You can find me on Pinterest here. As well as my quotes board here.

Every month, I make a list of some goals I'd like to achieve before the end of the month. For the last three months, I was sure to make one of those goals the development of a new habit. Something I'd tried to get the hang of before, but was unsuccessful in keeping it up after the month was over. However, since adding it as one of my goals, I've been successful in both developing these new habits and doing them every day since, without fail.

For August, it was drinking more water and doing the 30-day water challenge, which you can read about my experience with, here. For September, I took up yoga to help relieve stress and get some more activity into my routine. For October, it was working on something I loved but didn't always have the time to work on. For me, this was filmmaking. I spend at least 30 minutes every day scriptwriting, editing or storyboarding,  just generally working on improving my skills and work in that area.

Your habits are responsible for how you live your life. Bad habits can prevent you from becoming the person you aspire to be. Habits are responsible for your happiness, your health, how successful you are, just to name a few.

I first started wanting to develop new habits when I got back into health and fitness. I was curious to see how much water i was drinking, which led to me doing the 30-day water challenge. This then fuelled me to look into other areas, where I knew I could improve both myself and my lifestyle.

There a few ways to develop new habits; one of which is a habit tracker. You can find these all over the internet, I personally used Tumblr to find the one I used, or you could make your own. These are amazing for tracking multiple habits at one given time, especially if your main goal is something little like making your bed every day.
In order to make one of your own, you need to number 1-30 or 1-31, depending on the month you're starting, with the name of your goal down the left hand side. As I said before, habit trackers are the best at tracking multiple habits at one given time.

Credit: http://www.lifeonwaller.com/free-printable-daily-habit-tracker/

In order to develop and track a new habit you need to do a couple of things:

I know millennial's will rather watch and stream movies through services such as Netflix, Sky and Amazon Prime, just to name a few, instead of going to a cinema nowadays. You can't really blame them. With the click of a button, you can have endless amounts of movies at your fingertips- in the comfort of your own home, on the go and at a much cheaper price. A monthly subscription can cost the same as going to the cinema once a month. Personally, I prefer going to the cinema to see a film, maybe because I'm a little more traditionalist in that aspect, but general viewing and experience of a film can differ a lot between whether I watch it at home or in the cinema.

So far this year, we've had some pretty good films be released with some hopefully more good ones to come. With some of this years main winners at film festivals making their way into the cinemas in the next couple of months, I wanted to do a little-roundup of the films coming out in November, that I am most excited for, in order of release.

A BAD MOMS CHRISTMAS- 1ST NOVEMBER 

THOR: RAGNOROK- 3RD NOVEMBER 

MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS- 10TH NOVEMBER

DADDY'S HOME 2- 10TH NOVEMBER

THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING MISSOURI- 10TH NOVEMBER

JUSTICE LEAGUE- 17TH NOVEMBER 

WONDER- 17TH NOVEMBER 

COCO- 22ND NOVEMBER 

DARKEST HOUR- 22ND NOVEMBER

CALL ME BY YOUR NAME- 24TH NOVEMBER

Credit: Pinterest

Over the month of August, I did the 30-day water challenge, in aim to keep my hydration levels up and out of pure curiosity, what drinking more water would do for my body and skin. It was hard but it was so worth it at the end. I drank over 4.5 litres a day and I did stick to it after but then I had one crap day and I stopped.

One thing that came out of the challenge, was me becoming more aware of how much water I'm drinking each day, not counting any other form of liquid, such as lemonade, fruit juice, hot chocolate etc. Just pure water.

On average, I drink around 2-2.5 litres a day. After a little bit of research recently and a little consultation with my doctor, I found out that I should be drinking around 5 litres a day, 5.3 litres to be exact. And that's a lot of water.
This month I wanted to partake in the challenge again, drinking just water, for 30 days. This time around I'm challenging myself to hit the 4.5 litre mark every day, yet again. Which acquaints to 135 litres of water at the end of the month. Now, that is a lot of water.

What is the 30-day water challenge?

The aim of the challenge is to drink between 64-150 ounces of water, per day. This equates to between 1.8-4.2 litres.

How do you do it?

You can start the challenge at any time, but personally I think it's best to start it at the beginning of a month as it helps you to keep track and stay on target. Before beginning the challenge, I'd measure how much water you drink daily, over the course of a week, to find out your average intake. If your drinking about 2 litres a day, like I was, then I would recommend trying to drink around 3-4 litres per day, during the challenge.


What are the benefits of drinking more water?

