Mid-week Update!

Sunny walks, Grad Ball & Shopping!

Another busy week worthy of two posts! This week has been one split between two cities, Lancaster and Manchester. Monday started at home in Manchester, where the weather was gorgeous, and as such my mum and I decided to go for a nice walk. We only went to Dunham Massey, which I have mentioned in previous posts, but this time we stopped at the restaurant there for tea and cake. I had a maple and pecan muffin and a pot of Earl Grey, which was tasty, and because of the sunshine all the deer were about frolicking which was sweet.

On Monday evening, after a spot of shopping during the afternoon, I made a last minute decision to go to our Graduation ball, and so sped off to Lancaster in a suitably formal dress I luckily had in my wardrobe. We had a few drinks (champagne of course) at my friends flat, and then

took some photographs of everyone next to the tree that is the symbol of our university college. It was really good to see everyone all trussed up looking gorgeous, just a shame that my choice to go was so spontaneous, as I'd have liked to have splashed out on a new dress. The event had performances by many different acts- some local bands and DJs as well as the more notable Greg James from Radio 1 and The Noisettes, who were really good live!

Yesterday I headed back to Manchester as I had a shift at work that evening. Today my sister Jasmine and I decided to go into Manchester to do a bit of shopping, as she needed some shoes for her prom. I bought a black blazer from H&M, and a nice geometric top from Warehouse as well as a present for my friend's 21st, which is this evening. (see Part 2!) We also went to an amazing new sweet shop, that had every sweet imaginable on its shelves, as well as a chocolate dipping station, and cupcake stall!

Weekly Update!

Afternoon Tea, Last LUFS Meal & My 21st!

This week has been so much fun, due to it being my last full week in Lancaster, so it involved lots of socialising. On Monday I got a lift back to Lancs with my mum, and then in the afternoon/ evening went for a barbecue at my friends house, where we'd literally just dragged the sofa outside when it began to rain. Luckily we'd finished cooking everything by then though!

On Wednesday my friend Timna and I went to The Borough, a pub in Lancaster, and had a champagne afternoon tea service to celebrate finishing the year. We got a flute of champagne each, finger sandwiches, fruit jelly with cream, custard slices, cream buns and a fruit stick, followed by a lovely cup of tea and scones with jam and cream, all for £12. Feeling sufficiently full (and a bit merry off the champers) we bought a bottle of bubbly and went to the cinema to see Bridesmaids (see previous post). A thoroughly enjoyable and girly day.

On Thursday it was our last ever LUFS meeting, and so the exec all went to Julie, our media officer's house for lunch. We each took something (I made a veggie chilli) and totally pigged out on chocolate marshmallows, strawberries and cream, crisps, cakes and champagne again! Because it was our last get-together, we all dressed up for the occasion, which was really fun; even if we did get some strange looks walking to the house! In the evening I went for a few drinks in town with friends with it being my last night out in Lancaster. We went to the White Cross, The Sun and The John O'Gaunt which was nice.

On Friday morning I had my hair dyed, which took 3 hours! It's finally the colour I've wanted it for ages though so it was worth it. In the evening Chris and I got the train back to Manchester ready for my party the next day, and we went for a carvery at a local pub for tea.

Saturday dawned and after prettifying myself, I set about helping to sort everything out for my 21st birthday party. People started arriving from about 1.30pm, but I managed to save myself and only had my first glass of wine at 3.30pm! My friends from uni got trains and arrived at tea time, which was great. It was such an amazing day, lots of people came, I got some gorgeous presents, had an awesome buffet courtesy of my mum and stayed up partying until 6am!

Needless to say Sunday was spent catching up on sleep and seeing off everyone who had stayed. An absolutely brilliant week!

Summer Views...

Bridesmaids- 4 stars ****

Hailed as 'the female Hangover' I was really up for seeing this after watching a trailer, so on a whim one day my friend and I went to see it.

It tells the story of a middle-aged woman, who is called upon by her best friend to be her maid of honour when she becomes engaged. She agrees to the role straight away, only to be hit with constant hurdles due to the other 4 bridesmaids and their differing opinions. Though the characters are slightly stereotyped (there is a tomboy, a religious newlywed, a controlling rich wife and a wild child stuck with a soccer mum's life) the scenarios that come about as a result do all have a certain amount of believability to them, which make it all the more funny.

What I love most about this film is its honesty. It portrays women in a way that isn't mocking, yet is true to real life, a warts and all depiction if you will. The relationships between the characters are highly authentic, and at times I was laughing because what was shown reminded me of a similar situation with my friends, and I think a film that can emote like that is well worth a watch.

