MONTHLY FAVOURITES: DECEMBER 2015.

HELLO! IT'S THE FINAL DAY OF 2015! It is time for my last monthly favourites post (and post in general) of the year. LET'S GO.

MONTHLY FAVOURITES: NOVEMBER 2015.

It is currently a mere half-hour into December, which means I am so on time with this post. Let's raise our glasses to punctuality! Unfortunately my current literature essay has not benefitted from this punctuality quite so much, but y'know, baby steps. Here are some things I've been loving this month.

AUTUMN? MORE LIKE AUSUMN, AMIRITE?!

How's that title for a pun, huh? I've been trying to think of a title for ages and that was the best I could come up with so for that I do apologise, I admit that it's not my best work.

Anyway, allow me to preface this post with a little bit of contextual information. For most of my life I've said that summer is my favourite season. After all, it's got my birthday/no school/warm weather etc., but somehow over the past few years this title has slowly shifted to autumn. 'Why?' I hear some of you ask. My dear friends, I am about to tell you exactly why. Enough with the dilly-dallying, let's get to it. I present to you: A Celebration of All Things Autumn (and the very beginnings of winter, but not The Deep Dark Depths of Winter, because that feels like a frozen hell on Earth and none of these points apply at that stage because I am verging on hypothermia). (I'm just saying 'autumn' for now because it's slightly catchier.)

MONTHLY FAVOURITES: OCTOBER 2015.

Welcome back to another monthly update on what I've been loving recently. Hit it! *Presses play on tape player.*

SOUNDS GOOD FEELS GOOD REVIEW.

Nervous. Scared. Excited. Worried. What does this amalgamation of emotions mean? Why, a new 5SOS album of course. On the 23^rd October 5 Seconds of Summer released their sophomore album Sounds Good Feels Good. Anyone who knows me on the Internet/in real life is probably aware that I’m a huge 5SOS fan, which means that I am simultaneously their best and worst critic. Over time I’ve seen them improve and I’ve seen them make some questionable musical decisions, and I feel like I am in good standing to review their new record. On that note, let me get started.

MONTHLY FAVOURITES: SEPTEMBER 2015.

Ah. It's nearly two weeks into October and I'm only just uploading my "September Favourites". Better late than never...right? On another note, look how ugly the graphic is this month, it seems really empty for some reason.

I MOVED TO PARIS.

Hello! Just a quick update for you today. I've not had much time or head space to get around to writing a super wordy post this past week because...a few days ago I moved to Paris! I've decided to make this post really picture-heavy, because that's a little easier for me and maybe even nicer for you to not have to bother reading all my usual loquacious ramblings. I think I'm getting far too used to this moving-house malarkey. (Which would make sense actually, as this is the eighth property I've lived in since 2011, including both individual and family moves. WOW.) (On a side note, I don't think I've ever used the word 'malarkey' in writing before in my life, but I kind of dig it.) I haven't done much exploring of the city yet but I've got a whole ten months to get to know it so I don't feel like I'm missing out on much. Unfortunately I accidentally left my DSLR back in England (let's not talk about it) so the following pictures have only been taken on my iPhone. Alas, without further ado, allow me to give you a tour of my new bedroom in my little apartment in Montmartre.

MONTHLY FAVOURITES: AUGUST 2015.

Hello, my blog-reading children, welcome to another monthly favourites post. I've spent the past four weeks pretty much doing nothing in our apartment here in lil' old Switzerland. Here are some of the things I've been loving.

BADLANDS REVIEW.

On 28th August 2015, after a few release-date hiccoughs, Halsey released her debut album, BADLANDS. I first stumbled upon Halsey (though she still called herself Ashley Frangipane back then) in summer 2013. I watched a few of her covers on YouTube and couldn't shake this feeling that she had something. Over the next few months I realised I'd had good reason to sense something special in her. I found myself converted to being a fan, and after a couple of small and temporary name-changes Ashley took a big step in her musical journey and became Halsey. In early 2014 she released Ghost as her first official single on iTunes, and it was a poignant moment to bear witness to. A couple of months later, Halsey presented her relatively-small-but-ever-growing fanbase with yet another taste of what was to come, in the form of New Americana. Later on, a newer version of it would prove to be one of the most successful songs she had ever released, with people praising it left, right and centre; dubbing it an anthem for the world's youth. Fast-forward one Room 93 EP, a record deal, a few tours and exponentially more radio plays later, and we arrive in August 2015, with the release of the eagerly-anticipated BADLANDS album.

