Top 6 films of 2012

I went to the cinema more times this year than I have ever before in recent years, so choosing my top 6 films was hard but in the end it was definitely these films.

1. The Hunger Games

This had to be number one, purely because the books are one of my favourite trilogies I am pretty happy with the way they stuck pretty close to the books and I cannot wait for Catching Fire! 

                                              2. Perks of Being a Wallflower 

As a pretty big fan of the book I was curious to see how they could do this without ruining a fantastic book, but it defiantly didn't disappoint and I was so happy that they stuck so closely to the book! I will be buying this as soon as it comes out on DVD!

3. The Amazing Spiderman

I loved this film so much! I adored Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield (and his bum) I thought they played such a good part in this film and it brought back a lot of memories from when I used to read the comic when I was younger!

4. The Avengers

I went to see this film about three times, mainly because I love Chris Evans (Captain America) but primarily because this is such a cool movie and so well done, I love it!

5. Brave

Saw this on a whim because the film I was originally going to see was sold out, but I am so glad it was because I love this film! Its another classic from Pixar and I love Meredith's hair!

6. Twilight Breaking Dawn part 2

This film was completely unexpected as I am not a fan of Twilight but I had to give props to it as this was a brilliant finale and the 'twist' in it was fantastically done, so well done Twilight! (Although I'm not entirely convinced you've made a fan out of me just yet, considering the other films were pretty crap)

Doctor Who Christmas Special Review

I thought that the Doctor who Christmas special was
pleasantly refreshing. I have recently gone off doctor who and have barely
watched the episodes with Matt smith in them, I think purely because I loved
David Tennant as the Doctor and couldn’t picture anyone else playing him, but I
think I may have judged to harshly.

My friend Molly had been raving
to me at how excited she was for the Christmas special so I thought I would
give it a go and watched it with my completely obsessed cousin, and I was
pretty impressed, I think that the new companion played by Jenna Louise Coleman
is a breath of fresh air in the show and will bring something that has in my
mind been lacking. I think that it will bring something back to the show that fans
haven’t seen since the tenth doctor and Rose. I am interested to see how the
relationship between Clara and the doctor develops

The storyline had you think but
not to the point where you didn't have a clue what was going on, which I felt
has let the show down in the recent series'. However, I thought that the snowmen
were not scary at least not to the calibre that Doctor Who used to do (Angels
anyone)  and I don't think that the way that
they were destroyed was very well developed as it only showed the family crying
helped it which was in my opinion rushed and unimaginative . 

However, all things taken into
consideration, I thought that the script was light-hearted, humorous and all the
fun and mystery that comes with a doctor who episode it defiantly reminisced
the ‘good old days’ of Doctor Who, and I for one will definitely be watching
the new series when it airs if it carries on the way that this episode has
promised.

Downton Abbey Christmas Special Review

Downton abbey Christmas special was
somewhat disappointing compared to last year’s Christmas special, now bear in
mind I am saying this as a massive fan of the programme but I wouldn't say I
thought the programme was bad just lacking. 

               Of
course the end of the programme was horrible with Matthews death (now I do know
that it was Dan Stevens fault for not wanting to stay on for a fourth series
but) I felt that killing him off was an obvious and depressing end to a Christmas
special that was a complete contrast to his storyline last year of him
proposing to Mary, I felt that his death lacked emotion and was anti-climactic
as it was obvious what was going to happen, it lacked integrity. I am however,
anxious to see how Mary will cope next series with a new baby and the death of
her newlywed husband I think it could be interesting to see how she handles the
pressures and it wouldn’t surprise me if she gets closer to Tom Branson because
he has obviously just gone through the same thing with Lady Sybil.

               Personally
I felt that having another new parent die so soon after the birth of their
first child was too repetitive, when it was first done with Lady Sybil it showed
great emotion and heartbreak, however I think that Matthews death was
predictable and unemotional which is unfair considering Matthew is such a
brilliant character and one that will be sorely missed, I wish that they had
thought of another way that he could have left the show, but still left it open
if he ever wished to return. I think that the Downton writers missed what could
have been an even more heart-wrenching exit than Lady Sybil's but copped out
and used a plot that had already been used earlier in the same series. 

