous, I was very happy with my grades from first year and just hope that I can keep them up during second. Very curious to see if second year is such a big jump up after all. 

I hope you all have a great week!

THIS PAST WEEK #11 WELL DONE LINDSAY

Congratulations to all Great North Run 2015 finishers, especially to my big sister who completed the 13.1 mile run for the first time yesterday.

 

After an early start yesterday to take my sister to the start line, then the worst metro journey ever to meet her at the finish, followed by an hour and a half of queuing and finishing with another nightmarish metro journey, I could not find the energy to write a blog post last night. 

Last Wednesday I went with my one of my best friends to see ‘Legend’, starring double Tom Hardy. I really enjoyed the film, if you want to hear more you can read my full review here. Of course we had to pay a visit to Handmade Burger Kitchen first, quickly becoming one of my favourite places to eat. It is comfort food done at its very best, peanut butter and bacon all day.

I have never enjoyed cooking as much as I have these past two weeks, on Thursday I invited my friends around and cooked chicken pie and mash (recipe here). I admit that I didn’t make my own pastry; Jus-Rol is just so much easier for the novice pie maker over here. As my sister and her boyfriend coming to stay, and to make use of some conveniently overly ripe bananas, I made a banana loaf cake (recipe here). My photo taking skills do not do my culinary creations justice; trust me when I say they were deee-licious. 

This is my final week at home before I head back to Sheffield for my second year of Public Relations and Media. If you’re heading to university for the first time this month, I wish you the best of luck. The countdown to my fresher’s week officially begins here…

RECENT WATCH: LEGEND

A biographical film about two real life criminals can be a difficult balancing act. If you don't allow the charm of the characters to shine through you are left with a suffocating crime-doesn't-pay cautionary tale that is no fun for anyone. Go too much the other way and you seek to idolise, making murdering gangsters in to heroes. Using the perspective of Reggie’s first wife Francis allows us to walk the fine line between being enamoured and frightened.

What I liked about Francis was that she is not naive. I've seen a lot of gangster films and too often the female characters are shallow and careless. They stand by their men through every fight and dodgy deal, just as long as the money keeps rolling in. Maybe in a more realistic mind set, Francis constantly wants Reggie to leave crime behind and go straight.

In many ways 'Legend' is a film of two halves. Like Francis we spend the first half growing fond of Reggie while looking past violent crime. Ronnie is there to make us feel uneasy but at the same time provide occasional comic relief. Through to the second half and the charm filled facade begins to disappear and the tone of the film darkens through the eyes of Emily Browning's Francis to the point where we eagerly await the downfall. 

One problem I had with legend was that I was never sure where we were on the timeline of events. Maybe I was being unobservant but when the film ended I couldn’t work out what the time span of the plot was. While browning's East end narration feels clichéd at times, it aids in understanding the plot and bringing the audience up to speed. 

The use of body doubles and shot layering is seamless and as expected Hardy pulls off playing two characters brilliantly. You find yourself forgetting you are watching one actor opposite a body double and see two completely different men. Hardy achieves chemistry with himself to produce a convincing on screen brotherly relationship between two different characters. This is a tale of two brothers but has only one protagonist – that is Reggie. The twins share a face and parents but the similarities seem to end there. Reggie is the brains while he attempts to manage his unhinged and erratic brother to be the brawn of the pair. The film spends a lot of time discussing the mental health of Ronnie Cray and how Reggie tried to control him. 

Legend is stylish with substance. Two performances by Tom Hardy are more than worthy of awards season buzz. Supporting actors including Emily Browning, Paul Anderson and Taron Egerton also hold their own against the acting heavy weight. My hopes for Legend were fulfilled; a high bench mark for what could be an exciting winter at the cinema.

CURRENT FAVOURITES #1

Avene Skin Recovery Cream

I’ve been on antibiotics for acne for just over three months now and I am finally noticing a reduction in the amount of break outs I get. However, as the spots heal I am left with some red marks and scarring. These will eventually heal with time but I recently started using Avene’s skin recovery cream as my daily moisturiser and I’ve noticed such a difference in the appearance of the scars. Avene is a French brand that focuses on sensitive skin so this cream contains only a few ingredients, no preservatives and no fragrance. This stuff is a 10/10 in my book. 

Sanctuary Spa 5 Minute Thermal Detox Mask 

I love face masks, whether they actually improve my skin or not, I love doing them. Alas, I have found a face mask that feels great on my skin and visibly does it good. Charcoal is one of nature’s finest skin care ingredients. Whenever I see that a skincare product contains charcoal, it’s highly likely that my skin will love it. It may seem a little scary to be applying black goo to your face but charcoal is great for oily and spot prone skin. It cleans deep in to your pores, absorbing excess oil and dirt that can cause blackheads and blemishes.  This sanctuary mask is quick but effective, a perfect weekly skin pick-me-up. 

