Favourites of 2013: Music, Film & TV

Now that it is officially 2014, I reflected on 2013 in the world of film, music and TV shows and shared my favourites with you.

Films

1) I'm a huge Avenger fan (although I only just watched all of the films throughout 2013 for the first time) but I went to see Iron Man 3 with my friend in May and thought it was absolutely brilliant and the best Iron Man film yet! Of course Robert Downey Junior is hilarious, but I loved how he had a softer, darker side to him. This film would not have been as successful as it was, had it not been for the humour that Ben Kingsley brought to his role.

2) Although this was released only a month or two ago, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire was probably my favourite film of 2013. It was so emotional (I cried and then I laughed and then I cried some more) and I personally believe that it was way better than the first film. Jennifer Lawrence is a wonderful actress and her fellow cast mates were also brilliant.

3) I watched Thor: The Dark World the day that it came out as I was so excited to see Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston! I had high hopes for this film and I was definitely not disappointed. Again, this film was an emotional roller coaster (Tom Hiddleston, you deserve an Oscar for your hilarious/heartbreaking acting) but the storyline had a very interesting concept that I really enjoyed. The only downside of this film was that it was over way too quickly (even though it's nearly 2 hours long - time flies when you're having fun).

I also liked:

We're The Millers - World War Z - The Great Gatsby - Now You See Me - Olympus Has Fallen

Albums 

1) MSMR have quickly become one of my favourite groups and Secondhand Rapture is wonderful. I heard "Salty Sweet" and "This isn't Control" in Pretty Little Liars a little while ago and fell in love with Lizzy Plapinger's voice and the catchy tunes of their songs. The lyrics are passionate and honest, for example "We fear rejection, prize attention, crave affection, Dream, dream, dream of perfection" to demonstrate the pressures of modern day society. My favourite tracks are Hurricane, Fantasy, Think Of You and Ash Tree Lane.

2) I first heard Sweater Weather in 2012 and soon realised just how talented The Neighbourhood truly were. They released their first album, I Love You early last year and it swiftly climbed the charts in the US. They basically combine dark, hypnotic hip-hop and indie beats with catchy lyrics and clear vocals to create a unique and distinct musical style. My favourite tracks are Afraid, Sweater Weather, Female Robbery and Let It Go.

3) I'll admit, I wasn't exactly the hugest fan of Arctic Monkeys before AM; I liked to listen to them but I would never consider myself to be a dedicated fan. AM is without a doubt their most successful album of their career. NME describe the album being about "sex, lust, frustration and isolation" and its clear Arctic Monkeys aimed to create an album without specifying a genre. The beats are dark and intimidating, yet excitingly thrilling to listen to. My favourite tracks are Knee Socks, Fireside, Snap Out Of It and Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?

I also liked:

The 1975 by The 1975 - Bad Blood by Bastille - Holy Fire by Foals - Long Way Down by Tom Odell

Songs

1) I heard Of the Night by Bastille at the start of 2013 and soon became obsessed with it. It's one of those songs that make you just want to stand up and dance to. It immediately puts me in a good mood. Bastille, that was one amazing cover you did.

2) My Number is such a catchy song. I first heard it when I was watching MTV Rocks and this tune came on. I literally listened to this song more than a hundred times last year (it's the most listened to song on my iPhone) and I don't think it's possible to get bored of it. The chorus is brilliant and again, it makes you want to dance. Foals definitely stepped up their game last year.

3) Carry Me by Bombay Bicycle Club is a drum-heavy, electronic and bouncy song that you have to listen to on full volume to get the full effects. It's such a busy and intense song with sounds that shouldn't go together very well but sound absolutely brilliant. "You carry, you carry, you carry, you carry me" chants Jack Steadman. I want to go to an indie themed party with this blasting all night long. It's that good.