YEAR ABROAD BUCKET LIST.

I'm about to up sticks and head to Paris for a year. Yep, Paris! Everyone around me seems more excited than I am, but then, that's understandable, because they are thinking of the good things, whereas I am going to be dealing with a whole bunch of potentially overwhelming and stressful stuff (think: setting up a bank account in French, trying to survive on the measly loan Student Finance gives me, attempting to not fail my classes, all of which are in French, et cetera). Don't get me wrong, I'm getting a little more excited each day (especially now I have an apartment sorted, which is a huge weight off my shoulders), but in order to keep this excitement brewing, I started to try and think of things to look forward to. Thence came the idea for my Year Abroad Bucket List. Some of the things on this list are Paris or France-specific, but others are just general things I'd like to accomplish/do during my year abroad.

FAVOURITE PLACES TO DRINK IN LONDON.

With the relative success of my Favourite Cafés in London post I decided to continue in a similar vein and offer you my wisdom in the form of a new post. For the benefit of my loyal readers (all five of you) (three of whom are underage) I have risked bankruptcy to compile a small list of my favourite places to drink in London. Enjoy. Drink responsibly. Do not blame me for any drunken misdemeanours that may or may not occur after having read this list.

A LITTLE LOOK AT ORPHAN BLACK.

Over the past couple of weeks I've become nigh on addicted to Orphan Black. For anyone unfamiliar with the programme, it's a sci-fi drama about human cloning. Let's get this straight: usually, as soon as I see "genre: sci-fi" I tend to be a little put off, but I decided to push through (especially as my last Great TV Show Find was also a sci-fi) (hi there check out this post if you want to know what I'm talking about) and I'm so glad I did. If you're hoping for aliens and intergalactic adventures this isn't the show for that, but I wholeheartedly recommend you give it a shot anyway.

MONTHLY FAVOURITES: JULY 2015.

Hey there, I'm back with another favourites post, and only few days later than I'd intended. Okay then, let's get right to it!

THINGS I'VE LEARNT WHILE LIVING IN LONDON.

For anyone who doesn't know, a couple of weeks ago I moved out of London, and I won't be returning to live there until September NEXT YEAR!?!?!?! I only lived there for just under two years, but it really does feel like a home to me. I definitely carried a massive neon TOURIST sign for a few weeks at the start of my stay, but since then I'd like to think I've shaken that image, instead leaving everyone to assume I am a fellow London indigene. I love this city with all my heart and soul, and during my time as an inhabitant I have learnt a few things; some useful, some funny, some weird.

MONTHLY FAVOURITES: JUNE 2015.

June has been really busy, as was expected. I simultaneously feel like I haven't had any time to myself, and that I've had so much time doing nothing, so I'm not sure how that's worked out. Yes, I know this monthly favourites is late, but it's here, which is better than nothing. Allons-y!

A (FEW) NIGHT(S) WITH 5SOS.

I like 5 Seconds of Summer. I'm pretty much wholly unapologetic about it - I've been a fan of them for a few years and it's truly been a pleasure watching them grow in success, skill and confidence (and height!). I've met them a few times, but there's something about watching perform that is just infinitely more exciting. I've been fortunate enough to be able to see them live many times, and upon their touring of the UK this summer, I took it upon myself to see them perform as much as possible.

MONTHLY FAVOURITES: MAY 2015.

Hello! I finished my exams just under a week ago and that is why I've been MIA for a few weeks. I'd like to think they went alright, but I suppose I'll find out during the summer. Nonetheless, I'm back now, and ready to absolutely rock your world with some new posts. Are you ready? Can you handle this? Let's go.

WHY YOU SHOULD VOTE.

Okay, I get it, you're completely OVER the fact that Twitter and Facebook have been awash with politics these past few weeks, but on this final day I thought it'd be important to briefly talk about why it's important to vote. For those of you who don't know, I'll summarise the situation really briefly. Today was the UK's General Election, where we vote for the party (specifically, we vote for the Member of Parliament) that we want to represent us in our government, which is in the House of Commons. Out of the 650 constituencies (which correlate to the number of seats in the HoC), the majority vote becomes the party in power and the leader of said party becomes Prime Minister until the next election. It's a little bit more complicated than that in terms of what a majority actually means but that's the gist of it. Here are five reasons and general comments as to why I think you should (have) vote(d).

QUICK APPLE CRUMBLE.

