Young at Heart

Young at Heart van noelle1596 met sleeveless tops

My School Routine Tag

Since a lot of people are already going to be starting school this week or have already started school, I figured it might be a fun idea to do some Back To School posts in the upcoming weeks. To start things off, I figured a tag might be nice! So let's start with the 'My School Routine Tag'!

Q1: How long does it take you to get to school?
It usually takes me about 45 minutes to get to school, since I live in a small town and the college I go to is smackdab in the middle of the nearest city. I take a buss and then a tram to get there, followed by five minutes of walking.

Q2: What do you like to eat for lunch at school?
Most of the time I will bring a pasta salad to school, it's easy and super yummy, but also a lot healthier than the stuff most of my classmates buy at the school cantine. If I'm in a hurry, I will buy something to eat at school, a smoked salmon and lettuce wrap is my favorite.

Q3: What classes are you going to be taking?
I'm actually not going to be taking classes for the next five months as I'm going to be interning at a local theatre at their PR & Marketing department! I'm sooo excited, but also slightly terrified as I've never had an office job before, but I'm sure I'll get used to it soon enough!

Q4: What's your favorite subject?
In High School my favorite subject was Maths and English, but now that I am in college I don't take those classes anymore. Now my favorite classes are Business English, Budgeting and Statistics. I like working with numbers...

Q5: What's your least favorite subject?
In my High School days I used to hate History and Geography with a fiery passion, but since I'm in college now my most hated subject is probably Internal Communications. It's just not my thing.

Q6: What year are you in?
I'm going to be starting my third year at college in a few weeks. Time has literally flown by!

Q7: What time do you get out of school?
In the past two years my schedule has been everchanging. I would have school from one to three one day and from 9 to six the next! My schedule is going to be a lot more dependable in the next few months, seeing as I will be working a 9 to 5 job!

Q8: What do you like to wear to school?
Anything and everything, really. I've never had a dress code to follow and I have quite a broad taste in fashion, so I can't really pin my style down. A normal outfit for me would usually be a dress and heels though.

Q9: How early do you wake up for school?
As I mentioned earlier, I didn't really have a set schedule for school, so I got up at a different time almost every day. I need at least an hour and a half to get ready, though, so that's going to be fun when I actually start working in a few weeks.

Q10: What's your favorite item in your backpack?
It's a tie between my planner and my bronze notebook. I am a planner girl at heart and can't imagine going even a day without my planner, so that's a definite must have for me. But then there's my bronze notebook that I schlep around everywhere I go. It has about every story idea in it I've ever had, so it's super special to me and I would be devastated if I ever lost it!

Okay, that was all for today's tag! This was so much fun to write, back to school honestly is my favorite time of the year! 

One for my baby (and one for the road)

One for my baby (and one for the road) by noelle1596 featuring a wool hat

Review: Sweeney Todd The Musical

 

A few weeks ago me and my dad went on a little father-daughter trip to Amsterdam where we saw the musical Sweeney Todd in 't Zonnehuis. I gave him the tickets as a Father's day present, because we both really enjoy the story and the gruesomeness of the play. What can I say, I like my stories a little morbid and gross!

The venue where the play was going to be performed was a little weird at first. It looked like a cross between a high school and a nunnery, once inside the theatre it still didn't look quite right. Even when we sat down, I wasn't that impressed with the set. It seemed really simple and even though that is not necessarily a bad thing, I was a little worried!

But then, the music started and the first sentence was sung and I was in love. The actors used the room in such a way that you fully forget this wasn't real. That the story of Sweeney Todd wasn't actually happening around me, that I wasn't a part of it all. 

To me, this is what takes a musical from great to incredible, if the cast can make me forget it is a musical. And boy oh boy, did this cast manage to do that! 

By the way, let's talk about the cast, because to be completely honest, I found out about this musical because of its lead. René van Kooten is a Dutch actor who I think is absolutely amazing. I saw him in two more musicals: The Musical Zorro and Jersey Boys. And let me tell you, AMAZING!