I also liked:

Full Circle by Half Moon Run - Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High? by Arctic Monkeys - Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke - Get Lucky by Daft Punk

TV shows
I absoloutely love watching TV shows, but I'm the kind of person that doesn't tend to start watching TV shows as soon as they're advertised on the TV. I seem to wait a little bit until I'm sure I'm ready to become addicted to the show. I love Arrow, The Vampire Diaries, Glee, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Pretty Little Liars, Teen Wolf and Made In Chelsea. Admittedly, I've only begun to watch two TV shows that premiered in 2013.

1) The Originals is a spin off from The Vampire Diaries. It's focused on the Mikaelson siblings, also known as the original vampires; Klaus (Joseph Morgan), the most hated and feared of the Originals, Elijah (Daniel Gillies), the most reasonable, peaceful and caring vampire and Rebekah (Claire Holt) who wishes to be normal but behaves cruelly and violently. Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin) is pregnant with Klaus' child and Klaus now focuses on taking down his protege, Marcel (Charles Michael Davis) who is in charge of New Orleans. The show has a good soundtrack and storyline which is entertaining to watch.

2) The Carrie Diaries is an American teen drama show which is a prequel to Sex and the City. The show focuses on Carrie Bradshaw (AnnaSophia Robb) during her junior year of high school in 1984. She explores life in New York whilst interning at famous fashion magazine, Interview, juggling love, friendship and achieving her dream of becoming a writer. The clothes and soundtrack is incredible due to it being based in the 80s (I would give anything to have grown up in the 80s). Austin Butler stars as Sebastian Kydd, Carrie's love interest (I have a huge crush on Sebastian ngl) and Freema Agyeman plays Larissa Loughlin who brings colourful energy and humour to the show. 

I hope you enjoyed reading my 2013 favourites as much as I enjoyed writing it although it took me ages to write.  Let me know what your favourite songs, film and TV shows of 2013 have been in the comments!

Sophie x

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What Sophie did in 2013

I can't quite believe that 2013 is almost over. This time last year, I could not stop feeling disappointed with how 2012 went for me and wanted to make sure that 2013 was much more successful and enjoyable than 2012. I wanted to be able to reflect on 2013 and be proud of what I had accomplished. I wanted to be able to say that I had fun and felt more comfortable in my own skin. I posted here about what my 2013 new years resolutions were. Although I didn't achieve all of them or only achieved them for a limited amount of time, I'm still proud of how far I've come over the last year and can safely say that 2013 was a good year...

Although school granted us no snow days, we were sent home early on a Friday with the whole weekend to look forward to. I visited my sister at university for her 19th birthday. I made amazing, new friends. I saw fireworks. I became best friends with my best friends' (Amy) dog. I went down to Devon to see all of my family. I cherished my cat (although unfortunately he died in May, RIP Louie). I had fun at school. In the Easter holidays I visited Highclere Castle (where they film Downton Abbey) and toured the grounds and inside the house. I went to London for the day with Amy to watch my Dad run his 4th marathon. I became best friends forever with my Amy's dog.

 In May half term I went to Bournemouth with Olivia and Amy where we played crazy golf, went shopping, went on some rides and chilled by the beach. Olivia and I cheered on Amy and her family in a fun run on the local airports' runway. I went to prom. I enjoyed the hot weather and cooled down using the sprinklers in my garden. I visited pretty places in the lovely weather. Olivia and I camped out in my back garden which we posted about here. On Olivia's birthday we went to Chessington World of Adventures where I relived my childhood and went on a cool, safari ride. I went to the Lake District with my family where I sat with Noddy. I walked around most of the lakes and my sister and I posed for a picture...prom style. I passed all my GCSEs and surprised myself with amazing grades. Olivia, Amy, Alice and I celebrated our results by going out for a meal. I travelled down to Devon again and took a picture of the famous Crapstone which is just up the road from my families' house.

I turned 17. I was reunited in Devon with the whole of my family on my mums' side for the first time in years. Also in Devon, I discovered my uncle was growing a GIANT pumpkin. We got a new cat called Missy who made herself at home very quickly. I went to more pretty places. In October half term I went to Fright Night at Thorpe Park with Amy and Alice which was so much fun. I had a fun Halloween with Olivia and Alice. I began learning to drive (I actually started to learn how to drive before Halloween but I switched the order of the pictures round...my bad). My town switched on their Christmas lights and I went on some really cool rides with my friends. I went to see Catching Fire which was my favourite film of 2013. My favourite dog in the whole wide world. I started getting ready for Christmas. I went ice skating and shopping in Winchester with Amy which was a lot of fun. The sky was beautiful one evening in December. I had a fabulous Christmas with my family (me and my sister wore Christmas jumpers the whole day).