The vast majority of characters are played by actors that I am not familiar with, which I think is refreshing in a Hollywood film nowadays. I had seen Rose Byrne (who is superbitch Helen) in a few things (in fact, she is in the latest X-Men film) but the lead character Annie is portrayed brilliantly by Kristen Wiig, who seems to have broken onto the blockbuster scene after numerous appearances on Saturday Night Live, as she was also the leading lady in comedy Paul earlier this year. A particular mention must also go to Melissa McCarthy, who is absolutely hilarious as the groom's sister Megan. There are also some funny faces from the British comedy set, in particular Matt Lucas, and Chris O'Dowd, of The IT Crowd fame. The entire cast slot perfectly together, and there isn't a weak link amongst them.

The way this film differs from other generic female based comedies, is that it isn't afraid to be crude and to-the-point. Like The Hangover, it focuses on showing realistic relationships, rather than ideals. When Annie gets kicked out of her apartment, loses her job and can't get the man she is sleeping with to love her, she isn't sympathised with. A new job doesn't just fall into her lap, and a new house materialise for half the rent. She gets told to man up by her friends, and has to apologise for being such an idiot to the man who truly cares about her. That folks, is much more like real life than any Bridget Jones, and why this film is definitely worth taking the time to view.

Summer Reads...

The Love Verb by Jane Green- 3 stars ***

This book is a prime example of how a book can be both good and bad at the same time. It tells the story of Callie, a forty-something mother of two who has relocated to the country from the big city of New York. This is where the bad starts, where it speaks of her amazing life, her perfect husband and children etc, so that as a reader, you are just waiting for the 'but'. It tells the background stories of just about everyone in her life, from her mother and father, to her best friend, and an acquaintance of her sister's, to the extent that you do begin to wonder where the actual story is going to kick in.

And then it does. Surprisingly Callie doesn't have an affair, or a mid-life crisis. In fact, it becomes apparent that she had cancer in the past, and the vast majority of the latter half of the book deals with a relapse in her recovery, when it returns. It is not only heart-wrenching, but also very considerately written, to the extent that it did not surprise me at all when I learnt that the book was partly based on the author's experiences with her own best friend's struggle with cancer. The relationships in it and how the disease affects everyone around her are incredibly believable and very well written.

It is not all doom and gloom, however. There are also sub-plots throughout, such as a romance sideline for her sister, that take the edge off when it all seems a bit heavy for what I would originally have branded chick-lit. Although it is not a particularly happy ending, as a whole it has a certain feel-good factor to it that leave you smiling upon its finish.

Another part of the book that I really enjoyed was the inclusion of a recipe at the end of each chapter, due to Callie's sister Steffi being a chef. Some of them I would definitely be interested in making myself (for example Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle and Mushroom and Pecan Pate), and it is something I have not come across before in anything I have previously read. I would recommend this to anyone who wants something to read a couple of chapters of before bed; nothing too taxing, but will help you to drift off thinking, rather than sending you to sleep through boredom.

Weekly Update!

My Birthday Week (part 2)

Continuing on from my last post, on Thursday I was going to hit the gym, but it was such a sunny day that I couldn't bring myself to, so I had a wander into town instead. I got some things for my dad for Father's Day, and stopped for a cup of tea in an amazing little place called the Novel Cafe that has recently opened. Its walls are completely lined with books, that you are invited to read if you go in. I took my own book though and stayed for a good hour in the peace and quiet! That evening I went for a barbecue at my friends house, where a bottle of wine turned into 3, and I ended up sleeping over despite it being a five minute walk home to my house!

On Friday I was a little groggy, but after a severe lie in I had to go onto campus to do a psychology experiment I had put my name down for. Once that was done though, I headed back home for another nap to try and sleep off my hangover. In the evening the girls from the fashion society came to mine, and we voted in our new exec whilst enjoying some cheese and wine. As you can imagine though, I only had one glass before I decided to stick to just the lemonade! The night was cut short somewhat though by a mishap that ended in A & E, as someone twisted their ankle quite badly. 3 hours and a pair of crutches later though, she was smiling again- phew!

Yesterday it was my friend's 21st, so I trained it back to Manchester to go to her garden party in Knutsford, which was adorable. There were marquees in the garden, homemade floral bunting, gorgeous flowers everywhere and an amazing buffet including a hog roast and old fashioned sweets in jars. So much effort had gone into it and it looked incredible, and was a thoroughly enjoyable day/ night.

