It's Christmas time!!

So it is that time of the year again and Christmas will soon be upon us, I've been busy recently shopping and with college work as it is coming up to the end of term. During one of my frees at college a friend showed me The Piano Guy's rendition of Angels We Have Heard on High, I've watched a few of the Piano Guys videos before and think they are spectacular, so spectacular I thought I should introduce them to you (if you have never heard of them before of course). Anyways enough of my rambling, enjoy the video and leave a comment if you have time I would love to read what you thought.

Enjoy

Lots of Love 

Dayna xxx

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire!!

I went to see 'The Hunger Games Catching Fire' yesterday and it was amazing! It was much better than the first one and really stuck to the book. To be honest I was quiet surprised about how much action from the book they managed to include, they included everything! It was great and I can not wait to see it again. I would definitely recommend it to everyone, seriously you won't be disappointed. :)

And if you have not read the book I would definitely recommend that as well. 

Lots of Love 

Dayna xxx

Hello again

Wow!! The last time I posted anything was nearly two months ago! College has been much busier than I anticipated. I thought I would show you what I have been up to recently in photography.

For my homework in photography, I had to take a 100 images of an object that surrounding my theme, my theme is creative portraiture. I decided to take picture of a teacup because it reminded me of The Mad Hatter's Tea Party in Alice in Wonderland. I took theme images at night as I wanted to experiment with shadows as well.

These bottom two images are of me experimenting with light photography and light graffiti.

Lots of Love
Dayna xxx

Sheffield University!!

I apologize for being silent, I have just started back at college and decided to get back into the swing of things before posting again.

On Saturday a friend and I took the train up to Sheffield to visit the university. The university was lovely and so was the whole city, from exiting the train station I was greeted with a lovely view ( the top image) and as a fellow photographer I found the city very Picturesque in comparison to Leicester. I would definitely go back again for a day out and this time take my camera.

The University was lovely, everyone there was so friendly and there was a lovely atmosphere. The halls were simple but nice and they weren't too far away from the Uni (in walking distance) which was bonus. Also Sheffield is the right distance from home and it's not too expensive on the train.

                                                                                  

It was a great day out and I would definitely visit there again!! ^_^

Lots of Love

Dayna 

xxx

Harry Potter Studio Tour!!

On Tuesday I returned to the Harry Potter Studio tour in London, it was as magical as the first time. The studio is split into two stages coincidentally called J and K. The first stage begins entering the great hall, which contained the professors costumes and school uniform from each of the houses. From there you were allowed to wonder around at your own pace, (the longest someone has been there is 13 hours).

In between the stages J and K there was a garden area showing number 4 privet drive, Hagrid's motorbike, the flying car, some chess pieces, the bridge and the Knightbus. You were also given the opportunity to buy and try some butter beer it was amazing! From here you went on to the K stage which is full of masks and art work and gives you the opportunity to walk through Diagon Alley (So magical) and a large model before going through Ollivander's wand shop and ending in the gift shop. I had a magical day and would love to return again. Below are some photos I took while I was at the tour.

Lots of Love
Dayna xxx

The A to Z Book Survey

So I saw this survey over at Cat's blog 'Through A Cat's Eyes' and thought it looked good. I also think it will go well with my recent posts.

Author you've read the most books from:

Melissa de la Cruz. Blue Bloods series

Best sequel ever:

Second Form at Malory Towers. All of them really, it's hard to choose. 

Currently reading:

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Drink of choice whilst reading:

A big mug of Earl Grey tea!

E-reader or physical book?

Physical books!!!! Nothing beats a traditional physical book. The feeling when you turn the first or last page of book is in my opinion ruined with a kindle. Or putting a book on the shelve after reading it and then one day just randomly picking it up and reading through your favourite quotes. Is it just me that does that?  

Fictional character you probably would have actually dated in high school:
Augustus Waters, I loved his quotes :D

Glad you gave this book a chance:

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. I was forever hearing of this book and of John Green himself, it took me a while to buy the book and read it but I was glad when I did. An imperial affliction...Don't you just want to read it?  Anyone who has read The Fault In Our Stars will know what I mean.  : )

Hidden gem book:

Before I die by Jenny Downham, it is a sad book that encourages you to appreciate life.

