LB
Thursday, 31 January 2013
Wednesday, 30 January 2013
Book Review: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Finally have time to review this book and I have no idea where to start, aha.
*This may or may not contain spoilers, but does discuss the ending of said book, which is marked beforehand*
The narrator follows Bilbo on his adventure, to claim a part of the dwarves treasure in the Lonely Mountain claimed by Smaug the dragon. Each chapter in the book acts a mini adventure, with different creatures or travelling between places taking part. The pace of the book is forever moving, which made it hard for me to put down. There are a lot of characters in the book, both major and minor, but none of them are out of place within the main story or side stories. But anyway.
The characters themselves are (there are more):
Bilbo Baggins: Hobbit, loves his home, handkerchief, bed and breakfast. His Took side is brought out in him with the arrival of Gandalf the Grey, who tricks him into becoming the thief for the company of dwarves.
Gandalf the Grey: Wizard, knows lots of things that no one else does. Knows Elrond, disappears half way through the book and returns near the end.
Thorin Oakenshiekd: King of under the Mountain, main dwarf, doesn't like Bilbo but then does. Wants his treasure, doesn't like Smaug, bad ass fighter.
Other dwarves: Kili, Fili, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Dwalin, Balin, Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, Gloin (Sadly I only remembered 4 names off by heart.) These dwarves like treasure, dislike elves and want their treasure back.
Beorn: Shapeshifter? Lives on the edge of Mirkwood, I believe, like animals, not to be messed with. Likes a good story.
Elrond: Elf, Sage, whatever that means. Seems to have been alive forever, where are his books? I like Elrond.
Smaug: Dragon, likes gold, lives in The Lonely Mountain, has banter and a short temper.
I surprisingly really enjoyed The Hobbit, not that I thought it would be a bad book, I was just surprised how involved I got into the story. I was really upset when I got to the ending, as I just wanted to read more. I think what makes it a good book, is that Tolkien describes just enough information to be detailed but not too much for it to be boring and long winded.
The genre of the book is fantasy, so if you're not into dragons, magic and general miscellaneous creatures, you will not like this book. But these things are what make the book so convincing. Tolkien has created a whole world and filled it with immense detail to make it believable. Languages and songs fill the pages and this edition, HarperCollins, also has drawings and maps that Tolkien drew. It is worth noting that The Hobbit is a children's book, as Tolkien originally wrote and told it to his children. However I feel that anyone can enjoy it as it has not been dumbed down in anyway.
PROS:
Easy to read.
Entertaining.
In depth without being boring.
CONS:
*Where the ending of the book is mentioned*
Too short
Not enough character development with all characters.
The ending. To me, it kind of just happened really abruptly, some random archer kills Smaug? It felt really unfair to all the dwarves. And then Bilbo goes home and occasionally visits the elves? It was all too sad for me.
RATING: 3.5/5
Worth reading. (:
N.B.
I apologise if this review is sorely lacking, I have not written a book review since I was like 10, and trust me, they were a lot better. I didn't want to look for any help and tips when I was writing my first book review as I felt this might have been cheating. And I also didn't want to just say what happens. Next time, I will put more effort in.
LB
Tuesday, 29 January 2013
Monday, 28 January 2013
Moleskine Monday
Imagery
From my creative writing module where I am studying poetry. Imagery is one of those things that people use everyday without realising and is so ingrained in our minds that we use it without thinking.
We call it the eye of a needle, but it isn't an eye. When we try to explain something, we usually tell them it is like something, in order for them to understand, we connect it to something they already know.
The poem, Ode to Salt is by Pablo Neruda, and is a brilliant example of making the ordinary, extraordinary.
LB
Saturday, 26 January 2013
Some photos from the week:
21 or 12?
Champagne and chocolate.
Room with a view.
Birthday Breakfast.
LB
Strung Out.
Hello World.
I am absolutely shattered it is unreal. But I haven't updated this for almost a week and didn't want it to be just another thing I leave for ages and then never come back to. I finished my 3rd TMA on time. I spent god knows how many late nights I spent cramming and then getting up early for work and then doing it again and again. I haven't been to the gym in what feels like forever and I have had NO time to read anything or write, I have managed a some haikus, but no doodles to match :( I've just had no time to myself and was really tempted to get an extension, but it is all done now and I feel so much better.
I then had to catch up on all my creative writing module work and managed to do 2 weeks worth of study in 1 day. So I'm pretty chuffed with myself. I have a nice short day tomorrow, tuesday off and then the weekend off because our manager is FINALLY back on the 1st. I am so stoked to be able to not overload myself. My next TMA is for creative writing and the task is to write a 40 line poem. I think that by studying all the poetry for my literature module, is really going to help me with metre, rhyme and general voice for my own poem. That is enough uni talk for now.
In other news it's 6 months until I head off to Hong Kong, China and Japan. It feels like yesterday that I booked my flight, in a moment of spontaneity, and it's already nearly the end of January. I'm making sure I get the most out of travelling by saving as much as I can so I don't need to worry. There's not much else to add regarding it, as I need to wait nearer the time to sort out visas and rail passes etc. But I will keep you posted.