Today is Father's Day/ my dad's birthday from Friday, so we had a chinese takeaway and watched him open his presents and cards. I also had some from home as well, which was a nice surprise, so it was a happy day all around, and in general a brilliant week!

Mid-week Update!

My Birthday Week (Part 1)

As this week is so filled with fun things with it being my 21st birthday week, I thought I'd do two weekly update posts. On Monday my friends from home came up to visit, and after cooking some lovely pasta for us all, we got ready and I had a party to celebrate my birthday, as Monday is a much better day to go out in Lancaster. I made some cute cupcakes and other goodies for everyone coming, and there turned out to be quite a crowd!

We started at the house, where I opened lots of cards and presents before heading into town. First of all we went to Hustle, a shot bar that isn't quite as glamorous as it sounds! We had a couple of drinks there before moving on. The club I had planned to go to was heaving, so we went to Toast next door, which I haven't been to all year. They had some good drinks offers on though, and karaoke, which was great fun once we'd all had a few drinks, and it was really busy due to the overspill from next door.

The following day was my actual birthday, so after a nice lie in, I made a cooked breakfast for everyone that we ate outside due to the glorious weather. Once I had said goodbye to those that stayed, Chris and I went into town to buy some ingredients for a meal that we were having that evening (see previous post).

On Wednesday I went round to my friends house for a meal as my flatmate from first year was back from her year abroad in Spain. We had garlic bread and a vegetarian lasagne that the host had made, followed by summer fruit crumble that I cooked which went down very well. It was nice to catch up with the girls whilst enjoying some tasty food, bring on the rest of the week!

Homemade Recipes!

My 21st Meal

Yesterday it was my 21st birthday, and rather than go out for a meal as we have done in previous years, my boyfriend Chris and I decided to stay in, get some nice ingredients, and cook at home. After looking through my Marie Claire cook book, we found a couple of nice recipes, and adapted them to suit our tastes a bit more.

For our starter we had scallops, as being a lover of seafood, I have always wanted to try them. We kept it relatively simple and had them fried in butter on a bed of salad, but with a homemade dressing. It was made from lemon and lime juice, chopped fresh garlic and chilli, olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. The citrus juice made it lovely and refreshing, while the heat from the chilli (though the seeds were removed) provided a pleasant zingy aftertaste.

For the main course we had lamb, that was marinated in lemon juice, salt, pepper and fresh thyme before being pan fried in olive oil alongside some more sprigs of thyme. We served it with boiled asparagus and dauphinoise potatoes. The potatoes were made simply by heating a carton of double cream with some chopped garlic and a sprinkle of cheese at a low temperature, and pouring it over thinly sliced potatoes arranged into layers, before cooking for approx 40 minutes. It is quite a rich dish, but the double cream can be half mixed with natural yoghurt or UHT milk if a less indulgent result is required!

For dessert we cheated, and had slices of triple layer rocky road birthday cake that my mum had bought me. It was accompanied by a lovely latte macchiato made by my new red Nescafe Dolce Gusto coffee machine, a present from Chris.

Though it did require slightly more effort than just sitting in a restaurant and being served, it was fun to choose exactly what we wanted, rather than being restricted by a menu. And of course it was much easier on our pockets!

Weekly Update!

Exams & celebrations!

The beginning of this week was awful, due to me having an exam on Thursday, and having a complete lack of ability to revise for it. It has always been that way for me, and this year was no exception. After fruitlessly writing notes all of Monday, I realised halfway through Tuesday that I wouldn't finish writing up all of my lectures, so stopped and resorted to reading through them all, which never really sinks in. By the time it got to Wednesday, the day before my exam, I had completely given up, and so went to the gym, had long conversations with my best friend and my mum, and watched The Apprentice.

Eventually, Thursday dawned, and I was surprisingly not nervous, wanting more than anything to just get it over and done with. At 11.30am, I stepped outside the examination room and it dawned upon me that my university career was officially over. It was bliss. I celebrated by going to the gym (better to get all the horrid things out of the way early) and then mooching around the house in a state of euphoria until 6pm when I started getting ready for my friends to come round to my house.

At 7pm, a few friends came round for some drinks before we headed into town. By 11pm it was pouring down with rain, but nothing could dampen my spirits as a lucky few of us jumped in a taxi whilst the others walked. Ten minutes later we were warm and cradling drinks inside the Friary, and were joined soon after by three drowned rats. We stayed there for the whole of the night, but it was good to be able to have proper conversations rather than struggle to hear each other if we had decided upon a club.

Friday was spent in bed, and being disgustingly lazy, I didn't dress for the whole day. Chris had stayed over, so we watched episodes of Come Dine With Me, and got a chinese takeaway in the evening, after I realised I had been paid- woop!

