Weekly Update!

Good Food, Housewarming & Gym Bunnying!

This week I've been really good, I went to the gym every week day, and have been watching what I eat using this app on my phone which is amazing. I've lost 4lbs which is pretty impressive in a week!

I worked on Monday, and on Tuesday I did the now seemingly weekly visit to Hale Country Club restaurant for tea. I had chicken skewers with salad, followed by chocolate and macadamia brownie with pistachio ice cream and fruit salad (I had to save up calories during the day!) which was gorgeous. 

Wednesday was a quiet day, and then on Thursday I went with Dad for a tour of Hale Country Club, and we ended up joining. It was £55 join up fee, and is £69 a month, but the facilities are incredible and I definitely think I will get my money's worth. In the evening I went for a drink and to see Django with Rick, my old work colleague. The film was amazing (see previous post) and it was nice to catch up with Rick who I've not seen since before Christmas.

On Friday I went for afternoon tea at Wyevale Garden Centre with Mum, and then I babysat for Aum in the evening and got £45, which is desperately needed to last until payday next Wednesday! Afterwards I drove through the crazy snow to my friend's flat in the town centre for the night, it took me over half an hour to get there! Saturday was a lazy day, I drove back home and spent some time sorting through my filing and memory boxes which was nostalgic, and then went to a housewarming in the evening with Emily, Dom, Mo, Ellie, Kirsty and Smeed. I only intended drinking the 3/4 bottle of wine I took, but a trip to Tescos resulted in another bottle being bought and consumed!

Today has been spent feeling very hungover, I didn't get up until 4pm! I had a shower and then went for a meal at Giraffe in Spinningfields with a few people from last night and a couple more which was nice. I had duck and orange tostada for starter, followed by prawn, chicken and chorizo jambalaya and then had a cappucino with crushed amaretti biscuits for 'dessert'. I got home at about half nine which was good as I still had the evening to chill out a bit. I listened to the new Everything Everything album, which I love, and am just off to bed. 2013 is turning out to be a good year so far!

Winter Views...

Django Unchained - 5 stars *****

Last night I went with my old work colleague Rick to see Django Unchained. I was pretty excited as I'd heard really good things about it, and I wasn't disappointed!

The story follows Django (a stellar performance from Jamie Foxx) as he is rescued by bounty hunter Dr King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) from slavery in order to track down three criminals that he is under order to kill. He does such a good job, that he becomes partners with the doctor and together they go on a mission to rescue Django's wife Broomhilda, who is enslaved by the tyrant Calvin Candie (Leonardo de Caprio) owner of plantation Candyland. As can be expected of any film, this quest is not quite so simple, and involves a lot of schmoozing and scheming in order to work.

The first thing to note about Django Unchained is its ability to make the audience feel incredibly uncomfortable by the inherent use of racism throughout. Personally I think it is admirable that Tarantino decides to get so close to the bone in order to portray the views of the characters, as it creates an accurate representation of life back in America in the 1850s. For those that are easily offended though, perhaps this is a picture to miss.

Secondly I really rate the way this film has been shot and produced. The special effects are second to none, and through the use of freeze frames, camera angles and colour, Django Unchained is made to feel very clean and up to date in terms of modern cinema, despite not being set in a present day era.

A special mention has to go out to the brilliant performance by Christoph Waltz, who totally made this film for me. His snappy comments, use of facial expression and pin pointed gestures created an entirely believable character who was a really loveable loyal guy, but could kick ass when he needed to. I must admit I have never heard of or seen him before, but would honestly search out some of his other stuff, to see if it is all such high calibre acting.

This film is Tarantino back to his undeniable best. Not only does it have a sturdy plot that keeps you entertained with its fast paced action, but the clever, witty dialogue and incredible skills of the actors involved (which also included Samuel L Jackson, of course!) made it an all round winner in my eyes. Definitely one for the DVD collection.