This post feels quite boring. So here are some short sentence updates for the rest of my life;
1. Stripping my hair to make it lighter/natural, I am sick of dark hair and spring is upon us!
2. New duvet, feels like I'm sleeping in a marshmallow.
3. Haiku's to post in a moment.
4. Have no money to buy clothes I like :( and I seem to have changed my style again. It's either really girly and dressy, like floral dresses, blazers, glitter tops, or uber casual, leggings, baggy t-shirts, beanies. I have no happy medium. If I had more clothes, I'd post photos of my outfits. But alas, maybe I will once a week.
5. So many ideas I need to post etc.
I think I have finally had enough this evening. I will put haikus up, some photos from my birthday and then go to sleep. Get to wake up at 7am for work tomorrow. Deep joy.
But at least I'm snuggled in my duvet.
LB
Monday, 21 January 2013
Moleskine Monday
Back to basics.
The balance between showing and telling is one of the hardest things I have learnt.
LB
Sunday, 20 January 2013
Updates and apologies.
Hello (at least one?) faithful readers. I am apologise for my lack of haikus, but I have been busy getting older. :( I know, such an awful excuse. What sucks even more is that I have left my camera in someone else's camera bag from Newquay, so I won't be able to put up any of the photos I took for a few days until I get it back. So a second apology will be for the poor quality of the haiku photos that I will be putting up. After this. (:
My birthday was really nice, Chimichanga's food was amazing. Some of the best paella I have had and I have been to Spain, on many, many occasions. People from work gave me gifts and cards which was really lovely. Newquay was pretty as always. At first we weren't sure if we would be able to go because of all the snow etc, but we got their in the end. This is where I would insert pictures of the gorgeous hotel room, but I only have one of the view from the balcony over looking Fistral Beach. (above) I went to the zoo, went out, ate food, generally had a great time apart from it was so so cold. We went for drinks and food in Truro, which looked so old and modern at the same time, I would definitely go there again.
I came home today and I have post away blues. My 3rd Literature TMA is due in Thursday and I have 0 words so far. I've got quite a lot of notes and actually planned what I was going to write, so it should be fine. My boss comes back on the 1st which means I can actually have days off and then we can sort out my hours. Not long now! I've kept ploughing through and I know I'm going to get really ill soon, it's all been building up and I'm so tired all the time but struggling to sleep because I'm worrying about so much. Despite all of this, I have actually finished the Hobbit! I'll probably write the review up this weekend, fingers crossed, I should have some time then. I'm never sure if I should go into a lot of detail about my studies, I think I might do a mini essay thing afterwards about likes and dislikes of a certain section. Less essay more bullet point form though. Once again I am neglecting one module for the other at the moment, so when I have done this one, I have to catch up with the 4 weeks I have missed regarding writing poetry. Sigh.
On that note I shall leave you, I need to post haikus and sleep. Perhaps soon I will master the schedule thing and or my own time schedule.
Toodles.
LB
Monday, 14 January 2013
Sunday, 13 January 2013
Saturday, 12 January 2013
We are all fools in love.
Hello people.
My life has been somewhat hectic at the moment. I have been studying Wordsworth and Shelley for my literature module, working what feels like everyday and also eating a lot of pizza. As much as I love poetry, I cannot understand how someone can call fourteen books a poem! Wordsworth completely drained me and took some time to plough through, I may or may not have negated to read a twenty six pages long poem however. As with most things I learn about it, it is always important to consider context. Literally everything. Which is sometimes interesting and other times I can hardly see the point.
I am however finding Shelley really interesting, in both poetry and context as his poems aren't ridiculously long and the structure is easy to follow. I received both my TMA marks, one for literature and the other for creative writing, the one I did in like a week. Really disappointed with my creative writing mark, but all the comments I received were completely valid as I didn't do enough character developing and editing. It's my own fault for working so much and ignoring it but I have learnt my lesson will work less hours in the future!
It's my birthday Thursday! I'm starting to get excited now. Going out with friends on Tuesday for drinks, as well as mexican food on Thursday and Newquay for the whole weekend. (: I need to manage my time to fit studies around all of this so I don't fall further behind.
I got an early birthday present too...It's a micro dermal, I guess it's called a piercing? The guy (who has done all my piercings) punches the skin with a weird device and then puts an anchor under the skin, and screws the jewellery on to that. It sounds so painful but it wasn't at all. It was such a bizarre feeling that I really cannot explain. Sort of what I imagine CPR from a paramedic would be. But not painful.
Finally I have watched many films, Currently Pride & Prejudice, I used to watch films all the time and be really into filmmaking but since I've finished college and don't study film anymore and am also not with my ex, I got out of the loop a bit. I hope, when I have more time, to do a post on my favourite films. Or posts.
Anyways, I should sleep, I have work early :( and am the worst morning person known to man.
Kind Regards,
LB
Thursday, 10 January 2013
Wednesday, 9 January 2013
Tuesday, 8 January 2013
Saturday, 5 January 2013
My Hair Routine
So when I had the idea to do this post in my head, I didn't actually realise how many products I used on my hair and it seems quite a lot. I spend quite a lot of money on hair products because once it's damaged it's really hard to get back into good condition again.