Just to name a few:
- Increase in energy and relieves fatigue
- weight loss
- flushes out toxins
- improves skin complexion
- maintains regularity with digestion
- headache remedy
- boosts immune system
- prevents cramps and sprains
- mood booster
- prevents cancer
- less joint paint
- helps maintain the balance of body fluids
- helps to control calories
- energizes muscles
- helps your kidneys

Before and after results (from when I did it in August)

Like I mentioned earlier, I first did this challenge over the summer in August. I first started noticing results 3 days in to the challenge, my skin cleared up and became smoother and I was generally feeling much more energized than I was before the challenge, when I was drinking around 2 litres a day.

I have sometimes problematic combination skin, with dry spots prone to eczema, especially in the colder months of winter, whereas in the summer it becomes very oily. After the challenge, my skin was very smooth, and I no longer had any trace of eczema and/or dry spots on my chin, around my eyes and cheeks.

Not once over the course of the month did I have a headache, which was very rare for me. I normally get at least one or two when I'm stressed. In addition to this, I was more energized, I was waking up earlier naturally, and I was getting through the day with less sleep, and I had never felt better.

One of the things that attracts people to this challenge is the benefit of weight loss. Yes, this did happen to me, but it wasn't my reason for doing the challenge. The reason for weight loss when you begin drinking more water, is because sometimes your body is unable to tell the difference between hunger and thirst. Drinking more water makes you less hungry, your appetite goes down significantly. I lost five pounds over the month, with no increase in exercise, purely from drinking water and as a result eating less.

I would recommend this challenge to anyone, especially if they were wanting to drink more water. Obviously, not everyone will be able to consume over 4 litres per day, every day, due to a lot of factors, so please don't feel pressured to try and do so. Start drinking a little bit more every day to help you ease yourself into it, it helps I promise.
I shall be back at the end of the month to update you all on doing this the second time around and to see if there were any more changes in my body.

Credit: http://www.mykindabook.com/blog/october-2016/book-of-the-month-the-lie-tree-illustrated-edition

I can pinpoint the moment when I fell in love with reading as a child. I owe that to Roald Dalh, his books never failed to make me laugh. I would constantly re-read them once I had finished and as time went on, it inspired me to start writing stories of my own-which later led to my love for scriptwriting and filmmaking. 
When I was a kid, it would take me a week to read three new books. This was a little habit of mine until I got to secondary school where reading loads of books wasn't 'cool'. At the end of last year, I made it my goal to read 50 books by the end of 2017. At the time of writing, I have read 35. I worked out a couple of weeks ago, that in order to hit fifty books, I would need to read one book every 3 days. Which averages out to 3-4 books per week, depending on the length of the book. At the moment, a 250 page book would take me two hours to read in one sitting, while a 400 page book would take me two days, over two sittings. Over the summer, I got very bored one day and read 6 1/2.  books. Yes, you read that bit right. Six and a half. 
This month it's my goal to read 5-10 books. 

THE LIE TREE by Frances Hardinge

THE LOOK by Sophia Bennett

LOVE SONG by Sophia Bennett

She’s the new assistant to the lead singer’s diva fiancée, and she knows it’s going to suck. She quickly learns that being with the hottest band on the planet isn’t as easy as it looks: behind the scenes, the boys are on the verge of splitting up. Tasked with keeping an eye on four spoiled rock stars, Nina’s determined to stick it out – and not fall for any of them …

YOU DON'T KNOW ME by Sophia Bennett

THE YOUNG ELITES by Marie Lu

I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside.

Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.

Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all. 

Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen. 

Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.

It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt

THE RISE SOCIETY by Marie Lu

Once upon a time, a girl had a father, a prince, a society of friends. Then they betrayed her, and she destroyed them all.

Adelina Amouteru’s heart has suffered at the hands of both family and friends, turning her down the bitter path of revenge. Now known and feared as the White Wolf, she flees Kenettra with her sister to find other Young Elites in the hopes of building her own army of allies. Her goal: to strike down the Inquisition Axis, the white-cloaked soldiers who nearly killed her.

But Adelina is no heroine. Her powers, fed only by fear and hate, have started to grow beyond her control. She does not trust her newfound Elite friends. Teren Santoro, leader of the Inquisition, wants her dead. And her former friends, Raffaele and the Dagger Society, want to stop her thirst for vengeance. Adelina struggles to cling to the good within her. But how can someone be good when her very existence depends on darkness?

THE MIDNIGHT STAR by Marie Lu 

There was once a time when darkness shrouded the world, and the darkness had a queen.

