3 x 5 Songs for The Weekend

3 x 5 SONGS FOR THE WEEKEND

It's music time again! Because who can resist a good banger eh?

I've been itching to do another blog post this last week, and I've written a fair few pieces both on here and in my notebook. I've had so many thoughts and reflections and things I want to share. One moment I'm thinking about this, another I'm thinking about that. And I feel that urge in my chest to put pen to paper and unleash the beast inside me. But every time I sit to write, I can't quite find the words. Or I don't know how to articulate. Or something stops me. Or I realise that how I feel is complex, and just when I think I've found my opinion and voice, a new thought pops into my mind, and I realise I still have a bit more thinking to do. 

So I thought I'd keep it nice and sweet and simple this rainy, gloomy Friday afternoon, and do a music post. Give you the best words of other people, instead of my own. 

I love music posts so much. They make all the neurotransmitters in my head go batshit crazy with excitement because it's the perfect chance to rack the music library in my mind, as well as go out there and hunt out new musical goods to add to the collection. 

Normally I do a playlist and whack lots of songs into it, but today I thought I'd approach it differently. Inspired by the idea of weekends, I've broken the weekend down into three key phases: SATURDAY NIGHT/ EARLY MORNING/ SUNDAY AFTERNOON. And within each one I've picked 5 perfect songs for that particular time of day. So I gots ya back sorted dear readers. 

Some of the songs are new (FOSTER THE PEOPLE!!!), some aren't so new, but all of them are 100% fabulous. So I hope you enjoy taking a gander, and have a magical weekend. I'm off camping in Derbyshire for a week in the pouring rain so wish me luck!!!

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SONGS FOR SATURDAY NIGHT

001. RUN FOR COVER / THE KILLERS

002. CHEMISTRY / ARCADE FIRE

003. ST ELMO'S FIRE / JOHN PARR

004. SILHOUETTES / AVICII 

005. JUST DANCE / HONNE

SONGS FOR THE EARLY HOURS

001. DREAMS TONITE / ALVVAYS

002. BELONG TO YOU / SABRINA CLAUDIO

003. CRAZY / YUKON BLONDE

004. NOTHING EVER SEEMS RIGHT / CHILDHOOD

005. STATIC SPACE LOVER / FOSTER THE PEOPLE

SONGS FOR SUNDAY AFTERNOON

001. THERE'S TOO MUCH LOVE / BELLE & SEBASTIAN

002. STRAWBERRY SWING / COLDPLAY

003. LET MY LOVE OPEN THE DOOR / ROGUE WAVE

004. CARRY ON / NORAH JONES

005. T SHIRT WEATHER / CIRCA WAVES

Seville & Torremolinos

SEVILLE & TORREMOLINOS

Last month I was lucky enough to go on holiday to the magnificent country of Spain for a week. 

I went out with my parents (minus my lil sis who's still working in London *cry cry cry*), and met up with a couple of my best mates from home, one of whom was living in Seville as part of her year abroad. We flew out to Malaga from our local aeropuerto, the classic East Mids, and I flew to Manchester on the way back, with both journeys taking around 3 hours. Plane tickets are pretty reasonable if you're heading out to Andalucia, with my ticket back a decent £35, and once you're in the region there's so many beautiful places to go exploring. 

I'd never been to Andalucia before, only Extramadura and Catalonia, but I fell in love with it almost instantly. If you're looking to experience both modern and classic Spanish culture, and especially if you want to see an authentic Spain that's representative of its historic roots, this is the place to go. 

Initially, when we were planning our adventure, my parents & I wanted to go everywhere. Cordoba, Seville, Torremolinos, Ronda, Granada, Malaga, Cadiz, Gibraltar... we wanted to experience it all. But with only a week at our disposal, we had to really think about what we wanted from our holiday. 

Ultimately, it was a mix of city and culture, and beach and relaxation, which is why we ended up spending 4 days in Seville, the capital of Andalucia, and 3 days in Torremolinos, a popular beach resort down the coast from Malaga. In my opinion, it was the best decision we could have made, and here is why...