Inspired by a friend

I wrote this as a thankyou to a friend as he helped broaden my musical horizons by making me a CD. He has recently moved to London from Leeds, so I wanted to write him something about it that felt personal but could be appreciated by others as well. I hope it is! 
Having taken the time to write this, I realised how much I miss writing poetry, so in theory you should see some more creative pieces on here throughout the year. That's the plan anyway!

The Big Smoke

A journey is taken from North to South,

from heart of the country to urban mouth.

An arduous passage of sixty leagues,

through midlands, motorways, borders and trees.

A city where gherkins are made of glass;

and girls are all ‘darlin’s’ no chance of a ‘lass’.

A place where two snakes roam freely around -

one flows below bridges, one’s underground.

Although it is change from what used to be,

It’s chance to explore and hopefully see;

strange become normal and normal is fine,

(but don’t let normal be boring in time).

So keep living your life with a smile on your face,

and if the worst happens? Kick it back into place.

Weekly Update!

Country Clubs, Rum & Burst Pipes

I had a nice, varied week this week, though money is rapidly decreasing (I have £24 to last until 29th Jan!!) so next week may be slightly less interesting! On Monday I worked at the pub, but it was so quiet, I only made £5 tips which is pretty dire. On Tuesday I finally made it back into the gym to do a body conditioning class, which went well considering my leg is still pretty painful now and again. In the evening Aum had his first swimming lesson at Hale Spa and Country Club, and we ate our tea there afterwards. I had fish and chips, served with creamed peas which were delicious, and it looked very pretty on the plate. Considering it is quite an upmarket place, the food is actually very reasonable (not that I was paying!).

On Wednesday the slump of the week hit, and after another successful class at the gym I fancied doing something that evening so text a friend to see if he fancied a drink. We went to a place in Castlefield called The Wharf, it was kind of countrified in style but clearly done recently. There weren't many people in there but it was busy enough not to feel unwanted! We got a spot by the fire which was good, as it was freezing - even the canal was frozen over. I drove so it wasn't too late a night, just nice to escape the house for a while.

On Thursday I got into gym gear and then was told upon arrival that Aum's school was closed as there was a burst pipe. We didn't do much as I hadn't expected to have him all day so hadn't planned anything, but we watched Despicable Me, played on the Wii, and then I took him to my house so I could change out of my gym stuff as I was going out straight from work. I went to see Les Mis with a few friends (see previous post) which was good; luckily we had booked seats as the performance was sold out.

On Friday the school was closed again, but this time we knew in advance so had time to sort something out to do for the day! A few of the other parents were taking their children to Ants in your Pants, a kids play area, and we got an invite so went along at 10am. Aum's whole class were pretty much there, so we stayed for ages, and got some food there too. Afterwards we went to Toys R Us as he had some money to spend, and then once we got home we did a bit of work before his dad got home from work. I didn't do anything that evening, although my parents had friends round for tapas, so I sat with them for most of the evening which was a laugh.

On Saturday I redyed my hair purple, this time at the roots which looks pretty cool, then Mum and I went into Manchester to go shopping. The lack of money meant buying anything was pretty difficult, but I did get a pair of black studded shoes and a new bra, so didn't do too badly on a budget! In the evening I went out with Emily to Revolucion de Cuba, a new rum bar on Peter Street in town. Though we went out as a pair, we knew a group of people out as well so met up with them, and I had a really good night. I went to Benn's afterwards as all the guys I went to Benicassim with were up for the weekend as it was Mike's birthday, so ended up doing the usual drinking-until-6am malarkey!

Due to this, today I've been pretty knackered, I got home at half twelve and promptly went back to bed until 3pm. I attempted to write an article but gave up, then had a really nice chicken roast dinner and went out for drinks in Altrincham with a friend. So all in all, a successful week!

Winter Views...

Les Miserables - 3 stars ***

Last night I went to see Les Mis with Tasha, Hannah and Emily. I didn't know the storyline at all, and probably wouldn't have ended up seeing it at the cinema, but it was suggested as reason for us all to get together so I thought I'd go along.