So, when I heard he was going to be playing the role of Sweeney Todd, a fictional character I adore, I just knew I had to see it. Totally worth the watch! Also, the woman who played Mrs. Lovett? Couldn't have been more perfect! Her voice and appearance truly matched the image I have in my head when I think of the lovely Mrs. Lovett. 

So, all in all. If you're a fan of morbid humour, murder and musicals, you need, need, need to go see this musical!        

Videogames

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June playlist

Oh dear lord, have I been a busy little bee for the past few weeks! Not only am I smack dab in the middle of my finals right now, I also had two interviews for an internship I really, really, really wanted! And guess what? I totally got the job! How freaking exciting is that? Little old me! A blogpost on how I got to this internship and what I will be doing there will be up in the near future.

The downside of all of this, unfortunately, is that I have had zero time to keep up with my blog... But I'm back today and I'll be sharing with you what I have been listening to so far this month!

Auld Wives - Bear's Den

In the wee small hours of the morning - Frank Sinatra

 Sick Little Games - All Time Low

D is for Dangerous - Arctic Monkeys

Flavor of the Weak - American Hi-Fi

Dial Tones - As It Is

Can't pin me down - Marina and the Diamonds

I am not a Robot - Marina and the Diamonds

Problem - Natalia Kills

Jolene - Dolly Parton

I really need to sort out my taste in music, it is ALL over the place! Oh well, that seems to be the general theme for my blog...

Haven't you?

Haven't you? by noelle1596 featuring a drawstring backpack

Bookreview: A Great and Terrible Beauty

In the past few weeks I have become ridiculously obsessed with stories that take place in the late nineteenth century. For example, I have bingewatched the first season of 'Penny Dreadful' in two days! So, of course, my reading is influenced by this obsession as well. The first book on my list? 'A Great and Terrible Beauty' by Libba Bray! 

 

Summary

Sixteen-year-old Gemma has had an unconventional upbringing in India, until the day she foresees her mother's death in a black, swirling vision that turns out to be true. Sent back to England, she is enrolled at Spence, a girls' academy with a mysterious burned-out East Wing. There Gemma is snubbed by powerful Felicity, beautiful Pippa, and even her own dumpy roommate Ann, until she blackmails herself and Ann into the treacherous clique. Gemma is distressed to find that she has been followed from India by Kartik, a beautiful young man who warns her to fight off the visions. 

Nevertheless, they continue, and one night she is led by a child-spirit to find a diary that reveals the secrets of a mystical Order. The clique soon finds a way to accompany Gemma to the other-world realms of her visions "for a bit of fun" and to taste the power they will never have as Victorian wives, but they discover that the delights of the realms are overwhelmed by a menace they cannot control. Gemma is left with the knowledge that her role as the link between worlds leaves her with a mission to seek out the "others" and rebuild the Order.

Review

I had pretty low expectations for this book. From the summary and the little snippets I'd read on the internet, I thought this was not going to be the book for me. But my prejudice has been proven wrong once again, I actually really liked this book. Sure, there were bits that I could've lived without (the gossipy cliques at the academy) and things I would've liked to see that weren't there (more Kartik please!), but you can't always get what you want. Thankfully, there are two more books in this lovely trilogy, so there is plenty of room to bring all those parts to life. I'm excited to find out what the next book has in store for us: Rebel Angels!

Rating: **** 

Tell me it's okay

Tell me it's okay by noelle1596 featuring a spaghetti strap dress

May Playlist 2016

I'm on the last day of my vacation, before I start school again tomorrow! Only a few weeks left until summer vacation! To get me through those weeks I've made another playlist. Keep reading to see what I've been listening to lately.

The chain - Hazel Hayes & Dodie Clark (cover)

Ex's and Oh's - Elle King

America's Sweetheart - Elle King

I told you I was mean - Elle King

High - The young rising sons

Misguided ghosts - Paramore

Grow up - Paramore

I forget where we were - Ben Howard

Ophelia - The Lumineers

Learn to trust - Bad Suns

3AM - Meghan Trainor 

As per usual, a lovely mismatch of songs that I will be blasting throughout May. Wanna join me? 