On Saturday, the weather was gorgeous, so we went round to our friends house for a barbecue, which soon escalated into a 'burn anything in the vicinity of the barbeque' due to the large amount of boys in the group. I walked back to mine at around 7pm, and watched some rubbish telly before getting an early night.

Sunday was spent tidying the house and making cakes ready for my 21st birthday party tomorrow. I made some white chocolate chip frog cupcakes, a sponge loaf with strawberry jam filling and covered in white chocolate, and some rock cakes, that contained everything I needed to get rid of! I also walked into town to get a few bits of food to feed my friends from home who are coming to stay. I really miss having a bus pass this term, as I had to walk home in the pouring rain with heavy bags!

Summer Reads...

You're Next by Greg Hurwitz- 4 stars ****

This book was a nice change from the stuff I usually read, in that it was a thriller/ horror. It begins by using a 'Then' and 'Now' scenario, to give some background to Mike, the main character. Abandoned as a child, Mike has no idea about his past, or even his real name. Now he is a successful businessman with a family of his own, and has closed off that chapter of his life after years of searching in vain.

However, one day, a mysterious man starts talking to him at a party, and he soon realises that this man knows more about him than he is letting on. Quickly dismissing it, it is not until the talk develops into threats and attacks, that a nightmare ensues. So begins a life on the run, where Mike can trust noone, and has to try and protect his wife and young daughter from the imminent danger that stalks their lives.

The author has a true talent for creating edge of your seat suspense, and when the whole plot unravelled towards the end, I did not see it coming at all. It made reading it all the more worthwhile, as I wanted to find out what would happen so couldn't put it down! It is well written, and captures the relationships between Mike and his family extremely well- I really believed in his pure love for his wife, and the daughter he swears he will never leave as his father did to him.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants something a bit more taxing on the brain, and a dilemma to work out. A word of caution though, if like me you live alone, you may not want to read this in the dead of night as I did!

Inspired by escapism

The Many Faces Of Skye McKinty (part 2)

The woman, I later found out to be named Brenda, assured me that all men are stupid sometimes, and he’d come after me if he knew what was good for him. I thought this was rather an ambitious promise to make someone she’d been chatting with for barely thirty minutes.

For the remainder of the train journey I conjured up some extra gems of information. It seemed that once I began, I just couldn’t bring myself to say anything that related to my real life.

“So now I’m going to have to go to the wedding alone.” I finished, after a particularly imaginative tangent. At this point Brenda had turned in her seat to face me, and was nodding with a look of sheer sympathy in her eyes.

“Well, at least you can dance with the best man now without feeling guilty, that’s what the bridesmaids are supposed to do aren’t they?” She sighed, signalling that she was desperately clutching for the next positive thing to say about being single. “And I’m sure your sister will have kept the receipt for the suit he was going to wear. Men have loads of friends, so I’m sure they’ll find another usher without a problem, you shouldn’t worry about it.”

The food trolley came around, and Brenda insisted on buying me a cup of tea, apparently with the aim of cheering me up. She offered me a sweet from a packet she had in her handbag, and proceeded to tell me about the first boyfriend who had dumped her, and all the good it did her to, “Finally get shot of him”. It certainly perked up the train ride.

I appreciated the turn of conversation onto her, as I had begun to realise how difficult it was to be convincing when lying for a while. It gave me a new admiration for husbands that had affairs behind their partners’ backs. If you can call it admiration.

The familiar next stop announcement rang out through the carriage. “Well, this is me.” I stood; ready to lug my bag onto the platform. I was surprised, and a little shocked, when Brenda got up as well. She placed her arms around me in a loose hug, thrusting the remaining bag of sweets into my hand. “For the journey back home,” she said with a smile, and sat back into her seat. “It was lovely meeting you, best of luck with your sister’s wedding. And your future, of course. Don’t let him come crawling back!” I nodded, and then walked to the door, my hand sliding slightly on the rail as the train jolted to a stop.

It was once I’d got home, and was back in my usual spot lying on my bed staring at the ceiling, that I actually considered what I’d done. I could bump into Brenda anywhere, and the whole scenario would backfire on me. It had given me a huge rush though. I had found myself almost believing the untruths I was spinning at the time.

It appeared that there could be benefits for others that came from making up stories too. It probably made Brenda feel good to offer some personal advice, even if it did cost her £1.20. She would go home, safe in the knowledge that her jewels of wisdom had been planted in an impressionable mind, and then perhaps go back and relive past memories of her exes, laughing at her naivety. Where is the harm in faking a personality for an hour, if it results in tea and sympathy?