2013 was a good year. I had fun. I achieved lots. But it wasn't an easy year. I had a couple of rocky patches along the way and I stressed about my GCSE exams and that's okay. Try not to focus on the negatives. Focus on the positives and you'll feel much better when reflecting on 2013.

Although its a little bit daunting heading into a new year, its a fresh start and a clean slate. I already have some things to look forward to next year. So whenever I next feel down I'm just going to think of those fun things lined up and I advise you to do the same.

My new years resolutions for 2014 -

• Blog more often
• Get a gym membership
• Eat healthier
• Do more chores around the house
• Get a job
• Study hard
• FOCUS ON THE POSITIVES AND BE HAPPY

I wish you all the best for 2014 and hope it's a good year for you. Let me know in the comments your highlights of 2013 and your new years resolutions for 2014.

Sophie x

What I got for Christmas 2013

Hi everyone, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. I ate far too much food, spent time with my family and watched plenty of films on TV. I decided to show you some of the gifts that I received for Christmas because I absoloutely love to read blog posts or watch youtube videos about what other people got for Christmas. I would just like to firmly state that I am not bragging or showing off at all at what I got, but just thought it would be nice to document and share with you. I am incredibly grateful for the gifts my family gave me and I do feel very lucky.

A few weeks ago I went shopping with my family and we all picked out a perfume/aftershave that we wanted for the next year. After what seemed like hours in Debenhams, I eventually decided on Daisy by Marc Jacobs as it smells wonderful. It's not overpowering but its sophisticated and definitely noticeable. In my stocking, Santa surprised me with two essie nail polishes. It's slightly annoying as the names of the polishes aren't on them, but I really like the colours. One is a pretty shade of purple/blue and another is a dirty, dark grey/green. I had my previous laptop for over 3 years and it was beginning to freeze and overheat constantly, so my lovely parents purchased a white, Sony laptop which I have fallen in love with. 

My sister also received the same laptop and her keyboard lights up, but for some reason mine doesn't. I've googled how to make it light up for the last few days and experimented with the settings but still can't work it out. If anyone has the same problem or knows how to make the keyboard light up, please let me know! Other than that, it's perfect! I've recently become obsessed with Tumblr again. You can follow me here.

I love rings and so my mum got me three sets of beautiful gold and silver rings from River Island. Most of them are midi rings which I adore. I've been admiring this gold, chunky chain necklace for a while as I love how they can transform a simple outfit into something a bit more glamourous and trendy. 

Next summer, I'm going to Orlando in Florida for a couple of weeks with my family. My parents gave me and my sister this waterproof camera to document the fun we will have when we're there (swimming with dolphins, water parks and snorkelling etc) which I think is such a brilliant idea! I also got the Disney Princess CD with songs ranging from Tangled to Beauty and the Beast so that by the time I go to Disney World I'll know all the lyrics to the songs. 

I love Made In Chelsea and I love all the songs that feature on the show so my sister bought me the Made In Chelsea soundtrack which I'm super excited about. My favourite tracks on the album are "Midnight City", "In Your Car", "Drink, Dance, Play", "Summer", "Full Circle" and "Enjoy the Silence". This year I watched all of the Avenger films for the first time and soon became addicted so my parents gave me all my favourites; Thor, Iron man (1, 2 and 3) and The Avengers. I went to see We're the Millers at the cinema and I couldn't stop laughing the whole time so Santa decided to give me it, yay.

Once again, I'd just like to state that I am not boasting. I feel very lucky and have thanked my family for their amazing and generous gifts. I'd love to hear what you guys got for Christmas so please feel free to leave a comment.

Sophie x

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