Adelina Amouteru is done suffering. She’s turned her back on those who have betrayed her and achieved the ultimate revenge: victory. Her reign as the White Wolf has been a triumphant one, but with each conquest her cruelty only grows. The darkness within her has begun to spiral out of control, threatening to destroy all she’s gained.

When a new danger appears, Adelina’s forced to revisit old wounds, putting not only herself at risk, but every Elite. In order to preserve her empire, Adelina and her Roses must join the Daggers on a perilous quest—though this uneasy alliance may prove to be the real danger.

Credit: http://onelittleproject.com/rice-krispie-treat-pumpkins/

Credit: http://onelittleproject.com/rice-krispie-treat-pumpkins/

Spina bifida is a fault in the development of the spinal cord and surrounding vertebrae's, leaving a gap or split in the spine. The spinal cord hasn't formed properly and may be damaged as a result, in some cases for those suffering. Spina bifida means 'split spine'.

WHAT CAUSES IT?

The cause for Spina Bifida is unknown, but through extensive research it's been found that taking folic acid before and during pregnancy, can reduce the risk in unborn babies.

TYPES OF SPINA BIFIDA

There are 3 main types of Spina Bifida, which present themselves at birth.

1. Spina bifida Cystica myelomenigocele
2. Spina bifida Cystica meningocele
3. Spina bifida Occulta 

TREATMENT

Most cases of Spina Bifida are treated through surgery, shortly after the baby is born. In some cases, surgery is not needed, and doctors allow the spinal cord to heal on its own with no intervention. With Spina Bifida Occulta, if it present symptoms later on, it is most likely that the patient will require surgery to fix the problem. 

MY DIAGNOSIS

I was diagnosed, by accident, in mid 2015. I had been having trouble with my hips for some time, when I got an X-ray to see if there were any underlying joint problems when they noticed that I had Spina bifida. The diagnosis came as both a shock and a sigh of relief, to finally know what was causing my hip joints to hurt so much. The hip pain was put down to a side effect of the condition and from how religiously I danced. Something I had been doing since a very young age. After numerous physiotherapy sessions to help regain some movement in my hips and to help deal with the pain, I stopped dancing, performing in my last show in May 2015. I'd say that was the worst part of being diagnosed. You never want to give up something you love and have been dedicated to for such a long time. It broke my heart to do so but it had to be done for me to get better.
Fast forward two years and I had, had no more side effects or consequences as a result of my diagnosis. Until a couple of months ago. It started off with little bouts of back pain that I put down to over-working myself before it grew to something much worse. As it's ongoing, I'm not going to go into much detail about it. In short term, I turned out to be 1 in 1000 that developed consequences as a result. Spina bifida Occulta, my form  of Spina bifida, is the most common, and a large portion of the population have it but are unaware as it never presents itself as a problem or goes undetected in the scans during pregnancy. However, for some, it does present itself as a problem and can develop consequences as a result, due to treatment being needed as child but not receiving it and to the child growing up, the spinal cord growing too, and as a result it being unable to cope, causing the side effects to occur.
My diagnosis story is ongoing and will be until I receive treatment. I'm aware that I am very lucky compared to others and that is something I'll be eternally grateful for. My story, however, is far from over, just yet.



 

 

Hello! It's becoming a little bit of a trend,  that I begin my blog posts apologizing for my absence in recent months. I also know I've said this a couple of times before, but this time it is for definite. After a little time away, I'm back. I thought the most fitting first blog post back, would be a little life catch up on everything that's happened in the recent months.

The biggest change in my life has been starting year 13, my final year of sixth form and secondary school. It's been a little strange if I'm honest. I had my final last day at the school I've been attending for the last 6 years. I started and finished my application to university, after attending numerous open days and drafting and re-drafting my personal statement a few times, with the help of my teachers. The workload hasn't quite yet stepped up from year 12, but I know for sure, after half-term it will, as everything seems to kick off in those 6 weeks after Halloween and before Christmas, a.k.a my favourite time of year.


Just before I went back to school, pretty much 3 days before we went back, I released a little short film, the first in its series about the struggles of suffering from mental health and it affects you. The reaction to it was insane, I was overwhelmed with such a positive reaction, being flooded with messages from people I'd never met or knew very well that shared mutual friends with me; telling me how my little film helped them explain to loved ones, with how they're feeling and what they're going from. The point of the film was to give those who didn't know what they were suffering from, a voice. I'm extremely proud to say that it did just that.

I shall be doing a blog post about the process of making Ango, which you can watch here. 