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SEVILLE

-Experience authentic Spanish culture with minimum tourism

-Absolutely incredible architecture and history everywhere you go

-Perfect combination of chill & culture// celebrate & fun

-Cracking club/ bar scene

-Lots of festivals and traditions (eg. Feria de Abril)

-Beer is often cheaper than water

-Stunning food that is a really decent price

-Very friendly, helpful and welcoming people

-Maestranza (bullring- free on Mondays!), Alcazar, Parque de Maria Luisa, Cathedral, Triana= must see places 

-Nice and hot

-Easy to walk everywhere & east to reach Seville from Malaga Maria Zambrano train station

-The oranges (& churros, always)

http://www.visitasevilla.es/en

TORREMOLINOS

-Beautiful beaches and a gorgeous, serene coastline

-Close to Malaga, Fuengirola, Benalmadena and the airport

-Lots of fresh seafood

-Easy to explore and feel at home, and has all the facilities you could need

-Cheap & very reasonably priced

-ALL THE CATS EVERYWHERE!!!

-The strip full of lots of bars, restaurants, shops and cafes

-Chilled atmosphere with a great buzz about it

-The sea and pools are in close proximity so you can cool down 

-THE CATS

-THE CATS

-THE CATS!

http://www.andalucia.com/torremolinos/home.htm

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VIVE ESPANA 

It All Works Out In The End

IT ALL WORKS OUT IN THE END

Little by little, I'm starting to realise that I need to trust in life more.

Instinctively, I'm always expecting the worse to happen. I worry too much about things in the past, present, future. I come up with all these many, far fetched hypotheses as I try to anticipate the world and people around me. Almost like I'm trying to shotgun them, and predict them before they even happen. It seems to be my automatic way of making sense of the world. I can't wait and see, let things be. Instead I'll happily preoccupy myself with these lines of thinking, worry, anticipating, hypothesising. And somewhere along the way, I work myself up into unnecessary frenzies, which so far, have never yielded me any benefits.

In fact, all they ever seem to do is make me feel stressed, anxious, worried, sad, lost, alone, afraid.

I'm not sure how long I've been living my life in this way, but as I get older, I find I'm getting disillusioned with this way of thinking and living life. And I think that's mostly because I'm beginning to notice how, actually, everything works out in the end. Everything.

Even if it takes a few falls, setbacks, mistakes. Even if the direction of your life changes in ways you never expected. Even if you end up down a different road. Even if it takes a few compromises. Or maybe, just maybe, it just works out almost exactly how you expected it to.

Whatever the path you end up taking, the route to your destination and beyond, the outcome is never as bad as you expect it to be. Or as it seems to be. And if things are bad, then maybe it's not the end yet. It's just another checkpoint along the way to a greater goal, a greater place, a greater existence.

Lately I've become so attuned to how I think about things, because all the hypothesis' that I made lately, have turned out to be wrong. So wrong. The fears I had were unprecedented. And even if my hypothesis' had turned out to be right, there was no point worrying because they were never the end of the world. I'm strong enough to deal with the consequences.

What's more, the last few years have also taught me what really matters most to me in life. The things that will always make me feel happy. The things that are most important. I've gained perspective that I was lacking. And these two things together, combined with the realisation that everything works out in the end... they're starting to light up my mind. Change those circuits in my brain. Alert me to a new way of living my life. A new way of thinking.

I'm already surrounded by a fair few people who live life the way I wish I could.

People who trust in the powers that be and trust in themselves. Who let things take their course. Who don't get freaked out about everything. Who don't try to shoot the gun. Who truly, genuinely believe things will work out. These people inspire me so much, because they show me a different way of being. And I want to follow their lead.

Changing the way I think isn't easy, and this is going to take time. It requires conscious effort. I need to specifically tell my brain what it needs to hear, how it needs to respond, and why because otherwise my automatic response kicks in.

But I already know what a difference it can make, just by making those positive choices, those little changes, and I want to keep trying. I want to keep moving forwards. I want to keep growing. I want to give myself the tools I need to live this life of mine as happily and fully as possible. I'll do whatever it takes. And if it's sacrificing some of my control and cares, in return for trusting in life, and trusting in myself and others, then so be it. 