               Despite
all of this I wouldn't want you to believe that I didn't enjoy the episode
because I defiantly did I was just upset because I didn't like that they had
finally given complete happiness to Mary only to have everything taken away
from her 5 minutes later, I wish that they could had given her at least another
series of happiness. 

               I
think that due to the death of Matthew, series four will result in Edith coming
into her own and not so much walking in her older sisters footsteps which could
be interesting if done correctly. I think she will defiantly develop her
new relationship with the journalist and hopefully she will find the happiness
she so sorely craves. 

               I
also believe that Rose will become a more poignant character and to this, I’m
not sure how I feel, I think that the writers are trying to find someone now to
fill the huge void that Lady Sybil and Matthew will cause, and I’m not entirely
certain Rose is the right way to go about this. 


               I
felt that the way the writers showed the staff of Downton was done really well
and I especially enjoyed Mrs Patmore’s brief swing with romance. 

               All
in all, I am very intreged to see how the family deal with Matthews death, how
Rose will fit into the show, Edith’s new found confidence and of course, Mr and
Mrs Bates relationship blooming as ever. 

New years resolutions

I know every single person makes these new years resolutions and the vast majority never, ever stick to them, myself included, in fact I've usually forgotten about them by the end of January but alas, I am still going to make some and promise myself I will stick to them.

1. The biggest and most reachable (and possibly the most important) resolution is to make this year is to revise far more than I did last year for my upcoming GCSEs, these are incredibly important (also incredibly boring) but will shape my life, so I suppose I absolutely must put in the work *yawn* 
2. Be more positive, I'm not known for being the most optimistic person in the world, but I think that I should try to at least see the good in most things before I cast them aside and say I simply cannot do it, this will also help with the whole revision thing. 
3. Finally, the most clichéd resolution, is to save money, but I am going to London and Florida and many other endeavours that will require me to have money, also I have two big birthdays in my family this year and I would like to treat them both. 

So I'm only going to make three in the hope that I keep at least one, but we shall see. 

Happy New Year! 

Christmas tag

ONLY THREE DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!

What are you doing for the holidays this year?

I am doing the usual, waking up at about 9AM to open my presents with my mum, dad and brother, then my mum makes us all bacon sandwiches with hot chocolate or tea and then this year which is different to the past years we are going to my aunties house to continue onwards with the festivities.

 What's your favourite holiday drink?

I don't have a specific drink, so I will just say hot chocolate. 

Candy Cane or Gingerbread man?

Probably gingerbread men.

What's your favourite Christmas song?

Merry Christmas Everybody- Slade but I have so many more, I love Christmas songs.

Have you ever made a Snowman?

Yes many times.

Favourite Christmas movie?

I have loads but I actually did a post on my favourites here

Have you ever had a White Christmas?

Well last year (I think, or it could have been the year before) there was snow on the ground but it wasn't actually falling from the sky so it doesn't really count, so no I have not

Where do you usually spend your holidays?

At home, with my family.

Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?

Dasher and Dancer, Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid and Doner and Blitzen, and Rudolph, I think that's it?!

What holiday tradition are you looking forward to this year?

Everything I just love Christmas!

Is your Christmas tree real or fake?

Fake, its too much hassle to have a real one, and I really like putting it up on the first so it would go all mouldy by the time it would be Christmas if we had a real one.

Hands down, what's your all-time favourite holiday food and holiday sweet treat?

It has to be turkey, doesn't it! I just don't understand why its not 'acceptable' to have it all year round?

Be honest: do you like giving gifts or receiving gifts better?

I think to be honest when I was younger I was all about receiving but this year I am literally SO excited to give my gifts that I have brought my family to them, that it certainly overpowers any excitement I have for my own presents. (strange what growing up does to you eh)

What would be your dream place to visit for the holiday season?

New York but not on Christmas day because for me that has to be spent at home with family.

Are you a pro-present wrapper or do you fail miserably?

Usually I fail, badly, but this year I have completely surpassed myself, so I'm very pleased 

Most memorable Holiday moment?

Just when I was younger and the pure excitement worrying if Santa had been or not and then bombing down the stairs into the living room and just seeing stacks of presents under the tree for you, nothing quite beats that.

