'Save Rock and Roll' album

My favourite Fall Out Boy album would be 'Save Rock and Roll' (which came out in 2013 and is their fifth album) because all of my favourite songs of theirs are on that album, so it's really hard to choose just one to write about today. So, I'll just give a list of the ones that I think are definitely worth listening to:
-Phoenix
-My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)
-Alone Together
-Where Did the Party Go
-Young Volcanoes

On the weekend, I did a lot of housework, so you need a very upbeat, amazing playlist to make it worthwhile. And because I had the house to myself, meant that I could have my music playing as loud as I want, so I actually ended up having a very good day listening to Fall Out Boy, considering the housework. While I was dancing around (I don't actually know how to do housework without dancing), I had a realisation that Mary Poppins has strongly influenced my mentality of chores: "and the job's a game" and in this case, it was more like "and the job's a party."

I think my favourite song, out of the ones I've mentioned, would probably be... (five minutes debating with myself which one I like the best; it's a tough decision) 'My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)' because every time you hear it, you can't help but dance and join in the chorus. Actually that is pretty much true for all of Fall Out Boy songs. There's just something about this one that I love more than the others. Either way, just listen to the album, especially if you want to have a party while doing tedious tasks, because believe me, it makes it fun.

The perfect hot chocolate

The perfect hot chocolate:
-must be served in a massive mug
-must be hot
-must be very, very, very chocolatey

Is that too much to ask? Apparently so, because now at a majority of cafes, when you order a hot chocolate, it is served in a small glass. Why?!?! I don't understand why anyone ever thought putting a warm beverage in a small glass was a good idea. Because, excuse me, I want a lot of hot chocolate! Don't deprive me of my chocolate fix! And glass? Really? Am I the only one who finds it truly satisfying when holding a mug and warming your hands on a cold day? A glass doesn't satisfy that need and should be saved for cold drinks only.
Another thing is the temperature. Hot chocolate... it's in the title what temperature it should be. I'm not even going to bother explaining what my expectations are with this drink. If I wanted lukewarm, tepid chocolate, I would have asked for that. But I didn't, so please just give me the goddamn hot chocolate. (Sorry for sounding rude, I'm just really passionate about this topic- it's very close to my heart)
And finally, some hot chocolate just isn't chocolatey enough. I don't even know how this happens, but  I've had tepid chocolate before, and it was incredibly milky and I'm thinking: "what's the point of this drink?" And I leave the cafe feeling deflated.

So my grumble part of the post is over. On a happier note, a couple of days ago, I actually had a really nice hot chocolate. Served in a mug. Was a decent temperature. And it was thick, like drinking melted chocolate. And the froth on top was really chocolatey too! So, the perfect hot chocolates still do exist, they are just really rare.

'10 things I hate about you'

This is just a quick post to say how much I love the movie '10 Things I Hate About You' which is definitely one of the teen classics of the turn of the millennium (is that an actual expression? Let's just say it is). I re-watched it a couple of days ago, and I got to re-appreciate it's witty lines and the beautiful Heath Ledger. I didn't see the movie when it first came out, but I remember when I first saw it, I was nine or ten and I had a massive crush on his character Patrick Verona. He is funny, charismatic, pretends to be the rebel, but there are moments in the movie where he is so sweet and your heart just goes "oh you!" For example, the cute dialogue between Patrick and the fantastic protagonist character, Kat (her lines are seriously the greatest):

Patrick: So what's your excuse?
Kat: For?
Patrick: Acting the way we do.
Kat: I don't like to do what people expect.Why should I live up to other people's expectations instead of my own?
Patrick: So you disappoint them from the start and then you're covered, right?
Kat: Something like that
Patrick: Then you screwed up!
Kat: How?
Patrick: You never disappointed me. 

Oh you!
How can you not have a crush on this guy? Look!

I remember watching the movie again when I was fifteen or so, and I had a dream that Patrick was my boyfriend and we were just walking in a shopping centre, then Alex Pettyfer came up to us and said that I was his girlfriend (so it was definitely a dream) and the two of them were arguing over me (yep, no doubt about it: a dream) and I at the end chose Patrick Verona. That is how much I loved this character- the subconscious knows it's priorities.