Sober

Sober by noelle1596 featuring a choker necklace

Monthly wrap up April 2016

April has been a massive reading month for me. After being stuck in a reading slump for the past three months, I have finally been able to find books that seem interesting enough to me to actually read them! A round of hurrahs for Goodreads reviews! So, without further ado, here are the books that I've read this month!

Am I normal yet? - Holly Bourne

All Evie wants is to be normal. She’s almost off her meds and at a new college where no one knows her as the girl-who-went-crazy. She’s even going to parties and making friends. There’s only one thing left to tick off her list…

But relationships are messy – especially relationships with teenage guys. They can make any girl feel like they’re going mad. And if Evie can’t even tell her new friends Amber and Lottie the truth about herself, how will she cope when she falls in love? (Goodreads)

How hard can love be? - Holly Bourne

Amber, Evie and Lottie: three girls facing down tough issues with the combined powers of friendship, feminism and cheesy snacks. Both hilarious and heart-rending, this is Amber’s story of how painful – and exhilarating – love can be, following on from Evie’s story in Am I Normal Yet?

All Amber wants is a little bit of love. Her mum has never been the caring type, even before she moved to California, got remarried and had a personality transplant. But Amber's hoping that spending the summer with her can change all that.

And then there's prom king Kyle, the guy all the girls want. Can he really be interested in anti-cheerleader Amber? Even with best friends Evie and Lottie's advice, there's no escaping the fact: love is hard. (Goodreads)

Outlander - Diana Gabaldon

The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of Our Lord...1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life, and shatter her heart. For here James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire—and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives. (Goodreads) 

Kindred Spirits - Rainbow Rowell

If you broke Elena's heart, Star Wars would spill out. So when she decides to queue outside her local cinema to see the new movie, she's expecting a celebration with crowds of people who love Han, Luke and Leia just as much as she does. What she's not expecting is to be last in a line of only three people; to have to pee into a collectible Star Wars soda cup behind a dumpster or to meet that unlikely someone who just might truly understand the way she feels. Kindred Spirits is an engaging short story by Rainbow Rowell, author of the bestselling Eleanor & Park, Fangirl and Carry On, and is part of a handful of selected short reads specially produced for World Book Day.

The manifesto on how to be interesting - Holly Bourne

Apparently I'm boring. A nobody. But that's all about to change. Because I am starting a project. Here. Now. For myself. And if you want to come along for the ride then you're very welcome.

Bree is a loser, a wannabe author who hides behind words. Most of the time she hates her life, her school, her never-there parents. So she writes.

But when she’s told she needs to start living a life worth writing about, The Manifesto on How to Be Interesting is born. Six steps on how to be interesting. Six steps that will see her infiltrate the popular set, fall in love with someone forbidden and make the biggest mistake of her life.

Marked - T.L. McDonald

When 17 year old Hanna Harper agrees to see a local band at The Iron Knife Club with her two best friends, she has no idea her life is about to change forever and that everything she thought was impossible...isn't.

Marked with a mystical symbol by a dying boy, she's thrust into a world she never imagined existed where her eyes are opened to the reality that fallen angels are very real, and very dangerous. And with just one look from their soulless black eyes, they can take everything from you.

And now, because of the symbol and the secret it contains, a secret she must protect at all costs, those black eyes have set their sights on her.

Relentless - Karen Lynch

Sara Grey’s world shattered ten years ago when her father was brutally murdered. Now at seventeen, she is still haunted by memories of that day and driven by the need to understand why it happened. She lives a life full of secrets and her family and friends have no idea of the supernatural world she is immersed in or of Sara’s own very powerful gift.

In her quest for answers about her father’s death, Sara takes risks that expose her and her friends to danger and puts herself into the sights of a sadistic vampire. On the same fateful night she meets Nikolas, a warrior who turns Sara’s world upside down and is determined to protect her even if it’s the last thing she wants.