The film is 2 1/2 hours long, so understandably this summary is very much abbreviated! The story takes place during the French Revolution and focuses around a man called Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) who is given parole after serving 19 years as a slave for stealing a loaf of bread. Wishing to escape, he goes on the run and manages to successfully carve a new life for himself as the mayor of a local town. At the same time, a young girl called Fantene (Anne Hathaway) is sacked from her job in the town when it is discovered she has a child, and Valjean (the owner of the factory) does nothing to prevent it. Forced into prostitution, Valjean finds her a few weeks later close to death (and with no hair, which the actress actually cut off for the role!), and as she dies he vows to take care of her child as repayment for the injustice he has caused.

He rescues the child, Cosette, from the couple that are currently looking after her, a pair of dodgy innkeepers played by Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen. However, a police inspector called Javert that used to be in charge of Valjean when he was a slave has reappeared and suspects his true identity, so the pair have to run away to prevent being caught and punished. As well as this, there is a love triangle between Cosette, Eponine (the innkeepers' daughter) and Marius, a rich young man who has cast aside his wealthy background in favour of helping his friends with the war effort.

To say that this is a musical performed by normal actors, I was impressed at the singing talent of the majority of the cast. Amanda Seyfried as Cosette was rather annoying for me as she is incredibly high pitched and warbly, but she was the single weak link in my opinion. Samantha Barks as Eponine really stood out, and she had a gorgeous couple of solos that really made the film. The duo of Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen provided some comedic relief that was well needed, even if their roles were a little typecast - it is what they do best after all.

I wouldn't be too fussed about seeing this again at the cinema, but when it comes out on DVD I would re-watch it, as it is entertaining, and has some emotionally charged scenes that really resonate. I appreciated the overall picture, and the talent that was clearly in abundance (not to mention the presence of Eddie Redmayne, who will always perk up a film for me!), but at times I find all filmed musicals a little cringey to watch, especially one such as this where literally every line is sung, so I'll keep it on three stars.

Winter Views...

The Hobbit - 4 stars ****

Last week I finally got round to watching The Hobbit with my dad and sister. I read the book when I was ten, so have fond memories of the story, and was a little sceptical when I saw it was being made into a film, especially as for such a short book it is being done in three parts.

However, I was pleasantly surprised. Though it wouldn't be my film of the year or anything, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and would recommend it to fans of the book. The scenery, costumes and prosthetics are amazing, and you can really tell a great deal of time, effort and money has gone into the production of this film. It was action packed, emotive, had aspects of humour and to say it is based in a land where goblins and orcs live, strangely relatable in terms of the challenges and fears faced by Bilbo. 

That taken into account, it is not to say I didn't have any issues with this movie. Firstly, Martin Freeman doesn't really cut it for me as Bilbo, but maybe that is because I am such a fan of Ian Holm's later portrayal of the character, and they seem worlds apart. I understand that obviously he changes as a person on his journey throughout The Hobbit, but it is like watching two different characters. Perhaps they will meld more throughout the trilogy.

Secondly, I feel that although it is never boring, there is a lot of surplus information thrown at the audience that isn't wholly needed. For the die-hard aficionados, this is probably a major plus point, as a lot of the history of the ring's journey is included, but for the average viewer, it makes it clunky and difficult to follow. 

One thing that I really rated were the choices of cast. All of the dwarves that accompany Bilbo on his quest were finely carved individuals, each with their own quirky characteristics and traits, which made for good viewing. In particular, Richard Armitage created a fearsome, dark character in Thorin Oakenshield, who gradually shows his softer, more vulnerable side. 

I also liked how songs were included, as it split up the film into nice chunks and provided light relief from some of the more heavier going story lines.

Overall, this is a film that isn't quite of LOTR standard in my opinion, but I would buy it on DVD when it comes out nevertheless.