My Life As A Courgette

MY LIFE AS A COURGETTE

What a name for a film, eh? As a self-proclaimed courgette fan (or the rather groovy zucchini, as referred to by our American pals), I must admit this film definitely caught my attention. I remember seeing the poster plastered on the walls of the London Underground a few months back, and wondering what the title actually meant. Was it about an experimental human with a raging desire to live life as a vegetable? Was it someone telling the life story of a courgette? I had no idea. But the quirkiness and the vivid colouring of the poster intrigued me. My gut instinct was that this was my kind of film. A bit quirky, alternative, indie, off the beaten track. And of course it was about courgettes, so what wasn't there to like?

The other day I finally found the time to watch the film, and it was such a gem of a film I just knew I needed to share it with you guys. 

A French-Swiss production, meaning the film is in French with English subtitles, My Life As A Courgette is a lovingly crafted stop-motion animation with the entire film comprising of scenes and characters which are handmade out of clay. The filmmakers have then physically manipulated each entity, one movement at a time, and taken thousands of snapshots, seamlessly sewing them together to create a glorious 60+ minutes of beautiful storytelling.

As a viewer, to be able to enjoy a film which is so intricately crafted by the filmmakers is such a treat. That very craftmanship and overwhelming dedication, in turn transgresses My Life As A Courgette into not just a film, but a piece of art in the truest sense. It's a real labour of love from director Claude Barres and his team. They've managed to create a portal to another world, so simple in design yet so beautiful, colourful, hopeful. I adored the escapism that this film, and animation in general, gives us. There's nothing else like it.

What's more, as if the film's visuals and aesthetics aren't already a 10 out of 10, the storyline itself is just brilliant. Looking at the poster above, you may be forgiven for thinking My Life As A Courgette is a mere child's film. Relatively superficial in nature and not really relevant to an adult audience with better things to do than humour a child who believes they're a courgette. However you would be wrong for numerous reasons my friend.

My Life As A Courgette focuses on a young french boy, Icare, who goes by the nickname Courgette. He lives alone with his mother, an alcoholic since Courgette's father walked out on them both. However, following an unfortunate accident that leaves Courgette's mother dead, Courgette falls into the hands of Raymond, a sincere and compassionate police officer. Upon hearing Courgette's story, Raymond takes him to the local orphanage, where he will subsequently be cared for.

Upon arriving at the orphanage, Courgette meets the fellow children, including ballsy leader Simon, whose drug-addicted parents never write to him; Jujube, whose mentally ill mum makes him eat toothpaste for breakfast; Beatrice, who's mum left her one day without explanation; Alice, who was sexually abused by her father, and Ahmed, who suffers from post traumatic stress disorder.

After a rocky start, Courgette begins to settle in with his peers, and following the sudden arrival of new girl Camille, due to similarly distressing circumstances, the seven children form a close and loving bond. Despite being united by misfortune, the solidarity and companionship of Courgette and his friends is such a moving sight to see, paving the way to happiness, love, friendship, loyalty, security and childhood freedom that neither child has ever known.

Although My Life As A Courgette has dark undertones, and sheds light on some serious and important topics, through the medium of stop-motion animation, the subject matter seems more striking and accessible. It's child-friendly, as is it resonant. The impact stays with you long after you stop watching the film. But more so than that, where My Life As A Courgette shines most is in its ability to convey such powerful messages of hope, strength and recovery. It's the cinematic embodiment of a glass half full, with some truly beautiful moments that exude such joy for characters and viewers alike.

Even though we only learn the fates of protagonists Courgette and Camille, My Life As A Courgette leaves you with a comforting notion that every child's life is going to be better from this point onwards. The darkness which initially defined each child has been replaced by so much light and warmth and wonder.

I thoroughly enjoyed My Life As A Courgette, and if you're after something a little quirky, aesthetically pleasing, emotionally substantial, and lovingly crafted, with added allure of Francais of course... Or heck, if you just love the idea of a kid being called Courgette, I would highly, highly recommend a watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nRwYWVxjRU