Important moment in your book life:

When I was 9 and first read Enid Blyton's Malroy Towers series. They were so funny! If you have never read them, then I recommend you do, you won't regret it. :) 

Just finished:

The Ask And The Answer by Patrick Ness  

Kinds of book you won't read:

I'm willing to give most books a chance to be honest but I'm not the biggest fan of science fiction.

Longest book you've read:

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows by J.K Rowling, it was 831 pages long. 

Major book hangover because of:

The final novel in The Hunger Games trilogy Mockingjay. After finishing the book in the early hours of the morning, I just lay there going over everything that had happened.

Number of bookcases you own:

Two and a small one on my windowsill. 

One book you've read multiple times:

Life as We Knew It by Susan Pfeffer. Not the sort of book I would normally read as it's a science fiction novel but I ended up loving it.  ^_^

Preferred place to read:

Lying in or on my bed.  

Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you've read:

"I'm on a roller coaster that only goes up my friend" Augustus Waters, John Green The Fault In Our Stars. I thought most of the stuff Augustus said in that book was inspiring.  

Reading regret:
Getting into the Harry Potter books late, I kind of wished I had read them as they came out from book one, but didn't really do that until book six.

Series you started and need to finish:

Divergent series, the last book is to be published in October. I can't wait! Also Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness, I need to buy and read the last book Monsters of Men.

Three of your all-time favourite books:

Okay this is a hard but I would have to say The Fault In Our Stars by John Green, Life As We Knew It by Susan Pfeffer and The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. 

Unapologetic fangirl for:
Blue Bloods series by Melissa de la Cruz, I really enjoyed that series. 

Very excited for this release:

The next in the Divergent series, I hate not knowing what happens.

Worst bookish habit:

Not reading for a long time. 

X marks the spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book:

Insurgent by Veronica Roth 

Your latest book purchase:

My last post is best at answering that question although I was given a couple of them. I bought The Green Mile series by Stephen King, Looking For Alaska by John Green and The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time. :) 

Zzzz-snatcher book (last book that kept you up way too late):

The final book from The Hunger Games trilogy Mockingjay  I remember not being able to sleep until the book was finished ^_^

It took me two hours to complete this, as some of the questions are really hard. Like three of your all-time favourite books. Any book lovers out there I wish you all the best attempting to do The A to Z Book Survey, when you do leave your link in the comments and I'll check it out. Hopefully you'll manage it in less time than me.  ^_^

Lots of Love

Dayna xxx

Books Books Books!!

So recently I have acquired a lot of books either buying them myself or being given them, a couple of them were given to me as a birthday present.

The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-time 
Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests the color yellow.

This improbable story of Christopher's quest to investigate the suspicious death of a neighborhood dog makes for one of the most captivating, unusual, and widely heralded novels in recent years.

The perks of being a wallflower 
Charlie is a freshman.
And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it.
Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mix tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But he can't stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.

The film was released in 2012 and stars Emma Watson and Logan Lerman and Esra Miller and was directed by the author Stephen Chbosky.  Personally I would read the book before watching the film as I think you would appreciate the film more.
Check out the trailer!

The Green Mile Series At Cold Mountain Penitentiary, along the lonely stretch of cells known as the Green Mile, killers are depraved as the psychopathic "Billy the Kid" Wharton and the possessed Eduard Delacroix await death strapped in "Old Sparky." Here guards as decent as Paul Edgecombe and as sadistic as Percy Wetmore watch over them. But good or evil, innocent or guilty, none have ever seen the brutal likes of the new prisoner, John Coffey, sentenced to death for raping and murdering two young girls. Is Coffey a devil in human form? Or is he a far, far different kind of being?

The film came out back in 2000, while I have heard of it I have never seen. I will more than likely read the books before watching the film. 

Looking For Alaska Before. Miles "Pudge" Halter's whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the "Great Perhaps" (François Rabelais, poet) even more. Then he heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.

After. Nothing is ever the same

The HostMelanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, didn't expect to find its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

As Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she's never met. Reluctant allies, Wanderer and Melanie set off to search for the man they both love.

The film was released earlier this year, I have not seen it yet as I want to read the book first, but have heard it received mixed reviews.
Here's the trailer

Trailers came from YouTube and synopsis from Goodreads  

Lots of Love
Dayan xxx

Currently listening to...

So lately I have been listening to songs from Sara Bareilles new album The Blessed Unrest. My favourite songs are Brave, Little Black Dress and I choose you. And I love the music video for Brave so much I thought I would share it with you.