Anyway, I digress. The chemistry between Patrick and Kat is such a pleasure to watch, and in my opinion, it is a fantastic adaptation of Shakespeare's 'The Taming of the Shrew' (which I have to admit, I haven't actually read or seen, but this movie is fantastic nonetheless). Another movie that is based on a Shakespearean play that I also love is 'She's the Man' based on 'Twelfth Night' (and is a play I have actually read and also acted in), which I highly recommend watching as well.
But for now, '10 Things I hate about you' is set in a school, about this guy called Cameron who likes the popular, Bianca. But Bianca isn't allowed to go out with guys because of her overprotective father, however her dad makes the rule that Bianca is allowed to date if her older sister, Kat, dates. Kat is intelligent, funny but scares off many people and shows no interest in dating, so Cameron makes a deal with the rebel/ bad boy of the school, Patrick, to try and go out with Kat. And that is a basic explanation of what starts the events of the movie... it's brilliant, so if you haven't seen this 1999 movie, please watch it. It is so well written and well acted.

Gold

At work, we have a work iPod that has all these generic pop songs that would've been on the top 30 charts over the past decade or so, and I have to admit that I'm not a fan. I don't like most of the songs that gets played, however, every now and then a good song (or what I consider to be a good song- everyone is entitled to their own taste) crops up amongst the mix. Today, Chet Faker's song 'Talk is Cheap' came on, which is a song that I absolutely love. I'm a big fan of Chet Faker, and yesterday in a quiz, one of the questions was about him, so I guess it was a sign that his music should be featured in today's post.

But I'm going to talk about the song 'Gold' because everyone knows 'Talk is cheap' and I thought it would be too ironic to talk about a song that is titled that. So, that leads me to 'Gold' which is on the same album that was released last year, called 'Built on Glass.' All of his songs are the type of songs that you just want to close your eyes and let the beat and rhythm take control over your body and you just dance and lose yourself into music. As you may have gathered, I know nothing about technical/ musical terminology, so I'm just going to say that it is perfect to sway along to and let the world around you to slip away and no longer exist. I quite often dance around my room to Chet Faker, especially after a long day or after shift at work, so I can just unwind and relax.

'Gold' has very repetitive lyrics and when you really think about it, it's just a really repetitive song in general, however, that is what makes it so hypnotic, like most of his others (like 'Talk is Cheap'). It's as if you go into a trance-like state (which happens to me a lot when I listen and dance to certain music- I know I sound like a hippie, but meh). But seriously, it is a song that makes you feel fluid and ethereal. I definitely sound insane, but I have embraced this insanity a long time ago and have quite often been called crazy, which I just shrug and say "I prefer the term 'eccentric.' But why do you say 'crazy' as if it's a bad thing?"

The spontaneous cake

 In my household, my dad is always the one who bakes cakes or biscuits, whereas I tend to cook savoury main meal dishes. But when I got home from work today, I decided to bake my dad a cake as a surprise, just as a way to say thank you. A few weeks ago, I was really stressed about one of my assessed performances (which was worth 40% of my grade for that subject) and my dad made me a cake to cheer me up, and because I love food and cake, it worked. So the cake I made today was to show how much I appreciate him, because quite often, I think I take my parents for granted. This is horrible of me, because they are the greatest people ever and often, all the little things they do for me goes unnoticed. 

I was so excited about this cake: I went through some of my dad's baking cook books and after a lot of process of elimination, I chose the gingerbread cake. As it's now winter and freezing cold, the spices are perfect for this sort of weather and would go perfectly with a nice cup of tea. I got out all the ingredients and when my dad got home, he found me sitting on the lounge room floor weighing ingredients and sifting things (because I'm weird and decided to do all the preparation in the lounge room instead of the kitchen like any normal human being would... and being me, obviously I'm sitting on the floor). 

The cake included ingredients of: 

-flour, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg and bicarb soda- which is sieved together, then 

-butter; brown sugar, golden syrup and water is melted together and added to the dry ingredients 

This is my cake when I took it out of the oven:

And then there was the icing, which consisted of butter, lemon rind, lemon juice and icing sugar mixed together:

It may not look like anything special, but this is the first cake I've ever made independently (as I said, I am more of a dinner/meal cook) and I was just really excited about making this cake for my dad. And he was surprised about this spontaneous cake and it actually tasted quite nice too with that cup of tea I mentioned earlier. 

like a proud mum, I took heaps of photos of the lifespan of my cake creation

Iris

There are songs that get you every time: 'Iris' by Goo Goo Dolls is definitely one of them. Music is the most truthful thing in the world and 'Iris' is the type of song that really exposes your soul. Even though it is about loneliness and isolation and struggling to live, this song unites people together because everyone feels that way every now and then.