What made you realise the truth about Santa?

I'm sorry but what truth is this?

Do you make New Year's resolutions? Do you stick to them?

I do, but I NEVER stick to them

What makes the Holidays special for you? 

Family

Coloured or white lights?

Coloured, of course

Merry Christmas, Ho, Ho, HO

Things that make me happy

In no particular order....

Christmas

Holidays in general

Watching harry potter movies

Taking photographs

My family

My hamster

When my hair turns out nice

Having no homework

Wearing fuzzy pyjamas or new pyjamas

When a bun turns out perfect

When I get the first bus home from school

Daniel Radcliffe

Ed Sheeran

Harry Potter books/THG book (which incidentally also make me very sad)

No commercials on the radio

Travelling to new places

When my ipod plays the perfect sequence of songs

Actually having plans with people who you really care about

Saying in with my family

New socks which have a crazy pattern on them (simple things in life)

Finding a new programme/film/book that you absolutely love

When people remember small things you told them

Harry potter books will make me happy until the day I die

Re-reading books from my childhood

Just books books books

Staying in with friends and watching horror films and eating lots of food

Giving a gift that someone has wanted for ages, or is a complete surprise to them

Christmas lights

Having good exam or test results when you thought you had failed

Having friendly 'banter' with friends

Late night conversations with friends about anything and everything

When you spontaneously burst out laughing when you remember something that had happened ages ago.

Now that is the end or at least all I can think of for now.

A little winter's tip

Only FOUR days until Christmas!

Just thought I would give a little tip, that may help you when (if you are one of the unlucky ones like me) you get a serious case of the sniffles and feel like your throat is on fire. NEVER take a blackcurrant Lemsip (Lemsips by the way are probably the worse things I have ever had the misfortune of having, its like Satan in a cup) with some cough mixture in it, because you will end up feel even shitter and will result in you having to have the day off because your stomach feels like its about to explode.
Anyway, I hope that you had a better day than me.

Christmas Eve

So, its safe to say I am very excited for Christmas eve. There's something about spending it with those closest to when everywhere around you is festive and fun. 

In the morning I will be go to see The Hobbit with Molly, [She bribed me to go with her, so in return for seeing it I am gaining some nachos and the possibility of borrowing books from her collection, pretty good bargain on my part ;-)] 

                       

After the cinema my mum is taking us home and I'm going to listen to some Christmas songs with my dad and act like fools for about 20 minutes. My brother is coming home from uni in preparation for Christmas day and afterwards we will be watching The Nightmare Before Christmas, as it is a tradition that we watch it every Christmas eve and we have done ever since I was little.

Merry Christmas, Ho, Ho Ho.

Get to know me TAG

I thought that I would put together some questions I found on Tumblr so that you can get to know me
Is your hair naturally curly or straight? 
Straight
What is your natural hair colour?
light brown
Do you dye it yourself or go to a salon? 
I usually go to a salon but I have done it at home
What time do you get up and go to sleep?
 On a week day I go to bed at 10pm and wake up at 7:30AM on a weekend I just go to bed when I'm tired and wake up when I'm awake
How often or when do you work out? 
Twice a week usually, if I can be bothered.
Left-handed or right-handed?
 Right.
How tall are you?
 5’5 I think
Do you speak a foreign language?
 A bit of Welsh and French
How many pets do you have? 
I have a little hamster called Fred 
How did you come up with your blog name?
 Its my name (I know so original!)
What kind of camera do you use for photographs? 
A Nikon Coolpix L310
What is your favourite colour?
probably purple or a light blue/turquoise 
If you could live in any home on television, what would it be?
Monica and Rachel's apartment on FRIENDS. 

Where do you go for advice? 
my mum usually
8: Name 5 songs which you know all the lyrics to. 
I tend to learn songs pretty quickly so everything that is on my ITunes library I probably know
9: Are you a night owl or a morning person?
Night defiantly 
13: What is your phone background? 
Daniel Radcliffe being totally hot
14:What would you do with a million dollars?

I would save some for myself, give a lot to my parents, give some to my brother and give some to certain charities such as Help For Heroes or Cancer Research UK

CHRISTMAS!

Only ONE WEEK until Christmas!!