One of my all-time favourite desserts is apple crumble, and a couple of months ago I took sudden inspiration to make it in the microwave because I knew I couldn't be bothered to wait for it to cook in the oven. In true Giordizzle fashion I scrambled together a makeshift recipe and checked a few things online to make sure it wouldn't go totally wrong, and it worked out alright! There were a couple of things I wanted to tweak so since then I've had to make it again a few more times (poor me, how tragic) so that I could have a definitive recipe for you to follow. You're welcome.

FUTURE HEARTS REVIEW.

This post has been sitting in my drafts since Future Hearts' release date but I've been waiting until I got the physical copy from my friend Libby before I published it. (I've been away from England so hadn't got the chance to see her until recently!) If you've read my blog before you'll know I'm a fan of All Time Low; four pop-punk idiots hailing from Baltimore. On the 3rd April they released their sixth album. Produced exclusively by John Feldmann and featuring vocals from Blink-182's Mark Hoppus and Good Charlotte's Joel Madden, I was super excited to listen to their sixth instalment. They consistently create awesome music so I had incredibly high hopes for this album. I was in no way disappointed. Without further delay, here's my review of Future Hearts.

MONTHLY FAVOURITES: APRIL 2015.

I've not posted for a while as I always spend ages writing out posts, when I probably should be using that time to revise instead, but hey, here I am. Last month was interesting to say the least, and I spent the first three weeks of it in Switzerland at home with my family and the final week here in London. 5 Seconds of Summer (one of my all-time favourite bands) were in London last week and unfortunately I didn't get to meet them for one reason or another, but I did get to hang out with some of my favourite friends I've made through the band, which was lovely as always. (Special shoutout to Libby, Shannon, Aimée and Natalie, you guys are rockin'.) Here are some of my favourites from this month:

AMERICAN CANDY REVIEW.

I haven't done any music reviews on this blog so far but I'm hoping to change that with a review of The Maine's American Candy, released on 31st March 2015. I only really started listening to them in the past two years or so but I'm really glad I did. For those unfamiliar with their music, The Maine is a rock band hailing from Arizona, USA. They've stayed constant in their lineup since they began in 2007, and have been signed to various labels, though this album was released independently. American Candy is comprised of ten songs, all variants on the pop-rock genre (I'm always slightly reluctant to use the term 'pop-rock' but that's exactly what this is; a softer, more accessible variety of rock with definite hints towards their pop punk past). The track list is unusually short for a full-length album, but it packs a lot into its 35-minute runtime.

ALL TIME LOW WEEKEND.

When tickets for All Time Low's Wembley show went on sale last year I came to the horrifying realisation that, disgustingly deep into her overdraft, this girl should not be buying any concert tickets for the foreseeable future. Thus, I went through a few months moping about, sad that I hadn't bought a ticket before the show had sold out. In the meantime, ATL announced two intimate acoustic gigs in London to celebrate the near-release of their upcoming album, Future Hearts. I had some Christmas money left over and, at only £12, I bought a ticket, which included not only entry into the venue but also a copy of the album itself upon its release. However, a month or so before the Wembley gig everyone was beginning to get excited about the show and my desperation to find a ticket was renewed. I decided to start a search for a face-value-priced standing ticket, and eventually I managed to find one. My parents bought it for me as an (extremely) early birthday present and I was as happy as could be. The weekend soon arrived, and I was ready to ROCK.

MONTHLY FAVOURITES: MARCH 2015.

I've been frantically working to finish this post before March ended but my WiFi has been atrocious here and I haven't been able to upload anything, so I'm publishing this on 2nd April instead. Let's pretend I uploaded this before March ended, shall we?

Somehow we have gone a quarter of the way through the year and I don't really remember it happening but apparently time has passed (as it tends to do) and so here I am. I've been thinking about this as a post idea for a while and once I saw my friend Georgina's post I decided to write my own. Writing monthly favourites enables me to guarantee at least one post a month, even if it's more of a list than an actual posty post, if y'know what I mean. With that, I will begin.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY.

[chibird]

It's International Women's Day! I'd like to extend a warm handshake (I don't really do hugs, sorry) to all of you wonderful ladies who identify as such, and I wish you every success and opportunity in life, unhindered by inequality. Now that that's out of the way, let's have a chat about feminism shall we?

5 MINUTE CARROT CAKE.

I love baked goods, and I love minimal washing up, so when I discovered that mug cakes were a thing a few years ago, it opened the door to a world of opportunity.

