Life Update.

Hello my darling fellow members of society!

You thought I was dead didn’t you? Don’t lie to me, it’s fine, I would have thought I was dead too. Now first and foremost I have a HUGE apology to make to you guys, especially my lovely followers. I’ve been a crap blogger recently, I am disturbingly aware of this fact and I am sorry. I haven’t maintained my 30 day blog  challenge in the slightest and I haven’t even posted in about two weeks.

I DO HAVE REASONS! And I will get to those soon, I swear I didn’t just abandon you all, (well, I did sort of but.. shh…) I have genuinely had a lot of stuff going on in my life lately and my initial thought to take a short break from blogging kind of spiralled out of control and I found it harder and harder to sit down to my keyboard.

One of the main reasons for my absence is that I have been performing the Disney version of The Little Mermaid in an open air theatre festival which has taken up the majority of my time as I have had 14 performances over 7 days, plus the dress and technical rehearsals before hand, and when I haven’t been performing I have been catching up on sleep and rest because it’s so hot performing in the open air you tend to get very tired and dehydrated very quickly. I have my final two shows tomorrow and then I’m off on holiday on Monday where I can hopefully relax and get my rest.

Another reason which I wasn’t originally going to bring up was that I’ve been sort of sad lately. I wasn’t going to mention this because I am generally a very happy person and I don’t let things get me down easily but recently I’ve just felt a bit blue. My decision to share this with you guys was based solely on the fact that I am a real human being with real human emotions and I didn’t see any real reason why I shouldn’t inform you.

Three days ago was the 1st anniversary of my nan’s death which, weirdly, wasn’t even the main reason for my mood because I used that opportunity to celebrate her life and in honour of her I am actually going to be donating my hair to a charity that makes wigs for children with cancer (I will leave the link where you can donate at the bottom) so I know I’m doing a good thing. I think I’ve just felt down in the dumps and miserable, I’ve had some health concerns which fortunately turned out to be nothing, however my panic attacks have been prominent this past month.

I’m not telling you all this for pity, I just wanted to tell you the real reason why I’ve been away and hopefully you understand. But I feel a lot better now and as I said, this holiday is just the thing I need to get back on my feet. My 30 day blog challenge will continue on MONDAY and I have a whole load of separate blog ideas that will be coming your way over the next month so stay tuned!

That’s pretty much it guys, I’m sorry I left you but I’m back now! Let’s crush it!
Toodles!

DONATION LINK: http://www.justgiving.com/teams/lauradonateshair

30 Day Blog Challenge | Post #17

Post #17: Your highs and lows of this past year

Okay so I am assuming this past year started a year ago today and not on January 1st so in which case these are the highs and lows of my life since 20/07/2013, there are definitely going to be more highs than lows as I have generally had a great year, however I do beg of you not to let the lows in any way depress you. I can assure you that I am fine and have dealt with said lows in a positive manner. Let us commence…

HIGH: Playing the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland

This was genuinely one of my all-time favourite shows that I’ve performed in! I got to play an amazing character and it was the first time I ever performed open air theatre which was such a brilliant experience. It made my summer and I met so many talented and awesome people that I know I will never lose from my life. I miss being the Cheshire Cat! *Sob*

LOW: My beautiful nan, Irene, passed away from the dickhead that is cancer

My nan actually passed away during my performance week of Alice in Wonderland which meant that 12 hours after she died I had to be up on stage, singing, dancing and well, smiling. This was incredibly hard but I can honestly say that I fucking smashed it. I have never been prouder of myself. My nan was genuinely my best friend and in fact the only person in my family who has never shouted at me. Seriously, she has NEVER raised her voice at me. She was the craziest person with so many weird expressions and myths and I loved being in her company. She is my role model and if I can live my life the way she did, being so accepting of everybody, I will be so happy. Cheers nan.