The reason why I chose to talk about this song today is that, on the weekend I went to my friend's 21st birthday and I was dancing the entire time. At the end of the evening, this song came on and the group of us dancing, belted out the lyrics with all our hearts and danced together. Some of these people I had never met before, and others were friends, but in that moment, we were all connected and (stealing the words from Stephen Chbosky's novel 'The perks of being a wallflower') "we were infinite."

'Iris' is also the kind of song that collects an array of memories whenever you listen to it. Some memories are bitter sweet, some are heart shattering, while some of them are absolutely incredible- and when dancing and singing to it with a wonderful group of people, like this weekend, it was certainly an incredible memory.
This is one of my favourite songs, so I hope you appreciate it's brilliance as well:

Never too old to draw fairies

I'm an adult, so if I want to draw fantasy creatures, then I will. You are never too old to draw dragons. Never too old to draw wizards. Never too old to draw elves, and never too old to draw fairies. These drawings are the result of when I have too much time on my hands late at night and discover the MTV classics channel. I had no clue that my television even had that channel until a couple of weeks ago... I'm really slow on the uptake, obviously. Today is fantasy themed: 

I don't know if my writing is legible or not, but it just says "Dragon" and "Wizard"... could be Merlin. Who knows? I can pretend that I was trying to draw the legend of Merlin and him slaying the dragon, when really I just wanted to save paper by drawing them on the same page.  

She's an elf... can't decide if she is good or evil, but she definitely looks like a strong-willed character. Maybe she is the Elven Queen and she is neither good nor bad, but just does things that are in her own interest? Or maybe she is a fearless defender of the forest, or... so many possibilities.

This guy is also elven, and he looks more like a guard or warrior. Maybe he is a guard to the Elven Queen? I really feel like I was inspired slightly by Orlando Bloom in 'Lord of the Rings' with that slicked back hair thing going on.

Lastly, the fairy. This creature would be only a few inches tall, and I can imagine all the fairies would glow an iridescent glow and at night time, would fill a mystical, magical forest with light, like fireflies.

Don't know what's sadder: drawing these pictures in my spare time, or coming up with backstories for them? So, a productive day.

Bits of art intro

I didn't have too much to on the weekend, so I decided to draw pictures with colour. Because, why not? I like drawing. I may not be the best drawer in the world... in fact, I'm very mediocre, but I find it fun and that is all that really matters. I have always loved art, but haven't really dedicated that much of my time to it. I have a sketch book that I take out and add to every so often, but now it is the holidays, I thought I should really get into it a bit more. So these are a few pieces that I did a few days ago: 

I was inspired by a quote I saw a few months back, that went along with an image of a dandelion. It said: "Some people see a weed, while others see a wish." I really liked that and it stuck in my head, so when I decided to take my sketch book out again, I thought it was about time that I incorporated it into something in my life.  

Keeping with the nature theme, this is a purely made-up flower I drew. It began as a random pattern which I thought looked like the bud of a flower, so I added a stem and leaves to it and voila!

Over the past few weeks, I had been watching the series 'Poldark' on TV, which is set on the Cornish coast. It is set in the 18th century, with a wild ocean- how could I not want to draw an old fashioned ship? 

To be honest, I don't really know what this is, but I saw this design carved on wood in a picture I found on the internet and thought that it was pretty so I tried to reproduce it. It has an ancient celtic feel about it, which makes me like it even more because it's got a mystical/mysterious element to it.

So, this is just a very small introduction to what I've done and what I'm planning on continue doing, so be prepared for more to come. 

Life on Mars

Being the long weekend, I completely forgot it was Monday today. So, before it hits midnight and becomes Tuesday, I need to choose a song, and fast... You know when you have so many songs playing through your head, that you have no idea how to choose just one to listen to on your iPod? Well, that's my situation at the moment: I can't decide which song to talk about...

Ten minutes later...

Fifteen minutes...

Okay, I'm back and have made a cup of tea and even though I'm listening to Linkin Park at the moment, I have decided to talk about 'Life on Mars' by David Bowie. This has to be my favourite song of his, with 'Starman' coming close in second place. All of my life, I have grown up with David Bowie playing, as my dad is a big fan. A road trip is never complete without David Bowie, The Beatles or Queen- they are the essential car CD's.