Weekly Update!

Illness & Satans!

This week's post will be ridiculously short, as I have been laid up in bed pretty much everyday with a horrible cold/ cough/ temperature, so have accomplished very little. Besides sleeping literally all I have done is eat, clean my room and have my nails done! I was in bed by 10.30pm on Friday, and woke up fairly early on Saturday with the intention of going into town, only to fall asleep on my bed again until two!

When I eventually got up I went to buy some false eyelashes and pick up a top I bought from French Connection that was being delivered to Waitrose, and then had some food before starting to get ready for a night out. It was my friend Dom's 25th birthday, so we went to Wetherspoons in Altrincham for a few before getting a minibus into town to go to Satan's Hollow. The main room basically consisted of middle-aged men swinging their unnecessarily long hair around in circles to heavy metal, but luckily the second room was playing old school skater style stuff like Blink 182, Bowling For Soup and Taking Back Sunday, so we had a laugh dancing around and reliving the Urbis days.

I went back to a friend's house and was there until mid afternoon today, before I had to brave the cold to get my car from Altrincham, which wasn't so fun! The rest of the day I've spent chilling out, and I've just had an amazing Moroccan meatball tagine with poached egg and cous cous for my tea - delish!

Traveller's Tales...

Andorra (Part 2)

On the Wednesday it was my final skiing lesson, and I pretty much stayed in bed until it started. We actually went on the slopes, and it was such a confidence boost to see my improvement from the first day. We each got a certificate which was cute, and then Bobby and I went to Pas 83 for some drinks. I stayed in there with the reps and the Lincoln lot and got a little tipsy on BOGOF gins doing drinking games! 

That night it was the 'Mountain Meal', which was actually in Milwaukee, a bar around the corner from the hotel, not up the mountain! I wore a new blue sequin dress as it was a chance for us to dress up nicely for once. We had chicken wings for starter, followed by ribs with jacket potato and coleslaw, and apple cobbler and custard for dessert. It was all you could drink as well, so we definitely made the most of that! There was a band on afterwards and drinking games, so it was a really fun night. Unfortunately I swallowed my tongue stud which was a little annoying, Pete the rep did an announcement in case anyone had a spare! 

Lydia got really drunk so Lizzie and I attempted to take her home, but halfway there she changed her mind so we went to Bilbord, the club we were supposed to be going to after. Noone was in there so we went for a quick one in Paddys, and when people still didn't turn up we went back to Milwaukee, where we actually stayed for quite a while longer. Everyone got so drunk! There was a face painter in there who did a cool multicoloured animal print on my face for 5 euro, and they had kareoke too - though I steered clear! We went on to Bilbord after, which was probably the first proper club we had been in, they played some good music and it was underground and had booths to sit in and stages to dance on. It was a very late night, and probably my favourite of the holiday as everyone enjoyed themselves so much.

The next day I felt rubbish so decided to take a day off skiing and just lay about all day! I eventually got up at about 4pm, and had a shower and started to get ready for the night out, which was scrubs themed - they were so comfy! Everyone looked really good, and we had pre-drinks at our room which was a lot of fun. We went out to Paddy's pretty late, and a few of us took part in a challenge where you were strapped into skis on the ceiling upside down and had to down a drink - taking one for the girls! We then moved onto Shamrocks where they were playing some brilliant dubstep so I had a little skank, and then we went to Bilbord again... at 3.30am! We were there for ages, and I eventually got to bed at about 5am.

The following day I went skiing with Lydia and a doctor she had met the night before called Matt. We did a red run a couple of times, and then Matt took me up to do the run I was going to have to do that afternoon after apres-ski at the panoramic bar at the top. It was pretty scary, and so steep! I was OK to begin with, and then I got my skis caught and my boot wasn't tight enough so I twisted my leg - I had to be rescued and taken down in a bodybag! I went back and got changed and then we headed up to the bar where we had a couple of mulled wines and watched a band play. Lydia and I got to take the chairlift down as we were the cripples (!) which was pretty funny drunk. We had a few after in Pas 83 and chatted with the reps, then went sledging, which was so much fun!