Now, in regards to blogging it took me a little bit of time to get back into the running of things and I had a little bit of writer's block over the summer. I wrote some things and decided to scrap them as I just didn't like them any more. A little while ago, I added a 'Film' section on this blog, as it's something I'm extremely passionate about and I wanted a space to discuss issues and debates in the film industry on here. I'm writing in bulk, which I have done many times before, as this is the best way for me to get blog posts out regularly and on time, leading me up to the next school break, in which I can write in bulk again. In terms of structure, I shall be posting at least three times a week on here, with some festive blog posts making their way on here very, very soon.
Last year I did Blogmas. While it was amazing it was also extremely hard to keep on top of, and to continuously create content that was enjoyable to read and that I loved, in such a short space of time. This year, I won't be doing 'Blogmas' in the same format. I will still be posting Christmassy blog posts but not every day. They'll be more regular than the three post a week schedule that will occur leading up to December and afterwards, probably at around 4-5 blog posts a week instead.

October is 'Spina Bifida Awareness Month'. I've never really told anyone, other than those close to me about my diagnosis with Spina Bifida Occulta. At the time of my diagnosis, it wasn't affecting me much. I got extremely lucky with my type of Spina Bifida, being the most common form of Spina Bifida and the least severe. However, in recent months I've been suffering from the symptoms again. Sadly, its suffering that comes with it, and it has affected me before. It was after all, how I got diagnosed. As it is the awareness month, I'll be posting a more in detail blog post about my diagnosis, what it is, how its diagnosed, and how you can help raise awareness and support those suffering from it. It is one of the most common birth defects, yet it's rarely talked about, even though it has devastating consequences for so many children. That will be up within the next week or so.

Can we call this a new chapter, here on my blog? I apologize once again for being so inactive, I needed a little of time to think about both the direction of this blog and to settle into my new school routine and begin to find the balance between school work and fitting in everything else I do, in terms of hobbies, filmmaking, blogging etc.

So, here's to a new beginning on this blog.

In honour of the new season of Stranger Things, I decided to do a little roundup of the posters they released in the marketing campaign leading up to the release. They paid homage too a whole lot of classic horror films and posters from the 1980's, which were inspiration for the show, released in the lead up to its release on the 27th October.


+ FIRESTARTER+


+ ALIEN +

+ GOONIES +


+ THE EVIL DEAD +

+ JAWS +

+ A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET +

+ THE RUNNING MAN +

+ STAND BY ME +

It's no secret that I'm a 'little' bit of a film enthusiast. I love 'em. Writing this wasn't an easy task to do at all, I kept changing what films made it into my top 10- originally putting them in order but that made it even harder, so I scrapped that part of this post. I wouldn't say that I have a favourite genre of film at all. However, the one genre that your least likely to find me watching is horror. That isn't my cup of tea (sorry to any horror film fans out there). If I like the look of a film I'll go watch it.

In no particular order, I present my top 10 films...

Credit: Buzzfeed

1. Harry Potter
Yes, I know HP isn't exactly 'one' film but I love the franchise and I do class myself as a Potterhead. I honestly cannot choose my favourite Harry Potter film without changing my mind at least ten times before settling and even then I'm not 100% satisfied- so please never ask me 'which one is your favourite?'. I re-watch them monthly cause I love them. I'm still yet to attempt to watch them all in one day. I know around 95% of the script for Philosopher Stone, Chamber of Secrets and Deathly Hallows part 2.

Glen Hanson / NY Times

2. Bridget Jones's Diary
One of the funniest films I have watched. Shout out to my mum for introducing me to this absolute classic.

Titanic Facts

3. Titanic
I cry every time.

Hayden Williams

4. The Devil Wears Prada
Miranda is one of the best villains out there.

Zoom Illustration

5. Deadpool
One of the newest film on the list. Comedy gold.

Fine Art America

6. Meet The Fockers
I was far too young when I first watched this. I re-watched it a couple years later and since then it has held a special place in my heart.

Tommy Lee Jones

7. Men In Black
Again, I was really young when I first watched it. 6 years later I re-watched. The rest is history.

Deviant Art user valee-chankennedy

8. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Anything set in J.K Rowling's world is a yes from me.

Mark Reihill

9. Suicide Squad
If you know me very well at all, you'll know why this film has made it onto this list.

Justin Smith

10. Baby Driver
The first Edgar Wright film I ever did see. Loved it.

I have a little thread over on my Twitter on all of my favourite films and TV shows which you can find here .