HIGH: Going to Tunisia with my family and stunner of a best friend

We went abroad only 5 days after my nan passed away which, to be honest, was the best thing for us. We had some time away from everything to grieve but also an amazing holiday, which I know my nan would have wanted for us. I had never been to Africa before so this was a fantastic experience for me and I met some lovely people whilst we were away! The hotel was stunning and it was lovely to just lie by the pool all day with a good book!

HIGH: Performing at Mardi Gras!

This was so fun, I love Mardi Gras and am so passionate about gay rights that I go every year, however last year I actually got the opportunity to sing there with my theatre company and perform in the parade! Such an awesome experience and I know I will never forget it!

HIGH: Going to London to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time

My college does an annual trip to London to see two shows, the year before last it was Matilda and Billy Elliot and this year we saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. TCIOTDITNT was one of the best plays I have ever watched and I was so blown away that I am planning to see it again next year! An amazing trip in which I bonded with so many new people!

HIGH: Panto!

In our college one of our assignments is to write and perform our own pantomime. This includes writing the script and the music, painting the set, getting the costumes and props, calling schools to bring the kids to the shows and, eventually, performing it! This was a year long project and it had so much effort put into it that to see the final result was amazing! We wrote our panto as an adaptation of The Wizard of Oz and I was the Wizard/Narrator which was a brilliant experience!

HIGH: My 18th Birthday!

For my 18th birthday I had a huge Disney themed party in which I dressed as my favourite Disney character, Belle from Beauty and the Beast. As many people know I am the biggest Disney fanatic in the world so this was just a dream come true, topped off with a limo ride into town to have my first legal drinks with my friends! Such a great night and I will always treasure it!

LOW: My diagnosis

I went to the doctor’s because of the many panic attacks I was experiencing recently and they diagnosed me with something I didn’t even know existed, Panic Disorder. Luckily I’ve been able to deal with this a lot better since I’ve been diagnosed however I still haven’t found a way to make my panic attacks stop so therapy and medication have been advised.

HIGH: Grade 5 Acting LAMDA exam

In March I completed my acting training and went on to do a LAMDA exam which was a huge challenge and very scary! I was the only girl in my class who had never taken the exam before so I had no idea what to expect. Thankfully when I got my results I found out that I got 83/100 which is a Distinction!

HIGH: Playhouse Creatures

At the start of April I completed my final assessment for my Performing Arts course which was a fully length play called Playhouse Creatures. I got the part of Doll Common which was the part I auditioned for, and I can honestly say that I have never fallen so in love with a character. I am so proud of what my group achieved with this play and it is probably my best performance yet. To be this passionate about a play was a fantastic experience and all our hard work paid off!

HIGH: The Hay Festival

I have made a previous post about my Hay Festival experience, in which I met both Steven Moffat and BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH, if you want to read it you can check it out here! Meeting two of my heros within the same week was incredible and I have to admit, I fangirled quite hard!

HIGH/LOW: Leaving college

Leaving college was one of the most emotional experiences of my life. I didn’t enjoy my high school at all, so escaping to college when I’d finished my GCSE’s was a no-brainer. However I did not expect to suddenly be swallowed into this community of amazing, talented people who I could call friends. I was suddenly with like-minded people, people who understood me and shared my passion of performing in a way no-one else ever had. To top this off, my teachers were so incredible and it’s been such a privilege to be a part of this world. 2 years wasn’t enough!

That pretty much wraps it up! In about a week I’m performing in The Little Mermaid which I know will be a high, and in September I’m off to uni which is very scary but I hope will be a great experience for me! This post has really opened my eyes as to how amazing my life is. Please leave a comment describing your highest moment of the past year and I’ll see you all tomorrow!
Toodles!

 

Okay? Okay. | TFIOS Movie Review

Hello everyone! Firstly let me apologise, I am aware that my last post was also a movie review and I won’t be making a habit of writing two posts with similar content together in the future but I’ve literally just got home from watching The Fault In Our Stars in the cinema and I simply had to write up my review now while my memory of it is clear.