I'm also really fussy with my hair. I absolutely hate getting my hair cut and used to do it myself but in the past year I have actually found someone who cuts my hair really well and doesn't go crazy and cut inches off my hair. I will post a history of all my hair colours another time. But for now I will begin my hair routine.
In Shower
1. Dove Hair Therapy Shampoo.
I never really used to worry about shampoos before and it's only in the last couple of years that I have actually took notice. I always re buy this product because it has argan oil in and this is good for damaged and frizzy hair, it's quite cheap too and ranges between £1.50-£2.50
2. John Frieda Full Repair and Brilliant Brunette Conditioners
In all honesty I have about four conditioners on the go at one time, but these two are my favourite. I have always loved the smell of the Brilliant Brunette range and this one is no exception. It's the moisturising version (I think the other is the highlighting one?) and aside from the smell it's good in that it's not too thick. If that makes sense, it actually feels like it penetrates the hair.
This is the first time I have bought the Full Repair, which I decided to as it's for over coloured hair and has oil in too. I am a sucker for hair oils, as you will see. Again, this conditioner isn't too thick and a lot goes a long way. Depending on how you look at it, they're either cheap or expensive at around £5.99.
3. V05 In Shower Hot Oil treatment.
I used this before shampooing and conditioner, you plonk it on your hair, leave for a minute and continue as normal. I've literally just bought a new one as I have used this in like two weeks or less, but I have been using it almost every time I shower and there is only enough for five uses. I already feel a difference in my hair, it's so much softer already and so worth £4.50!
After Shower
4. Argan Oil
I think this is just the brand name as well? It cost £12.99, which might seem a lot for such a small bottle, but you only need four-five pumps every time you used it. You rub it in towel dry hair to reduce frizziness, dryness and damaged hair and this one also claims to help hair dry faster. Sadly having never timed how long it took to do so without using this, I cannot confirm this.
Overall and amazing product, I've been using this for about six or more months now, and only had to buy two. My hair feels amazing soft once it's dry and evidently less frizzy. (In my case fluffy)
5. Lee Stafford Spray Solution, I hate my hair the day it's washed
If you are one of those people who get really fluffy, frizzy, poofy hair once it's been washed and not blown dry then BUY THIS PRODUCT. Seriously. I was in Boots scouring through the hair section thinking, 'I need something to stop my hair being fluffy when I wash it.' Because I try not to blow dry my hair all the time, or curl, or straighten, my hair naturally is quite curly and fluffy, some days it looks really nice and other times I look like Manny from Ice Age. It's like £5.99 and smells amazing. It lasts well too. I use about five to six sprays on my hair (towel dryed). Cannot stress enough how well this lives up to it's tag.
6. TRESemme Heat Defence Spray
I only use this product if I'm going to blow dry my hair as I'm so worried about heat damage on my hair. I try to let it dry naturally as much as possible. If I'm honest I can only assume this makes a difference, as I can't really compare it by not using it for a while and my hair has never got in any worse condition for using it. For £4.30 ish, you can't really go wrong and it lasts a long time, I can't remember when I last brought this, but still have almost half a bottle left.
Styling
7. Batiste Dry Shampoo
Obviously, this is a dry shampoo and is primarily used in between washes to get rid of that greasy look of hair, it's good if you don't want to strip your hair through washing too much. I only discovered in the past two months that this little beauty is also good for texturing hair. I usually spray small doses on my hair at the front for a tousled effect, perfect hair irritates me. I like sculpted mess. I think this is like £2.99 and I use the tropical one as I think it's the best smelling. Two products for the price of one!
8. Garnier Bamboo Hold Hair Spray
Another product that I never really paid much attention too and to be honest, probably still won't. The only difference that I can tell between this hairspray and Boots own is the price and smell. I don't think it's anymore flexible than Boots own, which is what I used to buy. I usually use hairspray for 40's hair styles and if I've curled my hair. I hate using too much, as crunchy hair is not a good look.
I think this was like £4
That seems like such a boring post, but I'm glad I have finally done it. Any new reviews will just be the one product. I hope this helps anyone or gives any insight to things that I have found good. Just to clarify, I have quite thick, fluffy hair, that's usually wavy, but sometimes decides to be straight. Beach hair, kind of.
LB
Thursday, 3 January 2013
Updates, a Haiku and a New Year
Happy new year everyone! I know it's late. I have been busy working and finishing my story for uni, which was finally sent off today (: I have missed updating and will back on form, I've really almost finished The Hobbit and will do a review soon I promise and also a post about the many hair products I use. I stayed in this NYE, I had my uni work to do and I'm also trying to save for travelling in the summer, so it seemed silly to spend money going out and ended up having a really good night drinking with my family making absolute fools of ourselves.
It's my birthday in 2 weeks, I'm going to be 21 and I'm really not sure how I feel about it. I'm heading to Newquay for the weekend after, (My birthday is once again on a week day) which I'm really excited about. The last time I went was for my 19th and I've been meaning to go back for ages. It will be nice to see if things have changed, walk along the beaches and have a really chilled but fun birthday.
LB
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