Everyone's spirits were a little low that night, the week was catching up with us, and most had peaked too soon. It was jungle themed, I was a 'snake', and we went out (very late!) to Shamrocks and then finished in Underground. Most people left quite early, but I was determined, so stayed out with random other stragglers and the reps. The next morning we had to tidy up the room and pack our bags ready to check out at 4pm. We got the coach at 5.40pm, and started the horrific journey home. I felt so ill I basically slept the whole way, leaving everyone with the lovely memory of me looking like death in my 70s style pyjamas! 

It was such an awesome week, I loved every minute. I am so glad that even if it was a little belated, I finally dragged myself onto a ski trip, as I would certainly do one again, and Andorra was ideal for a novice like myself!

Traveller's Tales...

Andorra (Part 1)

On Saturday 29th December, I left Timperley with Lydia to drive to York at around 2pm. We got there for just after 4pm with a little McDonalds stop, and loaded our (very heavy!) luggage onto the coach. I was really hungover, so tried to sleep as soon as I got to my seat, which was a shame as I felt I couldn't really be properly introduced to everyone or join in some games that were going on. We drove for what seemed like forever, stopping a couple of times for food and toilet stops, and of course to cross the channel, before eventually reaching our hotel at about 5pm.

We were quite lucky as it meant we got there in time to pick up our skis ready for the morning, and had chance to unpack and have showers etc before going out that night. The other coach from Lincoln had a flat tyre, so didn't arrive until 10.30pm! We had a few drinks in the room, and then went to a bar around the corner called Underground. The drinks weren't that cheap (4€) but the measures were ridiculous so we couldn't complain. The music was really good as well as it was an indie club, so we stayed until pretty late.

The following day I had my first skiing lesson. It wasn't until 2pm, so I had a good lie in and washed my hair beforehand. Initially I was put in the advanced beginners group, but after a shaky and nerve-racking start at the top of a slope, I decided to join the complete beginners! I felt much more comfortable in that group, and we were just practising snow plough and using the carpet and rope lifts, so I knew what I was doing this time. After my three hours I was pretty tired, so headed back to the hotel room and got changed. 

That night was New Years Eve, and it was neon rave themed bar crawl, so I started getting ready with plenty of time and had a couple of drinks before we all left for Paddys, our first stop. As the name suggests it is an Irish bar, and is pretty good, we had a few free drinks in the bars included in the crawl, so didn't spend very much. We moved on next door to Shamrocks, another Irish place which is tiny, and then to a bar called KYU next to our hotel. We were allowed to dance on the bar in there which was loads of fun, and there was a proper dancefloor so everyone was up having a boogie. We finished in Underground again, where the atmosphere was really good and everyone was enjoying themselves - we also did two countdowns for the UK and French time zones!

The next day I felt a little worse for wear, but forced myself up as Lydia, Steph (our roommate) and I had said we'd go for some lunch somewhere as it was New Years Day. We went to a little pizza place near the bottom of the slopes, where I had a lovely ham, artichoke, mushroom and egg pizza, even if I did save half for later on! My second lesson was really enjoyable actually, and I felt much more confident with my technique, the only annoying thing was we were constantly using the rope lift, which really knackered my arms.


I met up with Lyd and Steph once I'd finished and we went for drinks at a place called Pas 83 near our hotel, as it was where everyone went straight from the slopes. I just stuck to coke as I still felt grim, and we left shortly afterwards as everyone was pretty drunk and we weren't really making the most of it! That night we had a fairly quiet one, only the three of us went out and just stuck to KYU next door, the Lincoln lot were clearly on it, but we had a couple of drinks and were home by 3am (early by Andorra standards!). Luckily there was no theme that night so I wore my leather dress and we got some nice pictures!