The other day my housemate made cinnamon rolls and there was some cream cheese icing left in the fridge just asking to be eaten. I decided to try a mug carrot cake as I was pretty sure I had all the ingredients I would need. I looked at a few recipes and adapted them to my personal taste. I've tried out variations of a recipe a few times just so I could get the most perfect result to show you guys. I know, I know, sometimes it just has to be done - someone's gotta take one for the team. My final recipe is SO TASTY and I'm super pleased with it, so if you're a cake-lover like me, please try it out and let me know how it goes!

WHY YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING THE 100.

I've recently got into the TV show "The 100" (pronounced "The Hundred"). Usually when I start to watch a new series I'll watch maybe three or four episodes a day, and end up finishing/getting up to date within a week or two. With The 100, I watched twenty-seven episodes in three days, amongst the usual everyday life things like eating/doing work/sleeping/going to university. This was an impressive feat, and I wondered what it was about this show that got me so hooked, so quickly.

THE WALKING DEAD REVIEW: S05 E12.

I haven't done a review of anything specific yet and I thought today was as good a day as any to give one a shot. This is my first ever TV show review so I apologise in advance for any structural/syntactic weirdness you may come across.

FYI: I'll try to keep this as spoiler-free as I can, but I'll warn you if there's a semi-spoiler anywhere.

NOSTALGIA BOOK TAG.

I've been thinking a lot recently about the books I used to read when I was younger, and how some of them have really resonated with me for various reasons. I've always been a big reader (even more so when I was younger than now, sadly.) I'm pretty new to this whole blogging thing but I've done a little search and can't seem to find a pre-existing tag that specifically caters to what I want to talk about, so I've decided to make one of my own.

The idea of this tag is for you to cast your mind way back to the books you read as a child/young teenager. Let's go...

HOME.

Sorry I haven't updated in over a week, hopefully I'll get back into the swing of things again now. I've been super busy writing some coursework essays and spending time at home (I just returned to London this afternoon), which is what I'm going to talk a little bit about in this post.

My family have lived intermittently in Switzerland since 2006 (my dad lived there when I was 3 or 4 as well), and my current base is a little town/village just outside of Geneva. I never used to get homesick, but since I went to uni I found that the longer I spent away from our apartment in Switzerland (even though I've never lived there, don't have a bedroom there or any belongings whatsoever) the more I felt a kind of nagging feeling, one that was always appeased whenever I returned. I get to see my family usually about every two months as they often come back to England for various reasons, and it's always nice, but there's something about going home and not having to worry about any of the adult-y things I worry about when in London that's just so comforting.

A-Z.

I love words. I mentioned that in my first post, didn't I? I love learning new words to use in essays or arguments or just everyday speech. I know a lot of funky words and over the past few months I've been writing some of my favourites in a note on my phone. Some I like because of the way they sound or because I like what they mean or just because they make me sound more intelligent (and I dig that).

EGGCELLENT.

Back again with a little blog update for you! A bl-egg update? Nah that was atrocious, sorry.

I recently posted a photo on Instagram of some poached eggs I made and weirdly, a few of my friends messaged me with comments about eggs. (Conversations between kids these days are absolutely wild, aren't they?) I eat a lot of eggs largely because I'm too poor to be the carnivore I so desperately desire to be, and so have to get my protein cheaply from elsewhere. While they're not sticky barbecue ribs or roasted lamb, eggs are pretty great anyway, and very versatile. I often make poached eggs because they're not only simple but healthy too. 

FAVOURITE CAFÉS IN LONDON.

Well would you look at that? I'm back! Again! The outlook for this blog is not so bleak this time around. Recently my friends and I went to the Cereal Killer Café in Shoreditch and it inspired me to make a post, so here I stand today, writing a little compilation I've been working on of cute cafés I've come across in London.

RAMBLING AND A RECIPE.

Hello, I have returned, and only a week after my last post (which, in my history, really isn't so bad.)

I've been pretty busy this week; meeting one of my favourite musicians (check it out you guys), saying goodbye to my American friend who was visiting us (we miss you already Steph!), organising my wardrobe and shoe cupboard, and finally applying to French universities for Study Abroad in September (more on that to come).

Here's a photo of aforementioned shoes. Revel in the organisation.

However, I have finally sat down and decided to write a few little posts. First up: a recipe!

INTRODUCING ME.

Student watches Netflix while eating beans on toast. A cliché so very apt.

P.S. I hope everyone notices that the title of this post was in reference to Nick Jonas' song in Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam.

Friday 23rd January; almost exactly a year after I gave up writing my last blog. I've decided, like many others it seems, to attempt to start this whole shindig up again. Thus, in true I've-just-started-a-blog style, here I present to you twenty five facts about me.