Orphan Black 

It was that time again; I was in need of a new TV show and Netflix had the answer. I’ve been meaning to watch orphan black for a while now but had always overlooked it. I will admit that it took me 2-3 episodes to be properly hooked as the plot is quite complicated. Now I absolutely love it. Its action packed and has such an amazing female protagonist. If you’re looking for a new show to binge on, I’d recommend giving Orphan Black a try.

Spotify 

This has been a favourite all year. When it comes to music I will admit that I am not the cool girl who knows all the new bands and albums. I’m usually the one who is jumping on to a singer’s band wagon three weeks after everyone else has. Spotify is one of the best ways to find new music, it constantly suggests new tracks and artists based on what you are listening to. My music taste goes from R ‘n’ B to Indie to Musical Theatre to whatever song I have stuck in my head so my play lists are pretty eclectic. When the mood strikes for ‘Defying Gravity’ followed by Kendrick Lamar, Spotify has got my back.

Empire Magazine

Reading film magazines may seem like an obvious thing to do for someone who nerds out over films as much as myself. Up until now it has never been something that I have gotten in to. I have previously bought Total Film magazine only to put it down after the first day to never pick it up again. I definitely prefer Empire. At £4.50 for around 150 pages it is at the pricier range of magazines but it is packed with reviews, on-set exclusives and cast interviews.

Lily Charmed Hummingbird Necklace

I received this necklace for my 20^th birthday a few weeks ago and it has barely left my neck since. A small necklace is the most effortless way to accessorise for the everyday. For someone who can get lazy when putting together outfits, this small silver pendant adds a delicate detail to any outfit.

Film Poster Art

I've mentioned before how much I want to start a collection of film posters. While I'm living away from home as a university student it just isn't practical. That doesn't stop me from admiring the lengthy wish list that I add to daily on Pinterest. You have no idea how much I am restraining myself from making an amazon order of multiple prints. My small collection of four will have to do for now. *sigh*

THIS PAST WEEK #10 FRIENDS, FILMS & FOOD

Sundays are for lying on the sofa, eating bad food and watching Disney movies, right? That’s exactly what I’ve spent my day doing. I am rejoicing in a lazy Sunday. Writing this in my Game of Thrones pyjama t-shirt under a blanket is as productive as today is going to get. This week has been one of those that has flown by and felt very busy but at the same time uneventful. The week has gone so fast that before I knew it, it was Sunday and I hadn’t blogged all week. I have so many blog post ideas in my head so keep your eyes peeled for new posts next week.

With my parents on holiday I have spent most evenings watching movies with tea and many chocolate digestives. Are you ready for some mini-reviews? On Tuesday I watched ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’, oh man I loved this film so much. It’s as stylish as Bond but still feels original and at times is very funny. You should know going in to a film that boasts the likes of Colin Firth, Mark Strong and Samuel L Jackson in its cast that it’s going to be a good one. Kingsman also taught me that I’m a fan of British director Matthew Vaughn, a quick scroll through his filmography and I realised that every film he has directed I have loved.  

For a bit of change in tone, on Wednesday I watched ‘Far From the Madding Crowd’, based on the Thomas Hardy novel and starring Carey Mulligan. I’m on the fence about what I actually thought about this one. Like many films that are based on novels, the pacing of Far From the Madding Crowd felt off. While the film has a run time of over two hours, I often felt like the plot wasn’t developed enough and moved too quickly to really enjoy.  Finally on Thursday I watched ‘Testament of Youth’, a true story based on the memoir of Vera Brittain. The film is very emotional and it was a bad idea for me to watch on my own as I cried for the third time in two hours. The story is very moving and is told simply but so beautifully. Alicia Vikander is also excellent in the leading role. 

The inevitable loneliness finally set in on Friday so my friend Rebecca came and kept me company and I made dinner for both of us. I made a simple leak and potato soup from a BBC Good Food recipe that you can feast your eyes on here. Something I really like doing is cooking for my friends; it’s become a bit a tradition that when my parents are on holiday I will invite my best friends around and I will cook something. I’m not an amazing cook and rarely make anything particularly technical but over the past two years I’ve become quite confident in the kitchen. This is the girl who two years ago couldn’t poach an egg in an egg poacher pan and now I can actually enjoy cooking. 

Have a great week!