Realistically, I knew I would have to plan these things if I were to do the same again, and I’d have to be selective with how far I pushed my stories, as I couldn’t have them getting too similar. I would need to check train routes and times so that the same people weren’t likely to be around. I would change certain aspects of how I looked each time, so that even if someone did happen to be in the same place twice, it wouldn’t be obvious straight away. I’d start listening in to other people’s stories and twist them, or peruse gossip magazines for morsels that I could manipulate into something useable. There would be no hint of the real me, that nondescript twenty one year old from my party.

So began a dangerous habit.

Weekly Update!

Sun, Cupcakes & Frisbee!

This week was my first proper week back at uni since Easter. It has been awesome catching up with everyone, and the weather for once has been lovely!

On Monday after a gloriously unproductive day, Chris came to mine for tea, and we had pork steaks with pasta salad and guacamole- it was delicious, and nice and light for a warm summery day. On Tuesday I walked into town to run a few errands, before going onto campus to use the gym (though I was still aching from Saturday's session!) and then in the evening I chilled out in front of the telly before catching an early night.

Wednesday was a lovely day, as I went to watch The Hangover Part II, followed by a Yummy Cupcake Company visit (white chocolate and raspberry if you were interested) and then in the evening all my friends came round and I made a huge lasagne with garlic bread for us all to munch on. It was a late and rather drunken evening, which was a great way for me to catch up on everything I've been missing in Lancaster.

On Thursday I slept in quite late, and after washing up the mountains of dishes from the previous night, settled down for an Apprentice marathon, as I hadn't seen any of this series so far. Another nice lazy day, as I was making the most of not feeling guilty about revising due to my exams still being a week away.

I gymmed again on Friday, before meeting my dad and his friends who had come up to visit for the day/ night. One drink in the Pendle Witch with them then turned into a bar crawl from there to Yate's, The George and Dragon, The Water Witch and ended with shot sticks in Revolution. We had a cheeseboard and wine in The Water Witch which was amazing, and it was only £12.95 for 3 big wedges of cheese, tomato chutney and homemade bread and butter, so not bad considering it fed 5 people.

Yesterday I wandered home from Chris' (I'd had to stay there as all the beds were taken in my house!) and then after a quick change I went to sit on the University of Cumbria field with some friends in the sun. We had a little makeshift picnic, played a bit of frisbee, and I managed to get a nice little tan going! In the evening I tagged along to a friend of a friend's birthday night out, as I wanted to enjoy my last weekend of freedom before revision kicked in. They had a strange oxygen bar in Sugarhouse, which although I tried, I have to say wasn't too impressive.

Today I've been rather hungover in bed, but I'm looking forward to a nice chicken casserole and some roasties later on when Chris is coming to stay. You can't beat a bit of comfort food to perk you up the day after a night out!

Summer Views...

The Hangover Part II- 4 stars ****

I loved the first Hangover film, and so when I heard they were making a sequel, I was eager to get straight to the cinema when it was released. I had heard from a few people that it was pretty much a repeat of the original, but that didn't put me off.

This time it is dentist Stu (Ed Helms) who is getting married. After all plans of a bachelor party are quashed by the groom, the group head across the water to Thailand, where the wedding is taking place. Having been persuaded by the group to invite Alan (Zach Galifianakis) to the event, who caused the chaos in the first film by spiking the men's drinks, Stu is relieved when everything seems to be going swimmingly. Two nights before the ceremony, all the boys go for a few drinks around a fire on the beach.

The following morning Stu, Alan and Phil (Bradley Cooper) wake up in an apartment, missing Doug (Justin Bartha) and the bride's teenage brother Teddy (Mason Lee), and with the addition of a facial tattoo for Stu, and a shaved head for Alan. They have no recollection of the night, and it soon becomes apparent that Alan has been up to his old tricks again. So begins a crazy trip around Bangkok in order to piece together their lost night, and recover those missing from the group.

In this way, it is similar to the first film, but that is not to say that there is a lack of comedy or action in any way. I definitely think that the shock factor has been played upon in this film, as it is ruder, cruder and more X-rated than its predecessor, and it is this coupled with the same screenwriters that make this such a good watch. The acting is second to none, with familiar faces such as Mr Chow (Ken Jeong) providing a great majority of the hilarious moments, and newbies such as Paul Giamatti adding a more serious tone to the piece. At the end a guest appearance by Mike Tyson really puts the icing on the (wedding) cake. Not for the prudish, but great for a laugh-a-minute night in.