Ed Sheeran

This October I went to see my all time favourite singer, Ed Sheeran, I queued with my friend Molly for about 9 hours to get the the front of the barrier, and well, it was truly the best thing I have ever seen in my life, he is SO good live, the only problem that I face now is that I physically cannot listen to certain songs on the + album without just sobbing because of perfection (e.g. Kiss Me, Lego House,Parting Glass and Small Bump) ALSO can I just say that his merch manager said I was "lovely" (AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH) We also got Ed some lego and when I asked his merch manager if he had it he said he had it on the bus! 

Tweet from the merch manager 

I still haven't recovered from it at all and I would post the videos on here as well, but I think I will save your earlobes the trauma that is my 'singing' and screaming.

My Christmas list 2012

For Christmas this year I have asked for...

The Harry Potter Wizard's collection. 

and with the money I get (and off my Nana) I have already brought an Ipad 2

Then with the money that I get off family and friends I will buy....

 

Downton Abbey series 3

The Chronicles of Downton Abbey (Might be getting this off my brother, but if not)

Downton Abbey Christmas special

YES I know lots of Downton Abbey things, it's safe to say I'm a little bit obsessed 

McFly- Memory Lane, the best of McFly

McFly- Unsaid things... Our Story

Cheryl- My Story (possibly might get this)

Call the Midwife series one

Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas!

My DVD collection

I own a fair few DVD'S a always seem to find myself buying new films so here's my collection 

Like my bookcase, this DVD rack is also a CD holder and is from Argos

(from left to right) Harry Potter collection years 1-7 (Philosopher's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix and Deathly Hallows part 1&2), The Hunger Games and The Woman In Black

(from left to right) Friends with Benefits, Life as we Know it, Easy A, Just Go With It, Up, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Alice in Wonderland, Tangled and The Smurfs

(from left to right) Wild Child, Juno, 27 Dresses, The Devil Wears Prada, Peter Pan, The Game Plan, The Last Song, The Ugly Truth, The Proposal and St Trinians 1&2

(from left to right) Aquamarine, Marley and Me, The Notebook, John Tucker Must Die, Mean Girls, Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging, Bride Wars, Confessions Of A Shopaholic, The Twilight Saga (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn part 1), Crazy Stupid Love, 17 again and Despicable Me.

Favourite christmas films

Watching Christmas films is an awesome way to get in the festive mood. I basically will watch anything with a Christmas tree in it, but I do have several favourites, ones that I absolutely have to watch every year, or else it doesn't feel like Christmas. 

Elf

Who doesn't love Elf? Probably one of the funniest Christmas films that never gets old and can you believe that it was filmed 10 YEARS AGO?! Crazy!

The Grinch

The Grinch is one of my childhood favourites (I'm actually watching it as I write this). Its a truly heart warming film, which I'm sure everyone has seen. I also feel like a Who from Whoville because I am just as crazy about Christmas as they are, I'd feel right at home there!

"is your refrigerator running?" 

"Well yes I suppose"

 "Well then you betta go catch it!"

Grounded 

Grounded is a relatively new film that I brought about two years ago on a whim on boxing day sales because it was only £2, but ended up quite enjoying it, it is about a group of children who are in an airport travelling alone and they get snowed in and of course get in to all kinds of trouble. 

The Nightmare Before Christmas

This is a film that I watch every single Christmas eve without fail and the past couple of year it has not been on so I have had to watch it online, so this year I have decided to buy it on DVD (it hasn't arrived yet). This film is about Jack Skellington who is king of Halloweentown, he discovers Christmas Town, but he doesn't quite understand the concept of it.

Home Alone

You absolutely cannot have a favourite Christmas films list without including the Home Alone trio, (I know there is a fourth but that sucks, so I will not include it in this list). These three films are about Kevin(1&2) and Alex(3) left home alone or in New York (in number 2) with criminals chasing after them. These three films are just hilarious and I seriously recommend them.

A Miracle on 34th Street

This film will have you cheering on Santa Claus when he gets set up for a crime he never committed just because of selfish people from a rival shop. It will have you wearing your badge with pride with the message "I believe in Santa Claus" it is the perfect Christmas film to watch with your family that will fill you will Christmas cheer.