To be honest, I have no idea what 'Life on Mars' is actually about, but despite this, this song has produced strong imagery in my head. This song, to me, looks like a collage, with cut pictures all pasted together to create a whole new surrealist world, where nothing makes sense and there is no logic and everything is abstract. Which I guess is the whole point of the expression "life on Mars"- implying that you are experiencing something completely different and foreign to what you are used to. The song makes me feel like I'm floating above the ground of this collage world, where some things go unnoticed, while other things stand out. For example, the lyrics:

"But her friend is nowhere to be seen

Now she walks through her sunken dream

To the seat with the clearest view

And she's hooked to the silver screen"

and the line which always amused me: "that Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow."

I love this song so much and I love David Bowie- he is a major part of my childhood, especially his role as the Goblin King in 'The Labyrinth' (which he sang an epic soundtrack for). That was one of my favourite movies as a kid and I still love it to this day and dance and sing along to all the songs when they come on. Also, weirdly, quite a few times I've actually dreamt that I have been on stage with David Bowie (mind you, I have dreamt a lot of those kinds dreams with numerous bands, but he seems to be a recurring one). In fact, a couple nights ago I dreamt I was twelve and I got called onto the stage by him and I had to play the drums and instead, I knocked over the cymbals and everyone laughed. Anyway, enough about my dreams... here is 'Life on Mars.' 

'City of Heavenly Fire'

Firstly, I am feeling a bit like this at the moment:

That is right- the semester is over and so are all my assessments! YAY! No more stress or worries (well, no more caused by uni work, at any rate) Which also means there are no more excuses for me to procrastinate from writing on my blog. I'm going to get on top of things and get things done in these next few months. So, what did I do to celebrate my first day of freedom?

Well, like a true nerd, I spent all of yesterday reading and finishing the last book in the ‘Mortal Instruments series’ by Cassandra Clare, ‘City of Heavenly Fire.’ I could not put the book down and I am ashamed to say it, but I got really annoyed at anyone who dared interrupt me. I was even annoyed when I got told dinner was ready, and believe me, that was probably the only time I’ve ever been angry that I had to eat food. Food is my life, plus it was my favourite dish: pasta with my nonna’s sauce. And I have to say, I ate that bowl of pasta ferociously and so fast that I think I got slight indigestion from it, just so I could get back to reading. That’s how much I was enjoying this book. Also, by that point, I was halfway through the epilogue, so you can see where I was coming from, wanting to finish those last thirty pages or so.

One of the first blog posts I had ever written was about ‘The Mortal Instruments’ and comparing it to the movie. The book series is far far far superior to the movie, and this last book (there are six in the series) did not disappoint me. I gasped, I cried, I smiled, and I felt happy and a part of me felt complete while reading it. I have fallen in love with these characters and have become so attached and emotionally invested with them, and I really  wish I could go into more detail about this novel, but unfortunately, since it was the last in the series, if I were to write about it, it would give everything away. So all I can really say is that I am really happy about how Cassandra Clare ended the series, and I highly recommend anyone who loves reading urban fantasy romance to read it.

But a basic summery of the world of the novels: it is set in modern day New York (predominantly), where demons do exist, but are unknown to mundanes (ordinary people). The Shadowhunters are a race who were created to kill demons and defend the human race. There are also vampires and werewolves and warlocks and fey, all of which are known as ‘Downworlders,’ who the Shadowhunters make treaties with in order to maintain peace between the races. They also have a common enemy that becomes a greater threat throughout the series. The books are written with witty humour and gripping plots that develop in each novel and a leisurely read. I instantly fell in love with the series when I first started reading the books in 2011, so I’m very bias when I say I would rate it a 10/10, but it would definitely be an 8/10 at the very least. It’s a series that I have read over and over and over again (except this last book being the first time I’ve ever read it) and I plan to read it numerous times in the future; it holds a proud spot next to my ‘Harry Potter’ series on my book shelf.

My bookshelf (the shelf that has my favourite books) 

And the wonderful thing about Cassandra Clare is that she has written a brilliant prequel series 'The Infernal Devices' which is set in the same world, but in Victorian London (I loved it so much), and a new series, 'The Dark Artifices' which is to be released later this year. Also, while the 'Mortal Instruments: The City of Bones' movie was considered a flop, a television series is being made based on 'The Mortal Instruments' called 'Shadowhunters.' I'm excited.

Overall, I consider yesterday as a very good start to what I'm hoping will be a very good holiday break.