Sara’s life starts to spin out of control as she is hunted by an obsessed vampire, learns that her friends have secrets of their own and reels from the truth about her own ancestry. Sara has always been fiercely independent but in order to survive now she must open herself to others, to reveal her deepest secrets. And she must learn to trust the one person capable of breaking down the walls around her.

Reasons I fell for the funny fat friend - Becca Ann 

It’s stupid to fall for your brother’s ex. It’s even worse to enlist another’s help to win the ex over. But Brody is desperate and Hayley, his partner in American Sign Language, is more than willing to lend him a few tips.

She’s the school’s matchmaker,’ and with her bizarre and positive personality, Brody finds her easy to talk to, even about the most awkward situations. Hayley’s tips seem to be working, but as Brody learns more about his matchmaker, he starts finding reasons to spend time with her, and not the girl he thought he was in love with.

But Hayley isn’t ready to fall for anyone. Labeled the “Funny Fat Friend” within her group, her self image makes it impossible for Brody to share his feelings without Hayley shrugging it off as a joke.

Convincing her Brody can, and did, fall for the “Funny Fat Friend” turns out to be harder than simply falling in love. 

Eight books in total, pretty good right? I wonder how many pages that is...

Cake

Cake by noelle1596 featuring a long necklace

Top five romantic comedies

Anyone who knows me, knows that I live for really crappy sappy romantic stories. For as long as I can remember, I have been perusing the shelves of my local library for cute fluffy stories. Over the years, that love didn't go away, it simply expanded to movies. Since I watch about as much movies a week as there are days, I figured I would share some of my favorites with you today!

1. Friends with benefits

2. Two weeks notice

3. Letters to Juliet

4. The ugly truth

5.  How to lose a guy in ten days

Please tell me I am not alone in this! Leave a comment with your favorite romantic comedy and I'll check it out for sure! 

Dollhouse

Dollhouse van noelle1596 met mary-jane shoes

Filmreview: Fan Girl

 

One of my new year's resolutions for 2016 was to finally make a dent in the list of movies I want to watch. I have about 250 movies on there, so it's almost impossible to watch all of them this year. However, I am trying to watch a lot of them before 2017 starts. One of the movies on that list is 'Fan Girl' which I watched this morning and boy, do I have something to say about this one....

Cast

The cast is literally the only thing worth watching in this movie. The main character Telulah Farrows is played by Kiernan Shipka, who I think really embodied the fifteen year old fan girl. To be completely honest, they couldn't have picked a better person for the job...
The rest of the cast is not very interesting, except for All Time Low of course!
 
Plot
The movie is about a girl who is supposed to make a film for class, so she decides to make one about her favorite band All Time Low. But the way to get to that movie is hard and takes a lot of struggling from her side. 
 
Review:
Good god, this movie was horrific. It was so boring. The characters were bland, the story wasn't even really a story and the worst part of it all? All Time Low, the reason I even wanted to watch this film, were only in it for about three minutes in total. I spend the entire movie regretting my decision of putting it on in the first place, which I hate, because I wanted to love this movie so much! Unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations... 
So not worth the watch!!!!
Rating: * 

Toxic

Toxic by noelle1596 featuring a mini skirt

April playlist 2016

The first two weeks of April were incredibly hectic, because of exam season, but thank god, that's done now. At least for the next few weeks before I have to do it all over again... A lot of people say that it's counterproductive to listen to music whilst studying but for me it's a must. I won't live through it otherwise! Keep reading to find out what I've been listening to this month!

Black flies - Ben Howard

Lover doll - Elvis Presley

Something there - Beauty and the Beast

I won't say (I'm in love) - Hercules

The sound - The 1975

Sex - The 1975

Bashful creatures - Hippo Campus

Backseat Serenade (acoustic) - All Time Low

Dirty Little Secret - The All American Rejects 

Weight of living pt II - Bastille  

So sorry for the super late update this month, but I've been sooooo busy with school! To make up for it, I'm blogging twice today! Stay tuned for a film review next! 