Secondly, something you should probably know about me is that The Fault In Our Stars is my favourite book. I have read it three times and I would have read it more if it weren’t for the fact that every time I read it I need to read it in one go without putting it down because I get so hooked. So I was very nervous about seeing my favourite novel be brought to the big screen. In this review there will be spoilers so, yeah, if you want to be surprised then maybe come back to this review afterwards.

Okay so let’s get started!

The Fault In Our Stars
Directed by Josh Boone
Based on the novel by John Green

I loved this movie. It was a really faithful adaptation and I didn’t feel any different watching it than I did when reading the book. If this review doesn’t make any sense it’s because my brain is still weighted with all the emotions I felt when watching. The movie had several laugh out loud moments which I thought provided a beautiful contrast to the moment when everyone was sobbing like Isaac on The Night Of The Broken Trophies.

Speaking of The Night of the Broken Trophies, this was actually one of my favourite scenes and one that actually came across a lot better in the film than it did in the book. Augustus and Hazel’s strained conversation over the sound of Isaac smashing the basketball trophies in the background not only came across as funny but also symbolised Gus and Hazel’s relationship, trying to communicate and bond the best they can over all the hectic heartbreak in their lives. (I might be doing an Augustus Waters and being overly metaphorical here, but this is how it came across to me.) Another scene which I loved was, yes, the sex scene. Despite sitting next to my mother I didn’t feel awkward at all because the scene was so romantic and wasn’t overly “sexed up” but was more like a new bond between Hazel and Gus which I thought fitted in so nicely as a new stepping stone in their relationship. I also really adored the plane scene as well where Gus freaks out about flying. I thought this was just so cute. (Defined literary analysis I know.)

Moving on to the casting I thought that both Shailene Woodley and Ansel Engort who played Hazel and Gus were perfect for the roles. At first I was really concerned that Hazel was going to be portrayed as introverted and shy all the way through as Shailene did such a good job of acting this way in the first few scenes however her talent indeed branched out and I thought that the anger in the scene in Peter Van Houten’s house was just excellent.
I fell in love with the character of Augustus Waters so much when reading the book and Ansel did not disappoint me. Even my mother came out of the cinema raving about how amazing he was! He played the character’s charm and natural cheekiness so well (I think I died when he winked at Hazel in the basement) but also the more serious side of him was acted superbly, such as when he broke the news to Hazel about his PET scan and when he was having difficulties in the car at the gas station.
As for Willem Dafoe as Van Houten, I really wasn’t sure what I thought at first, possibly because Van Houten was probably the character that I had the clearest mental image of but it was actually in the funeral scene that I really warmed to him.
The character of Isaac was played by Nat Wolff and I think he did a spectacular job as was exactly how I pictured him. His character was really funny and Nat played the sarcasm element really well.

Now, the aspects that I didn’t particularly like and, to be honest there aren’t many. I was upset that Augustus and Hazel didn’t get rid of the swing set but instead just sat on it and talked. I think them coming up with the advert for the swing set in the book was one of the funnier scenes and would have worked really well so I was disappointed with that.
Also I felt like if you haven’t read the book before seeing the movie you would have no idea how important “An Imperial Affliction” is to Hazel and why. I felt like the story of “An Imperial Affliction” was barely mentioned in the film so if you hadn’t read The Fault In Our Stars you wouldn’t have a clue what this story was about and I think because it’s such a big part of the story and of Hazel’s life the audience should be more conscious of what it is.

Lastly, yes I cried. To be honest I had tears in my eyes for the majority of the movie however these are the four sections that I actually burst into tears at:
1) When Hazel and Gus are on the phone and they keep saying “okay” to each other and Gus says “maybe ‘okay’ will be our always”
2) The pre-funeral, partly because it was really sad but partly because I knew this was the last time I would see Augustus on screen
3) When Hazel placed the cigarettes on top of the coffin
4) The letter at the end

So, overall I give The Fault In Our Stars movie 5/5 and I will DEFINITELY be going to see it again and buying the DVD. If you agree with this post or if you have any other opinions please leave them in the comments and I will get back to you!

Toodles!

“You gave me a forever within the numbered days, and I’m grateful.” – Hazel Grace