I also found this fun video of Sara singing Part Of Your World from the Little Mermaid on her Brave tour.

Enjoy :)

Lots of Love

Dayna xxx

Summer Reading List

For A2 English literature, I have been given a reading list and these are a couple I have chosen to read first although The Old Man And The Sea is not actually on their, I have chosen to read for pleasure.

The Old Man And The Sea
Set in the Gulf Stream off the coast of Havana, Hemingway's magnificent fable is the story of an old man, a young boy and a giant fish. In a perfectly crafted story, which won for Hemingway the Nobel Prize for Literature, is a unique and timeless vision of the beauty and grief of man's challenge to the elements in which he lives.

The Great Gatsby
In 1922, F. Scott Fitzgerald announced his decision to write "something new--something extraordinary and beautiful and simple and intricately patterned." That extraordinary, beautiful, intricately patterned, and above all, simple novel became The Great Gatsby, arguably Fitzgerald's finest work and certainly the book for which he is best known. A portrait of the Jazz Age in all of its decadence and excess, Gatsby captured the spirit of the author's generation and earned itself a permanent place in American mythology. Self-made, self-invented millionaire Jay Gatsby embodies some of Fitzgerald's--and his country's--most abiding obsessions: money, ambition, greed, and the promise of new beginnings. "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter--tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther.... And one fine morning--" Gatsby's rise to glory and eventual fall from grace becomes a kind of cautionary tale about the American Dream.

A film has recently been made starring Leonardo Dicaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan and Isla Fisher. After reading the book my aim is to watch the film.

Pride and Prejudice

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."

So begins Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen's witty comedy of manners--one of the most popular novels of all time--that features splendidly civilized sparring between the proud Mr Darcy and the prejudiced Elizabeth Bennet as they play out their spirited courtship in a series of eighteenth-century drawing-room intrigues. Renowned literary critic and historian George Saintsbury in 1894 declared it the "most perfect, the most characteristic, the most eminently quintessential of its author's works," and Eudora Welty in the twentieth century described it as "irresistible and as nearly flawless as any fiction could be."

I have seen both the film adaptation starring Keira Knightley and the 1995 BBC television series starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth. As for which one I preferred it's hard but probably the film version.

Trailers from YouTube and synopsis from Goodreads 

Lots of Love,

Dayna xxx



The small bloggers network

So I have recently become a member of the small bloggers network, it is a blog which is designed to help small blogs like myself join and get featured for free. So far there are 18 members but we need more to help spread the word. So if you would like to become apart of the small bloggers network click on the link below:

http://thesmallbloggersnetwork.blogspot.ie/

Lots of love,
Dayna xx

Star Trek/Star Trek Into the Darkness

I never thought myself as a Star Trek fan, however after being persuaded to watch the first movie that had been released in 2009, I am now a huge fan. The Movie starring Chris Hemsworth, Simon Pegg and Chris Pine is action packed and has you captivated from start to finish. I watched the film twice in the space of two days it was that good. I would recommend watching it twice as I was slightly confused the first time I watched it.

Storyline
On the day of James Kirk's birth, his father dies on his ship in a last stand against a mysterious alien time-traveling vessel looking for Ambassador Spock, who, in this time, is also a child on Vulcan disdained by his neighbours' for his half-human heritage. Twenty-five years later, Kirk has grown into a young troublemaker. Challenged by Captain Christopher Pike to realize his potential in Starfleet, he comes to annoy instructors like young Commander Spock. Suddenly, there is an emergency at Vulcan and the newly commissioned USS Enterprise is crewed with promising cadets like Nyota Uhura, Hikaru Sulu, Pavel Chekov and even Kirk himself, thanks to Leonard McCoy's medical trickery. Together, this crew will have an adventure in the final frontier where the old legend is altered forever as a new version of it begins.               

The sequel Star Trek Into the Darkness was released in May 2009 where Sherlock Holmes' Benedict Cumberbatch joins the cast as villain Khan.

Storyline
When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis. With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.

I would highly recommend watching both movies even is you are not an original Star Trek fan.

Storylines from Imdb.com ( No copyright intended)

Lots of love,
Dayna xx

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten. 

John Green is an award winning, New York Times-bestselling author.  The Fault In Our Stars, tells a moving story of sixteen year old Hazel who has terminal cancer. Hazel's story will make you laugh, cry and scream. I would highly recommend it, just don't forget the tissues. 

Lots of love,
Dayna xx