Ghost

Ghost by noelle1596 featuring a long wear lipstick

Book review: The manifesto of how to be interesting

As I was perusing the feminist part of Goodreads, I stumbled across a book called 'The manifesto on how to be interesting'. Immediately, I was intrigued by the title. As a former - and maybe current - wall flower, the quest to find the answer to that question has always been a life goal of mine. 
Now, I'm not saying that reading any book will make you interesting and neither should that bother you, but reading this book, certainly made me curious. Keep reading to find out what I thought of the book!

Summary
Bree is a non-interesting girl, whose parents are very rich and who wants to be a novelist when she grows up. Unfortunately, everybody keeps telling her that her stories are too depressing (she wrote over 100 000 words on a girl committing suicide by jumping off a cliff) and that she needs to start writing about things that are actually interesting to the main public. The problem is, Bree has no idea what other people find interesting as she has never been considered interesting in her life. So, in the name of good literature, Bree sets herself the goal to become interesting before the end of the school year. To make sure she keeps herself to it, she writes all of her findings down on her blog in the hopes of finding that thing that makes people interesting enough to read about.

Review
I love these kinds of books! The kind that makes you think about everything you are and everything you want to be in life. This one in particular has become a massive favorite of mine. It has hints of feminism in it, but nothing too hardcore, so it's nice for slightly younger readers who are interested in the subject, but don't know that much about it yet. The main character is lovable, but still has flaws. I hate books that have a main character who is completely flawless, she'll have nothing to fix and because of that be uninteresting! There was a plotline in this book which I thought would totally go the romantic way, but it didn't and although I was a little disappointed at first, in the end it was quite refreshing and made me focus on what the book was actually about. All in all, I highly recommend reading it!

Rating: *****

Have you read 'The manifesto on how to be interesting' yet?  

Above the clouds of Pompeii

Above the clouds of Pompeii by noelle1596 featuring a flower cocktail ring

March playlist 2016

The sun is starting to break through bit by bit, the cold winds have mellowed out a bit and I've even spotted a few daffodils by the side of the road already! In the bloggersphere, a new month means a new playlist, so that's what I'm sharing with you today! Keep reading for the tunes I'll be blasting this upcoming month...

Heartbeats - José González

Follow the sun - Xavier Rudd

The sound - The 1975

UGH! - The 1975

Love me - The 1975

Lovely - Twenty One Pilots

Fake you out - Twenty One Pilots

Endlessly - The Cab

Call me in the afternoon - Half Moon Run

Mind over matter - Young the Giant 

Quite soft songs this time, it seems to be the theme of the month... How about you? 

Give me love

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Book review: Me before you

About a year ago, I stumbled across a book called "Me before you", written by Jojo Moyes. It wasn't a new book, seeing as it came out in 2012, but with the upcoming movie inspired by the book, I figured now would be a good time to post my review of the book!

Summary
'Me before you' is the story of Lou, a young woman who is in dire need of a new job when she loses the job she has had since she was a teenager. Nobody seems to be hiring, until she gets invited for an interview at the Trainor manor. The job description? Taking care of a disabled man full time. Figuring it would be an old man, she goes on the interview, only to realize that the man she is supposed to be taking care of isn't that much older than herself and kind of an asshole...

Review
Words cannot describe how beautifully written this book is. Not once did I feel like the writer was laying it on too thick, or focused on one part of the story for too long, whether it be the disability or the possible romance blooming between two of the characters. Speaking of characters, there wasn't one person in the book I didn't like (no, wait, actually there was one, but I'm not going to spoil the story for you) for the way they were written. Every person in this book was well-rounded and just plain lovable, even the ones you don't want to love, you will wholeheartedly. From the start there is a clear vision you have for Lou's future and the way the writer has worked that part into the story is stunning. Plus, there is a plot twist that even though you kind of see it coming, still hurts so bad. 
To truly paint the picture of how much I loved this book: I don't cry, not with movies, not with books... Ever! But with this book, I came sooooo close! 
Well, if that's not a stellar recommendation, then I don't know what else to say to get you to read this book!
Rating: *****

For those of you who are curious about the movie version of the book, you can check out the trailer above... 

Little grace

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