Getting there

I am so over this semester. I've loved all my subjects, but I just want to be on holidays already! I doubt I'm alone in this feeling, and some have it a lot worse than me. My last assessment is this Friday, putting on a production and it has been so stressful, because only a couple of days ago, we found out that an exam is taking place in our performance space, so tomorrow (the day before we perform) we have to set up our new stage in a new space, re-block and go over everything to make sure Friday is a success. Arrgghhh (guttural groaning sigh)

I apologise for using this blog as a platform for my stress and vents, so please forgive my previous paragraph. But because I know a lot of other people are probably feeling fed up and just want the next few days or weeks to be over, I'm going to turn this negative post into a positive one. The bright side is that we are getting there! There is a light at the end of the tunnel here! And that light is different for everyone, but for me it consists of: my bed, a good book, tea, television shows and most importantly, the prospect of catching up with friends.

Over the past few weeks, I have tried to fill my spare hours immersing myself in small positive things. And I encourage that if anyone else is feeling 'down-in-the-dumps' (I really don't know where that expression comes from), do something that makes you feel a bit better. Here is what I've been doing whenever I'm at home:

• It's been absolutely freezing weather, making it extra hard to get out of bed in the mornings, so I've been drinking a lot of tea. Emphasising on a lot. Having simple aims as making your favourite warm beverage, is worth getting out of bed for. What makes it a lot easier, is putting on some of your favourite songs on, so when you roll out of bed (wrapping yourself in a dressing gown or blanket to get to the kitchen) singing and dancing to music really helps. 
• While waiting for the kettle to boil, heat up your beanbag/ hot water bottle. Once the tea is made and you have no other place you need to be, hop back in bed with your newly warmed object and turn off the music and pick up your favourite book. Over the past few weeks, I've been re-reading 'The Mortal Instruments' series, and I'm currently halfway through reading the last book in the series, which is the book I haven't read before, so I'm so excited and enjoying it so much. One of the best feelings is reading a fantastic book for the first time, especially if it is in a series that you love. 
• Keep reading and drinking tea for the entire day and whenever you re-make tea, turn on the music loud and dance around and sing your heart and soul out. 
• Also, watch an episode from one of your favourite television series every now and then. I've been re-watching 'Skins' and now am near the end of the second series. 

However, I am in no way saying that you should just stay in bed all day. It's also really important to organise and catch up with friends. Plan catchups and events, so you have something to look forward to in between work and studies. I haven't started this stage yet, but once Friday is over, I will feel less confined by stress (even though I still have other things to stress about, but there will be one less major stress at any rate), and I'll be ready to go out with friends. And that is seriously my motivation. I forgot say that finding motivation is the key. Seeing friends is my motivation: only a couple more days... I'm getting there! We are getting there! 

-

Another Love

I'm usually the last person to discover an artist or a song, for example, last year I discovered Lana Del Rey for the first time, while the rest of the world had heard of her since 2010. Well, over the past few weeks, I have been obsessed with the album 'Long Way Down' by Tom Odell which came out in 2013, but I only just heard of it and fell in love with every single song on it. I just assumed everyone had heard of him, but when I mentioned his name to a few of my friends the other day, they just gave me a blank expression and were like "who?" I have to admit, I was actually shocked that I had heard of an artist that some people hadn't heard of before. To all you lovely people who are reading this, you probably have heard of Tom Odell before, but for those who haven't... I'm very excited to introduce you to the music of this fantastic English singer-songwriter. 

I actually can't decide which of his songs is my favourite, because I think I just love them all equally,  so I thought I'd post the first song I heard of his, which is 'Another Love'. I heard it playing softly in the background at a party; there was something about it that I just had to know what it was called and who the artist was. So I searched for the host and asked them what was playing, and because I'm a nerd, I always bring paper and pen with me (yes, even to parties) and wrote it down. The next day, I bought the album. Happily ever after. 

The lyrics and the music in each of his songs just make me go into this state where I am consumed by the song. But this song in particular, it is beautiful and sad and I want to smile and cry. It's one of those songs that just captures the delicate emotions so perfectly, and it is so fragile and you just want to look after the song. I realise that does not make any sense, but it's as though you can tell that Tom Odell is singing with his heart and soul and you just want to treasure it. Yeah, I'm not making any sense... moving on.

I started writing other songs of his that I recommend listening to, but then I deleted that, because I realised I was actually writing the entire album. So basically, I just recommend listening to the whole album. But for now, here is 'Another Love'- hope you love it as much as I do.